Traveling West

I finally made it out of Colorado. I fought a head wind for hundreds of miles which slowed the van and killed the gas mileage. At times the head wind slowed me to 40-45 mph when combined with long inclines. When it blew from the side it threatened to lift the camper top. Had that happened it would have torn it from the bus. Fortunately, I noticed it lifting and took measures to better secure it.

After heading up Rt 25 from Denver to Cheyenne I turned west again to face the vast open space of Wyoming. It was still winter up there and though it wasn't snowing per se the wind was still driving snow across the road. There was nothing but open rolling empty plains for hundreds of miles. The only notable features were the snow fences which prevented the drifts from migrating onto the highway.

Wyoming came and went and I found myself in Utah. Eventually I dropped in elevation out of the snow and wind and down into Salt Lake City. With the warmer temperature and calmer air my mileage increased significantly. The warmer temps also made the VW more comfortable inside. It was 2:00 a.m. before I stopped at a truck stop for the night somewhere between Salt Lake City and the Bonneville Salt Flats.