Jackson – West Yellowstone

22 May – 26 May

Sunday:

We’ve got a driving day today and it’s probably a good thing: the weather is miserable.  It’s cold and raining heavily.  Heading north we cross into Idaho, which as far as we can work out is famous for potatoes (as the number plates proclaim) and not much else.  At lunchtime we pull into an information centre to eat our sandwiches.  It’s a good thing we do as we find out that our planned route is closed due to mudslides.  Our detour takes us over the picturesque, snowy Teton pass and in the process takes us into Wyoming.  Jackson is in the valley on the far side and is a base for the surrounding ski areas.  It’s half alpine village and half wild west: log cabins with guns for door handles; elk, moose and bear themes everywhere.  Four arches made out of elk antlers frame the town square. 

We check into our motel, get some washing done and then walk out for something to eat.  We find ourselves in the Snake River Brewery, which does good beers and even better pizzas. 

Monday:

We’ve got big plans today to climb the mountains making up the Jackson Hole ski area and then catch a free tram ride down.  We’re suited and booted and our rucksacks are packed, but when we arrive we discover the mountain is still covered in snow and the tram is not running.  That idea gets scrapped.  We’re right near the gates of Grand Teton National Park, so we decide to take a look around there instead. 

Driving in we keep our eyes peeled for wildlife, but if there’s anything exciting about it’s staying well hidden.  There is patchy snow on the ground, but the deeper into the park we get the more snow we find.  We’ve heard that you can get boat shuttles across Jenny Lake, but when we arrive at the lake and see ducks strolling across the lake (rather than swimming in it) it’s soon clear that no boats will be running. 

We chat to a ranger who suggests a few walks that should be relatively free of snow. We decide to give one a go, but after wading through knee-deep snow for a couple of hundred metres we decide it’s a no go.  It’s probably a good shout as with that the weather turns and it starts to rain.

A bit later in the afternoon it brightens up a bit and we bravely (or stupidly) try another walk out to Phelps Lake.  It’s dry on the ground as we set off so we’re feeling confident.  As we go the snow get’s thicker and thicker, until the only way to tell the path is to follow the footprints of people who have gone before and hope like hell they knew where they were going. 

It appears that they didn’t, as we’re soon hopelessly lost.  We’re reduced to finding the stream and following it upstream until we eventually find the lake.  It is beautiful, but we’ve now got to find our way back to the car park.  By the time we make it back we’re soaked through from the knees down.

After warming up with hot showers we head out for the evening, saddling up in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a beer.

Tuesday:

It’s bitterly cold today as we once again drive through Grand Teton towards Yellowstone.  We’re taking a different road today, which keeps things interesting.  We don’t even entertain the idea of leaving the warmth of the car for any length of time, but there are plenty of beautiful, frozen landscapes to take in.

Our wildlife spotting goes slightly better today and we even spy a few bison from a distance.  Jackson is home to a big elk reserve, but they only hang about in the winter and they’ve moved on by now (although it feels like winter to us, this apparently is spring?!).

In the afternoon we cross over into Yellowstone.  I know I’ve got a bit excited about the snow we’ve seen so far, but the snow in Yellowstone blows everything away.  It’s as if it’s never heard of summer.  Walls of snow 6+ feet high line the road on both sides. 

It’s lovely, but we’re starting to wonder how much we’re going to be able to see and do here.  As we drop down further into the park the ground clears a bit, partly due to the decreased elevation, but I’m sure all the geothermal activity has got a big part to play too.  We’re not taking in any of the sights today – we’ve got plenty of time for that over the next couple of days – but we can’t resist stopping for a close-up look at some bison before continuing on to our motel in West Yellowstone.

Wednesday:

We were promised nasty weather all week, but it’s actually a bit brighter and warmer (although still cold!) today than the last couple of days.  We decide to take advantage of the respite and concentrate on hiking and wildlife viewing. 

The scenery in Yellowstone is bizarre.  One minute you’re driving through snow, the next minute there’s steam billowing out of hot springs with bison and elk taking advantage of the warmth and grazing on the lush grass growing alongside.  The driving is slow and eventful, with bison often stopping the traffic as they stroll up the road.  It’s a little like Kruger: you drive along until you see a cluster of cars stopped and then you stop too to try to figure out what everyone is looking at.  Sometimes it’s nothing interesting, but every now and then you get lucky.  One stop gives us a distant view of a moose. 

