A Sunny Day in Utah

Day three took us to yet another national park here in Utah. The sun was out but it started as a chilly day, well below zero (that's 32F for some of you). It was better than last night with the howling wind! We hit the road early again and took the scenic route towards Capitol Reef National Park. On the way there we drove through lots of national forest, in particular Dixie National Forest.

The park itself was closed, which seemed strange to us seeing as it is a holiday here in the US. We thought more people would be visiting on a holiday so the park would be open. Either way we went in and did the scenic drive and two side routes. The Capitol Gorge and Grand Wash canyons were both amazing. At the end of the Capitol Gorge we had our picnic lunch and went for a hike. Isabelle, who isn't usually a big fan of hiking on a good day actually enjoyed herself. She said it was the best part of the day. Walking through the slot canyons was pretty cool, being hemmed in on both sides with several hundred feet of rock hanging over you is a feeling you don't forget. It was cold and breezy at times in the shade but nice in the sun.

At the midway point we climbed a secondary canyon and found "The Tanks" which are pools carved by water in the sandstone where prospectors likely collected water. The view was very good from up there and the exertion warmed us up a little.

The only disappointment, other than the park being closed so Isabelle couldn't do a Junior Ranger program, was the writing on the sandstone walls in the canyons. I looked for the original writing from 1888 but couldn't find it for the more modern graffiti. We did find the few petroglyphs in the canyon and stopped just outside the park entrance to see some more. Before coming into the town of Moab, after another amazing drive through some diverse topography and geology, we stopped at the Arches National Park visitors center. The girls picked up some brochures and a junior ranger book to plan for our day tomorrow.

Tonight we are in Moab and at the third best Western in as many nights. Best Westerns are everywhere here, and quite good by our standards. Tomorrow we will got to Arches in the morning and then probably head south and east towards Colorado and New Mexico, maybe stopping at Four Corners, before getting back to Phoenix on Wednesday, if all goes well.

Here are a few photos of our adventure today.

This video is a 360 degree view just inside Capitol Reef National Park at Panorama Point..

There are so many great rock formations it's hard to decide what to show. This one is called Cassidy Arch. Notice the arch in the top layer of rock. It was named after Butch Cassidy, who may have used the canyon as a hideout.

Me in Capitol Gorge, but was it ever cold in the wind.

A panorama from above the canyon. Note the trail on the creek bed at left and then again about two thirds across at the base of the cliff.

Isabelle after having climbed up to "The Tanks."

A silly photo showing the canyon wall.

Egyptian Temple rock formation

Another view in Capitol Reef National Park

Petroglyphs in the sandstone at Capitol Reef National Park

One more thing about today: yesterday at some random point in our travels, Isabelle announces that she is "Queen of the Backseat!" Well I can't disagree as she has her seat all set out with her snacks and entertainment, books and music. But now it seems to have become a recurring theme. At one point we were hiking back down to the canyon floor and Isabelle jumps off a rock and says: "I'm Queen of the Backseat!" I love my little girl.

We'll be back tomorrow with more from the "Queen of the Backseat" and her trusty tour guides.

Remember, if you are looking at this on my blog make sure to click on the pictures, especially the panoramas, for a better view.