Three Parks in a Row Day

Miss Dodie woke before the crack of dawn and took me on a hike to Sunrise Canyon. We
watched the sun peak over the rim and cast it first light on the hoo doos. She was having trouble breathing and balancing because of the 8500 feet elevation where we had spent the last 18 hours. When we got back to the RV, Miss Margaret was moaning too. She said her muscles wouldn't follow her brain commands. They think they have elevation sickness. It too a long time to break camp because Miss Margaret kept sitting down.

After we broke camp, we went back to Bryce Point, and then we took in Sunset Canyon. It was really incredible. More views of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument than you can imagine. We stopped in the visitors center, and Miss Dodie and Miss Margaret decided to skip the film because they were sure they would fall asleep. I bought a great patch though. Wait till you see.

We made a quick stop for gas and some free internet so I could post three days ago's journal, and Miss Dodie bought some electrolyte drinks. Miss Margaret said she felt much better.

So we took off at the crack of noon for the Grand Staircase. We had NO idea what we were in for, but let me tell you that we drove a whole 84 miles in 4 hours, does that help explain it? It was like another planet. Folds, twists, giant valleys, outcroppings, passes with switchbacks everywhere. You will have to look at the photos. We traveled Hogsback Ridge for a while, like driving on top of the world without handrails. Ranger David at the information center said we could take some dirt roads if we wanted to, but the paved roads were enough thank you. At the end of the day, our average speed was 25 mph. This has been a national monument since Clinton's administration, when it was named Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. That's a long name.... The escalante part was from the Powell Expedition. There was a priest named Escalante on the trip. And I'll bet you thought it was just spanish for staircase, huh? While we were crossing the Monument, we were treated to storm clouds that made the sky very vivid and exciting. Fortunately, we never had rain, just views that made it our lucky day.

We have been lucky this whole trip. First in Yosemite, we got to camp in the park, same thing in Zion and Bryce. In Bryce, if we had come one day earlier, we would not have been able to see the whole park because of the prescribed burn. The fire fighters opened the road at noon the day we arrived. That is lucky. I think it proves that there is a breaks pipeline, lucky breaks flowing in a never ending supply, and you can take a drink whenever you need one.

The Grand Staircase Escalante is a great discovery zone for dinosaurs. Even as we speak, archeologists are digging there and discovering grypesaurus. Pretty exciting.

When we finally left route 12 and turned east on 24, we thought we could breath a little bit. But NO! There we were right in another National Park. Capitol Reef National Park is totally amazing. The park was an ocean floor reef. Then the plates started moving, and for 100 miles, up thrust the ocean floor, a mile high ridge that traps the precious moisture of the desert in its watershed fold. All along the edge is a green belt. Early Mormon settlers planted fruit trees, which are now part of the park in an area called Fruita. There's historic buildings from the early settlers, and you can pick you own fruite and pay on the honor system.

Best views of the reef are at sunset, so we took a 20 mile two hour drive into the park. The most exciting part was Capitol Gorge, a dirt road at the end of the drive. The canyon walls were about 50 feet apart, and the road maybe 20 feet wide. I have never been so deep in a canyon in my life. Miss Dodie and Miss Margaret kept saying things that started with Oh My..... Many versions of the same thing. At the end, Miss Dodie and Daisy hiked in, and Miss Margaret too, because she was afraid of going further in the RV, despite what Ranger Catherine had told them. Eventually she went back for the RV and we went all the way in to the Golden Throne Area, where there was a parking lot to turn around in. I guess we should have trusted Ranger Catherine. After all, she had just sworn in three new Junior Rangers. She knows her stuff. We read signs about flash floods, but there were no storms threatening.

Once again, we were lucky and got to camp in the park. There were deer grazing in the campground. Poor Miss Daisy got taken back in the RV again and again for barking at them. Miss Margaret took another cold sponge bath. She and Miss Dodie have been washing their hair under faucets for several days now, ever since Ely. They are quite happy to be in the outdoors, and with the dry weather, nobody minds the lack of a shower.

We took some crazy movies today and yesterday. One starred Balto and Me going through the Zion tunnel, and then several will show you how we drove on switchbacks through the Staircase and Capitol Gorge. I hope they turn out, because you will just DIE!!

Late last night Miss Margaret asked Miss Dodie if she had any idea how to get out of this place? I think Miss Dodie will have to change her plane reservations because we can't possible get to Albuquerque tomorrow night. Unfortunately, remote scenery is so remote.

We are surely going to get there someday......