It was with great anticipation that we filled the cooler and gathered our camping gear for our 3-week excursion through the Great American West. We were very happy to be back in the States and once again masters of our own domain. The street signs are in English! There is no exchange rate to understand! We can cook our own food! We know the proper tipping protocol! We’ll be driving our own car! Oh America, a singular, vastly easy place to live and travel. We love you dearly.
Our plan was to first drive to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park for 2 nights and then on to Bryce Canyon for another 2 nights. We would then stay a night in Flagstaff for an orientation and last shower prior to our 7-day Colorado River rafting trip through the Upper Grand Canyon. It turns out that Portland to Moab in one day is practically impossible without taking one’s life into one’s hands, so we spent the first night along the Lake Utah in Provo. With snow still blanketing the tops of the mountains and 40-degree weather, it was not surprising that we were the only ones in the campground. But this made for a quiet night and cheerful birdsong in the morning. We were happy to make the rest of the drive to Moab in the daylight, taking in the beautiful southern Utah desert landscape and practically empty roads.
Once in Moab, we made an incredible hike/climb to the top of Delicate Arch and a relaxing hike to the base of Landscape Arch in Arches National Park. After 2 months of not much cardio and very many restaurant meals, the two hikes in one day were a bit tiring but good practice for our future hike up the Bright Angel Trail at the mid-way point of a full rafting trip of the Grand Canyon. 7.5 miles long and a mile in elevation gain with a pack of clothes and 2 liters of water on our backs. Fun times.
We then motored to Bryce Canyon National Park. Friends had told us that it would be even better than Arches. Better than Arches? Come on, really? Um, yes actually, really. Spectacular. Breath taking. Without comparison were the crumbling cliffs, soldierly hoodoos, red earth, towering pines, gnarled shrubs, gusty breezes, patchy snows, curious chipmunks, and birds on the wing. We hiked along trails winding through and around ancient plateaus, fins, spires and pinnacles that were still changing and morphing as they had been for millions of years. We felt small and transient. We felt pure pleasure and wonder at the nature’s ingenuities.
Our plan was to first drive to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park for 2 nights and then on to Bryce Canyon for another 2 nights. We would then stay a night in Flagstaff for an orientation and last shower prior to our 7-day Colorado River rafting trip through the Upper Grand Canyon. It turns out that Portland to Moab in one day is practically impossible without taking one’s life into one’s hands, so we spent the first night along the Lake Utah in Provo. With snow still blanketing the tops of the mountains and 40-degree weather, it was not surprising that we were the only ones in the campground. But this made for a quiet night and cheerful birdsong in the morning. We were happy to make the rest of the drive to Moab in the daylight, taking in the beautiful southern Utah desert landscape and practically empty roads.
Comments
Post a Comment