Utah Road Trip Report

2/12- Flew out of Atlanta and after a quick connection in Chicago, I was on the ground in Salt Lake City just after noon.  I ate a quick lunch at the airport then headed south to Moab via the Interstate then eventually US-191.  The snow capped Rocky Mountains gradually gave way to more red rock scenery further south.  It's been a mild but rainy winter here in Birmingham so even with the chilly 40 degree weather, the sunshine was a welcome change.  Southern Utah has been described as "Mars on Earth" by tourists and it most definitely has the feel of otherworldly beautiful scenery.  I stopped several times to snap some pictures on the road but had to limit my time at those pull outs if I was to make it to Arches National Park before sunset.

It was a challenging 3 mile round trip hike and I reached Delicate Arch just after the sun went down.  Good call not to stop any more on the road.  It would NOT have been safe to be on that trail if it was completely dark.  Fortunately, I was back to my car before that happened but not a moment too soon.  Needless to say, I was wiped out from the hike and the travel so I was ready for bed and slept in as long as I wanted.

2/13- Backtracked a few miles north to Dead Horse State Park.  Though often overlooked by tourists because it is so close to Arches NP, the scenery here was PHENOMENAL.  Pictures don't do it justice.

 Next, was a southwesterly turn to Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border.  Fans of the movie Forrest Gump know that this is where the title character stopped running.  I didn't spend much time here but I got the shots that I wanted.  The final stop on the day was Horseshoe Bend Park in Page, Arizona.  This was an easier hike with scenery that was just as rewarding.

2/14- Headed north back to Utah's Bryce Canyon NP.  Here, it was too cold and icy to do any serious hiking as the elevation was over 8,000 feet but that was fine with me.  Time was limited and unlike nearby Zion NP, the best scenery was just off the road on pull outs.  Perfect.   I was out of there by mid-afternoon after a mediocre lunch.

After 2 more hours on the road, I was at my destination of St. George.  Though it was only about 100 miles south of Bryce Canyon as the crow flies, it looked like a different world.  Instead of snow covered hoodoo rock formations, I was basking in 65 degree temps with sunshine and palm trees.  Yes, that's right, PALM TREES!  I got one great shot just after sunset with red rock and snow capped peaks in the background.  For the record, St. George is more than 5,000 feet lower in elevation and just 2 hours from Las Vegas.   I had time to tour part of the race course and found that though it was net downhill, it did have some pretty significant climbs as well.  That was good to know.

2/15- Race day.  No pressure and virtually no chance of a respectable showing.  It really was a beautiful course with canyons, red rock mountains and palm trees.  I felt reasonably well for the first 5 miles and passed the halfway point in 58:30.  I knew I was in trouble though as I could not pick up the pace much despite a mile long steady decline.  I managed to stay on pace through about 8.5 miles but it was a death march to finish.  To my credit, I did manage a minor resurgence in Mile 13 and finished on my feet.  State #45 is in the books.  Maryland will be next.  I did feel noticeably better after an extra dose of probiotics later in the day.  I don't think it would have been a night and day difference but it probably would have allowed me to hold the pace for another few miles.  My first post-race workout confirmed those feelings.  Only 5 more to go and it is important to finish this challenge now while I still can.

It was 4 hours northeast on I-15 back to Salt Lake City for the night.  As expected, it became much colder and cloudy as I went north and up in elevation.  I captured a shot of the body of water that gave Salt Lake City its name and got some dinner at a local bar and grill.  No interesting characters here and it was a rather uneventful night.

2/16- Direct flight from Salt Lake to Atlanta.  This time, the flight home was delayed.  Fortunately, I did not have to worry about a missed connection but I lost 2 hours then re-gained 1 hour on the drive back.  It was about 8 PM local time when I got home.

Final Thoughts:
Excellent trip.  Lots of driving but the scenery was worth it.  I take great pride in seeing as much as I can in limited time but I had to skip Mesa Verde, Colorado, Antelope and the Grand Canyon because I didn't have time to do justice to any one.  I only had to go about an hour out of my way to visit Mesa Verde and the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  Antelope would have required several hours and a tour reservation.  The only thing I may have changed would be to wait until March or early April.  The mountains in Salt Lake would likely still be snow capped but the hiking trails would be less likely to be covered with ice.  The race in February fit my schedule and I want to space those out this year.