Saturday August 5th 2017

It was a sunny day with a high temperature in the mid 90s. As I’m starting to right this blog entry at 8:30pm a thunderstorm is moving into the area. The sky to the west and south is black and to east the sky glows red with the reflected sun passing over the top of the western clouds.

I slept in this morning. Somehow I’ve gotten into a sleep pattern that has me getting to sleep around one in the morning and waking up close to nine. This morning I slept even later. I need to break this pattern. I’m going to bed around eleven but still not sleeping for a couple of hours. Over the next few days, as I start to tour the area national parks, I’m going to have to set an alarm to get moving earlier. My late start today ended all thoughts of going to the National Parks this morning. I was only lukewarm to the idea anyway.

Looking west across the Green river in Green River Utah.

Today I learned about the Green River. The John Wesley Powell museum is across the street from the campground. It is located on the east bank of the Green River. It has a number of display boards that describe the history of the river and the crossing here in Green River Utah. The town is here primarily because this is the only easy place to cross the river for many miles in either direction. South of here the river is in deep canyons all the way to the Colorado river. It was first used by European settlers in the second half of the 1700s. The Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe New Mexico to California crossed the river in this area. The region was explored by the Americans in the 1840s when John Freemont traveled through the area. In 1869 the river was explored by John Wesley Powell.

Looking north west across the Green river in Green River Utah.

Powell traveled the river from its headwaters in Wyoming down into the Colorado River all the way to where the Virgin River joined the Colorado River. That trip took his expedition through the Grand Canyon to a point that is covered by Lake Mead today. Most of the location names along the rivers owe their names to the Powell expeditions. The Green River joints the Colorado River in the Canyonlands National Park area.

Green River full of silt. Looking upriver from the bridge in Green River UT.

My other “major” accomplishment today was finding the local grocery store. I was wrong in my assumption that I could find bread in one of the truck stop convenience stores. They had plenty of chips, cookies and pastries, but no bread. I found the grocery store under a sign that emphasized the bakery part of the business. It was a well stocked little store. I now have bread for sandwiches and English muffins for my morning coffee.