Wyoming, Idaho, Utah heading south.

I'm so glad it did quiet down overnight, in this unbelievably pristine, and beautiful valley next to Grey's River. 

I headed just a few miles towards the freeway to get internet connection and let everyone know that all is well. I was about to embark on a five to six hour journey, leaving at about 8:30 am. I debated, whether to make a slight detour stop at the Fossil Butte National Monument. And since I was so close, I had to do it, and I'm glad I did. This dried up ancient lake bed is filled with fossils. Everything from flowers, insects, amphibians, to prehistoric horses, and fish feces. The fossils are imbedded in flat slab layers of rock. No collecting allowed here!

They no longer excavate in this area, as of the 1950's, as it is part of the national park system. However private land surrounding it still does so, and offers their specimens up for sale to private individuals, or museums, and galleries. I have seen these fossils exhibited, but never really understood the nature of how they are found, and restored, and now I do. These fossils can be found embedded between the sediment which has turned into rock, and there is quite a process to locating and cleaning them up, and showing the actual incredible details of the fossils, using small sand blasting types of tools. They are millions of years old. I stopped for lunch at a picnic area, after climbing a road that turned into a dirt road that reached nearly 8000 ft in elevation, for some really incredible views, in this ancient fossil ground. However, the California fires are still active and the haze was definitely evident. The grade was 20%, steep and windy, but with the petal to the metal, Gypsy Ram did it!

There were hours more of driving through grasslands, cattle farms, rolling hills, a lot of cattle ranches, horse ranches, even more cattle ranches, and hay field farms. And temperatures began to climb near Provo, up to a 102° degrees. I am reaching the desert. Orem and Provo are well kept little towns.

Using my app, I was directed just southeast of Provo, into the Manti-Lasal National Forest. 
This dirt road bordered private property farmland, with prominent fencing along the boundaries of the National Forest. First indicators told me to travel 20 minutes, but that's always a rough go, on a dirt road. I kept my eyes open for the first available spot, and low and behold, I found one, and the minute I saw it, I said this is my "miniature" Bryce Canyon spot. Tall red cliff pillars, or "hoo doos," will be my view for tonight. The only issue is it's direct sun, and it is now 93 degrees in and out of my RV. But I know the desert, and as soon as the sun sets, it will become more comfortable. The most profound thing is, it's absolutely deafening silence. My first experience in Utah, over 20 years ago, traveling out, and around was how quiet and literally dead silent it is. Except for a bit of wind, I'm having that same experience.

Just then, Jarand, and his family stopped with two vehicles. I talked with him for quite a while, and he wanted to take some family photos against these stunning cliffs. He has camped in my very spot, and said I had the best one in the area. Whoa! I offered to help shoot photos. It was a nice visit. There was plenty of room to park, and we had a lovely conversation about where he was from just east of there, to where I am from, and he inquired about the Sylver Gypsy. Jo Jo was doing his amazing job of practicing suspicion, and skepticism. On security patrol 24/7.

It was my only conversation with a human for the entire day other than filling up for gas at a station. It's all good. So good.































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