It's Day 426...it's also July 5th 2020...and we are on Miners Draw Road...in Utah

It's Day 426...it's also July 5th 2020...and we are on Miners Draw Road...in Utah

Sooo.....we made it a couple nights alonside the Green River there in Jensen.....but on day two.....when temps were crawling back into the triple digits....a campsight can loose a lot of it's appeal when your stuck listening to the generator run most of the day so you can crank the A/C.......decided it was time to hit that two track......the dirt road somebody named....Miners Draw Road.

We busted out early this morning......it was barely light out.....fully planned being a bit higher in elevation before todays heat set in. Miners draw.....it's narrow winding road climbing it’s way into the Utah wilderness. About 8 miles in we had not gained much in elevation but we had entered an area where the wind picked up quite a bit and...they were also....cooling things down.

We had just come around a bend in the road when things seemed to open up a bit....a massive prairie.....I was focused on how the road seemed to climb up over the horizon...drop down over a bluff....and then wind further up into the moutains.....when I saw it.....just off to our right........A super old corral.....way off in the middle of that prairie....all by itself.....and it was definitely.....calling our name!

Wide open spaces as far as we could see in any direction......almost perfectly framed.... all the way around with that mountain range..... and swift breezes to keep the temps down…what more did we need?

We'd carefully pull off into that prairie....find our way out to that corral....circle it....and pointed the windshield at that Mountain Range to the north. Leveled up.....and awnings out within minutes.....we got this stuff down at this point......I even had the rug.....and lounge chair out....ready for an afternoon of staring off into these mountains...and across these prairies.....I was already....pretty sure.....we'd just found one of our favorite addresses yet.

Dougie and Billie lovin it too.....even let Billie out of his harness for a bit....that didn't last long....staying close enough to snatch him up should something pop outta the dirt.....or strike from the sky....required way too much running around in my flip flops....so we'll let Dougie do the scouting for now.....Billie and I just hang back here....under the awning....watching Dougie find his way back and forth across that prairie.

We also did a walk around that corral.....It looks plenty old....coulda been long since abandoned but yet....signs of recent use. Remnants of a few uneaten flakes of hay across the floor of the corral....and the pen next to it....and the fire pit off to the south it's recent use obvious as well....and suddenly my mind was conjuring up pictures of the cowboys sitting around their evening campfire with the horses put up safe for the night in the corral......the heard grazing just out beyond em....the gang drew straws after dinner.....see who had night watch first.....and who would sleep.....and wondering if it would be the sunrise that told what time the first pot of coffee would be over that fire.....or would it be earlier? And what time would they head out....and how far up Miners draw would they get before bedding down again. ....pretty awesome.....I swear....the longer we stood there.......I could almost smell the campfire.....and hear the horses rustling in the corral....

And no real big surprise.....that I didnt find much about a road called Miners Draw on the internet....

It just told us that Miners Draw Road.... starts at US Highway 40 near Vernal, Utah, and winds its way through the rugged terrain, offering stunning views of the Cliff Ridge. The road eventually connects to Harpers Corner Road on the Colorado side of the Dinosaur National Monument.....it also threw in that...... Along the way, you'll encounter dispersed camping spots, perfect for RV camping....but we'd already figured that part out.

The internet went on to explain that Cliff Ridge... is a prominent geological feature along Miners Draw Road. It offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, especially beautiful in the morning light when the sun illuminates the ridge. The ridge is composed of sandstone and shale, creating a dramatic backdrop for the area.

The morning light on Cliff Ridge is particularly breathtaking, making it a popular spot for early risers.....and we will no doubt be up early tomorrow to check that out for ourselves.

The name.....couldn't find much on that......but the imagination doesn't have to work over time to figure out that given the strong mining history in the area.....and the draw we will work our way up through when we head further north....probably explains it pretty well.

Aslo no surprise to learn.....given the remnants of a ranching history we were lookin at first hand.....that Ranching in the Miners Draw Road area has a long history, dating back to the late 19th century. Ranchers have used the land for grazing cattle for over a century....the area's open range and rugged terrain made it ideal for cattle grazing.

We got here mid mornin sometime.......and as we packed it in for the night....we'd seen exactly two vehicles pass by us on Miners draw.....one car...trekked right thru at a pretty good clip....dust cloud and all....the other....a chevy one ton with empty stock trailer in tow. Watched both dissappear over that bluff....their dust cloud workin its way up into that ridge behind em.

Plenty of time spent staring out into it all....The corral....old and withered.....but at the same time....it's still there....who knows how many years after a ranch hand dug holes and set the posts.....and then strung the barbed wire.....the jagged edges of Cliff Ridge cutting into an endless sky.... the prairie grasses and tumblweed....motionless....until a short gust of wind brings everything to life as if wandering aimlessly across the prairie....and listening to the nothingness of it all.....But sometimes.....inside nothing....you can hear everything. As the wind gust slips through the sun dried hand cut posts and cross rails of that old corral....and whispers life into that tumblweed and prairie grass....

Its as if I'm listening.....to time. Each gust tells a different story...a new story.....or is it an old story? Each comes from a different place....but all seem to be going to the same place. The skeleton of that corral....the wood weathered and iron rusted....creaks....a little different each time. How many times has it heard this song....or one like it?

The cry of a hawk....adding it's voice to time.....this moment. What does she see.....do we seem out of place as she glides over on that same gust of wind.....you can almost hear that too.

A prairie dog scurries from one den to another.....dodging a tumbleweed along the way.....I think I hear him too.

Looking back into those mountains.....and wondering who's looking back at me. There's so much life out here....I know we're not the only ones.....and what do they hear?

Who was watching....and listening when cowboys sat around this campfire......what would a guy talk about in 1896.....and what did a mountain lion make of it all

The boys and I just sat here.....aborbing it all....and realizing that.....silence is never truly silent.....is it. And because music....is always somewhere in my head.....I'm also realizing that Simon and Garfunkel were probably on to something all those 56 years ago.....insert song clip.

A lot to get lost in.....and a pretty cool place to be lost.

We'll camp here tonight....the spirit of cowboys....and ranchers......and nature.....all around us....

And tomorrow.....we'll make our own cloud of dust....over that bluff and up through that draw.....

I wonder what we'll learn there