Day 17: Breaking and Entering

Moving on! We really liked Capitol Reef. It is hard to leave.

But leave we did. We took the Scenic Byway 12 from Torrey to Bryce Canyon. A 102 mile drive. We saw Boulder Mountain, at 11,000 ft it is the highest timbered peek in North America. It is also known as the “last frontier in Utah”. Settled in 1889 it was the last town in the US to receive mail by mule. Now isn't that interesting?

We passed over The Hogback – a ridge with steep drop-offs on both sides of the road.

Then stopped at the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. The weather was delightful this morning so we road with the windows open. When we stopped we saw some rain clouds in the distance so I told everyone to shut and lock the windows. We all went in to the Visitors’ Center.

When we came back to the RV it was locked. Ray always locks it but this time he hadn’t. He had left the key inside since we were just stopping for a minute. OH NO!!! We only have the one key. Did everyone shut and lock their windows? God bless, Preston. For once his laziness paid off. He had shut his window but not locked it. Parker squatted down and Preston stepped up on his knees and then his shoulders and Ray shoved and popped Preston in the window so he could unlock the door. That was a close call.




After lunch we started a 1-mile hike but ominous rain clouds, thunder, and lightning convinced us to turn back. On the way back we met a Boy Scout troop heading up. They were Troop 94 from Salinas, CA. Cool – we told them our boys were in Troop 94 from Alabama.

On to Bryce Canyon. We stopped at the Visitors’ Center and saw a short film (I do love the films). We next rode the shuttle bus to the Bryce Canyon Lodge to check about horseback riding. We signed up for a 2-hr ride tomorrow at 2:00. My backside is already hurting.

We checked in at Ruby’s Campout. Settled in, ate dinner, and watched 24.