Kansas City & West — Day 14 (Goodland, KS)

      Well, our trip is winding down. We left Vernal, Utah, this morning prepared (we hoped)to drive the 540 miles to Goodland, Kansas, approximately halfway to the end of our road trip. Rather than use my own directions, we put the route in the hands of Dierdre, my GPS. Instead of driving through Vail, which I had planned, Dierdre took us much of the way along US Rte 40, across northern Colorado, all the way to Kremling, before working our way south to Interstate 70. Thus, my anticipated visit to Vail was thwarted. We did drive through Steamboat Springs, Kremling, and Silverthorne, Colorado, all cute small towns, but we were on a mission to make it to Goodland so we did not spend too much time in any of these places.

       The drive, for the most part, was very scenic; Colorado is truly a beautiful state. In particular, the sections of the drive from Kremling to Silverthorne along Rte 9 and from Silverthorne to Denver on Interstate 70 were exceptionally scenic, with snow-covered peaks in the distance and lovely alpine landscape all around us. We also passed through the Eisenhower Tunnel, a remarkable feat of engineering when it was completed in 1979. It is one of the longest vehicular tunnels in the world, at almost 3 miles long.

     Before I complete this post, I must share my one picture of the day. It comes from Vernal, Utah, an adorable community near Dinosaur National Monument. I was particularly enchanted by the city park, known as Cobble Rock Park. Its entrance is a giant arch made from fieldstone; it is bedecked with flowers; and it even has a working fountain. I couldn’t resist taking a picture this morning as we left town on Stegosaurus Freeway.

Cobble Rock Park, Vernal

        We completed our 10-hour journey (with numerous stops), arriving in Goodland at about 6:30 PM (local time) and had a tasty dinner at Krazy R’s, a popular local hangout. Tomorrow it’s off to Kansas City and then home to Rhode Island..

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