May / June 2022 Vacation Day 9 · · PAGE 21.

May 31, 2022:  The Sun is coming up as I begin the new page about our next Vacation to the western states of the USA.  We resume our Google Earth travels from Cortez, Colorado.  We did not stop for Wendy's breakfast biscuits.  I have published some of MY photos from this trip that will be properly labeled in this web site.

Since the Four Corners Monument was closed by the time we got there yesterday, we decided to back track to the site as seen with a few of my photos on the previous web page.

Cortez, Colorado is where we leave US 160 and follow US 491 North from here up toward the towns of Monticello and Moab, Utah.

Not far north from the junction seen in the image above, just out of the main part of town is this Maverick Gas station which has the lowest prices from Gas Buddy online.  The prices get higher going north from here.

This highway was once related to US 66 with the number US 666.  Some folks thought of it as the Devil's highway and the number was changed to be related to US 91 that was nearby.  US 91 was replaced by Interstate 15 which we will find soon going north to Salt Lake City.  The desert scenery is more important than the highway numbers we will be following.

Google Earth drives these highways at different times of the year as you may have noticed with snow in some places in Arizona.  This area north of Cortez, Colorado shows plenty of green during the wet season compared to the dry season in the photo above.

This is US 491 crossing into Utah from Colorado.

This image is looking west approaching the town of Monticello, Utah.  The nearby snow-capped mountains are visible after crossing the Colorado / Utah state line about 15 miles East from the location of this photo from Google Earth.  There are wind-powered electric power generators seen at the right side of this photo.

US 491 ends here at Monticello, Utah.  We will be following US 191 north to Moab, Utah

This Conoco gas station has a Subway sandwich shop in the building.  Linda had a custom made salad and I tried their new Teriyaki steak sandwich. 

The terrain changes less than 8 miles north of the town of Monticello.  What was flat desert terrain at about 7,000 feet above sea level approaching the town is now about 6,800 feet at this point on the highway with plateaus west of the highway still at 7,000 feet.

The guard rails are gone now that the highway is in the valley floor.  The speed limit on US 191 has also been raised to 65 MPH.


This is called Church Rock on US 191 near the intersection of state route 211.  The state road sign has a bee hive image for the "Bee Hive" state of Utah.

The mileage sign posted just north of state route 211 indicates 39 miles to the city of Moab, Utah ahead on US 191.


Just north of US 191 mile marker 95 is a dry river bed seen by Google Earth in November 2021.  The length of the bridge indicates the ability to pass plenty of rain water in the wet season.

This pattern of dry river beds and going up and down between them keeps repeating in the desert.  This view is looking north although the Google Earth Camera vehicle was coming south when this image was captured.  I am using northern views since we are traveling north.

I have passed this arch in 1998 and did not recall it.  This is Wilson Arch.  My wife and I did visit Arches National Park north of Moab with a number of wind-eroded arches in 1998.

This is a tourist stop for sure that is not related to natural causes.  Look it up via this web page:  https://www.travelinusa.us/hole-n-the-rock-moab/  It is located between mile markers 110 and 111.

This rest area is just around the corner, north from "Hole in the Rock".

Wells Fargo banks are usually at the center of town as it is here in Moab, Utah.

Wendy's is one of our favorite choices for take out breakfast snacks or lunch.  We did not stop here today, May 31, 2022.

US 191 continues north.  We will come back here to run north on Utah route 128 after collecting some Google Earth images from Arches National Park just ahead.