Uncategorized – Page 4 – Staying Salty On The Road

Zion, the heavenly city? Perhaps so.

When i googled “the meaning of Zion”, the answer I got was “the heavenly city”. I cannot disagree. The park is not large yet they have figured out a system for everyone to enjoy it’s wondrous beauty, including the mountain goats! For those less active folks there is the paved Riverwalk and Pa’rus trails, not to mention the east entrance drive and the shuttle going through the main canyon. For the moderately active there are a number of lovely hiking trails that get you right into the glory of the canyon. For the adventurer, and adventurer wannabes, there is Angels Landing, the Narrows, and the Subway. For the mountaineers there are plenty of repelling and climbing sites. The one common denominator of all these is the breathtaking beauty of the park.

We are glad to have had the opportunity to stay inside the park in the Watchman Campground for 6 nights. It gave us s chance to explore the park at our leisure and still enjoy restful afternoons and evenings at our campsite.

We celebrated our last night here with a lovely and delicious dinner at The Spotted Dog Cafe, amidst a view that will never grow old. On to Goblin State Park, Utah for a quick overnight stay.

If Not Now, When, Right?

What a day! Yesterday we donned our rented waterproof gear, hopped on the ZionNP shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava, and began our trek into the Narrows. The Narrows is the portion of Zion Canyon where the massive canyon walls are very close together, forcing the Virgin River to run swiftly through its passage way.

We hiked 3 miles in to the area known as “Wall Street”. I should mention that a mile of the hike was on what is known as the “Riverside Walk”. The hike is about 50% through the water and 50% on the rocky banks of the river. The hike out was stunning with the canyon walls looming overhead and an occasional patch of sunlight illuminating the river. It was tough fighting the current as we (carefully) forded our way up river. I did not realize how tough it had been until we began the 3 mile hike back. My legs were weary, more so than after any other hike we’ve done on this trip. I was acutely aware that this kind of fatigue is normally when accidents happen. We were extremely cautious. I always made sure my pole was planted before I took a step.

We are now back at our 5th wheel, in the beautiful Watchman Campground, and feeling pretty darn proud of ourselves. Our legs are sore but are 60 something spirits are bolstered!

I’m so glad we answered the call of “If not now, when?”. Right now my legs are telling me “probably never again”!😉

You Just Can’t Capture the Majesty.

Yesterday we hiked to Watchman Trail on the East side of the Canyon. Today we hiked the Upper and Middle Emerald Pool Trails on the opposite side of the canyon. Around every bend was another breathtaking view. I just couldn’t capture to size and the grandeur of the rocky peaks that make up this canyon. You have to come experience for yourselves!

Tomorrow we attempt to hike the Narrows. It is hike through the Virgin River in the more narrow part of the canyon. We are off to rent waterproof boots and bibs! Stay tuned!

Zion National Park, a Rainy & Windy Night, and an Oil Change!

We arrived in Zion yesterday after a challenging 3 hour drive. The wind was really gusting and blowing our 5th wheel around as we drove down I-15. It was the first time we had experienced that.

We have a perfect site within the park at Watchman Campground. The view out our dinette window is incredible. I was excited to find good cell phone service and discover that a little “retail village” is within a half mike walk from the camper! We’ve been 8 weeks on the road and on only 2 of those days have we had TV. I have to admit that it is a nice break to have a little civilization nearby😉.

We had our oil changed in our tow vehicle changed right before we left for our trip, but we’ve been over 7,000 miles so it is time for another! Ed is off to St George, Utah to take care of that. Luckily, it is an overcast morning, so we would have likely waited until the afternoon to take a hike anyways. I am having a cup of tea, looking out at my view, and relishing some alone time: the first I’ve had in 8 weeks!

Ice and Rain, Nature’s Sculptor

Today we began the hike of the Queen’s Garden/Navaho Loop in Bryce NP at around 8:00 AM. We were the only car going through the park entrance gate and were able to park at the Sunset parking lot without issue. It was a brisk 33* when we started but,thankfully,there was barely a breeze. We have friends who were here 2 weeks ago who had to wait 30 mins at 8:00 in the AM in oder to reach the entry gate to the park. It seems the last week of October is a good time to visit, with chilly nights, cool days, and far less crowds. I can barely imagine hiking this route in the mid summer heat with throngs of others eager to experience the beauty.

Hiking amongst the majestic hoodoos was incredible. There was a different stunning view as you turned each switchback. And, there were plenty of those! As you descend down to the base of the Bryce Amphitheater, you really become aware of the fact that you are going to have to hike back up! While 700 feet over the course of a mile might not be a lot for seasoned hikers, it was quite enough for this mid 60 year old couple of flatlanders! It was worth every step!

We are back at the RV now. Ed is napping (surprise!) and I am doing 2 loads of laundry. We’ve been on the road for 8 weeks now, experiencing this beautiful country of ours. It has been terrific! Tomorrow we are off to Zion NP.

Trekking Poles, Don’t head west without them!

These trekking poles have been indispensable as we have hiked around the Southwest. The land is dry and the trails can be a bit gravely. The poles have kept me from face planting a few times! They also provide an extra boost when scrambling up slick rock areas.

Utah State Parks: Kodachrome and The Escalante Petrified Forest

Today was one of the first days in a long time that we did not wake up to vivid blue skies. We really want to hike down into the Bryce Amphitheater on a day filled with sunshine so we decided to drive out the Scenic Highway 12 route.

The first stop was the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. We hiked to the top of the bluff and took the Rainbow Loop around the perimeter. The petrified wood was scattered all around. It was beautiful in a very earthy way. We actually liked the park better than The Petrified Forest National Park.

We then proceeded on to Kodachrome State Park. It was another area whose landscape was otherworldly. It actually felt like we were on a beach of red sand and someone had built drip castle walls all around us.

All and all it was a great day with two very interesting hikes. We are really hoping tomorrow is a bluebird sky day as we venture down into the hodos of Bryce.

Brcye Canyon in All Her Glory!

Yesterday, October 22, we arrived in Bryce Canyon. After we got our RV set up at the KOA in Cannonville, we made a beeline for the park. We hiked the rim trail along the Bryce Amphitheater, a term used to describe the semicircular collection of hodos below the trail. We made it up to Inspiration Point where the view was spectacular. We used the last few minutes of sunlight to drive up to the Natural Bridge. So glad we did! The sky was colored by the setting sun and we had the bridge to ourselves. Breathtaking!

The Vermillion Cliffs and the Great Colorado River

On our last day in the Page region we explored the Colorado River. We did the obligatory visit to Horseshoe Bend. It was beautiful and easily accessible, as evident by the number of people there to view it.

We decided to get off the beaten path and head to Lee’s Ferry. It was the only place to cross the Colorado River in the early days. It now is the area where river floats disembark and adventure rafters embark on their journey through the Grand Canyon. At this point it runs through the Vermillion Cliffs which stand majestic on their own.

We hiked the 2 mile Riverside hike. It was the first time I was on keen alert for rattle snakes! We saw none, thank goodness!

We leave Arizona today with a new appreciation for it’s diverse beauty.

Antelope Canyon by Water and Land

We’ve now experienced the Upper and the Lower Antelope Slot Canyons, and the Antelope Canyon leg of Lake Powell. All were amazing. I could have sworn Odysseus was going to appear around a bend in the canyon. For reference to future visitors, if you have to chose just one of the slots, I would chose the Lower Slot tour. It has more light streaming in from above.