Canyonland and Arches National Parks

 3/11/23

Woke to a rainy morning, but even a rainy morning can be beautiful!

We are heading for Utah, but first..........we are going to drive to Monument Valley to find the exact seen from when Forrest Gump finally tires of runnning and decides to go home!

But first, you have to remember it was raining, which was not optimal for sightseeing, so we followed the directions for Monument Valley, where we THOUGHT we were supposed to go!

Instead, we paid $8/person to travel a red, muddy, rocky road to see...

The Mitten

Then, the sticks?

The Tower?

Ernie could NOT deal with the amount of bumping around we were doing on that muddy, rocky road, SO, he actually we left and into Google we put Forrest Gump Highway.....and lo and behold...

Milepost 13.......

What do YOU think?  Looks like it to me!  EXCEPT for the crappy weather, of course!

So off to Canyonland National Park, which was a nice little drive through rain and snow (we did see some cool sights, though, especially in Bluff, UT.

The Mexican Hat (it is actually called that, according to the sign)

Cave (we did not explore it)

Maracas or salt and pepper shakers?

Pittsburgh Pot Hole?

Rock lined highways are EVERYWHERE (I never really get tired of looking at them)

This is called Newspaper Rocks (not sure why, but I guess because it looks like a smeared newspaper?)

They were gigantic!

It was starting to get a little on the dark side and we were headed for a campground called Hamburger Rock!  I would say they looked like giant mushrooms, but I wasn't in charge of naming the campground!  The problem was, RED MUD!  We went down the road a little further and found a dispersed campsite called Indian Creek Canyon!

A little less muddy and we found a rock to park the camper!  Better than RED MUD!

The canyon was beautiful!

But VACANT!  There were a couple of campers, here and there, but it was the quietest place I have ever been!

Went to sleep very early, probably before 8:30.  Ernie was very happy when he woke and it was 4:40am!  He is not the best sleeper!  So, I got up too, we had coffee, I looked at my phone and it was actually 5:40am, not 4:40am!  We forgot about the clocks springing forward!  

3/12/13

We got packed up and headed for Canyonlands, THINKING there might be a gas station or a place for breakfast (we couldn't use our phones because there was no cell service and that should have been our first clue)!

Needless to say, we pulled into Canyonlands National Park at 6:00am and they don't really open until 8:00am!  Therefore, we needed the headlights to take this picture!

Sat is the Visitors Center parking lot for a while and I noticed a massive rock in front of us!  SO, I started climbing!  When I got to the top, I thought maybe I was dreaming and was on the surface of the moon!

It was as cold as the moon too!  But it was glorious!

The Visitors Center finally opened, and since we had no idea what to see in 1/2 day, we asked the Ranger for some advice!  She suggested Cave Springs Trail!

More Mushroom Caps!

        

                                                                        

And more lunar action!

We kind of felt like we were on another planet!

These caves provided shelter for the Indians (see some petroglyphs below) and in later years, for cowboys who worked the ranch (it was a ranch for a time).

When we got back to the truck, we continued to follow the Park road, for some gorgeous views!

Mars or the Moon?  I kind of think Mars!

We also discovered Big Spring Canyon and took a short, but steep hike because we could hear water running, but couldn't see where!  It was a very peaceful place!

Canyonlands was absolutely beautiful, but to be honest, I was excited to see Arches National Park, so off we went!  Back through Newspaper Rocks!

Arches is about 45 minutes from Canyonlands!

Before we even got to Arches, had to stop to pay homage to my mom's family name...Wilson!

Made it!

I really can't believe this kind of geography exists!  Yes, I have seen pictures, but seeing it in person is another story!

Balanced Rock

This isn't called Balanced Rock, but it sure looks like one to me!

This is a far view from "Pothole Arch"

Here it is close up and personal!

Ernie and I called this one the singer because it looks like someone belting out a tune!

We called this one the Three Wisemen!

This one was actually called Elephant Parade!  Yes, I can kind of see it!

Weather was starting to get a little ugly, so we left and decided on a motel instead of trying to find a place to camp!  This double rainbow was God's way of agreeing with us!

NIGHT