Day 58 Road to Wyoming

June 28, 2013

Olivia had a 4am start to her morning in Detroit. She arrived in Denver a little before 8am. 

We trucked it back to camp to pack up and head back to the airport to get Brayden who arrived a few hours later. We have a long 6+hour drive ahead of us today. 

Today we learned that eastern Wyoming all looks the same. There are endless prairies with sagebrush, the occasional mountain, some horses, lots of cows and a few deer. Are we there yet? We made it to Lander, Wyoming around 7:30pm. A quick grocery pit stop and we had a great dinner out on our picnic table.

For such a hot day in the mid 90's, the evening was cooler and pleasant. Not a bad view from our campsite. A good night sleep is in order for these weary travelers! Destination tomorrow after a 3-4 hour drive is Jackson, WY.

Total Miles: 490

Day 56-57 Denver

June 26-27, 2013

We found a nice state park called Cherry Creek in Denver just 20 minutes from downtown to plant it for a couple days. We caught up on laundry, ran errands, got the QX serviced again and cleaned in preparation for Olivia and Brayden's arrival. We are hosting Ryan's 14 year old nephew and my 16 year old cousin for two weeks.

What better way to take in Denver than to see a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Hippies are out in full force here :)

Widespread Panic, one of Ryan's favorite bands happened to be playing here at just the right time for us to take in their first show of the weekend.

Total Miles: 308

Day 55 Arkansas River

June 25, 2013

We kayaked a 4 mile stretch of the Arkansas River today. We put in at our campground and took out in downtown Buena Vista. This stretch is class II-III rapids, all of which we are perfectly capable of handling, but I am nervous as can be. There was no rest between rapids. It turned out to be the most challenging river we have kayaked thus far on our road trip.

This is the first rapid ahead that I needed to get out and scout to see the best way to run it. We both ran it fairly easily, but the next one is where we both flipped over. 

Thankfully we made it to our put out. I can breathe easier now, and in about a half hour my heart rate returned to normal. 

I de-stressed and Ryan soaked his sore muscles at Cottonwood Hot Springs. I cannot get enough of these hot springs. They are so wonderfully soothing.

Day 54 Buena Vista

June 24, 2013

From Aspen, we moved onto Buena Vista, Colorado for some kayaking. Today we went for a run along the Arkansas River and scoped out the rapids for tomorrow. Afterward, we headed out to watch the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.

During the game we occupied ourselves with a couple games of Checkers at a local pub. The first game I almost beat Ryan, the second game I got smoked!

Total Miles: about 160

Day 52-53 Aspen, Colorado

June 22-23, 2013

This lush, green cooler spot is heavenly. Aspen is a beautiful mountain town. On our first night here, we visited the local brewery (of course) and had some good italian food.

We went to Snowmass to try out some downhill mountain biking. Gorgeous views from the Gondola.

Not everyday you get to ride up a chair lift in shorts and a t-shirt! This is the way I like to climb mountains :)

Getting ready to try a blue (intermediate) trail called Vapor. We did the green (supposedly easy) trail, Easy Rider, twice before attempting this one. We successfully completed Vapor...for me very slowly and got off my bike frequently. Back at mid-mountain, Ryan took Valhalla, while I took Easy Rider again. While Ryan's choice was a much smoother, less rocky and wider trail, it had a lot of big jumps and he took one nasty spill. Only bruises and scrapes though, thank goodness!

After we wore ourselves out thoroughly biking, we drove up to the summit of Independence Pass. It was very picturesque. Love this birch forest on the way.

Ooh! It was much colder up here at 12, 095 ft, 45 degrees cold. We were jumping around to stay warm while taking a quick pic as a late afternoon storm rolled in.

And yup, it started to snow. Brr!

Ahhh, back down to 9,000 ft or so and the world makes sense again. Its springtime here and the irises are in bloom.

 Ryan at the Grottos Trail. Thanks Steve for the recommendation.

Colorado's answer to Lower Antelope Canyon-an ice cave. Great pit stop.

Total Miles: 362

Day 51 Canyonlands and Arches

June 21, 2013

Today was a busy day. We went to Canyonlands National Park and saw it briefly like the usual retiree tourists. It was very beautiful landscape with red coloring and carved out sandstone in funky formations. As long as we have spent in this area and climate, we have had our fill of the desert with its 100 degree afternoon temperatures.

 At one of the lookout points at the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands.

 We tested out our QX's 4x4 ability on this primitive road, about 35 miles into the canyon of Canyonlands and back to Moab. Unnerving at times, it was a good thing I was driving so I could concentrate on the road instead of the shear ledges next to me!

My favorite part of the whole ride, this point where the Colorado River makes nearly a 360 degree  turn. How awesome.

We revisited Slick Rock mountain bike trail in Moab later in the afternoon. Ryan attempted it once before in 2005, I waited for him at the entrance. This time I joined him. After we got just past the point he made it to last time, and after both of his knees were scraped, he says "now I remember how insanely impossible this trail is." Yup, I walked my bike more than I rode it and managed to remain injury free. Look at this nasty hill above...no one is going to ride their bike up that thing! There are directions to the emergency room on the trailhead map if that says anything. Slick Rock, we will NOT be meeting again!

