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Published: November 1st 2017
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191N was a cool road - long steep dips through the Valley of the Gods, San Juan River, bright gold trees against the red rocks ?We passed through a neat little town, Bluff, established 650 AD. Free historic village tour with cabins and tee pees. Stopped in the town of Moab for groceries/supplies and drove to Canyonlands National Park, the largest National Park in Utah, and the 1st we are visiting of the Mighty 5 ??
The campground ⛺️ was full, so we set up camp at Dead Horse Point State Park, one of Utah’s most spectacular state parks. The view from Dead Horse Point is one☝️of the most photographed scenic vistas in the world ?. It was truly spectacular. The final scene from the movie Thelma and Louis (1991), where they drive off the cliff, was filmed here - not the Grand Canyon like most people think?OR Gang get ready...next movie for movie night?
We settled in for 2 nights of star gazing ??and campfire dinners (grilled ? with roasted green peppers, red peppers, portabella mushrooms ?, tomatoes and spicy ? macaroni cheese and peas - special request from Karen & one of her all time favorite comfort
foods)?Monday we hiked the East and West Rim trails and got a little lost in the desert...yes, really ?The trails are marked with cairns. Cairns are stacks of rocks to mark trails for hikers. I like my Karen better...she has proved to be more reliable ?
We spotted another hiker who was also lost, so we buddied up to find our way back to the trail ??????There are signs on all the trail heads reminding you to make sure you have plenty of water in the desert. We only brought one bottle of water ? because we planned to hike for about an hour, return to camp for lunch and then take a longer afternoon/evening hike to catch the sunset. Well, we left camp ~10am and returned ~3:30pm ?Needless to say, we opted to skip the afternoon/evening hike and chose to rest, rehydrate and eat an early dinner. The views were endless...you could see for 100 miles ?Breathtaking views of the canyon and Colorado River. Did you know 30 million people rely on the water from the Colorado River? We sat on a rock in complete silence soaking up the view. It really makes you feel insignificant and humble.
Spa Haven was popular once again...we had 2 campers stop by to check her out ⛺️?share how cool ? they thought it was and ask us questions.
October 31st...H?PPY H?LL?W??N
This morning we returned to Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky) for a short hike to the Mesa Arch and then traveled to our 2nd park of the Mighty 5 ??, Arches National Park, for the afternoon. Arches National Park is stunning and has been featured in scenes from some Hollywood movies - remember Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)? Is it possible to be amazed more, each and every day? Is it possible to be in awe and surrounded by so much beauty? Yes and yes ☺️☺️ We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Devils Garden.
Third park of the Mighty 5 ??, Capitol Reef National Park. We head north and then take 70W...80 mph ?no services for the next ? miles ?Final stretch, Utah 24W - Scenic Byway ?amazing panoramic views...at times the road appears as though you may drive off the surface of the planet? Crazy ? cool ?
Ironically today, we pass Goblin Valley State Park...cross Dirty Devil River...Sleepy Hollow
Campground ⛺️ (nobody there). Boo?
We arrive safely and check into a local hotel for the next 2 nights...time for proper ?? showers and steady internet access for Karen’s work. Her CFO duties have not changed - time to pay the bills?I asked the hotel owner if he was from this area. He moved here 8 years ago. I asked him why and he pointed out the window. We are one of four rooms reserved in the hotel tonight. He has 10 reservations for tomorrow night. Most of the restaurants and hotels are closed for the season. The season typically ends in mid-October as many people think it gets too cold here...haha - the weather is perfect for hiking! We have read about the crowds at the parks for years. Our timing could not be better...no crowds and great weather ?No cooking in the hotel room, so we find a cute little restaurant in the small town of Torrey UT, Red Cliff Restaurant, ~6 miles from the hotel. We both order a fresh jalapeño burger ? and chow down?we’re gonna need energy for our hiking tomorrow ?????? Bonnie, our waitress, did everything other than cook our meals. She was
so nice ?? and friendly ?we may come back tomorrow evening and try the ? pizza.
Off to catch some ??
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