TheCarlaFoxBlog: Mid Week Road Trip

One of the advantages of being self employed is the ability to have a flexible work schedule. Several weeks ago I blocked out 2 days in the middle of this past week to take a short road trip. I didn’t go far. I drove down to Kanab, Utah, about 2 hours. It is located in a gorgeous part of the state, in the very southern central part.

There is a company in Kanab called Dreamland Safari Tours. They do hiking trips all over the Kanab area. I had been on their mailing list ever since I moved here, and was just waiting for an opportunity to take one of their excursions before the summer heat set in. I chose a half day trip to the White Wave and the Peek-a-boo slot canyon.

On the way down to Kanab the day before the excursion, I stopped at one of my very favorite places, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. I had been there several times before, and written about it in this blog. Each time it is different because of the time of day, season, and weather. Last week it was very windy, although that is what creates the dunes! There is something magical about the isolated parts of the park, and the shifting sands that covered up my footprints very quickly. I was reminded of the Navajo saying about "Walking the Beauty Way", and "leaving no trace". What a wonderful way to go through life!

I spent about 2 hours there trudging along through the loose sand. Upon arriving at my hotel, there was quite a bit of sand to be poured out of my hiking boots! Below are some photos.

Bright and early the next morning, I drove over to the Dreamland office to start the tour. Both of the highlights of the trip were located north of Kanab. Our first stop was the Peek- a- boo slot canyon. We drove first on a paved highway and then on an unpaved road for about 6 miles. We were driving through very deep sand, and it seemed to take forever! Luckily, our group of 6 adults and a 7 month old infant was in a very heavy 8 passenger vehicle with an excellent tour guide who knew just what to do. Most people use dune buggy type vehicles that they own, rent or are a part of another tour.

A slot canyon is defined as a deep crack in the sandstone where you can touch both side walls at the same time with arms outstretched. I have walked through the Antelope Canyon slots 5 times, and was very interested in seeing how this one compared. Of course, one has to pay a fee for those, whereas this one is on Bureau of Land Management land, so free for all to enjoy. I was not disappointed in the least! Here are a few of the MANY photos that I took there.

After another 6 miles or so of driving through the deep sand, we came to the White Wave formation. This is also sand stone, but it is white as opposed to the pinks of the slot canyon. Here, it has eroded in a wave formation. We hiked to the top, and then back down for more deep sand driving and then on to the highway and back to town.