From Hanksville, we headed west towards Capitol Reef National Park and beyond.
Tapestry Wall
Petroglyphs
Pioneer Register -- people would scratch their names and dates on the rock as they passed through
A wet spring created a great environment for desert flowers
From there, we headed south towards Boulder Town and the beginning of the Burr Trail.
Along the way, we encountered Willie pushing a beat up mountain bike and trailer up one of the grades. From Macon, Georgia, he's been on the road for 15 months. We gave him some food, and water and had a great time hearing his tales of life on the road. He works when he can get it but just seems to enjoy the solitude of traveling alone.
Waterpocket Fold; Capitol Reef
We traveled down the Notom/Bullfrog Road, eventually reaching Lake Powell at Hall's Crossing.
Crossing Lake Powell on the ferry was a great way to see the country.
After spending the night in Blanding, we headed north towards the zoo that Moab has become. Compared to the rest of the trip, Moab was packed with people and vehicles, it being the height of the tourist season. First stop was Arches National Park.
We did the hike to Delicate Arch along with a few hundred other folks.
The arch sits next to an amazing natural amphitheatre.
People kept adding to the rock cairns used as trail markers.
From Arches, we headed to the Island in The Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. Given it's about a 35 mile drive from Moab, it was far less crowded.
The La Sal Mountains still carry a heavy snow load.
A good omen, I hope.
That is the White Rim Road/Trail, a prime mountain bike route.
I convinced the missus to drive some of the Shafer Road Trail down the switchbacks a ways.
The goal was to follow the road over that hill to the overlook at Goose Neck Bend on the Colorado River.
It did not disappoint.
The cacti were in full bloom.
Heading out of Moab towards Fruita, CO, we followed the Colorado River east.
Cheers
