Tuesday 9/28   If you have never traveled Scenic Utah Hiway 12, then put it on your list.  The Hiway goes from Capitol Reef NP to Bryce Canyon.  We only drove to Boulder, but we plan to do the other end after we get to Bryce.  The road goes over Boulder Mountain (9600 ft) and has several switch backs (called Hogbacks here), but it is not a scary climb or descent.  It gains elevation slowly and gently, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.  This is the perfect time to travel that road.  The aspens were really putting on a show.  I never realised that there were so many shades of yellow and gold.  Sometimes when the sun hit them just right, it looked like someone had turned on halogen lights in the grove.  So gorgeous!

At Boulder we found the Anazasi State Park and museum.  It is a park that has ruins from the Anazasi Indians around 1000 AD.  It has been partially excavated and opened to the public.  They think that at one time there were around 200 people living at this site.  They have found 160,000 artifacts from this site, so far.  It is called the Coombs Site (after Ephriam Coombs).  Funny name, huh?

We had lunch at the Burr Trail Grill and then continued the loop back to Capitol Reef.  However, in the end, we really wished we had gone back over Boulder Mt instead.  Burr Trail began as a paved road and we accidentally found a beautiful slot canyon to explore.  We would have passed it by except we saw some other people hiking back to it.  So we did, too. Even though there is no sign (I think the locals are keeping it a secret) it does have a name, The Singing Canyon.  Some call it The Cathedral.  Both names fit.  You could hear the wind singing through it and you felt like you were in a cathedral.  Beautiful!

That was the last good part of our day.  After the canyon, Burr Trail became a washboard gravel road that led to the most horrifying road that we have been on yet.  It led down (way, way, WAY down to the bottom of a mountain.  It was very narrow and had NO shoulder,10% grade, crumbly edges, and 7 very tight switchbacks ( the 7 Deadly Burr Trail Switchbacks)!  Did I mention falling rocks?  Then the road became worse.  If it wasn't for having to go back up the deadly frightening mountain road, we would have gone back the we way we had come.  We continued on to Notam Road.  Only 30 more miles to go.  Well, Notam Road had been washed out in places after the last rain. There was a warning sign saying to have food and water, and know that emergency services were a long way from there (hmmm).  We had to drive through the creekbed in places.  And, always, the washboards and washouts.  Thankfully we had a 4wd truck.  We were traveling about 10 mph most of the way.  We were so glad when we FINALLY made it back to the hiway and on back to the campground.  Whew!  Utah has some crazy roads.