September 28, 2007

September 28, 2007

We left Taos, NM driving south. Near Espanola we turned west heading uphill to Los Alamos. The town of Los Alamos is scattered atop several finger mesas on the edge of a twelve-mile wide extinct volcanic caldera called Valle Grande. Los Alamos National Laboratory sponsors the Bradbury Science Museum covering the history of the Manhattan Project of WWII along with some of their current research efforts. The history exhibits and film are very well done. The Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb was an amazing accomplishment performed in less than 2 ½ years by a group of 3000 scientists and technicians with an average age of 24. What is even more amazing is that Los Alamos Natl. Lab now employs 15,000 doing who knows what. This only proves government programs can only grow and never contract.

After Aimee pulled me out of the museum we walked a couple blocks to Fuller Lodge. This large log beam building was originally the site of an elite boys ranch, later the recreation center for the Manhattan Project and now an art center. After a brief stroll around we head out driving to Santa Fe where we spend the night at a private park.

September 27, 2007

September 27, 2007

Today we explored Taos, NM. We first stopped at the visitor center to get some ideas. From there we went just north of town to the Taos Pueblo. It cost us $10 apiece to enter and $5 more for our camera. Taos Pueblo has been the site of an Indian village for some 1000 years. A young Indian girl gave us a quick tour of the small village and a short history. Taos Pueblo today is a strange combination of historical village, current living residences and Indian craft stores. At least for Aimee and me it doesn’t work. The homes are all made of traditional clay and straw adobe but with modern doors. The few residents living there are supposed to live without electricity or running water. Mostly we walked around visiting the scattered craft stores. They even disappointed us. Aimee found a beautiful beaded jacket she liked. It turned out to be a real Indian handicraft. That is, it was made in India. We left, with both of us thinking we had just made a donation to the local Native American tribe.

From the Pueblo we drove back into Taos proper and had lunch downtown. Afterwards we window-shopped for a few hours among the many craft shops and art galleries. I couldn’t convince Aimee to visit the Kit Carson home and museum. Kit is the favorite son of Taos. Originally born in Missouri he went west to be a mountain man fur trapper turned scout turned soldier.

Back at the RV, I got talking to our new neighbor. It is a small world as he turned out to be a former employee of Nalco too.

September 26, 2007

September 26, 2007

From the Mesa Verde area, we drove back to Durango, and then continued east thru ranchland set amid rolling wooded hills. From the ornate ranch entry arches this area must be mostly owned by gentlemen ranchers. Although in fairness at one point we did see a couple cowboys crisscrossing the road trying to round up a stray “dogie”.

In mid state we turned south and crossed into New Mexico. After crossing over a high pass we descended down to the Rio Grande valley, a broad flat sagebrush plain. With little warning, this level road suddenly hits an old iron bridge spanning a deep narrow gorge. We stop and gaze at the Rio Grande River 650 feet below. Amazing!

Ten miles east we enter the town of Taos, NM and spend the night at a private RV park.

September 25, 2007

September 25, 2007

We spent a cold night in the RV. After descending out of the mountains I thought we had returned to warmer weather. I didn’t need to see the frost on the picnic table to know it got below freezing last night. Being in Mesa Verde National Park, we didn’t have electricity hookup and the furnace blower quickly wore down the battery. From now on it is only electrical sites for us till we hit warm weather again.

Waking early we head farther into Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde was the first cultural National Park and has lots of Anasazi cliff dwellings. At the Visitor Center we purchase tickets to tour two of the cliff dwellings. We start with a tour of the star attraction and the largest, the Cliff Palace. The Anasazi were the ancient Indians of the southwest that built their houses under the overhangs of the many cliffs of the Southwest. Aimee and I have been to a few others. Mesa Verde is one of the few large-scale sites in good condition that you can climb thru. One of the reasons that the Anasazi built their houses under overhangs was that they were a regular source of water. Aimee and I know that finding water in the desert is a challenge, even today.

