It was a travel day, and was light on pictures. We got a lazy start at around 9 AM MDT. The early part of the route gave us a good look at areas that had been affected by mud flows and flooding last week. We saw an RV that mud more than wheel deep and a gas station put out of service.

We made a quick stop in Green River, Utah and visited the John Wesley Powell Museum. It is remarkable the courage the men who explored the Green and Colorado rivers displayed, running the rapids without any charts, maps, or technology to aid them.

Finally, we arrived in Moab early afternoon. We went grocery shopping, found a cup of coffee downtown, then relaxed a little. It was a hot day, topping out in the mid-90’s. The group got together for pizza tonight, and tomorrow we have two group outings: in the morning we take a bus tour of Arches NP, then in the evening we have a dinner and a boat ride on the Colorado River.

It was a beautiful day in the West today, and we certainly enjoyed driving around Capitol Reef. We made some short stops at viewpoints, and particularly liked the view of a canyon made by Sulfur Creek.

We then saw a remaining farmhouse from the early Mormon settlers and picked a few apples from an orchard that dates back to that era. There was a gift shop inside, and I bought a jar of pickled squash…haven’t tried them yet.

Next was the scenic drive through the heart of the park. We intended to drive to the end of the paved road, then proceed on a gravel road through the Capitol Gorge to the trailhead of a short hike, but the gravel road had been washed out by a thunderstorm last week. A number of our group were there when we arrived, and it turned into a two mile group hike on the road. We dodged a road grader and a front loader as they were trying to get the road cleared. Just the same, the gorge was impressive, the power of 2-4 feet of water to wreck a road was powerful, and we had a good time.

Driver’s meeting was held tonight, we leave for Moab tomorrow morning. It is going to be a busy few days, we’ll have a lot to say.

It was another moving day today. There were two ways to get to Torrey from our last stop; you could either drive directly using Utah 12, or come looping to the north on US 89 and two Utah highways. The former was one of the hardest mountain drives of the trip, the latter was a little longer but easier to drive. We took the latter…much easier on my nerves.

We got in about lunchtime, then took a drive into Capitol Reef National Park to see the visitor’s center and to get oriented. It was a beautiful intro to the park, and we’ll see it more thoroughly tomorrow. For today we saw a little one room schoolhouse originally used by the Mormon settlers in the early 20th century. We then went to look at some native American petroglyphs. It’s amazing that these have survived all these years for us to marvel at.

Not too many pictures today…we’ll be busy with them tomorrow.

It was a laid back day today. We drove into the park and stopped by the visitor’s center. The movie was nice, and we enjoyed the exhibits. Then we went for a drive up to the end of the road. Parking turned out to be a problem there, as there was none. So sad. Leila did get some pictures, and we were able to stop at some of the waypoints along the drive.

In the evening we attended the driver’s meeting for tomorrow’s move to Torrey, Utah. The recommended route is real mountain driving; I’m choosing the slightly longer, but less demanding route on US 89; I just don’t want to spend two hours with white knuckles…

Later we drove back into the park to do some night photography for the first time. We had a great time experimenting…I’ll get some more chances when we get to Moab later in the week.

It was a busy day! The park was busy (it’s Labor Day weekend), and we were busy.

Leila started her day early with a mule ride to the bottom of the canyon. Her steed’s name was Geraldine; she proved to be a safe ride, if not a little too interested in snacking along the trail. Leila had a great time…she reports that the trail at first seemed a little narrow, but the mule knew the routine and navigated it safely.

Meanwhile, back at camp, I dug out the Traeger and smoked a small tri tip roast for future consumption. I discovered that pellets shift while the RV is moving. They got to places they shouldn’t have been, and I had a brief fire inside the Traeger. All is well now.

The afternoon found us exploring the park. We used the shuttle to go to Bryce Point, then Inspiration Point, then began a hike that followed the rim for a little more than a mile, then into the canyon on a combination of the Queen’s Garden trail and the Navajo trail. All told we hiked 4.6 miles in about three hours. See the pictures below for an idea of the grade coming out of the canyon…at 8000 feet elevation.

In the evening our group went to Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill for a chuckwagon dinner and country music show. It was truly unique, the food was good and the concert was well done and had nice production values. There were more than a few ads during the evening…I guess production doesn’t come for free…

Sunday will be laid back…we’ll drive into the park, see the visitors center and get Leila’s NP passport stamped, then drive to some viewpoints. There will be a driver’s meeting in the evening, then Monday we travel.

It was a travel day, but only about 110 miles. We arrived in time for a late lunch and a look around the neighborhood.

The drive took us north on US 89, then east on Utah 12. All the drive was beautiful, but the turn onto highway 12 knocked our socks off. The Red Canyon you enter is spectacular, and since Leila was driving at the time gave her the chance to drive under two red rock arches that go over the highway. Very cool!

In the afternoon we took a drive out to Kodachrome Basin State Park. We continue to be amazed at the variety of ways the sandstone arranges itself throughout this trip.

The campground here is huge, with lots of elbow room between sites. We are here until Monday. Tomorrow Leila takes a mule ride down into the canyon (no ride for me, the mules have a weight limit. No mule chiropractors, I guess!). Tomorrow night the group goes to a chuck wagon style dinner that also has a musical show. More then…

We spent a wonderful day at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Weather was just right, aside from some haze that settled in as the morning went along. It was about forty miles from the campground to the visitor’s center, but it was great road. Various signs told us to watch for cows, bison, deer, and rocks. We did see one cow, who was outstanding in its field.

We took walks at the visitor’s center, as well as at various other places. The size and scope of the canyon are breathtaking. It’s also hard to picture the early Native Americans who spent half the year on the canyon floor and the other half out of the canyon. They must have been strong, intelligent men and women.

We topped out at over 8800 feet today, and I found out just how out of shape I am at elevation.Tomorrow is moving day again, and we head downhill to Bryce Canyon…only about 113 miles away. I’m looking forward to more oxygen!

It was a short drive today, only about 85 miles, but once we started climbing it felt like we would never stop. The road was good, but the last 20 miles or so were definitely mountain driving.

As advertised, it’s much cooler here. It rained a little as we came close to the campground, so was a little muddy coming in. But…a thunderstorm broke around 2 pm…it was a truly powerful thing and seemed to be right overhead.

We did see some sights on the way. The Vermillion Cliffs were very pretty, and I’m guessing some of the vistas were too (I was watching the road!).

This campground is not terribly fancy, but being in the woods and enjoying the cooler air is very nice indeed. The entire group got together tonight around three propane fire pits; it’s really the first time we’ve all gotten to just hang out together, due to the heat.

Tomorrow we drive the final 40 miles to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Hope to have grand pictures for you then.

Last day in Page, as we head for the north rim of the Grand Canyon tomorrow. It was a thoroughly busy day:

The RV group started the day with a breakfast in the marina hotel’s restaurant. The food was good, the conversation enjoyable, and the view of the houseboats in the marina excellent.

The two of us then drove a little south through town. We had floated through Horseshoe Bend on the river yesterday, but today we drove to an overlook. A photo from this location was used in an earlier version of Windows (someone will have to research which version that was). It was an easy walk and an incredible view. Leila ended up with the best photo this trip…see below.

In the afternoon our group took a trip to see the Antelope Slot Canyon on tribal land. It is amazing how this crack in the ground became such a beautiful place in the middle of the desert.

As I said, tomorrow is moving day. It won’t be a long drive, only about 80 miles. I’m not sure what kind of internet service we’ll have, so the next edition of this blog may be delayed. The weather forecast is for cooler weather and for rain/thunderstorms as well. After a week hovering around 100 degrees the coolness will be welcome.