Florida International

UTAH 2022
Click on pictures for larger version... We went to a wedding in Las Vegas and decided to add on a trip to Utah to see all the National Parks (I had a senior pass, so entrance would be free!)
Leaving Las Vegas!	Crossing the State line into Utah
Park #1 - Zion National Park. No need to say much, photos speak for themselves!




Next, Colob Canyon

Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Red Canyon Three places today including another National Park, or in this case a Monument: Cedar Breaks National Monument. My National Parks Senior card worked there too! So overall we have saved $65 so far!! It's all free!

Today was Bryce National Park (bringing my Senior National Parks Pass - which cost $20 for all parks for a year - savings now up to $100). Never thought I'd be happy to be over 62! Absolutely stunning.


Today we hit the Grand Staircase National Monument.

Never been to a gas station convenience store inside a mountain before!! Gotta love Utah!	As you might or might not know, Utah has very strict alcohol laws. There are only 41 State owned and run liquor stores in the entire state. Here is one of them, the smallest liquor store I have ever seen!

Two more parks today bringing our savings using the senior pass to $160! Capitol Reef National Park and a small section of Canyonlands National Park. Going back tomorrow. We drove 150 miles today through some pretty weird looking desert on Highway 24.	Capitol Reef
Canyonlands National Park	Capitol Reef

Canyonlands National Park	Canyonlands National Park
Utah roadside attraction. When you have some land in the middle of nowhere and time on your hands, you create this.

Today another National Park, Arches (current senior pass savings $190!). With overcast weather the entire day, pics not that great but still amazing sites.


Today was several interesting destinations starting with ruins of the homes of Native Americans who lived here 1000 years ago, to the Natural Bridges National Monument (A natural bridge is a natural stone arch that spans a valley of erosion, whereas a natural arch does not span an erosion valley. That's the official difference, to me they look similar but different. You judge...) then to the Moki Dugway, a dirt road mountain pass that if you don't care for heights (like me!) is absolutely terrifying! (I sat in the back seat with my eyes closed! Hoping that Wendy will not drive us over the edge!) Finishing with Goosenecks State Park. The Goosenecks photo is a panorama so click on it to view the whole image. The Goosenecks section of the San Juan River is 6 miles long, but only moves 1.5 miles West, as the crow flies, due to the twists and turns.


So today was Monument Valley - not a National Park because it is on Tribal Lands. More John Wayne and other cowboy movies have been filmed here than you can count! It's a 17 mile loop dirt road that is very bumpy and tricky but totally worth the ride! $8 per person. It's in Arizona, not Utah.


Hit another two National Parks today, Glen Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs. These are our last parks making the final cost savings on my Senior Pass to $270!! Lake Powell is created by a dam built in the 60s and runs 300 feet deep today. The lake depth has dropped 166 feet since it was built. The boat ramps are completely out of the water, they had to build new ones!



We drove over 1,700 miles in Nevada, Utah and Arizona in our rental car, which was a Toyota Corolla Hybrid. It's our first time driving a hybrid and 2 things I noticed. That car steadily got 36 miles to the gallon! And the automatic gear shift had an extra position, called B, which means "Braking". I had no idea the hybrids can switch to another gear position when going down hill and actually use engine compression to slow down just like a manual shift. Who knew? We used it a lot!