August 4: Into Robbers' Roost

Time to leave Vernal.  The KOA campground there had been AOK.

  Even the large group of Mormon youth that descended on an open space of grass were respectful and went to bed early.  Even better, they had devotions in the morning that made the showers in the restroom available for a change.

We liked Vernal, especially the half-price milk shakes after 8:00 p.m. at the Sonic Drive-In.  A girl in roller skates brings to your car one medium and one large shake for $3.54.  What could be better, after a hard day of petroglyphing?

But there were greater riches to the south of Vernal that we needed to attend to.  The direct route to Nine Mile Canyon from Vernal goes down Gate Canyon, a winding gravel road that used to be stage coach road (no kidding).  I have no pictures because stopping would not have been a good idea, except in case of sliding.  I am told that Gate Canyon has a notorious curve known as “Outlaw Corner” because part of Butch Cassidy’s gang planned to ambush a federal posse there.  They were ratted out, some think by Butch himself, who did not want the law to blame him.

The San Rafael Swell area, where we are headed, was in fact Butch Cassidy’s hide-out and escape route, because it is so rugged and a maze of confusing canyons.

  One portion of it is even called “Robber’s Roost.”  Several outlaws and outlaw-sheriff types roamed the region, at least in legends.

We visited some great panels in Nine Mile Canyon on our way, but I will save that for a later blog.

We pulled up in the state park at Huntingdon, south of Price.

 We have been there six days.  The camping is comfortable, and the scenery great.

 The town of Castledale has been celebrating its own founders’ day with pageants and plays.  Despite many invitations, we have not had the energy to stay up late to see the after-dark epic.