May 26, 2021 - Day Seven
Escalante From The Ground
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My scenic-beauty meter was pegged after the morning flight, so I decided to spend the afternoong sightseeing from the ground.
My first stop was at the Escalante Heritage Center. They had a well done short movie on the amazing story of the Hole in the Rock Trail and some interesting displays outside.
The Hole in the Rock Trail is a historic trail running east-southeast from the town of Escalante. The Mormon trailblazers who established this trail crossed the Colorado River and ended their journey in the town of Bluff. The Hole-in-the-Rock expedition established the trail in 1879. A modern unpaved road called the Hole-in-the-Rock Road (BLM Road 200) closely follows this historic trail to the point where it enters the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The modern road is an important access route for visiting the Canyons of the Escalante and the Devils Garden.
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At the Escalante Heritage Center I learned there was a loop road -- not too long-- through the Box Death, and other areas so I decided to try that.
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I saw this sign -- Hells Backbone 26 miles! And that was just one segment of the loop route. I had no water or emergency equipment -- I decided it might not be a good idea drive 50 miles into the wilderness in a sketchy car. I made a U-turn and headed back into town.
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| I checked out the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park which is on the northwest side of town. |
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| I went on the hike. The first part was fairly easy. The second part was labeled strenuous. But I did it anyways and didn't think it too bad. Most of the petrified wood was on the strenuous part and was really quite impressive. I've never seen petrified wood other than the Petrified Forest National Park. |
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| Petrified wood! |
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The trail crosses a mesa.
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| That's a nice one. |
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| Looking down at the State Park where you can camp also. |
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| What's the deal with that rock? |
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| I had dinner for the second night in a row at the 4th West Pub. It's the only place in something like a 50 mile radius where you can get a drink. |
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| My plane was still there when I returned. That's good. |
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| I walked the runway at dusk. I had the airport to myself. |
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| A nice sunset from the southeast end of the runway. |
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| Looking back at my campsite, the pilot's lounge and my airplane on the ramp. |
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There's my tent. It would get pretty cold around 4AM.
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I took some pictures of the inside of the pilot's lounge. Yes, there is a Keurig coffee machine with different types of coffee and hot chocolate available. How cool is that? Plus granola bars.
I met both Louise Barnes and Fred Spencer who were very friendly and helpful.
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| A Lazy Boy in the corner and cold water available in the fridge. |
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| The bathroom including the all important shower! |
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