Cheers!

I probably wont be posting any more while we areon our way home. It is too difficult to get good cell service and quite honestly, it would be a bit boring.

We do want to thank you for following us on our journey. Its been really fun to share! So, cheers to you my fiends! We hope to see many of you all very soon!

Grateful

It was our last full day of this amazing trip before we begin the long trek home. We bugged out of our “RV parking lot” campground in Moab. It had served our purpose as a base to visit Arches and the northern portion of Canyonlands, but it just didn’t feel like the place we should spend our last night in Utah. We found a National Forest campground that had no services this late in the season, but it was wonderfully private and the night sky was incredible.

We hiked in the Elephant Hill section of the south Canyonlands area on a perfect chamber of commerce day. We were able to get fairly close to the iconic Needles formation. I have to admit that during the entire hike I was keenly aware of what a special way this was to end our American Southwest Adventure. I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

*Grateful that we had such wonderful weather throughout our trip.

*Grateful that our country had the foresight to preserve these marvelous, unique areas for all to enjoy.

*Grateful that Ed and I both have the health and fitness to do the hikes and activities we enjoyed so much.

*Grateful we have the means to take this trip.

  • *Grateful that, after nearly eight weeks without television, we are still laughing and truly enjoying each other company.

Arches National Park, Just Wow!

  • An arch in the making!

Once again, pictures just don’t depict the incredible geological features. Arches NP has over 2,000 arches both small and immense. It was very interesting to see the established arches and also view the arches in the process of forming.

We did the fun 3 mile round trip hike to Delicate Arch and back. It is an iconic image. You may recognize it as the arch on the Utah state license plate. It looks small and delicate, but when you actually reach it on the hike you realize it is quite large. Its 52 feet talk to be exact! Once you reach the top of the viewing area it was super fun to just watch everyone wanting to take it in. This wasn’t a glance and go destination. There was a plein aire artist capturing the image, people were eating their lunch up there, and others were just sitting and gazing. It was a happy place. We all need a little happy these days!

Next up we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the most unique picnic grounds ever, dining among the fins of Arches.

Today we head to the southern portion of Canyonlands. We are going to give boondocking a try!

The Hiney-Num-Nums Won This Time😱!

Yesterday we spent the day exploring the upper half of Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point State Park.

Our first stop was a quick half mile hike to Mesa Arch. It is the widest of the arches. It framed the geological formations beyond it perfectly on a beautiful Tuesday morning.

For our next adventure, Ed had an inkling to drive the White Rim Loop in his F250. Boys will be boys, you know😉. Little did we know that it was truly driving the rim(think no barriers, no shoulders, just sheer drop off) as you descended down into the lower canyon. He quickly realized that this wasn’t working for me. Thank God, I trust Ed’s driving like no others. He made a 5 point turnaround in a slightly wider section of the dirt road and we proceeded back up the canyon wall. Luckily, there was one cliff edge that extended out beyond the road and we were able to have a true tailgate with a spectacular view!

After lunch we visited Dead Horse Point State Park. We hiked the 4 1/2 mile loop trail around the rim of the canyon. It was beautiful, though we were challenged at times on the west side to find the actual trail.

It was a busy, fun day that was capped off with a yummy dinner at Bella Thai in downtown Moab.

Goblin Valley on Halloween!

After a quick visit to Capital Reef NP, we got settled into a small RV park in Hanksville, Utah. It was Halloween and we had a couple hours of daylight left so we decided to go play with the goblins!

Goblin Valley State Park is another one of those otherworldly landscapes. While not as spectacular as some of the other parks we have visited, we had a lot of fun walking amongst the goblins and imagining who they looked liked!

Capital Reef was interesting, yet we both agreed we would not go out of our way to visit it.

We head to Moab today. I’s our last major stop of this most excellent adventure.

Zion, the heavenly city? Perhaps so.

When i googled “the meaning of Zion”, the answer I got was “the heavenly city”. I cannot disagree. The park is not large yet they have figured out a system for everyone to enjoy it’s wondrous beauty, including the mountain goats! For those less active folks there is the paved Riverwalk and Pa’rus trails, not to mention the east entrance drive and the shuttle going through the main canyon. For the moderately active there are a number of lovely hiking trails that get you right into the glory of the canyon. For the adventurer, and adventurer wannabes, there is Angels Landing, the Narrows, and the Subway. For the mountaineers there are plenty of repelling and climbing sites. The one common denominator of all these is the breathtaking beauty of the park.

