Utah

I am the absolute worst at keeping up with this blog. Trying to keep my own personal journal up to date is a struggle. Half of this was actually written a year ago... somehow didn't finish it. Now I have more trips to add and getting behind is not helping. Sorry for the delays, hopefully I can get it together. Hope you enjoy!

What a week we had in Utah. We drove a lot of miles and hiked about 8 miles a day in the scorching summer heat.

Day1: We left home at 5pm when everyone was off work and drove straight through the night to Zion Nat'l Park in Utah. We got there about 6am and pulled off on BLM land for a nap before exploring the park.

Sarah, Alicia and Maggie all packed up and ready to go

Day2: Our nap was short lived as we woke in a sweaty daze from the already hot morning. We were now running on excitement. We explored a little ghost town nearby and accidently took a 4x4 road in the little CRV. We drove into the park and decided to do the Canyon Overlook hike first which was a short 1 mile hike to a view of Zion and Pine Creek Canyon.  We then decided to make our way up to Angel's Landing. At about 3pm we started out ascent, I highly suggest hiking at a cooler time of day. We were just excited to break some ground and see some epic views. I have to admit I was very out of shape for this hike and being easily dehydrated called for tons of water breaks, which slowed Sarah and Maggie down.
Side note: earlier this week Maggie was in a motorcycle accident and had sprained her ankle and had road rash so bad, she decided to hike without any shoes from the descent of Angel's landing onward for the rest of the trip. She is the true beast of this trip!!
 Anyways we hiked upward and upward to a landing that was unfortunately not the top. I could see the pathway to the top, a narrow trail on the mountains edge that you had to support yourself by hanging onto chains in order to not fall the 1500' to your death. Did I mention that I am afraid of heights!! Ok I had come this far already I had to complete the trip. I was worried because I was fatigued by now and sweaty, I didn't want to slip off the chains. I just focused on each step and made my way to the top for the most beautiful overlook. It was so worth it. The view overlooks Zion Canyon with the Virgin River carving its way through. It was one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. I really didn't want to climb down, I was seriously wishing I had a parachute or something for a quick escape off the mountain, anything but climb slowly down the steep cliff. After catching our breaths and enjoying the view we made our way back down the mountain and now enjoyed the cooling shade of the canyon. We got down and decided to cool off in the river, we swam around until we felt cool and energized. We refilled our waters at the station then hiked out to Emerald Pools. We hiked along the Kayante trail to Emerald Pools. We stopped at the middle pool and found a secluded area away from the other tourists, and we were able to hear the bleating of the Canyon Frogs. Someone told us that the upper pool wasn't worth the hike and based on the middle pool not being as we had imagined, we decided to head back. We stopped at the lower pool where Maggie and Abe (a stranger at the time) took turns letting a waterfall shower over them. We hiked back to the shuttle talking with Abe's family about their trip, we learned they were from North Carolina so I conversed with them about the Blue Ridge Parkway which brought back tons of memories from last years road trip. We were luckily able to get the last campsite available in the park and set up camp for the night. After cooking up a delicious meal of chicken and fresh veggies from Maggie's farm I passed out exhausted from the long drive and day.

Angel's Landing acent

Resting at the top of Angel's Landing

Day 3: We woke early and cooked up some breakfast burritos. We had to switch campsites as someone had previously reserved ours. We headed to the South Campground for first come first serve and found a perfect spot. We dropped our stuff then headed out for another long day of hiking. We took the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava to hike the Narrows. This hike is throughout the canyon following the virgin river. The path crisscrosses the river which is achieved by wading in the water. We came upon a jumping rock where kids were enjoying the thrill. Maggie decided to jump off, she said it was only about 5 feet deep max and was a sketchy jump. We continued on, swimming in the deeper pools, and pushing our way against the stream. We hiked about 4 hours into the canyon and decided we should head back. Back near the start of the trail we heard a boy crying, turns out he had broke his ankle on the same jumping rock Maggie had leapt from hours prior. He was with boyscouts, they had fashioned a gurney from 2 hiking sticks and their t-shirts. His foot was wrapped up and the boys were trying to get him downstream. We continued on and passed Search and Rescue marching to the hurt boy's rescue. We reached the trail head and I could feel the blisters on my feet from hiking in wet sneakers all day and sand getting into my shoe and rubbing my feet raw. I hobbled onto the shuttle. We got back to camp and cooked up dinner and set up the slack line. We listened to some music and attempted slack lining across our camp. After dinner we set up a corn hole game and invited our neighbors over to play. After some time a couple other neighbors joined in. We ended up playing Cards Against Humanity with the neighbors into the middle of the night until we got a noise complaint then we said our goodbyes and headed to bed. It was fun to catch up with people and hear of their adventures too.

