Day 1 Hiking in Utah

Our Cobble Creek Hiking Club is large and active.   I'm in awe of these seniors that trek around the outdoors with unabashed enthusiasm.   Wearing sturdy shoes, ugly hats and backpacks with granola and water systems, they conquer the highs and lows of this beautiful country.    We have been lax this year in joining them on the Wednesday and Saturday hikes and I always feel guilty when I head to the golf course instead.      But this week, we joined in and headed with about 15 couples over to Utah.    Above is the view as we drove through Capitol Reef NP.    We were there about 3 years ago so just passed by.    

We took the MH and camped at a SP in Escalante.   A small town supported by tourism, it is in the heart of the Grand Staircase.    ( A huge geological area that I do not understand fully but our government apparently feels that it should be plundered and assaulted.....and that's all I'll say about that for now......)

The next morning, we headed out to hike Lower Calf Creek Falls.     Considered 'easy' in some guide descriptions, it follows the creek for 3+ miles.     

The trail is rocky and requires careful footfalls and hiking poles to maneuver the serious ups and downs.   On the levels, it is sandy, much like a fluffy beach without the ocean.   It was hard work.   Some turned back, concerned about the return trip.  

  

 Across the canyon were these pictographs.....a bit below center and above the shadow are 3 figures.   I tried to zoom in closer but then it got blurry.   The Fremont culture lived in this canyon 900 years ago.     I can understand why with it's water, open space for crops and safe from invaders.

Our destination was the beautiful falls.   It was very cool and peaceful and a good place to contemplate our lunch and our tired feet.

It took us 5 hours for the 6+ mile walk and altho we probably wouldn't do it again, we highly recommend it.     And I would rate it 'easy/moderate'.
I've divided this trip into 3 blog posts in order to get the pictures in the right place....so keep reading.

Day 2.... Willis Creek Trail

We did not know what to expect when the recommended hike for the day was a slot canyon.   I had an idea and also a nagging feeling that I wasn't sure I wanted to hike in one.    I had heard the horrific stories of flash floods and saw the warnings that being hit by a flash flood in a canyon is comparable to 2 elephants slamming into you.     I felt somewhat comforted by the blue skies and dry forecast.     We drove to the trailhead on a 5 mi dirt road occasionally encountering deep deep sand....not passable in a regular car.  

 We did about 4 miles on the trail.   It was breathtaking.

Note the warning on the sign.....

I have a touch of claustrophobia but felt fairly comfortable.    The group mentioned another slot canyon they wanted to try where you have to walk sideways without your pack to get thru.   However, the visitors center said there was chest high stagnant water in it that smelled like "dead rats"......!!!

This was a treat of a lifetime..... I hope we will go back.

Day 3 Bryce Canyon

Another day, another walk unspoiled.    We headed about 49 miles south to Bryce Canyon NP.    We'd been there about 3 years ago, in June.     This day it was a bit cooler and a lot more crowded.   Utah takes a break from school in Oct and this Thursday was the first day.    I was happy to see so many kids and parents out seeking nature at it's finest.    But it meant for crowded trails so we opted to just do a few miles of the Rim Trail.    Bryce is all about looking down from the top.   To see it up close, you must walk  down into the canyon among the hoodoos.   It is very unique and fun.   

Since we already knew what was down there, we strolled for awhile and then ran into part of our group and opted for lunch at Ruby's Restaurant....... I ordered a portobello burger (the best I've ever had) and then justified the 4 berry pie by the prior 2 mi walk.    They are known for their pies!    

  

The next morning we packed up and headed back home.   We were a bit delayed by a slow moving traffic jam....

A long day's journey.........

Before we flew west again and right on schedule, the leaves started to turn.   With memories of our 30+ years witnessing this stunning show, I was thrilled that we got to enjoy it one more time.   

 And late one afternoon, Jon took us for a scenic boat ride on Lake Zoar.    We had a boat on Lake Lillinonah, separated from Zoar by a dam, so this was reminiscent of our many many years of boating.    Jon keeps his in a town boat slip but we had to trailer ours in and out.    I never ever learned to back up with a boat trailer.

