Day 5 - St. George, Utah to home

Well, this should have been a great day and it almost was. Alarm was set for 6:30. but we were, of course, up at 6:00. Didn't take long to get the car loaded and we were at Cracker Barrel just after 7:00. Unlike the one in Flagstaff, this one was note woke. Rocking chairs, checker boards and lots of stuff on the wall. We a great server. She clued us in on how to get the buy one get one free breakfast. Barb did the magic online and it worked.

The best part of the drive today was through the Virgin River Canyon on Interstate 15 in Arizona. The rock formations are amazing and I can't imagine building a road through that terrain. What really surprised us was that we had driven this section of Interstate 15 only a few years ago and didn't remember a bit of it.

The drive through Las Vegas was what you would expect, lots of traffic and total disregard for the speed limit. The new Interstate 11 is a big plus, totally avoiding most of the traffic in Henderson and all in Boulder City.

A bit of excitement came on four lane, well divided section US 93. I was doing 73 in a 75, when a pickup truck pulling a trailer on a cross road decided to cross from left to right in front of us. I saw him in time to figure he wasn't going to stop, so was able to brake in time. The recording from the dash cam has been added to the file on close calls.

This is a clip from the dash cam. The truck ran two stop signs to get to this point.

Once through Flagstaff, we headed East on Interstate 40 and then continued South on US 93. Somewhere we saw a sign warning of the crash ahead. Nothing much happened until we came to a complete stop on a two-lane section. After about 20 minutes a few cars came the other direction, giving hand signals to turn around. After a few minutes I did and what followed was a very long way around. Only a few (Steve, that's you) would know just how we went to get home. After backtracking about 20 miles or so we took a right on Highway 97 toward Bagdad, then a right on Highway 96 headed toward Hillside, then straight onto Highway 15 to Kirkland and finally a right on 89. All of this was somewhere around 55 miles of road I wouldn't drive at night and during the daytime only when forced to. We passed through Peoples Valley, Yarnell and Congress before rejoining Highway 93 just North of Wickenburg. At that turn on 93 there was no traffic coming from the where the accident was.

So, we got home a little late, but in one piece. Overall, this was one heck of a fun five days and as I have said earlier, we will be heading back to Escalante.

Day 4 - Escalante, Utah to St. George, Utah

Up at about 7:00 to a light rain and our cat friend on the deck. We did most of the packing last night, so just the last minute stuff and tidy up of the tiny house a little. Kinda sad to be leaving cause it was so much fun. Breakfast was quick and packing the car was quicker, with the cat following us out to the car.

Barb suggested we wait to collect our morning mocha till a little later, so off we went about 8:00. Happy to report the windshield wipers work, although I'm still not sure about all the functions. Fortuntily the rain was light and didn't last long.

Our first stop was in Tropic, at the Bryce Canyon Coffee Company for a mocha. This town being sort of a gateway town to Bryce Canyon has dozens and dozens of little cabins for those visiting the park. A few miles past the enterence to Bryce Canyon National Park we passed through the two Red Canyon Tunnels, which were carved out of Navajo sandstone to provide access to the park.

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Then there was this rock formation I liked, so I took a photo.

When Highway 12 ended we headed North on Highway 89 to the town of Panguitch, Utah and then left on highway 143, toward Lake Panguitch. This must be a difficult road in winter, as there was a sign shortly after turning that read "Snow Tires or Chains Required November 1 - March 31 Next 45 Miles". Nothing optional about that. And as we continued I got the feeling we were climbing, but since the Honda doesn't have a GPS with altitude display like the Jeep, so I wasn't sure. I guessed 8,000 feet. Then I remembered an altitude app on the iPhone and when Barb pulled it up we were at 10,556 feet. Just missed by a few feet.

At this altitue the aspens start turning early and these were a reminder of our time in Colorado.

A little later on, in a really mountainous area we began seeing a lot of pretty fancy homes, condominiums and hotels. Figured out what was going when we also started seeing chairlifts. Turns out we were in Brian Head, which is a pretty big ski area. Heading back down toward civilization on a very curvy road, with some significant dropoffs, I'm glad I don't have to ski there.

Next up was Parowan, Utah, where we grabed a quick lunch and then headed to St. George, Utah on Interstate 15. If you like to drive fast, this is the highway for you. Speed limit 80 MPH. I kept is around 73 and was passed by semis. Fortunately its a really good road.

Arriving in St. George early, we located our stay for the night and then took a look at a new retirement development. Went through a very nice model home of about 2,500 square feet. Three bedroom, three baths and a casita. Great kitchen, with high end appliances. 1.5 million dollars. Barb had been talking about moving to Utah, but this home is out.

Our lodging tonight is The Inn On The Cliff. Very nice room and great views from the deck.

Dinner tonight had it's share of pluses and minuses. On the plus side we had a window table looking out over the above view, Barb's salmon was really excellent and I had a good IPA. On the minus side I really wanted a Southern Comfort Old Fashion, but the establishment only had a wine and beer license and the ribeye I ordered was awful. I order medium rare and there was no sign of pink, there was no taste and it was tough. The waiter, to his credit, noticed my displeasure, inquired what I was thinking, told the manager and the substantial cost was written off. Waiter earned himself a nice tip.

Before closing shop for the night I thought I'd try a night shot from the deck. Not much there, except the bright spot on the right, which is the St. George LDS Temple.

