October 7 - Aromas to Las Vegas
We left
Aromas a little before 8:00 am on Sunday, October 7. Driving south on Hwy 101
to Paso Robles, we stopped at a CalTrans rest area near Camp Roberts. It had
recently been remodeled and was nicely landscaped. Jacki gave it an A+. We
noticed other rest areas throughout the day and they were all very nicely
remodeled. Our tax dollars at work?
We
continued west, lunching at a salad bar restaurant in Bakersfield. On the way
there we saw many fields of grapes, some covered by plastic, ready for harvest
(raisins?). We stopped in Barstow for an ice cream, then continued on to Las
Vegas, a 500-mile day.
This was
Kurt's first time in Vegas, and Jacki's first time in many years, so it made
quite an impression on both of us. It's definitely a Disneyland for adults, and
reminded us quite a bit of the Times Square section of New York in the sheer
mass of neon lights and the crowds of tourists from all over the world.
We had
dinner at Boca de Beppo in the Excaliber resort, then walked up the strip all
the way to the Belagio, where we saw the fountain show. It was quite
spectacular and drew a large crowd. On the way back Kurt dropped five dollars
into a slot machine and won a $5,000 jackpot! Not really.
By 9:30
we'd had enough of the bright lights and big city, and headed north where we
found a small hotel to spend the night.
October 8 - Las Vegas to Zion
Drove to Zion National Park and checked into the Red Rock Inn B & B in
Springdale, UT. Jonathan, the proprietor, was very friendly and full of
information. He suggested the Watchman trail for us to hike in the remaining part of the
day.
We bought a Golden Eagle National Park Pass at park entry
station after walking from the Inn, which took about 15 minutes. Then we hiked
the Watchman Trail, which went up to a jutting plateau overlooking the lower
part of the valley. From there we saw a beautiful sunset. After a delicious
Mexican dinner at Oscar's, we got to bed around 10.
October 9 - Zion and Angel's
Landing
We had a delicious breakfast (eggs, cappucino muffins,
fruit, etc.) on our porch, made by Marcy, Jonathan's wife. The day started out
windy, which is typical, or so we were told.
There are two shuttle buses; one for the town of Springdale,
another for points inside the park. We walked most of the way to the park, then
caught the town shuttle to the park entrance. From there, we took the park
shuttle to the Grotto stop.
From there, we started up the trail to Angel's Landing.
This is a 2.7 mile trail (one way) up 1400 feet. It is a series of switchbacks
up a mesa, followed by a short respite of somewhat flat trail between two
mesas, then up, up and up another mesa. The second set of switchbacks reminded
us of Lombard Street in San Francisco, except with quite a few more turns. The
switchbacks are progressively higher all the way up, with views down into the
canyon getting more and more precipitive. At the top of this section there is a
very narrow part where hikers must hold on to a chain to avoid slipping down
into the canyon. Just beyond this point, there is a resting place, followed by
a yet more harrowing climb of half a mile in which hikers go up a series of
steps on a ridge, most of which has chain to hold onto to avoid sliding down
into the canyon. It is a very strenuous hike, but has a beautiful view at the
top.
After resting back at the shuttle stop and having something
to eat, we took shuttle to end of line, then back a couple of stops for a short
walk to Weeping rock, a section of the sandstone cliff that has water dripping
out, and ferns and other plants growing. Then we took the shuttle back to Zion
Lodge, and hiked a mile or so to the Emerald Pools (2 of 3). We caught the
shuttle back to the B & B, took showers, and had dinner at Oscar's before
turning in.
October 10 - Zion and The
Narrows
After another delicious breakfast (pumpkin pancakes with
caramel syrup, etc.), we drove to Zion Adventure Outfitters and rented
equipment for the Narrows river hike. We took our time in the morning, then
rode the shuttles up the valley to the end of the line, hiked a mile to the
starting point, then put on our gear. This consisted of wet-suit-type booties,
hard rubber boots, and dry pants, all of which we were very grateful for later.
The hike follows the Virgin River up the valley, which gets
narrower and narrower as you go. At one point, called Wall Street, there is no
dry part at all, and hikers are in the water continuously for awhile. The water
was mostly about knee deep, but got a little deeper in some places. It was
great to be dry and comfortable while doing this; most people did not have the
boots or the dry pants, and the water was quite cold - 55 degrees.
