RED CANYON ~ 6-11-2012

      We didn't know about Red Canyon.  It just appeared on the drive to Bryce National Park.  The columnar rock formations are called Hoodoos.  That is, I believe, what Bryce is all about.  It's gorgeous everywhere.

  ~*~

Panguitch, UT 6-11-2012

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2012

Drove from Hurricane, Utah, through Panguitch, UT, to Red Canyon & Bryce Canyon.  Pretty long drive.  There are parts of Highway 15 in Utah that have an 80 MPH speed limit, so that means you go 85-90....makes quicker work of it all.  It's a pretty valley for most of the drive.  There are the Prophet billboards, with a number to call to help you make it through Armageddon.  You know, typical stuff.

Eventually, you wind up on Highway 89, which is just a beautiful and scenic road for hundreds of miles. 

Here's Panguitch:

     Might be time to watch Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid again.  According to this, Panguitch was Cassidy's stomping grounds.  We visited the Red Canyon they mention in the article.  

     Some salesman with a big watch and a big turquoise ring was holding court in the restaurant pictured above.  Being the nosy person I am, I was trying hard to figure out what he was selling.  He used the words BLM and NPS, and it looked like he was trying to get some local farmers to do something with water or pumping water.  Interesting hearing the talk about all of that because NPS and BLM stuff, I think, belongs to everyone???

     Anyhow, picturesque little town. 

                                                                           ~*~

  

ZION NATIONAL PARK & CORAL SANDS STATE PARK 6/10/2012

Such a nice surprise in the middle of the desert!

This is Coral Sands State Park in Utah.  Salmon-colored Sand Dunes Galore. 
There's camping and picnicking here....and *a lot* of sand!

Actually a nice little spot for a picnic.  Those trees are some kind of miniature oak tree.  And a lot of sagebrush, I guess, at least that's what it smelled like.  Not bad for the $6 entry fee.  And there's ALWAYS an entry fee!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

The wind whipping through that break you can see in the mountains carries with it this sand.  I'm guessing this took a long time to form.  :)  This is off that neat Highway 89.  It was a fun first full day of sight seeing. 

Delusions of Grandeur have ended:  I could not figure out how to easily post pictures here from the iThing.  So I'll post them now.  A few posts will be placeholders, since an SD card has mysteriously gone blank (with backup pics on the iThing), or we may need to develop real film pictures. 

Anyway, I hope no one thinks this is self-absorption, posting these pictures.  I guess there is always the red X in the upper right-hand corner of this window if it seems that way!!

Here's what we did (writing this as much for my own benefit as anything!! @s at the end are where we stayed each night -- seriously, it is consuming energy to remember this...I don't want to forget it or guess later!):

Saturday, June 9, 2012 -- Flew to Las Vegas.  Drove to Hurricane, UT.  Stayed @Hurricane
Sunday, June 10, 2012 -- Visited Zion National Park and Coral Sands State Park. @Hurricane
Monday, June 11, 2012 -- Visited Panguitch, Utah, Red Canyon, & Bryce Nat'l Park. @Hurricane
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 -- Visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Drove to Page @Page
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 -- Played on Lake Powell.  Drove to Flagstaff  @Flagstaff
Thursday, June 14, 2012 -- Went to Slide Rock State Park and Sedona.  @Flagstaff
Friday, June 15, 2012 -- Drove to Las Vegas.  Stayed at South Point Casino.  @Las Vegas
Saturday, June 16, 2012 -- Pawn Stars...Drove the Strip....came home  @Home!!!

Okay.  Here we go!

~PCWINK