More Red Rocks – and some water, at last!

Hanging out in Hanksville, UT was fun. There wasn’t much there, but the RV park where we stayed had a pretty decent cowboy-themed restaurant (it was full of life-size John Wayne cutouts, offered lots of home style cooking, and boasted a pretty cool “saloon”). There was also a really popular shake stop up the road that seemed to be a big hit no matter what time of day it was. We tried both places out and were not disappointed.

It was hot as Hades while we were there, getting up to 103 degrees one day; so, we picked one of the less-scorching days to head over to Capitol Reef National Park. It was in the 80s that morning, and it proved fairly comfortable for a hike that involved lots of climbing. The end reward was another natural arch: Hickman Bridge. We also saw some gorgeous views of more red rock formations, valleys, and domes.

We drove the national park, stopping for the highlights mentioned on our handy map. We did a short hike around Chimney Rock, popped in at a nature center, checked out an old farmhouse, and then did a scenic driving tour. There was some off-roading involved on the scenic tour, which seemed to make Ray pretty happy with his 4-wheel drive. We like to crank up the “dirt road” playlist for these occasions, much to the dismay of the kids, who prefer to listen to Radio Disney or this atrocious satellite station called Kidz Bop (where children sing the latest pop songs).

Our last little hike of the day was through a valley in search of “water pockets,” which are sort of potholes in the rocks that collect rainwater and snowmelt. We went on a bit of a goose chase, but finally realized that it was too late in the year and too dry for there to really be anything left of those pools. Somewhat defeated and exhausted, we headed back to the truck. On a positive note, I got 20,000 steps in on my Fitbit that day!

After all the desert hiking and rock viewing, we were in need of some swim time. Seriously, it’s beautiful country, but I like a little blue and green in my landscape. So, we took the hour’s drive on one extremely hot day to Lake Powell. This was a highlight for all of us, I think. We got our floats, our beach chairs, and snacks, and headed to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which usually costs $25 to enter, but was free to us with our National Parks Pass. Winning.

The recreation area is humongous, but the area closest to us is Bullfrog, which includes boat launches, marina, lodging, a restaurant, houseboat rentals, a couple of beaches, and shops. We ate at the restaurant, having our lunch next to large windows that let in the view of the gorgeous blue lake. After the girls had a brownie sundae, we moved on down the road to the beach.

This was perfection after a few days of feeling like we were living on the sun. We played water games, floated around, dug in the dark sand, and relaxed. My Fitbit showed a mere 2,000 steps that day, but I was okay with that. The only downside is I forgot to reapply and got a little red, but everyone else seemed to fare okay (because they are all darker to begin with).