Rocky Mountain National Park

First Stop - Strawberry Hot Springs

I have never been so excited to get to the mountains! After 3 weeks in the sweaty, dusty deserts of Utah, it was spectacular to finally see snow-capped peaks again as we crossed the border into Colorado.

Since we weren't technically in a hurry to get anywhere (the joy of unemployment), we took the scenic route from Arches National Park in Utah to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado through the ski town of Steamboat Springs.

OK there are very few towns where the second I arrive I know I could live there, but Steamboat Springs was one of those towns. It is adorable with breweries, runners, cyclists, hikers, and great restaurants everywhere.

However, the best thing there is the Strawberry Hot Springs just outside of town. We stayed in a little rustic cabin for like $60 a night (see that photo above on the left), which included our entrance to the natural hot springs pools. The place is clothing optional, which I endorse given the really in-shape status of the residents of Steamboat Springs.

Sorry for the gratuitous bikini shot but I had to get a pic of our (completely legal) cabin graffiti. 

Second Stop - Rocky Mountain National Park

OK why does all of Texas invade Colorado? Is it because there isn't anything cool there? Once we waded through the crowds (remember the 90%-of-people-won't-hike-more-than-one-mile rule), Rocky Mountain seemed endless and crowdless. It actually reminded me a lot of Tahoe.

We camped for three nights at Glacier Basin within the park. Keep in mind that there are no showers anywhere in the park, which gets scary after 4 days in a tent with your spouse. Further, a lot of the campsites are completely exposed due to tree removal from extensive beetle kill. Shade is limited and the days are hot in the summer, be prepared.

You can't see the 800 other people that are at this lake too.

A Grignolino + Jambox + book = perfect end to a day of hiking

The wildlife viewing here at Rocky Mountain is spectacular. The elk are the size of small cars and they are not shy......

Not shy

Big horn sheep shedding their winter coats.

This rough-looking guy was keeping an eye on the sheep.

We are off to Illinois for my brother's wedding, then the adventure will continue back through Glacier National Park and Banff/Lake Louise!

Canyonlands Yurting and Arches

Canyonlands - Yurt Sweet Yurt

After camping, who doesn't love a yurt with a GRILL, ELECTRICITY, and a proper BED! We were so happy in that little yurt, which was technically located within Dead Horse State Park, immediately adjacent to Canyonlands. Note that there are only three yurts in the park, so book early if you ever plan to go.

And there are no showers in any of these Utah parks (except for ONE we found at Bryce Canyon). We paid $20 for 2 showers at a random KOA outside the park after 4 days of dirt and sweat and it was the best $20 I ever spend.

I will give Canyonlands a "meh" score though. You pretty much drive from scenic viewpoint to scenic viewpoint, with few opportunities for actual hiking of any distance. While lovely, it was a bit boring.

If I had it to do over, I would have scheduled a Colorado River raft or something.

One of many many overlooks

Yes, that is a road we took.

We almost died.

Arches

And then we went to Arches National Park. It is shockingly beautiful, and freaking HOT. Again there is a lot of driving to see the cool stuff, and it gets crowded. Luckily you can escape the crowds by following the 1 mile 90% rule, meaning that about 90% of people in the world won't hike more than 1 mile.

There are a lot more trails at Arches than there are at Canyonlands. I highly highly recommend the Devil's Garden hike. Take the longer "primitive trail", you will not be disappointed - unless you drop your camera ad break it, which is what Dave did.

Right about here is where the camera was dropped........and not by me (this time).

Arches at Arches, they do not disappoint!

Climbing up

The elusive double arch.

Look, we don't hate each other yet.

New favorite camp dinner, we called it camping cassoulet (with spinach and minus the duck, oh and we used smoked polish sausage). Who is jealous?

Actually that looks pretty gross right now.........

Next stop - Rocky Mountain National Park!

Capital Reef and Backpacking the Lower Spring Canyon Trail

Since backpacking in Escalante was a bit of a bust given the impassable roads and crap weather, we decided to head 2 hours northeast to Capitol Reef National Park. With no reservation or camping permit, I was worried we wouldn't be able to stay there. 

However, this park is in the middle of absolute nowhere so crowds were thin (even in June). We walked right up to the permit desk at the visitor's center and got our free backcountry permit in like 10 seconds. 

Because the area had gotten so much unexpected rain, the dirt access roads to the northernmost and southernmost sections of the park were impassible. We had limited backcountry camping options given this road situation and given that we wanted to cover about 8 miles each day backpacking. At the advice of the friendly park ranger, we chose to backpack the Lower Spring Canyon Trail. The entire trail is about 10 miles long, so we could just backpack in as far as we wanted till we found a nice campsite. 

Done - we were off.

Yes, it is HOT out there.

