Is this a totalitarian state?

Ok fine, we'll tell you about Canyonlands and Moab.

We entered Canyonlands after our adventures in Moab where we loved rafting but hated mountain biking (slash walking with a bike uphill in the sand)...I was constantly reminding M'er that there was no need to stop for me just 'cause I was making deathbed sounds. I'd either catch up, or fall down dead...either way there'd be no blame awaiting him.

On the other hand, our rafting guide Molly was worth the trip down the Colorado river alone. We picked her up in a ghost town near the river and spent the day being guided by this badass hippie who came to Utah in 1991 when she couldn't even get served a cup of coffee. 17 years later, she's married into the Mormon family that runs the newspaper, is a pillar of the community, but still hasn't given up her style; rather the town has taken it on. She spent the day laughing with us, steering us through fantastic class 3+ rapids and chatting about what seems to be on everyone's mind...the election. She made the day relaxing and interesting, especially after we realized her tone of concern amounted to a giggle, a shrug and a suggestion that maybe you shouldn't do that?

Thankfully, there is no mountain biking permitted in Canyonlands National Park, so it was back to the good ol' hiking shoes for us. This nearly inaccessible park astounded us with the canyons in canyons, hoodoos, colors, and really tough to follow trails. Yep, we got lost. Climbed ourselves halfway out of a canyon before realizing we had to go back down to find the trail; slick rock scrambling is fun but it was NOT awesome to hear we still had two miles left to climb after finally rejoining the trail. We continue to try to imagine being a Pioneer encountering these canyons after endless flat land and desert...we continue to come up with no response other than "well shit Bessie, better strap on the good Oxen". I'm pretty sure i'd be a terrible Pioneer.

After our adventures in Canyonlands, we passed through many exciting sights, and some not so exciting. The goosenecks state park where a river meanders for six miles while traveling only one mile through a canyon 1,000 feet below, a road M'er calls the Lombard St. of the Wild West, and the town of Hite...drowned by Lake Powell and as our guide book says: better passed through than slept in. We landed for the night in a motel run by the man who ate Norman Bates in a small town named Hanksville. Having heard about the Blondie's Diner, we treated ourselves to a great brunch and were treated unexpectedly to some riveting local conversation. Bobby McGee landed in Hanksville after leaving Las Vegas when it got too big and pushed out the rare desert neanderthal/humanoids he and his brother encountered in the sixties. Leaving that topic aside, we were enthralled by his cross-porch question: is this a totalitarian state? Seems Bobby was frustrated by new ATV regulations, a sentiment echoed through much of Utah frustrated with the Federal Government's large presence here. Do you think children under 16 should be within 300 ft. of an adult when operating an ATV? Bobby sure doesn't.

Bobby left us feeling re-energized and ready to face the next two parks after his stories of fantastical desert creatures, the downfall of the USA, and a brief lesson in desert Oysters and geology. More on Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon (which looks like sunset projectile vomited all over it) in the next post, but enjoy these pics ahead of time.