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.
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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.
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.
Today we set out from our hotel in Kanab on the Utah/Arizona border taking scenic highway US 89a south into Arizona. We drove the empty highway for two hours looking at the spectacular desert scenery until we reached a strange roadside attraction called 'Cliff Dwellers'. Not to be confused with your usual 'Cliff Dwellings' which are scattered throughout the desert states, these were homes made beneath large boulders, certainly odd but it made a nice break in the journey. We then continued to the Glen Canyon area where we took a side road to 'Lees Ferry' which is where a ferry service operated across the Colorado river for 100 years, we enjoyed a riverside hike and a short beach wander then continued on toward the town of Page.
Just a few miles outside town we stopped and made the short hike across the desert to Horseshoe bend which Sarah loved, I've been there a few times now and I am still in awe of it, it really is a stunning sight. Finally we went into Page and directly on to Lake Powell to enjoy a hike along the shore and to await the sunset which really brought out the colour of the waves of red sandstone (see main shot below) as usual click for larger and see gallery for captioned shots. This morning saw us waking up in Salt Lake City and after a good hotel breakfast we joined I-15 south for 4 hours to reach the main destination today, Bryce Canyon. We stopped off a few times en route and had lunch in the town of Panguich where we had a sandwich!! We first went through Red Canyon and then on to Bryce. The $30 entrance fee was waived for Veterans Day which was a good start and the trails were mostly free of snow but enough remained to make make this spectacular canyon even more stunning. We hiked the Navajo Loop Trail and the rim from Sunset Point to Bryce Point stopping off at Inspiration Point for photos along the way. Finally we sat on the rim waiting for sunset, Bryce is more of a sunrise location as it faces mainly east but the setting sun does add definition to the hoodoos. With the sun dipping and the temperatures along with it we finally called it a day and drove south to Kanab where a nice hotel awaited. The main image is taken from the upper rim at Bryce, (click for larger) the gallery images are captioned with the locations along the way (click to open gallery)
I woke early this morning in anticipation of Sarahs arrival which was on time and trouble free, unfortunately the winter weather advisory was still in play and it was a wet grey morning that greeted her as we walked out of the airport to the truck. We decided to hit the city and do a little shopping rather than go hiking on Antelope Island as we had planned, it's a shame but we still might see Antelope Island when we come back this way in a week or so.
After shopping and lunch we returned to the hotel and lounged around our spacious suite in the Hampton Inn watching a movie until I saw a glimmer of hope around 4.30pm as the cloud broke up a little. We hurriedly gathered our things and headed out to the truck for the short journey to the Great Salt Lake State Marina just 15 mins from the hotel. It wasn't somewhere we had planned to visit but we thought we could maybe catch the sunset there and (even though it was windy and freezing cold) we considered ourselves lucky that there was a little sunset action and really pleased that we made the effort to get out there and see it. We ended the day with steaks in a restaurant close to the hotel before calling it a night and heading back. The weather is reported to be picking up and it's currently showing sunshine all week now, we begin with a trip to beautiful Bryce Canyon tomorrow. The main shot below is of the Wasatch Range which lies east of Salt Lake City, still dominated by low clouds making a beautiful canvas for the evening light, the white speck in the upper right is a plane leaving Salt Lake City airport. Click image for larger and see gallery for a few captioned shots from today. |
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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