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Sightseeing via RV in Utah & Colorado

flybill7

Well Known Member
About a month ago, I flew the RV-7 on a ten-day cross-country to/from Baltimore to western Colorado and eastern/southern Utah. I did most of my flying in the morning when the sun lit everything up and the air was smooth. I was fortunate to have outstanding weather the entire trip and was able to take some great pictures of awesome scenery in such places as the Black Canyon NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Lake Powell, Capital Reef, Dinosaur NM, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, and many other incredible places that aren't national parks. In my opinion, it's the best flying from a scenery point of view in the U.S. (although I have not flown Alaska). I put together a web log of my trip so you can see some of the great pictures. LINK.

Here is a preview:
Arches NP
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Black Canyon of the Gunnison River NM
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Canyonlands NP
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Bryce Canyon NP
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Capital Reef NP
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Cedar Breaks NM
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Great Sand Dunes NP
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Sightseeing via RV in Utah and Colorado

Twin Lakes, CO near Leadville
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Dinosaur NM
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Flaming Gorge Reservoir
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Colorado River leading to Moab
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Green River/Desolation Canyon
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Sightseeing via RV in Utah and Colorado

Kanab Creek, AZ
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Marble Canyon
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Monument Valley
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Paria River Canyon
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San Rafael Swell
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Lake Powell
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Zion NP
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Kanab, UT
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Beautiful!

Beautiful pix. Thanks for posting them. Flying out to that area is on my bucket list.
 
Beautiful pictures with an obvious talent for taking them. I'm glad you took advantage of your time out West to see some of the most impressive sights in the four corner States.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't give thanks for the opportunity to live in an area that has all this within one and a half hours from my home base.

Cheers, Hans
 
Very nice. Exceptionally good photography.

Hate to pick a nit, but the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is in Colorado, not New Mexico. Its a great shot though.

thanks for posting these
 
Wonderful photography! My wife and I have flown our RV-10 over a lot of these places in the last couple of years and it is a spectacular part of this wonderful country. One other nitpick. Cedar Breaks is in Utah, just outside of Cedar City, Utah.
 
My dream trip. Echo - Outstanding photography! Thanks for posting.

RE: nitpicks - that just tells that in the air we don't see the boundaries - it's just one big sky. Lets keep it that way.
 
Hate to pick a nit, but the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is in Colorado, not New Mexico.

That fooled me initially too, but his abbreviations are for "National Monument" and "National Park."

Bill, I'm about halfway through the travelogue on your website and loving it! I've been wanting to make a similar trip for years. Next summer I'll make it happen.
 
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Great Trip!

Hi Bill,

Thanks for posting. . . Terrific photos including the one of your very nice RV-7! A Dream Trip for sure! Wonderful scenery!

Cheers,
 
US is a beautiful country. We love to visit it. There is no need to make it greater? because it already is. Europe is watching you... ;)
 
BEAUTIFUL RV flying territory

I absolutely LOVE these pictures. It is what flying an RV is all about. I had the pleasure of renting a 172 from Redtail Aviation at KCNY near Canyonlands and Arches National Park in the Moab, UT area this past Spring. Like yourself we went to Lake Powell for lunch and back. It was some of the most rewarding flying I will ever do in my flying career for sure. (how about those +/-1000ft thermals in the afternoons though!?!?!)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...40149829.1073741842.1567906569&type=3&theater

Great pictures!

-Devin
 
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Great pics, did a similar deal with the family this summer in the Bonanza. Overflew Grand Canyon in Dragon corridor. Some areas make you suck up seat cushion in a single engine!

WVM ssoo glad to know europe is watching, we were losing sleep over it :-0 You got some pretty stuff there too. Cliffs of Dover, Alps, French Med coast and countryside....Some cool cities too.
 
Wow

My wife and I usually spend a week in the Telluride area around the last week of September, which seems to be the time frame the trees are changing at that altitude / location. This year we took the scenic route back to GJT and drove to Canyonlands / Moab.

A lot of really inspiring pics here. I'm also looking through your extended log on your site. Very cool!
 
Flying RV over UT, COLO

In taking off from Walker Field, Grand Jct., enroute to Copperstate in C-182, yes over Canyonlands, Moab, cliffs, etc. via landing @ Page for fuel. When over the River, topography enroute to Page, I heard every spark plug hit. Told friend you couldn't land a powered parachute down there. Mistake, tightened up belts so tight ribs showed.:)
 
Wonderful photos, Bill. Lots of beauty in the southwest. I've been on the ground in most of those areas and now some by air. Looks like we have some new reasons to do more flying over Utah. There are a few backcountry strips in Utah that aren't on the sectionals, but they do show up on the Utah state aviation map. Not sure how RV friendly these strips are...

Do you have a tracing of the Spot tracks? That would be interesting to look at. I wonder how well APRS tracking would work down lower. The times I've flown over the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and Canyonlands was up high enough to always get a packet received.
 
Shhhhhh..

..Don't share too many pictures. We don't want the secret of "the west" to get out (i.e. unlimited visibility, beautiful topography and minimal air traffic). ;)
 
46 hours in 9 days

Bill thank you very much for sharing. You do live while airborne. Beautiful scenery with excellent commentary such an inspiration! I've seen familiar places I visited. Thanks again. Navy huh it explains some flying profiles. But where this geography/geology knowledge came from? :)
 
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