June 8, 2018
As we pulled away from the Priest Gulch RV Resort, it was such a gorgeous day! The sky was clear blue…no sign of clouds, haze or smoke today!. The temperature was a cool 57 degrees.
Ken carefully planned our route towards Grand Junction, CO. We took CO Highway 145 from Priest Gulch to Placerville. I was able to enjoy the scenery, without my camera, since this was our third time on this road.
At Placerville, we stayed on Highway 145 but in a new direction. We drove through the scenic red rock rimmed San Miguel River Canyon …it reminded us a little of Sedona, AZ. Next, we drove up the long, curvy Norwood Hill to the ranching community of Norwood.
Highway 145 turned into highway 141, also known as the Unaweap-Tabegauche Scenic and Historic Byway. The only word in that title that matters is “Scenic”. This roadway was by far one of the most scenic highways we have ever driven!
UnaWeap is a Ute Word meaning “canyon with 2 mouths”. It refers to the East Creek draining towards Gunnison River and the West Creek draining into the Delores River. The 2 creeks drain out of the canyon in opposite directions.
We passed a Point of Interest Sign and decided to stop, stretch, and see what might be of interest. What a great stop! The Point of Interest was the site of the Hanging Flume. What in the world is a Hanging Flume? It was a 7 mile long wooden waterway attached to the side of the canyon hanging 150 feet over the river. The project was completed in 1891 and carried 23 million gallons of water per day to a mining site. How did they build that??? The Hanging Flume is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The scenic byway continued to impress and surprise us at every turn all the way to Grand Junction, CO and the KOA Campground.
It is very difficult to describe the amazing landscape we saw today. The photos I took do not begin to capture the beauty along the Unaweap Scenic Byway. Ken and I are still saying ” WOW”!
What will tomorrow bring? Provo, Utah