Day 8 - July 7, 2017

Day 8

Summary: rough hike, homemade apple pies, Utah National Parks #3 & 4.

There are no room darkening shades in our Teepee so we were up rather early.  Did I mention how comfortable our teepee was? Guaranteed it was nothing like Stands With a Fists & Dances With Wolves teepee, we had a few more modern conveniences... we were roughing it 21st Century Style! There was a baby jack rabbit that greeted us as we awoke!

Our teepee was located just two-three miles from the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park so we were in the park early. One of our first stops was to look for petroglyphs on the side of the mountains. Ancestors of the Hopi Tribes made this red rock oasis their homes. They were potters, jewelry makers, farmers, and spent time carving stories and pictures into the mountainside.

The next stop included a hike to Hickman's Bridge. It was a 1.5 mile hike with an elevation change of 400 feet. The temperature was already at 100 and there was no breeze. There was no shade. It truly felt desert-like. This was the hottest we've been the entire trip.

Arrival to Hickman's Bridge did not disappoint. We stayed a while to snap a few pictures and to catch some shade before hitting the trail back.

After the hike we were hungry and still thirsty. We came upon Gifford Homestead where we bought a wrap to eat. They also specialized in homemade pies. We bought an apple personal size to share. It was perfect! We enjoyed it tremendously.

Drive from Capitol Reef to Moab- we drove through miles of desert that had mounds of sand that had motorbike trails on them. Interesting way to pass your time I guess. After a couple of hours o n the road we arrived in Moab, Utah and decided to hit Arches National Park for the rest of the day.

One of the first stops in Arches is called Park Avenue. You can see the rock structures below resembling high rise towers against the blue sky.

This particular formation was in the same area as Park Avenue and we could not find a particular name for it, we just thought that it somewhat resembled a hand giving a 'gesture'. LOL

Be nice!

Just Impressive

The Window 

Delicate Arch - is on Utah License Plates

Balancing Rock

This day truly kicked our tails. Mine especially. When we finished at Arches we stopped for pizza that was fabulous- we were so hungry I didn't even think to snap a pic of it before we devoured it. Got back to the hotel, showered and I passed out with my hair in a towel before 8 pm. I woke the next morning. That is why I am delayed with getting blog posts up.

Anyway, tomorrow brings us to National Park #5 of 5 in Utah, Canyonlands. I hope to have it posted soon. In the meantime, enjoy pics from Day 8.