The entire hike took us more than 4 hours, and we would
have taken longer, but it was getting late. It was truly an amazing hiking
experience, as was the Angel's Landing hike the day before. Zion is a most
beautiful and dramatic place.
We had dinner that evening at Pizza & Pasta, which was
very busy, with good food.
October 11 - Zion to Escalante
One more great breakfast - spinach frittata, raspberry
muffins, fruit, yogurt, and juice/coffee. We left Zion a little after 9:00,
after washing the windows of the car, which was covered with a sticky substance
that turned out to be aphid droppings from parking under a walnut tree for
three days.
We drove along a beautiful scenic highway to Bryce Canyon
where, unfortunately, it was raining. On the way, we got text messages from
Kelly, keeping us informed about the final divisional baseball game between the
Giants and the Reds. It was very exciting, especially since our cell phone
reception was very spotty. We lost the signal completely toward the end of the
game, when we pulled into the Escalante Visitor Center and a kind ranger who
had Internet service gave us the play-by-play of the bottom of the ninth
inning. The Giants won!
Backtrack a little, to Bryce Canyon. We spent some time in
the Visitor's Center there, hoping to find that the rain would let up so we
could do a hike. We drove to a couple of the viewpoints, but the rain continued
and we decided not to try to hike in the wet weather. The views were
spectacular, and we were itching to get out on a trail.
We finally gave up and continued on to the Shooting Star
Resort where we were to stay a couple of nights. The resort is made up of
Airstream trailers, all themed to Hollywood stars of old. Our trailer was
outfitted like Cary Grant's trailer on the set of North by Northwest, complete
with pictures and a signed script of the movie. This was Kurt's first
experience staying in a trailer.
In the evening, we walked the short distance to the
drive-in movie area, where the owner of the resort has seven vintage cars
parked, ready to watch cartoons and a movie on the big screen. We chose a
Rambler from which to watch. The car was in excellent condition, with new
upholstery, carpet, and complete with sound and a heater. At intermission, we
walked to the snack shack, another Airstream trailer full of candy, drinks,
popcorn and more memorabilia. The movie was Sahara, with Humphrey Bogart,
filmed during WWII. After the movie we
got to bed in our trailer.
October 12 - Escalante
During the night it rained a lot, and we have been holed up
in the trailer this morning. The sun has come up, and we can see snow on the
surrounding mesas.
Drove back toward Bryce to see the snow on the surrounding
mesas. Then drove to Escalante for lunch, and on towards a hike about 20 miles
away. The rain continued and we saw the rare sight of water pouring down the
sandstone rocks and flowing into creeks and rivers. We pulled off the road
often to see the beautiful scenery, and finally ended up at Mile 75 of Hwy 12
for the Calf Creek Canyon hike. The rain had stopped and we enjoyed a truly
lovely hike with cottonwood trees turning yellow next to red sandstone rock
formations. There were Indian petroglyphs and granaries in the cliffs. We
didn't have time to get all the way to the waterfall, but hope to do it again
someday.
We drove back to Escalante and had a delicious pizza dinner
at the Outdoor outfitters store. Then back to the Shooting Star for Viva Las
Vegas on the drive-in screen, while sitting in a Cadillac. Back to Cary's Cabin
for the night.
October 13 - Escalante to
Montrose
We awoke to a beautiful day and got an early start. Drove
to Kiva Koffeehouse outside of Escalante where we had breakfast outside looking
at the gorgeous canyon ahead and watching marathon runners passing by. It was
the "first annual" marathon from Boulder, UT, to Escalante. We
counted only about 20 runners the whole morning.
We drove over Boulder Pass, a 10,000 foot mountain pass
that had snow on it from the storm the day before. It was beautiful and had
some aspen still in color which Kurt photographed.
Continuing on our way toward Montrose, we stopped often to
see the sights along the way. These included Capital Reef National Monument,
little towns like Hanksville that had a store into the wall of a cliff, and
very different types of landscapes, some looking like the moon.
We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Green River in
the town of Green River, and spent an hour or so in the John Wesley Powell
museum before continuing on our way. We arrived in Montrose just before 7:00 pm
where a delicious dinner of Viva la Chicken awaited us.
October 14 - Montrose
Had brunch with Uncle Chuck, Pat, Mom and Tom. Toured Chuck
and Pat's beautiful new home (granite counter tops from Brazil, no less).
