Oct 30, 2018

Zion National Park

So this past Friday, October 26th we headed off to Zion.  I had to chuckle at a weather forecast saying “delightful”.

We spent last Thursday here at the RV recovering from our long day at Bryce Canyon and working on the photos.  Friday, October 26th was our Zion day.  The weather was perfect with an eventual high of 77F and best of all it was only a short 50 miles away.  We were a tad late leaving at 7:25 AM which was 8:25AM Zion time.  So by the time we reached the park gates it was 9:30ish.  Again we paid the $35.00 park fee as there was no point adding another $45.00 to our Bryce Pass to make it a one year pass for any National Park as it would have cost a total of $115.00 when in all we ended up only paying $105.00.  We know that we will not be visiting another National Park in the next twelve months.  Our plan had been to start the day with the Canyon Overlook Trail but the ranger told us that parking within the Zion Park was almost full.  As we passed the parking area for the Canyon Overlook Trail we saw that it was full on both sides of the road.

The drive into Zion was spectacular with so much to see, the colors, the shapes of the rocks, the crevices and the mountains themselves but there was no place to pull over to stop and take a photo.  The very few pullouts that there were, were full of hikers parked for the day.  A truly dramatic National Park from the red rocks to the mile long dark tunnel to the switchbacks descending to the canyon floor.  I knew that we could park at either the Museum or at the Visitor Center.  The Museum was totally blocked off due to construction and somehow we missed the sign to the Visitor Center.  But I did spy a sign that said there were zero parking spaces left in the park and to please proceed to Springdale to park.  Because we had missed the turn to the Visitor Center we somehow were leaving the park and were in Springdale within moments.  There was no free parking there, you had to pay $20.00 for the day 😯   So we turned around and headed back into the park and made the first right turn and found the parking area at the Visitor Center.  Initially it appeared full but we kept driving around and discovered an area with at least 20 – 30 empty spaces.

Because you can only use shuttles in Zion due to the huge amounts of visitors and lack of parking you have to carry everything with you for the day.  It was cool and we layered up knowing that I would be carrying a heavier and heavier knapsack as the day wore on and of course we had to carry our water with us not to mention snacks.  Oh and an extra pair of sandals for me once I could no longer stand wearing my runners.  By now we were not big fans of the shuttle system.  We were spoiled at both the South and North Rims of the Grand Canyon as well as at Bryce Canyon.

Line for the shuttle.

After a stop at the actual Visitor Center we discovered the long line for the shuttle 🙄  There was no shuttle and then suddenly there were two.  I believe we got on the third one.  Why do people think these are wonderful?  You can’t really see anything, especially not the mountains and their peaks.  Secondly you are restricted as to only nine shuttle stops including the Visitor Center and the Museum which was closed.  Also the Big Bend shuttle stop was closed due to construction.  In fact there was a good deal of road work happening in that area and the shuttles often had a 10 – 15 minute delay, stopped right on the road waiting for the road equipment to move.  So that meant that the shuttles were very irregular and sometimes three came at once and then you had to wait a long time for the next.  I will say that after the initial morning rush leaving the Visitor Center we always got on and except for once got a seat.  We did not find the shuttles a good way to travel ( yes I know they are the only way ) as you could not see much.

Each shuttle has what the driver refers to as a trailer which is yet another shuttle.

You really can’t see much plus the windows only open 2 inches, not enough to take a photo.

Our first stop was at furthest point, Temple of Sinawava.

Us and about 200 others were all doing the 2.2 mile Riverside Walk.

Hard to believe that this small calm Virgin River carved out this canyon.

We had no idea that at the end of this walk you could cross the Virgin River and continue walking through a slot canon all the while in the icy cold water.

It became apparent to us that you could rent  ( in Springdale ) special waterproof shoes and pants and poles to walk through the water which helps to decrease the cold.  I later spoke to a lady who said that even with the rental equipment, that it took her over 2 hours to warm up again.  I would love to try it sometime as I really want to see the slot canyon.

