Utah and Photos
 

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Link above to my pics

I normally like to spend more time in each spot, but this was a short weekend trip to fill in a few gaps of some places that we had missed on previous trips.

We started out in Arches at 6:00am. My daughter and I had been before, but this was my wife first visit. I decided to see Delicate Arch in the morning rather than at sunset. This turned out to be great. Just us and 2 other families at the top. This allowed us to stand under that arch as long as we wanted to. Plus, it gave us a cool start on the incline. It was my wifes favorite hike of the trip. We also saw Double Arch, The Windows, Turret Arch, Balanced Rock, and Landscape Arch. We were eating lunch in Moab by 12:30 at The Love Muffin. Good sandwiches and salads, but some a/c would have been nice.

We were then off to Little Wildhorse Canyon. We all enjoyed it. This was my 2nd time there, but my wife and daughter hadn't been before. We didn't hike as far as I would have liked because it was pretty deep with water. We did get to see the most narrow portion of it though. We then headed off to Goblin Valley. This might be my favorite area in Utah. Again, it was wife and daughters first visit there. We had burgers and a shake at Stan's Burger Shack in Hanksville which was decent. We then spent the night @ Austin's Chuckwagon in Torrey. That was a lot for one day so we didn't have any problem sleeping.

Day 2 --Drove through Capitol Reef which was extra green and pretty. Had pie at The Gifford House/orchard area under the trees. Dutch Apple and Strawberry/Rhubarb. One pie is enough for two people. Just saw a few deer, not many. We didn't do any hiking at all in Cap Reef.

We then headed down Hwy 12 to Devils Garden in Escalante. The Hogsback will get your attention. The Devils Garden turned out to be a little better than I thought it might be. Very Nice!! Calf Creek Falls was a nice hike. I thought the water was around 75 degrees, so I was suprised that it was in the 40 degrees when we were there. Very Very cold, but I did manage for a short swim in it. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwichess for a picnic at the falls. Man did they taste good after that hike. It was an easy hike, but a little more than what I had expected it to be. We had chicken strips, etc at Ruby's for dinner that evening and got checked into our cabin at Bryce Lodge. We were close to the rim and we did walk a little from Sunrise to Sunset points that eveing. We did run into a bit of snow on HWY 12 a couple of times. Just a few flakes. Very awesome drive!!

Day 3- I was the only one up and going with energy this morning. Sunrise turned out to be very very overcast, so it wasn't a good one at all. I decided to do the "all day" horse ride. This is basically Peek a Boo Loop. It was supposed to last 4.5 hours but really was only about 3 hours. It was good and I was a little sore from the riding, so probably best that it didn't last any longer than it did. My wife and daughter slept in. That afternoon we hiked Navajo Loop and Queens Garden. A very pretty hike!!!! Out of energy, we drove to the end of the park and stopped at several of the overlook areas. Had a nice dinner at the Lodge. Our room had a fireplace and was about a 2 minute walk to the rim, very nice!!

Day 4- Had breakfast at the lodge. Huevos Ranchero for me and wife had oatmeal. Both were good. My daughter just wanted coffee. She is 17 and I would guess that the guy that waited our table was about 20. He went all out with his flirting. He told her that he just couldn't understand why she wanted just coffee. Anyway, he brought the coffee out with piles and piles of whipped cream around the plate and lots of fruits sprinkled on the plate and the cup of coffee in the middle. We all laughed about it, including the waiter. I had hoped to see Cedar Breaks, but it was closed due to the record snow. We did hike Mossy Cave. The cave wasn't really much, but I thought the waterfall was a decent one. We then headed towards St. George to catch our late afternoon flight home. Daughter had to be back for a couple of summer college courses she is taking this summer. We did drive the scenic route(Cedar Breaks road). Lots of trees down from damage as a result of heavy snowfall, I am guessing. We also drove along the road to Kolob Canyon section of Zion. I had no idea it was just 10 minutes from the hwy like that.

A very short but rewarding trip. None of us had seen Bryce before and it certainly is a very pretty place.

That part of Utah is so pretty. I wondered how much snow was still there.

spiro,

Thanks for posting the results of your quick trip with wife and daughter. I was wondering how they enjoyed it and how you liked the first time spots you visited.