Walked along the River Trail line with golden Cottonwoods in Montrose with Joy
and Tom.
October 15 - Montrose and
Ouray
Waking up each morning at Tom and Joy's home in Montrose
had its own alarm and charm. Before sunrise, through the slightly open upstairs
bedroom window, we awoke to the calls of dozens of Canadian Geese as they
circled and landed on a neighbor's pond.
Barely awake, Jacki and I could look out the window and see lines of the
silhouetted geese on final approach before the dawn.
After breakfast this morning, Jacki and I rode with Tom for
a hike near Ouray. Following the Uncompahgre River out of Montrose, past
Ridgway to Ouray, we once again feasted at the sight of the cottonwoods aflame
with golden yellow leaves against the clearest of blue Colorado skies. Tom
found his way to the trailhead for Horsethief Trail and we started the hike in
a chill that required jackets and care not to slip on the icy path covered with
aspen leaves and, in a few spots, snow. In an hour and a half, we climbed 1,800
feet to 10,600 and a breathtaking panorama of the Rocky Mountains that
surrounded Ouray and a view of the village far, far below our perch on a rocky
outcropping. The hike down was much faster and we finished off the outing back
in Montrose and lunch with Joy. The afternoon sun warmed the porch swing where
Jacki conversed with her mother and Kurt took his first nap (outside the car)
of the vacation.
Dinner was spent with Jacki's cousin Troy and his wife
Debbie eating delicious ribs barbecued by Troy and other fine dishes prepared
by Joy. In the background we watched the Giants beat the Cardinals in Game 2 of
the playoffs and the Denver Broncos make an amazing comeback against the
Chargers. Home-cooked food and interesting conversation made for a memorable
evening to add to our vacation experience.
October 16 - Montrose to
Chinle
After saying our goodbyes to Joy and Tom, we drove to Ouray
and stopped at Mouse's Candy Shop for a hot chocolate and mocha. While sitting
at a table outside in the warm morning sun, we could easily see the rock
formation high above Ouray that we had hiked to the day before. We then drove
over Red Mountain Pass (11,000 ft), stopping to look at abandoned mining
outposts and the incomparable Rockies lightly covered in their first snow.
Almost as an afterthought, Jacki and I decided to take a slight detour as we
passed Silverton and quickly were taken in by the Victorian charm of this
vibrant county seat and old mining town. While Jacki shopped for silver
jewelry, Kurt ran to meet the Durango and Silverton steam train as it whistled
while pulling into town with hundreds of disembarking tourists. We ate lunch at
Grumpy's Restaurant and Saloon which was like traveling back in time to the
1880s with live ragtime piano music.
After lunch we passed through Purgatory to Durango, often
seeing the pickups of hunters parked by the side of Highway 550 and the golden
blaze of aspen and cottonwood trees that never become commonplace to our
amazement. Jacki and I drove through Durango and gradually entered the barren
remoteness of Navajo Lands through places like Mancos and Cortez, CO. We
stopped in Cortez to buy apples, pears and jam from a young Navajo woman
selling locally grown fruit from her pick-up. The next hours had long stretches
of desert-like beauty to make us wonder how anyone could make a living in
places like Teec Nos Pos, Mexican Water, Rock Point, Round Rock, Many Farms,
and finally, Chinle—next to Canyon de Chelly.
School buses were still running their routes after 6pm, horses were grazing
loose next to the road, and hitchhiking figures seemed to be the only life in
the remoteness of Northern Arizona. After checking into the Thunderbird Lodge at
Chinle at 6:30pm, we ate Navajo tacos at the Thunderbird Cafeteria and wondered
how and if they would settle in our stomachs during the quiet hours ahead. With
no WiFi and the weakest of cell signals, Jacki finally had a chance to lay down
and read her vacation book, Death Comes
to the Archbishop.
October 17 - Canyon de Chelly
We started out our day with breakfast at the Thunderbird
Cafeteria and then drove to the White House Overlook on the North Rim of Canyon
de Chelly. There we took the only hiking trail in the park, The White House
Trail (2.5 miles round trip), to the bottom of the canyon and the foot of the
White House Ruin. Jacki commented that the trail was one of the best
constructed trails she had hiked, and I would have to agree. As it wound its
way to the canyon floor, the trail passed through two tunnels and across steps
in formations that appeared to be sand dunes blown by ageless winds and turned
to stone. After returning to Jacki's car, we toured other South Rim overlooks,
high above the canyon floor where black crows could be seen gliding past
cliffs, casting shadows to make two black birds against red sandstone.
