Utah Road Trip 

March 23, 2017.  Campsite at Lower Calf Creek Falls, Utah, to Days Inn, Torrey, Utah.

• A rainy night, my solo tent held up pretty well, but it collected moisture on the inside, not sure why; as long as I didn’t bump into it, I didn’t get wet.  The new sleeping bag is overkill for the conditions here, but better too warm than too cold.  Instead of wearing clothes reserved for sleeping, I decided to sleep naked inside my silk cocoon: the sleeping bag stays clean, and I won’t need to pack extra clothing.  Every ounce counts!

• Drove about ten miles on the Hole-in-the-Rock road to see #38, Devil’s Garden, which turned out to be a delight: wonderful hoodoos of Navajo Sandstone, some arches, all in a very compact area.  I filmed a video walking through the formations.  There was one group at the trailhead, but saw no one in the Garden.  This has pretty much been my experience so far: on almost all the hikes, I’ve encountered no one - the one exception being Lower Calf Creek Falls, but even there, I would only see others every ten minutes or so.  This is definitely a good time of year to be hiking here.

• I was somewhat tempted to continue down the road to the trailhead of #41, Fortymile Ridge to Coyote Gulch via Crack in the Wall, but the unpaved road, and the stormy weather, dissuaded me.  Instead, I continue northeast along Hiway 12 for a meal at Hell’s Backbone Grill, the restaurant of Boulder Mountain Lodge, and once voted the best restaurant in Utah.  It was indeed delicious: I even took a picture of my amazing meal.  

• Not in my guidebook, but mentioned as Worth A Trip in the Lonely Planet Guide to Southwest USA, is the Burr Trail Road.  I sure am glad I drove it: the best scenery so far this trip: cliffs, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, sweeping views, a long drive through a narrow canyon of towering red cliffs.  I saw one other car: we kept passing each other as we stopped in turn to take photo after photo.  

• After driving over the snowy 9,600 foot pass to Torrey, I decided to live up at Days Inn for the night.  Thanks to Booking.com, my wonderful room, normally $200, was knocked down to $79.  Best yet: I was able to watch the PBS News Hour and revel in the Republicans’ manifold problems trying to get their Health Care Act passed.  

• Weather report is on and off, sunny and thunderstormy, for the next couple of days.  Don’t want to get stuck in the mud on a dirt road, nor be in a canyon during a flash flood.  I think the requisite term is Use Caution.

March 25, 2017: Fruita campground to Duke’s Slickrock Campground, Hanksville.

• No rain during the night, but a bit cloudy in the morning, turning to intermittent showers later in the day, and then a regular downpour towards evening.  

• Spent all day driving and hiking in Capitol Reef National Park, viewing the petroglyphs just outside the campground, and hiking down Capitol Gorge, seeing the Pioneer Register of names carved in the walls dating back to 1871, as well as some petroglyphs, and hiking to giant water pockets know as the Tanks.  

• Also hiked the Hickman Bridge Trail to see its natural bridge.  Tried driving the Nodom-Bullfrog road until the pavement ended, then got the hell out.  

• Saw an enormous herd of deer, and filmed some jumping over a fence in front of my car.  Found this campground and decided to go for a cabin ($80) instead of a tent site.  It rained heavily at night, so I made the right choice.