That water in Calf Creek was spring runoff - melted snow! That's what you get in the spring in southern UT. During a big snow year like this one - the cold water will stay cold until mid-summer! Man, I love that hike and the whole area. You can spend your whole life hiking and exploring and never see most of it.

How was the new airport in St. George? Pretty nice, from pictures I've seen. Can't wait until more flights are scheduled in/out from there.

Come back soon! You should put northern UT on your list now!

Great Pictures! Goblin Valley is so cool - I can't wait to take my kids there!

Thanks for sharing your report and pictures!

Thanks spiro for the pictures and narrative... can't wait to see Bryce in a few weeks.

Sounds like a great trip, wonderful pictures. That road to Cedar Breaks was closed at the end of april when we tried to go, enough snow this year to keep it closed for a while.

Thanks for the report.

Dayle,

I still want to see Lake Powell and really really want to do The Wave some time.

Really enjoyed your report and photos, spirobulldog! Do you live close by so you can just pop in for a weekend? I'm so jealous!

The sequence of photos of the three of you under the arch, starting from furthest away to closest, that was a great perspective. Very trusting to whomever you gave your camera for the shots!

And that water did indeed look refreshing!

Well done ((y))

The man that took the photos didn't speak English. He and his wife were the only ones there. We just traded cameras and took photos for each other, but never could understand each other.

I live in Oklahoma,but this is my 5th trip to Utah.

sprio,
Looks like you had a great little trip.

Too bad about the cloudy sunrise at Bryce.

I'm also glad you liked Devil's Garden Escalante. I view it as a grown up Gobblin Valley. Both are definitely worth a couple of hours stop.

I didn't get to check out your photos until now as I returned today from a trip to Yosemite with my daughter and granddaughter.

Great pictures...and OMG..the Strawberry/Rhubarb is one of my favorites!!!! I lost count of how many we ate last October when we spent 6 days at Capitol Reef...and LOL...it wasn't even on our agenda to visit there last year!

Utahtea

utahtea,
I liked the apple pie best. My wife loved the strawberry/rhubarb. I am not a big rhubarb fan. My wife and mother make fantastic pies. I do a lot of cooking and my mom has even written a cookbook. So, we are pretty picky and very picky about piecrust. I must say that the Gifford House pies and crust get very high marks in my book. They had some interesting looking breads there, that I don’t remember from last time. One had tomatoes and zuchinni on top. We didn’t try it because we had already bought deli items from Austin’s Chuckwagon store. The items turned out to be good. Austin’s has good bread pudding, btw. Their sandwiches are good too. We packed all of that to Calf Creek Falls. Our pie, we just ate in the picnic area at Cap Reef.

myer
I think of you when we are on trips, because usually I am going to some place you have been or vice versa. I even told my wife to expect to see a grownup GV as we were headed to Devils Garden. That cloudy sunrise even had a few snowflakes that it spit on me.

I knew you were going to Yosemite in June and have been waiting to see what you thought of it. Hope it wasn’t to crowded. How did your granddaughter hold up and did you all see the trees? I bet the waterfalls were rolling with all the snow they received this year. Last year was a good year when we were there, but I think this year was even quite a bit more. I hope to go back sometime and do the high country/tuolmne area. Maybe do some tent to tent hiking.

spriobulldog,
I'm know for my pies and my specialty is an apple crumb that my family insist I make for every occasion so when I have pies, I enjoy any kind of berry! We shop at Chuckwagon all the time when in the area, but since we have the motor home we make our own meals and sandwiches. We'll check out the bread there tho. Thanks,
Utahtea

Utahtea,
My mom makes three different versions of apple pie. Double Crust, Dutch Apple Crumb, and one she calls a shoestring apple pie. Apples are sliced very thin and she uses sour cream in it, it is very different, but good. My wife sometimes makes a rum sauce to go with her apple pie. My mother n law made a peach slump last night. Have you heard of that one? It is basically a cobbler, but it is cooked on top of the stove in a dutch oven. It isn't baked at all.

the other day my wife was reading the fat content on something. it read 0 MG she thought it read OMG. I am still laughing about it.

