16 June

A nice leisurely drive over some great country. At one stage we went up a pass at 9660 ft and then dropped into the Dixie National Forest where we found a great camp in the trees at 8500ft. We enjoyed a short walk to a waterfall. Pleasantly cool at this altitude and much easier to sleep.

17 June

At Capitol Reef National Park we found a good site with a spectular view of the red cliffs. The camp is at a place called Fruita where the Mormons originally settled. This whole area is really remote. It was not explored until 1853 and not settled by the Mormons until 1883. The camp is in the gardens and orchards of the original settlement. Very peaceful and very green. It’s a long time since we have seen grass!!

We rode our bikes to the visitors centre to suss out the area. After
lunch we climbed the Cohab Canyon. This was a steep zigzag climb into the Cohab Canyon and another zigzag climb to a great view of Fruita. We met and had drinks with a couple from Christchurch, Ron and Joy Willems. They are doing the same trip as us in their RV. He is a photographer.

18 June

We were going to walk the Chimney Trail today but the ranger told us of two better walks. In the morning we drove a short distance to the Cassidy Arch trail. Butch Cassidy is rumoured to have hidden out in this area. The trail was a climb up to a fantastic arch.

We took photos of each other but unfortunately there was no one to take us both on top of the arch. After lunch we cycled to the visitors centre again and then followed the Sulphur River up a narrow and windy canyon. We spent most of the trip in the river and at a waterfall we stripped off and had a swim. Val nearly got caught in her knickers and bra. After dark the rangers set up a big telescope and about 30 of us enjoyed looking at Saturn and its rings and moons, a dying star (can’t remember its name) a spectular star cluster and the moon. At the exact time predicted by the ranger the International Space Station went overhead. All very interesting.

19 June.

A spectacular drive out of the Capitol Reef National Park and thru some interesting moon-scape scenery to Goblin Valley. This is a state park where we are camped. There is a valley of rock formations which look like mushrooms, goblins and any other thing you can imagine. It was a short cycle from where we are camped. Unfortunately it has
been blowing hard all day and this is a very dusty camp. We will only stay one night here. There is a great area of slot canyons that we will explore tomorrow before heading on.


20 June

We woke early so drove back to the Goblin Valley lookout to have breakfast and view the “Goblins” again.

Another short drive down to Little Wild Horse Canyon. The ranger at Capitol Reef N.P. said we should not miss this hike! We followed the dry creek bed for a mile before entering the narrowest and best slot canyon yet. At stages we had to turn side on to wriggle between the walls. These slot canyons are formed by water so the patterns in the rock are beautifully smooth and swirly.

After about 3 miles we came to the end of the narrow canyon so we retraced our steps back out. Quite a different experience going the other way. We met only two other groups during this walk. We were back on the road and heading south by 10:00am. After about 40 miles we entered the Glen Canyon. This was a great drive thru red rocks and formations. We re-crossed the Colorado River and found our next camp at Natural Bridges National Monument. We cycled a 9 mile loop scenic road to see the 3 Natural Bridges. One is reputed to be the biggest in the world but not very spectacular from the road. At the last bridge we were able to follow a trail to go under the bridge and it was not until you looked up at the bridge that you could really appreciate the wonder of it. The cycle back to “Ernie” was harder as we had descended 600ft.

21 June

A real lazy day as we only have to drive 50 miles to our next camp at Devils Canyon. We are timing our run to Mesa Verde National Park so we arrive on Sunday (less people and assured of the camp site) thus the short trip. We relaxed and read in a lovely shady camp and enjoyed not doing anything for a change.

22 June

Another relatively short drive out of Utah and into Colorado. Crossing the border was like throwing a switch. The country suddenly changed from semi desert and red rocky canyons with no sign of humans to rich farming land with many small towns. We are in Cortez at an RV park for shopping, washing, power and a general clean up. We have spied a few good looking bars etc and will go out for a meal and atmos tonight. This area is called the “Four Corners” as the borders of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah all intersect at one point about 30 miles from here. Tomorrow we are off to Mesa Verde National Park.

7 June

We left Hurricane (a great RV park) and headed a short distance to the Zion National Park arriving at 10:00am. We were lucky to secure one of the last “first come first served” sites in the camp. As it happened it is a beauty at one end of the camp and a great view of the Canyon. Zion is like the Grand Canyon but the other way around. Instead of being on the rim (GC) we are in the floor of the Canyon with huge red peaks all around. We can sit at our camp site and marvel at these peaks as they change colour as the day passes. We walked back down to the visitors centre and got the low down on what to see and do. After lunch we caught the free shuttle the 7 miles to the

end of the Canyon. The shuttles run every few minutes and is a bus and trailer setup stopping about 8 times at various points where trails start. The short walk we had chosen was to the “Narrows”. The Virgin River flows thru the canyon. The trail followed this river on a paved track for about 1 mile before we waded up the river. There were with many others wading upstream and eventually

came to an area called the subway where the river had undercut the cliff. A great sight. Back at “Ernie” we watched the sun set on the peaks as a family of Elks wandered passed.

