Bryce

After leaving Capitol Reef we drove a few hours and spent the night in the Walmart in Richfield, UT.  We’d been pushing that RV hard up and down steep mountain slopes that had a grade up to 8%.  Many times I had the “pedal to the metal” and could barely maintain 35 mph up these hills.  Sometimes 18 wheelers were passing me and other times I had a row of cars behind me that couldn’t pass because of the curves.  I wasn’t about to pull out and let them pass either.  I think it must be an RVer rule not to use pullouts and I didn’t want to break that rule.

After a couple of days of hard mountain driving, we roll into the Walmart in Richfield and are cruising around the parking lot looking for that perfect, scenic spot when I notice the engine is making a funny noise… Ruh-Roh.  When I’m coasting it sounds fine but as soon as I apply just a little throttle the engine makes a rattle or tapping noise… “Oh No, stuck in Richfield-nowheresville”, I’m thinking.  We parked for the night and hoped that the noise would go away after the engine got a good night’s sleep.

Which reminds me, there is another RVer rule that annoys me.  Apparently, when you pull into a Walmart or other parking lot for the night you are supposed find another RVer and park as close as possible to them for the night.  I mean like within 5 feet, side by side.  What’s up with that?!?  I don’t know how many times on this trip we’ve had a nice little parking space in a huge parking lot and then some other RVer pulls up right next to us!  This Walmart was no different.  After finding our little, private spot we went shopping in walmart, when we returned there was an RV parked right next to us… there were plenty other available spots…what gives guys???

Just last Sunday night we were in Phoenix on our way home and decided to spend the night in the very nice Cabela’s parking lot.  It’s a 5 acre parking lot, huge.  We arrive around 9 PM.  There are 2 truckers and one RVer on the far side of the parking lot, we grab a nice empty spot on the near side of the lot.  It’s hot in Phoenix.  I’m running the generator and AC.  About midnight it has cooled off so I turn off the generator.  Within 15 minutes I hear a car go by.  But it seems to stop.  I look out the window and there it is!  A dude in a truck pulling his trailer has parked right next to us, literally within 10 feet of our RV.  Why?!  Is he going to try and siphon gas from my RV?  There’s like 1 million other empty parking slots all around!? I lay in bed for a bit trying to get to sleep, but the dude is outside his trailer banging his door open & closed, coughing and hacking, turning his radio on, and just milling around.  Weirdo.  Well it’s starting to get hot again (the insulation in these RV’s is nothing to write home about).  The dude has parked right next to the exhaust pipe of my generator with his trailer door open.  If I turn on my generator it’s going to gas him out as well as be very noisy for him…hmmm….Well, the heat wins over. I can’t help it if he parked so close I’m turning my generator on.  Wow, it was amazing how fast he got in his truck and drove away.  He parked on the other side of the parking lot like he should have done in the first place!

Back to Richfield… Unfortunately, after a good night’s rest the engine was still making that rattly noise.  We drive on, hoping I wasn’t damaging the engine, to  Cannonville near Bryce where we’re staying at a KOA.  My only guess on the engine is low oil so I give it a check. Sure enough, looks like my engine has burned a few quarts.  The local Ace hardware carries some 5W-20 so I grab a few quarts, add 3 to the engine and that seems to have solved the problem.  It just needs to make it about 2 more weeks ‘til we get home.

From our base in the Cannonville KOA we visited Bryce, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Boulder UT where there are some Anasazi ruins.  The Anasazi ruins aren’t really worth the drive unless you’re a hard core anthropologist or something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But while we were there we took the time to hike a nearby, short slot canyon.  It wasn’t a very long canyon, but what a great place for a cattle rustlers hideout! There’s water for your horses and a hidden entrance.

 

Behind these bushes…

Is a stage coach robbers paradise (Not that I’m in favor of robbing stage coaches)!

Zoe was impressed…

She enjoyed the spa, too…

She enjoyed lots of new smells…

And, what’s this?  Seriously!? She stole my phone and started taking selfies?!?!  I’ll have to teach her that cool people don’t take selfies anymore.  It’s out of style.

This would make a great camping spot (assuming no rain and flash floods).

 

We also drove Hell’s Backbone Road, named because of the treacherous conditions the workers endured while building this road in the 30’s.  Especially this particular bridge.  Two or three guys felled some timbers across this gorge then convinced one of the dudes to drive his tractor across the rough timbers!  They’ve made improvements since then.

 

 

This  was the original road from Escalante to Boulder, UT.  It is a decent, 35-40 mile, dirt road with a few patches of pavement.  Four-Wheel drive not needed and there were some beautiful views near the top of the road.  Like this tree clinging to the top of the cliff.

 

 

We also stopped in at the Escalante info station/Ranger station.  The Escalante Nat. Monument is run by the BLM and has fairly liberal rules on back-country hiking.  Out here you can hike virtually anywhere.  No trails to stay on, no assigned campsites.  You have to file a trip plan before you leave so that if you don’t show up on you scheduled return date they’ll think about sending a search party after  you… nice…

 

 

 

The dog had to go with us everywhere so we couldn’t get far off trail, especially in Bryce, so we only spent one full day in Bryce.  We ate at Ruby’s Inn for dinner one night.  I had the all you can eat buffet.  I highly recommend it if you have lots of money and don’t care what your food tastes like.

Let’s head over to Zion Nat. Park!