What a big, gorgeous park that we barely got to scratch the surface of! We’ve been averaging 8 miles of hiking every day since the 29th when we headed down into the Grand Canyon, an average that includes my “day off” with less than 3 miles, and a chill day at Bryce Canyon with less than 4 miles. We’re tired. (Even Dustin. Maybe. A little.) … More Laura’s Journal: Canyonlands National Park
After the madness of Zion, Capitol Reef felt nearly deserted. We didn’t have to fight anyone for parking and sometimes spent entire minutes on the trails without seeing anyone else. I saw someone call this park Utah’s red-headed step child, but I don’t know why it should be. It’s smaller, yes, but it’s gorgeous (literally! see: Capital Gorge) and offers quite a lot of wonderful hikes. Maybe it’s a question of marketing? Before this trip, I knew Utah had five big, wonderful national parks, but I’d’ve been hard-pressed to name more than Zion and Arches. … More Laura’s Journal: Capitol Reef National Park
Rumors of Zion’s popularity (crowdedness) reached us well before we reached the park. We even watched an informational video about it (“remember: there are hikes other than Angel’s Landing and the Narrows! you should give them a try!”) We rolled into the park at 7:59, just before the entrance gate opened, and snagged one of the very few remaining parking spots in their vast parking lot. It was easy to see, as we drove the winding park road and went through the infinitely long tunnel carved out of solid rock, why this park is so popular. It is stunningly beautiful. … More Laura’s Journal: Zion National Park
Okay! Rested, recharged, and off for more adventures. We failed to win the lottery for the Wave again this morning, so we implemented backup plan The-Wire-and-Teepees. These hikes both require a day-use pass, which Dustin was organized enough get well in advance. (Don’t to forget to do this, kids! You can buy them online, but data connections at the trail head are iffy at best.) … More Laura’s Journal: Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
Welcome to southern Utah, a place where you cannot throw a rock without hitting a National Park (or a hiker – don’t actually throw any rocks). We’re staying in a lovely little town called Kanab, centrally located between a solid dozen parks and sites. It’s also the location of the lottery to win a permit for hiking to “the Wave” – a famous and stunning formation in Vermillion Cliffs NM. This town was originally intended [for us] as an overnight stop only, on the way to Capitol Reef NP, but having failed to do much research, I’d had no idea how gorgeous this place was, or what great access Kanab gave to all of it. We decided to spend a couple days and see if our lottery luck would hold. … More Laura’s Journal: Day Off (and a bit of Grand Staircase-Escalante NM)
The great thing about playing it loose with your travel plans is that you have all the flexibility in the world to adjust your schedule to spend more or less time at places that interest you more or less than you expected. The downside is when you find out that doing the really cool things in those places required you to make a reservation. Six months ago. … More Laura’s Journal: Grand Canyon – Going Down
Wednesday, April 28, 2021TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT Tuzigoot (an anglicization of the Apache word for “crooked water” given to this Sinaguan site by a member of the excavation crew in the early 1900s) is a hilltop pueblo that bears many similarities to the pueblo at Wupatki. Whereas Wupatki was mainly a non-residential trading hub, Tuzigoot was … More Laura’s Journal: Tuzigoot National Monument
We’ve visited several historic pueblo sites now, and every of them has been impressive for how the architecture of stone and mud has held up over the centuries, but this one is the first we’ve visited made entirely of adobe, with no stone cores in the walls. I couldn’t stop staring. This incredible structure is three stories tall. The only wood in the whole structure is in the ceilings/floors between levels. A three story building made of hardened mud. Still standing after 700 years. By comparison, how’s the last mud pie you baked holding up? … More Laura’s Journal: Casa Grande National Monument
A transcription of the photographed journal pages can be found at the bottom of the post! (journal photos will be followed by a text transcription, in case the photos are difficult to read) Monday, April 19, 2021 PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK When we set out on this adventure, the only thing I knew I wanted … More Laura’s Journal: Petrified Forest National Park (at a trot)
Thither & Yon 