By this Author: TravelAmbition

Hey everyone!

Thanks for following along on my trip to southern Utah. I'm grateful to be back home, but so glad that I went. I saw some amazingly beautiful natural landscapes, I got to have plenty of solitude, and I enjoyed challenging my physical and mental limits. To end the blog, I'm going to share with you some bonus photos along with some of the little details that made the trip special.

- I discovered a storytelling podcast called Campfire Radio Theater. I really enjoyed listening to episodes while I set up my camp and cooked my dinner.

- Each night in my tent, I watched a movie on my phone that I had downloaded from Amazon. It's really nice to watch a movie when there is nothing to distract you.

- I ate A LOT of candy and Honey Buns.

- While driving, I listened to the audiobook version of How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. The prose was a little too flowery for my liking, but the historical content and context was very valuable.

- I left my car window open while I went on a two day, two night hike in Cayonlands. When I got back to my car, I discovered that critter had ripped open my back of granola and spread it everywhere. He didn't seem to eat much of it.

- The night sky was brilliant. It looked like a painted ceiling.

I finally made it to my fourth and final destination on my trip to southern Utah—Bryce Canyon. This visit was a little different than the others because Bryce Canyon sits at a higher elevation than the other parks I visited which means it's still winter here. There was a lot of snow and most of the park is still closed. Nevertheless, I visited all of the viewpoints that were open and put on my crampons to hike into and out of the canyon itself. The trek into the canyon was a little challenging because of the winter condition, but no more treacherous than anything else I've done this week. The canyon itself is amazing! It is filled with red rocks that have been formed into a rock formation called hoodoos. They are steeple-like pillars that rise high into the air to create some stunning natural beauty. I did my best to take photos, but the sun was so bright that couldn't hardly see the screen of my phone.

I'm in Salina, UT tonight. Tomorrow, I'm stopping in Loveland, CO to visit some friends. I'll finally arrive home on Monday.

Thank you for following along! It's been a really wonderful trip. I'll share one more post later with some final thoughts and photos.

Hello from the Best Western in Bryce Canyon City. When I last wrote I was in Escalante after completing my hike in Canyonlands National Park. Since then, I did an overnight hike in Coyote Gulch which is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This was much more secluded than Canyonlands but equally as spectacular. I hiked in through something called Hurricane Wash. Once I reached the Coyote Gulch, I was enclosed by huge, towering cliffs on each side while I followed the stream bed below. What was amazing about these cliffs, is that as the stream meandered one way and then another, it managed to carve out huge semi-circles in the rock, making each cliff into a natural amphitheater. In some cases, the cliffs surrounded me on three sides while also enclosing me overhead. The cliffs were too big to photograph. All I can tell you is that they were an incredible sight to see.

Today and tomorrow I'm visiting Bryce Canyon which is only partially open because of deep snows. I will share some photos from Bryce Canyon tomorrow before finally heading back home on Sunday/Monday. For now, enjoy these photos from Hurricane Wash and Coyote Gulch.

Hello from the Ponderosa Inn in Escalante, Utah. The last I wrote I was in Moab on my way south to Canyonlands National Park. I arrived there on Sunday night and camped just outside the park. It got cold that night! When I finally got out of my tent in the morning, my water was frozen and my rain fly was covered in a thick layer of frost. After shaking off the frost, and packing up, I went into Canyonlands National Park for a two day backcountry hike. And what a hike it was! I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit... nerve-racking! That's because I spent a significant amount of time on the sides of high cliffs, narrow ravines, and steep rock faces. Often, I had to hop, jump, and climb from one surface to another. Even more often, I had to take small, sure-footed steps while edging up or down the side of a canyon. And, the only way to know where I was going, was to follow the cairns (piles of intentionally placed rocks). It was stressful, but it was also amazing. The views from atop the canyons were stunning, vast, and majestic. So, despite some of the challenges (and stressors), and I exceedingly grateful that I got to see and experience the world in a way that most never get to.

Tomorrow and Friday I'll be hiking in a place called Coyote Gulch. Then, it's on to Bryce Canyon.

P.S. I picked up two hitchhikers today. I know that's kind of dangerous, but they were two nice young ladies who were backpackers, too. Their boots left a whole mess of dirt in the backseat of my car.

Hey everyone!

I'm checking in McDonald's in Moab, Utah. After a long, long drive I arrived in Moab last night. This morning, I was up before the sun so that I could get to Arches National Park and hike to Delicate Arch as sunrise. I wasn't the only one. There were scores of hikers who made the three-mile hike to see one of Utah's most famous arches at sunrise. After that I headed to Devil's Garden to see the landscape arch and to hike the Double O Arch Primitive Trail. I admit, it was treacherous in places but I made it out unscathed. After that I had lunch and then visited Balanced Rock and a place known as Windows. Finally, I visited the Visitor's Center to buy some magnets and postcards. Next stop, Canyonlands National Park for a two day backcountry hike. Wish me luck!