It's difficult to justify sitting inside staring at a screen when you're in the Southwest. However, after many days in a row of climbing and exploring every square inch of sandstone, Camille and I have finally decided that we need a rest day. That means it's time to sip on some coffee that was prepared by someone else, edit photos, update the blog and wash some very sandy clothes and sheets.
Hope you've got some spare time set aside!
I think last time we spoke we were climbing and hiking our way through Sedona, Arizona. We did one more hike while we were there: to Devil's Bridge. It was cool. Didn't see the Devil though.
Heading north, we stopped for a cold night up in Oak Creek Canyon. The next day we tried out some of the climbing there. Being at a higher elevation we were climbing on basalt rather than sandstone. The climbing was different and fun. I tried a few 5.10 hand cracks that made me work much harder than expected.
Here's Camille working on an unknown route with which we started the day.
Then we drove towards the Grand Canyon! We found an awesome spot to camp outside the park in the Kaibab National Forest. We've been having fires every night which have helped keep us warm when the temperatures plummet with the sun.
We've even very successfully cooked popcorn over the fire in the cast iron pan.
Then we drove to that big ol' hole in the ground. 'Tis still Grand!
Here's a view of the Colorado River from the Desert Tower.
The Desert Tower.
A happy French girl who kept saying "It's not possible".
Hungry and human-acclimated Elk.
Sometimes we take photos together...
The canyon at sunset.
Some pictographs during our hike down the Bright Angel Trail. Fun fact: petroglyphs are depictions that are carved or chipped into stone while pictographs are painted onto the stone.
Mule Deer in Indian Garden.
On our way towards Plateau Point. The hike was just over 12 miles roundtrip.
The most purple cacti I've ever seen.
The view of the Colorado from Plateau Point.
The view of the South Canyon Rim, looking back at the trail we just hiked.
After a couple days hiking around the Grand Canyon we were satisfied and ready to move on. Next logical stop was Horseshoe Bend, just outside of Page, Arizona. A very popular spot for photographers due to the easy approach and spectacular view. Here's a couple variations of the Bend.
Heading farther north we found ourselves camping outside of Page, Arizona right next to Lake Powell. We had the place to ourselves.
Lake Powell was spectacular. It was like a mirror, reflecting all of those wonderful desert colors.
Sunsets have been consistently mind-blowing.
That night we crossed over the border into Utah and camped next to a rock formation called Mexican Hat, just outside of the town of Mexican Hat... Here's Camille showing off the splendid hat.
From the top of the hat you can see our home on wheels. On the horizon you can barely see Monument Valley. We decided to skip that stop due to entrance fees and guide-mandatory hiking. There will be plenty of free monuments to see on our journey.
We drove up to a spot called Moki Dugway for a nice view of the valley.
From the top we could see our next destination: Valley of the Gods.
Valley of the Gods was incredible. A scenic 17 mile drive through some magnificent formations. There are established climbs on some of these towers, but the rock quality is low and we value our lives.
View of Monument Valley at sunset from Valley of the Gods.
Then we drove North some more and stopped at Indian Creek, the #1 destination for climbing sandstone splitter cracks. On the way in we said hello to a group of 20 or so deer.
Camille tried to get a close-up shot and ended up covered in mud.
Another stupid sunset...
Then we climbed some cracks! Camille is very very new to splitter crack climbing but she picked it up quickly and learned to embrace the physical, more-than-slightly painful style. A great stop on the journey for sure.
Just past Indian Creek is the Needles sector of Canyonlands National Park. In the winter, the park is free to enter but all services and visitor centers are closed. The solitude we had while exploring the park was magical; only a handful of other visitors were there that day.
We did all sorts of shorter hikes around the park.
I dub these rocks "The elephant and the toadstool".
The view of "The Needles" from afar.
3 totally different layers stacked together in one photo. Such a spectacular, geologically interesting area!
We visited "The potholes". An area where lots of little organisms manage to survive and thrive in the harsh desert environment. Here's Camille documenting the snails as they peruse the bottom of this still-wet pothole.
Then we drove north to Moab and camped outside of the town. The next day we visited the Island in the Sky sector of Canyonlands.
Here's Camille in front of the Mesa Arch.
An ancient Puebloan granary on the side of Aztec Butte.
The White Rim below us carved out by the Green River.
The next day we explored Arches National Park. It has a bunch of arches. It's beautiful.
Today we were considering finding a place to climb but it rained pretty heavily last night. When sandstone gets soaked it becomes very very fragile. Climbing on sandstone after rain can break off holds and be very dangerous. So we'll formulate a new plan. Maybe drive to a new location?
If you're looking for a way to waste more time while at work, you can peruse the posts from my last visits to Arches and Canyonlands:
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