GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK

We were leaving Capitol Reef and driving to Moab, UT to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. En route, we were making a quick break to stretch our legs at Goblin Valley State Park. (http://www.utah.com/stateparks/goblin_valley.htm). This side trip is several miles of the main highway, but it was well worth it. I could have spent a lot of time at this park - otherworldly. I would absolutely recommend this side trip.

CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

We returned and picked up the rest of the family for a trip to the rest of the park. I use the term loosely because unless you are willing to go "off road" it is basically a short ride along the road past the visitor center (which you then have to backtrack to get out).

There are a few places that are truly awesome for that off-road trip (if you so choose), but budget about 6 - 8 hours for the drive, fording a couple of rivers, etc. Temples of the Sun and Moon and a large gypsum hole are in the northern (off road) part of the park and worth visiting. Check with the Park Rangers at the Visitor Center before going off and make sure they (and others know your route and expected timeline).

Southern Capitol Reef National Park

I got up at 5:00 am before the sun for what I hoped would be a quick trip along the "burr trail". The Burr Trail is a mostly gravel road that runs through Capitol Reef NP. The scenery is spectacular and this part of the park is much less crowded as it is less accessible. I really wanted to view the "Waterpocket Fold" from the Strike Valley Overlook. Unfortunately, it was unaccessible due to a storm that had washed out the access road. It is visible in many online photo sites and quite a spectacular view.

The rental car we had through a top national brand ended up getting two flat tires, which when I tried to repair them was told that they had already been repaired but the original damage was so bad that they never should have been repaired. After traveling over 1000 miles on these tires, I was happy I would be getting home. If it had happened on the remote section of Capitol Reef, I would have been found a week later. I assume that the rental car company did the repair because most of their cars never leave the Vegas Strip. End result - they did not charge me for the rental car (a large SUV).

My night in Boulder, UT

I think that with the exception of the native Americans at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Boulder, UT was the last place to stop getting mail by donkey. This place is out there. We stayed on a horse farm about 5 miles at the end of a dirt road. While it existed before the Internet as a B&B type spot, it is beyond me how anyone could find it.

Our hosts Gary & Sherry at the Boulder Mountain (horse) Ranch were great. We rented a couple of cabins for the whole clan - one slept 6, one slept 4. Very comfortable and quiet. And at night, VERY DARK. Zero light polution except for the full moon that night. You could go anywhere you wanted by moonlight.

Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef National Park

Highway 12 from Bryce to Torrey, UT is referred to some as the most beautiful stretch of highway in the United States. It is spectacular, but having traveled a lot of highway in this country, I believe that the most beautiful stretch of highway belongs to Montana's Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge to Cooke City, MT near Yellowstone's northeast entrance.

Hwy 12 winds its way through the red rock country, briefly through Grand Staircase Escalante NM. This stretch of road winds up and down so much one of our passengers tossed their lunch in the back causing an emergency stop. A couple days later, after the car baked in the desert sun, that was a nice smell. We actually found large patches of snow along the highway - one of which proved to be a good stopping point for our snowball fight - in late JUNE (despite the fact we were melting only hours earlier in Bryce Canyon).

Just south of Boulder where we spent the night is the infamous "Hogback" stretch of road where the ground drops off sharply on both sides of the road - not a good time to be taking in the scenery. One wrong turn here and its "game over"!

More Bryce Canyon

Bryce offers a LOT of the famous Hoodoos. These sandstone features are the result of years of erosion and have created the appearance of thousands of sandstone people in the amphitheatre viewed from Bryce Point.

There are several unique features in the canyon that are also the result of erosion over the millenia.

Thor's Hammer, The Poodle (look closely at the pix), Natural Bridge, and the Amphitheatre are in these pictures.

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon offers a lot of different things to see and do in a fairly small national park. Don't miss the short side trip prior to going through the park service entrance to Fairyland Canyon. It is easy to miss with only a small sign on the left side of the road. Therefore, it is generally without the crowds you get at the other larger spots in the park.

We hiked down from Sunset point. The further down you go, the slimmer the crowd gets - figuratively and literally. This is a tough hike in June. By mid-day it was HOT. Make sure you carry a LOT of water. We had three kids with us and we went through our water on the way down. I had my daughter on my shoulders most of the way down and out again. A position I have been in before, and would be again on this trip. The climb out was steep, (at least as steep as it looks in the pictures), but well worth the trip. Did I say BRING WATER....well, bring water!