Cold!!! Last night was cold, and wet but mainly cold! Not a lot of sleep, again, spending the night trying to figure out how to be warm enough and failing miserably! We woke up and it was snowing… again! Still the same small snow showers interrupted by sunshine. It seems today the sun won’t have a lot to say as far as heat goes. But then again we are camping at 2500 meters in altitude and it’s still early spring so we can’t expect balmy summer weather I suppose. Anyway, we got up and managed to dry the tent in between snow showers with the help of our camping stove and packed up.
We didn’t leave Bryce Canyon straight away, there were still some out of the way scenic viewpoints we hadn’t seen so we decided to go there first. Turns out it was quite the drive so by the time we went, saw and took the pictures it was lunch time. The Bryce Canyon Lodge offers a resonably priced buffet which we had the previous day and we decided to go back there before moving on to our next destination.
Zoe taking in the wintery rock formations whilst attempting to keep warm
A natural bridge carved in the sandstone rock
Our next stop along the road to Alaska is Capitol Reef National Park some 230kms away. The drive along state route 12 also known as “Hells Backbone” is very scenic and fun to ride with winding sections through the rocks and open straights on the ridges with drop offs either sides. Along the way there were a few changes in altitude and we went from ‘relatively’ warm section through cold and snowy passes in excess of 2800 meters.
A fun section along “Hells Backbone” twisting through the rock formations
Riding on the ridge on route 12 “Hells Backbone”
All in all it was a cold day riding and it was the first day spent in our wet weather riding gear. The heated grips and tall windshields were greatly appreciated and I am finally starting to understand why they sell heated vests! I wish I had one right about now!
Riding high up amongst the pines and aspens
We made it to Capitol Reef just before 18:00 only to find out all the camping spots were taken… Often the case in national parks, best is to show up before noon or latest by mid afternoon. At the same time, having spent the past 2 nights in the freezer and having looked at the weather forecast, the prospect of yet another night below zero didn’t appeal one bit. So along the way into the nearest town we passed a sign saying “Cabins $39”. For $39 (or $43 inc. tax) we jumped on that deal pretty quick. Tonight we are indoors. The nearest decent place to have dinner is only 1.5kms down the road and we figured we could manage another short ride in the bitter cold. The menu was interesting and Zoe tried Rattlesnake cakes while I had the elk. Great food and the 1st ‘fancy’ restaurant we have visited so far. (Apart from the Italian joint in Flagstaff.)
Today’s 230kms track took us through rocky deserts and snowy pine forests from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef
So, we are tucked away and warm and it feels great!!! Tomorrow we will visit Capitol Reef NP for a hike or 2 and see what the weather has in store for us.
Tonight the horses will have to sleep outside alone whilst we get some warmth in our cabin
TA
Aie aie, I feel really sorry for your freezer nights! But what to expect mid-spring at over 2500 meters, hé?
Good the campsite was full, because you still have a long way up to Prudhoe bay, and getting sick and sneezing is not ideal when riding a bike.
Every day with both of you,
Baci da papa
Meiner Meinung nach ist hier jemand stecken geblieben
[url=http://mishushinavoq.tumblr.com/]marteusPr[/url]
Impressive picture with the snow on the red colored slopes…. Yup I agree with dad on this. Keep warm and healthy, it’s still a long way to go. Courage !
xxx mum
Hello you two! Have found your website and caught up with your blogging. Wonderful! Am enjoying it very much, both your descriptions and your photos. Love living vicariously through such a great trip that you are doing.
Oh dear, the cold! Eekkk, I hope that you both have enough merino in your ‘wardrobes’ feel free to place orders if you don’t!
Happy travels, look forward to my early morning reads each day.
Love, Sandy
Hi Sandy, glad you found us. Keeping warm is a challenge at the moment, it’s well below freezing again tonight. Hopefully this cold front will pass soon enough and we will come across some warmer weather.
TA