The Utah Adventure part two!

After Bryce Canyon, I thought the trip was too amazing and probably almost over, but Mommy said we were just getting started.  We rode a beautiful highway WAY high above the clouds, then a dirt road that went back and forth and back and forth… Mommy said we were going to ride a Bullfrog Ferry, and I couldn’t wait to see what that was! 

When we got there, I looked and looked for Bullfrogs.  Mommy asked me what I was doing, and when I told her, she giggled.  She explained that we were in a town called Bullfrog, and there was a ferry across Lake Powell.  I felt a little silly, but then I got excited about the idea of riding the motorcycle onto a boat!

There it was!  It was a very small boat, and I was a little nervous being on Mommy’s bike getting onto it.  There was a ramp, but you could see right down to the water.

Once we were on the boat, I hopped off the bike to explore.  I wanted to go up and meet the captain, but Mommy said that I couldn’t while she was working.  I waved to her and took a selfie!

The land next to the ferry was so cool.  It reminded me of a story Daddy told me called Dune about a place with lots and lots and lots of sand.

That night, we camped in a cool place.  Mommy hung up all the motorcycle clothes to air out, and she said that stinky monkeys should air out in the tree too.  I told her I wasn’t a stinky monkey, but I climbed the tree anyway.  Then…. I spotted a cave!

 

While Mommy and Daddy cooked dinner, I went off to explore.  I climbed and climbed and climbed, but I still didn’t make it up to the cave.  It was way higher than the trees.  I wondered what lived in there… Bears?  Lions?  I got scared, and ran home.  I curled up in Daddy’s motorcycle boot and fell asleep.

The next morning, we went to a place called Natural Bridges.  There were huge bridges that glaciers and erosion had carved out of stone. 

 I took a view from way up high in a tree. 

Then Mommy and Daddy took me to a part where we could see old clay ruins where people had lived.  They farmed way  up high, and carried the grain down to the protected areas to store. I thought about how much work that sounded like, and was very curios how they farmed, because the land was pretty dry and rocky.  I started wishing I could build a time machine, and go back in time so I could see how the people farmed.  Maybe when I grow up I’ll be a physicist and build a time machine!

After the park, we rode a SUPER CURVY road.  See that curve?  We went from way up high to way down low very quickly, into a super amazing road called “Valley of the Gods.” 

Valley of the Gods had so much red dirt!  Mommy loves red dirt and so do I.  Daddy went very very fast down this road, even though sometimes there were big campers coming the other direction!  He had some exciting moments.  I liked all the cool rock formations. 

While Mommy and Daddy had lunch, I hung out with this cool dog.  I never learned her name, because she was surprisingly quiet for a dog.  I told her all about Moto, our puppy at home, and how Moto will sometimes think I am not a travel monkey but one of her toys and will try to carry me off with her teeth, and how Mommy has to rescue me. Then I told her about Utah, and how pretty it is and how big it is.  She didn’t say a word the whole time, but I think she was a pretty good friend.  It kind of made me miss Moto, but it was nice to hang out with a dog that didn’t try to carry me in her teeth.

Moto’s in Moab was a lesson in contrasts.  This was the beautiful, serene, idyllic view from our tent.

This was closer to the reality: Quirky bikes, 850 people, lots of noise.  I kind of liked it. I wondered what it would be like to ride in a side car, or on one of those really really really loud bikes that don’t even seem to have a muffler at all. 

In the evening, the organizers lit the BIGGEST bonfire I’d ever seen.  They used blow torches to light it!  It was huge and amazing! 

Then people got their motorcycle and started riding around the bonfire.  Mommy, Daddy, and I didn’t want to miss out on that, so we got our motorcycles too!  It was fun, but very hot.  

The next day, Mommy and Daddy went exploring, but I decided to rest.  They told me their next big adventure was a place called the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands.  I woke up early that morning, excited for an adventure on a famous road. 

The White Rim trail was very pretty, but I wasn’t sure why it was called the White Rim.  We rode on all different colors of dirt and rock.  But I sure understood why the park was called Canyonlands.  There was canyon after canyon after canyon.  It was beautiful.

 After this, we had some bike things to do.  We went to a garage, and met this goofy dog.  I hung out with him for a while, but he fell asleep every time I started talking.  I liked my other girl dog better.

We headed out of Moab, and into Ashley National Forest.  It was nice to be in the peaceful forest again.

I went off and played in all of the trees.  Mommy followed me around with the camera. 

In this tree, I pretended I was a lumberjack and sang “I’m a lumberjack and I’m ok.  I work all night and I sleep all day.” 

  

Then I spotted this tree and yelled “Timber!”  Mommy laughed and said well, it’s good there’s no one around.

Then we gathered as a family to watch a peaceful sunset.

