Day 12 begins at Capitol Reef Resort: I had opened the drapes a crack when we went to bed, to see the sky color. At 7am it was getting lighter. I dragged myself up to open the curtains the rest of the way, to see the sunrise on the red reef.
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The rising sun ran down the cliffs and spilled across the valley floor.
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Karen rose before 7:30, dressed, and sat by the french doors watching the red run down the hillside to the scrub below. The two ice containers had frozen nicely overnight on the balcony floor. It's in the teens out there.
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At 8 we bundled up to cross the parking lot (still in teh teens) to the surround view dining room. Karen went ahead and got the table in the corner. I followed, and took a snap of me scurrying over, one selfie with her inside and me outside, and finally of her greeting my arrival at the table. Collaged for your convenience.
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I take so many pictures. After breakfast, I see the shadow of this defrosting plant by the restaurant.
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So we check out and head back to Capitol Reef for a last look around. This has been our farpoint stay. Now we head back homeward. Note the nod to the road behind at the lower right.
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A little more time at the National Park. Some petroglyphs. Some time by the Colorado River.
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At one riverside pull out, we saw some pronghonrs. Darn little wildlife along our trip this year.
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You'd think construction season would be over by the second half of November. You'd be wrong. This is what one of those cute little i-beams under a bridge looks like before it goes under.
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This historic marker site has seen too many bad years. I suspect it was already falling into disrepair when they updated it with a URL. The flags look like they'd been whipping in the wind for a decade.
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We stopped for gas. Up here, 85% is regular. And $4.69/gal.
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I like cloud shadows on desert hillsides. And actual Sinclair dinosaurs. Pedantic rant: All the coal and oil were created long before dinosaurs existed. Carboniferous Period was 359 to 299 million years ago. The first dinosaurs appeared 50 million years later.
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Carl's Critter Garden, Hanksville, UT. I saw this art yard as we left Hanksville two days ago. We came back and Karen enabled me to spend some time admiring it.
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Actual critters live in Carl's Critter Garden
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Reflective ball selfie in a sculpture garden. I took so many pictures here. Be relieved that I'm moving on. It's a busy day, ahead.
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We pulled over at this spot. I'm sure there is some reason people do. There are more of these sighting tubes looking away from the obvious landmark.
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We stared through pipes to see the named landmarks
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Karen's hands got quite cold; she would hold onto the pipe to peer through it. So, we have this Look Ma, No Hands driving moment.as she warms her phalanges
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Our goal today was to head toward home. However, we'd never been to this state park along our route. We decided to check it out.
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There were signs. Goblin Valley must be worth seeing.
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Left from County Road 24 (north) to West Temple Junction, then left to Goblin Valley Road. At least it's paved.
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Goblin Valley Visitor Center.
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Karen drove on into the park after a visit in the visitor's center. In November, this place is not very crowded.
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They chose the polite term "Goblins" for the thousands of these, um, shapes.
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Karen got a nice, warm fox hat at the visitor's center. The thought was for our niece. But for the brisk sub-freezing winds on the valley rim, it was helpful.
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The reason this is a State Park and not a national one is that there are already too many national parks nearby. State money doesn't cover paved trails or guard rails.
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Another turnabout picture. Dan went out along many a ridge to look down.
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There is much to see in Goblin Valley. Dan points his camera the other way.
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Karen ventured out onto a few ridges, too.
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Karen comes back from a ridge, with the white mountains behind her, and the red goblins waiting below.
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A stop at the car and restrooms before we went into the valley itself. Karen found the gravel steps hard on her feet. So she decided to follow Dan's example and walk down the ramp.
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Down in Goblin Valley
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I took about 300 pictures in our hour and a half in Goblin Valley. Trying to just pic some evocative ones.
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Karen does the Vanna White thing.
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Maybe these are called Goblins because they are not quite hoodoos, arches, or bridges.
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We solve the issue of the photographer not being in the pictures a little differently than the usual. OTOH, that describes us pretty well.
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Take a picture over there.
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There are no text signs to watch for falling rocks. Some of these are just look like they are waiting for a cartoon coyote.
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Fortunately, the rocks didn't think her fox hat made her a coyote.
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Karen wanted to capture Dan's use of narrow goat paths up the valley walls.
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Goblin Valley State Park, Utah.
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A wide angle shot from up there. Sadly, my phone got rid of the red, and I tried to get it back in.
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Sunbeam through a window
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And farewell to Goblin Valley
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Late afternoon, heading north to I-70, with the plan of making miles eastward before stopping for the night.
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That is one m-f large stack of boxes. We don't know why.
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Okay, responsible adults, heading hoeward on I-70. But the sign says, Arches, Canyonlands ahead. Um...
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Apparently we are heading south to Arches! Our shadow out the left side window near sunset points east, thus we are heading south.
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Can we make it to Arches before sunset?
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Sun is getting very low. Clouds are orange.
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Made it into Arches before the last light left the highest clouds. Bu the Earth shadow is rising from the horizon.
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The wide sky was beautiful. But my stupid phone keeps correcting for red landscapes! So the panorama made the red sky blue. Compare the actual color over hte rear of the car with the blue-white in the panorama. Technology is a pain (Foreshadowing: Tomorrow morning, yikes).
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I was standing in front of the car, so all the road signs are retroreflecting at me.
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Karen stopped to use the restroom, and I went up the trail. And my camera battery died. I had a spare in the car. Karen had the keys. I went back to the car, and couldn't find her. She wasn't in the bathroom. Found her limping up the trail, looking for me. She'd had a fall. So we called it a night and went to find lodging.
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Day 12 Map: Capitol Reef, Hanksville, Goblin Valley, Arches, again.
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We checked in to a motel in Moab, and got Karen some ice, and NSAd and a snack.I did battle with my computer, mouse, cameras, etc. A bucnh of boring issues. After a while, Karen showed me some things she'd found in the welcome/activities book in the room. One road less traveled we had not traveled in the area, along the Colorado river. So in the morning, a quick drive nearby before we start heading home in earnest.
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