A Meander Down Hwy 12 (Utah)

June 11, 2010 by libertatemamo 2 Comments

The night before we rode down Hwy 12 in the monster Paul didn’t sleep. I, on the other hand, snoozed like a petrified log mostly because Paul hadn’t told me why he wasn’t sleeping. And, I started the day naive and happy like a newborn baby. It wasn’t until part of the way into the drive that I started to have an inkling of the reason behind Paul’s red eyes and nervous tics. By the time we passed Bolder Mountain summit I understood, and when we were finally safely parked at Singletree Campground the devious man showed me the “Mountain Directory” so I could read for myself. 

You see, Hwy 12 is quite the drive. It has outstanding scenery, highly varied landscape and stunning viewpoints sprinkled with super-narrow roads, large, steep grades and warnings that trucks should not, unless in dire need, drive along here. All this, my lovely hubby had hidden from me. The “mountain book” is sprinkled with descriptions like “steep”, “10-12% grades”, and “long descents” which Paul had spent the entire evening stressing about. 

In the end it wasn’t quite as bad as it seemed, and I must admit Paul did an outstanding job which was superbly supported by our fabulous Cummings 420 engine and exhaust breaks. But, it’s not for the faint of heart and may not be the first road you’d want to take your 40-foot RV (with tow) on. As for me, I’d do it again in a heartbeat, and I’ll still sleep like a baby….provided Paul’s driving, of course. 

Here’s a visual snapshot (taken from the passenger seat) through our RV window on the drive.