Let me set the stage a little bit.
We stayed in four places in Utah
Utah has 5 National Parks.
Onward to Moab.
At Moab we did a lot, including Arches and Canyonlands. I
discovered Edward Abby several years ago and had to go to Arches simply
because of him.
I took a nice hike up to Skyline Arch and that was meaningful to
get up close and personal with the arch and with the desert environs.
In the visitor center at Arches is a John Wayne quote.
Actually he was talking about Prospector Valley along the Colorado River and Utah 128. Other places have deserts, rivers, canyons, red rock and mountains. But Utah has it all.
The most exciting excursion at Moab was Spring Canyon Bottom.
We had ourselves a convoy from Moab to Torrey with Ron and Shirley, Ned and Lorna, Russ, and Richard and Linda. We stopped to look at roadside sculpture. Seeing 5 RVs stopped, these guys turned around and came back to see what the attraction was.
The plan after Moab was to follow Fred & Daisy around Utah until we
were ready to head for Pie Town, starting with a week at Thousand Lakes RV Park.
Fred and Daisy at the 2001 Southeast Fall Rally, Winfield COE Campground
Unfortunately Fred was dealing with some medical issues and didn't make
it. Phil talked me into changing reservations and only spending a
couple of nights at Torrey and then only to Ruby's Inn, Bryce Canyon and that area.
At Torrey we went up the road to a couple of little towns that sounded interesting in the scenic driving book and then to Capital Reef National Park.
We
could have enjoyed a few more days at Torrey. The Brewer's and Kuck's
were also at Thousand Trails and the group went on some spectular rides.
Utah Highway 12
from near Torrey to a little beyond Ruby's Inn is touted as the
most scenic road in Utah and among most scenic in the country.
It certainly has a lot of diverse and spectacular scenery.
I would have enjoyed it more without the trailer behind me!
Ruby's Inn has been hosting visitors to Bryce Canyon since 1916.
We did a lot
while were were at Ruby's Inn, including of course Bryce Canyon and
Zion National Parks. Zion was our favorite National Park of this
trip. The route there was scenic, then you drove down into the canyon and took shuttle buses to tour the canyon.
At home, one of our major occupations is cutting and hauling brush. This fellow
obviously needed a class in securing his load. In fact shortly after I took this picture,
Camille had to dodge (in the Dodge) his load that he dropped on the
highway.
One day Camille wanted to go down to the tourist shops at Ruby's Inn, a 1/4 mile from the campground. Did that
and the day gradually escalated to a world class (that's what Phil
said) scenic drive by Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Our last stop, and perhaps the most memorable, in Utah was Monument Valley. We had to go through Arizona and by Glen Canyon Dam to get there.
We stayed at Gouldings.
The Gouldings were instrumental in the development of Monument
Valley and responsible for bringing the movie industry there. We
took one of their tours. That was memorable, especially visiting with Suzie Yazzie in her Hogan.
All of the Navajoes we came in contact with were pleasant and
personable. This was also probably our most expensive stop.
Camille bought a Navajo rug. It was hard not to after the
sales lady told her "My Grandpa made that one."
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