Day 10 (Capitol Reef to Canyonlands)

I woke up and double-checked that there was still a chance of thunderstorms. Indeed, there was.

I decided to do the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef instead of the Cassidy Arch hike. After the short drive, I drove to Canyonlands. I had a quick lunch near the visitors center and then did the Grand View “hike”. I’m putting “hike” in quotations because it’s more like walking along rocks on the rim.

It is around 2 miles, and it was beautiful, but I had to hike in long pants. I guess I missed two spots on my legs the day before with sunscreen, and now I am nursing a burn. It’s not fun being in the sun with a burn or long pants.

After the short hike, I wrote my weekly blog post. It’s amazing how quickly I can write when my head is clear from work. I sat down at a lovely picnic table near the White Rim Overlook.

After that, I got gas and had dinner at a Thai place. With the pandemic, I wouldn’t normally be eating indoors, but it’s one of the few ways to get out of the sun and elements for a little bit of time without renting a hotel.

Right before dinner, there was a quick storm. Sand flying at your face and eyes hurts.

Side note: I really like Maverick gas stations. Their squeegees for your car windshield are all in really good shape. It’s the small things when you are on the road and staring through your windshield for a long time.

After dinner, I picked up some yogurt for the morning, extra water, and a couple of Powerade drinks.

I went to find a camping spot, and the IOverlander App was not lying when they said this place would be packed. There were a ton of people camping! Thankfully, I found a spot and it was secluded until a few other people arrived later.

After the storm, a double rainbow appeared, which was incredible.

I did a little work for my next project, but was very tired. I watched a few episodes of Community and went to bed because I planned on getting up early to watch sunrise at Mesa Arch.