We have lived within a few hundred miles of some amazing scenery in eastern and southern Utah but we've never seen it in person--just pictures. So Steve and I decided to take a few days off and explore the national and state parks in that area before the big spring rush starts.
We started off with Dead Horse State Park. It was so awesome at sunset. It took our breath away.
We stayed in Moab the first night and then headed to Arches National Park the first thing the next morning. It too was abundant with breathtaking red rock formations and spectacular arches. The only negatives were the cloudy skies and the very strong gusty winds. Because of the wind, we passed on most of the short hikes in the area except for a short one to the Sand Dunes Arch. We were glad we ventured into the winds for that as we couldn't have seen this interior arch any other way.
Next we headed down the road to Monticello and drove by the beautiful LDS Temple. It was Monday so that was the best we could do. Then we headed to Blanding where we had lunch at the Patio place . It was a little hamburger & shake joint with lots of cars around it. Inside we got a kick out of the local missionaries tossing out their one-liner bits of wisdom. After the elders left, we talked with the sisters and found out they are part of the Farmington, New Mexico mission that covers parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.
Then we headed to Natural Bridges National Monument. The weather had moderated now into sunshine and a mostly breezes with a few gusts of wind. Therefore we ventured on a couple of hikes because we wanted to see the Indian ruins and the hidden bridges made by strong rushing water in years past. If you look really closely at the bottom of the rock arch, you can barely see the openings to the caves made by the Indians 1,000 years ago.
This is the Owachomo Bridge which no longer has any water running beneath it. It is called a mature bridge. We learned that bridges are made by water and arches are made with other erosionary forces.
On to Torrey to stay at the Skybridge Bed and Breakfast. Because the season really starts in earnest next week, we happened to be the only guests. We really had the place to ourselves. It was lovely and the hosts fixed a yummy breakfast. When we asked for a recommendation for a local restaurant, they sent us 8 miles west to a town called Bicknell and a restaurant named Sunglow. In addition to homemade food, they specialize in homemade pies. This is the famous pie sampler. It features pinto bean, pickle, oatmeal and buttermilk pie samples. Everyone of them was delicious. I understand they DON'T give out their recipes. You just have to go back for more. 
Our only unfortunate incident of the day happened at the restaurant however. When we finished our dinner and went to leave, the truck wouldn't start. Steve went back in the restaurant and asked if anyone had jumper cables. We got lots of helpers. The battery wasn't dead so one lady called a local mechanic. He was there in 5 minutes. He fiddled around with things and tried a few clicks with our electronic key. He finally got it started but wasn't certain what the problem was. We all think the key has a problem. The people were amazingly helpful and wouldn't let us compensate them in any way. What a great little area-Torrey and Bicknell. We loved it's beauty and cleanliness especially compared to some other communities we had seen. All in all, we a wonderful day and the scenery was "Heavenly". Our only regret was that you all weren't with us to see it. Now we will make a detour to Richfield to try to take care of the key issue.
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