Well, we got up and the wind was not one bit better. We broke camp (our fastest time yet) and drove into Canyonlands. The ranger at the entrance station said the wind would be around for the whole day (hurray.....)
We headed out to hike an area called Upheaval Dome. They have a theory that a meteor hit (forming a huge crater), melted the rock under it, fell into the molten rock, and then, as the rock cooled, it was pushed up in the center of the crater as a large dome. After seeing this huge crater filled with small peaks, I would believe the theory. The hike out to the pit was difficult (especially in the 40-mile-an-hour winds), but the crater was worth the trip.
We ate lunch and then went to take a hike at Whale Rock. Yes, it is a huge, exposed rock that resembles a whale. We made it to the top of the whale's back, but decided not to continue out onto the head because the winds were just too strong.
We drove to the end of the road in the park to Grand View Lookout and decided to take the Grand View Rim Trail. Wow! It was really great...views of the entire canyon area, with the Colorado River way, way down at the bottom. We followed the rim trail to the end and actually had the view all to ourselves for about 5 minutes before anyone else showed up. Amazing to see (like a small Grand Canyon), with beautiful coloring and layers in the rock.
Because of the winds, we decided not to camp another night there and drove back into Moab to a commercial campground, where we could take a shower. After becoming somewhat human again, we went out to dinner to celebrate Chris' birthday (great Mexican food, highway robbery prices for margaritas..$8.95 each!!, and some surprise singing & dessert for the birthday guy!) We slept in the great bus again and hope to take some local Moab hikes tomorrow.
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