Monday 2nd May 2016

We did a lot of hiking in Arches and Canyonland National Parks. This area is famous for its slickrock. The rock is actually sandstone and is pretty grippy.  The surface is like sandpaper, unless it’s wet and then Keep Off as it gets very slippery. It got it’s name from the early settlers because their horses with metal shoes had difficulty gaining traction on the steep slopes.

We saw many arches of all shapes and sizes. They were red sandstone which is so beautiful against a blue sky.

Dean managed to find a comfy spot on this ancient Juniper tree.

We hiked over some pretty gnarly trails.  It was amazing to be able to go up and down such steep inclines and not fall off. The tread on our tennies got worn to the nub.

A nice long slot canyon was so much fun squeezing and scrambling through. I asked Dean to shift this rock but he didn’t have his Wheaties for breakfast and had to give up.

We made sure to have a nice dry day for this hike as these slot canyons are treacherous after rain, even though it may be miles away. The water just funnels down and picks up speed busting everything in its path.

We like to find nooks and crannies.

We had to make a trip to Corona Arch.  The picture on the right is of Dax swinging from the arch at night a few years back. That guy has nerves of steel. We walked all around trying to figure out how he climbed up to the top.

The vistas were lovely.

A couple of desert beauties.

Since we were in Moab a trip on “Hell’s Revenge” trail was a must.  It was a tooth rattling three hour trip. Those vehicles can climb just about anything. We travelled over areas such as the Devils Backbone with really long drop-offs on each side.

Moving Westward…….