It's Big Trip Time! Part 8 - Not Really a "Short" Cut

Did you read Part 7 yet?  If you didn't, you totally missed us having dinner with John Travolta in an underground bodega and then dessert in his penthouse in Provo, Utah.  Actually, that didn't happen.  You should never go to a second location with John Travolta; everyone knows that.

Now, those are the types of clouds I'm talking about!

It's good to be back in the southwest!

On this particular Thursday morning, we lounged in bed a bit, enjoying the relative quiet and cool temperatures at Lakeside RV Campground in Provo, Utah.  We knew the drive to our next destination, Zion River Resort, would be short (only 250 miles or so, and freeway all the dang way), so we had some time to chill and drink our coffee/chai before heading out.  We had a "clean out the fridge" breakfast, made up of my leftover french fries from StillWest Brewing in Jackson, Wyoming, an extra sausage link from the night we grilled in Gros Ventre Campground, a few eggs, and some cheese slices; it was pretty much a scramble/skillet mess of a meal, and Chris quickly dubbed it "Adventure Breakfast."

Is it really Adventure Breakfast if it's

not eaten out of a takeout container?

Fuzzy route picture time!

After getting ready and packing up, we hit the road around 9:30am MST, flying down the post-rush hour I-15 freeway, ensuring we didn't miss the important local sights on our route.  Like this one:

This is, I assume, a corporate or regional headquarters

for Modere, a fancy schmancy wellness company.

I just know they don't like those pesky hobbitses.

About halfway through the drive, we stopped for gas at a Chevron where the 161 makes a small loop and connects to both the 15 and the I-70.  The Chevron had a huge parking area nearby with picnic tables, and it was lunch time, but we had another spot in mind.  Also on the 161 was Cove Fort/Fort Willden Historic Monument, and in scoping it out on the interwebs, it looked like a great place to have a meal break.  We were right - even though the monument itself was still closed due to COVID protocols, the grounds were being maintained, and it was a gorgeous lunch location (we had chicken salad wraps, for those of you keeping track).

One of the old buildings on the property.

Apparently, Cove Fort was built by Mormon pioneers

in the location of the old Fort Willden.

Here's Cove Fort - it was built in 1867 out of volcanic rock,

and it's super cool to see.

The parking lot is pretty large and was super easy to access,

even with the rig.

We actually passed it once and had to get back on the freeway,

but we just made a second pass, which worked out just fine.

After another two hours, we were pulling into our home for the next two nights, the Zion River Resort, about 20 minutes away from the entrance to Zion National Park.  We were lucky to get a spot in the Resort; it's really popular, and it's consistently rated one of the best RV parks in the country (I made the reservation via phone about two months ahead of time, and it cost $80/night for a full hookup, back in spot - we were in site #99).  We set things up, got the AC running - it was toasty warm by the time we made it to this part of the country - and rested for a bit.

While our main plans for Zion National Park would happen the next day, we figured that if we got in early enough (as we almost always do, pending unforeseen disasters), we would do a driving tour of the parts of the park where you can take personal vehicles (much of the park is closed off to everyone but the NPS shuttle buses).  I took over the driving duties and we made the short hop to Springdale, where we'd be parking the next day, and into the park itself.  While I was driving, Chris took over as Staff Photographer:

Visiting Zion NP after seeing the Grand Canyon
so many times was really neat for us.

Both Zion and the GC were carved by the Colorado River,

and one of its tributaries, the Virgin River,

still runs through parts of Zion today.

Instead of standing atop the canyon at 8000 feet of elevation,

looking down at the river and through eons of geology,

in Zion NP, you're in the bottom of the canyon,

looking up from around 3300 feet.

It's the same rock, same colors, and whatnot,

but a completely different view, which was so cool.

In addition to driving through the scenic area (like any of it isn't scenic), we also wanted to head through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, which we'd heard was really neat.  The tunnel was finished in the 1930s, and its sole purpose was to connect the rest of Zion NP with Bryce and Grand Canyon National Parks (they're all pretty close to one another out here).  The tunnel has these neat cutout windows, and although you can't get out of your vehicle, they offer really great views.  The tunnel is so short (by today's standards) that if you're driving something bigger/taller/wider than a certain set of specs, you have to pay an extra fee, and the Rangers close the tunnel off for all other traffic, so you can get through.

Here we go!

Although two normal sized vehicles can fit side by side,

it does feel reeaaaaalllly tight.

Ooh! Here comes a window!

Ta da! Not too shabby, right?

Whew!  Finally, we're out!

The tunnel is only 1.1 miles in length,

but the slow speed and tight quarters make it feel longer.

We finished our drive through the park, and after seeing the huge line of traffic waiting to come back through the tunnel (including several oversized vehicles), we decided to find another way back to Arlene.  Figuring there was probably another easy way to get back, we also figured it couldn't possibly take as long as turning around and trying to go back through Zion proper.  I imagine you all can see where this is heading.  As it turns out, there aren't that many large roads through this part of the state - there's tons of canyons and rivers and reservations - and while you can make the route happen, it takes a bit of a pioneering spirit.  Well, we started our day with "Adventure Breakfast," we had plenty of gas and snacks, and the sun wouldn't go down for another six hours, so why not?  

For those of you who might be interested in recreating the least direct way to drive the 20 minutes from the main entrance of Zion National Park to our RV resort, we came out of the east side of Zion and took the 89 south to the 43, which took us past Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  That dumped us into the 237 (this happened at the Arizona state line - um, yup, we drove INTO Arizona on this detour), which made a hard corner and joined us up with the 389.  The 389 took us back north (back into Utah), linked up with the 59, which then hit the 9 again.  Total distance for our "shortcut" - 88 miles and 2 hours.  I would say it was truly an epic fail, but we had a good time and saw lots of neat things on all these back roads.

Formations on the east side of Zion NP

Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP - this looked like a neat place!

I think it was at this point that

we burst into hysterical laughter.

After quite a bit longer than we initially expected, we made it back to Arlene and commenced our nightly activity of sitting around and drinking local brews.  We did that quite successfully, and even ate a dinner of salad and ravioli with pesto sauce, too!

We had a spot that backed up to the Virgin River,

and although you couldn't really see it

(I could, if I stood on our picnic table),

you could hear it burbling by

(you weren't supposed to stand on the berm,

as it was rattlesnake season - 

no problems with Amy compliance on that one).

Our neighbors across the way - 

their dog sat outside the RV, all on his own,

for most of the afternoon.

If we tried that with our maniacs,

they'd get us kicked out of the resort in like 10 seconds flat.

We hung out long enough for the sun to go down and the air to cool just a bit, and then we hit the hay - we knew we'd have a big day tomorrow!

On the next blog, we head into Zion NP again, this time to do some hiking!

Later!

Amy