Utah National Parks Part 1

First of all let’s get the superlatives out of the way. The landscape here is immense, magnificent, inspiring, and just plain beautiful. Neither words nor photos do justice to the geological wonders we visited. We’ve learned that a sheer massive cliff 4,000 feet high can somehow seem close enough to touch yet in fact be nearly a mile above us. Just looking out the car window was a treat.

Our first park with Ken and Jerusha was Bryce. We loved the stark landscape and intimacy of Bryce Canyon. It’s also where we encountered our first hoodoo. A hoodoo is a slender tower of sedimentary rock shaped by sand, wind and time into curvy, oddly graceful, stone columns.

Fun Fact: Those who like the under-appreciated movie “Galaxy Quest’’ will recognize hoodoos from the scene on the alien planet, where they landed to find a new beryllium sphere. Movie fans, surely you remember the planet inhabited by the rock monster, and the cute but evil infant-like creatures. Well the point being, this classic cinematic scene was filmed in Goblin Valley State Park. The cruel twist is we didn’t get to visit there. Next time!

We saw hoodoos closeup when we went off-roading in Roxors (small but sturdy jeeps built for back-country dirt and boulder-filled roads). What an experience. We learned how to avoid treacherous deep sand areas (just read the map next time), how to find dinosaur footprints, and how to not get lost doing so (see previous comment about the map).

Off-roading is the only practical way to visit some very cool sights. We saw our first slot canyon at Peekaboo, plus 1600-year old petroglyphs drawn by the early inhabitants of this area. Some of these drawings looked oddly modern. Bouncing around in the jeep was worth it!

We also went to Antelope Canyon, thanks to our guide Sherri this visit yielded some spectacular photos. Many will recognize the sensual colorful curves of the well-known Windows computer background.

The town of Kanab was our base during these adventures. We loved this delightful town and enjoyed a nice dinner at the quirky Rocking V restaurant. Also we must mention the excellent fish tacos at Wild Thyme cafe. Surrounded by stark beauty of the desert and canyons, Kanab has been the setting for many western films and is nicknamed “Little Hollywood”.

Ken & Jerusha stayed nearby at the great DarkSky RV Park. As the name suggests, this is a great place for star gazing. The setting and modern design there sets a new standard for RV parks (check out those cool bathrooms!). The owners are friendly and genuinely interested in helping guests enjoy their stay. They even helped Ken and Sue celebrate their birthdays.

Finally Zion! Wow! As the song Horse with No Name goes “There were plants and birds and rocks and things”. So much to see at this massive park. Flower buddies Sue and Jerusha pointed out flowering plants, including cacti in purples, reds, yellows, orange and white. Animal life is abundant here: Mule deer, wild turkeys, speedy lizards, and frogs (sexually hyperactive frogs) made appearances on our hikes.

We appreciated the efficient people moving shuttles of Zion, and that Ken and Jerusha were able to get their monstrous RV into the campground at Zion.

A wonderful trip and we’re already planning our next visit!