Hiking the Narrows

Day 4: We had another early morning and packed up to head to Bryce Canyon to check out some Hoodoos. The drive didn't take too long. Our first stop was the Visitor center where we ran in Abe. He was visiting the parks with his family and decided to hike with us for the day. We decided to do a shorter hike then to make our way to Arches. My feet were also dead from the blisters and 16 miles of hiking we had done so far this week. We decided to take the Sunrise loop into the Navajo loop for about 3 miles of hiking. The decent was nice into Hoodoo land. We saw some major rock formations that looked like Thor's hammer and a queen. We picked out different shapes and named some Hoodoos ourselves. The hike out of the canyon was tiring. A mix of the heat, the grade, and my blistered feet made for a tiring trek up. At the top we got a great view overlooking Bryce Canyon. We then went to Inspiration point for a quick upward hike to get a better of the National Park. We drove back to the visitor center and created a little picnic area with our mats and broke out a mix of our remaining snacks. We rested, ate, played Frisbee and talked for hours before saying our goodbyes to Abe. We invited him to come to Arches with us but he had a family reunion near Provo. He invited us to stop by on our way through. Leaving Bryce Canyon we decided to take the scenic route to Arches. Our first stop was a Petrified Forest near Escalante. The park ranger talked us out of wasting our time there but informed us that Hwy 12 that we were on is the 2nd most scenic route in the world to New Zealand. I definitely had my doubts, wondering how there could be a road here more beautiful than the Blue Ridge Parkway on the east coast. The drive left us in awe. The landscape changed so much in such a short drive from red canyons, white canyons, meadows and aspen forested. I understood how this had beat the Blue Ridge Parkway. As beautiful as it is, the roadway was 500 some miles of roughly the same landscape. This Hwy we were on had so much variety, every turn lead to an amazing view. We drove into Capitol Reef NP where we admired purple and pink hues in the rocks. We snuck into the fruit gardens to pick apricots and  cherries. After a quick stop to check out petroglyphs we were on our way again. There was a huge forest fire we passed through. Driving along we notices a couple people riding dirtbikes in the hills and a bunch of campers set up so we turned in to check out what was going on. We were stopped by security, turns out they were filming the opening scenes for Point Break 2. A couple of workers told us a little bit about the shoot and technicalities they faced. It was really interesting to hear about. We turned back onto the road and decided it was getting late so we needed to make our way to Moab faster. We turned up Hwy 24, saw the famous "cock rock" and drove along the straight hwy. We decided we should make some music while driving. Sarah driving and on flute, me terribly on bongos and Maggie in the backseat played guitar.We rocked out up the highway and laughed till we cried. We got into Moab late, got a campsite and fell asleep reminiscing on our driving band.

Selfie stick for the win.

Bryce Canyon

Day 5: Today we made it into Arches NP. We happened to get the very last campsite available, unloaded some things then headed to Delicate Arch trailhead to hike before it got too hot. This hike was less occupied than it had been the previous year which was strange it was almost the same time of year and day of the week. We were able to get some great shots of the arch without having strangers in them too. We drove into Devil's Garden to do the loop hike here. I'm pretty happy I finally got to see this section of the park as it was closed last year. We hiked to all the arches. My new favorite being Partition Arch because you can walk through the arch lay on a cliffside in shade while looking out over the NP. The summer day heat made the hike difficult, blisters and minimal water made for a hard hike back. We drove back to camp for lunch and I changed into flip flops to check out some remaining arches in the park. After dinner we hurried to view the sunset over the park then drove into Moab to check out some bars and night life. We met some locals and listened to mediocre karaoke. It was getting late so we drove back to camp and fell asleep after promising to wake early for a sunrise.

Hey look an arch!

Sunset in Arches Np

Day 6: I woke to Sarah telling us we had to get up for the sunrise. I wanted to go back to sleep, it was to early. Then Sarah said "omg, we might miss it" I jumped out of bed, eyes partially sealed shut, slipped my sandals on and bounded through the desert brush. Sarah and I ran as fast as we could to a big rock by our camp and climbed up it just in time to see the sun break the horizon and illuminate the desert around us. We enjoyed the suns glow. Sarah laughed at me saying she has never seen me move so fast, one second I was asleep in the bed and the next i was sprinting through the desert. After breakfast we walked the loop to Tapestry arch. The walk was nice with cool morning sand and no other hikers. We got back to camp, cleaned up and got on the road. After a  quick stop at a craft store for Maggie we were on the road home. After a couple hours into our drive we had to pull off for the restroom, Maggie realized she left her shoes at the craft store and had to call the store and pay for them to ship the shoes back to California. As we passed through Provo we messaged Abe to see about saying hi. He happened to be in Arches with his family till the evening. We headed on to the Salt Flats where we frolicked around on the pure white salt. I read Desert Solitaire out loud as we headed back into California. It was getting late and we were tired so we stopped at Sarah's families cabin in Tahoe city for the night.

