October 8, 2018, we awoke to blowing snow in Green River, Wyoming, seriously limiting visibility. We had booked our room at the Hampton Inn for two nights because we had anticipated going on a wild horse tour on this day. However, the man who I had hoped could take us on that tour wasn't able to do so. That meant that we were looking at a day in Green River with no plans.
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| Hampton Inn - Green River, Wyoming |
We called the motel we had booked for the next night, in Vernal, Utah; and they could take us a day early. So we checked out of the Hampton Inn, then went to the Green River visitor center right across the street from the hotel. The very nice lady there told us that the first two miles of the wild horse loop road were suitable for our vehicle and that we could turn around at any time. She also said that we would probably see horses in that stretch. She even suggested some scenic things to see between Green River and Vernal.
The wild horse loop road began just past our hotel, and we saw a small herd of 11 horses at the very beginning of the gravel road. We continued on up the road and were rewarded with a sighting of two more horses near the road. We turned around after that and returned to Green River to get some lunch before starting the trip to Vernal, Utah.
I had so many pictures that I wanted to include in this post that I decided to put some of them into collages. If you'd like to see the individual photos, though, just click here to view the album which contains all the photos.
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| Wild Horse Loop Collage |
The first part of Highway 530, between Green River and Vernal, Utah, traveled through very arid and somewhat boring terrain. Driving makes us both tired without some good views. We stopped at a scenic overlook on a side road to the Lucerne Marina and took a nap. After our rest, we drove on to the Marina, seeing some Pronghorn antelope right beside the road and seemingly very unconcerned about us.
At the recommendation of the woman at the Green River visitor center, we turned off onto the Sheep Creek Geological Loop. The scenery on that 13-mile loop was spectacular. The snow was heavy there, and the aspen were still showing off their yellow leaves, enhanced by all the evergreens in the area.
I've again used a collage to bundle several pictures together. This was such a stunningly beautiful side trip.
By the time we topped out at about 9,000 feet of elevation, the snow was about six inches deep.
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We took another side trip to Cedar Canyon Lodge, which was closed for the season. We hadn't seen any wildlife in Sheep Creek Canyon, other than a few wild turkeys. But we came across some mule deer on our drive to Cedar Canyon Lodge.
Next stop was the flaming gorge dam, where we were finally out of the snow.
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| At Flaming Gorge Dam |
We were so grateful for the tips given to us by the woman at the Green River visitor center. We would probably not have tried to see the wild horses on our own, and I doubt very much that we would have taken the trip through Sheep Creek Canyon without the advance information that she had provided.
Absolutely beautiful pictures today, Linda. I especially love the pictures of the Mule deer in the snow...but seeing wild horses would have been just as lovely. The scenery was just breathtaking. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dianna. I, too, liked the pictures of the mule deer in the snow. I was so sorry that we weren't able to do the wild horse tour. That would have taken us off-road in a special vehicle and possibly enabled us to get closer to the horses. But I was still pleased to have at least seen a few of them.
DeleteI think you did very well on a day for which you had no plans. The scenery is beautiful. Thanks for giving us a couple places we should consider if we ever get out that way again.
ReplyDeleteIt turned out to be a good day, George. We hadn't been too fond of our accommodations at the Hampton Inn so were glad to be able to get in early at our next stop...which proved to be much better accommodations at almost half the price.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous ride, love that pronghorn shot.Looking back at the road you traveled was a nice shot also. It always pays to stop and ask, those people often hear what has been going on often.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steve. And you're right...the help we received at the visitor center certainly made a better day for us.
DeleteBeautiful scenes. Despite the snow, or maybe because of it, you were treated to amazing beauty. I have only been in Utah once and I recall the Flaming Gorge and also recall spending the night in Vernal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ruth. We drove beside the Flaming Gorge during most of that day's travel, but we never got any good views of it because of the snow. But the snow definitely enhanced our viewing experience in Sheep Creek Canyon. That's neat that you remember being in Vernal. We were totally unfamiliar with the area but chose it because of its proximity to Dinosaur National Monument. We enjoyed our time there very much.
DeleteGorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteI wonder which horses the wild ones descended from? We have some here in our state (NC, by the coast) and also in Virginia. I think they say they are from European explorers' crashed ships and also pirate ships!
Descended from, that is... ;-)
DeleteGood question, Sandi. Regardless of their origin, I'm glad there are still some roaming free. It's a treat to see them. This herd is in such a harsh environment, it's amazing that they can survive, let alone thrive.
DeleteThe snow along with the yellow leaves make such a nice contrast. And I love that Pronghorn antelope, looks good! :) I can see many birds of pray here sitting in fields near by the road, not getting disturbed by the passing cars. I always wonder whether they would fly away if any of the cars stopped and I think they would...
ReplyDeleteThe color extremes are what I found so interesting, too, Petra...the white of the snow, the green of the evergreens, and that beautiful gold of the aspens. All of that was enhanced by the rock walls of the canyon. The pronghorn antelope is the fastest land animal in North America. This one most likely would have disappeared in seconds if I'd exited the car.
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