With the sun out and the ground clear we stretch our legs on a 5 mile loop past some beaver ponds.  It’s a beautiful walk through open countryside to the ponds where we see signs of beaver activity, but no signs of the beavers themselves.  On our way back we pass fellow walkers who promise us more action is ahead.  We stroll past some bison and then there it is: a bit ahead of us and not far off the path a black bear is going about it’s business. 

It’s exciting to see, but terrifying: I’m convinced that at any moment it’s going to charge towards us.  We detour far off the path (blundering into a herd of elk in the process) to get round it, only to be met by a man coming behind us who has brazenly strolled past the bear.  He tells us that as long as you make a lot of noise the black bears will generally get out of your way – he’s from upstate New York and often has them climbing on his car.  He then tells us that a coyote had been following us for some time along the ridge before it crossed behind us.  We didn’t see a thing, we obviously don’t have our wildlife eyes in yet.

We continue our safari by car and soon come across some big horn sheep.  Another cluster of stopped cars: this time it’s a grizzly. 

We get to follow it along the road edge for quite some time.  That’s the highlight of our day.  Not long after we turn around and head back, tackling another bison traffic jam along the way – there are a lot of cute babies in tow (one advantage of visiting in spring!) so I’m more than happy to sit and watch them pass.

Thursday:

We may have had a respite from the bad weather yesterday but it’s making up for it today.  We’re not really equipped to deal with these freezing (literally) temperatures.  We layer on as many clothes as we can but still have to stop off in town to pick up some thick socks and gloves to make the day bearable.  Today is less about wildlife and more about sights.  We head straight for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to admire the Upper and Lower Falls. 

We continue to follow the river until we come to Yellowstone Lake.  The snow is worst in the southern half of the park and the lake is predictably frozen.  It’s a pretty spot to have our lunch.  Afterwards we stop for a quick walk around the brightly coloured hot springs and bubbling mud pools of a thermal area right on the lakeshore. 

The steaming water flows straight into the frozen lake. 

Next stop is Old Faithful.  It’s snowing properly now, but Old Faithful doesn’t keep us waiting long and blows just about spot on the predicted time, shooting steam and water high above our heads. 

We’re feeling brave so we decide to take the scenic walk past the geysers and springs of this area.  It seems like a good idea, but as we set off the wind and snow pick up and we’re soon wet and frozen to the bone. 

There are some fascinating sights, but best of all is the sight of our warm car as it comes back into view 3 cold miles later.   We warm up enough in the car to brave a few quick walks around 2 other thermal areas, but in this cold the steam coming off the ground obscures the view, offering only the most elusive glimpses of what we’ve come to see.

The snow has created a winter wonderland: blanketing the fields and catching in the trees.  In the end it’s the wildlife that steal the show again. 

Monticello – Salt Lake City

15 May – 21 May

Sunday:

Park number 4 today: Canyonlands, which centres on the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers.  We’re spending the day in the section known as the Needles.  It’s one of the more remote and less-visited parks and it’s a walkers’ paradise.  We stop on the approach road to admire Newspaper Rock (and a very cute puppy).

We’ve come mentally prepared to tackle 7 or 8 miles, but somehow talk ourselves into an 11 mile walk.  There’s no denying that it’s hard work and the temperature is around 30 degrees, but it’s also one of the most beautiful walks I’ve ever done.  We start by climbing a short staircase walled by rock on both sides.  Next we find ourselves scrambling in and out of a number of canyons, some surrounded by sheer red walls, others filled with odd columns and mushrooms of rock. 

It’s wonderfully quiet too. We’re only sharing the trail with a few other walkers, the odd lizard and some super-fast rodents (possibly kangaroo rats?).  The views are opening up both in front and behind us.  After a couple of hours we find a flat stretch of rock for lunch.  A few miles on we reach the best bit of the trail: the next mile or so winds us through narrow, high-walled canyons with just a tiny strip of sky up above. 

When we finally emerge into the open we’re faced with the rock formations that gave the Needles its name.

It’s gorgeous, but the legs are getting tired and there are still 5 miles to go.   5 hours after we set off we’re finally reunited with our car.  There’s no rest for the wicked and we’ve got another hour or so to drive up to Moab where we’ve booked a motel.  It’s after 7 by the time we finally get to put our aching feet up.

