June 2019 The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is aptly named since sheer dark gray canyon walls run through most of the park, with the Gunnison River weaving along the canyon floor. The rock walls rise more than 2,700 feet straight up from the deep gorge, so steep that they offer only occasional glimpses of the river. But even if you can’t see the river, you can hear it at every overlook, roaring from below. We decided to…
June 24-26, 2019 We stayed at the Montrose KOA in order to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the surrounding area. When we pulled into our spot I had to do a double take because there was a Phaeton right next door with almost identical colors. Later that afternoon we met the owners, Terrie and Shawn, from Corpus Christi, TX. Turns out their Phaeton is a 2014, same as ours, but a slightly different model. They pulled…
June 21-23, 2019 We left Utah after about three fabulous weeks and five National Parks, heading to Colorado. The plan was to camp in Grand Junction so that we could visit the Colorado National Monunment. We pulled into the Colorado River State Park in Fruita, Colorado and drove to our beautiful site near the lake. With a paved driveway and covered picnic area, plus full hooks-ups, all for around $30 per night, we were beyond happy. We had been having…
June 2019 The paths of the Green River and Colorado River divide Canyonlands National Park into three districts. The high mesa, known as Island in the Sky, is where we spent our day. Once you enter through the Island in the Sky Visitor Center, the road climbs to over 6,000 feet as you approach the Grand View Point Overlook. Along the way we stopped at Mesa Arch and took the half-mile loop trail to the small natural arch carved from…
June 2019 Arches National Park contains more than 2,000 natural arches, the greatest concentration in the country. This canyon was once an ocean, over 300 million years ago. Over time the seas evaporated, leaving salt deposits, and soft red sandstone was blown in. As groundwater dissolved the underlying salt deposits, vertical rock slabs were formed, called “fins”. Due to wind and rain, sections of these walls eventually wore through creating spectacular rock sculptures and arches. On our first trip into…
June 16-20, 2019 In Moab, Utah we stayed at the Portal Resort Campground, just 3 miles from the entrance to Arches National Park and about 30 miles from Canyon-land NP. For more on our visits to these parks please go to the National Parks tab, Colorado Plateau. The campground was surrounded by beautiful red rock mountains and right behind us was a pasture with 4 friendly horses. Richard enjoyed his Father’s Day here, watching the final round of the US…
June 2019 Capitol Reef National Park is about 10 miles east of Torrey, Utah. We spent a full day there, driving through the park, enjoying a couple of great hikes and rescuing two damsels in distress. As you enter the park, even before you get to the Visitor Center, the beauty and vibrant colors of the surrounding scenery takes your breath away. We stopped by the Visitor Center and got a map and then started up Scenic Drive that cuts…
June 13-15, 2019 We stayed at the Wonderland RV Park in Torrey, Utah only 5 miles from the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park. It was a pretty little campground and I enjoyed watching the cows and horses in the pasture next to our camp site. We went to Capitol Reef National Park for a full day and for more on that please go to the National Parks tab, Colorado Plateau. Torrey is a very small town with a population…
June 10-12, 2019 After leaving Bryce, Utah we doubled back south to spend more time on the southern Utah/northern Arizona border visiting Page, Arizona and the surrounding area. We camped at the Kanab RV Corral and discovered that Kanab is a cute town with a historic main street and several new hotels. The next morning our first stop was the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We have been to several cool sand dune parks but this one was unique…
June 2019 We visited Bryce Canyon National Park with my sister, Linda, and her son Tyler and his wife, Kristen, and their two children, Owen (8) and Morgan (5). This is definitely one of my favorite national parks, with its unique hoodoos (phantom-like rock spires) and amazing trails that descend into the canyon. After setting up camp at Ruby’s Inn and Campground we caught the free shuttle and rode into the park. We got off at Sunrise Point and after…