The geologic interest of Kodachrome Basin State Park are the sandstone spires and columns called sand pipes, believed to be found nowhere else on earth. Differing geological explanations of the features in the park exist. One explanation is that the area was once similar to Yellowstone National Park with hot springs and geysers which eventually filled up with sediment and solidified. Through time, the Entrada  sandstone surrounding the solidified geysers eroded, leaving large sand pipes. Sixty-seven sand pipes ranging from two to 52 meters have been identified in the park.

Shakespeare Arch

Back at Cannonville, we continue east on Route 12 until we reach the Escalante Petrified Wood State Park (above) where we walk the park's Nature Trail. It is really too hot for walking, but we manage to complete the fairly strenuous but short trail.

Our walking efforts are rewarded with wonderful views of the surrounding countryside, and excellent examples of the lovely plants that exist in this part of Utah, as well as fine samples of the petrified wood that give the park its name. We then continue our drive along Route 12, which is bordered by the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is an enormous area of land that is among the most remote in the country; it was the last to be mapped in the contiguous United States. We admire views at stops along Route 12, and also from a short walk on the Burr Trail (above)  towards Long Canyon. However, it is much too hot for extensive walking and we continue towards Capitol Reef, with our next stop at the Anasazi Indian State Park, near Boulder.

The Anasazi  Indian State Park preserves the ruins of a village inhabited during the middle of the 12th-Century. There is a museum with interactive exhibits and a 24-minute film regarding the Anasazi. A short trail leads to the ruins and replica buildings of the former village.

Route 12 now passes through some of the most scenic parts of our drive from Bryce to Torrey - the location of the Best Western Capitol Reef Inn where we are to stay for two nights. We stop where there are distant views such as at Boulder Mountain Overlook and towards Waterpocket Fold (above), the pink rock formation that gives Capitol Reef its name. By the time we reach our hotel, we have driven 138-miles of this scenic route, with its interesting parks and amazing views. The drive in itself is an amazing experience, particularly the section between Escalante and Boulder (known as the Hogsback) where there are hairpin bends, and a narrow ridge of a road that drops off drastically from the shoulders down into the deep canyons below.

We have a long wait to check-in at the Best Western as several middle-aged bikers complete separate registration procedures. Our large room has a balcony overlooking the "reef" (above) that gives the nearby park its name. We have our evening meal in the hotel where the service is quick rather than relaxing and then utilise our room's balcony to watch the sun set over the reef.

Boulder Mountain Overlook