Monday:

We’re both tired, but our legs seem to be functioning normally for now.  It’s cooler today and overcast with strong winds.  We’ve not got long to drive to get in to Arches National Park.  It’s a beautiful park, but it’s also very accessible and easy to see mostly from the car.  While this is good for our complaining muscles it does mean that there’s a constant stream of traffic and parking spaces are in short supply. 

Our first stop is for a quick look at the improbable Balanced Rock. 

Next we walk up to Delicate Arch: possibly the most impressive of the arches with a picture-perfect backdrop. 

Another short walk takes us to Landscape Arch – the largest and thinnest of the arches.  In 1991 it dropped 180 tons of rock, so we don’t get too near to this one.  The canyons and rock formations of Arches are as fascinating as any we’ve seen, but the crowds are starting to get us down. 

We perk up a little after lunch and take a stroll around two arches known as the windows.  After one more stop to admire yet more crazy rock we decide to call it a day.  An hour or so gets us to Green River and after the long day yesterday we’re glad to check in early (and get our clothes washed!).

Janet adds: we purposefully avoided any serious walking today, but still managed to clock up about 6 miles.

Tuesday:

It’s about 6 degrees and overcast as we drive out of Green River this morning.  We’re driving towards Bryce Canyon and for the first while we’re travelling through the ‘badlands’ of Utah.  It looks like we’re driving through multi-hued mine dumps but they are in fact natural.  After about and hour and a half we reach Capital Reef National Park, named for the ‘reef’ of rock that runs through it.  We don’t have much time to spend here, but as we’ve got to pass through we turn off for the scenic drive.  Walls and domes of rock rise up all around us, drawing closer together the further into the park we get.  The paved road runs out and we drive another 2 miles or so on gravel.  Then that runs out too and we can only continue on foot. 

We walk another mile or so into the narrowing canyon.  We’re now following an old wagon trail.  The pioneers who passed this way carved their names into the canyon walls.  These days that kind of behaviour will land you a $200 fine.  A short side trail hauls us out of the canyon to some natural ‘water tanks’. 

That’s about as much of a detour as we’ve got time for.  Back in the car we’re soon driving through Dixie National Forest.  Endless vistas open up on one side as the trees get thicker on the other.  We’re climbing steeply and the temperature is dropping steadily.  Now there is snow on the ground. 

We peak at just under 3000 metres with the temperature hovering just above zero.  And then it’s back down again.  This is a fun road: at one point we’re driving on top of a high, narrow ridge with just enough space for the road, steep drop-offs on either side. 

Our next stop is Calf Creek Canyon.  This sheer, red-rock walled canyon has the gently bubbling Calf Creek running through the middle of it.  It’s a calm, green oasis and it’s warmed up enough to be pleasant.  We follow the creek and after 3 miles reach what we’ve come for: the beautiful Lower Calf Creek Falls. 

We retrace our steps and then drive the last hour or so to Tropic where we’ve got a motel booked.  Utah is firmly Mormon territory: around 60% of the population is Mormon.  So far we’ve not noticed this too much, apart from some slightly confusing alcohol laws.  As we check into our motel we notice piles of the ‘Book of Mormon’ in various different languages.  They’re in the convenience store too, and the pizza place where we call in for a takeaway pizza.  Ironically they’ve neglected to leave any English copies lying about, so I think we’ll escape unconverted.  To further the irony, there are none to be seen in our room – just the standard issue Gideon’s Bible.

Wednesday:

It’s cold today.  We barely get above freezing all day, but at an altitude over 2500m I guess it’s not that surprising.  It does make for some beautiful scenery with dustings of snow on the high ground.  We’ve got a short drive into Bryce Canyon today and we don’t waste any time in setting off on a hike.   The path plunges us over the rim of the canyon and winds its way to the bottom.  We’re on the Queen’s Garden trail, named for a particular fin of rock, which supposedly resembles Queen Victoria.  We’re expecting it to be a bit obscure, but have no problem picking out the rock in question.

Next we loop on to the Peekaboo trail that climbs up and down the canyon, giving us great views of the multi-coloured hoodoos Bryce is famous for. 

At lunchtime we find a scenic spot in the sun to eat our sandwiches.  As soon as we stop moving we feel the cold, but when the sun goes in and we find ourselves getting snowed on we decide to cut our lunch short and get moving again.  The last stretch of the hike takes us back up to the rim, through the narrow canyon known as Wall Street.  Safely reunited with our car we stop for one final look over the glorious canyon before setting off. 

