I'm in the mountains above the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in NW Utah. Just below Green River.  I'm in the forest at an elevation of about 8900 ft.  And I have a cell signal with Verizon!  That means I should be able to connect with the broadband card. The nearest big town is 40+ miles away and I'm really, truly in the middle of nowhere. I'm almost at the top of the mountain with camp set up simply off the side of the road.  No indication of bear -- but I did text the coordinates to Jennifer just in case!  Just saw two huge deer run by. It's almost 9PM here and the sun is rapidly setting.  Hmmm, no digital signal all of a sudden. Maybe in the morning.

Only made 324 miles today. Wasted most of the morning doing laundry. It was necessary but the laundromat with 1950's vintage equipment left a lot to be desired. Took 1-1/2 hours for my wash to finish! Used the time to catch up on posting photos and visited with a nice couple from California who have a second home near Yellowstone. She used to be a judge's secretary in California and later became a court reporter. Got sick of lawyers and judges and is now a school teacher.

Another beautiful day in paradise.  In a few spots the temp got up to low 80's but the morning was about 50 and most of the ride was 75 degrees or so.

The route down the Idaho/Wyoming border toward Utah was spectacular as always. On the way I found the spot where two years ago Robert and I discovered that we could get a digital cell signal if we stood on the large boulder which had become our kitchen table. Now don't ask me how we would up standing on our kitchen table, but it truly was. I had the propane stove out cooking, I think, steaks that we had picked up in Montpelier.  I've marked the spot with the GPS (Garmin model 2610) for the sake of an accurate rendition of the story! While there today I called Robert and he knew right away from where I was calling.

The Flaming Gorge is an awesome display of geology. All along the road, signs are posted telling you the formation, the age, and the manner of creation. There is a geological loop that is reputed to display most of the geography of the area. The end result is a real potpourri of soil types and colors. There are hills with whites and greys, then entire bluffs with deep reds. Dry, dusty hills are punctuated with irrigated lands out of the Flaming Gorge reservoir which was reflecting a deep blue today as the skies began to shed their clouds. I'll have some photos posted, but they won't do it justice.