1/17/2023 - I got up early again, wolfed down some breakfast at the Hyatt and then headed out on the open road again. My destination was another unfamiliar one: Canyonlands National Park.
Canyonlands is a vast expanse of canyons through which the Green and Colorado rivers have carved over millions of years. This area of Utah is an off-roader's fantasy because you could spend a lifetime exploring the nooks and crannies of this high-desert, ancient park. Canyonlands is split into four different districts: Island in the Sky, Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves; I tried to visit the Island in the Sky district because I wanted to see Mesa Arch, an icon of Canyonlands that provides excellent sunrise views from high in the sky.
But as I drove and climbed elevation from Moab, the sky became darker. Precipitation began falling. Snow began to stick on the road. The storm was here. So I stopped at the visitor center to consult the rangers about weather conditions. We came to the conclusion that it would be better to return the next day because by then the storm would have passed. They were forecasting sunny conditions.
So, I returned to Moab. A light rain was falling. The storm would batter the entire area this day, so my options were limited. I decided to explore Utah State Route 128, another national scenic byway. The highway follows the Colorado River at a bottom of a massive canyon, surrounded by imperious red and orange walls. Even though I was driving through rain and eventually sleet, I was impressed by how the top of the cliffs were shrouded in mist. It gave the area a feel of mystery.
I stopped at a resort on the banks of the river for lunch and a beer. Meanwhile, the snow level was slowly dropping. After I finished lunch and returned to the car, wet snow was now falling so I returned to Moab. In an effort to avoid spending money at a restaurant or bar, I decided to go to the library to wait for the snow to stop. In the meantime, I read a Bill Bryson book about some of his adventures across the United States, and I wrote about my previous days on the road trip using my old iPhone 6.
But the snow didn't stop. It was getting thicker and began to stick on the roads. After a few hours inside the quiet and relaxed library, I decided to return to the Hyatt and reserve a room for a third night. The snowstorm didn't give me much of a choice! This time I reserved a room with a king size bed, because why not? I made the most of the late afternoon and evening by washing my dirty laundry and then soaking in the outdoor hot tub while snow fell.
I wasn't able to do exactly what I wanted this day, but I was able to pivot to something almost as magical. I had the outdoor hot tub to myself for a while, savoring the moment of ecstasy of soaking in a hot tub during a snowstorm. This is a simple pleasure, something everyone should experience once in their lives. It turned out to be one of my favorite evenings of the trip.
1/18/23 - The storm dropped 3-4 inches of snow in Moab. The roads were a mess. At one point the southbound lanes of the state highway had been closed down. The hotel power went out sometime during the night, so they had to get power off emergency generators. They had trouble staffing the kitchen for breakfast, but they did manage to get out a simple continental meal which was fine with me.
After having a chat with an older couple about photography at the breakfast table, I again set out in an attempt to reach Canyonlands National Park. I left before dawn, racing down the highway and appreciating the fog that had settled over the totally white landscape. Again I climbed in elevation, noticing that the red-orange buttes I saw the day before were now coated in snow and that the road before me was becoming progressively icier. However, it was plowed, so I had hope.
At the turnoff for Dead Horse Point State Park, I stopped the car in the middle of the road. Here, the road was no longer plowed. It was buried under a foot of fresh powder with just a couple of tire tracks evidence that there was a route here.
I sighed. I was this close! I couldn't turn back now! I had driven more than a thousand miles to this point. So, I continued, following the tire tracks in my Camry, occasionally slipping and sliding in the fresh snow. Four miles of this, again I had begun to question my own intelligence. Again I thought about the snow chains in my trunk.
Thankfully, I reached the visitor center in one piece. However, the road beyond the visitor center was closed due to the amount of snow on the roadway and inside the park. At that point, I accepted the situation. I had genuinely tried to visit Canyonlands, but it just wasn't meant to be this time.
I stood in the plowed-yet-icy parking lot and decided to take some pictures of the fresh blanket of snow in the early morning light. There were still great photos. I then bit the bullet and installed snow chains on the front two tires of my car, muttering to myself the entire time. As soon as I finished installing them, I threw my arms into the air in a victory formation. I was proud of myself because I had thought it would be much more difficult to install them.
Off I went, back through the fresh powder on top of the unplowed road, but this time I turned towards Dead Horse Point State Park, centered on a cliff overlooking Canyonlands on the north side of the park. The name "Dead Horse Point" refers to ranchers to kept their stock in this area, but consistently lost horses due to hot temperatures. This park offers a breathtaking view of endless canyons, rock spires and of course, the everlasting Colorado River, the main culprit behind this landscape.
Normally, this view provides plenty of orange-red sandstone rock and the brown waters of the Colorado. On this day, I was treated to a landscape covered in a layer of fresh, white snow, something you don't often see. I was one of the few people who made it to the park on this morning, so I was lucky enough to hear silence.
From Dead Horse Point, I returned to Moab but decided to explore State Route 128 again. This time the canyon was weather free with a blaze of sunshine. The canyon was dusted with snow which made it even more impressive, even more regal. I easily made it into Castle Valley, a part of Utah I hadn't heard of until a month before the trip when I saw some photos of it on a photography forum. Castle Valley is a small town on the border with Colorado, surrounded by massive cliffs and buttes, including Castleton, a tall, solo sandstone rock spire. I had the road all to myself while I snapped photos, again enjoying the silence and savoring the view.
The rest of SR 128 was a pleasure to drive. I was treated to sights such as Fisher Towers, a well-known feature in the rock climbing community, and more buttes caressed with powder snow. Eventually I connected with Interstate 70 and rushed towards my next destination in the afternoon sunshine: Goblin Valley State Park.
Goblin Valley is a creepy place, particularly when I visited during Golden Hour. This state park contains a vast valley composed of thousands of sandstone hoodoos that look like tiny humanoid people; in other words, goblins! I was completely alone during my visit and when I strolled through the valley, I had a feeling of being watched. I could have sworn I heard footsteps to my left...
I didn't spend much time here because I was trying to get as far west as I could before darkness. Goblin Valley is another place that I'll have to revisit someday. So I raced west towards the setting sun, passing Hanksville and Coleville and by the time I passed through Capitol Reef National Park, darkness had taken rule along with frigid cold. I stopped at the first hotel I encountered and checked into a room for the night where I slept soundly once again.
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