I took a drive down to the South Ghost Wilderness today and made a short but demanding hike with deep snow in the forest sections to a little ridge above the Ghost River. With temperatures at -11 and a strong wind chill on top of that it was a chilly day but still enjoyable. You can read the whole hike and see more pics here or view samples in the small gallery below.
While exploring southern Utah on our recent trip we made a couple of nice hikes in the parks there, this is one of the ones that was so beautiful it deserved a post all of it's own. It's hard to imagine ever taking a long hike at Bryce because there just isn't enough time to get all the photos and cover and meaningful distance. So, if you want to join us on a short but spectacular hike click here for the full story.
This post is just a link to the hike report for the route to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. It does contain some photos not used elsewhere on the site but is just a standard hike report. So, if you happen to be looking for the route description of this excellent short hike click here for the full report and pics.
I've finally got through the images from our trip to Utah and sorted them into a logical order all in one place. So, if you have a little time to spare and want to see just how much you can cram into a week in Utah, get yourself a cuppa and click here to enjoy more of our fantastic week in the winter sunshine of that wonderful state.
I left Butte, Montana at 06:30 this morning after hacking ice out of my truck door to gain entry, and then sitting in there with the heater on full for 15 minutes just to de-ice the window. We had freezing rain overnight and the roads were absolutely treacherous. Even the interstates were appalling as snow fell on top of the ice, 70mph winds added to the problem with trucks scattered along the highways like toys, the shot below is the third one I saw just on US 89 north (yes that's the road to the left). It was a horrendous journey almost all the way to the border, luckily as I crossed the border the weather relented, the clouds cleared a little and the wind dropped. Though roads were still bad they were melting fast in the winter sun making it easy going for the final leg home, so much so that I detoured off to Waterton Lakes National Park for lunch and a nice break from driving before making the final stretch and bringing another fantastic road trip to a close.
I awoke this morning in Salt Lake City to low cloud and scattered snow showers but decided to take a gamble on a trip to Bonneville Salt Flats anyway. I'd hoped to go there with Sarah but the weather was terrible so we didn't make the 3 hour round trip, I was left hoping for better weather when we returned this way after our 'desert storm'. So today I set out with low expectations, but along the way a glimmer of hope came by way of some breaks in the cloud, and by the time I was passing the "Tree of Utah" there were definite signs of blue sky ahead.
Just 20 miles beyond that strange tree I was turning off interstate 80 at exit 4, 115 miles west of Salt Lake City onto the hallowed ground of Bonneville Salt Flats, I had told Sarah that snow and rain would mirror the surface and make the flats better than usual but even though I was aware of it I was still flabbergasted by the sight. I walked, ran, jumped, splashed and drove around in the freezing cold water for quite a while before taking to the dry measured mile and 'red lining' the Tundra to the end (and beyond) after getting out for pics I 'red lined' my poor truck all the way back to the road again and began the journey home, so pleased I decided to make the additional miles to Bonneville. I initially continued west into Nevada before turning north on highway 233 where I drove across the wonderful desert landscape on the phone to Mark back home in England as I did, it was great to share the road with my boy and discuss the 'beer tree' that I came across at the roadside (complete with dangling bra!!) further on I came across a 'round up' with a huge herd of cattle crossing the highway. From US 233 I joined I-84 to I-86 onto I-15 north to Butte, Montana where I stopped for the night. Tomorrow is the final leg back to Canada on the very edge of a winter storm, I hope to head north -east through Helena and Great Falls to avoid the worst of it. We set out form Price, Utah this morning with just 2 hours on the road to reach Salt Lake City. The snow was falling for the whole journey and had been falling all night so it was a bit of a dull day to say the least, with Sarah needing to be at the airport by 6pm we had some time to kill but grotty weather to deal with, so after lunch in a cafe in Salt Lake City we went to the cinema there to see the new Bond movie. Large fully reclining leather seats made the experience more comfortable; I don't think this movie beat Skyfall, but it was still enjoyable in typical bond fashion. Anyway, with no shots from the day today I've loaded a few unseen ones from the trip with short captions to identify locations. I still have a couple of days drive to go and hope to see a bit of something along the way but for now here's a look back at our wonderful week in the desert starting with a main shot from Bryce Canyon and a selection from elsewhere below.
Our final day of desert hopping saw us heading to Canyonlands National Park just 40 minutes west of Moab, Utah. The route begins by heading north out of town for 10 miles before taking US 313 (Scenic Highway) west to the park. Along the way is a small state park called 'Dead Horse Point' which we decided to take in as well. I've been to Dead Horse Point before so knew what to expect, and I've been to the south section of Canyonlands National Park but I've never seen the northern 'Islands in the sky' section so that is where we went this time. It is very different to the south section as it sits high above the desert on a red rock mesa and affords views down canyons on all sides (with some pretty spectacular roads along the way) We only spent half a day in the park before setting off for the 2 hour journey north to Price, Utah where we had booked a hotel for the evening. The main shot below shows a view down the white rim trail in Canyonlands and the gallery below is a collection from both parks we visited today (no captions) as always click for larger images.
Arches is yet another spectacular park in stunning southern Utah. Since I first saw this area I've wanted to bring Sarah here, I thought she would love it too and I was right. We spent the whole day walking around sandstone monoliths of various shapes and sizes including the awe inspiring 'Delicate Arch' (in the main shot below). After spending the day hiking and scrambling around on the rocks we returned to the hotel to freshen up before doing our best to eat our own weight in dinner at a great restaurant in Moab called the Broken Oar, it was close to the Hampton Inn and we would highly recommend it. This was another fantastic day in Utah, tomorrow is our last before heading back to Salt Lake City on Monday to drop Sarah at the airport, as always the time has passed too quickly but we'll make the most of tomorrow at Canyonlands National Park before we hit that road north. There are no captions on the gallery shots today as they are all taken in Arches National Park, as always click and scroll through for larger images.
Moab Utah is an outdoor lovers paradise, surrounded by parks, desert, canyons and open space it is a small town with a huge reputation. Sarah and I left Page Arizona this morning making our way to Moab ready to hit Arches National Park tomorrow; today was all about a nice steady run across the desert stopping off at Monument Valley on the way. The route from Page to Moab is incredibly scenic throughout and the 4 hour journey passes quickly on empty roads with cruise control all the way. We stopped at Monument Valley (background scene of so many westerns) and at a small replica fort in the town of Bluff, we had lunch in Monticello and ended the day with a walk around Moab as the sun set. The main shot is Monument Valley (click for larger) and the gallery has captions to identify the other shots, just click the first small image to begin.
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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