Day 3: The Road from Hell

Got your attention, didn’t I?  Well hold on.  First things first!!  😜

 

I woke again early.  Just can’t seem to shake that jet lag, but that’s ok since I want to be up in time for sunrise most days.  The extra time also allows me to work on the previous day’s blog.  As I mentioned in the previous post, I wanted to capture sunrise on Factory Butte.  I was literally looking straight at “FB” so it was simply a matter of setting up my tripod and taking some shots.

 

Interesting rock formation in foreground

The Butte!

Close-up of eroding sandstone - black & white

Another close-up of eroding sandstone

I went back into Hanksville to get gas.  I was headed for Escalante, which even though was 57 miles away as the crow flies, the Garmin said it would take over 2 hours.  What the heck, that can’t be right!  Well it was…there’s no direct route, and the roads are very curvy such that you can’t go more than 25-35 mph in places.  On the way I went through Capital Reef National Park.  I didn’t stop for pictures this time, but wow, what incredible scenery!  Next I went through Dixie National Forest.  This is also incredibly scenic as you drive up into the mountains and above the alpine line (summit was 9300 ft. above sea level, if I recall).  I did make a couple stops here for pictures. 

 

Bare trees with white bark and branches.  Aspen?

Bare trees intermingled with pine trees - black & white

I finally entered Grand Staircases Escalante National Monument and was rewarded with some amazing views.  Why this is only a national monument and not a national park is beyond me.  My first destination was the Escalante Interagency Center to get a camping permit (which is free), but to my surprise it was closed (I checked online before I left and they were supposedly open).  Oh well, I guess I didn’t need a permit anyway (what’s the worse they could do, right?).  So, I topped off with gas, got some ice, and headed down Hole-in-the-rock Road (I previously called this Dance Hall Rock road.  I knew it had “rock” in the name 😬).

 

Whoa Nelly!

This road was literally on top of a ridge line - note the lack of guardrails!  Yikes!!

This is where the “fun” began.  This road was perhaps one of the worst I had ever experienced.  I knew I was in trouble when the Garmin said it would take about an hour-and-a-half to go 25 miles.  Whaaaat?  I debated whether to bag it, but one of the photo spots was high on my list so I decided to go for it.   

 

The speed limit was 35 mph, but I was lucky to hit 25, and many times I was going less than 10.  The road was rocky, bumpy, uneven and worst of all, badly washboarded.  I can take most of the other stuff, but washboarding drives me crazy.  Everything in the van rattled, and on couple occasions when I drove over some unseen potholes or dips (you know, the kind where the whole vehicle rocks violently from side to side), things in the van flew about and onto the floor.  I was trying to go slow, but other people (some in only small SUV’s) were flying by me.  Maybe faster is better, right?  Nope…tried that.

 

You know it’s bad when see mufflers, hub caps and other car parts!

View of the road

Look at the washboarded road I just drove over!

I planned to hit another slot canyon but it was already late in the day. And, I really wanted to get Dance Hall Rock, which another hour drive on the same crappy road!  I kept going and finally got to “DHR” (I’m continuing with the abbreviations).  DHR is actually a historic site associated with Mormon migration in the late 1800’s (https://www.blm.gov/visit/dance-hall-rock-historic-site).  The amphitheater, which is the most prominent feature of DHR, is rather uninteresting, IMO.  What is more interesting are the many potholes in rocks behind the amphitheater in which various vegetation amazingly grows, including cottonwood trees. There was one in particular I was looking for based on photos I had seen. Eventually I found it.  I took a bunch of pictures, but my goal was to come back when it was dark for some night shots.  I marked the location and the path back to the parking area with my AllTrails app so I could easily find it later (in the dark).

 

The amphitheater

THE tree!

Cool rock patterns - black & white

My campsite was only 4 miles away, but that took 20 minutes (the road conditions just seemed to keep deteriorating)!  Once I parked the van, I got in the back to start cooking dinner.  Oddly, only one set of lights came on.  I looked in the rear of the van where the two 12V batteries and solar panel charging system was located, hoping it was just a simple fix. I first noticed that the batteries seem to have shifted towards the front of the van and were at odd angles.  Then I noticed the REAL problem: one of the power cables had completely pulled out its connecting lug.  When I touched the wire to the lug the lights worked.  But how to fix?  I suddenly remembered that I had the foresight to stick a multi-tool in my bag, and I also had what’s called “gaffer’s tape” in my camera backpack, which would serve as electrical tape.  I did the best I could to repair the connection (and another broken one I found), as well as tighten a few loose nuts.  OK, now we’re back in business!  But wait….what’s that bent alligator clip hanging there?  It was coming from the solar panel controller, which had a error message “E102” and a flashing dead battery symbol on the display.  This CAN’T be good!  I assumed this meant it wasn’t charging the batteries.  I tried to clip it back on the battery terminal, but it wouldn’t stay on because one side was bent.  I tried to bend it back, but the thin metal just kept bending.  Well, I would just have to deal with that tomorrow when I reached civilization.  At least I had power for the lights and water pump (at least until the batteries went dead, of course).  Long story short: time for a beer!

The campervan at the campsite...with the lights working!