Day 4: A Long, Bumpy Drive

With this being the last day off work for several more weeks, I wanted to do something big, but close to home. To that end, I decided to drive all the way down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, a 53-mile dirt road with Mormon pioneer history.

Back in the day...a long, long time ago...1890...some Mormon pioneers set out across the desert in search of a way to get to the Colorado River. They traversed across the desert sands and rock with cattle wagons. When they got to where the Colorado River should be, they looked down and said, "Oh no! The river is way down there, and here we stand up on this high ledge of rock with a diminished food supply." Then someone else hollered, "Behold! Over Tom's it doth look like a hole in the rock. Perhaps we can make it down there!" Sure enough, there was a hole in the rock, and the early pioneers found a way to take the cattle and wagons down it, too.

The first 24 miles of the road isn't too bad as it's mostly gravel and dirt. A few places are washboarded, but in all it's not too bad because a major tourist destination is 25 miles in: the Peek-a-booand Spooky slot canyons. Sure enough, the lot was full when I passed. And with good reason: the sky was blue, and temperatures promised to be in the low 60s.

Ranchers run cattle on the public lands, so along the way, I passed several cattle watering stations and corrals.

At a little over 36 miles in, I made it to Dance Hall Rock and stopped to look around. The main large rock forms a natural amphitheatre, and I read that the Mormon pioneers held dances here with violins "to keep the morale up."

I'd heard that there were several deep wells behind Dance Hall Rock, so Buena and I wandered around the backside. Sure enough, there was one that looked like it would be difficult to get out of due to the sheer drop down, so I cautioned Buena to stay away from the edge.

Driving through various washes--Carcass, Hurricane, and another unnamed one--was slow going as the dirt road turned into a twisting one-lane littered with lose rock. About 48 miles in, the road got real rocky...to the point where it went over some of the sand stone formations. In other places, I could see where blasting took place so vehicles could traverse the rocky outcroppings.

But....finally....after a little more than two hours of bumping around in the car, I made it to the Hole in the Rock. I got out, took a picture, and thought about climbing down. Then, I remembered what the brochure said at the hotel: "This trail is strenuous and not maintained. You should be in good physical shape and have experience hiking over rough and uneven terrain."

I looked at the sun. Already well past the zenith, now was not the time to start a big hike down. It always takes twice the time to climb up. And, I didn't want to drive back in the dark.

Nope. Time to head back to town. I'd seen the Hole in the Rock and the clear waters if the Colorado River down below. That was enough for me.