Something I have been meaning to tell you about was  a chat I had with Mommy.  I had a lot of time to watch the scenery and animals and everything on the trip.  And I noticed something.  There’s a pretty big difference between cows and horses.  See, we took some adventure cuts and had to turn around a few times to stay on our route.  The horses, they’re pretty with it.  They look at you the first time and are like “cool, a motorcycle.”  Then, the second time they think “hm.  They’re back.”  The third time they shake their head.  “silly humans.”  Cows, on the other hand…. Well, they’re just cows.  They watch you go by, their head bobbing, and then when they see you again, their brains have been wiped clean.  They just watch you go by again, heads bobbing.   It must be interesting to be a cow, and see everything as brand new every single time.  But I think I’d rather stay a travel monkey.

The next few days were a really big adventure!  We followed something Mommy and Daddy called the Backroads Discovery Route. 

When we stopped in Wyoming (isn’t it strange that Wyoming is part of the Utah Backroads Discovery Route?) we saw a bar called “Spanky’s!”  We had to stop and have a coke.

The next day, I think we had our biggest adventure ever.  We were headed to bear lake for yummy raspberry milkshakes.  We were still taking the backroads discovery route, but some parts had snow.  To get around them, Daddy used something called Google Maps.  It found us a road that only the local farmers had used before… We ended up in a field, with the Google Map saying “Turn left” and the only spot to turn left was up a rain runoff.  Satellite technology thought it was a road, and so did our motorcycles!  It took us up out of that field, over the hills and through the woods!

Until we got to MORE SNOW!  We played in the snow for hours, trying to get through, before Mommy and Daddy discovered a snow bank snow big, we couldn’t make it.  So we found another way, but eventually got our raspberry milkshakes.

When we got to Bear Lake, it was BEAUTIFUL! For a few minutes, I forgot all about Raspberry Milkshakes and stared at the deep blue green lake in front of me.  It was worth all of the crazy adventure from the last few days. I almost couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful.

 

Our last stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument.  The earth changed from dirt to rock lava.  Lots of different types of Rock Lava, so it really felt like you were on the moon.  I took a picture of Daddy because it made him look like a cool space astronaut.  I wonder if I’d look that cool if I was an astronaut.  Mommy said I always look cool. 

When we got home, I got to talk to Moto.  She didn’t even try to carry me in her teeth.  I told her all about the trip. She told me all about her other Mommy Tahnee.  Tahnee sounded like a very nice person.  Moto got to have her own adventure and go to Seattle to play for a while with another puppy!  I was happy for Moto.    Eventually we hopped over to her bed, and we both fell asleep.  I could hear Mommy saying “Good night tired monkey’s.”  

The Adventure Monkey is Back!

After waiting and waiting and waiting, it was finally time to go to Utah!  

I guess I should have looked closer at all those maps... It turns out Utah is a LONG way away.  We went on a beautiful road.  We stopped a lot.  Daddy said something about Mommy's motorcycle not working quite right.  It didn't matter to me.  I just watched the mountains and the valleys, and the rivers and the trees.  When we stopped, Mommy giggled and said I was looking a little damp!  

Since it was the first day, we were all really excited, and decided to ride all night!  It was very cold; I eventually nestled way down in Mommy's jacket, and fell asleep.  Suddenly, we were stopping on a porch... This was different.  I hopped around, and found there was an old closed diner.  I snuck inside to see if there was food... All this motorcycle riding makes a monkey very hungry!  Turns out the diner wasn't just closed for the evening, it had been closed for a long long time.  No food. :(

After a lot of riding, Mommy found us a motel with a heater.  Mommy dried the gloves, and I warmed by bottom.  

The next morning, Mommy, Daddy, and I were hungry.  Mommy suggested a diner, but I steered her bike right here!

We got to eat hot dogs wrapped in dough and donuts with sprinkles!  I got to wear the helmet while I ate.  I think Mommy loves me.

We got back on the road.  This part of Oregon was cold, wet, long, and straight.  While we rode my belly was full and I took a long nap.

We got to a little town called "Fields."  Daddy told me that only 7 people lived in Fields, Oregon!  I tried to imagine being in a town of only 7 people.  Mommy and Daddy have way more than 7 friends. There are even more than 7 people that live in our little cul de sac.  While Mommy and Daddy ate and warmed up, I went off and played Oregon Trail.  This is way better than some silly computer game.  I hopped around in the wagon, then I told the imaginary horses to "Giddayup!"  

Mommy came and played too.  She brought her motorcycle over, and said it had more ponies than my wagon!  I didn't know what that meant, but I found a nice man to take a picture of us together.  

We rode a bit more, and then we found Nevada!  Mommy and daddy took pictures by the sign.  I scampered off, so they had to come find me.  Mommy tried to scold me, but you could tell that she was having a lot of fun riding down the dirt road.