As we were watching the people cross the river, many barefoot and totally unprepared, I saw movement up the bank.  This fellow had arrived and was watching the activity.  We could see that he was frustrated.  I believe that he wanted to go down to the river for a drink but his territory was being taken over by a bunch of loud tourists.  Very few others around us noticed him.

It was nice enough but you are restricted to taking photos along this trail or at the shuttle stop.  You are not free to stop along the park road when you see something that you wish to see and photograph.  We felt very restricted.  Colin wanted stop at Big Bend but we were not able to stop so the next stop was the Zion Lodge.

There were climbers on the mountain.

Fortunately we were stopped waiting because of the roadwork and Colin got these climbing shots.  We were perfectly parked and he was able to just get the lens out the 2 inch window opening.  It almost looks like this guy is barefoot.

From there we set off to do the 1.2 mile Lower Emerald Pool Trail with a 69 foot elevation.

First we had to cross the Virgin River, by bridge of course.

Right at the end of that trail a recent huge rock slide had occurred and the Upper Emerald Pool and the Kayenta Trials were closed.

Once back at the Lodge I changed my shoes as my feet were screaming by then and adjusted the straps of the now very heavy backpack.  It was at this point that I remembered Suzanne mentioning that they served a very nice soft ice cream here.  We each got a huge serving for $4.25 each which certainly filled me up.  Much later I would recall that I had not eaten since dinner the night prior.  My intention had been to eat a Clif Bar at my 2PM eating time ( intermittent fasting ), instead I had ice cream.  It was so good but by the time I ate every last bite my tongue was frozen 😀

Next stop was #4, thanks to mi amiga Suzanne for suggesting it.  Great photo op.

The Court of the Patriarchs.  Named for three towering figures of the Old Testament, these sandstone cliffs hold court over Birch Creek Canyon and this section of the Virgin River. From the left, Abraham Peak @ 6890 feet, Isaac Peak @ 6825 feet and Jacob Peak @ 6831 feet.

We had asked the ranger about this stop and he offered that we should cross the road and go through the ‘Authorized Personal Only ‘ sign and check out the bridge over the Virgin River.

A beautiful area that we got to see thanks to his suggestion.

This is where we had a very long wait for the shuttle and then two came at the same time.

Zion is beautiful however Colin wants me to add that he felt it was like being in Disneyland or Jurassic Park.

 

Back to the Visitor Center and to the car.

 

To be continued.

 

 

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Oct 29, 2018

We are in Las Vegas

In real time we left our very lovely and quiet spot at the Kaibab Paiute Tribe RV Park, yesterday, Sunday October 28th.  We still have one more adventure to share with you, so be sure to check back for that.

There was not a night  there that we did not have an interesting sunset.

A final adios from this peaceful spot.

We were driving by 8:10 and there was so much scenery to see along the way.

Once again this was all new territory for us.  We crossed into Utah at 8:35AM Arizona time ( it was 9:35 Utah time ).

I saw this very unique home but was unable to get a second shot as we were going by so swiftly.  We saw a sign that said it was an award winning home but I could find nothing on the internet about it.  Very funky design.

As we approached Hurricane we could see Zion to the right in the distance.

The scenery kept changing every so many miles.

This was something new.  We can’t remember doing an 8% descent before this.  We were in 3rd gear going down a 7% grade and then Colin had to go into 2nd gear for this last bit.  There was a stop sign at the end of the hill.  We have 137,000 miles on our RV and our brakes still have 60 -65% use left on them.  Colin avoids using the brakes by engaging the engine brake as much as possible.

Back into Arizona by 9:30AM.

Quite the change of states this morning.  We crossed into Nevada at 10:00AM.  Why do they put signs in in front of signs?

We had planned to have the RV washed at a truck wash but never expected the line up.  This was 1/3 the cost of having someone come and wash the RV at our next RV site.  You are not allowed to wash your RV here in the park unless you hire one of the approved businesses.  We ended up waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes for our turn.  The time wasn’t wasted as I did some mending and diary updating and Colin did this and that.  We were 12th in line.  However when our turn came it seemed that we were only in the bay getting scrubbed and rinsed for about 10 minutes.  However there were about eight guys working on the RV at the some time.

