On November 9, 1979, a group of 200 men, women and children, with 80 wagons, led by horses, and with 1000 head of cattle, left Escalante field, about 4 miles from our campground, headed for the other side of an imposing 2000 foot sheer rock wall, over the Colorado River, to the other side of the San Juan River. 

They were very late to begin this journey, which they thought would take 6 weeks, but took 6 months.  They had to build a wagon road on their way, including one through a hole in the rock (Glen Canyon wall), down the other side of the wall 1800 feet to the Colorado.  This road, going down the sheer face of the rock wall, was blasted out, just wide enough to hold the inside wheel of a wagon.  Holes were blasted out of the rock and oak poles were placed in the holes, the gaps between filled with mud and grass and whatever, making a road just wide enough to hold the outside wheels of the wagons.

They made it!  The amazing thing (one of the many) is that no one died, and a baby was born on this journey.  They lost cattle only to feed the band during the heavy winter; otherwise all the livestock made it too!

Our adventure?  We wanted to see this "Hole-in-the-Rock", so we took off, after inquiring about the condition of the dirt road, across this "field" to drive within 6 miles of the Glen Canyon wall.  After that, we were told, the road was so rocky, one really had to have a high suspension vehicle.

This field?  It looks so flat and simple from the main road.  In actuality, it is a landscape full of deep gullies, steep hills, washes, and other impediments.  We jounced along, marveling that wagons could make this trip.  And we weren't anywhere near the grueling part of the journey!

We stopped at Devil's Garden, enjoyed the hoodoos and other strange rock formations and continued on.  About 5 minutes after leaving Devil's Garden, the road deteriorated.  I mean, big time.  Dave threaded our way over deep wash-outs and gullies, skirting crevices, and finally, when we had driven for almost another hour, we came upon a flat place and made the decision to turn back.

We had driven 7 miles from Devil's Garden in that hour!

We returned to Devil's Garden and had our picnic lunch, wondering about that band of hardy Mormons who had made this trip in the winter, with wagons, building a road along the way.

The little town of Bluff, Utah, on the other side of the Colorado and the San Juan Rivers is still full of the descendants of this amazing journey.  They are considered "Hole-in-the-Rockers", and are very proud of their heritage.

I was glad to be back in my modern-day coach, safe and sound.

We leave for Zion National Park today; there is a storm coming tomorrow and we want to be through the Grand Staircase, past Bryce, and snuggled in a campsite before it hits.