Day 9 - Canyonlands National Park

After a relaxed start to the morning, we tuned into the Norfolk meeting (Cilla's husband 'Tuck' was exhorting on the 12 disciples, really interesting) and then hit the road just before noon towards Canyonlands. Our AirB&B hosts were super lovely and our space was relaxing and comfy. We all wished we could stay longer!

Enroute we stopped at Wilson's Arch just off the highway to Moab. It's HUGE and dominates the surrounding landscape. Cilla and I climbed up and enjoyed the views.

Next we stopped at a tourist trap called Hole in the Wall. An earlier Mormon settler turned a hole in the cliff into a home (5000 sq ft!). A few decades later, the area underwent a uranium boom and the site was a boarding place for miners.

Canyonlands. I am running out of words to describe these stunning views. With limited time, we went to the more popular section called Island in the Sky. It's a HUGE Mesa (like kilometres across) with vast views of the Monument Basin and the Green and Colorado Rivers.

We did two small hikes; one to Upheaval Dome, the origins of which are debated amongst geologists (either the result of a meteor strike OR a collapsed salt dome) and to Mesa Arch with a beautiful backdrop of sunlit mesas.

The windy was quite gusty already so in a rare moment of reception we looked up the weather. Predicted up to 65km/hr gusts! We decided camping wasn't going to be a fun option in this dust bowl and were able to find a reasonable last minute deal for a decent motel (they call it separate cottages, but it's definitely a motel, albeit a nice one).

As we arrived, the full moon rose bright and yellow above the mesas and buttes.Read more