We are glad to have had the opportunity to stay inside the park in the Watchman Campground for 6 nights. It gave us s chance to explore the park at our leisure and still enjoy restful afternoons and evenings at our campsite.


We celebrated our last night here with a lovely and delicious dinner at The Spotted Dog Cafe, amidst a view that will never grow old. On to Goblin State Park, Utah for a quick overnight stay.

If Not Now, When, Right?

What a day! Yesterday we donned our rented waterproof gear, hopped on the ZionNP shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava, and began our trek into the Narrows. The Narrows is the portion of Zion Canyon where the massive canyon walls are very close together, forcing the Virgin River to run swiftly through its passage way.

We hiked 3 miles in to the area known as “Wall Street”. I should mention that a mile of the hike was on what is known as the “Riverside Walk”. The hike is about 50% through the water and 50% on the rocky banks of the river. The hike out was stunning with the canyon walls looming overhead and an occasional patch of sunlight illuminating the river. It was tough fighting the current as we (carefully) forded our way up river. I did not realize how tough it had been until we began the 3 mile hike back. My legs were weary, more so than after any other hike we’ve done on this trip. I was acutely aware that this kind of fatigue is normally when accidents happen. We were extremely cautious. I always made sure my pole was planted before I took a step.

We are now back at our 5th wheel, in the beautiful Watchman Campground, and feeling pretty darn proud of ourselves. Our legs are sore but are 60 something spirits are bolstered!

I’m so glad we answered the call of “If not now, when?”. Right now my legs are telling me “probably never again”!😉

You Just Can’t Capture the Majesty.

Yesterday we hiked to Watchman Trail on the East side of the Canyon. Today we hiked the Upper and Middle Emerald Pool Trails on the opposite side of the canyon. Around every bend was another breathtaking view. I just couldn’t capture to size and the grandeur of the rocky peaks that make up this canyon. You have to come experience for yourselves!

Tomorrow we attempt to hike the Narrows. It is hike through the Virgin River in the more narrow part of the canyon. We are off to rent waterproof boots and bibs! Stay tuned!

Zion National Park, a Rainy & Windy Night, and an Oil Change!

  • The view out our dinette window!

We arrived in Zion yesterday after a challenging 3 hour drive. The wind was really gusting and blowing our 5th wheel around as we drove down I-15. It was the first time we had experienced that.

We have a perfect site within the park at Watchman Campground. The view out our dinette window is incredible. I was excited to find good cell phone service and discover that a little “retail village” is within a half mike walk from the camper! We’ve been 8 weeks on the road and on only 2 of those days have we had TV. I have to admit that it is a nice break to have a little civilization nearby😉.

We had our oil changed in our tow vehicle changed right before we left for our trip, but we’ve been over 7,000 miles so it is time for another! Ed is off to St George, Utah to take care of that. Luckily, it is an overcast morning, so we would have likely waited until the afternoon to take a hike anyways. I am having a cup of tea, looking out at my view, and relishing some alone time: the first I’ve had in 8 weeks!

Ice and Rain, Nature’s Sculptor

  • The switchbacks!
  • What goes down must come up!

Today we began the hike of the Queen’s Garden/Navaho Loop in Bryce NP at around 8:00 AM. We were the only car going through the park entrance gate and were able to park at the Sunset parking lot without issue. It was a brisk 33* when we started but,thankfully,there was barely a breeze. We have friends who were here 2 weeks ago who had to wait 30 mins at 8:00 in the AM in oder to reach the entry gate to the park. It seems the last week of October is a good time to visit, with chilly nights, cool days, and far less crowds. I can barely imagine hiking this route in the mid summer heat with throngs of others eager to experience the beauty.

Hiking amongst the majestic hoodoos was incredible. There was a different stunning view as you turned each switchback. And, there were plenty of those! As you descend down to the base of the Bryce Amphitheater, you really become aware of the fact that you are going to have to hike back up! While 700 feet over the course of a mile might not be a lot for seasoned hikers, it was quite enough for this mid 60 year old couple of flatlanders! It was worth every step!

We are back at the RV now. Ed is napping (surprise!) and I am doing 2 loads of laundry. We’ve been on the road for 8 weeks now, experiencing this beautiful country of ours. It has been terrific! Tomorrow we are off to Zion NP.