Adventure is in the air as the chilly summer of 2011 commences. Here's to hoping the weather warms up soon, and more adventure- without jackets and long pants- is right around the corner. This past weekend we took a drive out to Hole-in-the Rock, just outside of Escalante. That's 65 miles of dirt road driving. About 50 miles into the drive you come to Dance Hall Rock (the rock formation behind the cactus) where the mormon pioneers used the natural amphitheater to take a break and dance as they crossed the Utah desert.
Here it is folks- Hole-in-the-Rock, where the mormon pioneers bravely lowered their wagons and supplies on ropes down this canyon and crossed the Colorado River (now Lake Powell) on their way to the San Juan Valley.
The dirt road out to Hole-in-the-Rock has always been rough and four wheel drive vehicle has always been a requirement. Recently, Garfield county has been working hard to make the road passable to two wheel drive vehicles and have done a really good job. The road is in great shape, there are a few sandy and steep spots where high clearance is still a good thing to have, but otherwise fine with two wheel drive.
Of course we hiked down to the enticing waters of Lake Powell, the kids couldn't get there fast enough; partly to get out of the relentlessly howling wind and partly because we'd all been sitting in the car for 2 dusty, bumpy hours and needed to get moving.
I'm not going to lie... the water was cold and white capping in the wind. My eldest Q, her father's daughter for sure, dove right in, not caring about anything but getting wet. The rest of us hung our toes in and decided it was a good idea we postpone the Lake Powell boat trip a few more weeks.
Looking back up the Hole-in-the-Rock pass and imagining the pioneers with their loaded wagons, ropes and improper footwear can really make one ponder one's own hardships.
M, making her way back up the trail.
A visit to Hole-in-the-Rock would not be complete without some staged pioneer pictures. Thank goodness we remembered to bring the bonnet and apron, and that we are so easily entertained.
