Capitol Reef National Park & Sego Canyon

Utah is such a diverse state!

 Panorama Point

Petroglyphs 

 Pictographs

It is amazing that these date from 300 to 1300 CE!

 Hickman Bridge

125 feet tall with a span of 133 feet.
This was a two mile moderate hike which
loops around under the arch.

 We have seen lots of wild turkeys in Utah.

The Castle

Lunch time.

Egyptian Temple

 North of Moab is Sego Canyon.  

It is a one lane rough gravel road through several washes 

at 10 miles an hour or less. 

This was just practice for things to come.

We were rewarded with rock art from three different Native American cultures.

We waited for our friend to cross the road. 

Last blog post it was a cow crossing the road. 

What will be next?

 Sego Canyon ghost town.

Company store 

We always enjoy getting off the beaten path.
You never know what is just around the corner.


"If you truly love nature you will find beauty everywhere." 
Van Gogh

Sand Hollow State Park, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, and Scenic Byway 12!

We went to Sand Hollow State Park one more time before leaving Hurricane, Utah.

 The water is so clear we saw a crawdad.

 This is a popular place for fishing, boating, and ATV's. 

Another beautiful sunny day for a hike around the reservoir.

The state parks were a nice option to get away from the crowds.

It was cloudy on Wednesday as we traveled to Escalante, Utah

 Scenic overlook on Byway 12.

This seems pretty drab compared to Bryce and Red Canyon.
But wait there is more. 

We stayed one night in Escalante. After parking the RV we

went for a hike in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.

It is a one mile loop unless you want to add the 3/4 mile 

 trail which was recommended by the ranger. 

 Of course we took the Sleeping Rainbow Trail! 

Petrified trees were everywhere.

This is a great hike for kids too, but watch out for the cliffs.

 The varied colors of petrified wood are caused by the presence
of other minerals that enter the wood during the petrifying process.

Iron oxides produce orange, red, and yellow, while manganese
oxides create blues, blacks, and purples.

A view of the Million Dollar Highway from Escalante to 

Torrey.

Three reasons not to drive this road at night.

1. You will miss the beautiful views.

2. No guardrail - steep drops.

3. Cows on the road.

The drive along Scenic Byway 12 was amazing!

I found this video on YouTube if you would like to see more.

Hog Back Video 

We would highly recommend this scenic road. 

Fall colors and cooler temperatures. 46 degrees at approx. 9000 elevation.

Great view from our dinette - priceless!

"Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." John Muir

Big Hike, Big Birthday and Big Sky!

 Getting close to nature on the Emerald Pool Trail.

The deer reached out over our heads along the trail.

 Lower Emerald Trail

 View from the bottom.

View from the top.

Middle Emerald Pool

 Cairns - they just make you smile.

Top

Upper Emerald Pool

    Bottom

 Reflection

When you reach this pool you are in a canyon and it is about 20 degrees cooler, which you really appreciate after making this strenuous hike over boulders and rocks covered with sand.

 An amazing view from the top!

I zoomed in, from the middle of the picture above, so you can see the shuttle buses to get a better perspective on how high we hiked. Yeah, we had a long way to go.

Another great view as we were heading down the trail.

Virgin River through Zion National Park.

This was the hardest hike we did in Zion this year. 

Our family hiked Angel's Landing in Zion five years ago 

which is the longest and highest trail we have done. 

It is listed under the strenuous hikes, elevation change of 1488 ft, 5.4 miles, 4 hours round trip.

Scott's 65th birthday.

Just wanted to wish a little sunshine back into the heart 

of someone who gives it away all year long!

Happy Birthday Scott!

He ate all his favorite foods. 

 Friday night we went to the Star Party at Quail Creek State Park. Local amateur astronomers bring their telescopes, high powered binoculars and set them up for the public to use.

We saw Neptune, Saturn, Mars, Wild Duck Cluster M11, Globular Cluster M55, Nebula Clusters, Double Stars, Swan Nebula M17, Ring Nebula, and the International Space Station. It was a beautiful night with the temperatures around 74 degrees. 

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the Sun. Enjoy the trip!