Book Cliffs
I-70, Crescent Junction looking east. I believe a gas station has been put in here on the north side since I took this photo.
2-lane to the left is old US6 – road veering to right is US191 heading south to Moab – about 30 miles.
Between US6 and the cliffs is the Union Pacific Railroad, once the Denver & Rio Grande. The tracks to the now-defunct potash mine at Moab are just visible above US191.
Off in the distance along US6 at the gap is Thompson Springs.
For those that have read Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire“, Thompson Springs is where he got off the train heading for his job at Arches National Park due south of there. Thompson is still a sort-of town with fewer than 50 residents – but the area has been inhabited off and on since at least 1000BC. Pictographs are common in the canyons north of town.
The 80 mile stretch from here east to Grand Junction, CO is designated a scenic highway though most wouldn’t consider it such. Looks just like this photo most of the way.
Starting 20 miles west at the US6 junction north to Price and Salt Lake and just past Green River is a 110 mile stretch of “No Services” … which means NO services, no nothing, nobody. I believe it’s the longest stretch of nothing on an Interstate in the lower 48. That section travels through some spectacular scenery though. One of the last major stretches of Interstate to be completed; it was essentially a 2-lane highway until 1990; it dead-ended at a cliff face at what is now the US50 exit at Salina. Traffic was far, far lighter then.
On a personal note, I lived a short while in Moab – near-on 50 years ago now I think about it, before it became what it is today – while performing oil exploration surveys in the San Rafael Swell. It was still a oil/gas/uranium town then but those times were already passing on.
The divided highway portion of I-70 at that time ended here at Crescent Junction (and was only divided east to Glenwood Springs; two lane through Glenwood Canyon); we’d drive on US6 to Green River then head out south into the boonies at the heart of the Swell.
Old 6 is not maintained much anymore and is becoming rough to travel but I still pass along that route when I’m passing through and time allows. Both the gas station and restaurant in Green River are gone now but I can still feel the ghosts if I pause long enough to let the spirits flow. I usually don’t anymore.
One of my favorite regions of the country nonetheless.
Addendum:
I made mention of I-70 in the country just west of Green River.
Looking east across I-70 from 15 miles west of Green River. LaSalle Mountains on the horizon
The World Bully lashes out again.
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As a US citizen I do not appreciate, nor do I condone, such aggressive and criminal activities. The US was not part of this scuffle until Trump made it so.
Wonderful.
US strikes Iran: The US struck several key Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. During an address at the White House, US President Donald Trump claimed the sites were “totally obliterated” and warned the US could go after additional targets if Iran does not make peace.
• About the attack: American B-2 bombers were used in the strikes, and sources said the US also utilized a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb. It’s the first known instance of the bomb being used operationally.
• Iran’s response: Iranian officials are downplaying the impact of the strikes, with one lawmaker saying they were “superficial” and did not seriously damage Fordow. Iranian leaders have warned the attack will have “everlasting consequences,” and requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. There has not yet been an official response from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
I’ve driven 70 from Columbus OH as far as Grand Junction CO. Looks like I needed to go a bit further west to appreciate that landscape.
In Central Washington, there are great coulees that set up like this. The canyons tend to be narrower and very high, but similar in look. Moses Coulee is a little visited escarpment, not an hour’s drive from me. One hunter recorded a family of 5, iirc, mountain lions denned on the cliffs a few years back. Even more remote and unseen are The Palisades formation. One drives into this deep cut (yet with a flat canyon bottom about 1/3rd of a mile wide) and you halfway expect to encounter dinosaurs in there.
It’s a pity Trump has made a kinetic strike in Iran. You’ll recall he skipped the strikes of lesser nature against Iran during his first administration as POTUS 45. However, sometimes war comes to you. I think I’d have made the same decision Trump did based on the profile of Iran since the Shah, and if there’s any question of veracity vis the bomb program (after we got burned so badly under Bush 43) you ought to consider the size and scope of Iran’s program, it’s open intent to have and to use the bomb, and it’s stonewalling of negotiations. It’s probable they’d have a bomb very soon, and perhaps in a count of days. Yes, governments lie, but the trend of data over a long period is that Iran wants the nuke.
Put Israel aside for a moment. It’s popular now to question Israel’s policies vis war, so take them out of the equation. What keeps Iran from nuking Iraq? How about Turkey? Ammon? Beirut? Cairo? Someone mentioned to me in the vast equation of this problem, before Trumps decisive move yesterday, that Israel could nuke the Iranian program. They’d be justified, but then the genie would then be out of the bottle and he would not be passing out gifts.
