8/25 Kodachrome State Park, UT

I had stayed here overnight a couple of years ago, but I was teaching at the time and needed cell service so I could get internet access on my mobile hotspots, so could not stay longer.  This trip, I had more time, so I spent four nights here.  It was not easy to manage without internet, but I solved the problem partially by going out a couple of times to a nearby town and catching up with email and other items I needed to do online.  

Other than the incredible scenery, the one positive of this campground is that it has quite a few full-hookup sites, so at least I had power, water, sewer, and a good TV signal!  The 8,000' altitude also meant it was cool here, with daily or even twice-daily showers due to the summer monsoons.  This kept the dust down and turned what was usually desert into a lush green.  There was also a lot of little streams and even water in what was usually dry washes.  

This state park is also only 24 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park, so it was a quick drive. 

 

This is the visitor center for the campground and the only place where you can get a bit of internet, however, I chose to use my own mobile hotspots because they are more secure, so I headed to town.  The main reason for the lack of cell service is the tall bluffs that surround the campground.  

 

I don't know the history of this, but way out here in this state park is a laundromat!   

 

  This was my campsite, nicely tucked into a private spot.

 

Beautiful scenery in this campground.  Unfortunately, I was not able to take any of the short hikes because it kept raining whenever I would get ready to head out!   

 

The next few photos show the results of all this rain in what is usually very dry desert.   This are on the way into the state park is currently range land, although I saw very few cattle.   However, notice that there is a lot of green in these next photos--mostly a lot of new grass. Normally, it would be brown and dry.

 

 

This shows where the rain caused the muddy water to flow over the roadway.  It is dry in this photo, and you can tell that the state park has plowed some of the dirt that remained.

However, the next day, it was wet again with more mud having flowed over the road. 

And the next few photos show the water flowing in the nearby wash.  Normally, this will not have water in it for months or even years, but there is an amazing amount now. 

There were a lot of little creeks in the campground and park that had had water in them and that flowed into this river.

As I was leaving, I noticed this in the distance, towards Bryce Canyon.  At first, it looked like a rain cloud, but as I got closer, it looked like a fire, but I could find nothing about it online.

 

Onwards to Las Vagas tomorrow.  I will stay only one night there and then head to Southern California.