Kodachrome Basin State Park

While we concentrate on National Parks, we also like to visit other interesting parks as we explore. One such was Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah:

Kodachrome Basin

Like much of Utah, it features lots of interesting rock formations:

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

We had a picnic lunch in a nice sheltered picnic area:

Picnic area

Picnic area

Then strolled along a nature trail:

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Tree

Rocks

Rocks

Tree

Rocks

Rocks

I liked how this cloud lined up with the rock tower, to make it look like smoke from a chimney:

Rocks

Finally, we went for a drive on a dirt road to see some more rocks:

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Stay tuned for a timelapse video.

Mossy Cave Trail hike, Bryce Canyon

Within the Bryce Canyon National Park boundary, but separated from the main part of the park, is a short hike called Mossy Cave Trail. This hike is 0.8 miles (1.3 km) out-and-back, with an elevation change of 300 feet (91m).

Here’s the trailhead:

Trailhead

Jenn with hiking poles; the first time we used them, very useful on the steep and rough path:

Jenn

Some nice views from the trail:

Rocks

Trail

Bridge

Water

Rocks

Rocks

Bridge

A waterfall:

Water

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

Rocks

Rocks

Waterfall

Rocks

Waterfall

Waterfall

IMG 4699

Water

Waterfall and rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Another path leads to the Mossy Cave:

Mossy Cave

Mossy Cave

Really more of an overhang than a cave:

Mossy Cave

Still some ice lingering in the shade:

Mossy Cave

Bryce Canyon National Park at sunset

We visited Bryce Canyon National Park again around sunset, on two consecutive nights.

On the first night, we had a fancy dinner at Stone Hearth Grille in Tropic, Utah, in the “canyon” of Bryce (it’s not really a canyon):

Stone Hearth Grille

Appetizer

Appetizer

Main

Jenn

Dessert

Dessert

Then into Bryce Canyon:

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

As you may have noticed, those pictures didn’t have much alpenglow, as the sun was already too low to reach the canyon. So we decided to go again the next night, a bit earlier.

This time, we had dinner at Bryce Canyon Pines, a more casual traditional American restaurant (with very tasty food):

Bryce Canyon Pines

Bryce Canyon Pines

Cherry pie and ice cream

And into Bryce Canyon once again:

Bryce Canyon

Much better alpenglow this time:

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

We enjoyed having a viewpoint to ourselves:

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

A more popular viewpoint:

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Another quiet viewpoint:

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Zion National Park again

We visited Zion National Park again, in the late afternoon and evening, and took several hundred more photos. Here are a bunch of the nice ones.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Jenn & David

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Heading through the mile-long tunnel:

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

A couple of the tunnel windows:

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

A fun game we play when visiting parks is to look for and pick up garbage. Because people suck, and we want to leave our parks better than we found them. This is my haul from one viewpoint:

Garbage

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

We had dinner at a Thai restaurant just outside the park:

Jenn at Thai restaurant

Thai restaurant

Thai restaurant

Thai restaurant

We’ve seen a couple of restaurants that have checkboxes for tips. I wish every restaurant would do this; it’s so much more convenient:

Thai restaurant

(Bringing an ApplePay terminal to the table is even nicer. Better yet, how about paying a living wage and getting rid of tipping, but this is an improvement over having to do the math.)

Back into the park:

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Back through the tunnel:

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

The smaller tunnel:

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Jenn & David

Cactus

Cactus

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument including Singing Canyon

We took a day trip along Scenic Byway 12 and Burr Trail Road to Singing Canyon, a small slot canyon in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

The monument is a massive area, almost two million acres, administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

The drive we went on was just a tiny fraction of it; inspired by this article.

The Grand Staircase is a massive series of cliffs, going from Cedar Breaks National Park to the Grand Canyon; here’s an image from the Wikipedia article:

The Grand Staircase

Heading along Scenic Byway 12:

Scenic Byway 12

Lots of interesting rocks along the road:

Road and rocks

Monument sign:

Sign

One of the visitor centers for the monument, in Cannonville, Utah:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Back on the road:

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Another visitor center in Escalante, Utah:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Jenn & David

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Trying a prickly pear cactus candy snack from the first visitor center (pretty tasty):

Cactus candy

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Singing canyon, so named due to its amazing acoustics, which we can confirm; we had it all to ourselves, too:

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Jenn & David

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Interesting rocks outside the canyon — actually it’s still in a canyon, Long Canyon:

Singing canyon

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Looking down into Long Canyon:

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

We encountered a couple of free-range cows on the road:

Cow

Road and rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Road and rocks

An enjoyable drive, and impressive slot canyon.

Internet cupboard

I previously posted about our internet services, with a picture of the cupboard above the entry door that contains the cellular modem:

Pepwave modem:

I decided to consolidate the internet stuff into this cupboard. So I hatched a plan to run a power cord from the outlet above the windshield to that cupboard:

Cupboards

I removed panels in those cupboards:

Removing panel

Removing panel

The mess of cables behind the panel in the front cupboard:

Behind panel

I used my drill with a large bit:

Drill

…to cut a hole in the panel:

Hole

…to fit a grommet:

IMG 1720

…for the power cord, which I pulled through by tying a strap to it:

Cord

Getting the cord through the small gap behind this speaker was rather tricky (I lost a bunch of skin):

Wire

…but I managed in the end:

Cord

I installed another grommet in this panel:

Grommet

The cord then plugged in to the power outlet (the front TV also plugs in there, and for some reason the top outlet only receives power when the ignition is on… maybe I should plug my dashcam into that?):

Power connection

The other end of the cord has a power strip with electrical and USB outlets:

Power

Then I moved the other internet devices into the cupboard:

Internet cupboard

In addition to the modem, it contains the MiFi hotspot:

MiFi

The power strip:

IMG 1739

A fan to cool the modem, as it gets rather hot:

Fan

And the security camera base unit, that has an Ethernet connection to the modem:

Camera base

I subsequently removed the door of this cupboard, since I was leaving it open for airflow:

Internet cupboard

It’s not super tidy, but it’s nice to have everything in one place.

Pipe Spring National Monument and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

A day trip to Pipe Spring National Monument and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, amongst other places.

Pipe Spring National Monument sign:

Pipe Spring National Monument

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Diorama:

Diorama

Exhibit:

Exhibit

Outside, behind the visitor center:

Mountain

Sign

Old cart

Bridge

Display

Display

Display

Display

Building

Inside

Inside

One chicken wandering around:

Chicken

Longhorn bull:

Bull

Building

Roof:

Building roof

Cart

The main building:

Building

The building was closed, but I peeked through the gate:

Inside

The spring goes through that building, and out the side:

Spring

Into a pond:

Pond

Pond

Pond

Wagon:

Wagon

Some interesting rocks on the drive to the sand dunes:

Mesa

Interesting rocks

Tourist trap cave:

Tourist trap cave

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park:

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

David

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

We stopped for some food at Thunderbird Restaurant, “Home of the Ho-Made Pies”:

Thunderbird Restaurant

Info:

Info

Dessert menu:

Menu

Restaurant decor:

Restaurant

BLTs:

BLTs

We had pie slices for dessert, and got a whole pie to go:

Pies

Pie

We went back there another day for dinner:

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken cordon bleu burger

More interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Rock shop:

Rock shop

Rock shop

You guessed it, more interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks