Sunday, September 13, 2009

Utah, who knew? Part III







After the Salt Flats, we headed south to Bryce Canyon National Park to continue our hiking and camping. We again had a great time and were totally gobsmacked by the scenery. The hoodoos and the red rocks are truly breathtaking. We also did some hiking, which was also breathtaking as the rim of the canyon is at about 8000 feet above sea level. The air is pretty thin and we were gasping for air at a couple of points on the ascents back up to the rim. The camping was a little chilly as well, due to the altitude. While the nighttime lows in Moab were in the 80s, the lows in Bryce were in the mid 40s!

Utah, who knew? Part II







After our quick trip home to stock up on supplies, we headed back to Utah via the Bonneville Salt Flats. It was the beginning of the Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials week! I have wanted to compete at the Speed Trials for the past several years and thought it would be a good chance to see what I might be in for. We had a blast walking around the pits and seeing the variety of bikes and competitors. The Salt Flats are an eerie sight that we recommend to eveyone, it truly is an otherwordly experience.

Utah, who knew?

On our way back from St. Louis, we decided to stop and do some camping and sightseeing in Moab, Utah.  We went to Arches National Park and couldn't believe how spectacular the scenery was.  We also got to do some great hiking and took some pictures, as well.  The only bummer about Moab was our trip to the local microbrewery, while the food was delicious we did encounter Utah's archaic liquor laws.  Even microbrews have to be 3.2 ABV...  I had a couple of delicious Porters, but they may as well have been root beers.  Sad.  But all in all we had such a good time that we decided to make a quick dash home and get some more appropriate camping gear (and some beer in the cooler).