Canyonlands National Park to Mesa Verde National Park
The sun was late to reach our tent deep in the canyon, but man was it fierce. Packed up our camp gear and hiked back through the sandy wash to find Robin toasty warm in the sun. Back on the road we headed 30 miles to Canyonlands National Park. Canyonlands is spilt into three regions naturally by the confluence of the Colorado River and the Green River. Island in the Sky to the north, triangles to a point at the intersection of rivers leaving The Needles to the left and The Maze to the right of either river.The variety of this park is endless, but the accessibility is less, the true unexplored wild-west. We headed out to explore the Island in the Sky mesa, hikes to Upheaval Dome (an unexplained phenomenon created this gorgeous green/blue salt valley in the middle of a circular canyon), views of the Green River and canyons galore. It was breathtaking, rivaling the Grand Canyon. We will definitely be returning here in the next year to ride the 100 mile dirt path throughout the park and hike the Joint Trail through canyons and Hoodoos in the Needles. After a thorough day of canyon adventures, we hit the road, Colorado on the horizon. Leaving Moab we unexpectedly joined the old car show parade, literally rolled down Main Street with other old cars, people in lawn chairs and on the curbs lining the roads, kids pumping their arms getting us to honk and begging us to “spin out” It was awesome and hilarious, how fun to see the local Moab crowd all out for an event! Grabbed a huge slice of pizza at The local pizza joint, and hit the road. Tomorrow we will enjoy Mesa Verde National Park, but tonight Walmart offers a free and easy campsite for tired explorers.