After a quick snack back in our motel room, we walked to
the Park Visitor's Center to wait for Leon Skyhorse Thomas, our scheduled guide
for a tour of the canyon. After an hour and a half wait and numerous Navajo
communication snafus, we and three other Californians hopped in a huge GMC
Suburban ("canyon limousine") driven instead by Navajo Francine Bia
for a four hour tour of the Canyon. Francine stopped at many ancient ruins,
petroglyphs and pictographs while explaining the history of the area as well as
her experience of modern Navajo life. It was a bumpy, dusty ride along the dry
river bottom and we strained our necks to see the tops of the cliffs high
above. Our stop at the Antelope House Ruin featured local Navajo artisans
selling their crafts from tables set up in the shade. A flute maker practiced
with his instruments and sweet music echoed off the canyon walls. The tour ended
in the setting sun, and as we exited the canyon we passed three youngsters
riding their horses into the canyon with trails of dust behind.
To end the day, we took Francine's advice and ate at the
Best Western Motel Junction Restaurant in Chinle where we did our best to
sample local cuisine. This included lamb and beef stew with Navajo fry bread
and Navajo tortillas. We then toured a Diné (Navajo) grocery store where
practically the only difference we found from our grocery stores back home were
bags of blue corn flower and packages of lard the size of ice chests.
October 18 - Canyon de Chelly
to Marble Canyon, AZ
What a day! When we awoke we did not have a definite plan
for the day other than we needed to start heading west. To start, we got up
early and drove out to the last viewpoint at Canyon de Chelly to see the Spider
Rock, a tall pinnacle (actually two) about 10 miles up the canyon. We arrived
at just about sunrise, watching the sun as it rose above the canyon walls,
bathing the valley in a warm light. There were some ruins visible from the
viewing area, which we had to ourselves the entire time we were there.
Canyon de Chelly is a very quiet place, and we began to
hear drumming from the vicinity of the canyon floor next to Spider Rock. Soon
pairs of people, the size of ants from our vantage point, emerged from under
the trees by the rock, dispersing throughout the valley, some of them crossing
a stream, the drumming continuing. We could only guess at what was going on;
perhaps a ceremony to begin the day. We noticed small tents of various colors
in the area around the Rock, but did not see people going in or out of them.
After returning to the Lodge for a cafeteria breakfast of
blue cornmeal pancakes, we packed up and left. Kurt bought a cup of mocha at
the Spider Woman coffee stand nearby. It was made by a young man who seemed to
be making his first cup of coffee, and Kurt said it tasted like it.
We decided to head toward Page, Arizona, via the shortest
route so that we might get in a hike in the afternoon. Our alternative would
have been to take a highway through Hopi country, but we decided we did not
have time to do it justice and would have to see that area another time.
We passed through lots of interesting territory, and ended
up near Page. On the way, Kurt noticed a billboard for Antelope Canyon tours.
We looked it up in our guidebook and it sounded interesting, though we had
never heard of it. We boarded a jeep-like troop carrier vehicle, along with two
other couples, one from Vermont and one from France, who spoke very little
English. Our guide was a Navajo man named Brian, who turned out to be a very
talkative man when we got to the canyon, which came after a very speedy and
bumpy 3-mile trip through a wide, sandy wash.
We were amazed by what we saw in the slot canyon. The
beautiful sandstone canyon has been carved out by a river. It is dry most of
the time, but becomes treacherous and even deadly when the rains come. The
walls were from about 10 feet wide down to 3 or 4 feet at its narrowest. They
rose to a height of about 150 feet, with sunlight peaking in here and there
throughout the 400? foot length of the canyon. The patterns and colors of the
sandstone were very beautiful, and Kurt got some great photos.
After the tour we drove from Page to Marble Canyon, through
yet more beautiful country. Just before pulling into the tiny town (really just
a lodge/restaurant/gift shop), we drove over the Colorado River on the Navajo
Bridge. There is an older bridge right next to this one which is now a
pedestrian bridge. We stopped to walk over it and see the river far below. As
we approached the end, Kurt noticed what he thought was a black backpack
someone had lost on a ledge about 20 feet down the edge of the canyon. There
were other people looking at it, and it turned out to be a California Condor!
