Day 29 - White Knuckles, Saco Beer, and the Road to Utah
October 17th, 2025
We wake to sunshine dancing across the turquoise waters of magnificent Bear Lake, the Rockies standing proudly in the background. With coffee in hand and wheels on our minds, we point the chariot south toward Nephi, Utah—220 miles (about 3.5 hours) of road ahead.
While prepping to depart (TK #1 already in the books—two businesses, lol), I spot Park Ranger Louann making her rounds with her trusty sidekick, Gracie. I hand over our payment for the two-night stay and thank her for such a beautiful park.
“I’ve been coming here for over 20 years, helping run it,” she tells me. “My husband passed away a few years ago, and I just kept coming back. I love this place.”
“I can see why,” I reply. “It’s spectacular.” And it truly is.
Before long, we’re rolling south, crossing back into the wide-open, arid high plains of southwestern Wyoming—land so vast it seems to stretch forever. After passing through several small ranching towns, we merge onto Interstate 80 toward Salt Lake City (Greater SLC area: 2.9 million and growing).
As we approach the city, I-80 morphs into a six-lane gauntlet of 18-wheelers flying past at well over the posted 80 mph limit. Our 25-foot royal chariot hangs tough, but it’s a white-knuckle ride all the way through Provo before traffic finally eases.
Two hundred and twenty miles—and a few deep breaths—later, the Royals roll into Rollin’ Home RV Park just off the highway for the night. We find our spot, hook up, and the King cracks open a cherished Saco River beer. As I sip my cold reward at the foot of Mount Pleasant in the Manti–La Sal National Forest, I decide that navigating the SLC metro area was officially the toughest leg of the trip so far.
Here we meet our friendly neighbor, Christian, from Cedar City—about an hour south and just outside Zion National Park. He’s in town on a deer-hunting weekend with his two sons (as it turns out, so is most of the RV park). Christian is a retired Air Force pilot who now flies small business jets professionally, based in San Francisco, and travels extensively around the world.
Born and raised in Cedar City, he tells us that despite being able to live anywhere, he chose to come home 20 years ago. “Hard to argue with that,” I say—it’s an awesome area. When I ask for local tips, he doesn’t hesitate.
“Stop at the Creamery just north of Cedar City,” he says. “Best ice cream and cheese curds in the world—made from milk from the dairy farm just outside town.”
We’re in.
After some takeout Chinese food for an early dinner, the Royals turn in for the night as the sun sinks low in the western sky. Tomorrow begins our grand tour of Utah’s national parks—Zion, Bryce, Escalante, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches.
We can’t wait. 😎👑
