Tour de SW Utah (LONG POST)

Arches NP

As I predicted earlier, my trip through the SW of Utah was a whirlwind experience.  I bounced from park to park, taking in all of the scenery as I went, and sometimes wishing I could have spent more time at some places.  When I last left you, I was leaving Colorado for Arches National Park in Utah.  I made it to Arches by evening, immediately picked out a campsite situated in a canyon along the Colorado River, and spent that first evening exploring the lower end of the park.  The semi-desert park is actually quite desolate in terms of wildlife.  But what it lacks in critters, it makes up for with immaculate rock outcrops and sculptures you won’t find anywhere else in the world.  True to its name the, the park contains over 2,000 natural arches, defined as a whole in rock that is at least 4 feet wide.  Although most of these natural arches are small and insignificant, there are quite a few which really take your breath away.  The Window Arches, Landscape Arch, and Delicate Arch are three of the most popular destinations within the park, along with the Balancing Rock.  The best time to drive through the park is definitely in the evening as the sun is setting.  It’s at this time that the red sandstone rock really stands out against the blue sky, creating a photographer’s dream landscape.  I toured through the park in the evening, hanging out around  the window arches as the sun set in front of me.  Truly a perfect place for thought and reflection.  I also spent the next morning in the park, hiking a short trail up to Landscape Arch, which spans a gap the length of a football field.  It was on this hike that I was also blessed by a Korean man who was part of a Korean tour group.  I was passing this group of foreign tourists (I walk quicker than most when I hike) when as I was passing this particular man, he grabbed me by the hand, and we walked together, hand in hand for a good 30 yards.  It was weird, and somewhat uncomfortable, but I couldn’t pull away.  He eventually stopped, said something in Korean I didn’t understand, grabbed my other hand, and then began speaking some sort of blessing for me.  Again, I felt a bit uncomfortable, but I just figured this is what road tripping is all about.  Unexpected stuff happens!  Anyway, after his prayer we walked hand in hand a little more before he finally let me go.  I told him thank you and have a nice day, thinking about the experience that had just happened as I approached the arch.

Courthouse Monument, Arches NP

the Balanced Rock.  Its about as big as a UPS truck to give you a reference

The Window arches at sunset.  Quite a site

The scenic drive through Arches NP

Landscape Arch.  It spans a football field.  Wouldnt want to walk across that one.

Koreans praying at Landscape Arch.  It was a pretty powerful place.

Capitol Reef NP

After my morning in Arches, my goal was to do a drive through of Capitol Reef NP, arriving at Bryce Canyon NP by night.  I was able to drive the 200 or so miles to Bryce, but distractions were plentiful, as the views along this drive are worth a vacation in and of itself.  I didn’t do much bird watching, as strong winds made it difficult to find anything.  I entered Capitol Reef in the early afternoon.  This park protects a huge 100 mile long fault that travels south almost to the border with Arizona.  But if you ever visit the area, you’ll wonder why it needs protection.  I mean, it’s freaking desert.  There’s nothing but rocks, sand, and drought tolerant plants for 100 mile in any direction.  And there isn’t much water around either.  Every creekbed I drove over en route to Capitol Reef was dry and dusty.  Few people would ever think about living in such a harsh environment.  Needless to say, I didn’t spend too much time in Capitol Reef.  They did have a nice auto loop that supposedly afforded amazing views of the fault the park was famous for.  But to drive the loop you had to pay money.  I’m not paying money for views of rocks when I’ve been seeing nothing but rocks for free all day.  I continued onto  Bryce Canyon, a smart choice in my mind.  Although only 110 miles from Capitol Reef, the drive takes nearly 3 hours along route 12 as you twist and turn through pine forests and across the plateaus that offer unprecedented views of valleys below you, all of which are a part of the Grand Staircase National Monument.  It was really quite spectacular, a drive second so far only to the drive through Banff.  

Unless you're in one of the National Parks of SW Utah, most of the area is desert, like this.  And of course, there's nobody around.

Shout out from Utah.  Obviously this truck has been here for a few years.

Driving through Capitol Reef National Park.  Just so much rock.

pock-marked rock in Capitol Reef.  Looked kind of disgusting up close. 

Road tripper's ride and his dog.  Oh the life of a dog.

Bryce Canyon

Bryce was definitely worth the 200 mile drive from Arches.  It’s a small national park, but with over a million visitors a year.  For good reason.  Bryce Canyon (not actually a canyon, but more of an amphitheater) is filled with unique sandstone rock formations called hoodoos, towering spires of rock that form in rows.  These pillars of rock are the result of sculpting from millions of years of wind and rain which break apart weaker rocks, leaving only the sturdy portions of rock that you see today.  And even these sandstone outcrops are slowly crumbling. 