All told, we saw five condors, four under the bridge bed on
the steel structure as well as the one on the ledge. We saw one fly off and
then return, and the others moving about, apparently getting comfortable for
the night. Jacki watched one pair engaged in some kind of mating behavior. With
our binoculars we were able to see the birds very closely. What luck to happen
upon such magnificent creatures twice on our trip!
We had a nice dinner at the lodge restaurant. Shortly after
we ordered a group of about 15 people sat down at a long table next to us. One
man got up and started going over what was to come for these people who were to
embark the next morning on a 23-day rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. To us
it seemed like the start of a reality TV show as the people met each other,
sizing one another up for the adventure to come.
After dinner and some souvenir shopping, we headed to our
room for the night. All in all it was a very magical day with many
unforgettable surprises.
October 19 - Marble Canyon to
Las Vegas
We started out this morning by driving back to the Navajo
Bridges shortly after sunrise to see if the California Condors had taken
flight. Jacki and I found at least three still roosting on the bridge then
returned back to the Marble Canyon Lodge for a hearty breakfast served by Joe.
After packing up, we drove a short distance to Lees Ferry to look for a hike. A
number of rafting groups were making their preparations and briefings before
shoving off for their journeys down the Colorado River. Meanwhile, Jacki and I
took the River Walk at Lees Ferry then drove a short distance downriver to skip
rocks, watch fly fishermen in the Colorado, and photograph two boat groups
floating by while navigating the small rapids where the Paria River joins the
Colorado.
Jacki drove for many, many miles along the beautifully
colored Vermilion Cliffs on Highway 89A and up to the Kaibab Plateau. We
stopped for lunch under the fragrant Ponderosa Pines at Jacob Lake then wrapped
up our souvenir shopping at the Jacob Lake Lodge in the Kaibab National Forest
(not all that far from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon). Heading back to Zion
National Park, we passed through the "twin cities" of Fredonia, Arizona
and Kanab, Utah then entered the park we had so enjoyed the week before. Soon
after driving into Zion, we stopped to photograph some oak trees in brilliant
red fall foliage and were alerted to a group of about eight Desert Bighorn
Sheep (DBS) grazing nearby. It was a magnificent sight, especially a large ram
with two extraordinary horns framing his head. Jacki and I then hiked the
Canyon Overlook Trail in the setting sun that afforded us great views of the
valley below. While hiking back to Jacki's car, we saw another pack of about
five DBS that allowed a pack of hikers to approach and photograph them. After
passing through the long Mount Carmel Tunnel (three times, no less) we stopped
for Kurt to take a photo from a popular spot on a bridge that overlooked the Virgin
River and The Watchman formation in the last rays of the sun. Dinner was at
Oscars in Springdale before driving to Las Vegas in the dark listening to the
KNBR broadcast of the last innings of the Giants vs. Cardinals playoff game
(the Giants won!)
October 20 - Las Vegas to Paso
Robles
We woke in northern Las Vegas, had breakfast in the motel
then drove to The Strip to see the Treasure Island and Venetian casinos.
Leaving Las Vegas, Jacki and I drove nonstop to Barstow where we had lunch at
Mega Tom's Burgers. We got out of that dump as fast as we could, using the old
Route 66 through town then on through smoggy Bakersfield to near Wasco where we
stopped for gas and Kurt's bloody nose. Back in Jacki's faithful Toyota, we
drove west through Lost Hills until we stopped before going nuts at Blackwell's
Corner, which bills itself as the last place that James Dean stopped before his
death in 1955 further out on Highway 46. We passed that location and continued
in the setting sun to Paso Robles where Jacki found a nice, inexpensive hotel to
stay the night. After unloading our suitcases for the next to last time, we
walked through the surprisingly vibrant Paso downtown where there were many
fine restaurants filled with diners enjoying the beautiful evening. After
touring the district, we settled on the Basil Thai Restaurant just off the
plaza and enjoyed a first-rate meal that exceeded all our expectations. This
was a day of many miles in the car, from Joshua trees to Valley Oak trees and
we are now within striking distance of home. Just before midnight we were woken
from our sleep by a strong earthquake--a 5.3 centered near New Idrea, about 50
miles away. Welcome back to California!
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