May 30 – June 2
Picasa web album link:This State Park is like an oasis in the desert. Near the town of Escalante, the park is adjacent to the Wide Hollow Reservoir. It was really nice to be near water again. The campground is excellent, with our site looking out to the lake. After setting up we drove into the town of Escalante to check it out and pick up a few groceries. We relaxed for the evening and enjoyed the sunset.
The next morning we got our kayaks on the lake for a paddle.
The lake is not huge, but we enjoyed the paddle around it and looking at the surrounding
views of the mountains and rock formations. After lunch, Kurt and I drove a
gravel road (Hell’s Backbone) back to a hike called “The Box”. This canyon was
green and lined with cottonwoods, with the creek flowing along the trail. We took Kody with us as he
loves to hike along creeks.
In the morning, Kurt put his kayak back in the lake and went
fishing. He did come back with a 3 pound bass. He filleted the fish and fried
it up for lunch. It was very tasty. Later in early afternoon, Rick and Debbie
went with us for a drive to Calf Creek Recreation Area and hike back to the
falls. The drive was through the Escalante mountains on scenic drive Hwy 12; a very
steep and mountainous road with amazing views. At Calf Creek Recreation Area,
we hiked the 6 mile roundtrip to the Lower Calf Creek Falls, a 120 foot
waterfall. The hike was along the creek through the canyon, with amazing cliffs
and rock formations on each side. We saw some pictographs on one canyon wall. It
was pretty warm, but when we got back to the falls, there was about a 20 degree
drop in temps, it was actually chilly! The falls were beautiful and the water
was ice cold. We relaxed with water and snacks, cooled off, then headed back to
the trailhead.
Our last day in Escalante was spent with a sick Kurt. He was
up all night with some kind of stomach bug. He slept and relaxed most of the
day, but began to feel better by the evening. While he was resting, I went to
town for groceries and fuel. We had to prepare for our departure the next day.
On to our next location, Torrey Utah and Capitol Reef
National Park. We can’t wait to see the sights there!
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