Roaming with Beau - Day 4

Panguitch, UT to Virgin, UT

North Creek feeding the Virgin River, UT

Waking about 0600 I stayed in bed a bit thinking about how to progress with the day. Still with no clear plan I got up and checked the thermostat. The little electric ceramic heater had kept the cabin a decent (for sleeping under covers) 52 degrees. Outside it was seven degrees - ouch! I turned on the gas furnace to get things a bit more comfortable. I used the bathroom and suddenly realized the toilet flushed but no water! Went to wash my hands - no water. Checked the water pump - on. Hmmm. The electric ceramic heater did an appropriate job keeping the cabin from getting too cold but didn't do a thing to keep the water tank in the belly from freezing. Seven degrees. Maybe. Maybe if I had used the gas furnace during the night, with its ducting running through the belly, things would not have froze. Well this may certainly influence my decisions for the day.

Well, I was up now. I ran the furnace and turned on the water heater. Now Beau was up and ready for action. I dressed and took him for a short, cold walk. Along our loop we met another camper Daryl and his dog Snickers. I told him what had happened and asked how he dealt with the issue. Wrong guy to ask. He had been in the RV Park for two months. He emptied his water tank and used a "heated" hose and connection to the park water supply. He suggested not to worry and use the park bathrooms for now. The sun would come out and warm things up. Okay. So. We returned to the trailer, tried the pump again and still nothing. I could leave the trailer at the park and pay for another then run up to Bryce. After all, the sun was shining! I checked the weather on my phone for Bryce. Wahoo! MINUS NINE DEGREES! Not fun. I'll visit Bryce another day.

I found some information on Red Cliff Recreation Area and a BLM campground that was "First Come, First Serve". It was just off I-15 and close to Zion, 2-hours from Bryce, and quick access to the Grand Canyon and not far from the Valley of Fire. Best of all, it was a whole lot warmer than Bryce. Hey Beau! Good-bye to Panguitch, we're out of here.

We pulled off the highway at the exit for Red Cliff, went through two small tunnels not much wider than the trailer with an overhead clearance of 11' 9". The trailer is only 10' 7". I think. So I held my breath and we maneuvered into to BLM Rec Area. We arrived at the self check-in unit to find a sign that said, "Camping by Reservation Only - This Campground is no longer FCFS". Well thank you very much. We squeaked our way thru the tight curves of the campground and back out through the tunnels. I didn't want to stay there anyway. My original plan before departing home was to try and find a spot on BLM dispersed camping area in the town of Virgin. It is about 20 minutes from Zion. So here we are!

Beau in North Creek

The road is fairly dry and there are lots of spots available and well spread out. We're at a nice spot right along the North Creek and the sun is shining here too and it's fifty degrees. It's a lovely spot and I wouldn't mind staying here for a few days.

North Creek Dispersed Camping, BLM, Virgin, UT

North Creek Dispersed Camping, BLM, Virgin, UT