At one point while Colin was outside supervising the wash I was told to move the RV forward.  I had no idea that Colin had come back in as I was ever so slowly moving forward.  I do not drive the RV but I can move it forward in a a straight line.  It wasn’t until we got to the RV Park that we noticed some minor damage according to Colin.  One thing really upset me but I will document that another day.

The obligatory Vegas photo from the freeway.  By the way, I was finally warm, well actually hot at 87F.  That is not a complaint:)

As we have for the last several years, we are staying at the Las Vegas RV Resort in what we think is a very bad site. Our patio is right on the road.  We were not able to move as the park is fully booked.

All in all it was a good day.

We drove 190.7 miles yesterday.

As I  mentioned at the beginning of this post we still have one more adventure to share with you that we experienced before we left the Indian Reservation.  We should have those posts ready soon.

 

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Oct 28, 2018

Bryce Canyon National Park ~ Part 2

Fortunately we were able to visit each viewpoint which is why we have so many photos.  We had hoped to do the Mossy Cave Trail at the end of the day on our way back to the RV but it was past sunset and it would likely have been dark before we completed the one mile trail.  Next time 😀   As it was, we were gone just over twelve hours last Tuesday.

The day continued at this viewpoint.

The Natural Bridge.

We were fortunate to get here before a bus full of tourists. There are very few parking lots for these large buses and this was one of them.

This was the view from Farview Point.  From here we walked over to Piracy Point.   By the end of the day I would have walked over 13K steps which added up to 5.5 miles.  So despite driving from view to view there was walking involved.

We had skipped past the Paria viewpoint for no reason but retraced our route to take it in.  Thank goodness as it was one of our favorites.

Doesn’t this look alike an Egyptian Sphinx?   See it in the top left of the photo just above.

He is overlooking his kingdom.

The sphinx is just above my head.

Fairyland, our last viewpoint of the day.

Another of our favorite overlooks.

In no particular order, other Bryce Canyon photos, taken from the four hundred plus photos that Colin took that day.

As you can see Bryce Canyon was one of our favorites.

Hmm, saw this sign while stopped for construction.

Colin had seen some large crystals at this Rock Shop on the way to Bryce and they were just closing  as we passed by.  They graciously stayed open for us and we bought a medium size piece of Emerald Calcite crystal.  It comes from a quarry on the Arizona/Mexican border and comes out of the ground already shiny.

So ends another adventure.

I was beyond tired which was why I never did a blog post last Tuesday.  Basically we came home, ate and I went straight to bed.

 

 

 

 

 

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Oct 27, 2018

Bryce Canyon National Park ~ Part 1

We were up at 6AM ( in reality 6:15 ), getting ready to leave, filling water bottles and packing food and clothes for changes in climate.  I am so very very tired of wearing the same black fleece pants and black and white stripped top for the last two weeks.  Blast this horrid weather.  I am beyond ready to get warmed up.  We were out the door five minutes late at 7:05AM.  Sounds like a good time but the RV is in Arizona and Bryce is in Utah so already it was 8:05AM 😯   Good thing that we had filled the Jeep’s tank at the end of our last adventure.  The Indian band that runs the RV park also has a gas station and we only have to pay $3.09 per gallon as opposed to $3.39 to $3.59 which the stations in Fredonia or Kanab are charging.

Always something especially scenic to see anywhere in this area.  Bryce is 110 miles from the RV park, so a two hour drive.

Today was the day based on weather to visit Bryce.  There had been a mention of fog on Accu Weather for 7AM but we were approaching 9AM when this rolled in.  Gulp. One forecast said partly sunny while another said mostly sunny.  Which would it be?

Just as we turn off of Hwy 89 onto Hwy 12 we enter the Red Canyon area!

Wow!  The colors remind us of when we were in Jaipur, India also known as the “Pink City”.

Tunnel on Hwy 12 in the Red Canyon.  The light was poor when I took this.

