Ashleigh and Elyse start the year with a western trip

January 8, 2026

Ashleigh had made plans for a western hiking adventure near the first of the year and it turned out that Elyse could get free to accompany her. My understanding is that they flew out to Zion or St George on January 5. I'm presuming that they rented a car there and visited Zion before traveling to do two hikes on January 7. This photo is dated January 8 at 3:10m. They told us that they visited Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, and Capital Reef. I think they traveled to Salt Lake City on January 9 and Elyse flew back because she had to be in Baton Rouge for the students' arrival. Ashleigh flew back the next day.

Ashleigh on top of the stone arch. Waiting to hear how she got there. I'm guessing that this is Hickman Natural Bridge in Utah. If so, this is the Google description of how to get to the top:

Hike Info Rating: Moderate
Distance: 1.8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 400 feet
Tips: This hike is hot in the summer in the middle of the day, and there is no shade. Hike early or late to avoid the heat. Take lots of water, and wear hats and sunscreen. Hickman Bridge is a beautiful natural bridge formed by running water long ago. (Arches are formed by wind.) There is no water under the bridge now, but it does span a dry wash. The trail starts out fairly steeply as it climbs up the mountainside. There is a low stone wall for the first tenth of a mile while the trail follows the river, and then the trail turns and climbs the hill.

This is my guess about the route of Ashleigh and Elyse and I'll have to check it out with them. By flying in to Zion or St. George they may have taken I-15 north and then UT-260S southeast to Capital Reef and Hickman Natural Bridge.

Rod and Brenda visited Capital Reef in November of 2016. We went I-70 west from Denver, then down to Moab and Arches National Park. We approached the Capital Reef area on Hwy 24. We then went to Kodachrome Basin State Park and Bryce Canyon before proceeding to Zion.