8 June

My Birthday! Val gave me a lovely card. Had intended to set off early and climb the famous trail to Angels Landing but as this trail is exposed and there was a strong wind we decided to change our plans and caught the shuttle to the start of the Hidden Canyon Trail. We climbed up the side of Zion Canyon on a zigzag track and followed the right-hand trail towards the Hidden

Canyon. The trail followed some ledges in the cliff with chain hand rails and huge drop-offs. Eventually we emerged into the canyon which got narrower and narrower. This is called a “slot canyon” and at some point was only about 3m wide but 1000s of feet high. Very spectular! Back down the trail and this time we took the left-hand trail and climbed up into Echo Canyon. This is another “slot canyon” and we squeezed thru a very narrow section before stopping for lunch and then returning to the trail head and the return trip in the shuttle to “Ernie”. It was very hot so we walked thru the camp to the Virgin River and joined many others having a cool down in the water.

9 June

We have decided to stay another night so had a relaxing morning around camp. After lunch we caught the shuttle to the Zion Lodge and walked an easy trail to the lower, middle, and upper Emerald Pools. The upper pool was the best but few bother to go to it! Another hot day so after a well deserved ice cream at the Lodge and the return trip on the shuttle we had another dip in the Virgin River. We will do the Angels Landing trail tomorrow.

10 June

Up with the birds and down to catch the 7:30am shuttle up to “The Grotto”, the start of the Angels Landing trail. At 8:00am we started the first part of the hike which was along the valley and then up an amazingly engineered zigzag track out

of Zion Canyon. We then followed a beautiful little canyon until a second zigzag climb to “Scouts Lookout”. Here many people turn back as the rest of the climb is along rock ledges and exposed ridges. Parts of the ridge were only 3ft wide with 1400ft drop offs either side. There were still many people climbing to the top some even crawling. It was a bit like climbing Mt Everest as there were long waits at various times for slow traffic. Why some people attempt it is a bit baffling. It all felt quite safe as there were chains and hand holds wherever needed. The top, where the Angels were supposedly to land, was about 20ft wide and 100ft long. We sat with many others enjoying the view in all directions of Zion Canyon. One Belgium guy asked me the All Blacks score. Fortunately Claire had texted it to us! We completed the round trip in 3 hours and were back at “Ernie” with our lunch which I had carried all the way. After a rest we still had some energy so we rode our bikes to the museum (4 miles) on the only bike track in the Park.

11 June

We decided not to exit Zion N.P. via the tunnel road as we would have required an escort so headed back the same way we had come and turned onto the I15. After a short distance we re-entered the National Park via Kolob Canyon and enjoyed a 5 mile walk up Taylor’s Creek to a fascinating double arch alcove. It was enormous and like most of these sights is virtually impossible to capture in a photo. After lunch we left Zion

N.P. for the last time and headed down the I15 to Cedar City for a small shop and to get some propane. We left the I15 and climbed into the mountains of Dixie National Forest. The road kept climbing and we reached 9,950ft our new altitude record. Our camp at Duck Creek was just down the other side and we enjoyed a cool evening and night. It has been pretty hot in Zion especially at night.



12 June

We are in the part of our trip where we cannot decide to go slower or quicker. It is very hard to judge how much time you need to see stuff you really do not know about. As we had decided to stay an extra night at Zion we thought we would catch up a day by driving straight to Bryce Canyon National Park today. After nearly missing out on camping site at Zion, we got on the road early and were at Bryce Canyon camp by 9:30am. No problems getting a camp site and we headed back to the visitors centre to plan our visit. The rangers are very good. You tell them how long your stay is and your fitness level and they come up with a programme for you. Bryce Canyon is more like the Grand Canyon in that you are on the “rim” of the canyon looking down but the rock formations are totally different with shear jagged small peaks in all shades of red and white. We caught yet another free shuttle to a view point and walked a great trail following the rim all the way back to “Ernie”. It was a great introduction and we could see a lot of the trail we will follow tomorrow.

13 June

We walked to “Sunset Point” for the start of a 7 mile hike along the Navajo, Peekaboo, and Queen’s Garden trails. The first part was a zigzag track down thru some slot canyons to the floor of the Bryce Canyon. The trail then meandered up and down and past many Hoodoos. This is the name given to the huge slender spikes of red rock that rise up. It was an amazing walk and we took many photos. Some of the hoodoos are white, some have holes or

windows thru them and some have unusual shapes and are named, like Queen Victoria. Half way thru our walk we stopped, in the shade, for lunch. It was not too hot however as there was a nice cooling breeze. On the way home we stopped at the store on the rim for an ice-cream. The red dust of the tracks is like talcum powder and a thorough foot/leg wash is required when we return. After a rest and a beer we hopped on the bikes and rode back to the rim to watch the sunset.

14 June

Our plan was to drive to the end of the canyon (14 miles) and then follow a trail that the ranger had suggested. Val unfortunately was not feeling the best (sore stomach) so we spent the morning relaxing (me) and Val hopping in and out of “Ernie”. After lunch we went for the drive and a short walk. Val still is feeling a bit delicate.

