Bob here, reporting from the best seat in the car: the dashboard!
From my sunny perch, I’m watching nearly a thousand miles of scenery unfold between Las Vegas and Moorcroft.
This isn’t simply a drive home. It’s an adventure from glowing desert to peaceful prairie.
As Las Vegas fades in the rearview mirror, the Mojave Desert takes over.
Even a rubber duck knows a spectacular sunrise when he sees one!
One of the first dramatic sights is the Virgin River Gorge in northwestern Arizona.
The highway twists between towering walls of weathered rock as the Virgin River winds below.
It is a spectacular introduction to the red-rock country ahead!
I recommend holding on tightly when the road curves; dashboard ducks don’t come with seat belts.
Utah brings deep red cliffs, pale sandstone, lava rock, and distant mountains.
Snow Canyon State Park and Zion’s Kolob Canyons make excellent stops for travellers with extra time.
Farther north, the desert gives way to farmland, high plateaus, and mountain valleys.
The Wasatch Mountains rise near Provo and Salt Lake City, while Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake offer wildlife and wide-open views.
History fans can visit Golden Spike National Historical Park, where the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
Then we roll into Wyoming, where the sky seems bigger and the sagebrush plains stretch forever.
Red cliffs and sculpted rocks appear around Evanston, Green River, and Rock Springs.
The Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop may even provide a glimpse of wild horses.
Across southern and central Wyoming, the scenery shifts between broad basins, windswept ridges, granite outcroppings, cattle ranches, and distant mountain ranges.
Pronghorn may appear beside the highway, looking as curious about us as I am about them.
The emptiness is not dull; it is peaceful. Long stretches of road, land, and enormous blue sky seem to belong only to the traveller.
Interesting stops along the way can include historic Rawlins, the unusual granite formations at Vedauwoo near Laramie, and Wyoming’s capital city, Cheyenne.
Vedauwoo’s massive rock formations look like a giant scattered stone building blocks across the landscape.
The nearby Laramie area is also known for the beautiful Snowy Range Scenic Byway.
As the journey continues north and east, open prairie begins to mingle with pine-covered hills.
The land increasingly feels like the American West of old stories:
Ranch Gates
Weathered Barns
Grazing Cattle
Railroad Tracks
All beneath an endless sky.
As you approach Moorcroft, Devils Tower becomes one of the region’s most memorable attractions.
Rising dramatically above the surrounding countryside, this enormous stone formation is well worth the detour.
By journey’s end, I’ve seen neon lights, red cliffs, mountain valleys, wild plains, ranch country, and more sky than one little duck could imagine.
My final dashboard-duck advice? Do not rush.
Next time we are going to stop at the overlooks, explore a canyon, watch for wild horses and pronghorn, and take time to enjoy the quiet.
The road from Las Vegas to Moorcroft isn’t just a way to get home; it is part of the adventure.
NEVER MISS A
