Luckily they had a garage with a mechanic on staff and he was able to fix it.
The $25 charge seemed like a bargain and I was able to use their dump station as well as fill up with propane. I've been using a lot of propane for my furnace on those cold nights.
I was heading over to a very nice restaurant for some soup when I ran into Swiss couple. After a pleasant chat, they invited me to go with them for a late lunch. The restaurant as in a hotel and had a fabulous buffet which they treated me to. We spent a leisurely meal sharing stories and chatting in Swiss German which I am still fluid in having lived in that beautiful country as a child.
It was a generous and unexpected gift from those lovely folks and after thanking them, we parted ways.
From there I continued to the scenic hway 12 south. I stopped several times to enjoy the view, always changing and often spectacular. The road twisted and turned up steep inclines then down the other side, and I sometimes had to gear down. At one point the road went along a very narrow mountain ridge with sheer drops on both sides and no guard rails. Yikes!
The altitude reached up to 7600ft and there was some snow on the sides of the
road. Driving so much in desert country was beginning to feel like too much solitude. Why is being alone in such a remote area so uncomfortable at at times? Yet, my nomadic experiences resulted in so many wonderful experiences that I longed to keep going.I usually drove for a max of about 4 hrs/day and have always found a place to park for the night.
There was some snow and below freezing weather that night ( 18F) but the roads remained clear. I had finally decided to winterize my RV as much as possible.This meant pouring RV antifreeze into my drains and opening my taps until the pink colour of the anifreeze appeared. The more proper way to winterize would be to blow out the water in the pipes using a compressor and that can be quite costly at an RV service station. Since I had the furnace going, I felt my measures were enough. It meant not having any running water and I had filled several jugs of water for drinking and washing. I also hung a blanket over the back entrance door and had bought a sleeping bag to hang between my living space and the cab. Those measures seemed to work and I was able to continue.
#12 west took me to the Kodachrome Basin State Park and then the nearby Bryce Canyon National Park.
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| interesting formation at Kodachrome SP |
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| Near Bryce Canyon |
The road in this last park took me to an altitude of 8100ft and a lot of snow falling in between moments of sun. I would have liked to stay a few days but needed to get to a warmer place and continued on to Zion National Park which was a few degrees warmer.
The magical landscape of Bryce Canyon as seen from "Inspiration Point", a short hike from the road:
By the time I got to the campground just outside of Zion, it was getting dark and there were quite a few deer by the sides of the road. Driving slowly, I reminded myself to plan my days better to avoid driving at night.
The campground was a pleasant one with full hookups, laundry and showers. They also accepted Good Sam membership.
It was good to have electric connection and use my little portable heater overnight, saving on propane.
The next day I drove into Zion and marvelled at the mountains there.
I had to pay for a pass for entering 2 tunnels because of the size of my motorhome. The longer tunnel was 1.1mi and traffic had to take turns going through. The only way for me was to drive down the middle of the road.
The scenery was fantastic and once I reached the visitors' centre I parked and hopped on one of their free shuttle buses to see more of the park. These buses were hop on, hop off and ran every 10 min. What a great service!!
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| "The weeping rock" |
After doing some short hikes, I returned to the campground, having to get to the tunnel by 4:30pm. That was the deadline for oversized vehicles needing to be guided. I could easily spend a few days in that park but their campgrounds need to be reserved, sometimes several months in advance. Even at this late time of the season, there were many people in the park, including some serious photographers. It must be extremely busy during the warmer weather.
The next morning, I returned to hway 89 south towards Arizona. Shortly after leaving, I drove by a buffalo ranch.
On the way, I saw a notice for the "Toadstools trail" and wanted to check it out.
It turned out to be a hidden treasure with more delightful formations. There were several others hiking the trail, mostly tourists. It was a beautiful warm day and no signs of snow due to the lower altitude.
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| More magic! |
More of Zion:
"To fall into a habit is to cease to be."
---Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish essayist
"There is no zest like that of exploration, no longing like that for desert places, no call like that of the unknown."
--- Clyde Kuckholm from " Beyond the Rainbow", 1933
Have a magical day!
Maria
whyknotrvmaria@gmail. com
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