I have been reviewing and revising my notes on the trip Karen and I took to the American Southwest last June in celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary. The day we drove from Las Vegas to explore the north rim of the Grand Canyon was very long long (about 3:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., the driving distance being about the same as driving one-way from Washington to New York City) but spectacular! One interesting part of the drive itself was going through the Virgin River Gorge on Interstate 15 between Mesquite NV and St George UT. When constructed, it was one of the most difficult and expensive sections of the interstate highway system. A stretch of not quite 20 miles, it is quite a ride! We got to that point, going northeast, just about at dawn. From driving through fairly open spaces to suddenly being squeezed between cliffs rising hundreds of feet in a narrow gorge with tight winding curves at 55 miles per hour (more or less!), a fair bit of traffic, and alternating shadows and bright light, it was a challenging but beautiful passage. This is a video of one persons drive through it with a dash-cam and useful information about the highway and the gorge. Watch it full screen, if you can. Very interesting! youtube/watch?v=mCU9iCRxI0g
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:44:43 +0000