We stopped in Salt Lake City and headed to Temple Square, the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or Mormons for a quick look. At the centre is the huge Salt Lake Temple begun in 1853 and built over 40 years by pioneers, which we found out more about in the visitor centre as we weren’t allowed in. There were also assembly buildings, a huge office block, a centre for family genealogy and a tabernacle where we heard an organ recital.
We were shown round Brigham Young’s house, which contained few original items, but was an opportunity for the missionary sisters to tell us about their church. All in all a fairly uninspiring experience. Just round the corner we found the Red Rock Brewery where we had great burgers for lunch then headed to the airport!
Well we have reached the end … with every National Park on our itinerary visited! So what did we think … the Grand Canyon had to be done but is almost too huge, Zion is popular, way too popular for us, Mesa Verde was really interesting and we wouldn’t have missed it, Canyonlands has the cool Green River overlook and the Grand Tetons were just grand. Then it gets more difficult … Arches was the reason for coming in the first place and we loved being able to hike off and find an arch with no crowds … Bryce was truly magestic and very hikeable and Yellowstone was huge and so varied with a canyon, geysers, coloured pools, bison … and at least one black bear because we saw him! Antelope Canyon also needs a special mention for those amazing pink curves and swirls.
Will we come back … maybe … maybe not … but we wouldn’t have missed seeing any bit of it!
Glad you came along with us … and here’s to the next trip!
Originally, our plan was to return to Salt Lake City have a look round, and celebrate our wedding anniversary with a boat trip on the Great Salt Lake. Our wedding reception was held on a boat on the Thames and we have celebrated on the water ever since … no craft too small! We then found out that water levels in the lake have been very low, especially at the end of the season so decided to come to Provo and booked a sunset cruise on a sailboat on Utah Lake instead. Just before we came away, we found out that Utah Lake was closed due to an algal bloom causing health risks … Hopefully all is not lost … read on …
Heading north, we passed a sign that said Mystic River Zipline – 10 miles. After a while, I asked Chris what he thought about having a go, and he said it was 7 miles further! We stopped and were rigged out with harnesses and taken up the trail to the first tower with a 800ft line … it was great, really whizzy, and you twist round and see all the lovely autumn colour on the trees covering the hillside! The second tower had a pair of lines so we could race … although I think it was a dead heat … great fun!
We drove a couple of hours to Springdale, pretty much three years and a week after our last visit, when we found out our planned Utah Trail was not going to go to plan! However it’s a great opportunity to return to Under the Eaves B&B and enjoy the warm Southwestern hospitality of our hosts Mark and Joe.
The focus of the next few days is to find out about the Ancestral Pueblo people who started hunting and gathering in the south west 10,000 years ago, and later began to farm the area. Most of the surviving buildings in the area were built in the C13, and then everyone left.
We crossed a wide plain and reached Moab in the afternoon, one of the destinations from our original trail. We are returning to the Inca Inn, where we stayed last visit as it was one of the nicest motels we stayed in and found our room enhanced by a disco shower!
On leaving Cortez, we drove along the McElmo Canyon, where we found Sutcliffe Vineyards. We met Joe the winemaker, and David the nephew of the owner who told us about the winery and how the canyon has been used for growing produce since the Navajo grew peach trees there. He let us sample a couple of wines … only a sip of each as it was barely 11am … and we ended up choosing to give a home to a bottle of Merlot.
We drove on towards Mexican Hat, and stopped off at Gooseneck State Park which has one of the most striking and impressive examples of an entrenched river meander in the USA. The San Juan river twists and turns below, while higher up there are steps in the canyon wall as softer layers erode. We even saw some rafts floating by … they enter the water at Mexican Hat then take 5 or 6 days to cover 50 or so miles to Lake Powell, camping on sandy spits along the way.
Chris got up in the saddle for a photo opportunity he couldn’t miss at John Ford Point!
The original plan was to visit Mesa Verde NP, but it is too far from Cortez to even photograph the sign! Instead we had an early start and made our way to the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. A bit chilly here in Cortez, at some 6,200ft, and will probably be the coldest day of our trip. We had a nice chat on the bus with Faith and Nancy who come from Sante Fe and were staying next door to us in the motel.
We took a quick look at Four Corners Monument, as it was quite close, and is the only place in the USA where four states meet … Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico … so now our tally of visited states is up to 5!
Breakfast was at the Silver Bean, an Airstream which was bought from a pawn shop and converted 14 years ago into a coffee shop. The girls are known locally as The Bean Girls, and we had marvellous coffee and breakfast burritos.
Off Travelling Together 