Anticlimactic as state parks go, but there is definitely water there
So sometimes reservations are WOW and sometimes they are ‘meh.’ This one, despite the excitement potential in its name, was the latter. Back when I was cobbling together whatever reservations I could snag, there was a hole between Kodachrome and Bryce, and this place seemed like it was not too far and was well reviewed. I think if I fished, it would have been great.
Pretty ride on 12 up to Bryce
Richard rode out of Kodachrome with our “pin” being a meetup at Ruby’s Market, just outside of Bryce. That was a great ride for him, with the pink cliff of Bryce ever in the foreground. It was about a two thousand foot climb, but he’s a maniac, so no problem. He likes that stuff. The last stretch was under construction, so he had to be super careful. He said most drivers were very courteous and gave him a wide berth, and it was not too busy in terms of traffic.
Ruby’s Market is a solid restocking stop
Ruby’s is a great oasis. There is full LTE and all kinds of stores and service businesses, aimed at traveling tourists. We checked out the grocery store so we could plan a big shopping trip before we came back on our way to Bryce. There are still things in the produce department that are just going to be harder to find, but there was enough to build several Blue Apron recipes.
John’s Valley Road
We headed north on John’s Valley Road and that was a lovely drive. It was quiet and mostly flat and straight. Eventually, you come to the Black Canyon and it gets quite scenic. We were imagining Otter Creek tucked away in some lush, lakeside valley with trees lining the banks. Nope. This is a reservoir with rocky banks and a distinctly desert feel. I do not believe otters hang out much here anymore, but I’ll bet they do still exist either way upstream or downstream. The fishing people seemed to be having fun though.
I can see how this would be popular for locals or for people who love to fish
We didn’t much care because it was a one night, time-kill, kind of a place. I was worried one night would feel too short a time, but that was not a problem. I did think about getting my boat out, but just as I was getting things from the car, the wind picked up and clouds came in. It was a strong enough wind that we got out our little Kestrel anemometer and clocked gusts up to 30mph.
I grilled a steak and made panzanella salad and that was great. We tried to bum WiFi off the RV campground across the street with limited success. There was no cell service so we watched a couple episodes of “Broadchurch” and fell fast asleep. Our next destination is Bryce Canyon, so there will be no shortage of views on this trip.
Total miles: 65.8, 18.9 mpg. Site 51. Electric hookups. No cell. Boat launch inside park. Great solar, not great shade. The store across the street that goes with the RV park had delicious popsicles.