We also learn about the Anasazi’s construction of Kivas. These were large circular wells with a central fire pit and ventilation system. The guide said he believed they were for ceremonial uses. After last night I am sure they were built to stave off the cold winter nights here.

We eat an early lunch because our second tour, the Balcony House, is at noon. As the name implies it has a big balcony with a great view. This one was built almost as a fortress. My view is that the population was growing, the water was getting scarce and the tribal elite started building these fortress-like houses on the water springs to secure them for their family. Aimee likes this tour because of the adventure. Getting in and out required climbing ladders, crawling thru tunnels and negotiating sheer dropoffs.

After these guided tours on the Cliff Palace Loop, we head to the Chapin Mesa Museum to watch a very good film on the Anasazi culture and run thru the exhibits. Despite not being terribly interested in Stone Age cultures, the museum was extremely well done. Behind the museum is another cliff dwelling, the Spruce Tree House that we tour on our own. We finish our tour of Mesa Verde with a drive on the Mesa Top Loop. It follows the rim where we can see that Mesa Verde contains quite a few parallel canyons. From the rim drive we pass loads of cliff houses. The Anasazi supposedly had more people living in this area than live here today.

We spend the night in a private park (with electricity) just outside the gate of the park.

September 24, 2007

September 24, 2007

After 24 hours of rain, some of it finally found its way inside the RV. Yesterday evening we discovered a steady drip coming from the air-conditioner protruding thru the ceiling. It looks like we need a new gasket. Another item for the rapidly growing repair list this winter. Fortunately for us, the rain stopped shortly afterward.

In the morning the sun happily made its reappearance. And just in time for our journey over the mountains. Heading south, Rt. 550 follows the Uncompahgre River upstream to Ouray, CO. This very cute town is surrounded on three sides by tall mountains. No wonder they call the area, the Switzerland of America. From Ouray we climb the mountains to the town of Silverton, CO. There is one big reason to suffer the chilly weather of autumn in the mountains. They are alive with color. The Aspen trees have mostly changed to a bright yellow golden color that is in sharp contrast with the dark green pine trees and the white snow-capped mountain peaks. It is simply gorgeous. Although what should have been a short trip is made much longer because of frequent camera stops to try and capture this beauty.

Silverton is an old mining town. I had expected it to be a charming town. A short drive down Main Street was disappointing. It looks like the only thing going for it is the Silverton-Durango Narrow Gauge Railroad that continues to operate as a tourist attraction.

We stop for a quick lunch and then head down mountain to Durango, a much bigger city. We don’t stop. Instead we head thirty miles west and get a campsite in Mesa Verde National Park. They have lots of room. We buy wine at the Park store and toast the sunshine.

September 23, 2007

September 23, 2007

It rained all night and it is very cloudy this morning in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It is also cold. A big change from the desert of Moab, UT. There is also more vegetation but not a lot more. Mixed in with the junipers and pinons are some shrubby type of oak tree. I would think that this was a freakish cold front except these oaks are turning color. I know that this is Mother Nature’s way of telling me that colder weather is coming and we need to head south and soon.

Before we do we are going to see the Black Canyon. We first stop at the visitor center to watch the movie and get oriented. We then make our way up the short scenic drive along the canyon rim. The Black Canyon is very deep, very narrow and comprised of very dark, hard granite-type rock. A nice change from the red sandstone canyons of Utah. This canyon was carved by the Gunnison River far below. Even 2000 feet above we can hear the roar of whitewater. We stop at most of the vista points. I am a little disappointed that there are no trails down to the shoreline but the canyon walls are almost vertical. Aimee is not disappointed. She doesn’t like hiking in cold, rainy weather. She stays in the RV and makes us hot chocolate. Something she couldn’t do if we were car tourists. It is nice traveling with your kitchen in the trunk.

We stop for lunch at one of the overlooks. I find some particularly colorful lichens that look like modern art. We then leave the park and head south. As we do the rain picks up again and it looks like it isn’t going to quit anytime soon. So we stop for the day at a private park south of Montrose, CO. We make popcorn and watch a DVD movie. We are hoping for drier, sunnier weather tomorrow.

