I guess I AM a chicken after all....or, the longest 6-hour drive ever

This morning, I left Boulder to drive to Moab, Utah. What an absolutely gorgeous drive that was. I-70 from Denver through the Rocky Mountains is spectacular. I drove over Loveland Pass on the Continental Divide, at around 11000 feet. Then I descended somewhat, and I drove through some of the most spectacularly green mountains I could have possibly imagined. West of Vail, I drove through Glenwood Canyon, which was incredibly green and lush with sheer rocky faces on either side of the canyon and the Colorado River running down the center. It was spectacular. I stopped there for an hour or so and chatted on the phone with my friend Dave in Boston. We had a really nice talk, and I liked taking the break from driving and having good conversation in a beautiful locale. After all, I figured I had plenty of time to get to Moab, right?

When I got back into my car, my GPS said I'd arrive in Moab at 5:30. No problem. I continued onward, into the Utah desert, and then I turned off I-70 to Utah 191, just like the GPS said to. I was TEN MINUTES from my hotel, when traffic came to a sudden and complete halt; a car about 10-15 vehicles ahead had caught fire (I took pictures, above)!

After waiting there for 30 minutes or so, we figured we weren't going to be able to pass for a while, so several people decided to leave the main road and take a 4WD road just parallel to the highway. Janie did so great!!!! We drove up these crazy inclines, through some sand pits, and over some boulders -- and she handled it like a champ. (The second picture was taken from a hill on the 4WD road -- you can see the traffic jam on the freeway to the right of the photo.) Unfortunately, the road became VERY dicey (super-steep decline over some large boulders), and so the group basically decided it wasn't a good idea to keep going. So we turned back, and tried to take another path. Well, that one took us through a wash, and a VW van got stuck in the sand -- and Janie towed her out!!! I'm so proud of my little Jeep!

So here's the deal: some guys on 4-wheelers drove up the other way through the wash, and they said that my Jeep could definitely drive through it, but recommended that the other folks in SUVs not try it. So no one in the group decided to do it. Which left me with a decision: to test Janie's mettle by myself, or to abort the mission. And I decided to abort. I feel a little lame about that choice; after all, it would have been an adventure, and I have a car that's meant for that type of terrain. But I ultimately decided not to be a hero, and so I followed the rest of the group back.

When we got back to the highway, it was still stopped completely. So instead of waiting in the crowd, I drove back UP 191 for 17 or so miles to I-70, went back the way I came for another 20 or so miles, then turned south down highway 128, which takes you to Moab. I don't know why my GPS didn't take me that way, in the first place; it's east, so it's closer to Denver. And it was GORGEOUS. It travels along the Colorado river, and the scenery is spectacular....much better than on 191.

I finally made it to my hotel -- at 7:30 pm. Wow...the supposed 6-hour drive took 9 1/2 hours overall. Screw doing yoga in my motel room; I need beer, instead.