We're off

Well, the final days of hosting in Escalante are coming to an end. We have been here 3 months and head for Idaho this weekend. I think we are both ready for a little break and to enjoy a break in the weather too. It has been unseasonably hot here, not as hot as some places though. In early spring it was the constant wind and now the heat. Our poor little AC is working its little heart out to keep it reasonable in the trailer.

Spooky

Zebra

We have been able to enjoy some of the great hiking and trails in the area. Our son, Kyle and his girlfriend came for the Memorial day weekend and we all went hiking down the notoriously bad Hole in the Rock road to the slot canyons of Peek a boo and Spooky. Last weekend some local friends led us on a hike to Zebra slot. Just beautiful. It was a tough hike with the heat, lots of sand to slog through and distance but worth it

We've also found some of the pictographs and petroglyphs done by ancient Native Americans, thousands of years ago. It's fascinating to come across them on a rock wall.

Moqui marbles

Besides the stunning beauty, expansive landscape and colorful rocks, this area has some unique items. The oddest are called Moqui marbles. These are iron balls with sandstone centers that are embedded in sandstone rocks, boulders and slickrock. As the rock erodes, the marbles are exposed. Eventually, they come completely out, roll down crevices or get washed by gushing rain waters to collect in a flat spot or crevice. They range from small pebbles to softball size. They too are fascinating. On the hike to Zebra slot, we came across fields of them, seemingly grouped in sizes, just waiting for a lot of water to push them over the cliff into a wash.

One final walk/hike was last evening. We walked the rim above what is called Micro death hollow, some of the men (not Bill) did a run and we met back at the start for a picnic. Our view point was pretty incredible and overall a very pleasant evening.

Our time working and hosting here has been great. Many people say this is the best state park in Utah and the area is quite different. We've helped make it better and really enjoy our hosting job.

Time for a break/vacation