September 22, 2007

September 22, 2007

We left Moab, UT heading northeast on Rt. 128, a scenic drive along the Colorado River at the bottom of a red cliff canyon. The Colorado has to be the longest river that runs thru deep canyons. Many movies were filmed in this area, including the famous Chevy commercial from the sixties where they placed a car atop a high rock mesa. After a half hour the Colorado emerges from the canyon into very desolate country. About the same time we pick up I70 east that takes us into the state of Colorado.

We stop at the tourist center in the town of Fruita, CO where we are just in time to watch a motorcycle wedding at the Vietnam Memorial just yards from where we parked. A few miles down the road we enter Colorado National Monument. This park turns out to be more eroded cliffs from the Colorado Plateau. The difference is we are now at the northeastern edge and the colors are more tannish. We stop at the visitor center and then drive the main park road stopping at most of the overlooks. It is pretty but after three weeks of Utah canyons, we are “rocked out”.

The park scenic drive exits us in the city of Grand Junction. There we pick up Rt. 50 going southeast and arrive at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park late in the evening. We have no problem getting a site, one with electricity no less. The ranger tells us the campground is never full. This must not be a very popular park. In the campground however we find it is indeed a popular park.... with long-eared Mule deer.

September 21, 2007

September 21, 2007

We have spent the majority of the last couple weeks in the wilds of National and State parks. Aimee is feeling she needs some civilization therapy so we spend the day in Moab, UT. After catching up on our lives in the morning, we head downtown, have lunch and do a little window-shopping. Moab is a town of adventure outfitters, bookstores, and art galleries with the necessary trinket shops thrown in. After we are done and getting ready to head back, the town decides to have their Homecoming parade. With the streets blocked we have to watch. It is short and painless. And only in Moab do the local cheerleaders parade thru town in ATVs and Jeeps.

September 20, 2007

September 20, 2007

We got an early start today so we could take photos at Dead Horse Point with the early morning sun. I had been told the professional poster photos in the visitor center had been done at sunrise. I am learning that good photography is less about how expensive the camera or how skillful the photographer and more about being in the right place at the right time. Patience is the keyword, which I have little of. After several quick photos we head out of the park and then south into Canyonlands National Park. In the visitor center we watch their movie and get some hiking recommendations.

Canyonlands Park is centered on the Y-shaped confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. The rivers divide the park into three sections. We are in the top center section called Islands in the Sky. This section has two dead end roads. We start at one end where we hike to the rim of Upheaval Dome. It is a highly eroded bowl whose origin is a mystery. One possibility is a prehistoric meteor impact. The other explanations aren’t nearly as sexy.

From the crater we work our way back south. Along the way we stop at several overlooks. In this area both the Green and Colorado rivers are in deep canyons. We have lunch parked at one overlook. We drive to the southern terminus and hike a mile along the rims to the Grand View Point. Here we have an almost 360-degree view of both canyons with the confluence in the distance.

Our last stop is a short hike to Mesa arch. We would have skipped it but for the short hike. I am glad we did as the arch is teetering off the side of a cliff. One wrong look and it could be gone.

Water is a precious commodity in the desert, apparently even in campgrounds. Because we had left Arches before I had my morning cup of coffee, I forgot to fill our water tank before leaving. In Dead Horse we had electricity but the only water available was trucked in for the restrooms. Canyonlands campgrounds have no water or electricity of any kind so it is back to Moab for us. I think it was Aimee’s secret plan all along to return to a private campground because her favorite show, Survivor, is premiering tonight and she wouldn’t miss it for anything.

September 19, 2007

September 19, 2007

Last night the ranger program was on the sounds heard in the national park. It was cute. The most memorable was a common cricket found throughout the US that is nicknamed the “temperature” cricket. The clicking they make varies with the temperature. The hotter the night the faster they click. Open your door and listen to the crickets tonight.

