Day 16: Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah) to San Juan National Forest (Colorado)

Today was a day filled with driving in an effort to venture closer to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison near Montrose, Colorado. 

So, we packed up camp and got on the freeway to head in that direction. Along the way, we realized that we were too close to the Four Corners, so we took a little detour and stopped to stand in five places all at once: Navajo Nation PLUS Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. I didn't realize that this area features several booths filled with Native American crafts, tools, and art for sale. It's a good thing we only had a little cash on us, or I would have bought a lot more than turquoise earrings! After eating a fry bread taco and sno-cone from a food truck just outside of the monument, we got back into the truck to continue our journey. 

Eventually, we stopped in a park I would like to explore some more--Mesa Verde National Park. This park features the ancient cliff dwellings of the Pueblo villages. We only had time to explore one scenic loop of the park, but it was awe-inspiring and left me curious for more. Visitors can climb into and explore the dwellings! I'd like to do that on our next visit. We still had a lot of miles to go before we reached our planned stopping point for the night, so we decided to save the other loops for another time and kept on putting in the miles. 

I'm not gonna lie. Today felt like a long day in the car. Finally, though, after getting directions from a resident of the area we eventually pulled into a spot at North Canyon campground in the San Juan National Forest where we made dinner and went to bed early--exhausted from a long day on the road but knowing that with a little rest and fresh air we'd be ready to go again the next morning. 

Day 15: Capitol Reef National Park to Natural Bridges National Monument

Today was an action packed day! 

Kevin decided to sleep in the hammock, so I had the bed to myself. Well, sort of. To myself and two dogs. 

For once, I was happy to wake up early because we had a plan. Each day, the owners of a ranch down the road deliver a few trays of cinnamon rolls and fresh fruit pies to the Historic Gifford House. We found out the day before that they usually arrive around 8:15, and once they are gone they are gone. So...we walked with the dogs on short trail from our campsite to the house and arrived just as the delivery van was backing up to the house. Kevin went inside with the other campers who had gathered there and emerged with two cinnamon rolls and a still warm strawberry-rhubarb pie. 

We headed back to our site to enjoy our feast. We decided to save the cinnamon rolls for later and dug into the pie while it was still warm. I thought I loved Capitol Reef National Park before...the sweet breakfast treats after a stroll under cottonwood trees and along a stream sealed the deal. 

After breakfast, we reluctantly packed up and pulled out of the campsite. The drive out of the park offered even more beautiful views, and we were already making plans for our next visit before we even exited the park. 

On our way out of the park we stopped to check out the one room schoolhouse. Its last group of students graduated in 1941. 

Our first stop on our action packed day was at Goblin Valley State Park. Our timing was bad--we arrived at the midpoint of the day and it was over 100 degrees--but we took a few minutes to explore the valley named for the goblin-like structures created by wind and water erosion. This park was nice because dogs were allowed in the area and you are allowed to climb on and through the structures. If only it wasn't so hot! 

We checked out the campsite in the park before leaving. They were nice! And we laughed when we discovered what appears to be the worlds most challenging disc golf course by the campgrounds! It would be fun to explore the goblins in the evening. 

Once we worked up a bit of a sweat and the dogs were panting a bit, we all drank some water and turned the air on full blast in the truck and set out to revisit a spot from last year--Hite. We camped in Hite last year. It is the spot that sparked Kevin's dam obsession because Hite used to be a campground located on the banks of Lake Powell, but the drought and public overuse has completely drained the area. It was empty last year too, but this year the bathrooms were closed and it just felt so sad. Two abandoned boats sit unclaimed and the boat ramp leads down to dry dirt. We had originally thought we may stay at Hite for the night, but once we were there we decided to keep on going. 

About an hour away from Hite is Utah's first National Monument and an official "Dark Sky Zone": Natural Bridges National Monument. Known for its three natural bridges, this area has a small campsite, scenic loop, and hiking trails. We chose a site nestled back in some pinyon pine trees, juniper, and sage brush...oh...and cactus...and decided to beat the heat in the air conditioned truck by enjoying the scenic loop to see the bridges. Natural bridges differ from arches because bridges are at least partially formed by water--rivers, streams, etc--flowing under them while arches do not. In addition to checking out the arches, I hiked a short trail to see ancient Native American ruins from the year 1 AD. Year 1!!!!!! 

