air balloon ride over the beautiful Utah canyons. I was really excited,
since this would be my first time in a hot air balloon - but it was not to
be. The weather and winds did not cooperate, so after climbing into the
basket, the lift off was cancelled.
Turned this into a win-win, by packing up and leaving Moab a day early -
which meant an unscheduled visit to two extra parks.
First up was Goblin Valley State Park. The strange-shaped rock formations
(sometimes referred to as "Mushroom Valley"), resemble a child's project
for geography class made out of play dough with amazing buttes in the
background.
The next stop on the way south was to Capitol Reef National Park, part of
the famous Water-Pocket Fold. It is said, that" the formation once blocked
settlers' westward migration like a 'reef' blocks a ship's passage". On the
walls of one of the trails one can see names and dates etched into the
canyon walls by some of these brave adventurers.