This morning we rose early and made our way out of Arches National Park before breakfast. At the entrance, we stopped at the visitor center to watch the film and look at the exhibits. We also stopped in Moab for a few minutes to use the Internet. From Moab, UT we headed back north past Arches, turning west towards Canyonlands National Park. Halfway along we took a left into Dead Horse Point State Park. I had heard the park has a great vista point and that they also have a handful of hard-to-get electrical sites. A camping trailer turned into the park ahead of us. Oh No, competition! At the visitor center, while the camper parked, I swung ahead and let Aimee off at the door. My “lucky charm” raced into the office snagging the last campsite available. Whew, that was close!

Dead Horse Point is a finger mesa high above the Colorado River. After a late breakfast, we take a two-mile hike along the west rim. Unfortunately we miss a sign and end up going north. The canyon below is nice but there is no sign of the river. Back at the “house”, we have lunch, and then decide to delay our exploration till later in the afternoon. Several hours and a nap later, we unhitch the bikes and ride them south towards the Point. Just before the Point we lock the bikes and do the one-mile rim trail around the edge. The view is impressive. It looks very much like the Grand Canyon. Far below, the Colorado River flows past making several oxbow turns. This is truly Canyonland country!

September 18, 2007

September 18, 2007

We changed around the typical order of our day today. We chilled out in the morning, had lunch and then explored another section of Arches National Park in the afternoon. We started in the Windows sections and did a series of short hikes to see arches there. One was to a large double arch that reminded me of the golden arches that used to adorn the original McDonalds restaurants.

From the Windows area we went to the trailhead for Delicate Arch. The park brochure suggested this hike was best near sunset. The hike to Delicate Arch was only a mile and a half but it seemed longer as it went up a very long ramp-like section of slickrock. Once at the top we turned a corner and were awe-struck. Delicate Arch sits alone atop the edge of a slickrock cliff with mountains in the background. The bowl-shaped slickrock is like an amphitheater inviting tourists to sit and wonder at the view. It is a beautiful arch in a stunning setting. No wonder Delicate Arch adorns the Utah license plate. This is a must hike when visiting Arches.

September 17, 2007

September 17, 2007

I watched the history channel on TV last night. They were showing a program called, “How the earth was made”. When they started talking about trilobites and how animal life started to flourish 500 million years ago, Aimee and I were delighted to see paleontologist Paul McNeil being interviewed about the Burgess Shale. He was the one who took us on the guided hike to see the Trilobite beds in Canada’s Yoho National Park last month.

We got an early start today. We know the national park routine now. With no reservation, we need to get to the campground early. Aimee quickly made us some coffee and we drove to Arches National Park visitor center, where we were allotted a campsite. From the park gate we drove the eighteen miles to the campground, stopping only a couple times to take pictures of the early morning sun on the gorgeous scenery. We got a great campsite but it turned out we didn’t need to be so early. But better safe than sorry. We much prefer staying in the park close to the action. The alternative is commuting into the park everyday from a private campground that is basically a glorified parking lot with electrical outlets. With a campsite in hand, we relax and have breakfast.

The trailhead to the Devils Garden area of the park is opposite the campground entrance. We decide to start our day there. There are seven arches along this 4.5-mile trail. We have seen lots of arches already but these were way more accessible. You don’t have to hike nine miles uphill to see one. I took pictures of the first couple arches we passed. I told Aimee I wasn’t going to photograph every arch. But I did anyway. Each one ended up being unique in some way. One was a window to the valley below, another was a double, another was close up, but the best was one called Landscape arch. It was a thin delicate strand bridging a span over 300 yards.

Arches has the same red colored rocks we have seen all over Utah. But each park has had a different twist. The red rocks here are like great slabs (called fins) stacked on end like rows of half-buried giant stone saw blades or LPs . The trail we did today went along the top edge of one of these slabs giving us great views of the area.