As we leave the park the weather worsens and we find ourselves driving through a heavy hailstorm. 

It brightens (and warms) up a bit as we drop in altitude.  After 2 hours or so we cross into Zion National Park.  For now we’re just driving through – we’ll leave the exploring for tomorrow.  It’s a great road that winds and blasts (in the form of 2 tunnels, one of which is a mile long) its way through the mountains.  We stretch our legs and get our bearings by hiking the quick mile roundtrip (along a fairly narrow, high ledge) to a canyon overlook. 

Once through the park we make our way to Hurricane where we’re spending the night.

Thursday:

It’s chilly today and threatening rain as we make our way back to Zion.  Zion is heavily visited (it’s easy to see why – it’s a gorgeous lush deep canyon) and in order to cut down on congestion the scenic drive can only be accessed by shuttle bus.  We park up, grab our rucksacks and transfer to the bus.  We’ve done our research and picked out a hike.  Disembarking at the trailhead we start to wonder if we’ve chosen well: half the bus seems to be coming along with us.  This is a steep, strenuous hike up the canyon walls.  Only thing is the path is paved all the way up and is as busy as a London pavement, so it’s hard to appreciate the beauty of the walk.  At the top are a lookout point and a handful of chipmunks hoping to get the scraps of picnics. 

The trail continues on to Angel’s Landing.   This is a hair-raising stretch, with 1000+ foot drops on either side of the path and only a metal chain to help you keep your footing.  We’re both up to the challenge, but again, so is everyone else.  This is where the problem comes in.  With the constant stream of people we’re forced to wait in precarious spots and keep getting jostled from behind.  After 10 minutes or so we’ve had enough and turn back.  It’s put a bit of a dampener on our spirits.   It doesn’t take long to get back down and we find a spot to eat our picnic while we decide what to do next. 

Lunch revives us slightly, but it’s now starting to rain.  Not wanting to give up yet we walk to Emerald Pools, with the path cutting onto a rock ledge taking us behind a waterfall.

Once we get back to the road we ride the bus all the way to the end and then let it bring us back to our car.

Friday:

We’re driving to Salt Lake City today but have been struggling to find somewhere reasonable to stay.  At the last minute lastminute.com comes through: we get a (relatively) plush room in a hotel in downtown for less than it would cost us to stay in a motel miles out of town.  Our drive takes us through patchy snow and torrential rain – we’re taking this as our winter for the year.

Our windscreen has developed a crack in it and we decide to get it sorted before it gives us any problems.  We call in at the car rental office on the way to the hotel.  Thankfully we’ve learnt our lesson from South Africa and have taken out extra insurance, so it’s not going to cost us anything.  They’re more than happy to exchange the car for us and Nick is in muscle car heaven when he realises that they’ve swapped our Chevrolet Impala for a Dodge Charger.

We check into our hotel, get settled and then head out for some food.

Janet adds: by my reckoning we clocked up over 40 walking miles in the last 8 days.  Today was meant to be a rest day, but our plush hotel has a plush gym and it’d be a shame not to take advantage of it…

Saturday:

We have a rather relaxed day today, taking in the sights of Salt Lake City.  It’s a pretty city: almost completely ringed by snow-capped mountains. 

Mormons sure know how to look after a city and we’re pleasantly surprised at the broad, clean streets, landscaped gardens and grand buildings.  There’s a very friendly, relaxed feel to the city.  The 32 acre Temple Square is the heart of the city and of the Church of Latter Day Saints in the USA.  At its centre is the Salt Lake Temple.  We’re not allowed inside, but amuse ourselves ‘bride-spotting’ in the grounds: there must be at least 10 wedding parties jostling for the best photos.

Our walking tour takes us to the Capitol Building and historic visitors’ centre, then to the open-air shopping mall.  Once we’ve seen all we want to see we head back to the hotel for a bit of a relax.

In the evening we walk down to the Red Iguana for some (more accurately a LOT of) food – officially it ties with Tuscon for the best Mexican ever – resulting in the need to lie down and clutch our stuffed bellies.

Alamogordo – Monticello

9 May – 14 May

Monday:

We don’t need any persuading to leave Alamogordo this morning.  We’re driving deeper into New Mexico, heading for Lincoln.  As we arrive we realise that we don’t have the cash to pay the entrance fee to the museum.  Schoolboy error.  The nearest cashpoint is 12 miles away, which takes us into Smokey Bear country: Capitan.  

