For 7 days we traveled to different parts of Utah to sample the buffet of National Parks that were on offer. On the menu was Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Canyonland (which included the Needles).
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| View in front of us at our campsite! |
Our first base campsite was just outside Glendale, UT. We already knew we were in rock country by the beautiful view right in front of our rv. Zion is about 30 miles South & Bryce Canyon is about 60 miles Northeast from base camp.
ZION
Zion is Utah's first National Park and we were stunned by it's beauty. I guess being topographically challenged for the last 12 yrs in Texas made what we saw in the park all the more impressive, all the way from 4000 - 9000 ft.
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| Checkerboard Mountain, all naturally formed |
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| Another stunning view from Zion from Temple of Sinawava |
Zion's preferred method of transportation within the park is their very frequent shuttle service. People can park their car and take the shuttle to places only it can go. With your trusty park guide in hand, you can hop on and off the shuttle and pick and choose what areas to frequent. To ride the shuttle nonstop to the top and back would take about 80 mins.
Never ending Rock Adjectives - one doesn't realize the multitude of words that come to mind when looking at the different formations here in Zion. During our time we were pointing and saying things like, "smooth cool waves, ribbon-like, wrinkly, crumbly, chunky, awesome, awe inspiring, intimidating, never ending....etc...
Tunnels
Zion has some tunnels in the park, what was different for us was that our dually truck was considered an oversized vehicle and so we had to pay an additional $15 to drive through the main tunnel. One benefit is that they have to stop traffic from the other direction and so you get the whole tunnel to yourself (and whatever other vehicles they allow behind you!).
Scrambling Required....What????
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| I think I can, I think I can.... |
After a couple short 1.5 mile hikes, we came to a shuttle stop and spontaneously decided to have a wander around. A hike that was not planned turned out in the end to be listed in our guide as a more strenuous hike, (which we failed to look up before embarking on it, convenient Dave!!). Hidden Canyon was the name of the trail and at first, judging from the starting point, looked like a series of switch backs that would take you on a "pleasant" 3 mile hike to a nice/scenic viewpoint....
In reality we did a lot of initial uphill switchbacks, which later turned into sheer drop offs and ledges with chains along the wall for "freak you out factor"... but it gets better... just as you are about to get to your destination and take in the view that you've been imagining is going to make the whole trek worthwhile, there's a sign: Scrambling Required... (@*!$) was a thought that one of us had after reading the sign....
At the end of Avril's & Dave's great hiking adventure, I can now use the word scramble in more than one other definition that does not include how I like my eggs... Hidden Canyon, an unforgettable hike & experience!
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| Looking straight up at the Hidden Canyon destination, it was more about the journey than the destination! |
BRYCE CANYON
We spent 2 days touring Bryce, one mostly driving (for Catalina's enjoyment) and the other to do a 3 mile hike along the base of the crater, (from either Sunrise or Sunset Point), which some rv neighbors raved about the previous day. What an eyeful! again, beautiful scenery at Bryce, you just cannot take less than 100 pictures when visiting.
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| Avril, the human hoodoo... |
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| Sign says: Attention Dogs: Grrrrr, Bark, Woof Good Dog (Catalina looks like she understands)! |
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| Along our base of the canyon trail |
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| Stunning contrast between sky & ground |
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| Welcome to my canyon home! |
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| At the end of our base hike, going back up! |
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| A lone tree growing in the slits of rock (behind Dave) |
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| Ascending like ants out from a hole... |
CORAL PINK SAND DUNES
Just a 30 min drive from our basecamp was a sign saying Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the word pink already had Avril's attention! We stopped at the park for a picnic lunch. The dunes were a lot like Whitesands in NM, except much warmer to the touch. Catalina seemed to like them as she scampered up the dune but we limited the play on account of the temps - but at least her paws were able to experience the fine powdery slopes.
ARCHES
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| Delicate Arch, the most photographed arch in the park |
If you have calendars of National Parks, you most likely would have seen pictures of arches. Those arches are mostly likely have been taken from the Arches National Park. We were impressed with Mother Nature's creations but since this was near the tail end of our travelling we were getting to the point of being overstimulated. Arches National Park, having the greatest density of formations (2,500) was impressive but after the third and forth arch, we both agreed we'd seen enough!