We are back at the campsite early so we have time to relax and enjoy the ambience. We love staying in national park campgrounds (when we can get in). The sites are almost always large, private, and abounding in nature. We relax with a good book surrounded by “red fins”. We are disturbed occasionally by a flock of Scrub Jays who swoop in and strip the local pinon pine trees of their nuts. Never having seen or tasted a pinon nut, I scare away the birds and go for a few myself. Inside each small pinecone are several nuts the size and shape of a shelled peanut. Aimee and I both bit into one, and subsequently spit them out. It is just a shell. Cracking another open we find nothing but a thin piece of paper-like nothing inside. I will leave these nuts to the birds.

As darkness approaches, Aimee and I climb atop “our” fin and watch the sunset. A nice way to end a nice day.

September 16, 2007

September 16, 2007

This morning we drove the ten-mile Scenic drive of Capitol Reef National Park. The route follows the line of red cliffs southeast. Along the way we stopped at Capitol Gorge, a steep narrow canyon that cuts thru the cliff wall. We walk down the gorge for an hour admiring the sheer red cliffs. Water unbelievably cut this passageway. Although dry now, regular flash floods ate away the sandstone. Apparently weakened sandstone cleaves off rock outcrops cleanly leaving sheer cliffs behind.

We exit the park east on Rt. 24 thru another water-carved passageway. There is a pullout for some Indian petroglyphs. The pictures carved in the walls are of alien-looking humans. Apparently the Indians here, like in Peru, were also visited by ancient astronauts from outer space.

Once out of the park the cliffs don’t disappear, they just turn color. East of the park the cliffs are an ugly brown and gray color. The whole area looks very industrial and man-made. It is so ugly and drab I find it fascinating. Aimee and apparently everyone else don’t though. If this area had any kind of appealing color, it would be a national park and somebody beside me would be stopping to take a photo.

We take Rt. 24 north and Interstate 70 east thru very desolate and mostly flat country. East of Green River, UT we head south on a busy secondary road to Arches National Park. We find ourselves suddenly back in red cliff country. At the visitor center we find, of course, even though a Sunday night, the campground is full. Shouldn’t all these tourists be home with their kids? We drive a few miles further south to Moab, UT where we spend the evening in a nearly full private park.

September 15, 2007

September 15, 2007

In the morning we drive into Capitol Reef National Park. We go straight to the campground where there are several spots available. We take the first one we see. We are not taking any chances. While we are setting up camp, a couple hikers walk by and let us know a trailhead is right across the street from our site. It looks like a longer route than we are used to but it seems very convenient. After donning our boots and fixing a trail lunch we head up the Cohab Canyon trail. It winds its way up a hill and into a small canyon with a floor of red sand and rock walls so full of holes they look like Swiss cheese.

The canyon walls are topped with white mounds of slickrock. These white dome shapes gave rise to the “Capitol” part of the park’s name. The “Reef” part alluded to the barrier to travel that the 100-mile-long cliffs meant to early pioneers. This long barrier is supposed to be a bulge in the earth’s crust caused by the Pacific plate running into the Continental plate.

Climbing out of the canyon we switch to the Frying Pan trail that takes us across a rock wilderness very sparsely vegetated with stunted junipers and pinon pines. After much up and down travel we eventually come to another slickrock area adjacent to a huge chasm that slices thru the middle of this ridge. There we take a short trail that takes us to Cassidy Arch on the canyon edge. At the edge we think we lost the trail until we notice we are standing atop the arch. Aimee steps back from the hole. I coax her back to take my photo with the arch. We make the long journey back to camp. Although convenient, this nine-mile hike turned out to be a couple miles too long for our aging bodies.

September 14, 2007

September 14, 2007

From the Petrified Forest State Park, we drove into the nearby small town of Escalante, UT, where we stopped at another visitor center for Grand Staircase National Monument. I had seen some pictures of very narrow slot canyons and wanted to know where to find them. The ranger said we would have to drive twelve miles down an unpaved road to the trailhead for that hike. Aimee immediately vetoed that. Not with our home on wheels! Grand Staircase is a very large and remote park with beautiful scenery. We will have to come back at a future time with a jeep to explore this park. Talking to the camp host this morning, she said that she and her husband had put 2500 miles on their truck doing just that.

