Southern Grand Staircase-Escalante NM

By Jen.

Dates: 12/04/2020 to 12/06/2020

We drove to Kanab to try and win the lottery for the Wave, a cool hike that requires a permit, but were unsuccessful, so we did a couple of hikes in the area instead.

 

This place had petroglyphs.

And has naturally-decorated abstract art.

The next day, we went down Buckskin Gulch.

 

Entering the slot canyon.

A drop-off.

Petroglyphs.

This is why you don’t come down here when it rains!

See how narrow the walls are apart! This is the view looking up.

The next day, we visited Pahreah, a ghost town and movie set with scenic views.

 

 

 

 

 

Kodachrome Basin SP and Bryce NP

Dates: 12-02-20 to 12-03-20

 

Kodachrome Basin was named after the Kodak film brand.  No longer in production, the name was chosen, as only that (for the time) high-color fidelity film could capture its artistic beauty.  Forming a semicircle, the basin's cliffs offered some great viewing.

 

  

 

Our next stop was at Bryce Canyon NP.  Worth a longer visit, we had time for a short stopover.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Our next stop is Zion NP.  After being forced to skip both Bryce and Zion during the government shutdown, we were excited to spend a few days here.

Grand Staircase–Escalante

Dates: 11-28-20 to 11-30-20

The Grand Staircase refers to the geologic scale “steps” created by the erosion of the varying sandstone layers which form the majestic mesa’s, buttes, and mountains of South Central Utah.  Its hard to take a bad photo out here, just point a camera at the horizon!

 

 

The following day, we decided to stretch our legs a bit, and hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls.  One of the few permanent water sources in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

With a little time on our hands, we drove up to Hells Backbone, a road which bridges a gap atop a wind-swept knife ridge, connecting Boulder to Escalante, Utah.  With a drop of 1,500 feet below, and a 100ft span, it was quite the accomplishment for the CCC in the 1930s.  Prior to its construction, passing between the two towns was a perilous sand and dirt track down the canyons, with washouts and flash floods a common menace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Our next stop was Devil’s Garden, some photogenic Hoodoos along Hole In the Rock road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The washboards were legendary…