Arches to Canyonlands – Day 4

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Calf Canyon Bed & Breakfast in Bluff, Utah

We loved staying here with Duke and Sarah Hayduk, who own and operate the Calf Canyon Bed & Breakfast. Dinner last night was at the Cow Canyon Trading Post. We’ve been so impressed that we put this on a future itinerary to bring Caroline’s mom back to both of these locations.

Northern Arizona on the Hopi Reservation

Back in Arizona, I believe this is the Hopi Reservation though it could be the Navajo as the two are neighbors.

Northern Arizona on the Hopi Reservation

One of my all-time favorite photos as it captures the openness of this Native American land in the most beautiful way to my eyes. I believe this, too, was on Hopi Lands, but again it might just be the Navajo Nation.

Painted Desert in Northern Arizona

The area is called the Painted Desert. When I was about six or seven years old, my Uncle Woody and Aunt Ann drove across America with my Aunt Lillian and sister Shari as Woody and Ann were moving to Santa Barbara, California. I was in the big moving van with my uncle at the wheel, and my sister was with my two aunts in a Cadillac. This is one of the first big memories I kept from that trip. The other standout memory was the cheap motel with the sound of the freight train passing by as though it were coming through our front door.

Caroline Wise on the Mogollon Rim in Northern Arizona

We used to drive a giant gas hog of a vehicle. This is up on the Mogollon Rim on our way home to Phoenix, Arizona.

Arizona sunset

Another freakishly beautiful sunset over Arizona.

Arches to Canyonlands – Day 3

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise in Arches National Park, Utah

We spent the night in Moab, Utah, which put us within minutes of reaching Arches National Park. We won’t go on any spectacular hikes or do a backcountry overnight camping, but we will have had the opportunity to at least once in our life see this landscape with our own eyes.

Arches National Park Utah

Hence the name: Arches. Click the image or click here to see a larger version.

Arches National Park, Utah

I believe this was called Delicate Arch.

Arches National Park, Utah

We chose a weather-appropriate day to be here. What we didn’t choose wisely was how much time to allocate to being here, only 3 hours.

Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument Utah

Route 211 off the 191 is where we have to aim the car to enter the southern end of Canyonlands National Park. Along the way is the Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument which is a treasure while simultaneously being a place that draws in absolute idiots who see no harm in defacing these incredible monuments. This won’t be the first time I ask myself what is wrong with young men. Seriously, the elderly and most women do not have the destructive potential of a man between the ages of 15 and 27.

Route 211 into Canyonlands National Park Utah

Route 211 heading into Canyonlands.

Canyonlands National Park Utah

Welcome to Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

Canyonlands National Park Utah

This is not a park you just drive through or walk up to an edge and feel you’ve seen anything. The depth and breadth of this park are to be seen by foot but be wary of The Maze as it is not unheard of that people get lost in there and die. We should also note that someday we’ll return for a hike out to the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers. Click the image or click here for a larger view of this panorama.

Sunset in Bluff, Utah

On the way to Bluff, Utah, for an overnight at Calf Canyon Bed & Breakfast, we passed through Monticello, where the road sign still reads Highway 666. Religious zealotry and superstition will one day change this Highway to Hell to Highway 491 in pandering to the wacky.

Arches to Canyonlands – Day 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

View of the Grand Canyon from inside the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim in Arizona

On the North Rim of the Grand Canyon sits the Grand Canyon Lodge; this is the view from inside their lobby.

View from the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

That’s the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in the distance, the same rim where millions of visitors go each year as opposed to this side where a fraction of that visits. Somewhere between is the Colorado River, where even fewer yet venture down its roaring waters.

John Wise on the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

I have vertigo, and this narrow trail passes over a ridge top with fairly steep falls on both sides. While the look is exaggerated for sure, that I’m being triggered by my fear is not.

Caroline Wise and John Wise on the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

Mission accomplished. We’ve been to both sides of the Grand Canyon National Park. Somehow we’ve got to get down deep in this big ditch behind us for a trip down the river: someday.

The road to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah

We are on Route 12 heading towards Bryce Canyon National Park but are not stopping there as we have a destination in mind that is further away.

Somewhere between Bryce and Escalante, Utah

Still on Route 12 driving northeast through southern Utah.

Somewhere between Bryce and Boulder, Utah

First panorama with the new camera and wouldn’t you know it, our sensor or lens would be dirty. Click the image or click here to view a larger version.

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah

On a backroad in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. This is likely the first time we’ve been able to drive into a narrow canyon on a dirt road. Discovering we can travel and go places after living so many years in front of a computer or reading books is enlightening in its own right.

Geological formation in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

We are falling in love with geology all over again. Still in Capitol Reef National Park.

Abandoned stone cabin on Route 24 between Caineville and Hanksville, Utah

This abandoned stone cabin that always stands out to us for its intricate stonework finally got me to stop and grab a photo. This crumbling building sits next to the road on Route 24 between Caineville and Hanksville, Utah.

Confluence of Muddy Creek and Fremont River becoming the Dirty Devil River in Utah

The confluence of the Fremont River and Muddy Creek outside of Hanksville becomes the Dirty Devil River that runs into the Colorado River just above Lake Powell. There are times when the Dirty Devil can be run with kayaks.

Arches to Canyonlands – Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Arizona sunset

Taking another long weekend getaway. This time, we are heading up over Northern Arizona, where we are for sunset, and stopping in at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before going up into Utah.

Arizona sunset

Our destination is a cabin in the park, but it will be seriously dark out before we ever get close.

Sunset near Flagstaff, Arizona

It’s these kinds of sunsets that keep our love affair with the Southwest alive and well.

Los Angeles – Day 4

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise on the road in Arizona

It’s still morning, and she’s yawning; it’s not like one of our 2:00 a.m. drives back to Phoenix, Arizona.

So, while it’s true that I’m shooting with a new camera on this little excursion out to Los Angeles, I only have the memory stick that came with the camera, which is 8MB. The 64MB sticks were delayed getting to market, so I’m still shooting like I’m using floppy disks or film. Btw, that 64MB card when it came out was a bit more than $100.

Los Angeles – Day 3

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Oki Dog in Los Angeles, California

This is the World Famous Oki-Dog at 860 N. Fairfax Ave in Los Angeles, California. When I was an angst-ridden punk rocker in the late ’70s, I used to go to their original location on Santa Monica Blvd and get their pastrami burrito and fries for a few bucks, and both were enough to feed two or three people. The pastrami burrito is one of the weirdest concoctions ever: it is made of two massive overlapping tortillas, grilled peppers, onions, and a mound of pastrami; cover that with chili, pickles, and mustard and there you go: a grease bomb. I introduced Caroline to this kind of indulgence back in 1991 on her first visit to the United States, probably within her first 48 hours in America.