In Pursuit of Butch Cassidy, Dixie National Forest

It’s a cold April spring morning. I’m up early in anticipation of the pursuit of Butch Cassidy. He’s been spotted in the Dixie National Forest in Utah and I’ve joined the posse to capture him. Our adrenalin is definitely on the rise this morning. We’ve tracked Butch Cassidy and the wild bunch to Red Canyon and we should have them by noon.  I check my revolver to make sure there’s a bullet in each chamber. I throw my saddle on my horse and confirm my rifle is loaded before It’s stowed on my saddle. As I mount my horse, I’m filled with emotion as this day could end badly.

Everyone has had dreams of being a cowboy as they ride after a marquee outlaw, right?! During my road trip through the southwest, I was able to act out one of my dreams. April 2014, I was able to ride the Cassidy trail in Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest, about 20 minutes from Bryce Canyon. This posse consisted of myself, my brother Ralph, a tourist from England and our guide. This posse would have had a hard time wrangling a loose calf. But this day, we were after the spirit of Butch Cassidy who gave an actual posse the slip in Red Canyon.

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I chose the first week of April to do my southwest road trip to avoid the heat and large crowds and I wasn’t disappointed as the temperature was perfect for hiking and horse back riding. The nights were actually cold, about 45 degrees farenheit.  The snow had mostly melted away with the spring sun light  but some snow pack had remained to make the hillside picturesque and my perfect canvas. This was something I had looked forward to when I planned my itinerary.

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It’s ironic how you sometimes make a wrong turn, or book the wrong horseback ride, and end up some where you always wanted to be. Must be destiny or the travel gods looking over me. I planned on booking the horseback ride into Bryce Canyon and accidentally booked and stumbled upon this gem of a ride. We hiked into Bryce Canyon the next day so the ride into the valley was no longer necessary.

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