The long highway
We’re past halfway our trip and we need to make headway if we want to stay on schedule and reach Yellowstone by Sunday. Long, but pleasant drives; if you’re used to Belgian traffic.
Yesterday we visited Capitol Reef National Park. We originally planned on doing the Hickman Bridge Trail, but apparently there had recently been a big rock fall, blocking access at the trailhead. As an alternative we did the Narrows trail at Grand Wash Road, which was carved by a stream ages ago and is now still sometimes victim to flashfloods. Afterwards, we followed the scenic route, which made us zigzag between big boulders, on- and off-road.
In the evening we arrived at touristy Moab, going to dinner felt a lot like home, being surrounded by Dutch-speaking people. The temperature and the view gave away our true location though.
This morning, instead of hiking, we chose another means of transportation: we rented a UTV (Utility Vehicle). This allowed us to explore the Sand Flats Recreation Area, maneuvering over slick rocks and small desert dunes, following a trail of black skid marks. We completed the Hell’s Revenge Trail, which lives up to its name; it was frighteningly exciting.
Since this already took up a big chunk of our day and we still had a four hour drive to Salt Lake City ahead of us, we had to do the Arches National Park scenic drive in the fast lane.