The Mighty Five - Part Four

Hiking with my best friend

Day Twenty Two – Scenic Byway 12 is an All American Road. I guess I thought all roads in the U.S. were all American roads, but there are actually 31 roads that meet the requirements to be designated as an All American Road. Scenic Byway 12 is a destination in and of itself. We traveled all 124 miles of this amazing road admiring the unique pink and deep red rock formations, the alpine forests, the endless open areas of sagebrush. And then, I actually had to get out of the car! We had driven to 9000 feet and were literally driving on the ridge of the mountain. There was only room for the 2 lane road. From the top, nothing obstructed my view on either side of the road since both sides of the road dropped off steeply to the valley far, far below. There was not another car in sight so I stood in the middle of the road just taking in the view. I was giddy with excitement to travel on this road and filled with gratitude for this adventure. Doug was driving the motorhome and I could no longer see him as the road was one switchback after the other descending the mountain. I hopped back in the car and quickly and carefully caught up to him. We stopped in Escalante at another Visitor Center for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This monument is so large and rugged that there are several places to enter the land. While we were there watched a group of researchers capture and release hummingbirds as they migrated through the area. It was quite intriguing to learn they had already tagged 48 birds that morning tracking their migration patterns.  Capitol Reef National Park was our destination for the day so we continued our drive to Torrey, a small town outside the park. After dropping off the motorhome at the RV Park, Doug and I headed to the Visitor Center at Capitol Reef to check out the area. We watched the film describing the formation of the Waterpocket Fold and then discovered that there was a ranger program in 10 minutes at the petroglyphs just down the road. We found a place to park the car and joined a group of people to learn more about the Fremont people who had lived in this area almost 1000 years ago. We saw their carvings in the rock which have persevered long after the people left this arid, rocky desert. In the late 1800’s, Mormon settlers came to this area, planted orchards, developed irrigation channels, and created the community of Fruita. The historic district of Fruita allowed us a glimpse of life in this small oasis near the Fremont River. The orchards are well kept and produce fruit each fall, much to the delight of the tourists who can stop to eat whatever is available. Doug and I began our exploration of Capitol Reef with a 2 mile hike through a slot canyon to the Hickman Bridge. The topography here is unlike any we had seen in Utah so far. The park is only 6 miles from east to west, but is 60 miles top to bottom. Much of the area is only accessible with a high clearance vehicle, but there was plenty for us to discover for the next few days.

The beauty of Capitol Reef

Day Twenty Three - Wow! Wow! Wow! Doug and I drove the scenic route through Capitol Reef. It is a 10 mile paved road that goes past the Visitor Center, through the historic area, and ends at the unpaved Capitol Gorge Road. It is hard to believe that this narrow Capitol Gorge Road was the only road people traveled on to get through this area until the 1960’s. The nonstop gorgeous scenery on this 2.5 mile gravel road took our breath away. The towering sheer cliffs of red and gold sandstone had been divided by water many, many years ago leaving us with a fairly level, albeit twisty area to drive. It was so beautiful Doug stopped on the side of the narrow road so we could get out to appreciate what our eyes were seeing. At the end of this road was a small parking lot and the beginning of the Capitol Gorge Trail. I didn’t think it could be more beautiful, but once again I was surprised. We followed the dry creek bed and noticed ancient petroglyphs on the canyon walls. There were figures that looked like sheep, the sun, and people carved into the rock. A little further down the trail we found the Pioneer Register. There were a lot of names and dates carved into the rock from the 1800’s when this land was settled by a group of Mormon families. These hard working people endured hardships, but they found a way to build a good life here. Our hike continued about a mile through the gorge until we took a spur trail leading to some tanks. Tanks are a series of shallow pools created in the stone by the force of water rushing through the canyon. We followed the path marked by rock cairns, climbed over slick rock, and found the tanks. Most of them were dry, but we did find one with water in it, and some tadpole shrimp swimming in the shallow pool. We scrambled up large boulders, pulled ourselves up using small finger holds, and walk on the edge of the rock until finally I was at my limit. Doug went farther than I did. It was a bit scary to me as the drop-offs were significant and health care a bit of a distance from here. I stopped to watch a lizard dig under a rock while I waited for Doug to get back. It was fun to explore the area; we even found a bridge that had been created by the force of water pouring through the rock. We drove back towards the visitor center and took the opportunity to explore some of the historic buildings of Fruita, the Mormon community that thrived here until 1969. We had heard people on the trail talking about fruit pies from the Gifford House. It was worth the stop. I recommend the berry pie; it was delicious! Since it was still early afternoon we chose another hike – The Grand Wash Trail. This was an easy 4.4 mile hike on a gravel path. The rock walls were 500 feet above us and we couldn’t help but stop and admire the grandeur. Wow! The walls were filled with color. Reds, oranges, rust, black and cream colors all seem to deepen in intensity as we walked deeper and deeper into the wash. Sometimes the trail was only 15 feet wide. It was so quiet in there that we would stop to appreciate the silence. We loved every minute as we reflected on our marriage, our family, and our adventure.

