Halloween in Moab UT and Arches NP

Happy Halloween !  We are off to Denver to visit Dirk's Sister!  Here are some ghoulish highlights from the last week!

What do you see in this sandstone from Arches National Park???????

Skull Arch in the Fiery Furnace.

Dixie staying warm in the Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park

Dirk at Double O Arch in Devil's Garden 

Compostapult at Moab, Utah's Pumpkin Chuckin Festival

Dixie competes in the pumpkin pie eating contest at the Pumpkin Chucking Contest

Dirk getting into it in the Pumpkin Eating Contest, Moab

Losers enjoyed their free pie!

Goblins, slot canyons, apples, and pictographs

Happy Anniversary to Us!  One month on the road!  We have most of the bugs worked out on the RV although we still often head down the road with the overhead vent fan whirring or some other minor infraction of our travel rules!  Our bodies are holding up despite 5-6 miles of walking most days.  Worst physical challenge is trying to get kisses through Dirk's prickly beard....shaving is just downright awkward.  We got to wear shorts for the first time yesterday, and it felt good!  We got our mail in Moab today and are reconnoitering before heading to Arches.

Here is what we have learned.  Utah was a giant lake and many layers of silt, sand, and mud were laid down, sometimes engulfing trees or various animals.  Then the lake dried up and the earth squeezed all the layers into rock and then the earth pushed them all up to a huge height and then the forces of erosion wore them down, but not all equally.  Each of the different parks is rocks from a different layer that have been exposed.  Thus, there are an infinite number of fascinating formations one can choose from amongst these rocks.  Below are some of our favorites, plus some pleasantries from our travels.

Petrified wood at Petrified Forest State Park along Scenic Hwy 12 (really, it is very scenic).  Many of these trees were 2-4 feet in diameter.

Cool Fremont people pictographs along wall at Lower Calf Creek Falls State Park----obscure place, but awesome.

Here is the wall the pictographs are on without the telephoto on---can you spot them from the trail?

Dixie's favorite spot:  Goblin Valley State Park!

Dirk's Favorite:  Little Wild Horse Canyon slot canyons!

One of the more mundane views from Scenic Hwy 12, with its 10% grade descents.

Our RV at the parking lot above Goblin Valley. Camped by the big "castle."

Prime view from one of the Big Boys:  Canyonlands Natl Park.  View through Mesa Arch at spires, Colorado river gorge, and La Sal mountains in the distance.  So many layers of rocks!

Creative cairns led us along the slickrock sandstone trails to vista points in Canyonlands.

Dirk riding his faithful Camel Goblin.

Dixie riding her favorite Goblin horse.  The whole valley is a big playground in which one can wander freely, nearly unheard of in the world of parks.

The death defying road into Capital Wash at Capital Reef Natl. Park.  Hurrah for our RV and for no rain.  Both road and trail are river beds when it rains.

Five mountain goats that looked down upon us in the Grand Wash.  Without their white bottoms they are nearly invisible.

Aside from rocks, we took time to pick apples at the historic orchards in Capital Reef National Park.  Had to fight off a herd of 25 plus deer to retrieve the apples.  Have been feasting on pie and fresh apples since then!

Hiking in our Virginia City Outhouse Races T-shirts at the Upheaval Dome

Dixie Walking the Grand Wash

One of the slick rock (sandstone) trails in Canyonlands....note the steps carved into the first rise.  The traction is so good on this stuff you can practically walk up vertically!

Amazing glow from the golden aspen and cottonwoods on this pictograph boardwalk in Fruita, the historic Mormon settlement in Capital Reef park---so pleasing!

