Utah: Island in the Sky (Canyonlands National Park) and Wasatch Brew Pub

I woke at 530am on our second morning in Utah. The previous day, had been quite amazing....well, the views, not the food. We decided to head off to a district of the massive (337,598 acres) Canyonlands National Park, known as Island in the Sky, a mesa that towers a thousand feet over the rugged and picturesque terrain below. I got the Missus up at around 6am....we showered, packed up and headed out into the dark morning.....pretty much like the day before. This time though, our target was much closer, a bit over 30 miles or so away. The classic location for viewing the sunrise in the Island in the Sky district is the Mesa Arch which frames the East rising sun. We had run into maybe two cars on our drive to the Mesa Arch, but were surprised when the parking lot was almost full! Taking the short half mile walk to the arch, we could see an entire line of paparazzi folks with camera gear already set-up!

It was crazy. I heard one guy telling another he'd camped out overnight and got to his "spot" to set-up at 5am! Serious folks!

I just headed off to the side to photograph the dramatic sunrise.

The Missus hung back and took a photo of the sunrise through the Mesa Arch.

And while it was a bit of a hazy morning, the views were still quite dramatic.

We walked back to the car and headed off to the Grand View Point Overlook and took the 3 mile hike around the rim of the mesa.

I really enjoyed this hike. The views were just stunning. I probably enjoyed this more than the Delicate Arch, which was the Missus' favorite.

You can see for miles in the distance; view the amazing terrain, and just try to take it all in.

The hike is easy, you can read more about it here and here.

And no, there aren't any fences or barriers......which just adds to the drama. (Click on the photos to enlarge)

We made one last short stop at the Shafer Canyon Overlook, before hitting the road and making the 200 mile trip back to Salt Lake City.

I made a short stop in Green River to refuel, then drove all the way through.

Our destination? The rather hip neighborhood in SLC called Sugar House. During our stop at Whole Foods a couple of nights back. I got into a nice conversation with the very friendly young lady at the deli counter. When I mentioned we were from San Diego...she bent over and whispered; "do you like to drink beer???" I whispered back, "we sure do....but why are we whispering?"

Anyway, she recommended a stop at the Annex by Epic Brewing. So that's where we went. The place has this "club license" which means they can serve alcohol without having to serve food. The server was really nice and explained things to us...took our IDs and scanned them and did the whole thing.

I would have really enjoyed this place except for one thing....the bartender was a jerk. Apparently he didn't like us, and decided to serve and chat to his "friends" rather than pour us our beer, which took 25 minutes to get to us. Other than the three people at the bar, the place was totally empty. I think the last straw was when a group of eight came in after us and got their drinks before us. Even our server profusely apologized telling us, "I'm sorry, but I don't have control over pouring your beer". Too bad, my Belgian Style Golden Ale was quite nice.

I felt really bad for our server when I told her, "I think we'll be headed out." And asked for the check....so I left her a nice tip...after all, it wasn't her fault the wanna be hipster behind the bar was a jerk. Nuff said. 

The Annex by Epic Brewing
1048 E 2100 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84106

In retrospect, maybe it was fate that drove us from the Annex to Wasatch Brew Pub next door.

This place was a bit more busy and our server was wonderful. I also loved the names of the beer; Chasing Tail Golden Ale, anyone? This almost made me forget I was in SLC.

And then the Missus saw the beer I "just had to order".... the Polygamy Porter on Nitro....yep, you heard that right. I just can't help but crack up. I loved the glass....in fact, the Missus and I should have bought a couple for our friends. And then there's the beer's tagline; "Why have just one...." You gotta love it...

This was pretty light, mild coffee, nice and creamy from the nitro. Not the best Porter I've had....but surely one of the best names!

The Missus ordered the Jalapeno Cream Ale, which was quite good. Unlike a lot of chile beers, this one had a nice kick that came through. Great fragrance of jalapenos as well. It went well with the food we had.

The Shishito Peppers could have been roasted a bit more.

But the Missus really enjoyed it.....the portion size was quite large. It needed a bit more salt, but the peppers were really fresh. Some of the larger, older ones had a bit of sneaky heat as well.

The Missus really wanted more veggies and we had dinner reservation for what I thought was going to be a rather rich meal,  so I didn't veto the "Super Food Beet Salad". The beets were really tasty, having that balanced sweetness I really enjoy. The vinaigrette was nice, slightly citrusy, never getting in the way of the ingredient's flavors.

I honestly have to say; I'm still not a fan of fruits in my salad...especially mandarin oranges...though the Missus enjoys them.

In the end, I'm glad we ended up here. The service was pleasant, the food, while nothing special was ok, and we got a couple of good laughs as well. The beer will not make you forget about San Diego, but you'll never forget that sign.....

Wasatch Brew Pub
2110 Highland Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84106

 

Comments

[kat]

gorgeous views! thanks for sharing:)

[Kirk]

The views were amazing Kat!

[Jason]

Looks like a great day, too bad about the crappy bartender but I'm glad the second stop made up for it.

[Soo H]

Those are awesome photos!

[Kirk]

We really enjoyed Canyonlands Jason!

Hi Soo - To be perfectly honest, photos can never capture how fantastic these places were.

[ken]

Hmmm.... Polygamy Stout. Love the name but shouldn't it really mean you're going to have more than one bottle at the same time? Nice write up on your trip!

[Kirk]

I dunno Ken...... I'm not quite the expert on the subject!!! ;o)

[caninecologne]

Wow, those photos are breathtaking! Makes me want to go to Utah now!

That sucks about the unfriendly a-hole of a bartender. Racist maybe?

[Kirk]

Hi CC - That thoguht entered my mind, but I feel the racist card is too easily played nowadays...so I'll just consider hime a jerk. The views from Island in the Sky were breathtaking.

[nhbilly]

Beautiful, I wonder how a prick can be in the service industry.

[Kirk]

There are many Billy.... ;o)