Grand Staircase Escalante Monument, and toadstool hoo-doos

I have absolutely no regrets at spending my second night here in my blm canyon spot, after leaving Pink Coral Sand Dunes State Park. I claimed it as my own for a second night in a row. Whoo!

I headed out towards the town of Kanab. And as I was driving along the inclines, and declines, I noticed my new hairline windshield crack actually move another 6in longer, right before my eyes. Freaky! I turned off my windshield heater. Something hit it a few days ago, and it was stable, at about 8 inches, until now, it has grown to about 15 inches. I located the local Napa Auto Shop, wondering about getting crazy glue, and the clerk indicated that I would be okay to drive, but perhaps I might be flagged by the police for having a cracked windshield. Hmmm, was he right, or wrong? A google search had mixed reviews. I'm taking a chance that I can get back to the Phoenix area to get a new windshield replacement before an issue occurs.

So, I drove on another 30 minutes until I got to the toadstool hoodoos trailhead. Off of rte 89 in the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument. After a quick stop at the Bureau of Land Management Visitors Center, it was recommended as the one thing to do on Route 89, as I headed towards Page, Arizona.

So as usual, I packed up gear to hike with Jo Jo, to embark on a 1.6 mile round trip to see these toadstool hoodoos. Most of the trail started out in a wash. The ground is quite sandy here and fortunately it's bright sun and not stormy as these washers would naturally fill up with water. There were a couple of really steep spots where I struggled to step up and gain my balance. It was even too high for Jo Jo where I had to lift him up and over. Most of the time he actually can climb up these places on his own, which always inspires me. For someone who's a senior, he does amazingly well. At the end I got to the hoodoos and fortunately spent a lot of time completely alone as I had a granola bar and made sure I drank plenty of water. It was probably only in the high 60s but the sun is bright and warm, and it's actually a perfect time of year to do a trail like this. Shortly thereafter a flock of people came in and I could tell by all the footprints going back to areas along the trail that this is one heck of a popular hike. I found a space, not far away, as an overnight spot right near the highway, and not far from Page. The terrain is a mix of red cliffs, farm and cattle land, along the edge of the Paria River. Its like a beautiful painting.




























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