Thursday, July 6
We got Sven’s bike fixed early am at Chili Peppers bike shop. Sven bought the part and put it on himself in the parking lot. We drove to Arches National Park and hiked to the windows and the backside to see the Spectacles. Super neat formations; also saw the elephants and double arch. We drove to the delicate arch overlook. It was a beautiful drive, amazing views and walls of magnificence. We drove back to Moab and met Guy Evans for lunch. It was great to catch up with him. We left Moab quickly after- too hot! And drove across the state on I-70 to Hwy 72. We turned off and drove through the mountains and off the Interstate, which was a nice break. There were cooler temps and trees! We were all excited to see TREES. We pulled off the road and spent the night on a forest service road in the Dixie National Forest. Everyone needed some space and alone time tonight- Svea in the hammock, Stephanie reading and Sven on a walk.
Friday, July 7
Woke up happy for a small break from the heat and other people. We drove on the Devil’s backbone highway which was super cool but crazy steep ridge with steep cliffs below. We stopped at the calf creek for a 6-mile hike (round trip) to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. It was so hot and we were happy to get to the falls for a dip. Afterward, we stopped at the Kiva Koffeehouse and enjoyed a coffee in the funky hobbit like house hut built right into the mountain. We drove through Bryce National Park walking out to the infamous Bryce Amphitheatre. None of us have seen anything like it- miles and millions of hoodoos surrounding us. Beautiful! We then drove through Zion National Park seeing beautiful rock formations and driving through a long tunnel. It was super hot and we barely wanted to get out of the car. We drove to Hurricane, UT and found bike trails near Gem Trailhead. We decided to camp there for the night and aim for an early am bike ride.