Continuing east on scenic Rt. 12 we pass thru a particularly pretty section. The terrain is almost solid slickrock in all directions with deep stream gorges cut into it. We stop at a nice pullout overlooking a canyon and have our lunch.

The Grand Staircase ranger did tell us about a mini-slot canyon hike we could do from paved roads. In the town of Boulder, UT, we take the Burr Trail road southeast. Near mile nine it plunges into a stunning red rock canyon of high sheer cliffs. At mile 11 we spot a narrow crack in the left canyon wall. It is only some ten feet wide at the mouth but quickly opens up almost cave-like inside because of rock falls. It is only 100 yards deep but still pretty cool. It is also somewhat claustrophobic because of the high walls and little sunlight. Neither Aimee nor I particularly like caves.

Back in Boulder, UT, Rt. 12 turns north and climbs over 9000-foot Boulder Mountain. Like Cedar Breaks, the summit is covered in a forest of Quaking Aspens. After descending to the other side we run into the imposing red cliff of Capitol Reef National Park. Southern Utah has impressive scenery that just won’t quit. We have to stop at the vistas and take more pictures. We arrive at the Capitol Reef visitor center around 4pm where we learn the campground is full. I should know better than to go to National Parks late in the day. National Parks absolutely refuse to knock down a few trees to meet the needs of visitors. We backtrack 11 miles to the town of Torrey, UT where we spend the night at a private campground. It is not a national park but I do get a view of the cliff walls from our window.

September 13, 2007

September 13, 2007

Last night we attended the ranger talk at Bryce National Park. Once a month the Utah NASA ambassador speaks here. He gave an enjoyable talk on the solar system and the spaceships enroute to the planets and what they have been finding. Afterwards we all went to a darkened parking lot and did some telescope viewing. We saw Jupiter and a bunch of fuzzy nebulas and galaxies. Travelling in an RV, you learn how big the US and the earth are. Looking in a telescope, you realize how little the earth really is.

In the morning we left Bryce heading east along scenic Rt. 12. In the town of Cannonville, UT, we stopped at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument visitor center. The BLM Bureau of Land Management runs it. I don’t understand the government politics of having different branches running these parks. This park is relatively new and most of it is fairly remote. The ranger suggested continuing on scenic Rt.12 for some of the best views.

Before doing that we drove ten miles southeast to Kodachrome Basin state park. It is a small park with some badland cliffs and red monoliths reminiscent of Jumbo Rocks in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. The park does have an unusual number of very tall, skinny, phallic-like rock chimneys sticking up all by themselves in odd places. I later learned these were petrified geysers. The park name implies that it is very photogenic. It is nice but the name is an exaggeration. Before leaving we hiked the Nature trail and Angel’s Palace trail.

Back on scenic Rt. 12 we drove to Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. There we picked a site for the night and later did an evening hike on the Petrified Forest and Sleeping Rainbows trail. It was less than two miles but very nice. We passed by loads of petrified logs lying everywhere. Almost all were the highly mineralized and vividly colored specimens. Aimee and I both like this park better than the better-known Petrified Forest National Park because the logs seemed to be in more natural settings. We had a little bit of a scare on the trail. I was looking off the side of a horseshoe-shaped dry waterfall when this giant jackrabbit distracted Aimee and me. A few seconds later we heard a crash about 15 yards off, turned around, and watched a dead tree fall off the cliff edge bringing a ton of rocks with it. Yes, the earth is indeed constantly changing; only I want to be an observer, not a participant!

September 12, 2007

September 12, 2007

Bryce Canyon is really the highly and uniquely eroded side of a finger peninsula. In the late morning we drove the fifteen miles to the southern tip of this edge. Along the way we spotted a couple groups of wild turkeys grazing in the meadows. At the tip we do the very short Bristle Cone Loop trail for exercise. On the way back north we stop at all the vistas. The whole edge is full of colorful rocks but nowhere near as impressive as the main Bryce Amphitheater section we hiked yesterday.

