Took a day trip out to Canyonlands and Dead Horse State Park.  We were told by one of the locals that we MUST drive on Schafer Trail.. We were both up for the challenge, so we did!

It is a dirt 1-1/2 lane road that scales the cliff down to the valley. We would also suggest going to the horseshoe overlook, then turn around & go back up. 

We would both highly recommend this trip if you are NOT afraid of heights. However, we would also suggest turning around at the bottom somewhere and going back up.. We stopped at a beautiful overlook to the horseshoe part of the Colorado/Green River. That's where we should have turned around.  We didn't, and ended up finally finishing the off-road bumpy road 5 hours later.  however, we did get a LOT of beautiful photos!

Made it to Arches NP today, a place neither of us have been to. WOW I wish we brought our kids here when they were young! It’s a great place for anybody! You can explore wherever you want, and has all skill levels.

Tip: if you want to walk or bike the trails, don’t bring your dog. Otherwise there’s beautiful scenic drives or short hikes.
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Stay Details: Dinosaur Trackway dispersed camp grounds (38.8286, -109.7653)

I thought the Grand Canyon was spectacular until we came here- to Canyonlands! Maybe I just favor the maroon/chocolate color, or maybe it’s just so huge and makes me feel like just a speck on this huge planet. Either way, it’s emotionally awe-inspiring in person, and pictures do not do it justice.
If you travel out west, we would highly suggest putting Canyonlands on your list of places to visit. Plan a full day at this park for hiking, biking & driving; or just a half day for the driving tour.
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I couldn’t choose which pics to post, so enjoy!

Stay Details: Dinosaur Trackway Dispersed Camp (38.8286, -109.7653)

Ok, the details will wait until tomorrow, but we were so excited about this we had to share: we found the mother-load of Obsidian during our rock-hounding adventure today!
What Mark is presenting is Snowflake Obsidian. It is more rare to find. I’m also posting the pic of one of the obsidian beds where there are literally millions of obsidian fragments from 1/8” to 6”!
Needless to say, we couldn’t keep them all. Mark took a huge sample in to a rock dealer in Delta, Utah and traded it for some Mosasaur teeth and a couple of fossils! Great trade 😄

𝑬𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒊𝒑𝒔: See descriptions under each photo for details.
If you have fun looking for special rocks and unique attractions, Utah is definitely the place to go. Here was some of our highlights on one specific 8-hr day through about 200 miles of back roads.

​𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆: As retirees, we have really been enjoying spending a week at a central location, then visiting all the fun things in the area during that week. This reduces our RV travel time, as well as gives us some fun roads to explore. We always pack a lunch and rarely eat out. Campgrounds usually provide us with magazines of local attractions and rock hounding sites, so we plan our day trips based on location, and head to the farthest spot first. We did this because if we got sidetracked or didn't have enough time to see all our spots, they would be closer to home for the next day.

Btw; if you ever plan on rock-hounding in Utah, be prepared to have a VERY dusty car! Lol!

Stay Details: Ebbs Canyon Rd (39.164204, -112.199923)

​Took a day trip to the Great Basin National Park; a scenic drive up the Wheeler Scenic byway, then a small hike at 10,000 ft to see the Bristlecone Pine grove.

​I must say, I am very impressed with how well Mark did on the rocky cliffs. He rested when needed & took it slow.

We were excited about seeing all the airplanes at the Hill AFB Museum! 

​We would definitely recomment a visit here if you're in the area.

Arriving at Salt Lake City, this was one of the stays I really looked forward to. An island just west of the city, this island was inhabited by Bison, Coyote, Fox, and many other birds and small wildlife. We camped facing the Great Salt Lake, and even though the water levels are way down this year, it was still nice to look out to the sunset over the water.

Because of the animals and brine, there are a LOT of flies here, both large and small, so be prepared. In warmer weather, I'm sure it's even worse.  However, the views and the animals made this place spectacular for us.

​Check out the Bison wandering by our site!

Stay Details:  Antelope Island State Park, Site BBo4. (Salt Lake City, UT)

A trip to “The Golden Spike”, referral of a great friend Rudy. Thank you!

Educational Tip: The Golden Spike was where the last spike was drivin to join the transcontinental railroad, connecting travel to both oceans. The original trains “Jupiter” and “No. 119” are on display on-site and still run each summer for special events. There is a 7 mile and 2 mile driving tour that takes you on the original trailway bed. It is WELL worth the visit!

We had the opportunity to visit Loveland Living Planet Aquarium today and found some very interesting species!

We were thrilled to see the Aquarium open during Covid. They only allowed a small percentage of people to tour during the day and at a time. We enjoyed being able to visit with few people.
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They were also very creative, by using their slow time by creating some really cool Halloween displays!!