A Tale of Two Roads

We took the "Loneliest Road" from Reno to Cedar City, Utah,  This road was aptly named.  The road is US 50 and stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California.  We drove a boring, monotonous 300 miles or more on that highway.  Just nothing to look at at all.  We went tens of miles without seeing other cars.  We saw no human beings working or walking beside the roads or in the fields.  Except for the rare herd of cows or a couple of horses and the few other drivers, no animals were about.  The towns were few and far between and consisted of a few abandoned-looking store fronts or empty buildings, most in disrepair.  The road was flat and straight.  The "rest areas" consisted of gravel pull-offs equipped with a picnic table and trash can, sometimes a wooden roof over the table.  No bathrooms or "Port-a-potty"s and no trees at all or bushes high enough to squat behind.  Since no one was around, I guess it did not matter.  The towns had no gas stations, fast food establishments or convenience stores.  People out there must have great bladders or no modesty.  

The road really is designated as the "Loneliest Road".  
 


This picture could be anywhere along the 300 miles, each mile looked the same.



This is one of the most impressive Main Streets in the rare towns we passed through.



This sign gave us a glimpse of habitation although the streets were empty and the building was dark and sketchy-looking inside.



And when we finally got to Utah, Alan found this apt sign to express our feelings.



The next day we drove through Utah, visiting some of the National Parks and Monuments that we had never seen before.  To avoid back-tracking, we skipped Zion NP although I am confident that I would have liked it more than Bryce Canyon NP.  The road we chose was Route 12 which is designated a scenic byway AND has been given the highest rating for Great American Roadways.  IT WAS SPECTACULAR!

Route 12 in Utah is anything but straight.  And with every curve came more scenery and awesome rock formations to take our breath away and keep the camera and phones busy taking pictures.  Utah has incredible geology throughout the state.  In prior visits, we drove from Park City to Moab and Arches NP and lost our minds with the landscape.  Much of the phenomenal scenery is not even in National Parks or preserved areas.  

We went through Bryce Canyon and then through Escalante-Staircase National Monument and finally Capitol Reef NP.  After the designated parks, we drove through other parts of Utah on Route 24 and Highway 95.  The breath-taking vistas never quit.  

Bryce Pointe in Bryce Canyon:



Also Bryce Pointe from a different perspective.  The colors change throughout the day.  Bryce Pointe was a lookout over the Canyon.  The wind was ice cold and was whipping up the side of the canyon.  Winter coats were not enough. 



Escalate Staircase National Monument along Route 12:



The "Cathedral" overlooking Fruita, a Mormon community from late 1800's to 1950's.  



These petroglyphs are in Capitol Reef NP past Fruita on Route 12.



As we left Utah, we passed over the Colorado River.



The landscape is rugged and arid, but the rock formations are difficult to comprehend.  Utah is well worth the drive.








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