Arrived in at the Hurricane/St. George KOA after a 275 mile/5 hour journey down Interstates 70 and 15. Interstate all the way. The traffic was very light and the weather clear and warm. What a beautiful land this part of the country is. Our only concern was the climbing of several mountain ranges along the way. We had heard there were a very long and steep grades so we had our fingers crossed. We entered the San Rafael Swell for an approximately a 2,000 foot climb to the top of the plateau. We took it slow traveling around 45-50 MPH. The speed limit was 60 MPH. The uphill climb seemed to never end. It was around 10 miles. For the first time in the 5 years we have had this truck the second fan came on. The engine coolant temperature had raised to 210 (max is 260) and it quickly went down to the normal of 170-180. We reached the top without it kicking in again. I guess we didn't have to worry at all. Here's a link to a video of the climb from a contributor on You Tube: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Rafael_Swell
Now, descending back into the valley 1 hour later was a different story. This time it was the brakes we had to worry about, however, the engine and transmission braking system helped prevent our brakes from fading. Got to think about new brakes and rotors for the front before too long for we have many high mountains to go up and down before we get back to Georgia later on this year.
After we arrived at the KOA, set up and kicked back before our double canyon excursion tomorrow. The experiences and wonders keep piling up.
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