Though our hosts wanted us to stay, we needed to move on. It was great getting to see Ronetta, her sister Leola and boyfriend Scott. In fact, they were heading to Moab the next day and we figured we’d all meet up once more before we made it out of Utah.
It felt good to be on the bikes again, as they’ve become such a normal part of daily life. I’m not sure we’ll ever feel at home in a car again. A short stop for gas at the Cannonville gas station brought a conversation with the previous owner who was filling his car, having retired recently after selling the gas station and hotel combo. From there we continued on Highway 12, one of my favorite roads in America. The southern Utah landscape never stops amazing me and I was glad Kim was getting to experience it. The highway through Escalante and on to Highway 24 into Capitol Reef is just great - killer scenery, few cars, and plenty of curves.
The brilliant yellow aspens waved and cheered us on as they have since Alaska, contrasting beautifully against the rich blue skies in the higher elevations. The air was brisk and the sun was crisp as we climbed, stopping for a walk in the trees to a view over the valley towards Escalante.
Using the binoculars she's carried for the trip
After the turn onto 24 for Capitol Reef National Monument, we stopped to look at the native American petroglyphs along the roadside.
From there we entered the twisting canyons for awhile after passing Fruita, until coming out into the flats near Hanksville. In an attempt to get wifi and do some updates, we decided to try for a motel.
Of the two in town, the nicer one was booked of course, and our options fell to a run down one across from an RV park. My walk into the “lobby” was all I needed to both see and smell, opting immediately to camp in the RV park. Instead, we were given a great rate on one of their brand new cabins and couldn’t pass it up. We found out the heat didn’t work and our calls to the office went unanswered. The next morning Kim hit the office to tell them of the issue and they refused to charge us for the night. It was just a faulty breaker and we weren’t trying to get a refund, but the clerk insisted.
Our goal for the morning was Goblin Valley, a bizarre wonderland of goblin-like formations a few miles north of Hanksville. Riding through the plains north, the sky was a lifeless, overcast gray. Paying the entrance fee and rolling into the parking lot, we found the place packed with cars and kids. My trips through Utah in the past always were absent of people but this time we hit cars and people the entire time. It was a Saturday and guessed a lot of people drove down from Salt Lake for the weekend.
The valley was as fascinating to me as the last time I’d seen it, resembling some sort of fantasy set from a movie. Kim was surprised at the size of the hoodoo’s as we walked down into the valley and climbed around and over them.
It was a lot of fun as we worked our way back into the park and away from the others. It’s truly a crazy place for visuals.
"Wait - those weren't raisins in the oatmeal????"
Eventually, we got back to the parking lot for a fast lunch - made faster by the shrieking kids we wanted to get away from - and mounted the bikes for our trek south towards Natural Bridges and the Monument Valley area. Highway 95 was the road, and the Utah terrain continued to amaze. There was little traffic and it was nice to be able to ride and look at the scenery more than usual.
A stop at the Hite Overlook as the day was ending was a great break. We walked out onto the high cliffs overlooking the Colorado and the valley floor below. It was such a great place we were tempted to hide the bikes and tents and camp up high but eventually thought better of it. Far below we could see a boat ramp and a building or two, near Hite, making it our next objective for camping. Indeed there was a campground near the concrete boat ramp that now lay a thousand yards or more from the water. Obviously, the water level of Lake Powell was extremely low in comparison to the time the ramp was built.
The camping area was basically just a bleak area of rocks with three or four picnic tables and rock pile fire rings. A lone camper van sat at one of the sites, it’s owners’ dog rocketing out from under the van and going for Kim’s bike as we rolled in. Luckily the dog responded to his owner or Kim might have been cooking it for dinner
It was beginning to get cold and there wasn’t a stick of wood in sight until I saw large piles of driftwood beached way above the water line toward the river. I made a wood carrier from a couple of bag straps and headed off while The Butterfly got the tent up. The walk to the wood was a long one and when I arrived I was excited to see a lifetime supply of dry driftwood covering so much of the rolling rock formations.
After a bit, I’d collected a heavy bundle and was trudging the long way home when Kim arrived to help. We both joked about how nice a glass of wine would be by the campfire… but we had none and were bummed. Damb that Utah!
As we walked up to the campsite, sharing the load, the man from the lone camper van walked up to us and said, “I have a problem and wondered if you guys could help?” Secretly I thought, “Oh God, I just want to get the fire going, get out of my boots and relax and besides, your dog is an asshole”... but I smiled and said “Sure. What’s up?” He responded, “Well, I have this bottle of wine that I just opened and I have no one to drink it with.” We all burst out laughing and Kim told him we’d just been thinking how good a glass of wine would be. He laughed and said he’d come back later after we got situated and walked back to his camper. Gee Toto, dreams really do come true!!
The fire finally roared to life and we sat bundled in our sleeping bags after a quick meal. Our neighbors came over with the wine and some fresh bruschetta she’d made. We talked for hours and had a great time.
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