Day 26 (September 26, 2019) Trail Riding

RZRing

My expectations for this trip included a lot of driving, a modicum of hiking, maybe falling down a mountain, etc.  One thing I did not expect was to have my innards shaken up like a mixmaster just for the fun of it.  But that was what we voluntarily chose to do today.  We rented a RZR - an ATV with the seeming capability to climb a cliff and not fall off.  It was a theory we tested.  Here is our RZR with Susan missing because she is the photographer.

We first challenged the slickrock trails of Sand Flats Recreation Area.  The rocks were sometimes smooth and other times straight up (or down).  They were often broken into large pieces that made for severe bumping or leans.  There was no way to capture the tough areas on camera as I was doing everything to save my extremities from being slammed into hard parts of the RZR's structure.  We did stop a couple of times and got a couple of photos.

Day 25 (September 25, 2019) - Arches and Dinosaur Prints

Arches National Park and Dinosaur Footprints

Many days my knees bark at me in protest of my demands.  Today, they looked at me in the mirror and said "Thanks for the rest yesterday.  Today we are at your beck and call."  So we made it a catch-up day.  We needed to revisit some places that we weren't able to quite seal the deal in the first visit.  We missed a hike in Arches, where I also missed some photos.  We missed the dinosaur tracks on the river drive.  So we did all of those.  When I say "we", I mean Susan, Lonnie, and I.  John and Marcia went mountain biking in Dead Horse Point State Park.  John cannot have an idle moment.

Our start was in Arches where I took some photos on the drive through the park.

The 3 Gossips along Park Avenue

Balanced Rock aka Potato Head (as per Susan)

Pothole Arch

Day 24 (September 24, 2019) - Chillin'

Retail Therapy, petroglyphs, and star-gazing

We finally hit a wall today.  Susan and I are dog-tired and Lonnie needs a break from a toe blister.  So the 3 of us took the day off and chilled by taking a drive and visiting Moab.  Meanwhile, Marcia and John hiked the Double O Arch Trail in Arches NP.

We started our scenic drive by taking the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway about 10 miles upstream from Moab.  It was rather boring with the same serene river scenes over and over.

Day 23 (September 23, 2019) - Canyonlands

Canyonlands National Park

We completed our excursions to the Utah Mighty Five national parks today with a visit to Canyonlands National Park.  Well, some of us hit all five.  Susan and I skipped Capitol Reef because it was too remote and had too little to do to make it worthwhile.  The others went through on the way to Moab.

Canyonlands was like a little Grand Canyon to me.  It was carved by 2 rivers - the Green and the Colorado.  The vistas were actually prettier to me because they were more open than the Grand Canyon.  The hikes took you to more interesting features as well.

Like all of the parks out here, Canyonlands was huge.  We limited our visit to the northern 1/3 called Island in the Sky.  The Needles is the southern 1/3 and is much like Capitol Reef in that it is too far to go for very limited number of things to do.  It is far less popular than Island in the Sky.  The middle 1/3, The Maze, is completely wild and inaccessible except by the bravest and most fit. We don't measure up.

Our first stop, as is almost always the case, was the visitor center where they also had a scenic view.

Day 22 (September 22, 2019) - Arches

Arches National Park

Arches National Park - just the name conjures up images of something different.  It was a day to which I've been looking forward.  But I was more tired than usual this morning and thought I would be limited.  Everyone agreed that we would only do what we could without discomfort.  Luckily, Arches was only 8 miles away so it was quick jaunt to get there.

Like all the other parks in the west, Arches is huge.  Getting inside the gate is just the start.  We drove miles to get to the first hike, a 0.5 mile trail to Double Arch.

Double Arch

The second activity was a loop hike of 1.2 miles to the Windows and Turret Arch.

Turret Arch

North Window and South Window

Susan in North Window

Day 21 (September 21, 2019) - To Moab Via Monument Valley

Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley on the way to Moab

I'm back in the saddle as it is transition day from Kanab to Moab where home base is for the next week.  Susan and I took 2 side trips on the way via the southern route but the others took a northern route in order to visit Capitol Reef National Park.

Our first stop was at Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ, about a 90 minute drive from Kanab.  Horseshoe Bend is an overlook of a 180 degree turn in the Colorado River.  It requires a half-mile hike through sand to reach the viewing area.  Much of the view was blocked by the ledge in front of the fenced area.  But the fenced area only protects about 5% of the available vantage points.  In the unfenced area, it was a matter of how close to the edge one wanted to get ... or was allowed to get by their spouse.  The following photo was the best I could get based on my allowed distance from the edge.

Then we were off to Monument Valley which is located along the Utah/Arizona border near the Four Corners.  It was about a 2 hour drive from Page.  We had been to Monument Valley in the past - about 25 years ago on a drive from Santa Fe to the Grand Canyon.  On that trip, we drove by the area but didn't enter because the winds were so fierce that it was a solid wall of dust and sand.

Day 20 (September 20, 2019) - Willis Creek Slot Canyon and Kodachrome

Willis Creek Slot Canyon and Kodachrome State Park

I was having withdrawal symptoms this morning.  For the first time in at least 3 weeks, I wouldn't be behind the wheel of a car.  John was driving today and I got to relax in the front passenger seat.  It turned out to be a better deal for me than expected but that is a story for later in this post.

We started the day with a 2-hour drive to a top-rated slot canyon hike outside the parks.  Willis Creek Slot Canyon hike is a 5+ mile trail that follows a shallow creek through slot canyons interspersed with wider canyons.  Walking in the creek is unavoidable in spots so waterproof boots are essential for comfort.  But it was one of the top hikes I've ever taken.

Susan was begging for a drink n the parched area of the creekbed.