We are at the Red Canyon campground in the Dixie national forest (map). While the sites are vey close to the road, it is very beautiful here. From our site we have a view of redrock hoodoos that rivals some of the scenery in nearby Bryce Canyon National Park. This campgound has also been recently renovated, and the sites are nicely kept.

We had been forwarned that it is very wet right now in southern Utah. Even though this campground is close to 7,000' in elevation, several of the camp sites are closed off due to flooding. The water flooding the sites appears to be seeping directly out of the canyon walls.

Our route here brought us along the Sevier river, which is a mighty current right now, and has overrun its banks in several places. We saw a few towns with some minor flooding, and the first campground we surveyed, a state park some 40 miles north of here, while open, was almost completely inundated.

We are heading south along US 89, en route to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We made a short detour to this spot on Utah 12, which, when we traversed its length by motorcycle several years ago, we decided was the most beautiful road we have ever traveled. Proceeding east from here would take us past Bryce Canyon and through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park and Capitol Reef National Monument, some of the most beautiful yet least visited places in the country.

Louise has never seen the North Rim, so we are heading that direction instead. From there we will head east and cross the canyon at Navajo Bridge, which will be a first for both of us. Then it's into the oven that is central and southern Arizona.