Eventually we reached the Park gate where much to my chagrin I discovered that the $35.00 weekly fee was only good for Bryce and no other National Park.  Seems we somehow did not get the memo that we should have purchased the annual $80.00 pass which is good for all National Parks for one year.  We would have saved $25.00.  I am looking at it as a donation to the National Parks.

The shuttle system was shut down for the winter so we were on our own driving from scenic point to scenic point which we quite liked as that way we had whatever we needed with us in the car such as water, snacks and a place to leave the various layers of clothing as the temperature rose.  It was supposed to be a day of half cloud and sun but by mid morning we were treated to mostly blue sky and temps around 69F.  Another perfect day.

After a stop at the visitor center we drove to the Bryce Canyon Lodge where we could walk either towards Sunset or Sunrise Points.  The light was perfect for photos taken from Sunset Point.

We started with the view points surrounding the Amphitheater.

Colin went down the Navajo Loop Trail a bit to get some interesting photos.  It was too steep for me with a 550 foot elevation change.  Colin is the first dot on the left in the group of four.

Zoomed right in.  I wish that I could have joined him.  Next time I will have hiking poles.

This was the only viewpoint where we were surrounded by a busload of tourists.  I suspect that this might have been one of the few viewpoints they saw before being whisked to Zion for the afternoon.  Photo taken by Colin from the trail.

Also from the Navajo Trail.

He wasn’t down there too long but enough to get some great panoramic shots.

Taken from Bryce Point.

From here we drove to Rainbow Point which is the highest viewpoint in the park at 9115 feet.  The parking lot is also for Yovimpa Point which was closed due to fire.  We had planned to do Bristlecone Loop but it was also closed.

As we drove up along the ridge we saw signs of fire which had happened just this past September.

I was still chilly up that high.

I was warming up by the time we got to Black Birch Canyon.

Each viewpoint had a great but different vista.

I did eventually take off those socks.

Again I could just stand there and look out for hours and hours.

This guy was posing hoping for a handout.

Just a few miscellaneous photos taken throughout Bryce Canyon.

To be continued 😆

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oct 26, 2018

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Last Tuesday, October 23rd we were rested enough for the next adventure.  These sand dunes are only 40 miles from here.

Not far to drive with some very beautiful scenery along the way.  That red sign you see is for the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary which one of my readers suggested we visit.  I was already aware of this wonderful place but neither of us are ready to be in an environment like that.  We still miss our girls too much.

These rocks are very weathered.  Photos not too sharp as we were driving.

The visit to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes was a disappointment.  First off you have to pay $8.00 to get into the State Park where the dunes are located and there is only one small observation area.  Half of my reason for wanting to go there was to see the South Fork Indian Canyon Pictographs as well as the Hell Dive Pictographs and the nearby dinosaur tracks.  Nowhere in any of the literature I picked up about this State Park said that you need an ATV or off road vehicle to reach the trail head to these sites which is 4 miles away through the dunes:-x

However we did get to see the lovely color of the sand.

Scenes in these movies were filmed here.

These folks were both riding over the sand and sledding in it.

How are sand Dunes formed?

We were not interested in either walking through the sand nor climbing the dunes.

But we did play in the sand.  Hard to see but in the upper right hand corner you can barely see the sand I threw up in the air.  Sadly the sand was heavy and wet, just a fraction of a millimeter on top was dry.  It was also cold so I was not interested in walking thru the sand barefoot.

Some wildflowers still blooming.

The sand was extremely fine.  It had rained Sunday and Monday and I guess that is why the sand is so wet and heavy.

More gorgeous  rocks on the way back.

Doesn’t this look like someone spilled some paint?

A colorful mural at the Visitor Center in Kanab.

A new sign to us.

Back to the RV with our glorious vistas.

They never get old. I could watch the changing colors all day.  However this was the day that Hurricane Willa touched down in Mexico.  As I mentioned in the previous post, I was mostly on the computer until I went to bed Tuesday night worrying about what was going to happen.

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