Moab – Hidden Canyon

We continued our adventure from the Tusher Tunnel down the dirt road and eventually came across what is called the Hidden Canyon, and a real treat at the end of this part of the adventure…..

Road to Hidden Canyon

As we began this next stage of our day’s journey, we found ourselves traveling down this charming dirt road.  I really loved the fact that there was this small section of lush green trees in the middle of the Utah high desert area.  The trees here were just starting to change colors for fall.

Path in Hidden Canyon

After a bit, we stopped to give Miki a chance to stretch her legs (and gave us a chance to do the same!), and I noticed this lovely path along the road.  We didn’t walk down it, as we didn’t want to travel too far off the road, and we had no idea of how much traveling we had left.  I’m not certain that this was as much a walking path as it was a mountain biking path.  We did come across a number of mountain bikers on this particular stretch of off-road area!

Off-Roading

Part of what makes off-roading fun is the nature of the roads we come across!  It seems as if I’m holding the camera a bit “off” in this image, but truly, the road is rather tilted a bit!

The Only Way Down

And, this image gives you a bit of the flavor of what I mean!  As you look at the image, the area to the right of the Jeep, which was just as steep as it looks, is the area where the mountain bikers would ride their bikes up the incline!  Jeff had gotten out of the Jeep to check out the steep descent, and decided that the only way down for us was off to the side!

The Road Out

Finally, the road did sort of level out as we reached the bottom of the canyon and then made our way out.  I really loved the way the road seems to just be leading us toward more bluffs to climb.  Truly, it did turn before we reached them!  And, in case you may be wondering, we actually have a book that sort of maps out the off-roads.  I say “sort of” because we did have to stop and double check ourselves quite a bit on this adventure.  I guess the canyon’s called Hidden Canyon for a reason!

Antelope on the Run

What a treat this was!!  Generally, when we see prong-horn antelope, we see them at a distance, and not very many of them.  But, as we were leaving the canyon, a small herd suddenly seemed to appear on our left.  This is just a small section of the herd, which I think may have numbered about a dozen.  Also, when they see us, they tend to run away from us.  In this case, they started to run alongside the Jeep, so I had a wonderful opportunity to capture them in mid-stride as they raced along, with the red clay bluffs of Utah as a fabulous backdrop!  Such graceful creatures, and don’t you just love how the small babies (just born a few months ago) can already keep up with the adults.

Antelope Crossing

As they raced along, it became obvious that they intended to cross the road in front of us.  Jeff did slow down and stopped the Jeep when they decided to actually make the crossing.  Again, I just love the grace of them both running and leaping over the small ravines alongside the road.

Movin’ On

And, here’s the end of the herd making their crossing, and moving on to a different grazing ground.  How lucky we were to have been in this spot and exactly the right time to get to see this!

Enjoy!