Escalante to Capitol Reef National Park

*Robin

Recommendation: If you ever get the opportunity, start at Bryce Canyon National Park and take Hwy 12 through the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument to Capitol Reef National Park. It a stunningly beautiful drive with precious gems of small towns (Escalante, Boulder) tucked along the way. 

We drove from Escalante today, with the express plan of stopping at Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder, Utah. The two women chefs that started this restaurant have won multiple James Beard nominations for their cuisine. In addition they have been staunch supporters of keeping the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument untouched. Sadly, the current president scaled back the size of the monument to allow coal leasing and mining. Our two-day drive through the Monument area showed us why this area is a national treasure. 

It was such a treat to have a gourmet lunch at Hell’s Backbone as we hit the halfway point of our drive...in the middle of the wilderness. (Menu attached if you are curious.) 

As we were leaving Boulder we had an additional treat. Two cowboys were driving their herd of cattle along the edge of the highway, with three border collies assisting. We paused to watch (and not startle anyone). As we passed we saw another cowboy in the pasture below lassoing a steer (another dog was helping). It felt so rare to see a real slice of old-fashioned Western life in action.

The moment also reminded me of my dad, who was a cowboy on a ranch in Fort Collins, Colorado when I was born. It’s always been a dream of mine to see him on a horse, lassoing cattle! 

We're settled in at a small RV park to explore Capitol Reef for a couple of days. Funny coincidence, the Washington Post featured Capitol Reef in a travel article two days ago…calling it as stunning as Zion, but less traveled.