Farewell Escalante (For Now)

Our time at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is drawing to an end.  For our first camp hosting experience, I don't think we could have picked a better place.  We have both truly enjoyed our time here and will miss the park and the people.  It was so nice here that we've already put our names in to come back in May and June 2012.

 

New firewood shelter

Kendall, the park manager, has kept Bill busy with projects around the park.  He got to play with weed eaters, tractors, chainsaws, pull weeds,  build up pathways. A wall was built to enlarge a campsite with the help of  our son Kyle. When he came to visit, he and Bill laid out the stones for a retaining wall. Kyle prepared, leveled and laid the first course and then the rest was easy. A spare roof was erected at an old site to provide shelter for the fire wood. And it was moved closer to the host site to better monitor the selling. Firewood sales are on an honor system, but not everyone is honorable. Bill also got to drive the tractor and practice road building and repairing skills.

Gail, meanwhile worked in the office, telling people about the day hike to the petrified forest, checking in campers and office stuff.

Red Canyon

We also enjoyed the area on our time off with some hikes along river canyons, into some slot canyons, hunted for strange rock formations called Moqui marbles, and rode some 4 wheelers. Plus a few trips to the "cities" to pick up company (all the way to Las Vegas) and do Walmart/grocery runs and liquor stores in Nevada. Although the drives are long, the scenery is beautiful and varies between colorful rock formations, valleys with wide vistas, up into the mountains with lakes and pines. There is so much to explore here it would involve moving here to really take advantage of it. My favorite is Red Canyon, along hwy 12. After driving along high desert scrub, you are suddenly in a red rock canyon with plenty of large formations. It's stunning.

So, we leave Utah for now and head to our winter assignment, Picacho Peak state park, between Phoenix and Tucson and see what's in store for us there. Till the next blog.