Utah Vacation, Day 5, Capitol Reef National Park

On the way to Moab

We came to the end of Highway 12 and got onto Highway 24.  At the intersection was a much welcomed coffee shop!  Yum!  As we left the little town of Torrey, we drove through Capitol Reef National Park.

Every turn a new "look"

I was singing in my head Michael W. Smith's "Everywhere I go I see You".

I'd love to hear this pioneer's story!

You can see one car in front of us, but seriously, it was rare to see any other cars. 

And, the entire time we were in Utah, we only saw one other Kansas tag. I don't think too many Kansans know about this marvelous area in southern Utah.


It is barren, desolate, but has its own beauty.

What was amazing was the many different types of rock.  Such contrast!  Each bend, just a little different.

47 miles of jaw dropping wonder.

Utah vacation, Day 5, Scenic Byway 12

Drive to Moab

We left the new friends we had made at Slot Canyons Inn and retraced Scenic By-way 12 that we had traveled on the evening before.  A totally different look going the opposite direction.   

Do you see this steep descent?  Last evening there were bicyclists going up this climb!  And we saw others going down these steep grades!!  I think I would not be able to stop and go flying off into the canyons below!

The red road is highway 12 in southern Utah.  Slot Canyon Inns where we stayed is located at the far left, at the beginning of that red.  And I will show pictures of this road to the end of this red on the map.  The friends we made at the inn told us we should take an excursion on Burr Trail Road (the green road) so we did that. 

We drove for probably half hour or 45 minutes, then turned back to highway 12. Very much worth that side trip!

We were told to look for a slot canyon.  We missed it on our way east, but when we turned around, we noticed a car parked by the side of this canyon and a 2nd glimpse showed us that this was the place.

I was reminded of this song:

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.

Amazing how a tree can grow out of rock!

Back on Highway 12, Al found it quite interesting that they had cattle guards and free-range cattle on a major highway.  We also saw elk crossing signs and tractor crossing signs.

Do you know what do you call cattle on a hill?

 Lean beef.

Driving toward Capitol Reef National Park.  

And amazing photos to follow! (no credit to me - only to the One who created all this!!!)

Utah vacation, Day 4, Hell's Backbone

Hells Backbone Road

We got back to Escalante around dinner time.  Since there was still a couple hours of sunlight left, we decided to go on a back road that the Canadian couple at Slot Canyons Inn told us about - Hell's Backbone Road.  

You begin going north out of Escalante on Pine Creek Road.  It is a dirt road (a little washboardy but not as bad as Hole-in-the-Rock Road that we took to the slot canyons) that goes up through the Dixie National Forest. 

On the way we passed Turn-About Ranch, a place for troubled kids that our B&B hostess helps with.

 We saw several deer.

 We were at around 9,300 ft. elevation

I would not walk out to the middle of the bridge to take this photo.  I made Al do it.  And this photo does not do justice as to the sheer drop to the bottom of the canyon.  Too bad we don't have 3-D film.

We made it to scenic by-way Hwy 12 and began our trip back to the B&B.  There are lots of places to turn off to just take in the scenery.  Breathtaking and exhilarating!

This road is at the top of the rim and no guardrails to keep you from sliding off the mountain.  Panic!

What a beautiful (if not a little terrifying) drive back to our place.  And a gorgeous Utah sunset to go with it!