The adventurous life is a good life

Day Twenty Four – Doug and I are realizing that this adventure is beginning to wind down so we spent the morning reflecting on how to spend our last few days. Every day at breakfast we have shared a memory from one year of our married life and I can’t believe we are already sharing year 24. Laughter, joy, and gratitude are always a great way to begin the day. This has been the absolute best way to celebrate our 30 years together. We enjoyed 3 different hikes today. Chimney Rock loop is a 4 mile strenuous hike that brought us to amazing vistas of the valley. We saw snow-capped mountains in the distance, the lush green trees of Fruita, the deep red sandstone streaked with black as we climbed up to the rim. The Chimney Rock formation stood like a sentry beckoning us to linger and cherish the moment. For several miles we enjoyed the beauty of this land with no one else in sight. What a delight! Nearby the trail head for Chimney Rock was the trail head for Goosenecks and Sunset trails. They are both short, easy hikes and totally worth it. The Goosenecks trail allowed us to look at how the Sulfur Creek cut into the stone curving back and forth as it found the path of least resistance. The Sunset trail allowed us to sit on a high rock facing west and gaze over the valley. Over and over I contemplated how difficult it was to live here in the 1800’s.

Day Twenty Five – We welcomed a day of solitude before leaving this park. Our entire time at Capitol Reef we have felt a quietness, a call to slow down and be refreshed. We answered that call and spent the day in a way that refreshed each of us individually. Doug packed his lunch and headed to a place in the National Park by the Fremont River. I stayed at the RV Park, sat outside with the view of mountains before me, reading and writing and then in the afternoon I enjoyed some solitary time at the pool. At the end of the day Doug and I shared our “top ten” of our 30 day trip. Our “number one” best thing of the entire trip was the privilege of spending uninterrupted, intentional time with the one we love. Today has been a beautiful gift of a time for reflection, connection with God and each other, and a time of refreshment for our souls.

Mars, Utah

Day Twenty Six – We drove 170 miles from Capitol Reef National Park back to Moab. The landscape in southern Utah changes dramatically in just a few miles. We had driven about 40 miles when we encountered Mars. The landscape looked just like photos I had seen of the planet Mars which is why there is actually a Mars Desert Research Station located there. This research facility provides a simulation habitat for exploring the surface of Mars. My eyes were huge as I scanned the horizon. The grayish white boulders, the lack of vegetation, the barren environment for miles and miles boggled my mind. And then, we rounded the corner to find cattle grazing on lush green grass. We made it back to Moab which completed our circle of the Mighty Five National Parks in Utah. It has been an amazing adventure. A trip of a lifetime. We will begin our journey back to Ohio tomorrow, but for now the pool was a perfect way to spend the 90 degree afternoon.

Day Twenty Seven - The sun rose over the mountains in Moab as we got ready to pull out of the campground. The color of darkness quickly faded away and was replaced by the soft red and orange glow of the sandstone and the deep blue of the cloudless morning sky. The air was a pleasant 66 degrees with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees in the campground. The wind was predicted to pick up to over 20 mph by noon and we wanted to get out of town before that happened. We also were headed over the Rocky Mountains on our way to Denver and the temperature was going to hit over 90 degrees in the mountains. This was a stark contrast to the ice, snow and 28 degrees we experienced when we traveled through earlier this month. We were looking forward to seeing the change in the scenery that a few weeks made. It was a great feeling to be back in the co-pilot seat as we headed out of town. The traffic was light as the city of Moab was just beginning to stir. Cars were lining up at the entrance to Arches ready to experience the National Park in the cool of the day. The breakfast cafes were open and a few people were grabbing their morning coffee. We headed north to Interstate 70 – the road we will travel all the way to Indianapolis over the next week. After 100 miles we said goodbye to Utah, thankful for the amazing memories of adventure that we are taking home with us. We still had 250 miles to go to get to Denver and most of them involved elevation change. We drove past Glenwood Springs and could see the pool at the hot springs filled with people. The motorhome was doing great as we gained elevation to Vail Pass. We were now at 10,900 feet. We noticed snow remaining on ski runs, green grass on the golf courses, and the cute resort town of Vail. We missed all this the last time we drove through here as we were only staring at the white, icy road in front of us. We climbed to over 11,000 feet and the snow was hanging onto the mountain above us. The Colorado River quickly raced away from the mountains full of melted snow runoff. People were everywhere celebrating the Memorial Day weekend – riding bikes, UTV’s, and motorcycles or kayaking on the Colorado, fishing, or taking their boat to a nearby lake. The melting snow and bright green leaves on the trees pointed to the arrival of spring in the Rockies. I couldn’t stop staring out the window. I love the height of the motorhome and the huge front window. The view as we drove over the Rocky Mountains was stunning. I kept searching the mountains for an elk. We spotted mule deer, but not the elusive elk. Maybe next time. We arrived in Denver by 11:30 and shopped for a few supplies at Camper World before heading to our RV Park for the next 2 nights. Doug had discovered that Denver was celebrating a Day of Rock downtown on the 16^th Street Mall. There were free concerts and a benefit to help provide good medical care for children in Denver. Doug drove to downtown Denver in the motorhome, expertly maneuvered though the traffic, found a place to park for a 30 foot motorhome, and we got to experience the culture, music, and people of Denver. We had a great time watching people as we enjoyed delicious street tacos and a few different bands. Doug had spotted a Brass Armadillo Antique Store on our way to the Day of Rock concert. Before heading back to the RV Park we stopped to check out the antiques of Denver. What a great travel day. Plus, we got over 15,000 steps in too!