I haven't heard of a peach slump, but it sounds yummmy. I don't dare make a different apple pie or I'd have a family feud on my hands...LOL! I do make a lot of other kinds of pies for the holidays, but there ALWAYS has to be at least one apple crumb...sometimes two! For years we've had pies instead of birthday cakes! My boys & newphew's favorite is my Coconut Cream Pie which is my own recipe.

Utahtea

You make all these places come alive, I can't believe I will be visiting them with my family in just a few weeks!

Did you enjoy the trail ride in Bryce (apart from the weather)? We are planning to do the same, but we are beginners (I mean REALLY beginners).

I also liked the pictures from your trip with your nephew, amazing caves...

utahtea,

Naughty girl, you have broken one of the Fodor's rules of participation:

<i>Fodor's Rule #642: Whenever posting a favorite family recipe, you are required to also share the recipe with your fellow Fodorites.</i>

I would not want to see you banned, so could you PLEASE abide by the rules and share your recipe for Coconut Cream Pie! :)

swisshiker,

I don't want to get banned so ENJOY!

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...swisshiker.cfm

Utahtea

Utahtea's other thread caught my eye [love coconut cream pie] and that led me here. Then I saw slump mentioned so:


<b>Peach/Blueberry Slump</b>


TIME/SERVINGS Total: 35 mins Active: 10 mins Makes: 8 servings
Like a stovetop cobbler, the slump and its fraternal twin the grunt combine sweetened fruit with dumplings (in this case, cornmeal), which fall or slump into the bubbling fruit mixture. This old-fashioned dessert is best served warm, scooped into bowls, and drizzled with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.
INGREDIENTS
For the dumplings:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal (fine or medium ground)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the filling:
• 5 medium peaches, skinned, pitted and cut into eighths (about 4 cups)
• 3 cups blueberries (about 1 1/2 pints)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
For the dumplings:
1. Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl to combine, and break up any lumps. Mix half-and-half and melted butter together in a small bowl until evenly combined. Pour half-and-half mixture over flour mixture and stir until just combined (dough will resemble a cornbread batter). Set aside.
For the filling:
1. In another large bowl, gently fold peaches, blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice together then transfer to a large straight-sided skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit starts to release some of its juice, about 6 minutes.
2. Drop eight large dollops of batter over fruit mixture and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, until dumplings are cooked through and juices are bubbling, about 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and continue cooking until dumplings are springy to the touch and no longer sticky,

I normally don't look at many pictures of a place when the landscape is why I'm going (I like to be surprised), but I did look at yours. Wonderful! It's a little less than a month until we leave and I can hardly wait! Thanks for posting the pictures!

Forgot to add - thanks for the recipes.

grendel,

I enjoyed the ride. I did the longer version. You might want to do the shorter one. The mules or horses are ultra ultra calm. It is really easy horse riding.

Thanks, utahtea! I've been in California for the past 5 nights visiting my parents, so I missed your posting initially. And thanks to your link, I saw your other thread too. You're too fun and a great sport!!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Histo...lerHistory.htm

I have eaten each one of these, with the exception of the bird pudding.

I think I would have added Dumplings to the list as well, as they are basically a Whole fruit cobbler or pie.

My grandmother n law is German and still speaks in what she refers to as low german, so when I was introduced to her 20 years ago I got a lot of new ideas from her. She is a Mennonite and most of her nieghbors are amish. I'm not that crazy about their crusts. My GNL made a lot of cakes, but not many pies.

Spiro: Great trip report and pics. Can you elaborate a little more about Little Wildhorse Canyon and Goblin Valley?

We zipped through that area a few weeks ago and didn't have time to do much exploring.

Thanks.

Tom

www.toddshikingguide.com is a good website
www.climb-utah.com is also good

You will notice that of all the hikes listed on Todd's he gives 4.5 and 5 stars to The Great Gallery and Little Wildhorse. He rarely rates anything above a 4.

Also right nearby is Great Gallery/Horsehoe Canyon/Detached section of Canyonlands. This is where the pictographs/petroglyphs are and about a mile from the canyon where Aaron Ralston amputated his arm. He was found in Horseshoe Canyon. I did it on a previous trip.

