Utah Vacation, Day 6, Driving

Last night it stormed for 6 hours with a lot of rain. I didn't get much sleep (or anyone else), but this was not the first thing on my mind. I was thinking about how this rare storm was affecting the areas we had just visited. Did it carve any new formations or paths? Could we even hike down the Narrows now? What new plants were going to spring up overnight? Then I thought about how lucky we were that this storm didn't change any of our plans the previous days. It was kind of exciting to contemplate all of these things and not be filled with all of the worrisome thoughts that usually accompany sleepless nights.

After the storm, we left Kanab this morning and drove to Boulder City (near Las Vegas) to spend the next two nights. We did the four hour drive in seven hours again. I think. It's the whole thing with changing time zones and not really paying attention. Vacation Time, I think it's called.

The major stop we made was in Snow Canyon State Park in Utah for lunch and a hike. The stop was recommended by someone we met on the trail yesterday in Bryce. The park wasn't too crowded which surprised us since it was Labor Day. But it also was almost 100 degrees, no breeze, with little to no shade. Maybe the smart people were inside somewhere.

Nevertheless we did a nature hike through desert plants growing among sandstone and basalt rocks. There were markers along the way identifying plants we were seeing. It was very interesting to us because desert plants, even the common ones we saw, are not something we encounter very often in the East.

Tomorrow I'll tell you more about Boulder City. Let's start by saying that is one of only two places in Nevada that doesn't allow gambling.

Here are a few things we saw today.

We left Kanab this morning. Kanab worked out very well as a hub for our other destinations. I'd like to go back sometime to explore the local things especially the Westerns made here. 

Kanab was one of several towns we saw with their initial on a hillside. Apparently this is common in the West (at least 500 towns have them) and is equivalent to having the town name on a water tower. This is the first time we had seen one.

Lunch at Snow Canyon Park.

After lunch, we started our hike down the Hidden Pinyon Trail.

This was one of the first stops along the trail. It was pointing out the black lava flow. Lava is also capping the red rocks in the back. It has helped to prevent erosion of the rocks below it. 

Another marker along the trail. This one was pointing out purple torch cactus.

Cross bedding from ancient sand dunes.

Theo standing on cap rock of the one of the peaks.

After the hike, there were more beautiful rocks to see as we were leaving the park.

The closer we got to Vegas/Boulder City, the fewer trees and red mountains we saw. And the hotter it got. The last time I remember checking the temperature, it was 104.