The story of Smokey starts with a bear cub orphaned by a fire in Lincoln National Forest.  He was rescued and soon stole the public’s heart.  He lived out his life in Washington DC zoo and became the image of fire safety.  After his death he was flown home to be buried in his hometown, Capitan.  Driving through you get the idea that Smokey Bear may be the only reason people pass this way – his picture is up all over town. 

With some cash in hand we can head back to Lincoln.  This is Billy the Kid country and in preparation Nick has made us watch the “documentaries” Young Guns and Young Guns II.  Lincoln is like a low-key Tombstone.  It oozes Wild West without the tack or the crowds.  We spend a couple of hours walking the dusty streets visiting the spots where Billy the Kid misbehaved. 

We soak up as much history as we can, then jump back into the car for the drive to Roswell.  For a town so steeped in intrigue it’s pretty ordinary looking, although ‘aliens’ are ever present in the billboards, shop signage and even the lampposts.  

We’ve got just enough time for a look round the International UFO Museum.  It’s interesting in its own way, but if its purpose is to open your mind to the possibility of alien life then it fails miserably.  I went in vaguely hoping to be at least half convinced, but the displays only manage to highlight how much ‘alien encounters’ are desperate human graspings. 

The museum is closing, so we leave to find a motel.  When we get hungry we cross the road to Farley’s (an only marginally alien themed pub) for beer and pizzas.

Nick adds: “I’ll make you famous”.

Tuesday:

Feeling like we need a more balanced view of Roswell we head back into town to the Roswell Museum.  It turns out to be very good, with interesting displays on early rocket pioneers and a comprehensive art gallery.  Our faith in Roswell restored, we set off again.

We’ve got one more stop on our Billy the Kid tour: Old Fort Sumner to see his grave.  It’s behind bars because the tombstone has been stolen so many times.

After this desolate stop we drive into Santa Fe.  The temperature is dropping and we check into a motel so we can layer up our clothes before heading into town.  

Santa Fe is a weird one.  We had such high hopes for it and it doesn’t quite disappoint, but it does go over the top.  Whereas Tuscon was effortless, Santa Fe is trying too hard.  Everything (including parking garages) has been built or remodelled in the puebloan adobe style.

We take a walk through the old town, which is atmospheric but seems to consist of a handful of museums and 101 identical souvenir stores.  The Native American artisans trading their wares in the plaza provide a welcome distraction.  I’m making Santa Fe sound awful.  It isn’t, it’s very pretty but just very touristy. 

As evening falls we head into a Mexican (of course) restaurant for some food and then head back to the motel.

Wednesday:

We have one last stop off in Santa Fe today: Kowboyz – a shop selling ‘western wear’.  I’ve never seen so many cowboy boots in my life, it’s just room after room with boots lined up like books on shelves.  It turns out to be a bad thing as I get boot overload and don’t manage to actually buy any.  Still, it’s been fun.

Leaving Santa Fe we drive south an hour or so to Albuquerque.  Immediately it feels better.  There is an old town, but there’s also a normal, functioning city which I think makes you appreciate the quaintness of the old town more. 

We spend some time exploring the narrow streets and little shops then take a walk downtown to take in some route 66 history, including the Kimo Theatre.

Reunited with our car we explore a little further afield before finding a motel to settle for the night.  As usual there are practicalities to be taken care of: groceries to be bought, washing to be done.

Nick adds: this is the problem with America: I can’t buy beer in the local Walmart because there is a church built nearby.  But they will sell me a gun.

Thursday:

We’re heading into national parks territory today and for the next 8 days or so we’re going to be hitting a different national park each day.  Our drive takes us northwest, through some beautiful if bleak countryside.  Just past Gallup New Mexico we cross back over into Arizona and the Navajo Nation. 

Our destination today is Canyon de Chelly, just outside Chinle.   It’s a sheer-sided canyon with the walls rising to 1000 feet.  The bottom is fairly level and quite green.  A few Navajo families farm in the canyon.  The main reason to come is to see the ruins of dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans.  There are scenic drives along both canyon rims with various lookout points.  Far, far below are the toytown ruins. 

