Utah - Scenic Route 12

We began our drive along Route 12 (pronounced rout, of course) mid-afternoon, after an unplanned detour. The road took us up and over the Aquarius Plateau, at a height of almost 10,000 feet & through the Dixie National Forest. Patches of snow lay among the trees- Pines interspersed with strikingly skeletal Aspens. There were breathtaking views, across fantastically coloured canyons, to the La Sal & Henry mountain ranges beyond. As we reached Boulder, the shy was lit by the setting sun with orange, red, pink & violet swirling around & above us. Darkness gradually fell as we drove on through Escalante Canyon - and what a drive! The road weaves along the crest of a narrow ridge with the land drropping precariously away on either side, before zigzagging down thousands of feet. On occasion the road pushes its way through sheer rock faces towering up on either side. We only had inches to spare! Howard loved the driving but it was so completely pitch black by the time that we emerged from the canyon, we decided to go back the following morning to do it all again (twice! there & back) in full daylight, stopping at all the viewpoints. We lost half a day from our schedule, but it was worth it.