The highlight of the day was a stop at the last vista where rangers had two telescopes trained on the sun. In one we could see solar flares shooting out from the sun. The ranger corrected me, saying these were only solar prominences; they weren’t large enough to be flares. In the second telescope we eyed a dark sunspot. The telescope viewing was an advertisement for tonight’s stargazing ranger program.

Back at the RV early I had a chance to take apart the “house” door. “Class C” RV’s, especially older ones, are rattletraps. For the last couple weeks though we had a new, particularly annoying, noise on bumpy roads. I finally pinned it down to coming from inside the door somewhere. I was thankful when I found an unconnected steel reinforcing bar. After stuffing tissue around it, we now have a “quieter” ride.

September 11, 2007

September 11, 2007

Bryce National Park is high up on the Colorado Plateau. At almost 8000 feet altitude it is considerably cooler than Zion. Last night it was so cold we had to turn the furnace on. And it ran a lot.

This morning we are going to do a hike amongst the hoodoos. We drop down into the canyon along the Wall Street trail. Passing between the massive pillared walls feels like we are descending into a cave. Up close the statue-like hoodoos are now giants.

At the bottom we traverse over and hike the Peekaboo Loop. This 3-mile circle takes us up and down and around gorgeous views of the canyon interior. It is so much better than just looking down from above. The rocks look almost fake, like they were from a Disneyland ride. From Peekaboo we hike back up to the top along the easier and slightly less scenic Queens Garden trail. Altogether we think we hiked more than six miles. My legs are dying but the scenery was well worth the pain.

September 10, 2007

September 10, 2007

From Panguitch, UT we head east toward Bryce National Park. It is raining off and on. Just before the park we passed thru the Red Canyon district of Dixie National Forest. It is a quite beautiful drive past more bright red rock outcroppings. The rain seems to make the rocks glow. We stop briefly at the Red Canyon visitor center and hike the mile-long Pink Ledges trail. We are amazed at how scenic southern Utah is.

We head into Bryce National Park and have lunch outside the visitor center. In the visitor center we watch their film and look at some of the exhibits. From there we head to the North Campground and choose a site. Unlike Zion, there is no electricity. We leave the RV and take the park shuttle down to Bryce Point where we get our first glimpse of Bryce Canyon’s landscape. It is very similar to Cedar Breaks but the colors are more subdued. It is still a sight to see. I am just surprised that Cedar Breaks is not more popular. From Bryce Point we hike the Rim trail north past Inspiration Point to Sunset Point. We have to stop every hundred yards to take another picture. It is hard to get tired of this unusual scenery.

September 9, 2007

September 9, 2007

Aimee and I have been going to the nightly ranger talk in our campground every evening. None have been very exciting. Last nights talk was on stargazing. As if on cue, when the ranger turned off the lights to end the talk a giant meteorite streaked across the sky. My first shooting star and it was a doozy!

There is still a lot more US to see so we left Zion National Park this morning. We took the route east thru mile-long Zion tunnel. All large vehicles (like RV’s) have to buy a pass to pay for a ranger escort. On the other side is a strange world of rock worn smooth by wind and rain. There is little vegetation.

Once out of Zion we head north on Rt. 89 headed for Bryce National Park. After reading a nice blurb about Cedar Breaks National Monument we take a last-minute detour west to investigate. On the way we pass thru a forest of white birch trees interspersed with some lava rocks. I have never seen so many birch trees in one place. (I later learned these were actually Quaking Aspen trees)

After a short drive we arrive at the Monument and head to the visitor center. We don’t make it inside as we immediately see a gorgeous red rock amphitheater. It is similar to a badlands environment but the colors are a more intense blend of red, yellow, purple. Plus there are hoodoos (rock statues or pillars) everywhere. I am so glad we didn’t bypass this place.

