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| Canyonland |
On our way out west we stayed in name brand motels but in
Green River we noticed a neat and tidy little “ma & pa” motel complete with
a neon sign out front that proclaimed Sleepy Hollow Motel! Flowerpots with overflowing flowers and big
planters with brightly colored coleus adorned the walkways and afforded privacy
for the little patio area right outside our door. The lady in the front office was friendly and helpful! Our
two-night stay went fast!
Green River sits in a peaceful valley surrounded by rough-hewn
red cliffs and deep ragged cracks in the earth. Nearby are Canyonland National Park and Arches National
Park! To describe these amazing
creations of GOD is just about impossible for me! Even our most colorful photos do not do any of the national parks
justice! Canyonland’s architects are
said to be water and gravity - layers of sedimentary rock cut into hundreds of
canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches and spires. We toured only the northern section – Island in the Sky. In the one photo H selected, you can see a
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| Canyonland |
white line wiggling its way thru the canyon. The White Rim Road winds down and
around and then snakes its way thru other canyons before it ends up all the way
on the other side of the park! It is strictly
for 4x4 vehicles with special permits. I told H – NO! His little 4x4 Jeep was not going do that today! So, we headed for Moab to find lunch
instead!
We had visited Arches National Park YEARS ago on the big red
bike but this time, the entrance and winding roads were all new to
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| Road up into Arches Nat. Pk. |
us. The deep red cliffs lined the road to the
park and once past the backed up traffic at the entrance booth, the skinny 2
lane did it’s snake dance and we drove up between strange formations and jagged
spires. Red arches, windows and
precariously balanced rocks dotted the landscape. Specific formations had descriptive names like: The Courthouse,
The Gossips, Delicate Arch, etc. We
hiked to several and at one scenic turnout we squeezed thru a narrow crack
between
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| Arches Nat. Pk. |
2 massive vertical slabs to see yet another arch!
Our next day’s destination was the small touristy town of
Kanab, which involved going farther west on US70 and then south on Rt 89 to
find it. Our morning ride took us thru a long flat green valley that was filled
with verdant green fields of hay, corn or sorghum. Small towns were stacked up
against the sides of the slanted green mountains on either edge or along the
Sevier River that divided it. Bright
yellow flowers edged the skinny black line of blacktop that lay out in front of
us. Kanab is the closest town for Zion,
Bryce and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Motel prices were exorbitant! We
were referred to a small (8 room!) ”ma & pa” motel called Travelers. On any other occasion – we would have driven
right by! The owner, Rebecca was friendly
and accommodating and we were offered the newly renovated 1st floor
room in the front – instead of the tiny older furnished room up the steep open
stairway. Offering cash also gave us a
better price! Once settled we were off
to explore Bryce National Park!
Just past the entrance gate we were greeted by a small group
of
delicate deer and several fuzzy fawns!
They stood munching grass and staring at us as we slowly drove by and
snapped photos! Bryce Canyon is an
amazing collection of white capped, red, bulbous, statuesque columns called
“hoodoos”. Half way thru our visit, we
noticed a thick layer of smoke rising from the canyon in the distance. Each new stopping place brought us closer
and closer. At the very end of the park
road, at “Rainbow Point”, some of the walks and trails were closed
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| Bryce Canyon |
off with
signs regarding the “burn” that was taking place below us. Forest workers were systematically cutting
down pine trees and brush in the parking areas. Their controlled burn prep was called “mechanical fuel
reduction”! Large piles of cut limbs
and branches were piled throughout the now slimmed down landscape.
The north rim of the Grand Canyon was our next
park to visit!
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| Grand Canyon |
Much quieter and with
fewer tourists, we had room to wander and explore the 1930’s Lodge and cabin
area. From the lodge we could see a
tall, narrow, ledge that jutted out over the hazy canyon below. Sturdy metal
railings were out at the point but at one section the only thing to hang onto
was a scrub tree with a well-worn branch that was now shiny where everyone
grabbed onto it to steady oneself as we/they carefully stepped down the flat
uneven slabs called “steps”! Talk
about twittering tummies! Finishing up
our “stop and view” of this park we headed back past Kanab to retrace our drive
thru Zion N.P. It’s not the same as
before either! The park is now so filled with visitors that to view the main
section you must take a shuttle bus! We
entered the park from the east and wound our way along with the stop and go
traffic, thru the mile
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| Zion |
long narrow 1920’s tunnel. Vehicles are now much larger so traffic is on a one-lane
basis. The 3 rough-hewn “windows”, cut
out of the tunnel’s wall were just where we remembered them! Rock formations in Zion resemble waves and
“brains” instead of tall jagged columns.
Colors were white and pink instead of
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| Zion |
reds and corals. Our visit to the visitor center and drive
thru the campground was enough for the day and we headed back to Kanab. BUT – on the way we still managed to find
time to locate the Coral Dunes State Park and gather a water bottle full of
pretty pink sand!
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| Sand Dunes |
