Oct 26, 2012 - Anasazi State Park & Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

It’s almost back-to-back parkland in this part of Utah with several contiguous national park/monument/recreation areas. We drove Utah-12, a scenic byway through the Dixie National Forest and parts of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. A section of the road follows part of the land-based second John Wesley Powell expedition of 1871. Powell himself led the party through the Green and Colorado Rivers to the mouth of the Paria River in 1871. Then he sent his brother-in-law, Almon H. Thompson, overland to map this uncharted...

May 22, 2012 - From Virgin to Escalante

May 22 A day spent in awe of the glory of God, exhibited in God’s creations of nature. We drove through Zion National Park, through Dixie National Forest, and alongside of Bryce Canyon National Park. I took 120 pictures. Ron took about 20 more. Plus a couple of videos of the panarama of the skyline. Just impossible to describe, and the pictures I’m posting do not do justice to what we actually saw. We would drive around a bend, believing we had already seen the best that these places had to offer, only to find something new and amazing. The...

May 3, 2012 - Escalante Slots!

Today we hiked Dry Fork Coyote Gulch. This is a remote canyon in the Escalante reached via 40 miles of thoroughly washboarded dirt road! We arrived at the trail head in one piece - more or less - and hiked down into a dry wash that runs for several miles and hides slot canyons with names like Dry Fork Narrows, Peek-a-boo gulch and Spooky gulch, among others. We explored all three of these slots and actually learned ALL ABOUT slot canyons! Each is fascinating in it's own way, from bright, high walls where two can walk side by side, to the...

May 2, 2012 - Grand Staircase-Escalante

Today we arrived in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The scenery is spectacular as it has been all along the way. We passed through the Dixie National Forest over Boulder and Escalante mountains - an elevation near 10,000 feet. From up there we could see the vast waterpocket fold and cathedral valleys in the eastern distance where we had been been on the previous day. Each mile brings a new terrain that is so different from what we passed before. We visited the Anazazi State park where there were some 900 year old puebloan...

May 29, 2011 - Escalante, UT - Broken Bow RV Park

Our 43 mile trip from Kodachrome Basin SP to Escalante, UT was again a short one but full of scenery. Utah Highway 12 starts just west of Red Canyon and continues through the Grand Staircase Escalante all the way up past Torrey, UT near Capitol Reef National Park. It is Utah's only American Scenic Route and is just unbelievable. There is something new around every corner. Of course you pay for this by driving some healthy grades and very narrow roads on the sides of mountains at time. Our last two trips have been along this route and it...

May 9, 2011 - Our Top Ten Responses to the Question, "Why doesn't Canada just join the United States?"

1. No way. We are still kind of ‘ticked off’ about that War of 1812 thing. 2. That is as stupid as us saying, “Why don’t you just give us Alaska?” 3. Well…you can have Stephen Harper - we will give you our evil robot of a Prime Minister. 4. We might lose our unique sense of humour, eh? 5. What flags would Americans sew on their backpacks when they travel? (abuse of our flag, we say) 6. We are also still kind of ticked off about the free trade agreement. 7. We like coloured money, our loonies and toonies. 8. What would the Olympic Games...

Jun 27, 2010 - Upper Calf Creek

We finally did a "serious" hike!! Dixie wanted us to experience a place called "Upper Calf Creek" in the Grand Staircase National Monument near Escalante. Wow.... what a beautiful place to hike! When we drove the RV to Capitol Reef several months ago, we went right past this area, but didn't even know it existed at the time. We borrowed Dixie's car and drove about 60 miles into the Grand Staircase to get to this hike. It is marked by a large boulder between mile marker 80 and 81. As we come up to the marker, there is a tiny dirt road off to...

Apr 11, 2010 - Slot Canyon Hike

On the way back from Capitol Reef and through Escalante, we stopped at a little side road to go see and walk into a slot canyon. We started down a paved to dirt road that was getting worse by the foot so we stopped and decided to unload the scooter and go via that! Good thing we did!!!! We pulled into a big restaurant parking lot, had lunch there and then asked if we could park the RV for a few hours. The first few miles were pretty boring, then as usual, we rounded a curve and WOW!!!! Another panoramic view was presented to us!!! Just...

Apr 10, 2010 - Escalante Grand Staircase

We hope you are enjoying at least some aspect of how awesome an area Southern Utah really is! We know the photos can't do it justice, but we have to try!! These are combined photos of the trip to and from Capitol Reef. As we said, the views and images are just mind boggling. Everyone who has come to the Inn and been to most of this area, just is amazed at how awesome this entire area is... so much more to see than the Grand Canyon! The vista you'll see in the beginning is of a top of a ridge of the Escalante area that overlooks this...

Apr 4, 2010 - Grand Staircase, Escalante National Monument

We set out this morning to explore the Grand Staircase Escalante area and then go on to Capitol Reef National Park. The origin of the name “Grand Staircase” is uncertain, although early explorers described this area as being “like a great stairway” in the 1880s. It certainly is a staircase like no other. More than 6000 vertical feet of alternating cliffs, slopes, and terraces make up this giant staircase, which extends horizontally about 150 miles from the north rim of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona to the top of the Paunsaugunt...

Apr 3, 2010 - Drive to Escalante, Utah

Today we headed toward Escalante, Utah on Highway 12 to the Broken Bow RV Park. The park isn't great but we won't be staying long - only three nights. We are going to use it as a base to go to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park. While we were driving I took some pictures of some of the scenic spots along the highway.

Oct 21, 2008 - Rest Stop

I'd like to say something - anything - about this town, but there just isnt' much here, except 800 residents, a couple places to eat, and several motels. After two nights in rooms with broken heaters, though, it looks like we finally scored a room that will be warm.