You In Tah Flat?

We had to move on from staying near Escalante as our time was up. I wouldn’t mind staying in the area another month or more. With a destination in mind, we hit the road. Al stopped at a few overlooks along the way, so while I got to Bryce Canyon National Park before him, noticing how busy it was, I went back to Highway 12 and waited for him to catch up. I gave him the park pass to explore and enjoy, then moved onward toward camp. Pain was a little worse as I’d had a few overly-active days in a row, and I just wasn’t equipped to deal with so many people, that it was best for me to stay away. Aside from his stops in Bryce and Red Canyons, he stoppped for pictures along the highway overlooks. Again, I can’t recommend traveling this scenic highway enough.

Uinta Flat is near Duck Creek Village along Utah Highway 14 in the Dixie National Forest. I made it there, quickly found a spot out in the open and got set up well before Al left Bryce, but he did message when he was leaving there and heading my way. A lot of time had passed, and I was getting a little concerned as Highway 14 is steep, curvy, had been recently paved without any paint lines, and it was getting close to sunset. He called to say he stopped at Red Canyon and should be arriving soon, which he did. Being without daylight, we stayed in for the rest of the night and made plans for morning.

The Aspen trees were just past peak, but a little of their golden color remained. As we were at around 8000 feet in elevation, the temperatures dropped quite fast after sunset. We woke to find frost on the truck’s windshield. We knew we’d only be there for the one day, so we scouted for other campsites within this area . There are miles of dirt roads with abundant free camping throughout. You would easily find a sunny or shady site to suit your taste. The setting here is peaceful and serene, with the occasional side-by-side or dirt bike passing by with a trailing dust cloud. As for campers, it was mostly empty, but this is the start of their off-season. We were ecstatic to be among the lush colors of the coniferous forest, having been in rugged desert landscape for weeks. While we didn’t go to Lava Flat, it is within a few miles and has additional dispersed camping, but we were considering it as a back-up. Off-Highway Vehicle trails are abundant in the area, as well as forestry roads for additional exploration. We still had plenty of water from Escalante, allowing us to dump and refill at Maverik in Cedar City, although there may be opportunities closer. During the summer months, it is much cooler here at the higher altitudes, so I’m sure we will be back and try to stay a little longer next time.

This morning, Al saw on Facebook where someone posted that a campground near Quartzsite had a lot trash strewn around, and they were asking for help cleaning it up. This afternoon, we packed up the RV and guess where we are now? We made the 100-mile drive and will be joining in the cleanup efforts. We’re not in California anymore, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Neither has commendable highway conditions, but they did worsen a little after crossing the state line. We are looking forward to seeing Gene & Patty in a couple days as they’re along our route. On the contrary, I’m not looking forward to temperatures in the 90’s the next few days. Soon, we will be parked in one place for a month or two. It sounds domesticated, or like an upcoming intervention.

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