and then we left Utah

The next few National parks we explored were all a part of a large geological formation known as the Colorado Plateau. The plateau is a huge mass of land that covers four states (UT, CO, AZ, and NM) and this raised portion has left formations of hoodoos, ravines, canyons, and many spectacular insights to earths' geological history. Entering this area is almost like stepping back thousands of years into history. There is no place in the world with formations like these. All have evolved through time, water, and wind and continue to change everyday. Capitol Reef was our next stop after Arches. There is nothing wet about this park as we soon found out. But a large wall extended miles and miles winds around the desert. In the wall you can see the different layers of rock, sediment, and history. The beautiful blue layer of rock is dried and hardened lava flow. over time weather has eroded the layers into all different sorts of structures.

Moab, Utah is known around the world for its' amazing bike trails. One of the most popular trails is a 12 mile loop bike trail over large rocks called Slick Rock trail. After reading the trail head signs that repeatedly mentioned, "For experienced riders", we decided to try the beginning portion of the trail that act as a trial run for those attempting the trail. It took us about 2.5 hours to complete the 2 mile loop and this was even more enduring than the hike to the cave! I honestly thought I might physically collapse. The entire ride it is essential to keep a tight grip to your bike and control all your muscles reacting quickly to the sharp turns, steep slopes, and uneven terrain. at the very end I flew off my bike and got a handle bar in my inner thigh. I honestly didn't even notice until later but the shiner is still there. This was probably my most physically challenging ad rewarding activity I have ever accomplished. the feeling of reaching the end and knowing I just biked on one of the most difficult natural terrain bike trails was a feeling of champions. A great goal for my future is to train, obtain proper biking equipment, and conquer the entire Slick Rock trail.

Canyonlands is the most vast and unexplored National park; not very conducive to easy travel on the floor of the canyon. Most of the sightseeing is above and there are thousands of miles within a section called The Maze that are yet to be explored. Not wanting to possibly get lost in the vast mazes on the canyon floor in 100 degree weather John and I chose to drive along the canyon edge and view the magnificent sights from the overlooks. (This picture was taken in a moment of panic for me; I was frozen in that spot for a quick photo. As you can see I am about 2 feet from the cliffs edge and although I am not fond of extreme heights the thought of falling over the edge frightened me to death!)



Bryce Canyon was another absolutely gorgeous park to visit but not exactly the best for in park travel. We drove along the edge and stopped at the overlooks to peer into the large depths of interestingly cut canyon floor and walls. One of the interesting facts about this park is that its' location comes out of no where. Driving through Utah's pine forests and tundra all of a sudden you are at the edge of a golden vast canyon.
Without a doubt our favorite National Park on the Plateau was Zion. When we first entered the park we drove through checkered sand dunes that have solidified over time into huge mountains. Wind and loose sand traveling across the rock sand dunes created a checker board effect. Once passing through a mile long man made tunnel the landscape changes entirely to huge glorious mountains with rivers flowing through. Rocks 'weep' water that has been dated as old as 4000 years old. Hanging gardens flow off mountain walls and each bend in the canyon brings a new sight to see. The photo above is taken north of the park where we camped for the night. You can see the canyon ravines and mountain tops in the distance; about 40 miles from where this photo was taken.
After leaving Zion we had to make a choice to either head west toward Las Vegas or south east towards the Grand Canyon. We chose the ole' Grand Canyon...and then, we left Utah.