Been pretty busy seeing and doing things for the last week. Nothing superblogable so I'm just putting a quick summary in now of the places visited.

Canyonlands National Park - we stayed in an area with a rocky formation which was very conjucive to scrambling and climbing. Sat on the rocks and watched a storm - played around with group photos - the video of which I must get and post on Facebook. Got up early and went and sat on the top of the rocks and watched the sunrise. Went exploring and ran into a small whip snake. Relocated to a ranch near Boulder in Utah.

Following day when horse riding for a few hours out through an adjacent state park. The ride was great going up over a hill and back down along a small canyon. It was the most comfortable that I've ever felt on a horse despite a number of steep climb and decents. Had a sore arse the next day.

On the second night at the ranch one of the guys who worked there, Matty, who was a surfie/cowboy kept us entertained at the bonfire by singing a number of country tunes (apparently liked singing due to his Irish heritage). It got scary when he started singing a Jimmy Buffet song and I knew the words, "Why don't we get drunk and........." The bad influences I had in Hawaii have had a lasting effected on me. The Fluffy Bunny competition (for those who came late marshmellow eating)was also rekindled at the campfire. I set a new PB (personal best) of five however the competition got really serious with Nic achieving nine and our guide Andrus entering as a rank outsider and achieving 11. My one regret was not getting a photo of either of them with mouths stuffed full of Fluffy Bunnies. They have both vowed to never again touch a fluffy bunny.

We travelled further south and visited Bryce Canyon which I had never heard of before - once again this was an absolutely mind blowing site. Basically you overlook a canyon/valley with a number of different coloured (predominately red and white) sandstone spires that have been left after surrounding rock has erroded and the contrasting deep green pines. Went for a fairly short hike (~1hr which is a testament to how well the National Parks people have setup the site) through the spires (also known as Hoodoo's) and gorges which yielded a new spectical at each turn.

The following day relocated to a campground adjacent to Zion Canyon National Park (still in Utah). Spent the afternoon gaining a brief overview of the park through its excellent visitor center and shuttle service. As it was bloody hot we wanted to do a walk at the end of the canyon, known as the Narrows where you walk a number of miles up through a narrow gorge in the river. Unfortunately there was a flash-flood warning for the river so this was not really a feasible option. The second day we tackled the park's signature hike up to the top of a rock spire called Angle's Landing. It was quiet a steep ascent but what made it memorable for me was that the last half mile was an incredibly exposed scramble along a narrow rocky ledge with a ~200m meter drop on one side and ~500m drop on the other. There was a couple of cool sections where you had to walk across some rock that was barely three feet wide and you could look down at both drops simultaneously! I can't believe that the National Parks built a trail with so much exposure and despite the installation of chains on some sections allow general public access. For the awesome nature of the last half mile and the views up and down the canyon from the end this hike is a must if you are ever in the area (and are not squeamish about heights). Unfortunately there was still a flash flood warning on the Narrows so rather than hiking some more in the afternoon heat (100+ degrees F) we went back to camp and chilled. For the record Polygamy Porter actually tastes really good despite my firmly held belief of good label bad beer.

Before I forget......

At some point in the early evening I was in my tent packing some washing I did and singing away to myself and I got complemented on my singing! Maddie, a wee lassy from Scotland, on the trip said that I had a good voice. I am hence forth blogging this as a rebuke to all the detractors of my singing over the years! At least there is someone on the planet who appreciates my quality vocals!

Presently on the road to Monument Valley.