Canyon Country

Well it’s been a while since I last barked at ya.  The truth is I have been writing all along – I just haven’t been able to post to your/my blog because we haven’t had any internet connection for quite some time.  Since I last posted we have stayed in one state park and two national parks.  We have seen some amazing places as the pictures below will try to depict.  But, the reality is what we have seen and what we have experienced can never be captured in pictures.  So, I will try to fill in the blanks a bit with my words.

First...a bit about a couple of stops on our way to the canyons...

On the way to our first stop in canyon country we made two stops.  First, the Natural Bridges National Monument. 

Next, as we drove along Rt.95 in Utah we had an unexpected encounter with the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; an expansive canyon area carved by the Colorado River (shown here) before it gets to the Grand Canyon.  This river can do some damage!

Kodachrome Basin State Park

Our first stay in the canyons was in a little known jewel of a place called Kodachrome Basin State Park.  This turned out to be my personal favorite as they were dog friendly!  That’s really me hiking on some amazing trails. 

I will admit that the first trail we attempted here, while beautiful, was HOT!  And for a furry black haired creature like me this desert environment was enough to make a dog melt.  That's me and my boy Caleb hiking and sweating along the trail.

But, later in the evening we hiked an amazing trail that included extremely narrow paths that if I misplaced on one of my four paws – I was sure to meet that kennel in the sky. 

The girls demonstrated their acumen with heights by walking out on these extremely narrow paths that simply lead to nowhere – just a shear drop off hundreds of feet below.  They are either the bravest or craziest girls I have ever met!

Filled with spires that reached for the sky carved by ancient winds and water, the colors were spectacular – even for someone like me that is only supposed to see in black and white.  Later some of my family would rank Kodachrome Basin right up there with Bryce and Zion National Parks.

Bryce is Nice

Speaking of Bryce – that would be our next stop on this canyon tour.  It was within about ½ hour drive from Kodachrome.  Unfortunately, they weren’t quite as dog friendly in Bryce Canyon National Park.  So, my family visited there leaving me behind in the air conditioned comfort of the camper.  This was cool with me.  Although the family did report that Bryce was consistently 20 degrees cooler than Kodachrome. 

My family tells me that this was an amazing place to hike.  Chased by threatening skies they walked narrow canyon trails, some of which had been carved right through the rock. 

It sounds like the kids were extremely strong as they worked their way through thin air from elevations of close to 9,000 feet above sea level.  This is the highest any of my family has ever been while still on the ground.

They dropped into the canyon and back out with a change in elevation of over 500 feet.  In the canyons what goes down – must come back up.  They tell me that pictures here of the switchback trails just don’t do the climb justice.

I am sure you will hear my echo when I bark at you again soon from the next canyon.  

Big wet kisses, Mookie, "The Bloggin' Dog"