 This is the time of year when the pool boy gets a good workout.   As I was looking from an upper deck I noticed two rambunctious chipmunks chasing each other in circles.    Suddenly, they both circled themselves into the pool!   Fortunately, they can swim.   Unfortunately, they can't climb out.    I raced down,  grabbed the net and eventually caught the tiny exhausted things.   One dashed off but the other just sat there..... I left him alone and after about 30 min, he was gone.   They have had creatures in there before but I doubt I would have been so heroic had it been a snake.

It was so good to get back to be with the boys and to be in familiar places once again.     Andy and the Newtown HS Marching Band took top honors in NJ over 19 other bands.   Their next big event will be in Nov at the Met Life stadium.   I would love to cheer them on !!    And, in other big news, Mason, the 7th grader, was selected to be in the Jazz Band.   He plays sax and is very good.......guess he got my sax playing genes as well as my blue eyes.   ( I suddenly lost interest in band in my junior  year when I concentrated on a certain cute quarterback).    

We headed back to Colorado on the 6:30 am flight out of LGA.    (That means getting up really early).   We stopped briefly in Denver to have bagels with Jenna and Alex and Becca and then kept going.   Normally, it is 5+ hour drive with just brief stops.    This day there was an accident and then a long wait as they closed lanes in Glenwood canyon for rock slide remediation.    Glenwood Canyon is one of the most beautiful rides.    But, it was always a bottleneck with just a two lane road on a major cross country route ( I-70 ).    In an engineering feat, they managed to preserve the beauty and majesty despite weaving an interstate highway thru the canyon.   The Colorado River carved out the path and the railroad also shares this route.     They also put in a bike path and rest areas and kept the access to the challenging Hanging Lake trail (We did it about 20+ years ago and I THINK I could do it again but much slower ).    The colors were brilliant but its just very hard to capture in a car.  

Entering the canyon....note the color reflections on the hood. 

Views of the bike path and the river.  

And then it was time for a long cat nap..........

Grandkids are the best.............

It was a rainy morning when we made the trek from West to East.     The aspen really haven't turned in our part of the world but we did see some color around Vail.    Uneventful drive altho the backs do not appreciate that many hours in the Jeep.  

    

Nicholas and Kelsey came home for a few days from Oklahoma.    How good to see them and hear  of their busy lives.    Becca and Alex were home as well......we missed Lizzie and even tho she's nearby at UNC, her schedule was too busy to join us.   The memories are so fresh of their younger days and even their births....where does the time go ???

We hoped a plane the next day and got reintroduced to NYC traffic.   Jon picked us up at LGA and the usual  75 min drive took 3 hours !    

On Sunday we headed south through  the boroughs of NYC, across the George Washington bridge, down the NJ Turnpike, past Wilmington and Baltimore and into Washington DC.  

  We came to say a formal good by to our friend and Paul's colleague  Dean.   Air Force, Eastern and North American pilots were well represented on a beautiful fall morning at Arlington National Cemetery.    It's hard to describe the majesty of this hallowed ground.    If you haven't been there, please go and take in the reverence and solemnity and beauty. 

And then we headed north once again and managed to avoid the dreaded rush hour traffic.   

Andy, at 14, is now a member of the Newtown HS Marching Band.   It is an award-winning group with a long history of success.    He plays the trumpet.    On Saturday night, they hosted a competition of area bands.    How impressive and complex the routines have become.   I do not understand how they manage to play and maneuver the intricate patterns.    Andy said that the first year they don't have to play unless they are comfortable but should  concentrate on their feet first.   

I was in band, oh so many years ago, but still remember just trying to march in a parade and on the football field......nothing like what these talented kids do.     This weekend he goes on a 3 day trip to NJ and Philadelphia for competition.

New England in the fall is stunning but we are too early.      Wandering the back country scenic roads in NW Connecticut was still a trip down memory lane.    The colonial homes and estates are kept quite pristine and the history of Colonial days is everywhere.    We stopped at Kent Falls to climb the trail to the top.    Now there are granite stairs where there used to be just a steep path.    And signs warn of no climbing on the rocks or swimming in the pools.....that was always the fun part.    Water levels were pretty low and in two weeks, the leaves should be brilliant.