Cellar Rat Road Trip – Day 4 – Getting My Rocks Off

After a pretty chill day tasting Gruet sparklers and rolling out only about 300 miles (compared to 721 and 666 the previous two days, respectively), today I planned to put in another hard days work on the road but making sure to check out some of the sights Utah has to offer.  I have to give much appreciation and thanks to my good friend and fellow wine geek Jack Misiura in Atlanta who convinced me to take this route.  I had originally planned to book it across I-40 all the way to Barstow before heading north up the gut of California, however, Jack easily twisted my arm as he described some of the phenomenal natural wonders he had seen several times on previous trips.  There would be many more miles without proper cell phone coverage and very little in the way of human habitation, but it was well worth the additional 300+ miles it would add to my original trip plan.

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The light just after dawn was perfect for highlighting the deep reds and oranges in the canyons, cliffs and plateaus along the way to Monument Valley on highway 163.  My Dad informed me that many of the old westerns were filmed in this area.  It is vast and steep and really makes you feel small in this world.  The next 4 hours would set my mind adrift trying to completely understand these wonders of the world and how outside of my everyday life there is still vast space and monumental structures on this planet that are truly awe-inspiring to behold.

Once through Mexican Hat, UT I took a left onto 261 toward what is called the Moki Dugway.  As I turn I am immediately confronted by signs that warn of the steep grade, the gravel road and warnings not to take RVs, trailers and such on this route.  I may have just peed a little in my pants just then.  In just a handful of miles I am met by a wall of rock thousands of feet in height.  I look left and right and there is no way around.  I can only go up a steep grade gravel road with about 6 tight switchbacks with no rails on the edge of the road.  I will provide video of this later.  Needless to say, I survived.  What a rush!

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Next stop was Arches National Park just north of Moab.  Again, it is really difficult to truly fathom the size and majestic dominance of nature until you have witnessed it up close.  I drive away shaking my head in awe and talking to myself.  Much of the drive until I reach Salt Lake City is filled with the same types of expansive landscape views of plains, plateaus, canyons and mountains.  America has huge tracts of land… just waiting for you to experience!

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So, tomorrow is the homestretch for Santa Rosa, which equals another 522 miles — piece of cake, right.  The smell of grapes being pressed at Gruet had me salivating for the winery life, but I will have to wait a few more weeks and then some to wait for mother nature to complete her work on the grapes of northern California.  Only then will my trip be complete.