So we made our way over to Arches National Park in the evening. This formation is called Balanced Rock. 

Looking at South Window through Turret Arch. 

This little guy was giving my camera some love. 

As the sun was going down, the moon was going up. Made for some sweet shots. 

 What an awesome sunset hike, we had the trail all to ourselves, except for the critters. Ryan got a nice challenging run in and I got to take some lovely photos. Time for bed!

Total Miles: 177

Day 50 Capitol Reef to Moab

June 20, 2013

Capital Reef National Park preserves the Waterpocket Fold, which is giant buckle in the earth's crust along southern Utah. Scientists believe it formed about 65 million years ago. The impassable ridges are also known as reefs, which gives this park its namesake. The erosion of this over time has created wonderful colors and rock formations. The deep burnt reds come from high iron content.

This delicate wildflower is called an Indian paintbrush.

To us, sand equals beach. It is always strange to hike on sand in the mountains. But these mountains are made of sandstone and we are in the desert. So I guess it makes sense.

The unusual Cohab Canyon. We hiked this short trail after we took the scenic drive. 

Erosion shows itself in all kinds of ways. This peeling appearance reminds Ryan of an old fresco painting. 

This is the reason we chose this trail, to explore the "baby slot canyons" as described by the ranger at the visitor center. Its a tight squeeze to get into this one. Suck it in! 

There was also a museum and bake shop selling pies. I like the address on this postcard. In 1914, only the name, town, county and state was required. We shared a mini blackberry pie for lunch. There are actually orchards inside this national park... Onward to Moab!

Total Miles: about 160

Day 49 Zion to Capitol Reef

June 19, 2013

This morning we got up early and hiked into The Narrows. It is an area carved by the North Fork of the Virgin River, 16 miles long with walls up to 2,000 ft and only 20-30 ft wide at times. We hiked just a few miles into the The Narrows.

Getting an early start was great because we had it to ourselves on the way in. 

With early morning light, there were several areas still in the shadows. 

The blue-green color of the river means it is deeper, at least thigh-high, so I avoided these areas. 

Even though the days got well into the 90's, it is chilly this morning and the water is cold. My toes are a little numb and I am thankful Ryan brought his pack towel so I could use it for a jacket. 

 Ryan in front of a little waterfall.

That is one way to tent and stay cool! Ha, this man was camping next to us at Zion. 

 We never heard of Capitol Reef National Park until we saw it on the map in between Bryce Canyon & Zion and Arches & Canyonlands. Might as well, might as well make a stop. More beautiful red colors and rock formations.

 We arrived in the evening and after grilling out burgers, took a short walk out to Panorama Point to watch the sunset.

Nighty night.

Total Miles: about 200

Day 47-48 The Road to Zion (National Park that is)

June 17-18, 2013

We had a bit of a set back this morning and tried to break our travel trailer again. We finally left Lake Powell for a detour to Camping World in St. George, Utah to fix the problem. Thankfully they had the parts and were able to complete the repair that day! About $500 dollars later we made our way to Zion National Park a little later than we had hoped.

Our view as we got settled in just outside Zion at a campground. 

The next morning we hiked the Angel's Landing Trail. It is a steep trail, 5 mile roundtrip to the top of the ridge above in this picture. The summit is 5790 ft. A series of chains have been placed for the last 1/2 mile of the trail to assist hiking up and down the steep, razor-like ridge. Just before this part of the trail are 21 steep switchbacks, called "Walter's Wiggles" named after one of the park's first superintendents who built this challenging trail in 1926.

The reward is a great viewpoint overlooking Zion Canyon and a nice breeze on another 95 degree day. 

The hike down was much easier. 

Afterward we took the Kayenta Trail which connects to the Emerald Pool Trail. The upper pool was a shady oasis from the heat and the lower pool reminded us of Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills, Ohio. 

We shared a late lunch under this big shade tree at Zion Lodge. Lovely day...

Total Miles: about 230

Day 46 Lower Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell

June 16, 2013

We spent the morning touring Lower Antelope Canyon. It is in Navajo nation near Page, Arizona. It is a narrow canyon made of sandstone walls with amazing orange and purple colors that vary greatly with the change in light throughout the day.

Believe it or not, this is how we entered the canyon. It had built in ladders and platforms to assist with descent in some places. This area can be prone to flash floods and 11 people died several years ago and now every trip in the canyon is guided to avoid dangerous conditions. There is zero percent chance of rain today.

I find it difficult to put into words the beauty of this place. 

This is looking up. Throughout the walk, looking, up, back and forward creates a completely different perspective. 

A bit more light shines through the canyon opening in this spot. 

Getting a little use of our tripod. 

A spiral formation looking back at the end of our walk. 

What it looks like at the surface when we exited. 

Lake Powell is part of Glen Canyon, Glen Dam was built about 50 years ago and Colorado River backfilled canyons, forming a huge recreational area. It took about 17 years to fill.

We splurged today and rented two waverunners for a couple hours and explored a tiny portion of Lake Powell. It is beautiful with unique sandstone cliffs and rock formations. This area is popular for house boating and there are lots of international tourists. 

Every time I passed by Ryan, he had the biggest smile on his face. It was priceless. What an unforgettable day!