Sunrise in Arches NP

Day 7:  We made the short trek home, said our goodbyes and promised to do another trip to Colorado next year.

Utah Here We Come

The Dolphin has been sold but that doesn't mean the adventures stop. Myself and my two friends Sarah and Maggie will be taking a week long road trip to Utah to explore some more national parks. We will be going to Zion national park, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Park. The good news is we have AC in the car! The plan is to tent camp and to see as much as we can see in that week.

I have missed the Utah landscape and can't wait to get back there to explore some more. I will get to see the arches in Moab that I missed last summer due to road construction. I can't way to hike in Devil's Canyon at the back of the park.

Utah here we come!!

Desert Solitaire

Yesterday we were back at Arches Nat'l Park, this time we went out to the Windows Arches, Turret Arch and Double Arch. The Windows are two Arches, a north and a south one. The Double Arch, as in the name is two Arches joining each other. We hiked around the sandstone for the afternoon then made our way back into Moab. The other day we got coupons for a free piece of petrified dinosaur bone from Lin Ottinger's Rock Shop. So we stopped in on the rock shop to see what the store had to offer us. There are tons of rocks and gems that fill the inside and outside patio of the store. When we entered the store Lin was working there. He is an older man who goes around Utah and finds dinosaur bones. He found a full skeleton and donated it to BYU. He told us all about his findings and that because of his advances in paleontology there has been a dinosaur named after him.We looked around the shop for about an hour, collected our free dinosaur bones then went to dinner. We went to the Moab Brewery for dinner and drinks. The place had amazing service and the food and beer was delicious. After sneaking some showers at a RV camp we settled in for the night in some parking lot.



Double Arch

Natalie getting some shade at Arches

Today we woke early and went back to Arches, the rangers working the gate have come to recognize us. We took a 2 mile hike at Park Ave trail and saw Court House Towers and Sheep Rock (which actually looks like a sheep) We left Arches early and picked up some more groceries then drove to Canyonlands Nat'l Park. Our first stop outside the park was Newspaper Rock- which is covered in ancient petroglyphs. Once inside the park we made two short hikes at Roadside Ruins, which has a small structure that once held grains for the natives, and to Cave Springs a hike that runs under the alcoves of the canyons, the same alcoves that protected the cowboys that used to run cattle. Our hike led us up a couple wooden ladders to the top of the cliff and along the rim. When we were done hiking for the day we drove the motor home down a gravel road to Elephant Hill where we cooked dinner and talked to the passing hikers. A hiker came off the trail and asked if we could give him a ride. He had just hiked 10 miles through the canyons, and had been in desolation for 3 days. We had extra food and offered him dinner and refilled his water. We all ate and learned of each others adventures. When we were done with dinner we made our way to the camp with our new friend. At camp we said goodbye and we went to see a ranger talk about the plant life in Canyonlands. The talk was very interesting and we learned about how the plants had survived the harsh conditions of drought and monsoons.We drove back to Moab where we will be staying for the night, tomorrow we plan on heading towards Colorado.



Petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock



Natalie hanging out in a hole at Park Ave trail- Arches

Quote:
     "The most dangerous risk of all- the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself freedom to do it later."

Canyon Lands

Map Route

Finally some WiFi! What an adventure it has been so far. We left for our trip Friday the 13th for good luck. We planned to leave at 9am but pulled out around 4pm due to a series of wait I need this and we have to run this errand, and don't forget grocery shopping.  After following the Strawberry Moon to Lancaster, CA we settled in at Natalie's sister's house. The next day we woke with anticipation for the journey to come. With a short stop to get our stereo fixed so we could have tunes, we were on the road.

