Utah seems impossible. Otherworldly. Utah is like no place else on earth. At least no place that I’ve seen. It’s a geological wonderland and an exercise in trying to grasp the concept of millions of years in the past. Our time here this year was brief, but absolutely packed with incredible sights. In a week’s worth of time we visited four national parks and one state park. I actually had to double check with Larry that my calendar math was correct, because, damn! we did a lot this week, and all while still trying to maintain the normalcy of day-to-day living that includes, work, study, gym, pool, grocery, food prep, laundry, and decent sleep. We stayed in Moab, surrounded by glorious rock formations and countless ATVs. We ate all meals at home or picnic-style in Louie. We regularly went to the Moab Aquatic and Fitness Center. We were able to hang dry laundry in 15 minutes on the back patio of our AirBnB. When we did have time to explore, we went to the great outdoors. Here’s a summary of our outings:

Great Basin National Park (technically in Nevada, but a stone’s throw to Utah). We were delighted to realize we were passing so close to this National Park, so of course we would need to make the side quest over to see it. And I am so glad we did. We learned a lot about the basin and its remaining glacier, and we saw some really lovely parts of the park. We drove the scenic road and took a small nature hike through aspen trees and babbling brooks before we had to get back on the road to get to Moab before dark.

Capitol Reef National Park – This park blew our little minds. It was stunning and it defies description. We hiked the Cassidy Arch trail, ate the famous Garrison House pies, saw the petroglyphs, hiked the gooseneck overlook trail, and drove the scenic road. Here’s a tip: Don’t hike in 110 degree temperatures. Sure it’s a dry heat, but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant. We did just fine, had plenty of water, and got to see the arch that Butch Cassidy reportedly hid out under. But after that afternoon, we made sure the rest of our hikes were in the early mornings or in the early evenings.

Dead Horse Point State Park (which for all intents and purposes should just be part of Canyonlands as it is so close and is equally stunning). This park was as stunning and beautiful as any national park. We hiked the east and west rims, taking in the incredible sights, learning more about the geology and the potash refinement processing plant in the distance. We of course had to get pictures of the Thelma and Louise marker. After the hike, we hung out in Louie, had dinner, and watched the sunset. Then we joined in with a moonlight hike as it was the full Strawberry Moon. We saw the ephemeral pools and the multitude of life contained therein, and we watched the moon rise over the La Sal Mountains.

Arches – Wow, wow wow! We were super lucky to have gotten in as I got my dates mixed up and showed up a day early for my timed pass. The Ranger was so very kind, and as the park was not sold out on that day, she let us slide. This park contains around 2,000 natural arches, the most in the world. The unique geology and climate combine to create these stunning, fragile, and timebound features. We drove the scenic dive and then hiked into Delicate Arch, the quintessential famous arch where we enjoyed the sunset and marveled to actually be lucky enough to be in that particular spot. If you look really closely, you’ll see me and Larry under the arch.

Canyonlands – This park is chock full of incredible geology. We headed into the park first thing in the morning. In the golden light we hiked Mesa Arch and the Grand View trail in the Isle in the Sky portion of the park. Our timing was good and we were able to catch a Ranger talk on geology as we got off trail. Afterwards, we meandered along the scenic drive and enjoyed the vista points every chance we got. It was incredible.

One week later, and I am as gobsmacked and amazed at my surroundings as I was the first day we arrived. It’s an incredible corner of the world and we are so grateful to have been able to experience it. Now it’s time to pack up and move on to our next destination.