Dear Maia, Isaac, and Virtual Wonderers,

We woke up surrounded by red goblins! What to do but take another hike before we leave on one of the most beautiful scenic drives in Utah . . . or anywhere. Oh, and it’s my mom’s 105th BD this day, so I decided the lizard crawling on our duffle bag was her spirit animal making a connection. 🙂 Utah Highway 24 to Utah Highway 12 to Kodachrome Basin. This drive takes you through Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It is epic.

There was construction at Capitol Reef, so I was a little disappointed when we had to follow a pilot car most of the way through. I have planned to stop for more pictures. I managed to get a couple before we were on toward Torrey and our turn onto Utah 12.

It is a big climb up the pass – and from the summit, you can see the Grand Staircase. The staircase is different rock layers that are visible due to their color. It is an amazing site and something for a bucket list.

Not much further down the road, the drive takes you through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. My photos don’t do in justice. It is like driving through a sea of stone with waves crashing all around. It was pretty “white knuckle” my first time through. Fortunately or unfortunately, we assimilate. But, it is still stunning.

I remember feeling fatigued and my eyes were burning by the last leg of our journey into Kodachrome Basin, which is pretty rural and off the main road a bit. We had dodged the monsoons all day and it looked like we would get rain that evening at camp, but I don’t remember getting much if any. However, the sky was threatening enough that we just chilled at our site that evening. Moki dug a huge hole while I was pitching the tent that I had to fix. Sigh. Let’s get some rest before tomorrow.