I was up way too early, before five and long before the coffee in the common room was ready. So I had no problem catching the sun come up this morning. I worked on a post and got ready before Amanda, which is an oddity unless I’m headed to work. By then, the coffee was ready, so I put a pullover on and sat in the cool morning air waiting on the sun. I’d have to go in and out to stay warm enough before I’d see the sun break over the hill.
The Inn is on an amazing property with cliffs and open fields for their horses. In the dining room, there great sunrise views and sunset views from our porch. Porches wrap the majority of the Pueblo-style home each room having porch access. We will be back for sure we’re already asking about the set up of other rooms thinking it would be a good spot to have friends come along with.
Today is Amanda heartiversary so we splurged and had breakfast which we typical don’t eat. We started the morning with a freshly made granola. They also fixed us some potatoes and veggies for breakfast that were good. A lovely couple with two children we sat beside were talkative and helpful with local information. We enjoyed their company and took some of their advice.
After breakfast, we were on the road to Capital Reef National Park to the north. We stopped for coffee just about 20 minutes away from the B&B. It was a nice place that resembled a kiva with a great view out of the portion that wasn’t tucked into the hillside. There was a long line, and the cashier was one of the waiters from the restaurant at the inn. He had a flamboyant personality but not annoying, just enough to make for good conversation and get Amanda and me giggling when overhearing him take orders. The coffee was good, and we picked up some veggie tamales for lunch.
This drive on Highway 12 would prove to be the prettiest outside of the national parks. It’s touted as one of the prettiest in the country. The drive was full of hairpin turns, large slick rock formations, tall rock cuts, all with a beautiful 9000-foot summit looking down at the top of a slot canyon with a river running through it.
Even though we were over half a mile from the canyon with hundred-foot walls, I could hear water running and people hollering in it. A solo biker mentioned a mile-long trail that took you to a spot to swim. I’d read somewhere this was Utah’s most dangerous road, and you can see why while traversing it.
There were many scenic overlooks as we climbed the mountain, and Aspen trees dotted the mountainside. It seemed we missed the changing of leaf color. All were gone, with only a few bright yellow ones left behind. The next town was Boulder, a small town with only a 22-student K-5th school I overheard at breakfast. Just before we’d get to town, it started to level off with grass and fences; this was cattle country. Even in the mountains it was cattle country, just not as evident, but much of the federal BLM land was grazed as well with cattle guards in many spots on the road. We saw a few along the road; Amanda always points them out, saying moo cows!