Utah, Day 9...Patience is Rewarded

 Day 9

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

    It was almost a shame to have to leave that great room and move on.  It was still dark when I hauled the first load to the car.  As I was packing up the rest, I was treated to a pretty nice sunrise.  

     Every roadtrip has a long drive day.  That was today.  Yeah, I probably could have planned this better.  No complaints. There was plenty to see along the way.  The first stop was one of the Cedar Breaks overlooks.  To the east, some patches of blue.  The the west, nothing but gray.

     While I would have preferred a sunny morning, some days you just have to make the most of your opportunities.

    Eventually, I'd drive out of the gray and into clear blue skies!  

     Just in time, too.  The next stop, Capital Reef National Park.  As parks go, it's definitely one of the most colorful.  It's one of the places I still would like to spend a few days hiking into.  Just not today.

     From the first overlook along Hwy 24...

     The park also has a twenty mile dead end road running through the heart of it.  With more driving to do, I only went part way in.  Like Cedar Breaks on this trip, Capital Reef is definitely on my list for a deep dive.  

     I couldn't leave the park without at least one hike.  Hickman Arch is a mile with a slow incline on the way up.  Not bad at all.

    Some days, patience is indeed rewarded.  One by one, selfies and group shot were taken.  It's always a nice bonus to get an arch without all the other people.  
     On the drive out of the park, I passed a dirt road with a BLM sign for Cathedral Valley.  With no cell signal, I had no way of knowing where this road went, or its condition.  I found this video from Blended Travel's YouTube page.  It looks cool, just not in a rental sedan.  

    Eventually, Hwy 24 connects with Hwy 95 in Hanksville.  The area was originally named Graves Valley after John Graves, a member of  the Powell Geographic Expedition.  Led by John Wesley Powell,  his most famous exploit was being the first team to explore the length of the Grand Canyon by boat.  

    The town was renamed for Ebenezer Hanks, one of the early settlers.  It's crossroads location has made it a natural supply stop for travelers since its founding.  If you believe Wikipedia, Butch Cassidy was a regular.  The town had it's biggest boom after WWII.  Uranium was suddenly in demand and independent mining operations sprung up throughout the area.  I'd love to come back and check out some of those old sites, assuming you can get to them.  

     By now it was mid-afternoon and I was overdue for lunch.  At the crossroads there's a truck stop with gas and a little bit of everything else.  There's also where you'll find Stan's Burger Shak.  The sandwich was decent and the service friendly.  Near my table was a rack of fliers promoting things to do in the area.

      On my last trip through, we stopped into Natural Bridges National Monument.  It's a very cool place and I recommend it.  It was just too far out of the way.  I had never heard of Leprechaun Canyon.  There's a slot canyon that's easily walkable at first.  After a while, the walls close in.  That's where most people turn around.  Beyond that, ropes and canyoneering skills come into play.  You can get a better idea with this blog post from American Discovery Trail.   I did the mental math and figured forty-five minutes just for the round trip drive, plus time to hike back onto the slot canyon.  Yeah, this one goes into the files for the next trip.  

      Instead, I turned north, following Hwy 24.  Goblin Valley State Park is also one for the next trip.  Ashley of  Jetset Jensen wrote this blog post about the park.  Yeah, definitely worth a stop in the future.  

     Hwy 24 took me to I-70 East.  One exit westward would have brought me to the trailhead for Petroglyphs Canyon and the trail to Spirit Arch, a double arch along the canyon wall.  Hiking guides all say two hours to see it all.  The return visit to Utah is already getting packed.  JG Hikes posted this about the series of trails.  

       I-70 brought me to Hwy 191 and the drive into Moab.  Mormon settlers named the  town after the biblical country of Moab, described as a lush green valley in the middle of the desert.  The former country takes its name from Lot's oldest grandson.  

        My home for the next two nights was the Gateway Inn. It was perfectly fine, but after that room in the lodge, it really felt small.  

Utah, Day 8... Compliant Wildlife

 Day 8

Monday, September 11, 2023

     Today was all about Cedar Breaks National Monument.  When I went to bed, the forecast called for clouds most of the day with rain.  You can imagine my surprise to see sunshine when I woke up.  Even better, the clouds were now expected late in the day with rain possible at night.  With the high temp of 55 degrees, it seemed like a great day was ahead.

     The lodge doesn't do breakfast and this time of year their coffee shop is only open on weekends.  With no rush, breakfast and a cup at Mountain Peak Coffee hit the spot.  

     There were already a few cars in the lot when I arrived.  Even at five miles the trail to the arches is  popular one.  The trip to the arch is two and a half miles is on a fairly steady down slope.  Of course we know what that means for the trip back.  The trail itself is nice and wide, well cared for and simple to follow!

     About one minute up the trail brings you to the first overlook.

     The view from the one mile overlook...

        Eventually, the trail leads away from the canyon rim and into the forest.  When the trees end, it's a wide open area and you get the first glimpse of the arch.  Another few minutes of walking and you get the frontal view...

    I was joking with another guy about posing atop the arch.  When we walked up the hill and looked, there was no way either of us would do it.  

      The trail back towards the car...

     

      Feeling pretty good after shooting this compliant chipmunk, it was time to give my knees some rest over a late lunch.  I picked up a map with a list of hiking trails in the greater Brian Head area.  I definitely wasn't up for another tough trail, but could do another short one.  

      There isn't much to Brian Head.  It's obviously geared toward the ski season.  Even their park benches are old ski lift chairs.  Dining options are a bit limited.  By the time I got to the pizza place, the clouds were already rolling in.

     A light but steady rain was falling when I came back out.  So much for hitting another trail.  Out of curiosity, I did make a dash back to one of the park's overlooks.  

     The clouds started breaking up just in time for another great sunset, once again shot through the lodge window.