Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

A big name for a huge (1.9 million acres) and gorgeous park accessible primarily by foot.  By driving paved and gravel roads we did find places we could enjoy and took wonderful photos.  Established by Presidential Proclamation by Pres. Clinton, this park is celebrating its 20th anniversary.  Some of the formations look like tall cakes topped with frosting just waiting for the party to begin (yes, it is easy to anthropomorphize these amazing formations.)

 We walked up to Mossy Cave following alongside Tropic Ditch.  The ditch was dug by hand by early Mormon settlers in 1892.  It follows the natural course of dry wash Water Canyon.

Mossy Cave Falls cascades behind us.  The cave was just a dark cave.

This striated rock cleaved cleanly in two.

Jerry has been wanting to photograph a slot canyon but usually the hikes are too arduous for either of us.  This one was nice and easy and the sun cooperated in glowing onto the steep rock sides.

Anna Lee made it over the rocks.

The road to this area had features that were hard to describe but beautiful to see.

 We bumped and bounced and avoided traffic obstacles

 

along the ten-mile road to find Grosvenor Arch.  It was well worth the shaking ride.