Mommy and Daddy didn't find me very quickly... That's because I hid in this cool little house!  There were all sorts of nooks and crannies to play in. When Mommy found me, she got very worried, and asked me to come out of the building very carefully!  

When we got to Nevada, we saw lots of these signs. Mommy and I talked about how the cows in Nevada the cows must be different, because they look like they are dancing in the road!  

For dinner, we were going to a REAL LIVE SALOON!  I was so excited.  I wanted to see dancing girls and men with guns and swinging doors, but this saloon had none of those.  It did have slot machines and beer.  And the some of the best steak ever.  

The next day, I got up early and explored a junkyard with cool art.  It makes me really happy when people use old stuff to make new art.  

Then Mommy took me into town and I got to play on the old mining carts!  First I just hopped around on the rocks, then I spotted the loader!  

When we headed out of town, we took a LOT of dirt roads that were just off the highway.  At one point, Daddy got off of his bike and did a little dance.

I spent much of my day looking at this beautiful scenery.

We got to a town that had a bunch of beautiful murals.  It got me thinking...

Maybe a good way for a monkey to give back to the world is art.  I could be an artist when I grow up!  I have four paws and a tail, so I could be at least twice as artisticy as a human.  I love the idea of making BIG art.  It would be so amazing!  When I get home, I'm going to ask Mommy for some paints.

We got to a cool little town with a railroad station.  While mommy and daddy had lunch, I played on the trains.  Mommy came to pick me up with a rear brake slide and a giggle, and then we were off!

While we were riding, I suddenly hopped up onto Mommy's shoulder "What is that animal?"  Mommy had driven right past the biggest, horniest animal I'd ever seen!  She turned around to get a better look, and then she laughed at me.  She said "That's not an animal, it's just a whole lotta antlers."  That is art I won't be doing.  I don't know how you get antlers, but I'm pretty sure it's not my thing.

We went to Great Basin National Park, and got to go up a very windy road.  We got to see a wild turkey in a field, and a deer leapt right in front of the motorcycles!  The adventure was getting adventurous!  

That night we stayed in a quirky little inn.  Mommy took a picture of a vacuum flying over daddy's head!  I hopped up and rode on the vacuum!  I like to fly.

They had this sign on the wall.  It said "We don't dial 911."  I asked mommy what it meant.  She said that because it was such a small town, there was no phone service. I wonder why there are guns on the sign?

The next day, we got to drive UNDER mining equipment! 

Then we made it to a park with red rock castles.  I was amazed by the beauty.  I thought about being an artist, and wondered how you could paint something so incredibly beautiful.

It me that for a Utah trip, we were sure taking a long time to get to Utah.  We finally turned off on a dirt road, and Daddy said it would take us to Utah!  I don't know how he knew, there was no sign, but I trust Daddy.  He's pretty smart.

Once we got to Utah, we came to a funny little town where someone had 'Mater in their yard!  I tried to talk to him, but he was clearly not in a talking mood.

Now that we were in Utah, it was time to start visiting even more National Parks!  Maybe someday I can work at a park.  Oh way.  Except I want to be an artist.... Maybe I can be an artist that works at a park!  

Look at how pretty Zion is! 

We had a super bumpy ride getting to our campground.  I was pretty tired, so I tucked myself into Daddy's bed.  When Mommy and Daddy came to bed, they moved me so they could lay down too.

The next day, we went to Bryce.  On the way, we saw a sign for a normal cow.  I was glad we didn't have to watch out for dancing cows anymore.  The normal cows look slower and easier to spot.

When we got to Bryce, we found a stagecoach that was just my size!  I played on it for hours and hours. 

Mommy said it was time for bed, but I wasn't tired, so she made me a bed way up high.  

The next day we rode all around Bryce and Bryce Canyon.  I found this cool tree trunk surrounded by stones.  What do you think it means? I'm pretty sure it's there to honor all the trees that have been cut down, and to ask the earth to grow new trees for us.  Trees are very important.  I think when I am a famous artist, I'll paint pictures of trees. Maybe I'll even paint a picture of a tree with a circle of stones around it! 

I scampered off into some trees to look more closely at the rock formations.  Look at that.  Amazingly beautiful.  I wonder what makes them look like that.

At Bryce Canyon, it was even more amazing.  The canyons held unspeakable beauty.  Photographs don't even capture what it feels like to be so small and insignificant and young.

We took a little adventure down this hiking trail, and there were canyons on either side.  It was just monkey sized, and I scampered way ahead of mommy and daddy.  Eventually, they had to call me back, because it was getting dark.  Time for bed, again!  

I sure love being a travel monkey.  I love seeing the quiet natural parts of the world.  I think back to my trip to Vegas, and how bright and loud and smokey it was.  My favorite parts of travel are when I don't see anyone for a really long time.  And when I get to see beautiful things.  

I've got more to share about Utah, but I'm a tired monkey.  It was a really big trip.  I'll write more soon!  Bye!