Our first pic with the Dolphin at Hoover Dam

We made a short drive to Las Vegas, NV to stay with some friends. Neither Natalie nor Nick had been before so we experienced a night on the town at the new strip. The next day we walked down the old Las Vegas strip then headed out to the Hoover Dam. It was crazy to see that such a large structure had been constructed in the 1930's. We were then on our way to Flagstaff, AZ. On the drive we decided to change our destination and to just drive straight through the night to the Grand Canyon. We planned to sleep in the Dolphin at some parking lot, then wake up to see the beautiful canyon.  (a side note: the only AC our motor home has is in the driving area, we are slowly adapting to the hot box. No AC-> more sweat:  awesomeness + limited showers =  we've officially become dirty hippies) On the drive out there we saw tons of elk lurking by the road in the dark. Luckily Natalie was driving, her safe driving and keen eye prevented us from killing an elk and stopping our trip early. About 2am we came upon a car that had hit an elk, the car and the animal were destroyed. Pieces of elk were strewn across the highway and the front end of the car was smashed in badly. We stopped to check on the passengers, turns out they were from Sacramento, they were ok, definitely shook up. No one had cell service so we told them we would drive into the town about 10 miles up the road and send someone out to help them. We got to the town and everything was closed, we stopped at a hotel, knowing someone would be working the front desk. The lady said it was very common and called the police to head out to the crash. We got to sleep around 3 am.

A desert flower over the Grand Canyon

After hours of running around the Grand Canyon we made our way north east through the Painted Desert. We couldn't see much because there was a huge sand storm. The wind was blowing our little motor home all over the road and creating a clouded view of the canyons. Our trip led us to the Dinosaur Tracks, where Leonna, a local native, showed us the prints all over the sandstone rocks. We left quickly to avoid the sand blasts that exfoliated our skin and continued north to the Navajo Nat'l Monument- where the Anasazi had built their homes into the walls of the canyons. We were able to see the structures from a view point and imagined life thousands of years ago. Our day wasn't over just yet, we drove to Monument Valley to see buttes, spires, and pinnacles that shaped the American ideal of the wild west. Monument Valley is where many John Wayne films were located. We stayed the night in Mexican Hat, UT at a boat ramp; a secluded area next to the San Juan river. (on our drive through Indian reservations we stopped at a market to get some food, outside the store a man was selling weed out of a box, probably the strangest thing we've seen so far.)



Navajo Nat'l Monument- Ancient ruins built into the canyon wall.                       Natalie checking out some Dino tracks

The next day we drove to Bluff, UT and checked out the Bluff Fort, a replicated community from the Mormon settlers. We played dress up in children's western clothes and rode on wooden horses, as well as dressed up in pioneer clothes and got to sit in an old wagon. We were in tears from laughing at how silly we are. Our next stop was Hovenweep Nat'l Monument, a short hike on canyon ridges to see some native ruins, and towers that were built on the canyon cliffs. We continued east to Four Corners. We stood where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona all meet in one place and you can have your body in 4 states at once. Leaving Four Corners we drove south back to Arizona to Canyon de Chelle. We camped in Chinle and planned a day of canyon dwelling.

Our feet at 4 corners- New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.





In the old wagon at Bluff Fort



In Canyon de Chelle we drove to various overlooks; canyon tops that plunge down to the lush green plains that are inhabited by natives. At White House overlook we hiked to the base and got an up close view of ruins built into a large crevice in the canyon wall. With our 2.5 mile hike out of the way we departed Arizona and made our way back into Utah. Our destination is Moab to see Arches Nat'l Park. We picked up provisions in Blanding, UT and had a picnic at the Edge of the Cedars State Park. We made it to Moab at night fall and were drawn into a campground by the hot tub and swimming pool. Some full pressured showers made us feel like we had made a great investment.



Hiking down to White House.

At White House

We woke today in Moab and spent the day at Arches Nat'l Park. We drove as deep into the park as we could and worked our way back to the entrance. Turns out they're doing construction this week so the Devil's Canyon is inaccessible. We're pretty bummed about missing some arches but made the most of it by hiking all of the other trails. We hiked to Broken Arch and Sand Dune Arch, these were short hikes with a lot of people running around. After a nap that was interrupted by children crying we drove to Delicate Arch, a 3 mile hike that was very steep and super hot. We finally made our way to the very top and after waiting for all of the other tourists, we were able to get some pictures. We enjoyed some snacks and the view then climbed back down. Before heading out we stopped at a couple overlooks then pulled off on a dirt road for dinner. We had finally found a secluded place where we could BBQ, relax, and enjoy the sunset over the valley and Balanced Rock. Tomorrow we will be back at Arches to see more that the park has to offer.





Tiny me and Nick in Delicate Arch

Sunset at Arches Nat'l Park







Quote:
      "I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth, then I ask myself the same question." ~Harun Yahya