We traveled this road in 2005, prior to our RV days, when we took a car road trip to 5 national parks to test out Ron's new heart plumbing. If he survived Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, at 11,000' plus, we knew he'd be good for anything. Along the route was Utah's Scenic Route 12 between Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. It was pretty exciting stuff to us at that time. At one point you encounter the Hogsback where there are sheer dropoffs on both sides of the road with no guardrails. I had a pretty good grip on the steering wheel in '05. Now, after many a mile traveled on mountain roads, it seems like no big deal. If you don't like sheer drops, just close your eyes. No, not the driver.
Hwy. 12 travels through the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It's beautiful country. The views change around every bend in the road and there's no shortage of bends.
Take your time and enjoy the scenery but don't linger too long as Capitol Reef's campground is first come/first serve and it fills by mid-afternoon. More on that in the next blog.
Yee Haw - it's a roller coaster ride.
Fasten your seatbelts!
This is another one of those roads where you seldom see other vehicles.....so...
...my budding photographer once again captured the ride in living color.
By the time you get to the Hogsback you don't even think about the drop-offs. It's just another curve in the road.
The downhill takes us through stands of aspen just beginning to sport their new leaves in a beautiful spring green.
We can see Capitol Reef's Waterpocket Fold in the distance. This warping of rock, across south-central Utah, resulted from a giant buckle in the Earth's crust 65 million years ago. Massive white sandstone domes, colorful sandstone cliffs, twisting canyons, painted desert type formations, and nearly impassable ridges, sometimes called reefs, make up much of the structure of the Waterpocket Fold. The Waterpocket Fold stretches over 100 miles.
We're heading down to the park now.
It's time to stop for that all important photo of Ally and the park entry sign. The colorful rock surrounds us.
Dave and Sandy - Have a grand trip on the Scenic Byway in your brand new Lazy Daze and don't forget to climb aboard the sign for your photo! Ally thinks it's okay that you've given up your "Castle RV" and returned to Lazy Daze. We do too.
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