Tag Archives: rocks

Sedona Arizona

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Matt jumps off the red rock cliffs into Oak Creek
Matt jumps off the red rock cliffs into Oak Creek. Note the red life jacket marks how far I needed to jump to not hit rocks. Ubu looks worried

Kim had read about the energy vortexes (which as far as I can tell are pure BS) and the new age vibe surrounding scenic Sedona, so it made sense as the next stop on our itinerary after the Grand Canyon.  The drive from the north through Oak Creek Canyon certainly is an impressive entry.  I never expected to see this much greenery juxtaposed with the red rocks in Arizona. There were more than a couple campgrounds along the canyon drive, but we didn’t stop until Manzanita campground since it was the smallest and tent only. We got a sweet site right next to the creek, with a nice cliff lined swimming hole just a minute walk away.  This may win for being one of our nicest, most peaceful campsites.  The campsite in the Sawtooths was more scenic, but this one felt more comfortable with the tree cover and nearby babbling brook.

We went into town for the evening, and at first enjoyed and then were overwhelmed by the touristy atmosphere. There were helicopter, trains, jeep, hiking, and yoga tours of the surrounding red rocks, and more artsy, trinkety jewelry shops than I could stand.  It was all surrounded by gorgeous scenery though, and there were was some pretty good food and ice cream.  Continue reading Sedona Arizona →

Grand Canyon

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The Robinsons at the Grand Cayon
The Robinsons at the Grand Canyon

This was the only definite thing I had on our itinerary before we started the trip, and now I’ve seen it. It’s definitely an impressive site, and I hate for there to be a but, but it wasn’t as amazing as I’d hoped given the hype and some of the rock formations we had recently seen. Part of the lack of being amazed could have been that I was just getting over a cold and grumpy, or that we’re close to 3 weeks into a road trip and getting a little road weary, or maybe it was the Disneyworld kind of atmosphere for what I believe might be the most visited national park in the country. Whatever it was, it still definitely worth seeing and something I’m glad I saw, just not the standout highlight of trip so far. Continue reading Grand Canyon →

Bryce, Red Canyon and Lake Powell

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The family overlooking the amphitheater at Bryce Canyon
The family overlooking the amphitheater at Bryce Canyon

Southern Utah seems to be about as interesting as central Utah is boring, which is to say very. The nicest part about central Utah was that you could drive fast, so from Salt Lake City we had our longest driving day in terms of miles.  We set up camp at the campground in Red Canyon, about 15 minutes from Bryce.  The campground had a view of the red rocks while still having enough tree cover for shade and hanging our hammock.  We initially planned to just spend time here and skip Bryce since national parks tend not to be very dog friendly, but it seemed a shame to miss out on Bryce when we were so close. Continue reading Bryce, Red Canyon and Lake Powell →