Canyonlands National Park: Green River Overlook

So, we arrived at the Green River Overlook for one last peek at the amazing canyons below.  However, the sun was getting low and the view was to the southwest, so the light conditions weren't that conducive to photos, at least not at my skill level.  The parking lot was lovely though:

Here's the canyon, I did try:

We headed back down the road towards Moab.  Got a few interesting sunset photos along the road:

Canyonlands National Park: Grand View Point

OK, I just remembered I had a blog.  Back to Utah.  These pics are from Dec. 6, 2017.  We drove to Grand View Point in the afternoon, and hiked the trail there that follows the rim of the canyon.

Ed confirms that the view lives up to its name:

Like the Grand Canyon, there are canyons within canyons:

We hiked west on what turned into a peninsula, and we could see other mesas to the north:

The end of the day was approaching, so we drove off to try to squeeze in one more spectacular view before it got dark ...

Neopolitan M&Ms

We got these in at Target in Chicago while we were there.  They were at a deep discount, in fact, we found the last stray bag misplaced somewhere in the Candy aisle, and then at the cash desk it didn't exist any more when they scanned it, so the manager was called and he made up a super low price:

They are good!  Recommended, but it seems like they have already been discontinued.  There are some special limited-time flavours that make it to market in the United States, but never make it to Canada before they are never seen again.  I wonder what others we have missed now that we are not US residents but only occasional visitors.

Caramel M&Ms

We first tried these sometime before Christmas:

These are really good!  A semi-firm but not sticky caramel centre, surrounded by a tasty chocolate and the usual M&M shell.  Definitely recommended.  You can even get them at Bulk Barn.

Chicago: All Saints Cemetery Mausoleum

I'm not done with my posts about Utah, but last weekend we were in Chicago, and one of the interesting places we visited was the Mausoleum at All Saints Cemetery, where Ed's parents and grandparents are interred.

I loved the stained glass windows in the mausoleum, which is huge, beautiful and impressive, as well as a quiet and soothing space.  I took photos of a few, every window is different.

Most of the crypts are in marble, although some are in inlaid wood in other parts of the building.

I liked the little lamb in this one, it is across the corridor from Ed's grandparents' crypt:

Canyonlands National Park: Mesa Arch Trail

A lot of Canyonlands National Park is backcountry, mostly accessible by backpackers on multi-day trips, or 4-wheel drive vehicles.  The Island in the Sky district is accessible to regular cars and day hikers though, and it's right near Dead Horse Point State Park, so it made sense to combine the two into one day.

After the visitor center, we stopped at the lookout for the Shafer trail, a dirt road that travels from the rim into the canyon.  Our car couldn't have safely handled it, but it was neat to look down at the switchbacks.

We then hiked the Mesa Arch trail, a fairly short trail, but with spectacular views at the arch:

Just some interesting rock formations on the way back after seeing the arch:

A view to the southwest on the trail back to the parking lot:

In Utah, often even the parking lots are breathtaking:

Next stop, Grand View Point.

Dead Horse Point State Park

On Dec. 6 we drove to check out Dead Horse Point State Park.  The first couple of photos are just along highway 191 as we head northwest out of Moab:

This is along route 313, after we turned southwest to head to the park:

Here I think we have turned left again off the main road (but it's still called 313) and we are heading towards the park:

I won't post a million photos here, because this is the reason you go, the spectacular view of the Colorado River from Dead Horse Point overlook:

We did a little hike on the rim trail, most of the views are pretty much the same, but here is a close up of the steps of cliffs under the rim to the west:

This is looking southeast from another point on the rim trail:

Here is a close up of some rocks down in the canyon that are said to look like a horse.  The Point is named after real dead horses though.  In the 1800's the peninsula was used to corral wild mustangs as it has a narrow neck and didn't need much fencing to keep them in.  One time the cowboys didn't come back for the horses, and they died of thirst.

We spent a couple of hours here, but then headed back down the road as we have another park to see.  Next up, Canyonlands National Park.