We had a friend ask if we ever planned to leave Utah. Funny she should ask, yes, we are leaving Utah tomorrow, but we discovered there was a lot to see in Utah and we have loved playing in their dirt…
Capital Reef National Park
This park was a pass through for pioneers making their way west. Many stayed in Capital Reef hoping to farm the land and call it their own. These same pioneers planted orchards of apples, pears, and peaches during their stay. These same orchards are still there today and visitors to the park are welcome to stop and pick a sample. Also, the parklands served as a hideout for Butch Cassidy’s and his gang the Wild Bunch.
Canyonlands National Park, Moab Utah
Just a few hours away from Capital Reef is Canyonlands National Park and Newspaper Rock. I was most excited about Newspaper Rock, a state historic monument that displays petroglyphs – rock carvings of ancient cultures. It is one of the largest collections of petroglyphs at one site. The wall contained over 650 different carvings. The art carvings span 2,000 years, left by people of the Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo, and Pueblo cultures. It was humbling to know we stood in the exact spot as those before us thousands of years ago. I didn’t want to leave. It was so fascinating…but other parks were calling.
Arches National Park, Moab UT
The terrain at Arches National Park is compared to the surface of Mars. Talk about your red rock, it is a banner of red rock as far as the eye can see with towering precarious rock formations that look like they could tumble and fall at any moment. The park offers trails for everyone at every level. We took three trails through the park the led us to arches, rock fins, and petrified sand dunes. There are few actual trails signs so cairns ( stacked rocks used as a marker) are used to mark paths. The hike revealed the desert as something to be appreciated and respected. The desert flora and fauna is colorful and hardy and withstand severe conditions. We didn’t see much wildlife stirring during the day, as most desert dwellers are nocturnal. Arches claims to be one of the darkest places on earth and is open 24 hrs a day.
With temps well into the 90’s we finished the day with an orange infused chocolate hazelnut gelato at the Moab Brewery. First time for us and geloto…and we liked it.
We’ve seen the writing on the wall!
Eric and Lori
The HumbleWeeds
HUMBLEWEEDS 