The late start was probably better in the long run though because we drove through Zion National Park and it was a Sunday, and it is free entrance week in all of the national parks. So going through the park later in the day might mean less traffic.
One section of the I-15 goes through the northwest corner of Arizona and there's a beautiful mountain pass where they've built the highway through the Virgin River Gorge.
Heading through the gorge.
Hard to believe they built a four lane highway through here!
Oh...down to one lane.
And, coming out the other side.
We crossed the border into Utah at around 1:00pm, but it then became 2:00pm due to a one hour time change. Also, crossing the border meant cheaper gas. I stopped and filled up the motorhome with 40 gallons (150 litres) of fuel at $2.14 per gallon ($0.73 CAD per litre). Nice!
We then had a decision to make. I had picked out a possible boondocking site on the other side of Zion National Park heading towards Bryce Canyon National Park. We had done Zion last year at this time and Ruth reminded me that there is a $15 USD ($19.50 CAD) fee for oversized vehicles to go through a mile long tunnel.
The alternative was a longer drive, and part of it was back on the Interstate. I've totally had enough boring Interstate driving, so we opted to pay the tunnel fee. Plus, we knew that the scenery along that road is spectacular!
Beautiful scenery along the way.
Getting close to Zion.
Inside Zion National Park.
That's the road we came up on!
I had the Go Pro camera sitting on the dash videotaping the drive and at one point we spotted some bighorn sheep. There were a few people on the side of the road, but there wasn't enough room to park Sherman and no way to get a photo. Turns out that GoPro captured a photo!
I circled it for you. I know...not the best, but we thought it was funny.
Beautiful scenery!
We got to the dead end dirt road, and found a great spot. Then, I got out and walked a little further on where I found an even better spot!
Now, isn't this better than Walmart?!
Happy Sherman, camping at GPS 37.21513, -112.68498
A little chilly here at 5,000 ft altitude. It was only 6C (42F) inside the motorhome when we woke up this morning! But there is a clear blue sky and things will warm up quickly.
Today, we're headed for Bryce Canyon National Park. Never been there before, so we're looking forward to it!
Yesterday's drive, 185 miles (296 kms).
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Wow! You did it again! Found a perfect slice of paradise. Looking forward to Brice...
ReplyDeleteYep, we sure did! This is our kind of boondocking. :-)
DeleteYou are going to love Bryce Canyon, we did a small hike yesterday and were just blown away by the beauty. Can't wait for our longer hike today.
Stunning scenery and you finally got to see the Big horned sheep.
ReplyDeleteThe scenery is amazing here and wait to you see our pictures of Bryce Canyon! We did see the big horned sheep last year in Yellowstone National Park but we were hoping that we would see some when you were with us, too bad you left too soon. :-(
DeleteOh boy, you are going to love Bryce!!
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, we are going to love it! Too bad we don't have a lot of time to spend here but we will see as much as we can while we are here. After that we will head to Capitol Reef for a few days then we head north. :-(
DeleteBeautiful area and boondocking spot.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great boondocking spot and yes, the area here is beautiful!
DeleteBryce is one of my favorites. Love those hoodoos!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't get over the scenery here, truly spectacular!
DeleteAnother wonderful spot, wish Suzie would let us do that.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy..
That's too bad George, there are some fantastic boondocking spots to be had but not everyone feels comfortable being along in the middle of nowhere.
Delete100% better.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely! :-)
DeleteGood job! Love the sheep photo.
ReplyDeleteThanks Grace! So glad that the GoPro was able to pick it up. There were a few more of them lower down in a gully, Kevin saw them but I didn't. Really wish there was more room to pull over for those kind of moments.
Deletelooks like a great spot and you sure traveled through some spectacular scenery!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely boondocking spot, too bad we didn't have time to do some hiking there, we easily could have stayed there for a few nights. Utah is amazing for it's scenery!
Deletethank you for the GPS coordinates, but HOW did you FIND the the spot.
ReplyDeleteProbably by using the Ultimate CG app.
DeleteWe use several different sites for finding boondocking spots and Daryl is correct with this one, we found it using The Ultimate Campground app. It is the one that we use the most. But even after finding a spot using that app or any other site we then we search the internet for more info on it and any recent reviews that we can find to make sure it is suitable for our size of rig. We will also use google street view whenever it is available to have a look at the condition and size/width of the road. Another good site to use is Freecampsites.net.
DeleteAll Utah's parks are terrific, but I'd have to say Capital Reef was my favorite. It wasn't as busy or crowded, and we were able to get in some great hikes. Of course, the scenery was beyond beautiful. We were there in October and camped in Fruita ... when the apples were ripe. How's that for a win-win?
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you! We are working our way through them. Last year it was Zion and Kodachrome SP and this year it is Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef.
DeleteEven then we haven't spent enough time at the ones we have been to but it is still better than not seeing them at all. Looking forward to Capitol Reef in a couple of days! Any suggestions for really good hikes there?