A cool November morning. We did a tiny bit of strolling through the little town of Escalante before heading into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Taking it easy, so just drove out to Devils Garden for some nice yoga/stretching in the sun, lunch at a picnic table and hiking around the hoodoos.
After that we just checked out some trailheads for tomorrow's activities, and to acquire a camping permit (free to camp anywhere in the area, just need to get a permit) then found dispersed camping off Spencer Flat Road.
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| A lovely spot to see the sunset |
Dinner was shells and cheese, followed by a game of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie won.
November 15
The plan was an easy run on the Escalante River Trail, but the immediate river crossing was something we were not motivated enough for at 40F! So after the nice 12 minute jog along the river, we headed to the Upper Calf Creek Falls trail, mostly following cairns down a steep slope. It was fun seeing flowers in November, cool rocks, and even some trout in a little pool above the falls. The falls were quite nice too - all in all a beautiful day.
The later afternoon was spent driving, with a few struggles stopping at a gas station, I have noticed a lot of little shops and convenience stores have open signs up, but aren't actually open - hopefully just a seasonal thing. We parked for the night just off Highway 95, made split peas, and watched The Incredible Hulk.
November 16
A cloudy and breezy, but warmer ~60F! We drove through Glen Canyon Recreation Area, and a little along Lake Powell before reaching Natural Bridges National Monument.
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| Colorado River headed for Lake Powell |
This is a pretty small area, but I'm glad we checked it out - very cool! First stop was a short hike to overlook Horsecollar Ruins of Anasazi dwellings.
Next we did a run on the Mesa trail with a loop including a couple of miles on top of a mesa, then down into canyon floor for a few more miles, taking in the Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachoma Bridges, finishing with mostly gradual climb back up - great loop!
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| Owachoma |
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| Sipapu |
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| Kachina |
We had a short stop in Blanding - highlight was acquiring an apple crumble pie. Then on to Recapture Reservoir to camp. Ate some pasta, played some Trivial Pursuit - Leslie won, then watched Iron Man 3.
November 17
Woke up to snow on the ground! It was cold and windy all day, so an unplanned 'easy' day took shape. We headed to Monticello, starting with the Visitor Center - we actually hung out a couple hours, and talked to an older guy from Florida that was driving his new camper back home from California. Other adventures included the hardware store - Rudy needed some tools and procured materials to make a funnel to ease filling of the water jug (and putting stove-heated water into the solar shower, if we ever need to resort to that), and laundry. We tried a little coffee shop, but they were five minutes from closing, so instead hung out at the library a couple hours - first significant internet time in a while! I looked over the books for sale and picked out a couple of Barbara Kingsolver's and The Iliad. Eventually we headed towards the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, and found a spot off Highway 211. We made some barley and bean burritos, got in some Trivial Pursuit - close game, but another Leslie win, then switched from the movies back to a couple episodes of Gotham.
November 18
Cold again, but more sun and less wind than yesterday. We spent the nicest part of the day in Canyonlands National Park Needles District with some short, relatively easy hikes. First was the Roadside Ruin Trail, which led to a little granary.
Next was a roadside stop to see Wooden Shoe Arch and other cool rocks.
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| Find the wooden shoe! |
Then, Slickrock Trail, which was just fantastically scenic.
Then, Pothole Point, which showcased short lived, post-rain ecosystems.
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| Supposedly teeming with life when wet |
Final hike was to Cave Springs, including an old cowboy camp, plus some Native American pictographs at the spring.
A road-side stop was made at Newspaper Rock, just outside the park, before we headed back to Moab.
We visited Milt's for burgers, fries, and malts, then continued on to Willow Springs Road. Pretty populated, since it is Friday, we didn't get 'our' spot, but still found something decent! Then just hung out, and watch Gotham.
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