CANYONLAND - ISLAND IN THE SKY
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| Grand View Point Overlook |
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| 1200 ft cliffs from Grand View Point Overlook |
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| Upheaval Dome, possibly caused by a meteor |
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| Cliff edge or sun tanning spot? |
The uranium boom in the 50's brought many prospectors to this area and hence created many dirt roads throughout the park. Ironically the holy grail of uranium was never found in Canyonlands and after 2 years of prospecting, everyone left. What was left was great 4x4 roads for us to enjoy today! The Maze is a section known for such offroading fun. Although our truck is 4x4 capable, we decided not to risk our only source of transportation, so that was one section of park we did not get to explore. Here at our campsite approx. 75% of it's occupants have jeeps and off road vehicles of all shapes and sizes, "red neck heaven!"
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| Mesa Arch, Island in the Sky |
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| Hope Dave's not afraid of heights! |
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| Going... |
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| Going... |
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| Gone...or has she? |
CANYONLAND - NEEDLES
When we first arrived into the park, looking out the window, we both wondered "Where are the Needles?" Not knowing much about the park in advance, we had assumed it would be just riddled with spires and pointy peaks. I started wondering if this park should be renamed Haystack Park....but after a visit to the Visitor's Center we soon were on our way to discover scenic views by car and by hike. One of our longest times spent hiking so far was spent here at Needles. Probably the most memorable hike was a 3 hr. trek to Chesler Park.
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| I told Dave to focus on my foot that has nothing below it, guess he decided to focus on something else! |
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| Always a great feeling to know you've reached your destination! |
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| Hot & bothered....no, my water pack isn't leaking! |
There were narrow fissures we had to walk through that were no wider than our shoulders(reminiscent of an amusement park where the sign at the ride says "must be this tall to get on ride")... Of all parks, Canyonlands is indeed the quietest one, for crowds but also for wildlife. There were times we'd be walking along the trail and absolutely nothing could be heard - a great place to be alone with your thoughts!
FANCY FOOTWEAR OR NOT...
One thing we packed for our trip was hiking boots but since they had not seen any action for about 15 years they quickly showed their age on our first walk. Both of our soles disintegrated within minutes so our running shoes became our trusty backup. For the type of trails and terrain we've been walking on, they've worked out fine giving enough support and traction for the steep hills while not being water or sand proof, our feet haven't given us any complaint. While walking on many of the trails, we have seen men & women in flip flops and in 2 cases bare feet...you have to wonder what goes on in their minds when setting out for a 1-2 hr hike...
DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK
After 2 days trapped in the rv, the wind finally settled down. We decided to add an extra day to our stay at the campground to take in one last trip.
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| One of our views from the campsite |
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| No more blue sky... 40-60 mph gusts! |
Dead Horse is just off the road to Canyonlands. The point is like a peninsula, with many outlook points along the rim trails of the point. We started at the top and worked our way counter clockwise, sometimes walking out to the outlooks. Overall, we spent about 3.5 hrs walking, taking in pretty views of the Colorado River 2000 ft below us. The legend around the name isn't a nice one; cowboys, corralled wild horses at the point and those unlucky enough to not be selected were left stranded on the point without water. So instead, here are some pretty pictures of what the 3 of us got up to, yes, it's a dog friendly park which was a nice change from the National Park no dog on trails rules.
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| Yes even dogs close their eyes just before their picture is taken! |
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| Views from the Point (most Southern part of the trail) |
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| A bold chipmunk wanting to eat our lunch...Catalina had other thoughts for him! |
NATIONAL PARK PASSES - Our neighbor Louise suggested we buy a National Park Pass for $80 per family per year. We always say thank you to her when we approach the park gates, what a great cost savings since most parks charge from $10-$25 per vehicle. Passes can be purchased at any park, so if you think you'll be doing a lot of National Park visiting, it's a great investment.
WHAT'S NEXT? - We have been delayed for a couple of days on account of a wind storm in the Moab area. So far the rv has resisted gusts of nearly 60mph, which on the bright side has allowed me to get up to date on our adventures, bake some comfort food, and learn a little more about blogging.
Thanks to Sue who we met here at our campsite, I now know I can add other features to this blog that will allow people to sign up and follow our postings in a more timely manner, (see far right column). I hope to utilize indexing too so when more entries start to pile up, one can search for a specific place, State or subject and hopefully it will be a place or activity we have experienced. Any feedback you might have to improve or fix is always appreciated! We are hoping to head North to Salt Lake City to check out some paragliding schools in the area... maybe experience a different kind of flying - stay tuned!
