Escalante to Boulder (still two years ago)

I prefer to post things when they happen.  It is so hard to remember everything two years later, like details of things that happened that are not shown in the pictures.  I have been trying to remember the exact route we took, so I can explain this all to you a little better, but it's just not there.

This is the beautiful bed and breakfast where we stayed in Escalante.  It had a cool mosaic on the front. There was an active ruin on the property (meaning it was currently being recorded and catalogued by archeologists), but we didn't have time to check it out.  We really enjoyed our stay here.  Breakfast was scrumptious, the owners were friendly, and the rooms were really nice.  Too bad I can't recall the name of the place to recommend it to you.  And after all the time and research I spent looking into places to stay on this trip, you would think I would remember something!

This is how we traveled, on this occasion.  Our extended family, particularly those living in St. George, had been getting tired of never seeing us.  At the time, we owned a big old Ford truck (still have it; it is a freaking gas guzzler) and a little Honda Civic.  Most times, we would travel in the Honda, and the looks we got when all seven of us piled out of that tiny car were pretty hilarious.  Anyway, we hadn't made it over there in a long time, but the idea of paying for gas for the truck to travel over there was sickening, and we just didn't think we could handle a trip that far in the Civic.  Grandma Gail came to the rescue with her Nissan Murano.  We still didn't exactly have enough seat belts, but we made it work.  I look at my kids now, and it is hard to believe we all fit in that car (the Civic), and we used it for over a year.  Fun times.     

the view of the Bed and Breakfast from the highway

I did a little internet research and found it:  Slot Canyons Inn

In Escalante, we checked out the Welcome Center for the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  Apparently, I did not take any pictures.  We had a long day of traveling ahead of us, though, so we did not stay long.  We decided to travel over the mountain to Boulder, Utah.  I think the name of the pass we crossed over was Hell's Backbone or something like that.  I got a few pictures of the trip:

This is the spot where the road drops off forever on both sides.  I thought I would be freaking out about the height, but it wasn't bad.

Cole poses on the edge

It is further down than it looks in this picture.  That little ditch is forever away.

After our mountain drive, we stopped in Boulder for lunch.  The food was out of this world.  So good.  The help at the restaurant where we ate was from some foreign country.  It was kind of mind-boggling that tiny Boulder, Utah would be a mecca for people coming from all over the world.  While we were there, the city water system was shut down, and we couldn't use the bathroom or get a drink of water anywhere in town.  That is pretty rough when you have been driving for hours, and you have little girls (and a big one) that really need to go.

Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder is pretty cool.  Aunt Kd used to work for Mike Nelson, the guy that runs the museum.  He remembered her fondly from the time they worked together at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum.  We had fun exploring there (even though we really needed to use the restroom).

Look at those cute girls:

and boy

There was a traveling display from the Smithsonian there:  The History of Music, or something like that.  It was pretty cool.  Cole had fun picking out songs he knew on the banjo, like Sweet Home Alabama.

And this must have been on our way out of Boulder.

We drove and drove.  We stopped quickly in the Visitor Center at Capitol Reef National Park to get the girls Junior Ranger books, but then we moved along as the sun went down.  It seems like we arrived home to Blanding pretty late.  Did we cross Lake Powell on the ferry, or drive all the way around, Britt?  I just don't remember.  I think we made it just in time for the ferry, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, it was a long day, full of incredible views and fun experiences.  It was so great to take the time to view a different side of Utah than the path we most often travel.