I had bought us shuttle tickets yesterday for use in the park. They sell them at 5pm the day prior. I had gotten online and was able to successfully buy two. At 5:02pm they were already sold out. I read that if you don’t get on immediately at 5pm, you can pretty much count on not getting any. Our plan was if we didn’t get any, we would ride our bikes into the scenic part of the park, which was 8 miles one way.
We came into the park from the north entrance. Both Anna and
I noticed that the road pavement color changed to a deep earth tone brown at
the entrance sign. It perfectly matched the landscape or the coloration of the
cliff walls. It was definitely done on purpose to have the road blend into the
surroundings. We zigged and zagged through the park until we got to the main
park section. It was truly a beautiful scenic drive. The main parking and
visitor center was located on the very south side, so it took us about 25
minutes or so to get there.
Water - check, nutrition bars – check, hiking poles – check,
camera accessories – check! Off we went! We hopped on the shuttle and were off
to the #6 Grotto stop so we could hike Angel’s Landing. Angel’s Landing was to
be a 4-hour hike and was said to be the most beautiful in the park. Near the
end of the trail, they have a chain you have to hold onto in order to make it up
to the point. Only 1-2 people can be up there at any point. While on the
shuttle we were told that Angel’s landing was closed due to chain repair.
Dang!! Change of plan. We decided to do the Kayenta trail instead. It was a
hike out to the Emerald Pools, small water pools created from melting snows.
After the hike, we got back on the shuttle and went to the
last stop in the park, the Temple of Sinawava. This was the point where people
entered the Narrows. We were not able to get a permit to walk the Narrows, nor
did we rent the water gear, however, we did want to go see the entrance. The
walk from the shuttle was about 30 minutes or so just to get to the entrance.
Lots of people there today, but was told the park was not very busy.
Springfield has to be the cutest town I have ever visited.
No tchotchke shops, all small buildings with a similar coloration to match the
landscape, clean, and well put together. The town was bustling!
We made one last stop at the gas station before heading out
and finding a campsite for the night. I knew we had to get outside of town and
to the west of Rockville in order to get to BLM land. On the drive out, we
passed a funky store with all kinds of buildings outside, so we stopped. It was
a trading post / gift store / petting zoo. Mama bought 3 carrots for $1 and we
were off to feed some llamas, goats, donkeys, and sheep.
Not but about two miles further was the spot I had picked out. The base of the land had a few campers, but we want to go to the difficult territory. There was a road leading up to the top of the canyon. I got out to survey the terrain and make sure we had enough clearance and movable area in order to make the climb. Yup! Back in Olimas and we forged up the hill to an amazing camp spot. We were 70 feet from the edge of the canyon. The canyon was the channel of the Virgin River. Right below us was a dam. In the evening Anna walked back over to the cliff and noticed the dam lights were on.
We sat around the fire for a bit. I got on the computer for
about an hour after dark and once in bed, fell asleep immediately.
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