Utah, Day 7... Some Pleasant Surprises

 Day 7

Sunday, September 10, 2023

    Today was always going to be a drive day.  Both the Google and my GPS estimated the day's drive as under an hour and a half.  This meant plenty of time to explore.

     The first thought for the day was a revisit to Kolob Canyon National Monument.  There's a five mile round trip to what they call the Double Arch Alcove.  On a clear day, it would have been perfect.  Instead, it looked more like this...

    Considering the leaden skies to the west, the periodic lightning and the weather radar, I decided not to risk it.  Shea Oliver did the hike and wrote about it on his blog.  

    Behind the visitors center, the park road runs five miles.  Due to a partial washout and a few rock falls, the road was closed around the two mile mark.  I decided to park there and walk back as far as I felt comfortable, or before the rain started.

     By 11:30A, it was clear the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon.  It was time to move on.  Fire and Smoke Barbecue wasn't open when I was in Kannaraville a few days before.  Being the weekend, they were.  I realize I live in an Eastern Time-centric world.  But, it still seems strange to see football games approaching halftime this early.

    After lunch, it was an easy drive north on I-15 to Cedar City, then east on Hwy 14.  Unlike a few days prior, there were no construction delays.  Hwy 148 took me north towards the town of Brian Head.  Originally named Mountain Peak, there are two versions of the name change to Brian Head.  One version has the mountain and town named after an early surveyor named Bryan.  The other has them named after William Jennings Bryan, an Illinois congressman who ran for president three times and lost.

    Either way, it made for a colorful drive.

    Sitting at 10,500 feet, it also made for a cool drive.  Just imagine this.  The previous day, it was 95 degrees in Zion National Park.  In Brian Head...

    By now you know I prefer hiking in the cold like this.  So, no complaints, even with the overcast, gray skies.

    Years ago, we passed through Cedar Breaks National Monument.  I've wanted to come back every since.  There's a five mile trail I was looking forward to the next day.  For today, I was content with the one mile loop trail to an alpine lake.  Sure, it was muddy and slick.  I didn't care.

     The rain was starting again as I made it back to the car.  With no end expected soon, it was time to just go check it the Cedar Breaks Lodge.  I booked on line for a single room, nothing special.  The lodge was mostly empty.  Summer hiking season is past and ski season is still a while off.  You can imagine my surprise when I walked into the room and it was basically an apartment.  Not bad at all.

     After dinner, I came back to the room and kicked off my hiking boots.  A friend of mine called to ask how the trip was going.  I started pacing as we talked, something I used to do even when tethered to a wall phone.  Otherwise, I never would have looked through the blinds.  She found it humorous to hear me describe what I was seeing as I quickly snapped a few shots of the unexpected sunset through the window.