Moab, Utah to Panguitch, Utah 9/14/15 - 9/22/15

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THE BASICS

We moved on to Blanding and traveled over to Hovenweep National Monument. En route to our next stop, the weirdest "campground" yet, we took a side trip to Natural Bridges National Monument, and climbed down to see the third one up close. After a strange night at the top of Lake Powell, we drove on through Glen Canyon to Hanksville. We enjoyed a delightful trip to Goblin Valley State Park, a mini-mini-Bryce sort of place. Onward to Torrey, the launch to Capitol Reef National Reef just a few miles back to the east. From Torrey, we proceeded to Panguitch. We took a short hike in Red Canyon, and also visited Cedar Breaks National Monument. The drive back to Panguitch from there was interrupted by about 2000 sheep! Tomorrow we plan to treat ourselves to the wondrous delight of Bryce.



THE FLUFF

We did a large grocery shopping before we left Moab, and were surprised to find that only the 15-item lines were open - a busload of tourists were scurrying around buying treats. A cashier opened a regular line just for us. We mainly hear German and French, and occasionally English, but there surely are a lot of people out here enjoying the sights!

At the Blanding Visitor Center, there were four hookups for Teslas to power up. Surprising, in this small town. We had visited Hovenweep on our trip here five years ago, and I was eager to return. It is such a peaceful place. We walk around the rim, amazed by the remains of the dwellings and storage and worship sites built into the canyon sides hundreds of years ago. A short climb down into the canyon and then up again gives a nice dose of exercise. There were a few other tourists visiting, but we are becoming more and more happy to visit national monuments and "lesser" parks, because they seem to us to be surprisingly wonderful and so much less crowded.

That was the day of the dreadful drownings, about which I sent a brief blog.

On a brief side trip past Blanding, we learned that natural bridges differ from arches, because the former are created by flowing water and the latter by other kinds of erosion. Natural Bridges NM is another area well worth a visit. Those bridges are enormous.

John had reserved a site for us at Hite Marina campground in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Ohmigosh. The sign that told us that the marina was closed should have been a clue... The water level is down at least 92 feet, and there was a lot of distance between the end of the launch ramp and the water. We spotted a large sign, all ready to be posted, that said "Closed due to lack of government funding." We are hoping that the government shutdown threatened for the end of this month is averted. There was no ranger at the visitor center, so we went to the convenience store to ask where to check in. The young couple there checked us in, and we paid the $55, the highest rate on this trip, with hesitation. But we were quite distant from any alternative, we thought, until later when we discovered sites there with no hookups that would have cost us $6. The "campground" was next to half a dozen trailers where employees live; we only spotted that young couple going into one. John discovered that half of the few sites had no running water. But we didn't hook up to their water anyway - it seemed a bit dicey. We did have electricity, the only amenity for our $55. No showers or restrooms. No phone service, no TV stations available through our antenna - we had been interested in watching the Republican debate - and we couldn't even find a radio station until the next morning. Once John dug up the tumbleweed so we could get from our car to the RV door, we sat outside and admired the gorgeous canyon walls in every direction. We plan to visit Page, much farther down Lake Powell, and will be fascinated to see what conditions are like there. We did appreciate the billions of stars that were visible later that night in that isolated place.

The next morning, we were eager to leave, and especially enjoyed the drive through the next section of Glen Canyon. Tall red walls, lilting road. We did see a few vans with groups of young folks apparently about to launch into the lake. In Hanksville, we checked into Duke's Slickrock Campground, enjoying the name.

The drive to Goblin Valley seemed very long, probably because there was so little variation in the landscape. Sage plains all the way to the steep hills to the west. Few other vehicles, but as often happens, there were suddenly plenty of people once we got to the valley overlook/picnic area. A large group of kids who looked to be middle school age. Once they went down into the valley, some immediately plopped down in shady spots and visited while others romped all over the valley. Deja vu for me.

