Driving to Rifle

It took me 3 days to drive from my home in Oakland, Oregon to the start/finish point in Rifle, Colorado.

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Drove 540 miles from Oakland, Oregon to Mountain Home, Idaho. I was focused on moving down the road and took very few stops. I did stop north of Bend, Oregon to take pictures of the volcanoes. The view was spectacularly free of clouds and smoke. I knew the view is likely to be much smokier when I return home.

Looking west at the Three Sisters (volcanoes). View from the roadside overlook north of Bend.

Looking north at nearby Black Butte (a cinder cone) and distant Mt. Jefferson, Oregon's 2nd highest peak.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Drove 578 miles from Mountain Home, Idaho to Green River, Utah. Took the US 20 back route instead of I-84 in order to soak at Wild Rose hot spring and see the lava at Craters of the Moon National Monument. US 20 in Idaho is a good bike route. I pedaled much of it in 2008.

Wild Rose hot spring was a perfect 99F on a cool sunny morning. Only 100 yards from US 20.

Craters of the Moon National Monument has miles of lava flows.

Driving through the Salt Lake City metro area was very easy on a Sunday afternoon, Mormon family time. I was amused by the sudden appearance of plastic surgery billboards and the absence of marijuana billboards.

The temperature had been in the 70's and 80's for the last two days but it suddenly jumped to the upper 90's when I descended to Green River.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Drove 294 miles from Green River, Utah to Rifle, Colorado. I actually drove past Rifle to soak at South Canyon hot spring and Penny hot spring.

South Canyon hot spring is slightly sulfury and was 100F in the morning. No doubt it would be several degrees warmer in the afternoon. Flow is small. The area is very quiet considering it's only 1 mile from I-70.

South Canyon hot spring west of Glenwood Springs.

Penny hot spring is much higher in the mountains, between Carbondale and Redstone. It has multiple flows of very hot water that mix with the cold Crystal river. I was there around noon on a warm sunny day. Perfect weather for this soak because the pools are a swirl of hot and cold. Not the typical hot spring. Quite popular because it's only 100 feet from highway 133 with a large parking area.

In the afternoon I backtracked to Rifle and got a reserved room at Budget Star Motel on the west edge of town. $79.67. I had dinner with Kelly and Jacinto at a local Mexican restaurant. The tour starts tomorrow. I am well rested after a 3 day drive.

My 2010 Toyota Prius got a remarkable 52.3 miles per gallon during the drive. I drove no faster than 70 MPH even when the speed limit was 75 or 80. I parked the car at Kelly and Jacinto's house for the duration of the tour.

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