Nomad Life - Day 361

With the drive across the Great Basin mostly finished, I was able to settle back into a regular Nomad Life rhythm.  This morning, I woke up at "the new" 0500 (alarm required) and started teleworking immediately.  At 0800, I went to eat breakfast in the lobby of the Super 8 (Richfield) but was back online by 0815.  Otherwise, I teleworked until my late checkout time (prearranged)  Outside, the day was sunny, with temps in the high 50s.  After leaving the hotel (1200), I drove across UT-120 and topped off my fuel tank at the Flying J at noon.  My fuel conservation skills had yielded 32.2 mpg and I was pleased with the rather good price.  Next, I resumed teleworking (in the shade) in the gas station parking lot.  I was able to finish a productive day by 1300 and then departed from Richfield on I-70.  Hoping to prepare for driving over mountain passes with extreme grades, I spent some time during this drive playing with the manual options on my Subaru.  Hoping to find some more birds in yet another Utah County (especially after so much success yesterday), I got off the Interstate and followed UT-24 to the north - later, I used US-50 and US-89 to reach the town of Axtell (Sanpete County).  I parked at the Post Office in the tiny hamlet (which was apparently founded and is still heavily populated by Mormons) at 1325.  While I didn't ultimately see any new bird species, I was able to record a few of the usual suspects before departing (1335).  I used US-89 to return to the I-70 interchange but stopped at Love’s to pick up "lunch" (snacks) before getting back on the Interstate (1350).  As I was leaving the area, I noticed a Love's RV Park (I need to research that!).  Back on the Interstate (AKA US-50), I noticed that we turned noticeably east (we'd been headed more northerly before that) and reentered the Fish Lake National Forest.  Like the previous few days, I started trying to save fuel (slower speeds, cruise control, etc.).  This is much harder on the Interstate with big trucks and lots of terrain but I was mildly successful.  Along the way, I saw signs for the Old Spanish National Historical Trail.  I started noticing trucks with triple trailers - I haven't seen those very often...  SiriusXM helped me pass the time.  At one point, I climbed over an unnamed summit (7886 feet) but then descended into a series of pretty canyons.  As if anticipating my needs, the Interstate designers had placed a series of Vista / Viewpoint pullouts in this area - they continued all the way to the Colorado border and I stopped (and walked on "trails") at almost every one.  Highlights included: Salt Wash (1440, Emery County, ravens soaring); Castle Valley (Wasatch Plateau, red sandstone hoodoos & Navajo art for sale); Devils Canyon (1455), Eagle Canyon (crossed on bridge) and Ghost Rock Rest Area (1510, 7270 feet, San Rafael Swell).  After that, I started down a 6% grade that was also very curvy.  Hoping to rest my brakes, i stopped at the Spotted Wolf Canyon View/Rest Area (1535), which featured a spectacular view of the Interstate passing through a narrow canyon below (feat of engineering).  While there, I reached one mile of walking for the day.  The whole place gave me a 1984 Deja Vu feeling - I think I remember this place...  Continuing east, I finished the descent.  At the bottom of the grade, I got an amazing "gate view" in my rearview mirror; the westbound lanes had a rest area with a better vantage point and, again, it seemed familiar.  Beyond this, the land was flat for a long time - I was soon following a Tesla, my first drafting on the highway in quite a while.  Along the way, the Interstate joined US-6 (near Green River).  I entered Grand County at 1600 and started to notice terrain that reminded me of the Badlands of North and South Dakota.  At each bridge crossing, someone had spraypainted “Trump is Stealing from US” - otherwise, there wasn't much else to note about this part of the drive.  I crossed into Colorado at 1655; at the border, I passed a little obelisk as I entered Mesa County.  Soon after that, the hills started again and I noticed several Colorado River crossings.  I arrived in Grand Junction, where I planned to stay for the night, at 1720.  Just after I exited onto US-6 & US-50, I reached the Red Roof Inn - I was checked into my room 10 minutes later and resumed teleworking.  Finished with my work day by 1745, I left the hotel and drove to a trailhead for the Colorado Riverfront Trail (Monument View Section) - I'd noticed this cement pathway when I was driving into town.  Later, I learned that it had actually started in the town of Fruita (located just north of Grand Junction).  Starting at 1800, I walked west and got to witness a beautiful sunset over Colorado National Monument.  This hike stayed between mile marker 10 and 11.5 and I managed to get about three miles of walking in this section alone (coupled with another mile I'd done while visiting the Vista points on I-70, this gave me four for the day).  There was also come good birding to be found in the twilight.  Finished at 1915 (completely dark), I drove back to hotel and went to dinner at the restaurant, El Mescal, attached to the hotel.  While eating my Enchiladas Suizas, I watched a lot of World Series Game 4 and tried a Mexican beer.  When I was done (2015), I finally used up the annoying debit card (yay).  Back in my room, I used AI to plan more of my visit to Colorado (I would like to hike some of the CDT and make good choices in crossing the high passes).  There was also time for Duolingo, movies and more of the World Series Game 4 (extra innings).  At 2330, I finally went to bed.  This was another great day of working and driving in the afternoon - I should be well positioned for some outdoor adventures during the coming days!