Canyonlands here we come!

Captains Log September 1 – It was a rainy ugly day for our trip to Canyonlands NM.  We went

Looking down

to the bottom half a few years ago and the upper was our agenda today.  They do not connect anywhere in the middle and it’s a drive going to either end.  Just before you enter there is a state park Dead Horse Point that we would and gone to after, but the big thing there is an overlook that is supposed to be awesome but no point in trying in the rain.

You will see in our photos that the rain came and went and then came until we left the park.  It was very foggy when it wasn’t raining the fog would move right over points of interest and causing me to miss some of the best shots!

The number of tourists was good for the weather.  The Visitor Center was open but they only

were ringing up store sales.  The other side with displays was all covered with sheets.  We think they didn’t want people to cough or something but it was OK to spread germs in the shop!  We masked anywhere there were other people.

The places we visited were:  Shafer Canyon, Mesa Arch, Orange Cliffs, Grandview Point, Upheaval Dome, Green River and Whale Rock.  Hopefully I can identify some of the photos!

I had packed our small cooler with snack and lunch but wished I’d brought a thermos of hot beverage.  We ate in the car while parked at a
picnic/restroom stop.  Tight to do in the truck!

We had a bit of a hike out to Mesa Arch and it was foggy when we got there and worse on the way back.  It would have been a beautiful site if not for the fog.  It was a struggle to get a decent picture with the fog rolling in all over.  I climbed a big boulder beside it hoping for a view down in the canyon but it was too foggy.

At some stops we had to walk out to the points to see what was important and you didn’t dare get too close to the edges along the canyon sides.  You could see tiny ant roads down down there but Bill would not even think of taking his truck on those unpaved roads.  At one stop we had to cross 2 sections of road

Whale Rock

that had flooded and red clay was piled on the crossing.  He couldn't wait to get back to town and get his truck cleaned!

Of course as we left the park it was clearing so when we got to the Whale Rock it was clear on the rest of the way home.

On the way back in to Moab we stopped along the road where the Dinosaur place was and snapped a couple of photos of the ones outside.  Might be a great stop if you have little kids but we were tired, cold and wet so it wasn’t happening today!

Not a clear day!

We made a quick stop at the grocery as my coffee maker is on the blitz and I needed to get some white vinegar and see if I could get it back on track!  I ended up having to take the cover off and shake things up but got it working so far!!