Tomorrow we head home. Should take about four hours, with a stop for breakfast and one for gas. We both agree that even though it was short, it is one of our best vacations.

Day 3 - Around Escalante, Utah

Slept in again till 7:00. Helps to be in a different time where it gets light later. Another breakfast of bagels, but today added a hard boiled egg. Not exactly gourmet, but fast. Barb put a few clothes in the washing machine and we were off for a little drive.

We headed generally North East on Highway 12 to the small town of Bolder, Utah (population 227). Along the way we passed through some really fantastic scenery. Mostly a narrow two lane road, with lots of curves passing through and around spectacular red rock formations. At one point had a 14% downgrade, and with the curves it's pretty hard to watch much of the scenery.

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Heading back to Escalante we stopped for a mocha at Escalante Outfitters, which turned out to be a better choice than yesterday. After getting back to the tiny house we realized it was lunch time, so headed back to the mocha place for a BLT, bag of chips and a pair of diet cokes. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and naps.

Of course we had to have a happy hour, if for other reason than to use up the rest of the perishables as there would be no refrigeration on the way home. Strange, our black cat friend that joined us on the deck the last two nights was absent. After happy hour we spent some time packing up anything we could do without overnight and carting it out to the car. Said car just happens to be our brand new 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring, which was on its maiden adventure.

I am very happy with the car. It's fun to drive, loaded with every possible safety feature and I will never complain about averaging about 49 miles per gallon.

Dinner tonight was Barb's best Mac and Cheese, and with that we have used all the food we brought along.

Tomorrow we will overnight in St. George, Utah, before heading home. We both wish we could have spent a few more days here, just relaxing and getting away from all the busy home stuff. But, we will be back.

Day 2 - Around Escalante, Utah

First of all, a correction to yesterday. We forgot about the time change in Utah so, we only drove for about ten hours on Day 1. However, that was still a long day and we were fully deserving of sleeping in till 7:15.

Started the day with coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. Then it was a drive into town, which is about six or seven blocks long. We made a stop at Escalante Mercantile and Natural Grocery and quickly decided we wouldn't need to bring so much food with us next time, as this shop had everything we would need. A very nice young guy, who winters near Phoenix, supplied us with a couple of places that could provide a mocha, so that was the next stop. Mocha was so so, but we headed back later for a lunch sandwich.

I took some photos of where we are staying. Unfortunately, I didn't take them before we spread our stuff out.

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This place was so well thought out. There really is everything you need for a very pleasant and restful stay. There is even a first aid kit and a small tool box. The best thing about this place is that it's isolated. When we go to places like Colorado Springs or Redmond we are always out doing stuff. Shopping, eating out, seeing friends and such. None of that here. Just relax.

Might as well talk food for a moment. Not knowing what might be available in a town of 800 or so souls, we brought most of what we thought we would need. Two dinners (chili and Mac and Cheese), two bottles of wine, one bottle of champagne, a package of Scottish smonked salmon, a bag of Barb's best ever choclate chip cookies, bagels and various happy hour treats (cheese, crackers, cream cheese). Now we know better and next time will lighten our load. Yes, we will be coming back, but won't do the drive in one day.

The afternoon was lazy, which is what I think this place was made for. Barb was out on the deck reading and I was rereading "Another Lousy Day in Paradise". A fly fishing book that was last read at least ten years ago, so my memory being what it is, this will be an entirely new book for me.

Original plan was two have two dinners in and one dinner out. However, after the large sandwich and chips we had for lunch we settled for a happy hour and not a bad one either. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, crackers, a cheese spread and champagne.

Tomorrow we plan to take a little drive and see some of the scenery.

Day 1 - Home to Escalante, Utah

Knowing it would be a long day, we were up at 4:30 and leaving the house at 5:50. Our plan was an eight hour drive from home to Escalente, Utah. Now eight hours is about three hours more than I like,but we thought we could do it. Turned out to be eleven hours and a few minutes. A real bummer.

Our first stop was a little over two hours out at Cracker Barrel in Flagstaff, Arizona. Now Cracker Barrel has been our favorite breakfast stop for decades, but this one had gone woke. No rocking chairs, no checkerboards and no old stuff hanging on the walls. They did give us a special of buy one Old Timers breakfast and get one free. For that reason, and that reason alone, they get a pass this time.

The drive from Flagstaff to Page, Arizona was mostly through the Navajo Nation and is really sad to see what our government has done with the indigenous people. Did they get any rich farmland as found in say Iowa or Nebraska? No, they got the desert. All over the Southwest they got desert. No crops for them. On the plus side, they can make beautiful silver jewelry, colorful, blankets and artistic baskets and try to sell their wares from rundown stands along the highway.

The drive in from Page was pretty uneventful. A few construction projects slowed us down a bit and we took a couple of rests stops, including Glazier's Market in Kanab, Utah.

The reason for our trip to Escalante, Utah (population 822) was to spend three night in a Tiny House at Escalante Escapes. I found this place while poking around Utah on Google Earth. What a find. 370 square feet of luxury living. This place has everything you could ever want and much more. Kitchen has everything, including pods for the coffee machine. TV and mini-split AC in both the living room and bedroom and deck with gas BBQ. Everything is here. We will be back. Maybe for a week. I'll have some photos tomorrow.

In the meantime.

Having a little happy hour on the deck and we seem to have acquired a cat.