A scouting trip

We left Monday morning for a road trip to Utah. We had a vague idea where we wanted to go (around Zion) but we had no precise plans, no reservations and no research on the Internet done in advance. 

At first, it was hard for me to let go of controlling all the aspects of our trip. Like, finding the most amazing hikes, the perfect deal on accommodation and the must stop restaurant, which is hard to believe since I have done a lot of traveling in the past, not knowing where I would be the next day! Actually, that is how I ended up in San Diego... but that is another story! 

It is a relaxing feeling to just let go of all the planning, go with the flow and follow the road. Not having an agenda gives you more time and leaves the door open for opportunities. We let ourselves be surprised with what came our way.

We drove in and out of Zion wanting to find a place less traveled. We ended up in the small mountain town of Duck creek. It was surprising to find most of the motels there, full. I guess people come here for fishing, hunting and enjoying the outdoors. This little town is also conveniently located between Zion national Park and Brice national Park. Local knowledge makes all the difference. We ended up finding a cabin for three nights, with a kitchen and two bedrooms. We also gathered great information to visit the area.

We started the next day by visiting some caves. We traveled a few miles on a dirt road, driving through beautiful meadows, expecting to see a horde of buffaloes anytime. No buffaloes but we saw many deers in this area. Arriving at the caves we found that we were the only people there. We felt like real adventurers walking and crawling freely through those underground caverns. We had so much fun!

Next, we took a hike along the flank of a mountain to arrive at a cascade. The view was gorgeous, we could see mountains and valleys indefinitely. 

Behind the cascade we found another cave. We had to do a little bit of a rock climbing to get to it which made it even more special. To add to this already wonderful day, we found some quartz crystal and geodes along the trail on the back.

We finished the day at a small lake, fishing for trouts. Well, I didn't fish but everybody else did. We came back to the cabin with three nice rainbow trouts. Thanks to Ben and Bill!

This day was amazing and even more so beacause we didn't have any expectations, everything was a surprise :-)

More pictures in the gallery...