Basin and Range/Colorado Plateau 2
Friday 10 September-Monday 21 September, 2021
Hickman Bridge, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, been very difficult. Not the greatest, but also not the least, of the difficulties has been the suspension of travel. Early on, I grieved hugely not only for the isolation from my friends and family, but also for the plans I had made. We had planned a third Pacific Northwest driving tour for June of 2020. When it became apparent, toward the end of March of 2020, that we would have to postpone that trip, I began hoping for a road trip in September. The Pacific Northwest would be fiery and smoky at that time of year, so I planned a return to the Colorado Plateau instead: Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks, along with more of Grand Staircase Escalante and some Utah state parks. Eric observed that it would be fairly easy to stop at Great Basin National Park along the way. I read the guidebooks, did all the research, and made the reservations. It comforted me. Then we had to postpone that trip as well, and set our sights on the Pacific Northwest for May of 2021. That itinerary might have been safe enough from a COVID perspective, but three things forced us to postpone yet again. First, Eric was working on a contract with a very hard end-of-May deadline. Second, an important part of the trip for us was to visit our friends Silven, Katie, and Devon in BC, and the Canadian border was still closed. Third, we believed, at that time, that the COVID situation would continue to improve as more people received vaccinations, thinking that new variants would not take hold until the following winter. So, we planned the Colorado Plateau itinerary for September of 2021.
As the time for the trip approached, with the Delta variant still raging, Eric expressed considerable reluctance to go. Although I had taken a few small trips over the summer, I found the idea of giving up yet again, continuing to feel so trapped, unbearable. We had trained all summer for the hiking we would be doing on the trip, clambering up and down slopes all over the northern Bay Area. We compromised by shortening the trip to just the first half, from Great Basin through Capitol Reef, avoiding the additional complications of camping and hauling camping gear, and staying away only so long that we could bring enough food with us (thus avoiding the need to go indoors for grocery shopping). I booked only motels with rooms that could be entered directly from outdoors, with no need to pass through hallways. There could be no visits to vistor centers, bookstores, or gift shops--going indoors would be minimized as much as absolutely possible. Still, with all of these limitations, we managed to have a real vacation, see some amazing sights, hike some fantastic canyons, and, of course, take some incredible pictures.
- Aspen-filled Great Basin National Park, Nevada, where we climbed exceedingly difficult Wheeler Peak
- Beautiful Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Utah, where we saw gorgeous petrified wood
- Threatened Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah, where we explored excellent geological formations such as hoodoos and slot canyons
- Geologically fascinating Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, where we hiked and drove through beautiful canyon scenery
View from summit of Wheeler Peak.
Petrified wood.
Calf Creek Falls.
Goosenecks Overlook.
Because of COVID, we did not patronize many businesses other than those with fuel pumps. But when we did, we were able mostly to avoid national chains and support local businesses instead.
In one week, we hiked a total of 47 km, or 29 mi. That was good.
Overview map.
Map of the Utah portion of our trip, including some very exciting roads.
In ten days, we (well, mostly Eric, as I was working on these web pages much of the time we were in Mather), drove 3,486 km, or 2,166 mi. Eric took my picture with Mather finding a geocache up on a hill on a dirt road. So glad we have Mather!
In ten days, we found 22 geocaches, some very good ones!