ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

MONDAY, 23rd MAY.

And yet another WOW day!!!  Today was our first 'free' entry into a National  Park as our $80 annual pass has covered our previous 3 visits so no more to pay, plus...as pass holders we were able to bypass the queue at the entrance gate.  I've said it before but I must say it again, photos just don't do justice to the incredible rock formations in the park but they can give some idea of how spectacular they are.  We spent a few hours driving from viewpoint to viewpoint and even though we keep saying  "that's enough photos", there'll be another click of the camera....we just can't help ourselves.
When we finally left the park, we drove into nearby Moab, spied a food truck on a corner and stopped for a yummy quesadilla which we shared, before doing a loop drive along the Colorado River and through the La Sal Mountains.  On a stop at the peak of the pass, we spoke to some cyclists who had ridden the opposite way up the mountain from Moab and were preparing for the descent...they told us they spend time in Perth every year (he is a lecturer and she said Rottnest is her favourite place in the world!), we warned them about the bad stretch of road with the many potholes we'd had to negotiate, wished them well and made our way down the mountain back to the highway, then south to our overnight stop in Blanding. 

BRYCE CANYON

SUNDAY, 22nd MAY.

Yet another WOW day!!!  It was a short drive from Panguitch to Bryce Canyon, with its many viewpoints and trails for hikers and bikers.   The fierce winds we'd had in the last few days had finally abated, the sun shone brightly though it was a little cool early on (we were between 8 and 9 thousand feet above sea level) and although there were thousands of people in the park, we were able to easily park at each viewpoint and enjoy the spectacular scenery.  We spent about four hours admiring the views before heading off via the scenic route along Highway 12 to Green River where we stayed overnight.

TO PANGUITCH, UTAH.

SATURDAY, 21st MAY.  (Still)

After leaving Horseshoe Bend on the way to our planned overnight stop in Panguitch, we drove across the Navajo Bridge which spans the Colorado River, passed by the Vermilion Cliffs, drove through the Kaibab National Forest, crossed the border into Utah a few miles past Fredonia and continued north through some gorgeous scenery...green rolling hills, farming country and quite different from what we had seen in the last few days.  Mike was looking forward to having a beer in a bar in the town, BUT, there are no bars...Panguitch is in a 'dry' county but it is possible to buy alcohol in the supermarket and drink at home!   Butch Cassidy's boyhood home is 25 miles north of Panguitch but we didn't fancy a 50 mile round trip to see it.

HORSESHOE BEND

After our visit ti the Antelope canyon we called in a few miles down the road for a short walk to Horseshoe Bend.

ANTELOPE CANYON

SATURDAY, 21st MAY.

Another WOW day!!!  Leaving Big Water early to drive the short distance back across the border to Page, we found on arrival that we were sixth in the queue for the Antelope Canyon tour and once the gates were opened, there was a charge to the car park.  Because we were "walk ins" and others had booked, we had to wait a while till the 9 o'clock tour but it was well worth it!  There were 12 people in our group (3 American couples, 1 French couple, 1 Spanish pair and a couple of fossils from Down Under).  Our tour guide was Dezzi, a full blood Navajo who was a mine of information and a delghtful, friendly, helpful young man...we couldn't have wished for a better guide.  The path through the canyon was a bit squeezy at times, the squillions of photos we took don't do it justice but it was a great experience, one not to be missed.

FLAGSTAFF TO PAGE

THURSDAY, 19TH MAY.

We didn't do too much this morning after yesterday's outing to the very grand Grand Canyon as we were both a little worn out, so gave ourselves a half day of rest and recuperation.  When we did venture out, it was to the laundry where we left a bag of washing to be washed and dried.  The laundress informed us that they would close at 3.00p.m. and wouldn't re-open until Monday, due to a fair that was being set up in the centre carpark which would effectively close all the shops there.  With only a couple of hours or so available before collection time, we opted to visit the visitor centre, go for a walk around the town as we hadn't seen much of it the night before (plus it was freezing then), and go for a short drive.  There was time for a cup of coffee before returning to the laundry at 2.45pm only to find that it was already closed.  After a mild panic, we were able to retrieve our clean, dried and neatly folded washing (all for $9) so a happy ending ensued.  By this time it was raining steadily so we decided to return to the motel, via the supermarket, for a quiet night.

FRIDAY, 20TH MAY.

We made an earlyish start to the day, leaving Flagstaff at 7.30a.m. for the short drive north to the Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument where we were able to use our National Parks pass to gain entrance.  There are a few walking trails of various lengths through the lava fields and we chose the shortest one, had several attempts at taking a photo of the Sunset Crater Volcano while struggling to not get blown away by the fierce wind, visited an ancient Indian village and I had my first test drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, driving to Cameron where we stopped at the Trading Post and were blown into the extensive store which houses some wonderful Indian hand made articles as well as a few from China. 

Pressing on, we looked for a sheltered picnic spot to have lunch, couldn't find one so sat in the car out of the afore mentioned fierce wind to make and eat our lunch, after which we carried on to Page where we visited the Glen Canyon Dam and the Visitor Centre, collecting information re visiting Antelope Canyon from the very friendly, helpful lady there.  Unable to stay overnight in Page as all accommodation was booked out (it's graduation week we were told) we drove a short distance across the border into Utah and stayed the night in Big Water

GRAND CANYON

WEDNESDAY, 18th MAY.

Before leaving Ash Fork for the 80 mile drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, we stopped at the service station/trading post store to refuel the car and for $6 bought a cup of coffee, a hot, hot chocolate and a deliciously fresh doughnut each and after having devoured them, drove on with much excitement and anticipation.  We were not disappointed!  At the entrance gate to the National Park, we purchased an $80 annual pass, which entitles us to visit any national park in the country which will be a saving for us as we plan to visit quite a few.  Parking inside the park is free and having found a space in the crowded car park, we walked to our first viewing place, then followed the rim trail for an hour or so before deciding to catch one of the free shuttle buses which stop at about 8 other places, each one a little different from the others but all spectacular.  All in all, we spent 7 hours admiring the stunning scenery, and on the drive out of the park, stopped at a few more viewing spots, we were simply overawed.  On our eventual departure from the park, we drove on down through some lovely scenery to Flagstaff for a couple of nights, and a bit of r and r.