Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Tuesday was a big day for driving and sight-seeing. We left Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park early in the morning and headed South in Highway 89.
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| U.S. Route 89, UT |
89 is an incredible drive. No state throws away as much beautiful scenery as Utah. It can't help it, there's so much to be had. Turn after turn exposed one amazing scene after another. Anywhere else these places would have been parks in their own right, but in Utah they're just . . . y'know . . . Utah. We stopped at a random turnout for Pongo's breakfast and a brief walk and I took a few pictures.
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| U.S. Route 89, UT |
An unmarked roadside turnout. Crazy, right? This is just a taste of what that drive holds.
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| U.S. Route 89, UT |
Our next stop was the Glen Canyon Dam. I have such mixed feelings about this dam. It's a marvel to behold and I suppose necessary for people who live in the area, but much like the Hetch Hechy Dam in Yosemite, it comes at a terrible cost. Everything I've heard about what this area was like before the dam was built suggests a lot of natural and archeological wonders are buried under that water.
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| Glen Canyon Dam, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ |
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| Glen Canyon Dam, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ |
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| Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ |
No condors on the bridge when we crossed. Bummer.
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
Our next stop was Monument Valley. Love this place.
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
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| Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT |
We headed North after visiting Monument Valley. As we drove through a town called Mexican Hat I wondered why in the world anyone would name a town with such a silly name. Then we came around a corner and I totally got it.
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| Mexican Hat Rock, Mexican Hat, UT |
Well, it's a little small in that photo, but hopefully it gets the idea across.
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| Cow, Dead Horse Point State Park, UT |
Our final stop was Dead Horse Point State Park near Canyonlands. We would camp there for the night. One of the highlights for Pongo on this trip was the free range cattle on the drive into the park. He loves looking at cows from the safety of our car.
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| Colorado River, Dead Horse Point State Park, UT |
The park overlooks the same canyon as Island in the Sky in Canyonlands. It has a nice view of a bend in the Colorado River. It's not a huge park, but it has a number of exceptional views of the river and canyon.
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| Dead Horse Point State Park, UT |
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| Colorado River, Dead Horse Point State Park, UT |
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| Colorado River, Dead Horse Point State Park, UT |
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| Dead Horse Point State Park, UT |
All of Utah could be a national park. Pongo's breakfast in the Cockscomb near Catstair Canyon complete with rock art. I so need to spend more time in Monument Valley and have never been to Dead Horse Point. Great trip and photos so far.
ReplyDeleteFunny, you were on my mind during that drive. I kept thinking of posts you'd made of places i was passing on the drive. Kanab? "Oh, Gaelyn goes shopping there sometimes," for instance. :-)
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