Utah rocks

E and I are back from a weekend in the Utah rocks, the red rocks of Canyonlands National Park. We decided to take a little trip away from home before E started his new job (he started today), and Canyonlands fit the bill. The weather was going to be perfect, if not a little cold at night, and the nine years E and I have been together, just the two of us have never gone camping alone.

I took Friday off, and we were on our way by 8:00. The drive from Salt Lake to Canyonlands is exactly five hours, so after stopping for lunch, bathroom, and gas we got there around 2:30. We found a campsite right outside the park nestled against red cliffs and set away in juniper trees. Unpacking and setting up camp was a delight, because the skies were blue and clear.

Soon we decided to go into the park and take our first mini hike. We chose the Pothole Point, the very easy 0.6 mile loop on top of a slickrock mesa. By the time we were done with the hike, we were cold. There was some wind, and it was already beginning to get late in the day.

E and I headed back to camp to start on dinner. Both of us were wearing lots of layers, because as soon as the sun set, we were quite chilly. E made the most amazing chicken pot pie in the dutch oven for dinner. First he cooked chicken, onions, garlic and veggies in olive oil, then he added cream of chicken soup, a can of condensed milk, and a Pillsbury croissant crust. We both loved it.

As the pot pie cooked we headed up the red rocks behind us to watch the sunset. The sky was just perfect, and the orange glow made the rocks sparkle. Each time I snapped a photo I couldn't believe how orange everything looked. I quickly set up my new tripod and took a group photo before the sun dipped too low in the sky.

E and I enjoy the sunset with Violet and Traveling Inky.

After dinner was cleaned up we made a little campfire, shivered around it for a couple hours, and finally called it a night and went to bed. Damn was it cold. I got snuggled down into my sleeping bag, and only woke up a few times, but E said he was freezing all night. The next day we found out that the low was an awesome 27.4 degrees. Nice and frigid!

The next morning we woke up and I made a tasty breakfast of camper's hash - grilled onions, potatoes, bell peepers, mixed with bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese - yum! We even had ice cold OJ and hot tea.

Once breakfast was done E and I set off towards Chesler Park. Chesler Park is the most photographed area of The Needles region of Canyonlands because it is absolutely stunning. The needles of sandstone soar hundreds of feet into the air enclosing a large meadow of dessert grasses and trees. Each spire, or needle, is striped, with both white and red rock, taking turns along the huge column of rock.

The hike into Chesler Park was stunning. Over and under hundreds of sandstone canyons, and in the distance to the west, snow capped mountains, and in the distance to the east, the needles as far as the eye can see. The weather was PERFECT for hiking, I have never in my life had better hiking weather. The air was a little cool (60s), but the sky was clear. While hiking I never felt too hot or too cold, I was in Southern Utah heaven.
Once we hiked the three miles to Chesler Park E and I found a nice big rock to eat lunch and have a mini nap on. After our break we headed into the area a little more, and ended up exploring another mile or so. Each vista was jaw-droopingly beautiful. I took hundreds of photos, but knew that photos would not do this place justice.
As late afternoon approached, E and I decided to turn around and hike the four miles back to the car. On the way out, the trail was quite, so quite that we stopped to listen to the stillness a few times. By the time we got back to the car our feet and legs were tired from the demanding day.
Once back in camp we relaxed and started a fire. Or should I say tried to start a fire. We had purchased fire wood in Salt Lake, and all of it was quite large and damp. We also didn't have any kindling, so making the fire was quite tough. When we had all but given up, the fire started full force, and we were able to roast our hot dogs and marshmallows.

Luckily Saturday night was a lot warmer than Friday had been, and sitting around the fire and staying out late was not nearly as teeth chatteringly cold. The sky was amazing, I love to watch the stars in the desert.

On Sunday morning we woke up after a good and warmer night of sleep. I took some photos of the dolls (Violet and Inky) while E made German Pancakes for breakfast. As soon as we were about ready to sit down he discovered that the recipe went wrong, and he had mixed the eggs and butter with the powdered sugar instead of the flour. He was so bummed that he screwed up the recipe that he didn't want to try the yummy sweet omelet like-thing that it ended up being.

After the semi-failed breakfast we relaxed and packed up camp. Soon we were on our way back into the park so we could take another mini hike before we headed home. We hiked Cave Springs, which is fun because there are two ladders on the trail. Plus, the hiking weather was again, perfect.

After a few more photo stops (Newspaper Rock, Wilson Arch, Canyonlands sign) E and I headed home, very tired and happy.

And today he started his new job!

(Funny side note- I took Violet and her traveling friend Inky with me to Canyonlands. The first day at the visitors center the ranger asked them if they would like to become Junior Rangers. They had to do three things, and fill out a book telling about why they loved National Parks. I decided to go for it, and it was quite fun. The last day we went back to pick up the Jr. Ranger badges and both dolls had to repeat a pledge, tell what they liked about the park, etc., it was very silly indeed.)