So, it’s not not our problem. We are neighboring the entire world, and to not take out Iran’s potential nuke would be forever our mistake. As we used to say in the army, it may not be your fault, but it is your ass.
The repercussions of this attack seem to be positive more than negative. Then again, I’m a guy who admits that going into Iraq, as much of a mistake and as many important mistakes were made, the long term is that the US is no longer afraid of the MidEast like we were before. At this point in time, Russia, who wanted a seat the table of MidEast direction, has been driven out with its tail between its legs. We have hand in the MidEast. If this makes you angry, sit back and think dispassionately. Do you want Arab nations telling you what to do? Hell no. Not anymore than you want Israel pulling the strings.
Now, for the bad news. Casey’s axiom of war #3 is you can’t win a war from the sky. The Air Force is not an arm of decision. That office belongs to the military members who walk in and declare ownership. They disabuse the enemies soldiery of his motives, and seal the deal. I know the USAF (and Israel) have actual air supremacy. For you military buffs, that is better than superiority in the air – it is godlike control of the air. That is noteworthy, but until the laws of war and nature change, and until you can give me three examples of a national war demand having been reached strictly from air actions, it falls on me to tell you the demands of using troops are required in order to effect unconditional surrender. It’s a crying ass shame, but you’re adults here and war is not a joke.
There is the avenue of political negotiation, though. And Trump is the best man to demand and receive a surrender from Iran. There is a Shah waiting in the wings, so maybe we can skip the need for a constabulary force if Iran does toss out the Koranites.
This is a good time for negotiation, since we have the upper hand. Hold the cards, as they say. If Iran submits, this puts China and Russia on notice. Which is very good. I saw a vid this morning of Latvia building deep revetments on their border with Russia. Europe is a powder keg and if it touches off, who shall we then blame? It doesn’t matter who you blame, but we and Europe will be there holding the bag if war breaks out in the Baltics.
Check your package, gents.
I relaxed 44 30rd mags of 556 this afternoon with the help of a Maglula. I’ll let em sit for a month and let them springs go back to normal then pack em full again.
After all that I’ll do the same with my 7 regular load out mags.
Tomorrow is 9mm mag day, I think there’s about 50 of them (17rd).
Armory Maintenance
Built by me and works real good.
“Its,” not “It’s”. I know better.
Looks like DJT may’ve ended the war. Not sure what people are butthurt about.
A 5 minute history lesson… Israel and Iran.
https://gregreese.substack.com/p/a-brief-history-of-israel-and-iran
Cryin’ shame the way we’ve been lied to over a long period of time.
Lookin more and more like if you are in favor of the chosen people you are either criminally complicit or woefully ignorant.
I can’t tell you how many times over the past 35 years that I have been online that I have been told to shut up, been banned, deleted, etc., for asking simple, basic questions about the chosen people.
All any of it did was to inspire me to try to find out even more truth.
Probably one of the greatest sets of lies ever told, and over such a long time, in recorded history.
And all because of someone’s perverted version of what “god” is.
Both silly and sad, at once.
The Jewish bible is called the Talmud. If you’re not Jewish you are referred to as a Gentile or a lower category, Goyim, which equates to an animal. Here’s some quotes from the Talmud… (Soferim15) Even the best of Goyim should all be killed. (Yebamoth 98a) All children of Goyim are animals. (Gad Shas 2:2) A Jew may violate but not marry a non Jew girl. (Sanhedrin 54b) A Jew may have sex with a child as long as the child is less than nine years old. (Tospoth Jebamoth 84b) If you eat with a Goy is the same as eating with a dog. (Libbre David 37) If Gentiles knew that the Talmud teaches Jews to destroy them they would kill us openly. Never communicate the Talmud to Gentiles. (Bammidber Raba 21c) Every Jew who spills the blood of the non-Jew is doing the same as making a sacrifice to God. (Sahedrin 59a) Murdering Gentiles is like killing wild animals. (Simeon Haddarsen 56d) When the Messiah comes every Jew will have 2,800 Gentile slaves.
Nice, huh? When Bibi visited Congress and gave a 60 minute speech he received 59 standing ovations. These people are blackmailed by the Epstein videos. Every one of these traitors is a pedophile or they might even be cannibals. You’re never going to see the client list or the videos. And the Federal Reserve is never going to be abolished, much less audited. Fort Knox will never be audited. It’s quite telling that Trump wants Thomas Massie destroyed. He’s the only Congressman without a nickel of AIPAC in his pocket.
Read up on Massie last night, his days are numbered as long as he keeps trying to be a politician. I just don’t understand why anyone would want to do that, be a politician.