I don't remember how or when the idea germinated that some friends and I would take a road trip down to Big Sur (California). I was excited because I've wanted to drive down Highway 1 (a.k.a. "the One" or "PCH") for a very long time. I had the very fortunate experience of attending college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, (Cal Poly to...Read More

After an exhausting day at Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and spending the day hiking both Landscape Arch and Delicate Arch, we decided that it would be well worth the lack of sleep to catch a sunrise hike at the Windows section before heading back to Las Vegas. Well, that didn't go according to plan because we slept through our alarms... We arose at 8:30,...Read More

Hut hut hut! After visiting Landscape Arch, we jumped in the car to visit Delicate Arch before sunset. We knew that the hike was 'strenuous' for several miles, and we had to make it before sunset so we could catch the ephemeral glow. Unfortunately, I don't have many photos of the hike up to the arch, so you'll have to count on my...Read More

After visiting Canyonlands, we made the drive to Arches. If my friend didn't have a seatbelt on, I think she would have jumped up and down because she was so excited to be at Arches. At the Arches visitor center, we discovered which main arches to visit and the best times to visit based on our schedule. And the interesting thing is that...Read More

After visiting the Grand View Point Overlook, my friend said I could only visit one more spot before we made the journey to Arches because she was tired of looking at rocks and wanted to see pretty formations of rocks. So, I said, "Let's do Mesa Arch." I raced her to the arch (and won!) and realized that this was the famous arch...Read More

Next stop after Capitol Reef: Canyonlands! We finally merged with all the traffic on highway 70, which was somewhat of an unusual sight because we had seen so few cars since leaving Las Vegas! (There were a fair amount at Zion.) My friend was very antsy and eager to get to Arches (surprisingly, not too far away from here!) How can somebody not...Read More

I think I begged (maybe asked, haha) my friend to stop by Hickman Bridge after Goosenecks Overlook and Panorama Point. Even though we already did a hike at Capitol Gorge, I wanted to squeeze in another before leaving the beautiful Capitol Reef.   We made it! It is sooo cool to be under the bridge! Not too many trails lead under it (or...Read More

We passed by Panorama Point on the way to Goosenecks Overlook. It's an easy pull-over from the road and there's no entrance fee needed for both spots. Happy travels! Cat ...Read More

We awoke fresh and energized, ready for our jampacked day to Canyonlands and Arches. Before finishing up the last leg or so, we decided to check out a couple short stops to take in a little more of Capitol Reef. First stop: Goosenecks Overlook It was ultra windy, but the trek to the overlook was definitely worth it. I learned that the views...Read More

We arrived at Capitol Reef fairly late, so we decided to sneak in a hike at the relatively easy Capitol Gorge trail. The rangers at the visitor center recommended this hike for a casual glimpse into what Capitol Reef offers. Part 1 of the hike are some petroglyphs, drawn by Fremont Indians, some inscriptions by pioneers who found this area much later, and...Read More