Goblin Valley has hundreds of hoodoos, pillars of rock eroded in various interesting ways between top and bottom. But these are only slightly taller than we are. Maybe the name of the place contributes to the delight I felt walking around in the valley, but I was quite enchanted. And with so many of the places we visit, you have to wonder what it was like for the first people who came across them. Riding across the endless sage sea, and suddenly there is a valley full of strange formations.

From Hanksville to Torrey is less than a hundred miles, and you pass through Capitol Reef National Park en route. We stopped briefly at the visitor center, and learned that the end of the rim drive was closed, washed out by those dreadful storms a few days back. But it was open by the time we went to the park the next day. It was, though, reassuring to keep looking up at a cloudless blazing blue sky, and not have to worry about a sudden washout in the narrow canyon where we were walking. The trail goes from the east side to the west side of Capitol Reef, and was essential because the "reef" is about a hundred miles long north to south, and so steep that no way could settlers have gone over the top.

After our little hike, we stopped to eat our picnic lunch in the area where Mormon settlers had planted fruit trees. And fruit is still for sale and pick-your-own. There was a huge healthy lawn, and we enjoyed sitting there, although we should feel guilty because surely the early settlers could not have had that amount of leisure time.

Capitol Reef is the least busy of the Grand Five National Parks, and it seemed just perfect that day. In fact, it was a bit surprising because Torrey has several motels, campgrounds, lodges, restaurants, and most had "no vacancy" signs. We got somewhat dressed up and treated ourselves to dinner at Rim Rock Restaurant, which has big windows on three sides through which we watched the sunset turn the cliffs various colors.

Another fairly short trip, mostly through sage sea, and we arrived in Panguitch, which is near Bryce. We had actually stayed in this campground almost exactly five years ago, according to the manager's records, and it is a very pleasant one. That day, we drove out to Red Canyon and took a short informative hike. Red Canyon, on the road to Bryce, is another area of, well, red canyons, and it is exquisitely beautiful.

Our trip is dominated by weather considerations, it seems, since we are fortunate to be able to make adjustments. At present, John is trying to avoid getting to Arizona really soon, while temperatures even in northern Arizona are in the 90's. Today the forecasts tricked us, because we are just hanging out, expecting rain and thunderstorms, and the skies are cloudy but bright and dry. Yesterday we enjoyed the drive to Cedar Breaks National Monument, another of those gems we enjoy discovering. "cedar" is a mistaken name for the juniper trees growing there, and "breaks" refers somehow to material suddenly breaking loose and sliding down the steep deep sides of a very large canyon. The canyon walls are awesome, all those different stripes of red, white, and black.

The trip back to Panguitch had a cherished highlight, and what a shame that our cell phone battery died before we got photos. We frequently cross cattle guards out here. Well, for what reason we have not learned, the gate next to one of the guards had been opened. And hundreds of sheep were streaming across the road, through the gate, and back into the road. When John and I were driving in Ireland, one of our favorite expressions was "sheep in the road." But that was only a handful at most. This was unique for us. We edged slowly through the baa-ing critters, as did the other drivers with grins on their faces. Eventually, the sheep spread out on a hill a half mile further, turning it largely white.

Well, there always have to be challenges, don't there? Now our antenna is defunct, and we will probably have to have a new one installed when we get to Flagstaff in a couple of weeks. This is not a very populous part of our country, so Flagstaff is the next big city we will come to.

After Bryce, we will head to Zion, but surely nowhere near any of the slot canyons there.

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Comments

[Carol Bischoff]

Thanks for sharing
Dick and I both enjoy reading about your travels. You inspire us. Some day we might do some of the traveling you are doing. But I think I'm more of a homebody most of the time. We did just get back from a 3-day trip to northern Maine. Neither of us had ever been there and I wanted to know what Aroostook County and the potatoes were all about. We also went to New Brunswick and drove through the longest covered bridge in the world...1282 feet. And we toured the french fry capitol of the world....who knew. It was a fun and different way to celebrate my big (70...how can it be...I'm knocking off 10!) birthday. Travel and friends help ease this aging process! Have fun and keep on traveling. Carol