We don’t get much time to enjoy it before lightning scares us off the cliff top and back to the RV. As we are running back pea-size hail pounds us and then once inside the rain unleashes. The nice thing about RV travel is that we can have lunch and take a nap until the rain subsides. When it finally does, we put on long pants and jacket (it is cold here at 8000 feet) and hike the Spectra Point trail around the rim. It is a painful hike as the rain has turned the trail into thick slippery mud. It is not long before I feel like I have mud snowshoes on my feet. The trail is also a little scary as it follows the rim very closely with no guardrails anywhere. One wrong move and I could easily slide down the sloping edge and into the canyon like it was a ski jump. Many of the trees along the rim are gnarly pine trees called Bristle Cones. Bristle Cones are supposed to be the oldest trees on the earth despite being small.

From Cedar Breaks we head east and spend the night in a private park in the town of Panguitch, UT.

September 8, 2007

September 8, 2007

We like it here so we decided to stay another night in Zion but unfortunately the campground is full. From our prior experience with National Parks we thought we could get a cancellation if we checked first thing this morning. But no luck this time, so we packed up to leave. On the way out we checked with the ranger again, on a whim, and this time our persistence paid off. A last minute cancellation! We spend the rest of the morning in the local library using the Internet to catch up on our postings, email, and news. Aimee suggests I google deaths on Angel’s Landing. I do and we find that somebody has fallen to their death on this trail both this year and last.

After lunch we went back into town for groceries and a little window-shopping. The rest of the afternoon we relax and do some reading while enjoying the view. I am on my 28th book of the year.

September 7, 2007

September 7, 2007

We really like Zion National Park. Besides being gorgeous, it is well-run, tourist friendly, and works in-hand with the local town of Springdale, UT. Glacier could learn a few things from Zion.

Yesterday evening we relaxed outside the RV enjoying the view and the pretty wildflower garden around our site. On one side are the poisonous white Moon Flowers that bloom every night and wilt during the day.

On the other side is a hedge of sunflowers. Aimee was watching yellow finches dart around while I was watching a couple hummingbirds. When I looked thru the binoculars one of the hummingbirds turned out to be a monster bug. A ranger I talked to thought it was probably a Hummingbird Moth (aka White-Lined Sphinx Moth. I will have to look that one up on the Internet.

After the “Narrows”, Zion’s next most famous hike is Angel’s Landing. We were told to leave it to last. Angel’s Landing is the 1500-foot summit of a rock monolith sitting all by itself in the valley after the Virgin River cut a path almost all the way around it. It is advertised as a steep strenuous hike that is not recommended for people with a fear of heights. But how bad could a National Park hike really be? Aimee came along to keep me company knowing she may not do the last leg if she didn’t feel comfortable. It took a good hour of uphill hiking to reach the cliff top. The most daunting section was a set of 21 switchbacks, known as Walter's Wiggle's. From Scout Lookout the trail follows a narrow ridge out to Angels Landing.

Aimee decides to wait for me to finish the hike. It shouldn’t be that bad. I was told that they have a chain you can hold onto if you don’t have confidence in your balance. Well I can tell you it was an experience. I have been on narrow trails with a long drop-off on one side but this one had a 1500-foot drop on both sides and the path wasn’t even flat. Yes, there was a chain, mostly, but not along the whole half-mile route. And it is hard to hold onto the chain when some other scared soul is trying to hold it going back down. I almost turned around a couple times, especially near the beginning when a fellow hiker told me he knew someone who died doing this hike and I overheard another hiker talk about a man up ahead who is having a bad case of vertigo and is having difficulty coming back down. My heart is pounding; but I am not sure it is fear or exhaustion. I stop to rest and catch my breath. For some strange reason I keep going and make it to the top, mostly by only looking at my feet and crawling up the rocks on all fours. The summit is awesome (and tiny) and there are only a few of us who went the distance. We are rewarded with great views of the valley. After a very short look around, I head back down to retrieve my worried wife. I have been gone an hour. My legs are like rubber. I am either a closet acrophobic or I value my life, you decide.