Moab, UT
Bryce Canyon
Nadya is sick with a head cold. We managed to do the scenic drive and about half the viewpoints before she had to call it quits and we had to buy $7 tiny bottle of Nyquil. While she slept, I took a hike down into the hoodoos. Words cannot describe the hoodoos. Look at the pictures to get an idea what they are like. The trail led down a formation known as Wall Street. A series of switchbacks take you down into a slot canyon. The canyon walls are 200 feet tall and, at one point, 5 feet wide. Towards the end of the canyon a Ponderosa pine grows in the center of the canyon. A most amazing site and only a quarter mile down the trail. The trail continued through amazing formation after amazing formation. About half way through the trail I met Hal. Hal is a retired photographer for the Los Alamos newspaper. We chatted about the canyon and how hard it was to photograph. As we began the climb up the rim we took more and more pictures. Stopping to admire the view is a good way to catch your breath.After her nap, I took Nadya to another scenic overlook where she could see the canyon he’d hiked it and some truly amazing sights. “Wow!” she says.
Wow! On the drive to Arches National Monument, we drove through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capital Reef National Park. We’d never heard of either of these places and they’re both simply beautiful. Jim kept having to pull over and take pictures. We’ll have to come back!
Once in Moab, Nadya insisted we splurge on a suite at the Gonzo Inn. (We’re not making this up: their logo is a lizard and the sign pointing to the Inn has a three dimensional lizard dressed in a Hawaiian shirt. How could any niece of Uncle Duke NOT stay here?) After another nap, we checked out Moab and had dinner. Whoops, now Nadya has to sleep again!
