I FOUND MOUNTAIN GOATS! Therefore, today will be my last day of vacation.
(I also saw some nice wildflowers in Independence Pass and stopped at the super awesome Leadville Fish Hatchery on the way back down. I also got to wave to Copper, which was nice – they still have a few bits of snow in places. AND I met up with Kathleen for dinner tonight back in Denver too!)
Finally back in the mountains where there are trees and snow and water! I drove up to Aspen today and took the shuttle to hike around Maroon Bells Wilderness, which was very pretty. The ranger gave everyone a whole spiel about it being moose country though, and I saw no moose, so slightly disappointed! After getting back down into town I took a walk through the John Denver Sanctuary and went to the Aspen Brewery for some dinner.
Back in Colorado! Colorado National Monument is this crazy canyon rim drive just over the border. Looked for more bighorn sheep in both canyons actually, but was unsuccessful in finding any blending in with the rock walls! Jane told me I had to go to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park if it would fit into my drive plan and wow was she right! The walls are sheer drops down to the river below – you can’t even see the river from some of the overlooks because it’s so steep and narrow. Staying at Big B’s Delicious Orchards tonight – the cider actually was really good (very apple-y, just like I like it) and their motto is “Chop wood. Raise Chickens. Drink cider.” which is pretty great.
Today l drove into the park early to beat the heat. First, Devil’s Garden for a few arches – I think the pine the arch may have been my favorite of the whole park. A couple other short hikes/ viewpoints before heading back down into Moab for a shower and a beer and brassed sprout salad at the Moab Brewery whee there was ample air conditioning since it was 105°. l did go back up at sunset to capture Delicate Arch from the overlook-no way I was going to hike all the way there. Sunset hour photos from last night are here too.
I went straight to the market stand when it opened and waited on line for cinnamon rolls and pies made with fruit from the Fruita orchards! I drove the scenic drive early to head down to the end by the gorge where the desert bighorn sheep supposedly spend most of their time. I didn’t see any sheep but I did see a peregrine falcon! I drove up to Canyonlands next – mesas might be my new favorite land feature ever. Canyonlands has such an insane view – even though there was a bit of wildfire smoke obscuring the furthest mountains. (I did get up to Arches too at sunset, but I’m just going to put all those pictures together with tomorrow’s.)
More waking up early – this time to make it to Bryce for sunrise. Easily one of my top 5 places on the planet for a reason, and sunrise did not disappoint. I also hiked down into the canyon on a big loop to get some other views of the hoodoos. The drive up to Capitol Reef – “Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway” – has to be one of the best scenic drives in the country and everyone should take that route (apparently traffic tops out at just under 2,500 so not enough people see this). The views of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Dixie National Forest, and Capitol Reef National Park are insane, and this was the last area of the lower 48 to be mapped. (There are a couple of bonus Capitol Reef pics here too from before I went to my campground and attended the evening program (trees and shrubs) and the star talk!)
I woke up early for one last Grand Canyon sunrise and then headed on my way to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, home of Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend. After being on the south/east side of the Colorado River so long, it was time to cross over to the other side. The Navajo Bridge in Lees Ferry (home to some regular condors, it seems!) has an old pedestrian span and a new vehicle span. Then I drove around Vermilion Cliffs (aptly named) to find the condor release site (the sign says the condors don’t hang out there in the spring/summer and I should go look for them at the south rim or Navajo bridge…….) and up past the north rim for my first site of the grand staircase.
This morning I woke up for sunrise and went to a set of nice benches under the watchtower. was the only one there for probably 45 minutes and had the whole canyon to myself. After breakfast with a view, I drove the rim to the visitors center, and hiked along the rim to the trailhead so I could go down into the canyon. After a morning hike, I rode the shuttle to the western stops and saw a magnificent condor!
I don’t know what I was expecting from Mesa Verde, but I was blown away by the landscape before I even got to any cliff dwellings! After Mesa Verde it was a long drive through the Navajo Nation, around Monument Valley, and over to the Grand Canyon.
Today was a driving day with miles split by the GREAT sand dunes and some awesome pull offs on the way to Durango.
Travels Around the World 