MOAB, UT. ARCHES AND CANYONLAND NP AND DEADHORSE SP

Next stop - Moab, Utah with a visit in route to the John Wesley Powell Museum in the town of Green River.  John Wesley Powell led the group of men who first explored the Green and Colorado rivers and discovered the area around Canyonlands and the Grand Canyon. The exploration was done with wooden boats some of which were destroyed in the rapids.

Moab was our base for visits to both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and Dead Horse State Parks.  Beautiful formations and views of the Colorado river The visit to Deadhorse was also a dogs day out as the park is pet friendly. We also had a hot dog roast for lunch that day.  One evening we had a cowboy BBQ dinner followed by a boat trip and light show on the canyon walls along a section of the Colorado river. In addition to the boat trip we went rafting on the Colorado river as well. Do to water level it was more a float trip however we did have some class 1 and 2 rapids. We also stopped midway and had a great lunch.

    

 

SIMILIAR TO THE FIRST BOATS USED TO EXPLORE THE COLORADO RIVER
THAT WAS THE DAYS OF "WOODEN BOATS AND IRON MEN"

READY TO CAST OFF FOR NIGHT LIGHT SHOW ON THE COLORADO RIVER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LINA



HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINA




 

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

MOAD, UTAH

 

 

 

 

WAGONMASTERS PAT AND ALICE

DELICATE ARCH

 

RAFTING ON THE COLORADO RIVER #1 AND #2 RAPIDS

 

BOB AND JAN

DON AND SANDY

ALICE AFTER US

 

 

 

DEADHORSE POINT STATE PARK

MOAB, UTAH

  



HOT DOG ROAST LUNCH

ALICE AND LUCY

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

MOAB, UTAH

 

GOBLIN VALLEY, UT

Goblin Valley is a state park between Capitol Reef National Park and MOAB, UT.  It was a one night stay with everyone dry camping (no hook-ups) but it was fun.  We started off in the late afternoon with heavy snacks that served as dinner and then we went for a walk in the valley at dusk.  It is called Goblin Valley because, in the low light of sunset and using your imagination, the hoodoos and monuments take on an eerie quality.  I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time on our walk.

 

THE GOBLIN VALLEY

THREE LITTLE PIGS

GOOFY MOVES ON

THE GOBLIN VALLEY HIKERS

CHUCK AND MICHELE

KELVIN, DEE AND CARLOS



BOB AND JAN

CHUCK, LINA AND GERRY



WAGON MISTRESS ALICE ON THE TOADSTOOL



KEN AND SHERRY



THE GOLBIN VALLEY GRINGETTES



THE GOBLIN VALLEY GRINGOS

TORREY, UT AND CAPITOL REEF NP

Our next stop was in Torrey, Utah and included a visit to Capitol Reef National Park.  It is one of the lesser known parks but the park and the views from the campground were fantastic. It was named "Capitol Reef" because it was felt that some of the formations were reminiscent of the Capitol building in DC.  We took a hike into the Grand Wash and walked a short trail to see the petroglyphs, which are carvings in the sandstone made by the ancient Puebloan Indians. 

 

Of course, no stop is complete without food, so we had a hamburger and hot dog cook-out complete with chef hats and the assistance of master chef Tom. 



 

 

SUNRISE AT TORRY CANYON RV PARK

 

WHAT A VIEW

CHEF'S AT WORK FOR GOURMET HAMBURGER BBQ

 

RANGER TALK AT GRAND WASH CAPITAL REEF NP

DEE AND KELVIN

BOB OF THE ROCK

 

TWO PETROGLYPHS THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD

BRYCE CANYON

Our three day stop in Bryce Canyon was a busy one. Our first day began with a bus tour of the park with stops at various overlooks.  The formations are called "Hoodoos" and change over years from erosion.  The rock is mostly sandstone and varies in color from white to deep red.   When we were in Zion NP we were walking on the bottom of the canyons and looking up.  In Bryce you are at about 8,000 feet up and looking down.  Beautiful sights that pictures don't do justice to.  The second day was free for roaming and some people took the opportunity to go horse (or mule) riding in the park.

Ken and I chose to do some exploring on our own and opted out of the horse/mule back riding. 

 

The weather is very warm during the day but it becomes quite cool at night so we had campfires in the evenings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOM AND GERRY AT AN OVERLOOK

  

AN EVENING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE COMPLETE WITH SMORES



 

MULE DEER