Grand Staircase-Escalante and The Old Spanish Trail

So you're claustrophobic and have absolutely no desire to squeeze into a slot canyon?  No worries.  Arizona's wide open spaces are also beautiful!  Again, I have to choose from dozens and dozens of Granpa's excellent pictures (sigh.)

We're in the area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on the Old Spanish Trail today.

It's known as the Old Spanish Trail because this is the trade route the Spanish used beginning in 1829 to trade with the Native Americans between here and Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mission.  Wagons were impractical on these trade routes due to the variety of terrain that had to be crossed, so most caravans were made up of the sure-footed mules.  Eventually there would be mule trains of a hundred or more animals, each carrying 300 pound packs. 

Twenty-five year old Antonio Maria Armijo led the first expedition in 1829.  He had resounding success, moved his parents from the New Mexico Territory to California, married Dolores Engracia Duarte y Peralto, (the daughter of a very influential California rancher at the time), and leveraged all of his successes into a 13,000 acre land grant in the Napa Valley in 1840.  He was awarded the title of "Don" and continued his successes until his death in 1851.

We're going to mosey down a Utah State Scenic Backway known as Cottonwood Road #400.  We could follow it all the way to Kodachrome Basin State Park - but I don't think Granpa's gonna go that far - besides, we're not 4-wheel drive and parts of this might require that.  So we're goin' off-roading!!  Yea!