Iv'e been to Goblin Valley twice. Late evening is best as the shadows are pretty awesome. There isn't really a trail anywhere there. You just ramble around. If you have kids, this is one of the few places that you can turn them loose and pretty much see them everywhere from a little cliff/picnic area. I would guess the entire area is just a few square miles. Its' pretty small.
Night sky there is incredible. You absolutely must come prepared with water and snacks. There is nothing there. The little electricity they do have it solar powered, so they don't even have vending machines.

Don't confuse Little Wildhorse with Wildhorse, btw. Little Wildhorse is just 10 or 15 minutes from Goblin Valley. The visitor center at Goblin Valley actually sells Little Wildhorse t-shirts. They can give you advice on it's location. Little Wildhorse can be crowded. The entrance is a bit tricky to find, but just follow the crowd. Their is a large parking lot at the trailhead, but getting into the canyon is a bit hard to find(not really). You can hike in for a bit and then turn around(we did this twice) or you can hike an entire loop for 8 miles. You do not want to be in this canyon if rain is anywhere in the area. This is part of the San Rafael Swell, btw.

Thanks Spiro and appreciate the great info. Look forward to putting it to some good use, perhaps next year.

And yes, Wildhorse is different than Little Wildhorse. There was another trip report - with good photos - of a couple who hiked up to the pictros/petros.

And we saw the night sky/stars at Bryce - and way out - away from civilization - the stars are very bright/amaszing.

Did you ever get to Antelope Canyon? That is also supposed to be beautiful.

I have not seen Antelope Canyon,Page, or The North Rim.
I'd like to see Rainbow Bridge. The only other major arch/bridge I haven't seen Mesa Arch(up close anyway)in Canyonlands.

I really really want to hike "The Wave" sometime in that area too. That would be #1 on my list.

I've been to Antelope Canyon. Very easy walk thru a small canyon. But if you go when the sun is high you get spectacular effects.

At the same time and only a short distance away is Horseshoe Bend. 3/4 mile hike with no shade but amazing views.

Mesa Arch is not a major arch. In fact it's fairly small. However, when you look thru the arch you're facing the Washerwoman.

Mesa Arch is probably the only arch you'll approach from the top rather than the bottom. It's a very short walk from the parking area.

Actually, though unique it's really not that much to look at though definitely worth the stop.

If I had to make a choice between Mesa Arch and Delicate Arch (Delicate Arch is a much longer hike) I'd go back to Delicate Arch twice before going to Mesa Arch once (well . . . .)

I thought Mesa Arch was "major", you see it in all the photos anyway. I didn't mean the size, just the ones that are well known.

Mesa Arch is very easy to get to. Right near the Canyonlands entrance.

Probably the reason you see so many photos of it is the view you get looking thru it. Also, since you approach it at the top, I've seen a photo of a guy running along the top. I don't think I'd do that. If you fall on the approach side it's not too bad. However, if you fall the other way it's a long way down.

Also, I think it's the only arch in Canyonlands. When you consider how close it is to Arches that's pretty amazing.

Still, if you're going to Canyonlands and/or Dead Horse Point (they're right next to each other) I would definitely stop there. It takes less than 15 minutes to get to the arch from the parking area.

It's strange approaching since it's straight in front of you and not up. You barely see it until you're right at it.

I've wondered how people get there for sunrise photos. It's not very clear walking. I guess a couple of flashlights.

Myer,

When is your Glacier Trip? I have reservations for next year at the end of July. I thought I would try it again. I'm going to Seattle/Olympic/Mt. Rainier/ San Juan Islands/North Cascades first of August.

spiro, I missed your report first time around but the good ones get topped eventually.
Great photos and it was nice to see snow on the hoodoos (I've only been to Bryce in July = 0 snow).

Love the comment about 0 mg fat being read as OMG! LOL

I'm off to Sedona this month so more of those red rocks for me!

spiro,

I'm going with my daughter early next month (Aug, 2012).

I originally had 2 nights at Many Glacier (Swiftcurrent) and 4 nights at Saint Mary Lake (Rising Sun) but she doesn't want to be away that long.

We compromised and I released the last two nights.

Right now the plan is a little too much for my aging body.

We should arrive before 5PM so maybe get something done the arrival day.

We have the boat ride booked at Many Glacier our first full day and then we'll do Grinnell Glacier.