I grabbed one of the last two available camp sites and paid for two nights.  The first night, my late arrival allotted me enough time only to get in a late night run along the rim of the canyon, which offers spectacular views of the sandstone hoodoos, which brighten as they pick up the last rays of the setting sun.  Probably one of the most stunning runs I’ve ever done.  Unfortunately, it was all uphill on the way out, and on the way back, a day’s worth of gas station foods left my stomach in a knot, making for a very slow and painful run back.  To all the runners out there, you know what I’m talking about. 

Day 2 was much more eventful.  I woke up very early and hit the Fairyland trail, and 8 mile loop which drops down off the rim of the canyon brining you up close to all of the famous rock hoodoos.  Unfortunately, the climb out of the canyon was a bit more taxing.  But I felt accomplished having really experienced Bryce up close, not just taking my few pics from the rim observation decks like most of the tourists.  I also spent a lot of the day worrying about an insect bite I got the night before while sitting on a log.  It hurt all day during the hike, and images of a bite from a Brown Recluse krept into my mind, making me think I might have to have my leg amputated or something.  Stupid I know, but when youre out here on youre own, it’s easy to worry.  Ended up it was just an ant bite.  Haha.  The rest of the day was spent resting and refueling at my campsite, out of the 95 degree heat.  A much needed shower at the general store felt like heaven on earth.  A final evening stroll along the canyon preceded an early night to bed.

I see you, Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon and the hoodoo spires

Some up close hoodoos

Great real estate

The view of Bryce Canyon Amphitheater from Inspiration point

Inspiration point is a great place for reflection

Zion NP

I had planned on spending a whole day in Zion.  It didn’t happen, and I regret it.  I slept an hour past my alarm in Bryce, didn’t leave the park until around 930, and the 1.5 hour drive to Zion was lengthened by a stop at a local diner for some grub (chicken tenders and fries, my favorite!)  Zion blew me away, though.  It doesn’t have the little intricate rock formations that Bryce has.  Instead, it comes at you with huge in your face monuments of white sandstone rock.  The mountains themselves are not extremely steep, and are carved like stairsteps, so you could literally walk up to the summit of any mountain around you.  Hiking abounds in this park, and with only 3 hours to spare, Zion is now on my list of places I wish to explore more.  I did a short hike just past the east entrance, seeing a few interesting birds, and then completed the popular mile hike up to the canyon overlook, which looks out on Zion Valley.  Although the view is definitely something any visitor should check out if they come to Zion, I feel you really have to get down into Zion Valley to experience the park.  Point being, I only accomplished what a normal tourist would do on a trip to Zion, which ticked me off.  

sculpted sandstone in Zion

Desert life: sand, cactus, and old beer can

The view of Zion Valley from above

More Rock!  Notice the natural cool grooves in the rock. 

Vermillion Cliffs, AZ

The reason I had to leave Zion a bit earlier than planned was that I had the opportunity to stay with the employees of the California Condor reintroduction program, stationed out of Vermillion Cliffs, AZ.  The chance for a free shower, bed, and friendly company?   Um, YES!  I arrived at Vermillion Cliffs around 6:30, in time to chat with the three other guys that were working for the project at the time.  The town of Vermillion Cliffs isn’t more than a diner and a few houses behind it, all at the base of the huge Vermillion Cliffs which create an early shade on the “town”, which is quite convenient in the evening to help cool the body down after driving through the dry heat of the Southwest.  I spent quite a bit of time talking to one of the men, Eric, who has been working on the project for 6 years or so.  He talked to me a lot about the project, the politics behind it, and what it was like working in such a remote environment.  The main problem for the Condors is lead poisoning, ingested when the birds eat the animal gut piles which are left behind by hunters after retrieving the useful parts of their prize kill.  The project was doing quite well with over 70 birds flying around the Grand Canyon area this past winter.  That number has dropped to below 70 after a few birds died from lead poisoning.  As you can imagine, this is quite upsetting and frustrating to the field workers who put in hundreds of hours of their time to reintroduce these birds into the wild, only to have their efforts hindered by hunters who are too stubborn to switch from lead to copper bullets, which are much less harmful to condors if ingested.  I also heard stories of DUI’s, Meth houses, and Polygamy running rampid in some of the local communities, all things that a California Condor technician may have to deal with while out in the field.  All in all, I took in a lot more information than I was expecting.  Good conversation nonetheless.  I slept well that night, in a bed, clean, and tired from a long day’s festivities.

Vermillion Cliffs

Vermillion Cliffs, with trucks below for comparison