Day 24: Capital Reef National Park ( part 2 )

The road in the Capital Reef National Park snaked along the massive, 160 kilometers long wall of Capital Reef rock up the mountains in a series of long and lazy s-spins.

The paved road ended giving way to the dust road of the Capital Gorge. The road was rough but passable. In the end you arrive at the gravel parking area. Here the walking trail started.

Hiking along the wash at the very end of Capital Gorge. We followed the dry creek bed. Passed the old petroglyphs written on the walls and the Pioneer Register - a place with a series of names and dates of people traveling through the canyon from the later 1800´s and early 1900´s. We had no rush, stopped frequently and had plenty of time to admire the natural beauty around us.

Maciek.

Day 24: Capital Reef National Park ( part 1 )

Driving through the Southern Utah is like being constantly in the one big Natural Park. It is hard to find a road that does not dazzle you with the unforgettable scenery. Your eyes do not have time to rest ! And obviously it happened to us this morning as well. As soon as we stepped out of our hotel room at Best Western, Torrey we could admire the sensational views of the red cliffs of Henry Mountains just in front of our eyes. Then, after a good American breakfast at Red Cliffs Restaurant, we were ready to hit the Park. When you approach the Capital Reef from the East you drive through a deep gorge along the Freemont river. But when you come to the Park from the Western side ( as we did that morning ) you can fully appreciate and be impressed by its sheer rocky mass and glory of this 160 kilometers long wall of rock that runs through the desert north-south. I fell in love with the Park in an instant. But before we entered the main part of the Park we made a stop at the historic Barn and orchards in Mormon pioneer town of Fruita at the entrance of the Capital Reef National Park ( pictured above ). Here you can climb the ladder yourself, pick up the pears or apples and then leave 5 dollars at the special box. A self-service without the counter or salesman. This is the beauty of the "small town America". Maciek.

Day 23: Hiking the Leprechaun Slot Canyon

Following the river wash up and entering the Leprechaun Slot Canyon, Utah.

A few miles north of Glen Canyon and Lake Powell we stopped with a suggestion for stretching our legs. We intended to do some desert hiking. Our aim was a Leprechaun Slot Canyon. So we parked the car in a middle of the hot desert, got our gear and moved along. There was no living soul in the area. There was also no trail as such but, as instructed by the lady in the Tourist Office, it was easy to find your way. We simply followed the wash, which extended for about one mile from the main road. The walking was easy ( along the flat sandy winding river wash ) except from the heat: the sun was hitting us hard with its 34ºC. Features of the trail included miraculously curved sand rocks, high walls along the wash and finally the narrowing slot canyon. At the end of the canyon the path was so narrow that it was difficult to turn around. After and hour we got back to our car and hit the road again. We passed a village of Hanksville, turned west on U.S. 24 drove by the grayscape of Factory Butte hills and landed at Torrey, a nice little town, for a good night sleep. It was all an amazing day. Maciek.

Day 23: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

U.S. highway 95 descending to the Glen Canyon and Hite Bridge.

Later that day we passed the National Bridges Monument. The unbelievably empty U.S. 95 road was cutting the red and orange painted rocks and canyons like a sharp knife as we headed north. Quite abruptly the road made a gentle descent to the Colorado river and reservoir. We arrived at Glen Canyon. In August the Colorado reservoir was almost empty. We parked the car went to see around.
Impounded behind the Glen Canyon Dam, waters of the Colorado River and tributaries are backed up almost 200 miles to form Lake Powell, the recreational focus of the park.


Maciek.

Day 23: Goosenecks State Park

Breathtaking views of the San Juan river meanders. Utah.

From Kayenta we got back north, passed again the Monument Valley and soon arrived at Utah again. Our first stop was Goosenecks State Park located close to a small village of Mexican Hat ( the name of the village is derived from a funny Mexican-hat-like rock standing nearby ). Here the San Juan river is surrounded by canyon walls more than 1000 feet high.
From the Park we headed north passing the Valley of Gods and later climbing the steep Moki Dugway ( amazing views down below ).


Date: August 26th, 2010.

Maciek.