For Many Glacier I'd also like to do at least part of Iceberg Lake (until forest cover obscures the views), Redrock Falls (the first part of Swiftcurrent Passas long as it's pretty level), Apikuni Falls (but the elevation gain may be too much for a short hike).

In the Logan Pass area Hidden Lake, part of Highline, something called Lunch Creek.

In Saint Mary's area Baring, St Mary & Virginia Falls.

Spend some time stopping at viewpoints along GTTS rd.

I'm not sure how much we'll get done and if we'll have extra time.

If we do we'll either go to the west side of GTTS Rd but there's construction there, Two Medicine (either Twin Falls or Upper Two Medicine Lake if the boat has room) or Aster Falls and Aster Park (very steep though short). Also, Running Eagle Falls near the entrance should be short.

Or, since we're arriving and leaving in Calgary we could plan on stopping in Waterton Lakes for a few hours.

We'll see how the last day goes.

Just came back from Provence & Paris with my wife. Something for all.

I'm starting to think of next year.

Yes, I had seen your post a few days ago. I hope they have GTSR cleaned up for you by your trip dates.
Surely your trip won't be like mine last year(I cancelled the whole thing at the airport-I've never done anything like that)

My wife and I are going to Seattle/Olympic NP end of the month. Then middle of Aug, my daughter and I are going to do Seattle/ Mt. Rainier/North Cascades/San Juan Islands.
Both trips we plan to just spend a day in Seattle. My daughter is going to start college this year. She has taken summer classes the past two years and a bit during the school year and will actually start as a sophmore.

I have reservations for the end of July next year for Glacier. I'm going with a kid(now 28 years old), that was our neighbor when he was younger that I spend a lot of time with(he went on a few trips with us even) in November to Guadalupe Mountains for backpacking. We will also hit Carlsbad Caverns(my 4th trip to Carlsbad).

I have been to Rocky Mountain National Park and Smoky Mountains a few times, but I might go back to one of those next year as it is within driving distance from us(probably backpacking).

We are also considering Everglades trip at Christmas Break(aren't you from Florida? have you done Everglades, Dry Tortugas, Biscayne, Keyes?) I have 200K AA miles and about 30K with SW. I hate the way AA does their miles as it will almost always cost me a full 50K for a round trip PP.

We've never been to Hawaii and are considering that. Mount Rushmore area looks interesting too. We did Alaska 4 years ago and would like to go back there sometime as well.

I think you should consider Lassen Volcano(very pretty and uncrowded, Redwoods National Park-also uncrowded, and Crater Lake). Oregon is probably our most memorable trip we've done. Although, my daughter does really want to go back to Yellowstone. Your daughter sounds like me-can only be gone for long weekend type trips.

My daughter doesn't want to be away because she's married and has an almost 6 year old.

Looks like you've got a full calender. That's good.

I may start looking into RMNP.

For a while last summer I had a couple of days in Seattle on our trip to Victoria & Vancouver. But we put in 5 days in Banff and dropped Seattle.

I'm going to try and convince my daughter and son-in-law to go on a very (1 1/2 days in and out of Grand Junction) short trip to Arches. He's a radiologist and has to put in for vacation a year ahead for prime times. He does get 3 days off every now and then so we could grab one of those and do it.

That would just be the three of us.

I'd like to get back to Yellowstone with the three of them and my wife. That would be good but I don't know how he could get enough time. Maybe we'll all go and leave him behind.

I've gone on a trip a couple of times with a friend from Toronto but he's having issues getting away. His wife promised he'd go next year.

I may look back at Banff (which I went to last year) but also add Jasper and maybe something else. Waterton Lakes is a bit out of the way but not too bad.

Yes, I live in South Florida (originally from the Great White North) but I haven't been anywhere around here.

AA air miles are getting me annoyed to the point that I may use up what I have and switch.

It becomes a battle of wills. They want you to spend more air miles to get inferior flights and I want to spend less air miles to get better flights.

I won on the Trip to Provence and Paris but only after they admitted that they had to cancel one of my flights and never told me until I called to get seat assignments. That was three months later and by then it was too late to make other arrangements.

We haven't been to Hawaii but it's a long, long flight. A couple of years ago I started to look into China and had a bit of an itinerary. Then looked at being on a plane that long and I started to lose interest. I don't know how people go to Australia.

We should really do this offline.