Canyonlands Wilderness Campsite

Canyonlands National Park - Needles Overlook

Larry at Needles Overlook - Canyonlands National Park

GLAD there's a fence!

"Five Shooter" and "Six Shooter" on canyon floor
From Needles Overlook

Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs - on road to Squaw Flats

Petroglyph Close-Up - Horse and Hunter



Wooden Shoe Arch - near Squaw Flats State Park Campground

Sunset at Canyonlands BLM Campground

"Six Shooter" from the canyon floor

Our "To-Do" list yesterday included a drive to the Needles Overlook into the "Islands in the Sky" district of Canyonlands National Park; then on to see Newspaper Rock - a petroglyph which served as a sort of communication board among the residents of the area,  and finally, to Squaw Flat State Park for a few days of camping without connections to the outer world.          On our way South from Moab, we briefly discussed whether or not it would be worth the effort of a 45 mile round trip to the Needles Overlook.  Dead Horse Point yesterday had been breath-taking!  Could Needles Overlook be any better?  Besides, we HAVE been to The Grand Canyon!  ........I have to say, we were NOT disappointed!     Spectacular!                   Back to the main highway and a bit farther South, we turned off  the beaten path once again, for a look at Newspaper Rock.  It WAS a wall of stories - documentation of the lives of the clans in the area.  They CERTAINLY were BUSY people!            From there, we continued.....in pursuit of a coveted primitive camp sight at Squaw Flat State Park - a first-come, first served situation.  Our "kampsight karma" was absent - - the campground was FULL!      We did NOT relish the idea of 50 miles back to Montecello at a time when all we could think of was a frosty, cold beverage at a shaded camp sight.....    What to do?  What to do?  The ranger at the Information Center directed us to a nearby BLM campground about 5 miles away.  We were skeptical, but willing to check out the campground that boasted fire circles, picnic tables, primitive potties and nothing more - - PERIOD!      We were MIGHTY thirsty!        Plan B turned out to be a VERY nice alternative!  A few other hearty souls also opted for peace and quiet, an amazing sunset that turned the cliffs fiery red.....followed by a black velvet sky filled with a curtain of diamond-bright stars and a rare, clear view of the Milky Way.......    We slept well.......

Arches and Dead Horse Point



A Rock Castle!

Pioneer Women????



The Monitor and the Merrimac Rock Formations



LOTS of Arches!



Balanced Rock Formation

Petroglyphs at Wolfe Ranch in Arches NP



Delicate Arch



MORE Arches!



View of the Colorado River/Canyonlands NP from Dead Horse Point

We were a the Arches National Park entrance at 8 AM yesterday, thinking we would beat the rush of sightseers in the park.  DROVES of cars were returning to the entrance after watching the sun rise.  It was gridlock in most of the viewing points and trail heads.  And here we THOUGHT, by  late September that the crowds would have thinned out!  Not so!  We were surrounded by other boomers and travelers from other countries - especially France and Germany!
We headed up to Dead Horse Point in the afternoon.  From this viewpoint, we looked down into Canyonlands National Park - and the Colorado River.  Spectacular!
Today, we are headed to the Needles Overlook and Newspaper Rock.  We will be out of touch for a few days.  There are some remote Utah State Park campgrounds with few services and NO electricity/lights, so the star-gazing should be really nice!  We will sit back and relax a bit - read, hik, take LOTS of photos and regroup!
I plan to  post again on the weekend, when we return to civilization!

Capitol Reef National Park

THIS is how the "Full-Timers" travel!

Taylor's Casita on Wheels!

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When WE grow up, we want to be a half million dollar full time HOUSE!  WITH a chauffeur,   puh-LEEZ!  Until then, we will be content to travel in our casita!  We are snug and comfortable!

Notice the "Toy Box" Behind the Rig!

Colorado Plateau Rimrock

The Colors!  The Layers! 

 In a Day or a Year or ...?

Barn near the Mormon Settlement of Fruita

Done with a HUGE Paintbrush!

Capitol Reef Canyon

Build Up!  Tear Down!

Reds!  Purples! Greys!  Oranges! 

Majestic!

 The Divine Creator at Work!

Petroglyphs near Fruita

The Fruita School House

Capitol Reef was formed from Rock Folds
Like a Wrinkled Tablecloth Atop
 The Colorado Plateau

Random Rock Tower!

The photographs above are taken in  Capitol Reef National Park - created by a fold in the rock on the Colorado Plateau.       Tonight, we are camped on Moab - a touristy town, just South of the Arches National Park.  Tomorrow, we will be up early....hopefully, before the crowds awake -  for a tour through the park.  When we attempted to make reservations for a coveted space in the Dead Horse Campground, overlooking Canyonlands National Park, we were informed that we would have to WAIT until October 12 for a space!  We'll try our luck at Horse Thief Campgrounds on Wednesday - a first come, first served BLM campground nearby.  We're not sure how all these ROCK pictures are coming across!  We WISH ALL of you could be with us to experience first hand this amazing adventure!

All-American Scenic Highway 12

From Kodachrome Basin, we traveled on All-American Highway 12 East to Escalante State Park for another quiet day.  It was a quick hop and a jump.  After two relaxing days, we were in slow motion and wanted to finish the books we had started!  Besides, there was an Artist's Fair in the nearby town of Escalante!  Shopportunity!
From Escalante SP this morning (Saturday), we continued East on Highway 12, after a quick stop at the Escalante farmer's market.  The scenery along the drive was spectacular!  Our little "point-n-shoot" camera doesn't do it justice!  There weren't a lot of pull-outs along the narrow roadway to take advantage of the photo-ops that were here and gone in seconds.  Hopefully, you can get a feel for the magnificent panoramas from the photos included in this post.
Along the way, we stopped in at the Anasazi State Park in Boulder and toured the museum and ruins.  It is thought that the Coombs Site was an active village from A.D. 1050 to 1200.   The people irrigated and farmed the land, hunted wild game and harvested native plants.  The early people who inhabited this site constructed pit houses below ground level.  Later, Kayenta-style masonry replaced the pit houses.  By the way, an interesting "tid-bit" we learned today .......  It turns out the "Anasazi" means "ancestral enemies"  in the Navajo language, which is NOT taken kindly by the various tribes local to the region - Hopi, Pueblan, Kayenta as well as other tribes.  When the Navajos migrated in from Northern areas,  there evidently was a bit of friction between clans and tribes!

Escalante State Park

Landscape stretches for miles!

Viewpoint along Highway 12.  Looks like rock is flowing downward!

Kayenta Pueblan Homes built with mud mortar and chinking stones. 

Looks like the top rock is twisted like a rope!

Valley Vista!

Creation in Progress!

Kodachrome Basin

We're BACK!  We spent two relaxing days in Kodachrome State Park, without benefit of services.  Not a bad thing!  Hiking, reading, star-gazing a night sky with minimal light pollution, cribbage by lamplight; no road noise; Ah, the QUIET!  Our morning hike took us up the Angel's Palace Trail to a panoramic overlook back toward Bryce Canyon.  Just a note of caution!  Some of the rock formations shown in the photos below may be a bit racy!  The Creator has a way with rocks and a good sense of humor, don't you think?!

Basin Walls at Sunset

Campground is Nestled Below Basin Walls

Geologists are Puzzled About the Formation Process

Looking Down on the Campground from Angel's Palace Trail

Interesting Rock Formations!   ;-)

Looking Out Toward Bryce Canyon

Overlooking the Basin

Water Break!

Feathered Friend!  Western Wood Peewee?

Escalante in the Distance - "Stairway"