ProCaliberTraveler
Well-Known Member
After my visit to Bryce Canyon, I continued along Utah State Route 12. I took a detour for a brief visit to Kodachrome Basin State Park but with the sky turning more and more gray and light rain beginning to fall, I decided to keep driving. State Route 12 is a terrific road; one of my favorite stretches is when the road runs along the spine of a hilltop and then dives to the bottom of Escalante River Canyon. I drove until it got dark that day, eventually settling on a cozy motel in the tiny ranch town of Boulder.
I woke up to a blanket of fresh snow and a light snowstorm, but the highway was clear and I saw a plow truck drive past my motel, so I decided to get back on the road. As I climbed in elevation in my Camry without snow chains and visibility degrading due to the snowstorm, I began to question my own intelligence. I reached Boulder Pass at 9,600 feet of elevation and breathed a sigh of relief because I knew I'd be going downhill and getting away from nasty conditions. Eventually I reached the town of Torrey, my car covered with snow and ice, looking like it had definitely seen better days.
But I had made it to my next destination: Capitol Reef National Park. This massive, larger-than-life cliff that runs north to south is beautiful! "Awesome" is appropriate here. Certain parts of it reminded me of a sinking ship. The landscape was bizarre and disorientating because of how the layers of sediment and rock seem to be tilted, like I was in a funhouse. I visited Capitol Reef twice on this trip and hiked to Cassidy Arch and Hickman Natural Bridge. I was also treated to an excellent sunrise, the best one of my two-week trip.
I woke up to a blanket of fresh snow and a light snowstorm, but the highway was clear and I saw a plow truck drive past my motel, so I decided to get back on the road. As I climbed in elevation in my Camry without snow chains and visibility degrading due to the snowstorm, I began to question my own intelligence. I reached Boulder Pass at 9,600 feet of elevation and breathed a sigh of relief because I knew I'd be going downhill and getting away from nasty conditions. Eventually I reached the town of Torrey, my car covered with snow and ice, looking like it had definitely seen better days.
But I had made it to my next destination: Capitol Reef National Park. This massive, larger-than-life cliff that runs north to south is beautiful! "Awesome" is appropriate here. Certain parts of it reminded me of a sinking ship. The landscape was bizarre and disorientating because of how the layers of sediment and rock seem to be tilted, like I was in a funhouse. I visited Capitol Reef twice on this trip and hiked to Cassidy Arch and Hickman Natural Bridge. I was also treated to an excellent sunrise, the best one of my two-week trip.