There’s only one hike that you can do down into the canyon without Navajo guides, so of course we do it.  It’s not a long walk (2.5m), but it’s quite fun.  A short tunnel drops us below the rim of the canyon and a broad stone ledge takes us down, before another tunnel brings us out on the canyon floor.  A short walk along the bottom brings us face to face with the Whitehouse ruins – named for the ruin towards the back that is white-washed. 

Once we’ve hauled ourselves back up again we continue our scenic drive and then turn back to Chinle for the night.

Friday:

Heading out from Chinle we encounter some more humbling scenery: all flat plains and towering mesas in shades of red, pink and orange.  Finally we round a corner and see one of the most iconic sights of the west: Monument Valley.  John Ford shot dozens of westerns here, so this is kind of hard-wired into the brain as cowboy country. 

There’s a rough scenic drive, which takes us round to various lookout points.  Everything (apart from the darting lizards and chipmunks) is large scale: enormous distances and towering heights. 

Once we’ve bumped our way along it’s 17m we decide to stretch our legs a bit.  The Wildcat trail takes us out into the red desert, looping around the impressive West Mitten in 3.5m.  It’s not too strenuous a walk, but we get back to the car covered in red dust.

It’s only a short drive to our stopping point for the night.  Mexican Hat – named for the nearby sombrero shaped rock. 

I wouldn’t quite call Mexican Hat a town.  It basically consists of 4 motels plus a garage.  We’re expecting it and our motel to be a bit of a dump, but they both turn out to be quite charming.  The setting is quite stunning: on the banks of the San Juan River and surrounded by multi-hued sandstone. 

We’re out of food and our options are pretty limited, so we head downstairs to the open-air steakhouse for some dinner.  It’s brilliant.  A gentleman with his check shirt unbuttoned to the waist is furiously grilling steaks over a log fire and a country band is warming up in the background. 

Surprisingly, of the 4 dishes on the menu one happens to be a veggie burger, so I’m sorted.  Nick of course goes for the biggest steak he can get.  Everything is served on tin trays with mounds of pinto beans, salad and Texas toast.

Bellies full, we go back upstairs to bed.

Saturday: 

We drive out of Mexican Hat and after 5 miles we reach the Goosenecks State Reserve.  We’ve only come for the views.  Our 5 miles have also brought us 1000 feet up and the San Juan River is now far below us.  We’re looking down on what is called an entrenched meander: the river snakes so much that it flows 6 miles to advance 1 mile.  Some tiny specks below are rafters floating along. 

Behind us the Cedar Mesa rises up another 1000 feet.  That’s where we’re headed next.  The highway takes us directly towards the sheer cliffs.  It looks as if the road must dead-end, but at the last minute we turn onto a narrow shelf of a road (called the Moki Dugway) that torturously twists it’s way up.  I’m not sure whether to be more nervous of the drop-off or the precariously balanced rocks high overhead. 

At the top we turn off for some more panoramic views and these are breathtaking.  The landscape is so vast it’s hard to get any sense of scale. 

On the horizon we can see Monument Valley.  Or I can.  Nick is struggling to concentrate on the views as he’s trying to make friends.

Some voices call to us seemingly from over the edge of the abyss.  There’s a broad ledge below us reached by scrambling down some boulders.  A couple (the owners of the dog) have found some petroglyphs so we climb down to take a look.

We soak in the wide-open space for a while longer and then drive on.  It’s late morning when we arrive in Natural Bridges National Park.  The name kind of gives it a way.   The first bridge is the largest.  We can see it from the road but the views from the bottom are even better.  It’s a fun climb down involving staircases and even 2 wooden ladders, although coming up is harder work.

We hike down to the second bridge as well.  As we’re about to climb back up a group of walkers ask us if we’ve seen the ruins rock art.  One of them plays tour guide and leads us a short way down the canyon to a small gallery of pictographs and –glyphs with a few ruins.  Bridge number 3 is a shorter climb and a bit easier on the legs.

We’ve got another hour of driving to reach our stopping point for the night.  The scenery is starting to change.   We’re still surrounded by canyons, mesas and buttes, but there are now snow-capped mountains on the horizon.  We stop briefly at Blanding to pick up some groceries and liked the shelving layout: no need to walk too far between your junk food and your dietary aids. 

There’s not much to Monticello when we arrive, but it’s convenient. 

Janet adds: I’m not sure why they bother with the separate national parks.  The scenery in-between is just as impressive.  They may as well just turn all of southern Utah into a national park.