Saturday, July 27, 2024

Starting mileage: 17523, Distance travelled: 102, Miles walked: 4.8-5.4

The day started out slowly with everyone sleeping in. Susan was up at 7am but let everyone sleep in and they didn’t wake up until after 8:15. Canyonlands National Park was 45 minutes away so we didn’t hit our first trailhead until 11am. Laura was feeling under the weather with a sore throat and fatigue despite the good night’s rest. The temperature was slightly cooler due to the elevation. We were on top of a giant, flat Mesa (redundant?) called Island in the Sky. It overlooks enormous, elaborate canyons formed by the Colorado and Green Rivers. We started at the far end of the scenic road with a hike to Grand View Point and it lived up to its name.

By the end of the 2-mile hike, Laura was definitely flagging so she and Susan hung back on the next vista. Brady and David hiked a short 0.6-mile trail to Upheaval Dome, a 2-mile wide crater with an uplift in the center. Scientists debate the origin to be either a salt dome or meteor strike, with the latter gaining more support recently.

We made quick stops at Buck Canyon, Candlestick Tower, and Green River Overlooks.

After some lunch and a rest, Laura was a good sport, and after some bribery agreed to one short 0.6-mile hike to view Mesa Arch and the view was worth it, but Laura begs to differ. When you look through the light sandstone arch, it frames red mesas in the background.

We got back to the hotel around 4pm and rested up a bit. David got sunburned for the first time, probably due to our later start time. We were out in the 10am-3pm range rather than 7am-1pm range when the sunlight isn’t as direct. We walked into downtown Moab again for dinner at Dewey’s Restaurant, named after a historic bridge that spans the Green River.