Indulging Wanderlust: Grand Tour of Utah
I know I didn't send a post card, but I was thinking of you yesterday as I watched the sun come up over Utah's Canyonlands. Rufus and I have been on a week-long whirlwind adventure, and there's so much I want to tell you about. I've lived a lifetime in one week, so it's too much to describe in one day. I'll start for now with some photos... to show you where we went....
This trip was a magical experience that I'm more than happy to relive here. I'll share more about the adventure and other lessons in the coming days. Please check back — the adventure continues. Hope you have an inspired day.
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK Torrey, UT Southeast Utah has some of the most dramatic scenery imaginable. Capitol Reef NP, located near the town of Torrey, UT is wild and rugged. Our adventure began here.  |
GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK near Green River, Utah I've never seen the movie Galaxy Quest, but understand why it was filmed here. A hike through Utah's remote Goblin Valley State Park feels like science fiction.  |
CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK Island in the Sky (Northern Park District) Moab, Utah Canyonlands National Park is broken into distinct and distant parts. Island in the Sky is the northern district, which offers wide panoramic vistas of seemingly endless canyons below.  |
DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK Moab, Utah Dead Horse Point doesn't sound very inviting, but wait until you get a glimpse over the cliffs. This state park will make your imagination come alive.  |
WESTWATER CANYON WHITE WATER RAFTING 17 miles of wilderness along the Colorado River I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have gotten to do this — an adventure of a lifetime, for sure. Tag-a-Long Expeditions out of Moab, UT guided us on this day-long Westwater Canyon tour. Two and three day camping adventures are available for those without the same time and budget constraints, but take any trip along this river, and life will never look the same.  |
NEWSPAPER ROCK STATE HISTORIC MONUMENT near Monticello, Utah To me, the human history of of the American Southwest is as fascinating as the geology. Petroglyphs (etchings) and pictographs (paintings) can be found throughout these parts. Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument is a mind-blowing display of ancient Native American rock art.  |
CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK Needles (Southern Park District) near Monticello, Utah Needles, the southern district of Canyonlands National Park, is separated from the northern entrance by more than 100 miles. At lower elevation, this is a tour through the bottom of the canyons — a completely different world than the view from the top.  |
This trip was a magical experience that I'm more than happy to relive here. I'll share more about the adventure and other lessons in the coming days. Please check back — the adventure continues. Hope you have an inspired day.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing. I can't wait to go on a virtual wild west adventure with you and Rufus. It sounds like you guys had an incredbile time. You are so lucky to live so close to these marvelous landscapes- but more importantly- you are wise to take advantage of your proximity. It's a reminder for me to take a wander around my own region more often.
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Thank you! Yes, we are lucky to live in such an incredible part of the world -- we want to soak in as much of the southwest at any opportunity that we can... it's too beautiful to take for granted. I'm glad you feel inspired to explore your neck of the woods. Share pictures when you do!
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Whoa! I've been white river rafting, but nowhere that looked like THAT! How cool - now I'm itchin to go!!
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From what I understand, the rapids along this section of the Colorado aren't as wild as other rivers -- it was class III - IV -- but I don't know how you could beat the scenery. Hope you do get to go someday. I think it's well worth the trip.
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