After driving the loop, we headed back "home" and discovered that our neighbor was also our neighbor from the night before! Kevin chatted with him for a bit while I read in the hammock and enjoyed the sounds of another camper playing the guitar. Once again I found myself closing my eyes and freeze framing the moment for a time when I need to feel calm and relaxed. 

Kevin made dinner so I could finish reading my book. I headed to bed early (again!); this fresh air makes me sleepy! And Kevin waited out by the campfire for the stars to emerge. This park is recognized as a "Dark Sky Zone" because of the lack of light pollution because of its remote location and because of measures the park has taken to eliminate light pollution from within the park. Even from inside the Scamp I could see the stars and the Milky Way up above. 

Our night at Natural Bridges was not a planned stop, but we sure are glad we decided to check it out! 

Day 14: Antelope Island to Capitol Reef National Park

The Centennial for the National Park Service is in 2016. To promote the celebration, all of the Visitor Centers have stickers and t-shirts with the slogan "Find Your Park." Well...today we did. 

After leaving Antelope Island, we stopped for a quick breakfast at a local coffee shop. While there, we planned our route to Capitol Reef National Park. 

We originally thought we would just drive through the park, but once we got there and saw the campgrounds and the location, we decided to stay for the night. We chose a site under the shade of a cottonwood tree, set up camp, and piled back into the truck for what would turn out to be one of our favorite stops of any of our road trips. 

Period. 

But first, we stopped in the Historic Gifford House on the park grounds to get a snack--a small bag of cherries from the orchard in the park, a bottle of orange soda, and some strawberry ice cream. The park preserves the settlement of Fruita with the Gifford House, a one room school house, and the orchards in addition to maintaining the roads and campsite at the park. The area got its name--Capitol Reef--because of the barrier created when a rift in the Earth's crust created a "water pocket fold" that proved to be a challenging obstacle for the first settlers in the area. 

Once we stocked up on some snacks we started our exploration of the park. The scenic loop was breathtaking, but the best part was the drive down the unpaved Capitol Canyon Gorge Trail and Great Wash Trail. We've been to some amazing parks in the past--including Arches and Canyonlands--but this park made you feel like you were a part of it...not just observing it. As the walls closed in the deeper we got into the canyons, we were thankful it was a clear day since warnings about flash flooding were posted at the start of each trail. At the end of the Canyon Trail we went on foot even deeper into the canyons and saw petroglyphs and the difficult passage that Mormon settlers took through this area. 

After our drive and hike in the park, we headed back to our campsite for dinner. When we returned we were amused by quite the welcoming party at our site. Six deer were grazing right in our site and the other campers quietly crept over to take pictures and watch them. 

That's another thing we liked about this camp. It was so quiet. We had campers on either side of us, but everyone was calm and quiet enough to allow the deer to graze. I think that being so close to such beauty in terms of life and the earth around us instilled a sense of peace and calm in all of us. Even the young couple across from us who were clearly in some lovers spat the night they camped bickered quietly and made up adorably. Oh the things you see in the campgrounds! It's always an adventure! 

I hesitate to write about this location because it was less crowded than the more famous parks yet so beautiful! I don't want it to get crowded too! 

It. Was. Spectacular. 

We. Will. Be. Back.

Day 13: Bayhorse Lake, Idaho to Antelope Island State Park, Utah

Today began with a white knuckle drive back down the 8 mile gravel road. Going downhill with a trailer is always more stressful than going uphill, so we got up bright and early in hopes that we would make it all the way down the hill without having to try to maneuver around an oncoming car. Our plan worked. We got down the hill in no time and soon were on the road to a nearby National Monument--Craters of the Moon. 

