Road Trip 2012, Part One - Southern Utah

I thought blogging would be a time investment I couldn't afford, but I am told it is "easy" and "doesn't take much time at all!".  All I have going on now is regular life and a Spanish class, so I've decided to take the leap and blog in an effort to share life with friends and family across the pond and elsewhere.  It should be easier than FB.

Road Trip Part One...

It started as a weekend trip ("I've never been to Denver!"), and ended up as a two week road trip involving five states and a much larger budget than was prepared.  This happens when you have an eight week summer vacation and spend the rest of the year living in the hot, dry, uninspiring west Texas desert; you want to get away (escape) and see mountains, water, and four lane highways.

The route

Day two:

 

After spending the night in Albuquerque, NM, we spent day one at Canyon de Chelly (ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the  Ancient Pueblo Peoples and Navajo).  The area remains in the ownership of the Navajo Nation and is home to the canyon community.

 

 

 

 

 

The ruins, which can only be viewed from a distant perimeter fence

Our second night we camped at Lake Powell, AZ...

...and it was pretty.

 

Sleeping Mare

We woke early on day two (5am) and drove to Bryce Canyon, UT, stopping at Glen Canyon Dam.

 



 

 

Drive to Bryce Canyon, UT

 

Bryce Canyon, UT

...famous for its worldly unique geology, consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes, including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos". 

 

 

Day 3:

 

After checking in at Bryce Canyon Resort, we entered the park and hiked Navajo Loop and Mossy Cave trails.  Later, we watched the sunset at Sunset Ridge and walked the rim.

 



 

 

 

 

Day four:

After a hike around Bristlecone Loop, we took an ATV ride to Tropic Resevoir.  The scenery was beautiful but we got pretty dusty.  Later, we started on Fairyland Loop; Andrew finished the hike, and we headed back to tour Bryce Canyon Lodge and eat lunch at the store.  There, we were witness to a chipmunk attack on a poor Japanese tourist who likely won't be wearing flip-flops in a forest anytime soon.  This was also the day Andrew decided it would be funny to speak with a Bangladeshi accent.

Day five:

We packed up the truck and headed towards Capitol Reef through Boulder Mountain and Torrey.  Neither of us were expecting much on this leg of the trip, but we both came away feeling that Capitol Reef should be placed on a higher tier of National Park ranking.  

 

The drive to Capitol Reef

 

Net fishing at camp

 



 

 Photo taken moments before Mary runs screaming after sighting a snake in too close proximity!

 

Capitol Reef, UT

...is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles, located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country.

 

 

After setting up camp, we took a hike through Capitol Gorge to the Tanks.  

 

 

 

oops, blogging error #1

 

 

ancient lava flows

 

 

 

Very hot day; Mary taking some shade to complete her Junio Ranger activities

 

Deer in the campsite

 

 

big tree

 

rain

 

 

 

Mary working on her Junior Ranger badge.  She did eventually catch a fish (or was in Andrew?) in the Fremont river.

 

Late that day, Andrew hiked Chimney Rock while Mary finished earning her badge and we took a trip to the petroglyphs, orchards, and the old school house of Fruita Village.



orchards

cairns

 

 

The next day, we packed up camp wishing we had planned to spend more time in this area.