Today I left Salt Lake City heading south down the Utah valley. It is a wide valley flanked by a row of mountains on each side. For the first 1.5 hours it was city after city and heavy traffic. I could not tell when one city ended and the next one started. I waited until 0930 to leave to avoid rush hour but the traffic was still bumper to bumper and sometimes came to a compete stop on the freeway. Driving in Salt Lake City with my truck and trailer kept me on my toes.
Ater 1.5 hours of congestion, I finally got out into the country. The valley has some farms but mostly ranches for horses and cattle. I saw some long-horned cattle. The terrain is semi-desert, like Antelope Island. Mostly tall yellow grass and sagebrush. Had a pleasant drive and filled the valley with the music from my Phantom of the Opera CD.
I stopped for and ice cream at a DQ and noticed the my tires were cracking. I dont know how old they were but I ended up buying four new tires and when we got the wheels off we also found that it needed new shocks on the front. It was an expensive ice cream cone. Oh well, I feel safer and the truck rides much better. The other tires were just about worn out. I got ten-ply tires with deep treads. Have to try out the four-wheel drive in the desert now.
I stopped for the night at a little town called Fillmore about half way down the valley. It is a really nice campground but only a few trailers here. There is nothing to see or do here but it is a nice place to relax and read a book and enjoy the weather. Kind of in the middle of nowhere. Ate supper out at the picnic table tonight for the first time. 21 degrees c.