Resting in Denver

Day Twenty Eight – This morning at breakfast we had shared our memories from 2015, our time in Geneva. This journey has had similar benefits that come from an extended time of slowing down and setting aside time to abide. The absence of distractions and outside stress creates a wonderful space to enjoy each other. We have indeed been truly blessed.

Denver is a beautiful city with a beautiful view. We heard that Denver has over 300 days of sunshine a year, but upon further investigation the truth is that they experience 300 days with at least one hour of sunshine. Not quite what I was thinking a sunny day meant, but we were blessed with one of their sunny days and enjoyed the Denver Arts Festival in Stapleton. We were not sure what we would find as we have been to a few art festivals in the past that have had a lot of publicity but not many artists. This festival did not disappoint. The unique artwork of photography, paintings, metal sculpting, stone art, and mixed medium pieces were beautifully displayed. The artists were engaging and excited about their work. It was a joy to hear their passion and learn about their craft. We recognized places we had traveled and marveled at the ability of these artists to capture the essence of the view at just the right moment. We heard beautiful music playing as we walked around the festival. Four young women were expertly playing violins and cellos and we were drawn to sit down in the small amphitheater. It was a delight to our senses. The entire day was perfect including our meal of fish tacos at a nearby restaurant. As evening approached we headed back to our RV Park where we walked around the neighborhood lake. Denver has over 200 parks within the city and we loved our evening walk in one of them.

Day Twenty Nine - We traveled through Colorado and entered Kansas today. The land is flat and open. There are few homes and the towns we passed are very small. Much of the land is farmland, planted with wheat and corn. I have flown over this land many times and saw these huge circles scattered on the ground. I now realize that the fields are planted in a circle because of the fixed irrigation system. Our 250 mile drive through the High Plains was uneventful, and we were thankful for God’s protection. We saw plenty of evidence that the wind knows how to blow in this flat, open land. As we entered Kansas the wind picked up to 25 miles per hour from the east. The headwind was steady and Doug masterfully drove to our RV Park to Oakley, Kansas. The clouds were dark in the northeast, and behind us the dark gray sky threatened to catch us. The woman at the campground was clear about where the tornado shelter was located and that the weathermen here get excited about a little weather. “Don’t worry,” she said, “the tornado activity was north of here.” Then she sent us to the back of the campground because there were a few trees that would help with the wind. We tuned into the weather station once we got to our assigned location – away from any other campers – and the weathermen were talking about tennis ball sized hail, the possibility of tornadoes and the wind speed. The rain began to fall and we smiled - thankful for arriving before dark, thankful for hooking up before the rain, and thankful we were not sleeping in a tent. Frequently on this journey, Doug and I would comment, “This is just like tenting, except for the AC, or the microwave, or the bathroom, or the ease of set up and take down.” While we also love tenting, we appreciated the convenience and comfort of traveling “with everything we could possibility need including the kitchen sink.” The storm rolled in with a vengeance. Lightning lit up the sky as Doug and I counted the seconds until we heard the loud boom of thunder. More than once we stared at each other with wide eyes wondering if we should seek out that storm shelter in the bathroom. The rain was pelting and the hail began to ping off the windows. Our eyes were glued to the TV and the weatherman did not seem too concerned about the intensity of the storm. Then I realized he was in Wichita and I was more than 100 miles from him. I was in the middle of the storm and he was not. They had sent a guy out to film the flash flooding happening just 6 miles from us and then nonchalantly mentioned the freeway where we were was shut down because 3 semis had blown over blocking the road. The winds were gusting to 70 miles per hour and Doug and I were shaking in the motorhome. Mostly, because the entire motorhome was tilting side to side as the wind from the east hit us broadside. It was a short night for the two of us.

There's no place like home

Day Thirty – We were so ready to get out of Kansas this morning! Neither one of us slept much last night, but there was a brief break in the weather so we were taking it. The freeway had opened up sometime in the night and we saw the trucks back on the road. The clouds were still dark but the wind was only blowing at 10 miles per hour. Doug pulled out of the campground at 8 am and we headed towards Missouri. I had had enough of Tornado Alley, the Wizard of Oz and the high plains of Kansas. We planned to drive 350 miles to Kansas City, Missouri. Once again I found myself behind the wheel for an hour or so and enjoyed every minute. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene was a great place to stop for a short break. The film in the Visitor Center was informative and the grounds were beautiful. It was a great way to continue to celebrate Memorial Day. We will complete the rest of our journey to Ohio in the next 2 days and are gearing up for acclimating to life at home. This has been an amazing journey and I can’t wait for our next adventure.