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Travel Tip - Highway 12 - Utah
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Travel Tip- Highway 12 - Utah
Highway 12 in Utah is rated as one of the top 10 highways in America. I had no idea I was in for such a treat. I'm sure this highway is famous but perhaps others don't have any better memory than I.
I traveled it because I wanted to go from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park to the Arches National Park. It was the natural route. It was marked scenic but all of the highways I've been on are marked scenic. We need a new rating called, "this time I really really mean it."
It starts at Highway 89, near Zion National Park. It ends at Highway 24 near Arches National Park.
The first thing that got my attention was Red Canyon. I certainly had no trouble figuring out how it was named. It was blue……just kidding. It was bright red. It was getting late so the pictures don't even show how red it is. The tunnels were beautiful.
If you travel on Highway 12, you must stay at Bryce Valley Inn. Their number is 801-679-8811. Anytime I recommend a hotel it has several things in common.
The first thing is that it must be reasonably priced. I am on a budget that competes with campgrounds. The campground the night before didn't have showers. I was looking for a hotel but I guess I really was looking for a shower. While you can get clean without a shower, I have my limits. Two days in a row without a shower is too much. This room was $45. I guess that makes it an inexpensive room and an expensive shower.
My second criterion is that it must be clean and comfortable. If I sleep better in my tent, it doesn't go down as a recommendation. I loved the beds and it was immaculate. The room was also cute. I slept until 8:30. I think that may be the latest I have slept, but I digress.
My third criterion is that it must be interesting. This hotel has western charm. It has a western gift shop, at which I refrained from spending any money. I had to invoke the power of the Holy Spirit. The hotel is set in the mountains. It also had a laundry mat but don't hold that against it.
I ate in their western affiliate restaurant next door and had a western steak. It was a delightful meal and a delightful evening, even counting the laundry I did.
And finally, they must be nice to me. They passed that test. I enjoyed getting to know the young father that runs the hotel. He was keeping his baby and the baby was asleep every time I went there. That child must not know the rule that all children near me are required to play with me. I decided they were nice, even if the baby wouldn't wake up and play.
Bryce Canyon was everything I thought it would be and more. The colors were beautiful. I'm starting to sound redundant but the landscape certainly isn't. Bryce Canyon really is unlike anything I've ever seen before. There are pictures on the website.
I love to go to the short movies at welcome centers. I learned the word “hoodoo.” I'll try to give you my understanding of what a “hoodoo” is. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I got over being wrong a long time ago. You get good at anything with practice.
A “hoodoo” is those rock formations that make stacks. They have a life cycle. They are always being pushed up or crumbled. They start out a solid rock. The earth pushes up and the middle crumbles. They form what is called "a natural bridge." It really isn't a bridge. It is an arch. There is a picture under Bryce Canyon labeled "A Natural Bridge" that will show what I mean.
Eventually the middle falls away and leaves 2 stacks. This is when the hoodoos are formed. The hoodoos themselves eventually crumble but that is fine because new ones are always being formed.
The drive along Highway 12 was magnificent. It took several hours but I kept stopping to play. The beauty never stopped. This area is called Grand Staircase Escalante. The pictures labeled Highway 12 - Grand Staircase Escalante record the parts of the trip where I could stop and take pictures. On much of the drive, there was no place to stop and take pictures. I made my own place a couple of times but stopped doing that when someone got annoyed with me. I didn't give that person my Pocket Full Of Quarters card.
The road was in good condition. It was winding but not as narrow as some roads I have traveled on. It got steep some of the time but I never felt tense. My 2 days on Highway 12 were simply wonderful.
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