Bryce Canyon National Park

View of moon rise over Bryce on Ranger Kevins Comedy Moon Walk

Made it to Bryce and it really isn't in the 40's....it made it to the 50's!  That helped on our hike through open sunny country, but not on our moon walk with temps in the 30's.  Had to wear 2 pairs of gloves, 2 polarfleece plus a rain coat plus long undies, etc, but it was spectacular.  Main road in Bryce skirts the drop off where all the amazing rock hoodoos are, so it is easy to just drive along and stop at scenic overlooks every few miles.   We did a stroll down Wall Street yesterday, weaving through the hoodoos, but todays hike through burned out pine was less enthralling.  Wove through the hoodoos again tonight after watching the moon rise.  This ranger lead hike was unexpectedly also a comedy/science/wildlife show.  No flashlights, only moonlight.  We are tuckered out but had unlimited hot showers tonight and have cranked up the heat in RV, so should get to relax.

First stop:  watch the prairie dogs reintroduced to Bryce....so cute!

Second stop:  overlooks of hoodoos, the sandstone creations made by time and nature

Walk down Wallstreet through the hoodoos

A look at the trail down.  Got to go up another way.....it was steep too!

Love the caution signs.  After sprained ankles and such, biggest cause of injuries is lightening strikes!

Reminds me of the rock picture in last post, except this is a tree.

Dirk's new retirement hairdo, held up by natural grease!

A look at awesome trail craftmanship from below.

Endless cool rocks.

Zion National Park, The Narrows

Our RV on location  in Zion:  The river is right behind us with a lovely sandy shore and big cottonwood trees filled with birds!

Today was our last day in Zion and it was cold and sunny, as it has been the whole time. Tomorrow we head for Bryce, but the highs are in the 40's there, so we don't know how long we will last! We took hot showers in our microscopic bathroom tonight, after 5 nights without bathing. We have got the technique down now, using minimal water, and it felt really great!  We have been without hook-ups for 5 nights and all works well except the battery.  And when the battery wears down all hell breaks loose. I spent most of last night listening to warning beepers going off!

The biking is terrific here....just watch our for the shuttle!  Dirk is modeling our backpack/panniers that Rick gave us.  Just pop them off, flip them into backpack mode,  and take a hike with your valuables and hiking junk!

View from Weeping Rock, where water drips out between sandstone and shale layers.

Spotted this mountain sheep from my bike.  Took dozens of pictures, but could not get the darn thing's head!

View from trail to Hidden Canyon....another cliff hanger trail that we took only to the cliff hanging part.

Today we rented dry bibs and neoprene booties/shoes and poles and plunged into the upper reaches of the Virgin river.    This hike is half way in the river, which is 55 degrees and flowing at a good clip.

The goal is The Narrows, a slot canyon.  Dixie is getting close!

A wet and wonderful trail.  The rocks in sunlight get washed out, but we are all enclosed in towering rock walls.

Dirk heading upstream on our 4.5 hour expedition.

Dixie heading upstream.  Half the hike is in the water on either sandbars or "slippery bowling balls," with water sometimes as high as our waist, but mostly just to mid calf.

This is a sample of the rock coloration.  Looks like a cleverly painted wall, but it is all natural!

Getting Going in Zion National Park!

Dirk scores a Zion Natl Park sticker. Yes, he is putting it on a window, not a mural.  Nice reflection, huh?

Bike riding out of our campsite at Zion.  Got the last one or two sites available the first day the park reopened.  Hurrah for Utah footing the bill for their parks to open!

Dirky the turkey man.  We were surprised by this group of 13 female turkeys and another of about 7 male turkeys.  And today is Canadian Thanksgiving!  If only it weren't a National Park!

View from our Bedroom. We are parked along the Virgin river where the moon rises over this monolith!

Today's challenge.  Coming up Walter's Wiggles from the river bottom to the top of the west rim.  Amazing construction on this trail.

Dirk settling in to this vista point along the west rim.   Can you see him?  Time for a chocolate reward!

Dixie on the steep part of Walter's Wiggles.  Great echoes from the canyon wall on the right, too.

This hike was amazing and not really terribly hard or scary.  The trail ascends those rocks behind Dirk.