October 18, 2024: Canyons, Canyons, and more Canyons!

The wind howled and rain fell on and off throughout the night, but we woke up determined to see more that the Moab area had to offer! Our fellow rafters and gaudier has spoken highly off Canyonlands (or Candyland according to Elizabeth!) National Park, so we loaded up after breakfast and headed on the road. Canyonlands NP is a vast park with four distinct sections, much of which is only accessible via 4WD. We went to the closest district, Island in the Sky. We first stopped at the Visitor Center to get John’s Junior Ranger badge then went to see what we could see despite the cold, rain, and clouds. 

It was decidedly NOT hot (in the 40*s), but we did a fun little hike up Upheaval Dome. The view was nice, but the hike itself was the highlight. John even found some hail on the side of the trail. 

We drove around some more but due to such low clouds we skipped Mesa Arch. We saw a beautiful view of the canyons down at the big outlook and then watched them disappear as the fog rolled in. 

Soon we had to hustle out to make it to the next adventure: Jeep Tour!

Back at Mild to Wild Tour, we met our guide, Ben, and another family with 3 kids. As we started out, Trey and Laura weren’t sure this was the best idea… it was cold and rainy and the Jeep had some coverage but the 5 or 6 people in the back were pelted. Luckily the little ones, one from each family were car seated inside so they stayed a little warmer. 

But we persisted…we saw a waterfall formed just because of the current rain…

A few nice vistas…

Then the rain stopped and we hit the “fast part”… and the crowd went wild! The fast, bumpy, why-we-needed-a-jeep part ended at these cool caves. 

Then it was back through the fast part, “best day ever” declared by Elizabeth as we bounced along, for a scenic drive out as the sun was beginning to set. 

We were pretty cold after that so we headed to Canyon Pizza Co for a quick dinner before showers and bed. 

We are headed to a new destination tomorrow… but still have a little more to see before we leave!