But very cool stuff

We saw one other set of human footprints the entire trip down the canyon, they were Dan's (as evidenced by the "Dan was here" written in the sand halfway down the trail). Yup - we were ALL alone in that canyon except for Dan - oh and the lady we affectionately referred to as "The Doe". Whenever we weren't sure where or how to best get over an obstacle on the trail, we just said "which way did Dan and The Doe go".

After about 8 miles of walking down the dry canyon, which totally reminded me of something from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we managed to find the only intermittent source of water on the trail. It was a tiny spring that percolated slowly out of the rocks, like magic in the desert. 

Then we found the perfect campsite on an elevated beach near the spring (NOTE - you are supposed to camp 100 feet from the trail but this was impossible pretty much anywhere in that canyon). Once established, we took off our packs and journeyed on a bit for fun and guess what??? We found The Doe.

Or rather The Bucks.....three of them. I think they were mule deer given their tails. I am quite sure one of my many biologist friends reading this will let me know exactly what these guys are.

They were skittish, sorry for the crap photo.....

Best campsite ever

Dave surprised me by packing in a bottle of wine. Hell yeah!

Trader Joe's Indian food packets, great for camping

After a night of listening to a very loud frog we named Franklin, we headed out early in the morning (well, it was 8:30 a.m. which is early since we don't have kids remember). Beating the heat was the name of the game that morning. Dave was on a mission and almost killed me with his speedy pace getting out of there.

Out of context photo, I had just never seen a hummingbird nest.

So it was out of Capitol Reef and on to Canyonlands National Park for our stay at a KICK ASS yurt in the adjacent Dead Horse State Park. I will let you know how it was in a few days.

I could live here, I could probably live happily in my car too - but that is beside the point.

Seven Things I Learned About Escalante

I have a very brief interlude of wifi here at the visitor's center. Our backpacking and sight-seeing plans have been a little up-in-the-air due to weather. However, we are making the best of it - as always. In the meantime, here are a few things I have learned during our time here in the greater Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area.

1) Have a Paper Map
No thanks Amie - my phone has GPS, I'll be fine. Google Maps will tell me everything. Well guess what - your fancy phone won't work here. No wifi, no email, no web-enabled anything. You will be very lucky if you can make an old-fashioned call on your cell phone. So be prepared and buy a very good $6 map of Utah, trust me.

2) Have a Full Tank of Gas
That may look like an actual town on your paper map, but guess what - it is just a few houses and MAYBE a scary restaurant. There will be no gas there, or anything else for that matter. Fill your tank whenever possible, even if you have a half-a-tank and you think that next town is only 40 miles away. Again trust me, just do it and save yourself some worry.

3) BYOB

Seriously.....lots of it. I needed half-a-cup of white wine for a meal I was planning to cook (yes white wine - we take our cooking very seriously while car-camping, dehydrated meals are for BACKPACKING only). Just try and find a state-run liquor store in rural Utah (the only place to get wine is a sate-run agency). I dare you. We managed to find a liquor "closet" with a very limited stock of about 10 bottles of wine for sale at a small camping store. Thank the maker! We also stocked up and bought a case of "real beer" (not that dirty 3.2% stuff) because we knew there was nowhere else to get booze within about 250 miles. For the love of god people, be prepared.

4) State Route 12 is the Most Beautiful Drive in the U.S.
The brochure says it is the second-most beautiful drive in the world - and I had never even heard of it. Dave the Utah "expert", you are holding out on me WTF. This drive is spectacular. Stop at the Kiva Coffee House on the way. You will not be disappointed.

Random roadside beauty, the photo does NOT do it justice.

5) The Food is Pretty Bad
Universally, the food in this part of Utah has been a step above dog food. All the restaurant reviews from Bryce Canyon to Escalante get about 3 stars with the average reviewer saying, "well - I didn't leave there hungry". And there are SO many French tourists, they must think we are Neanderthals. One notable exception was the Burr Trail Trading Post and Grill (with REAL beer) in Boulder, Utah. A lamb-burger to die for!

One of our many roadside picnics because the restaurants were total crap.

6) Everyone is Really Friendly
More friendly than anywhere else in Utah. We went for a walk around Escalante one evening and ended up meeting a couple that had moved there from Sebastopol. We chatted away on their front porch for an hour. When driving anywhere in this area, everyone waves or throws the peace sign. Be ready for niceness. We were even besties with our innkeeper at the kick-ass Slot Canyons Inn.

Yes, that is the road under 3 feet of water.

7) Don't Ignore the Weather Forecast
Apparently a 50% chance of heavy rain means lots and lots of heavy rain. Pay attention because roads can wash-out in the blink of an eye and your camping plans are not feasible, or worse - you are stuck on the wrong side of a washed-out road or canyon. All our camping options along Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Escalante were quickly off the table because the road had washed out.  Poor us, we had to enjoy the thunder and lightning show from our warm, dry hotel room in Boulder, Utah (not to be even remotely confused with Boulder, Colorado).

The rain does create spectacular impromptu waterfalls along the roadway though.

As I mentioned, we are making the best of things. The weather has mostly cleared out and get area getting right back on the camping track. More to come from Capitol Reef and Canyonlands soon!

Bryce Canyon and Under the Rim Trail

OK that picture is from Kodachrome State Park, but it begged to be included......

Right now we are at the lovely Slot Canyons Inn, located in Escalante, Utah. We are luxuriating for a night after several days of camping along the 23-mile Under the Rim Trail (well, 24.5 for us thanks to a short diversion as a result of an inaccurate sign) in Bryce Canyon.

The Under the Rim Trail is a toughie, I won't lie. However, it is less popular than I thought it would be - we saw just a few other people. I think this is because water can be very limited and it gets HOT down there in the summer. We got lucky with some recent rain (so the streams were flowing) and it was only in the mid-70s. It was nice to get off the beaten path away from the tour bus crowds at the top of Bryce Canyon for sure!

Anywho, what more can you say about camping in one of America's premier national parks? Words cannot capture it. Here are some pics instead.

Great weather at the start (woosh)

We look so energized and clean at the start.

The famous Bryce Canyon hoodos in the background

The point where we started.

Seriously......you hike in those socks - get some Smartwool man. Yer feet stink.

Bad fire but great views

Hot and bothered

Just making dinner

Dance parties every night at camp thanks to the Jambox

Dave at the "Hat Shop"

At the finish! I need a beer, and it had better not be 3.2%.

We are off to explore the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument for a few days. We are hoping to camp along one of the famous washes or slot canyons here, but it has been raining and there is a flash-flood advisory. We'll see how it goes.

Also, I just had to plug Good To-Go meals. The company was started by a chef in Maine who was tired of crappy dehydrated camp meals so she started her own company. These meals are the shiz-nit! I am NEVER going back to those weird Mountain House cheese-burger macaroni meals with 8 million ingredients I cannot pronounce and don't want to eat. This tasty, veggie-laden Thai Curry was a gift from the gods after 11 miles of tough hiking.

Zion National Park

So here we are in beautiful Southern Utah. Aside from the 3.2% beer (seriously wrong), this place is really cool. How have I never been here before?

Our starting point for this summer's Radical Sabbatical - Phase II was Zion National Park. We camped for 2 nights at the Watchman Campground, which is just inside the park near the main entrance. Watchman is a pretty kick-ass campground, as far as car-camping campgrounds go. It was completely full but it still felt peaceful, was quiet, and was perfectly clean.

We had an easy first day with a few short hikes to all the famous stuff you are supposed to see. We rode the free shuttle bus around to see all the cool rock formations and what-not (cars are not allowed in the park, which is so AWESOME). Here are a few pics for your entertainment.

The Three Patriarchs - lovely

Scenic

Handsome

We took it easy on day 1 because day 2 was death....... 

We got permits to hike the 16-mile Narrows trail, which essentially follows the Virgin River from north to south. We took a bus to Chamberlain's Ranch about a hour drive outside of the park, and started there. You essentially hike along or in the river and finish the hike in the park.

Aside from ridiculously freezing feet in the morning (the water temperature was 57 degrees) and an embarrassing fall on some rocks right into the water toward the end - it was an unforgettable trip.

They say the average hiker completes this hike in 12 hours, 10 hours is considered a fast pace, and we finished in 9 hours (awww yeah - though mostly the fast pace was dictated by my coldness). It was a long day even at 9 hours, I can tell you that. 

Photos tell the story better than I can.

Frozen feet near the beginning.

Amazing one river can do all this.

Look mom, dry feet - for like 8 seconds.

So if you are thinking, "this sounds awesome - I want to go here." A few tips follow:

• Make your Watchman Campground reservation EARLY. I booked our camp site in January and it was almost full then. Get a shaded pr partially shaded site, you won't regret it.
• Get your Narrows permit EARLY. On the 5th day of every month at 10:00 a.m., reservations for the next month become available. You have to be on it if you want a permit during busy season. 
• Do not go during high-season (mid-June through August). Not only will it be 8 million degrees outside, but the park will be absolutely overrun with tourists eating ice cream and drinking coffee on the trails (really, why do Americans have to be eating and drinking during all activities all day - it's weird).
• Buy the $80 Annual National Park Pass. This thing has already paid for itself and we are just getting started at the parks.

Moving on........

We were supposed to be camping in Bryce Canyon for 3 days, but here was the weather:

Cold outside - warm in the car

He may be wearing shorts but he is freezing.

So we moved a few things around in order to camp in dryer conditions later this week. After all, setting up a tent in the mud is sheer miserableness. I'll let you know how it goes. All I can say is that it was a relief to be in a hotel room last night when it was absolutely storming outside.