Capitol Reef/Bryce Canyon






Our drive from Moab to Capitol Reef  was super windy and windy when we arrived.  We thought we found a great spot and set up for the night. We soon realized that it was way too windy and dusty.  About 5 miles down the road I asked Bryan if he grabbed our step stool and he said “nope”. So, we headed back to the spot to grab it 😁. We found a cool place to spend the night outside the park. There were several other boondockers camping with us. I now have my own personal “barista” every morning who makes my coffee and I lay in bed enjoying every minute of it.  We drove a few miles to Chimney Rock for a 3.5 mile moderate hike. We stopped at Goosenecks Overlook and it reminded us of a mini Grand Canyon.  Bryan pulled out our mini air fryer and heated up his left over fish and chips and I had cheese/salami and crackers.  We had one lady ask what we were having for lunch because it smelled so good up at the top of the overlook.  Maybe we should start selling food out of our van. Someone recommended to drive Hwy 12.  Over the mountain there were beautiful aspen trees and amazing expansive views.  We saw many deer on this highway and drove over a knives edge road where it was 1000 foot drop on either side without guard rails.  I unfortunately was behind the wheel and was white knuckling it the whole time.

After the hike we headed to Bryce Canyon and found a super cool spot thanks to iOverlander.  We pretty much had this space to ourselves.  We pulled the bikes out for the first time and took a short - 2 mile ride into the park. Bryan tried to hook up the hot water and I was all prepared and so happy to take a shower, but it was a fail and I took a very cold shower.  It still felt good to get off the grit and sunscreen from my body. We had a good nights rest and then we headed out on another hike.  This hike literally almost killed me.  We rode our bikes about 2 miles to the trailhead and locked them up and started our hike.  Absolutely amazing views and I would highly recommend anyone to visit Bryce.  We packed plenty of water and snacks and took several breaks.  This hike in total was 8 miles.  I was so happy when we were done as my feet were killing me. Bryan was a trooper encouraging me and keeping a decent pace.  We then had to hop back on our bikes and head back to the van. Packed up and headed to Zion.  We tried for a lottery to hike Angels Landing the following day.  We didn’t get picked for the lottery and Zion was so packed with tourists that we drove straight through and decided to get an early start for Arizona. We stayed at an Elks Lodge in St. George UT and woke up and took our first real shower since my sister’s place (that was 6 days ago). Our laundry bag is full and we are super stoked to be staying in a bed tonight and using a flushable toilet.


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