This day was quite an adventure. There were no group activities, so we took advantage.

Leila did something neither of us have ever done, she went on a four hour ATV ride through the backcountry. She went places we couldn’t go see…rock formations that once were on the ocean floor, fossils, and native wall art. It was bumpy, dusty and hot, and she loved every minute. She’s already plotting an outing back home.

Meanwhile, I went on a photography outing that’s been planned for months. A local guide picked me up at 6:15 AM, and we went out to Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP to catch the morning light. I learned some new tricks, and certainly saw some angles at Mesa Arch I would not have found on my own.

The plan was to take a mid day break, then get back together at 5:30 to get twilight and Milky Way photos. This plan had a flaw…the weather conspired against us. Brian took me over what may be the roughest road I’ve ever been on, but the payoff was wonderful; we ended up at Marlboro Point, named that because numerous cigarette ads were shot there. But…clouds covered up the quarter moon we were counting on lighting up the rocks. A cloud covered up the sky where the Milky Way would be. And…as the evening went along there were busy lightning storms to the east and west of us. We waited past sunset, but finally gave up. I enjoyed the day immensely, but it didn’t turn out quite as planned.

One more free day on day twenty…we plan to go back into Arches NP and explore places we didn’t see on the bus tour. And, there will be a driver’s meeting. We leave for Cortez, Colorado on Monday

Another hot day today, and another bus ride. today we drove to Canyonlands National Park, then took stops in Dead Horse Canyon State Park and at an area of native pictographs along the Colorado river.

As usual today’s parks were impressive, different than the ones that have come before. Canyonlands is somewhat similar to Arches, but due to its location between the Colorado and Green Rivers it has more canyon views to go with arches. In addition we got to see the top of Shafer Trail…steep, multiple switchbacks, and sorely in need of a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We were amazed/amused to watch cyclists riding down the grade.

Our guide told us about a number of movies shot in the neighborhood. The two most interesting were done, in part, in Dead Horse Canyon. Tom Cruise dangling on the canyon wall in Mission Impossible 2 was shot here, and this was also where Thelma and Louise launched their car into the great abyss (locals are still unhappy that the movie made you believe it was the Grand Canyon).

Native artwork on canyon walls never ceases to be interesting. These were well above eye level; we were told that the natives were standing on the ground when they made their drawings, but that the Utah highway department had removed quite a lot of soil when the highway was built.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. It’s my day with a photography guide; we’ll be shooting 6-10 AM, then again in the evening. I’m excited…hope I have all my gear ready. Leila will be riding an ATV around Moab backcountry in the morning as well. I think she will have our action camera, and we hope she has some great footage to share.

The day dawned bright and glorious, and early. We boarded a bus at 8 AM for a tour of Arches NP. We got to see highlights of the park; Leila and I plan to return on Sunday during a free day. We did some light hiking and clambering around rock at Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Delicate Arch, and Sand Dune Arch. Once again the rock formations we saw were completely different from our earlier stops.

We had lunch at a restaurant called Blu Pig, and enjoyed a really nice meal. In spite of the heat (high of 97 degrees today) we then walked around town and checked out the shops. As usual in tourist towns, there were lots of t-shirts. We did get back to the coffee shop for another iced coffee.

In the evening our group had a buffet dinner on the shores of the Colorado River, then went for a sunset boat ride up the river. This excursion came back down river with an interesting light and music show on the canyon walls.

Tomorrow is another 8 AM start. Our group bus takes us to Canyonlands National Park and to Deadhorse Canyon State Park. More to come tomorrow…

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!