After an hour and half drive or so, the vistas transformed as we approached the Craters of the Moon. Many many many years ago, lava flowed through a rift in the Earth's crust creating a lunar-like landscape of volcanic rock. A nice one way scenic loop gave us a quick and easy tour of the park and its cinder cones and "lava bombs" that hardened in mid-air and landed as solid blobs of rock. Geologists expect this will happen in the area once again in the future. 

After Craters, we headed to lunch in Blackfoot, Idaho. Home of the world famous Idaho Potato Museum and delicious Rupe's burger and milkshake shack. After choosing down on some delicious burgers, tots, onion rings, and frozen treats and posing with the giant baked potato, we hit the road again....in search of Utah! 

This time our final destination for the day was Antelope Island State Park near Syracuse, Utah. A seven mile bridge leads to the island in the Great Salt Lake. A herd of 700 bison lives there along with antelope, elk, deer, rabbits, and many birds. After setting up camp, we piled back into the car to drive the scenic loop on the island where we saw some of the island's wild inhabitants while also waiting for it to cool off a bit outside.

Before long, the sun began to set and we headed back to our site to make dinner and watch the sunset over the lake. The pictures I took don't do the sunset justice. Our view was so fantastic that other campers left their sites and came to ours to check it out! 

After dinner and some relaxation, we headed to bed to rest up for the next day's adventure. We would have slept great...except for the dude who ignored the quiet hours (10 pm - 7 am) and ran his obnoxious generator until 2:37 am and restarted it at 6 am. 

At least the generator woke us up well before it got hot outside, so in the morning we packed up while it was still cool and headed out towards the highway. On our way off of the island we saw a 6 point mule deer running along side of our truck! It was a nice way to end our visit to Antelope Island State Park! 

Day 12: Bayhorse Lake

Kevin set his alarm for 6 am so that he could catch sunrise and hopefully some fish down at the lake this morning. I stayed in bed while he bundled up to head out and was still asleep when he returned an hour or so later saying it was too cloudy to see the sunrise and that it was too shallow around the lake to catch any good fish. So, he crawled back under the covers and we slept some more. 

When we awoke, all of the campers at the other sites had already left or were breaking down their sites, and by lunch time we were the only ones left at the campground. It was a little unsettling to go from a packed campground to a completely empty one--especially at the top of a hill/mountain--but the quiet and isolation is what we were initially expecting when we drove up here, so it felt normal soon enough. 

We decided to spend the day sticking around the campsite and enjoying the amazing breezes that rush through every few minutes, so before long I was settled in the hammock and then the Scamp to read while Kevin worked on building another bench for this campsite. 

When I woke up from a short nap, Kevin asked me to join him for a quick walk. About 100 feet from our site Kevin urged me to stand up on a tree stump and wait. Eventually one of those amazing breezes came rushing up the mountainside and all around me the trees that I have come to love out here--the Quaking Aspens--came to life. The Quaking Aspen trees have these tiny heart shaped leaves that quiver and shake in the wind and look almost like confetti as the branches sway. I'm planning to plant one in our backyard this summer. Hopefully it can live in Ohio! 

Just before sunset we decided to take one last walk down to the lake with the dogs. With no one else there, it was so quiet and peaceful. Until Kevin accidentally walked backwards off of the dock. He was completely submerged in the cold lake water for a few seconds until he grabbed my hand and I pulled him out of the water! Thankfully he left both his phone and wallet at the campsite, so nothing was damaged...he was just soaked from head to toe. Needless to say, that quickly put an end to our hike as his teeth started chattering and we raced back to the campsite so he could get changed into dry clothes. Ah! If only there were other campers there to witness the spectacle. Once he got changed and warmed by the fire, all we could do was laugh about the whole event. 

Overall, today was an enjoyable day. Exactly what we needed on day 12 of our trip. It is hard to believe we have been gone for almost two weeks already!

I just wish we could have called our dads for Father's Day today, but we have no service out here! Hopefully we will have service tomorrow when we pack up and head on to our next location. We aren't sure where that will be yet...we will figure it out tomorrow!