Days 21 and 22: The Monument Valley and Kayenta

The Monument Valley overlook seen from US 163 road. Arizona/Utah border.

The Monument Valley is truly a magical and serene place and one of the highlights of our trip. The first look at the Valley from the North ( above ) numbs you. Perhaps "numb" is not a good word, it is rather a mixture of surprise, joy, thrill, humbleness, eagerness for adventure, awe and something more. Located on the Arizona-Utah border under the jurisdiction of the Navaho Indian tribe the Valley is "not-from-this-world" scenery.

Driving through the Monument Valley is like being inside the opening scene of the good old Western movie where lone John Wayne is riding his horse in the valley and from above the red mountain ridge the Indians are watching him closely. It is like going back to your childhood.

We have already visited the Monument Valley twice, in 2005 and 2007. This year it all happened somehow by accident. On the vast and deserted lands of Southern Utah it is hard to find a hotel. The only option we found that night was Kayenta, a desert community Indian town in Northern Arizona with trailer-type homes, gas stations, burger emporia, horses hanging on the streets, dust, wind, some souvenirs stores and a Holiday Inn ( where we stayed at night, tasted a nice sweet Navajo bread and ate at Sonic drive through ).

So that night we had to make extra 50 miles South to get to Kayenta. But it was all worth it. The red flat landscape is dotted with majestic rectangular rocks with sharp blue sky above it. This is definitely one of the "must-see" places before you die.

Date: August 25th and 26th, 2010.

Maciek

Day 21: From Moab through Blanding to Kayenta ( part 3 )

Owachomo natural 35 meters long and 1 meter thick bridge.

Natural Bridges National Monument

preserves some of the finest examples of natural stone architecture in the southwest. On a tree-covered mesa next to deep sandstone canyons, three natural bridges formed when meandering streams slowly cut through the canyon walls. In honor of the Native Americans that made this area their home, the bridges are named "Kachina," "Owachomo" and "Sipapu."

Maciek.

Day 21: From Moab through Blanding to Kayenta ( part 2 )

The U.D.95 road 30 miles west of Blanding. The red rock Comb Ridge on the right.

A long straight empty road runs across semi-desert Southern Utah. That early afternoon we passed the Comb Ridge on our way to Natural Brigdes National Monument.


Date: August 25th, 2010.

Maciek

Day 21: From Moab through Blanding to Kayenta ( part 1 )

The road to the Canyonlands N.P. ( needles district ).

In the morning we departed rather early driving south on the U.S. 191. After a couple of miles we made our first stop at "Hole in the rock" shop. It was a funny place with lots of garbage and memorabilia to buy. We kind of liked it. Then we hit the road again. From U.S. 191 we turned left ( in the place where a beautiful Church Rock is ) to Scenic Road 211 to sightsee the Southern part of the Canyonlands National Park. The road to the Visitors Center was long - over 30 miles, but not in the second boring. We stopped at the Newspaper Rock to admire some beautiful ancient Indian Rock Writing and then proceeded until we arrived the the Big Spring Canyon Overlook. This is the heart of Colorado Plateau - a vastness and wilderness of red, brown and orange rocks all in very strange shapes covering the visible land. Millions of years of erosion have transformed this area into hundreds of canyons, gorges, mesas, fins, arches and spires. This is the spirit of Wild West. To a large degree the area is untrammeled even today - the roads are mostly unpaved ( due to the local government decions no new roads will be constructed ever to protect the enviroment ), the trails are primitive, its river free flowing and no construction allowed. And there is one thing more about it: the unnerving silence. The deep canyons seem to swallow every sound. So when you get out of the car it is all about only two senses: you FEEL the heat, you SEE the beauty, but you HEAR no sound.
The Canyonland is a wild America.

Maciek.

Day 20: The Canyonlands ( part II )

An old railway crossing.

In the evening when my son Lucas and Agnieszka stayed at the hotel I went alone to explore and old road along the Meander Canyon of the Colorado river, passed some old Indian petroglyphs and finally arrived at the mine of Potash. The paved highway ended here where potash, a mineral used as a fertilizer, is extracted. I met no people or cars, just a bare but marvelous scenery.

Maciek.