Utah!

Lake Powell - where Ray learned to waterski in high school!

Utah! by Lars

After the Grand time in the Grand Canyon, we went to the windy Lake Powell near the Utah border.
One of the hikes there that we did was a hike in the longest slot canyon in the world (this was in Utah)! The slot canyon is called Buckskin Gulch and it is 13 miles long! We saw logs stuck in the walls almost a hundred feet up because of the prior flash floods.




Our next destination was a place called Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a lot colder there due to the fact that our elevation was almost 9000 feet. There was even some snow there which added to the odd temperature in Utah. At Bryce Canyon, there were tall rock towers called hoodoos. They were formed from wind, water, and erosion. It was super beautiful but crumbly.

Our next destination was Moab but first we stopped along the way to see the petrified forest... where trees turned into rock over geological years. The way trees turn into rock is the trees get caught in a mud slide. The mud slide blocks all the bacteria and oxygen into the mud and into the trees so that means the trees cannot rot. Over the years the minerals in the mud make a chemical reaction to the tree and low and behold, you have a petrified tree that is made of rock. As we drove on we had one more stop in a place called the Goblin Valley. In this place tons of sandstone has eroded away creating stubby rock pillars (sort of like the visit to Bryce Canyon). We did a lot of climbing and hide and seek!

After that last stop, we finally reached Moab, where we finally reached real civilization. The next day we went on a hike at Arches National Park. We did a 3 mile hike to a really big arch. Most of the hike was on a rough rock called slick rock. When we got to the arch, there were probably over 200 people there!

Buckskin Gulch - Kiska loved the swimming

Buckskin Gulch - longest slot canyon in the world

New Experiences! by Ilsa

The Grand Canyon was fun, but I do have to say, we have seen much more superb things on our trip that all have very unique qualities that are different from the rest. Our first stop after the Grand Canyon was Lake Powell where my dad, in his young ages, learned how to waterski.

Our next arrival was at Bryce Canyon National Park where there was actually snow which surprised me deeply. Behind our campsite, I found a long hill that led up to the top of the canyon! It overlooked the entire Park which was a beautiful sight in the morning when I went up there to see the peach - orange sunrise!

Our next destination was Moab but, if you know our family, we have to take a hike every day. We decided to go to such a fascinating place called the Petrified Forest.  There, I discovered how a petrified tree is formed and what it looks like in its rock formation after millions of years! The photo of me if you scroll down below is me pointing at a petrified tree. It formed after 150 million years, and had the most magnificent quartz crystals inside! That hike apparently was not long enough for the Robinsons, so we went to Goblin Valley state park that was amazing! Me and Lars found the way up to a super high spot in the valley. It definitely took some figuring out to find the way up to the top. 

We had arrived! finally, Moab had been the place that everybody wanted to see after all we had heard about the town. It was small and petite and had the most amazing shopping areas! We also loved our campsite that had a pool and a really nice spot for Kiska to play around! 

Thanks for keeping in touch with all the things that I am doing on my trip. Do not feel afraid to give us comments on our blog that could help us improve it!!!👍 

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Petrified Forest

Goblin Valley

Ray in Goblin Valley

Arches National Park