Torrey to Glendale

This multi-day stop will complete out Utah extravaganza of national parks. The ride was magnificent as we came over the pass on route 12. I was cautioned not to make the attempt by several people as this way has lengthy grades up to 14%, both ascending and descending. I was also told that it is one of the top ten scenic byways in the country and that we shouldn’t miss it. So, we came this way.

Friday was a gloriously sunny day with a clear azure sky and the golden leaves of the quaking aspen stood out in splendid contrast. At one point we crossed a natural bridge with steep drop-offs on either side from an elevation of almost 10,000 feet. It was amazing. In actuality I did not find the road conditions as challenging as we were warned.

Another beautiful spot was Red Canyon. Kathy complained that the walls of the canyon were not really red but more like salmon or orange. Whatever they are, they are colorful. There were many minarets and hoodoos and we drove through several tunnels that had been carved out of the natural rock without any manmade materials used for reinforcement.

Our home for our stay in Glendale, UT is Bauer’s Canyon Ranch RV Park. It is another small but neat little operation that is both friendly and clean.

Today we made our way to Bryce National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument. We are still not sure what makes the difference between a Park and a Monument as they both are centered around natural features. As soon as I have enough bandwidth I will upload photographs. The elevations at Bryce were significant being over 8,000 feet but Cedar Breaks was stunning at over 10,000 feet. While I am impressed with both parks I still find that of all the national parks that we have visited Arches is the one that has made the most impression on me.