Boulder, UT

From Capitol Reef, we went to Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, which is basically preserved wilderness under the protection of the Bureau of Land Management. Highway 12 cuts through the cliffs and plateaus between Boulder and Escalante, UT. A brief section called The Hogback switchbacks over a ridge with sheer drop-offs on either side. It was unbelievably beautiful and exhilarating. Who needs Six Flags? When we first passed through Boulder we ran into a variety of temporary signs with cryptic labels like Incident Command Post, Incident Site 2mi, and Incident Communication Center. It took us a minute to discount an alien landing and connect the signs to the fire department putting out some regional wildfires. We found a campsite at Deer Creek and spent a lot of our time at the Mesa Grill in Boulder, Utah, and even more at the coffee shop across the parking lot. Boulder is also home to the Anasazi State Park Museum, a largely unexcavated Anasazi village with pithousesand a six room, life-sized replica of a pueblo, complete with firepit. The cottonwoods were blooming at the time and it felt like we were wandering around the village in the snow. There is an amazing fine dining restaurant called the Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, which uses local organic vegetables and meat along with some indigenous ingredients. The food was fantastic and it was our waiter that evening who kindly gave us her campsite at Deer Creek the next day while she packed up to go back to Idaho. Good food, good coffee, good scenery and kind people. If it weren't for the hypocritical eco-Nazis spoiling the hippie vibe, I could definitely like this place.