Cozy Slots

~Sunday, April 10, 2022~

Day 665

The wind finally calmed down around midnight, but decided to make another appearance this morning. The show was an equal performance to yesterday’s. Nothing gradual. Full throttle!! Thank goodness today wasn’t a moving day or that would have been quite an event. Honestly, we may have changed our plans on leaving if the winds had sustained. Better to arrive safely than not at all, right?

Laundry prep morning (2 baskets worth) to get us through the next few weeks since we won’t be close to any laundry facilities. The idea was to bring the laundry with us to do later in the day after our afternoon of exploring.

Ever since hiking The Narrows at Zion National Park years ago, one of our favorite natural wonders in the West are slot canyons. Today’s visit would take us to Buckskin Gulch in Kanab, UT starting at the Wire Pass Trailhead. We had read that Wire Pass was a more desirable starting point than the trailhead for Buckskin requiring you to hike in less to actually get to the most scenic part. Just driving the 8-mile dirt road to its remote location felt like an achievement in itself.

The relatively flat trail requires plodding through sand (an added workout) and takes about an hour from the trailhead until you finally arrive at the canyon itself. Luckily, the winds had died down before we began. Before you know it, you’re transported to another place, something almost out of a fantasy world.

There is something new to be discovered around every turn. It’s amazing to think that what you’re surrounded by took millions of years to create. The sandstone or limestone has been transformed by waters and wind

rushing through it creating wavy, textured, curved walls that offer delightful afternoon shade, and are simply a wonder to explore.

Some sections are only 4 feet wide while others make you feel like you’re in a “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” movie. Now we see what those flash flood warning signs are all about. Monsoon season would not be a time to visit this place for sure. Another thing we observed on occasion, were deposits of rock mixed in with the sand at the base of the canyon. Jeff’s theory on this is that where the canyon is wider, the flow of water slows, allowing it to drop whatever it's carrying (like rocks or trees). Where the canyon narrows, the water is rushing through so fast, it doesn’t have an opportunity to deposit anything. Makes sense to me. It took us about 3 hours to hike most of the trail (about a 6-mile day). This canyon definitely left us feeling exhilarated and in awe. A must do in Utah!!

Now for laundry. We had a few choices in the town of Page, ending up at the one that got the best reviews….Page Laundry. A little on the pricey side $4.00/load for the smaller machines, but very clean and a lot of machines. And wouldn’t you know it. When we got back, as I was putting away our clean laundry, I realized I had left my bra on top of the washing machine to air dry from the rest. We don’t have time to retrieve it tomorrow. So I guess they’ll be adding another item to their left behind one-sock pile. Good thing I have a back up.

Next, a gas and DEF fill up for the miles ahead. Had plans to bathe our filthy Sadie but would have required me to run the generator at 10:00 p.m. to run the blow dryer. I don’t think our neighbors would have appreciated that, so it looks like she’ll have to wait for her spa treatment until our next stop.