On day six of our Mighty Five Utah National Park excursion, we decided to drive down Highway 12 Scenic Byway to Yonder Escalante, our next travel destination. Originally, our plan was to drive straight to Bryce Canyon National Park, but somehow while planning our trip, I came across "the Yonder" experience and was hooked. You see, Yonder Escalante is not a hotel; it's not a basic campground either. It has deluxe cabins with panoramic windows, ten vintage Airstreams, and RV campsites--all connected to a leisurely "glamping" experience, which includes a heated swimming pool and hot tub, an indoor-outdoor clubhouse, luxurious bathhouses with heated outdoor showers, and a drive-in movie theater with nightly showings. If you're wondering about the drive-in movie theater, it gets better! There are vintage cars parked on-site with real working radios to watch the movie and a concession stand, which offers popcorn and other treats just before the show. The website made the place sound too good to be true, but in reality, staying there was just as amazing as our previous experience of sleeping in a teepee at the Capitol Reef Resort. It couldn't have been more memorable!
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One of the posh cabins at Yonder. |
Per usual, my two boys got comfortable in the car (and slept) while I volunteered to take on the driving, but no one could have prepared me for the Highway 12 Scenic Byway excursion. First, it is designated as an All-American Road for its rustic, nationally significant landscape and labeled as one of the best scenic drives in the U.S. However, when roads are labeled as "scenic," it usually means lots of vistas and high elevations, too. Most people who write reviews about this Byway praise it for the beautiful pines in the Dixie National Forest, the twists and turns through canyons, and the red rock formations on either side of the car. The road provides many scenic overlooks to pull off and is not too crowded. On the other hand, for someone who is petrified of heights like me, I was white-knuckling the steering wheel during most of the trip. First, there is the Boulder Mountain Pass, which is 9,606 feet above sea level and pretty steep with some parts up to an 8% grade. Then, there are other parts of the Byway that have sharp curves, no shoulders, and no guardrails. The scariest part is called the Hogsback, situated on a cliff with sheer drops on both sides with no guardrails. (You can click on the Hogsback link, or this second link, to see two videos of this harrowing experience.) Most of the Byway goes through remote, rugged terrain (cell phone service is sketchy). I've since learned that many poor souls rent RVs for their first time and often take this route, not knowing anything about it, as their first RV driving lesson--I can't imagine their shock!
Once we arrived at Younder, I let out a huge sigh of relief; I managed to get everyone to our destination safely! We entered the lobby for the key to our Airstream and were greeted by a young, hip twenty-year-old--techno music pulsing in the background. The vibe was chic and modern--almost like a "W Hotel" in the middle of a rustic campground. We entered our Airstream, and this inside was also designed for comfort, luxury, and style. Hubby and I took the large king bed in the back, and Lewie had his own bed all the way in the front (per pictures). While I rested, Hubby and Lewie tried out the pool, and then all of us grabbed something to eat from their food truck, which was parked right beside their clubhouse. It was the coolest campground eating experience ever!
We were told the drive-in movie playing that night, Back to the Future, would begin at 9 p.m., but if we wanted to sit in one of the vintage cars, we would need to stake our claim early. Hubby chose his favorite (see picture below) around 7 p.m. and offered to sleep in the front seat to hold it for us. I was so excited about the whole experience, I was gitty with laughter. I couldn't believe we would get to watch a drive-in movie as if we were living in the 1950s, and even more, Little Lewie would get to see Back to the Future--a movie I grew up with around his age! All three of us carried popcorn to the car, sat in the front bench seat, and turned on the car radio for the most memorable movie experience ever!
When the movie was over, we had no problem falling asleep in our posh beds. Lew chose to take an outside heated shower at night and raved at how he could see the stars and the moon while soaping up. I took mine in the morning and was delighted to see I was sharing my morning shower with a singing bird above me. Was I dreaming? Little Lewie LOVED the drive-in movie but wasn't so excited about the outside shower and bathhouse. He wasn't thrilled to be using a public restroom, and he commented, "Why does the bathroom play dance music? It's kind of strange." I couldn't stop laughing! He was right; the bathhouse played this funky lounge music all day long. You could go in there to pee at 1 o'clock in the morning, and there would be a pulsing, rhythmic melody like one coming from a Miami nightclub.
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| The bathhouse |
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| Shower in the great outdoors anyone? |
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| I loved the plant and the rocks by the shower, too. |
I must admit, I was a little sad to pack up from Yonder after only being there one night, but we had two more National Parks to fit in before venturing back home. Next stop: Bryce Canyon National Park.
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