From Moab, Utah to Afton, Wyoming

Upon leaving Moab, Utah, on our spring, 2009, vacation, we took a little side trip to see the Sego Canyon Petroglyphs. That was very interesting, but the black flies were driving us crazy. So we made a quick photo stop of it and got back onto the highway.

There were a number of scenic overlooks and photo opportunities, and we took advantage of most of them, especially since there were no services at all for over a hundred miles, except for the restrooms at the scenic overlooks.

San Rafael Reef

San Rafael Swell

We spent that night in Ogden, Utah. The next day, we took another scenic byway towards Yellowstone National Park. We passed through the city of Logan, Utah, which lay in a beautifully scenic valley. The road then followed the Logan River through the Logan Canyon, a gorgeous trip, which took us past a large natural spring called "Ricks Spring."

Rick's Spring

We continued on to Bear Lake, where we stopped at the large parking lot at a Visitor Center and ate our lunch.

Bear Lake

One of the signs that we saw on the highway talked about a "periodic spring," one which ebbs and flows instead of flowing constantly. The sign said it was the third largest such spring in the world. It was located east of Afton, a little town yet ahead of us. So, when we arrived in Afton, we couldn't resist following the road to the spring.

It was about a four-mile drive on an unpaved road, followed by a 3/4-mile hike to the spring. When we got to the end of the trail, we could see a sign and a picnic table across the flood-stage Swift Creek. There didn't appear to be any way to get to it. But Doug was determined. He found a way, which involved rock hopping along the side of the creek and going up and over where the rocks were under water.

Periodic Spring

Trail to Periodic Spring

By the time we hiked back to the car and drove back to Afton on the unpaved road, it was about 6:00 p.m. So we found a nice little motel and decided to spend the night there.

Elk Horn Arch in Afton, Wyoming