After leaving Bryce Canyon we traveled through Staircase-Escalante National Monument via Scenic Highway 12.  We didn't know this area existed and really, it is extremely unique.  Miles and miles of stark, dry canyon land.  The earth cracked and blistered creating deep valleys and arid mesas.  We decided to stay a little longer, taking advantage of another free campsite in BLM land.

Here, in the middle of nowhere, we got our first flat tire.  A dead end town was nearby, but amenities (i.e. mechanic) were a lost cause.  Luckily, we had a good spare and a few cold beers.  We drove on that spare tire much longer than anticipated, but every town in sight was one town away from the nearest tire shop.

And of course it was a Friday night.  Shops reopen Monday morning.

In the meantime, we took advantage of our location.  We backtracked just a few miles Saturday morning and hike to the most beautiful, crystal clear, ice cold swimming hole and water fall.  The hike itself was relatively easy.  Six miles round trip on a fairly flat trail with a single obstacle... Sand.  Which, of course, made every step a little heavier, similar to hiking along a sandy beach.  It was also darn hot!

Joe and I both enjoyed a very refreshing swim.  Joe made it to the falls and back.  It was far too cold for me to be that brave.

Not too long after, we saw a few heads poke up from the top of the falls.  Repellers were getting ready to make the 126 foot trek down.  We stayed and watch the first two guys.  They were definitely excited!  

After a great morning of hiking and swimming we made our way to Capitol Reef National Park.  Another area new to us.  The 'reef' is essentially a giant fold in earth's crust that extends for nearly 100 miles.  We stayed for the weekend, knowing it wasn't safe to travel too far on a spare tire and had a really good time.  We enjoyed the scenic drive, a pretty difficult bike ride down a canyon and back, and camped for two nights.  

We also saw our first petroglyphs!  

We headed out of the park this morning and eventually made our way to a mechanic.  Got the tire fixed and had a beautiful drive out to Arches National Park.  We'll be exploring the park first thing tomorrow morning.  In the meantime, we're catching up on laundry, beers and computer time here in Moab, Utah.