Temperatures Rise and We Flee North Part II

May 8, 2017


The next day we just wanted to chase cooler temperatures. We took a few minutes to see the launching area at Lee's Ferry. All the float trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon originate here. They run three days to two weeks. We watched several groups take off in motorized rafts. I was ready to join them. What an adventure they had ahead of them!

Raft trips launching at Lee's Ferry

Vermilion Cliffs

Looking down the valley below Vermilion Cliffs from the Kaibab Plateau

We continued our adventure by driving the road beneath the Vermilion Cliffs. It really is a see and not do park for most people. There are several very popular canyon hikes, but hiking is only by permit and you must show up at the appropriate office early in the morning and hope to win a permit through a lottery. We enjoyed the beauty and then drove up onto the Kaibab Plateau. Ahhh! Cooler temperatures! We drove past the closed road to the North Rim. Oh, well, we'll be back. Our destination was a Forest Service campground in the Dixie National Forest adjoining the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument.

Entering the Grand Staircase/Escalante NM

Traveling the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway 

We descended again into comfortable temperatures and stopped in Kanab, Utah at Nedra's Too for Mexican Food. The walls are lined with autographed photos of actors in cowboy movies who ate there. Many Westerns were filmed in the surrounding hills. After a late lunch we pushed on and entered Grand Staircase Escalante. Route 12, the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway that crosses the Monument is known as one of the most scenic routes in America. The Monument and the contiguous National Forests comprise a huge swath of multi-colored barren wind and rain sculpted rock, and high elevation forests. After driving through breathtaking scenery we ascended to a summit at 9,400', descended to between 8 and 9,000' and found a small Forest Service campground called Pleasant Creek. The sun went down a short time after we settled into the Ponderosa pine filled campsite. It was a pleasantly cold night!

We found snow at the high elevations

Our destination the next morning was Capitol Reef National Park. We visited here 15 years ago in hot July when it was a relatively unknown remote park. We wanted to get into the Fruita Campground and thought arriving early would give us that chance, just in case. At approximately 9:30 am we got one of the last campsites! Other campers were driving around checking out their options. The first site we saw we took, to the dismay of the others still driving around. You can't be picky in these popular parks if you want a site. So, this quiet park has been discovered. We decided to stay two nights since the weather is perfect and we wanted to do a little hiking. Besides, it really is a beautiful interesting place.

View from our Capitol Reef camp

The Capitol Reef Monocline

Yesterday we hiked to the crowded visitor center to get literature and see their film on the park. Today we hiked the Fremont River Trail along the river and then up to the top of the cliffs for the spectacular view. Greg took another “climbing” hike this afternoon up Cohab Canyon. The roads are too busy for him to bike, and bikes are not allowed on the hiking trails. The little isolated valley we are in was settled and farmed by Mormons and the history of the settlement is on display. The most obvious are the fruit orchards that are still maintained by the Park Service.

Fruit orchards in the valley at Fruita

Our campground below.

The old Fruita settlement

Tomorrow morning we leave this lovely spot. We are going to explore more of Utah and find some less crowded spots as we make our way to Salt Lake City to see the Great Salt Lake, before turning eastward to begin the journey back to Maryland.