15 June

Val is feeling much better! We drove about 50 miles to a one horse town called Escalante where there is an RV park with good internet. We managed to Skype the kids and Lynne and Paul, publish this blog, and transfer some money. I took the opportunity to give “Ernie” a thorough clean inside and out. We have been on some dusty camp sites!

28 May

We left Flagstaff and followed a scenic route thru to the Grand Canyon (GC) where we parked at the visitor’s centre and followed the signs to the first view point of the GC. It is a bit like Katomba in the Blue

Mountains west of Sydney. You just suddenly come across the view. But boy what a view!! It is certainly well named, as the Big Canyon, the Huge Canyon or any other name would not do justice to this place. For the first time we were in tourist country with bus loads of Asians pushing and shoving for a view. We went into the visitors centre and sussed out the hiking and biking and then found our camping site in the National Park camp. We are booked here for three nights but have to shift each day to a new site. After lunch we set off on the bikes following the rim of the canyon 8 miles to Hermits

Rest, We stopped many time to take in the view. Unfortunately it is cloudy and the canyon is a bit hazy. Several times we could see the Colorado River 5000ft below. There are free shuttle buses which follow various routes. We were allowed to use one of these routes for parts of this ride. The rest was on dedicated paths. The round trip ended up being about 20 miles so we well deserved the beer when we got back to “Ernie”.

29 May

After changing sites we biked 3 miles to the head of the Kaibab Trail which descended down into the canyon. The weather today is crystal clear and the views are spectacular. The trail started as a series of zig zags dropping quickly below the rim of the canyon. There are various points down the trail where you can stop and return. We continued on and left most of our fellow hikers. At our lunch stop we decided to return, but some returning hikers told us we were not far from the

end of the trail and we could see great views of the Colorado River if we continued. It was well worth the extra effort. We had walked only 3 miles to get to this point but had descended over 2000ft. The return back up was not too bad as we took it fairly slowly. What a hike!! There are only two ways to descended into the canyon. Either you hike or ride a mule. We were passed by several mule trains either going up or down. As the track is narrow and the drop offs huge, we thought our method was the best! One of the impressive things at the Grand Canyon is that they have resisted the usual tourist gimmicks. No chair lifts/cable cars etc here. Aircraft are not even allowed to

fly over this area.

                                                       

30 May
After another change of sites and a phone call to book a camp to pickup our registration for “Ernie”, we

packed a lunch and were back on the bikes for a short ride to the rim and down the Bright Angel Trail.

This is a similar trail to the one we did yesterday but this time we are in a much tighter canyon with reduced views out into the GC. There were more tourists on this track but again most headed back up after the first “rest house” We descended 2120ft for 3 miles before stopping for lunch. It is much hotter today (95F) so we are going thru the water. Of the two hikes we have done, the Kaibab trail was the best but the Bright Angel was also well worth the effort. The walk up took us much longer and we were back at “Ernie” for a long rest before biking back up to the rim to watch the sunset. The colours and the light at sunset are spectacular.

31 May

An early start as we were keen to get to Desert View Camp. It is first come first served and we had heard

that it filled up early. From Mather Camp to Desert View Camp is 26 miles mostly following the rim of the GC. As it happened the camp did not fill up until around 3:00pm!! We walked to the visitors centre to find out what to do and see the view. After lunch we walked to a the “Watch Tower”, built around 1912 , which gives a 360 degree view of the canyon from 4 stories up. This has been a really lazy day, much needed after the last three which have been physically full on. There are Elk wandering around the everywhere. They seem to be

very used to people.

1 June

After cleaning, we drove back towards Mather to a couple of view points we missed yesterday. At Lipan Point we stopped and had

lunch. At this place we could see long stretches of the Colorado River 6000ft below. The river has carved out the GC over millions of years. It looks like a small stream but is actually 300ft wide with huge

rapids. After a lazy afternoon we walked back to the rim and with our chairs, a bottle of wine and some crackers and watched the sunset in style. What a site. The colours and the lighting change minute by minute.

2 June

From the south rim of the GC to the north rim is 10 miles as the crow flies but 190 miles by road. It was a very pleasant drive however. The first 100 miles we followed the south rim with the canyon getting narrower and narrower. We also descended about 7000ft to the Navajo Bridge across the Colorado River. Along the north rim of the

canyon we climbed 8000ft to a forestry camp at Jacob Lake. (very poorly named as there is no lake!) We are at 8500ft camped in huge Ponderosa Pines. We enjoyed a short walk thru the forest.

3 June

We followed the no exit highway 40 miles into the North Rim camp where we had managed to book one night. We will try and extend

this tomorrow. On the way in we saw a herd of Bison including some calves. After a short bike ride to the visitors centre we returned for lunch and planned our time here. We had a nice easy walk along the rim to Bright Angel Point. The views were great. We could easily see the trails we had walked on the south rim. The North Rim is quite different from the south rim because this rim is more isolated and 1000ft higher. The south rim is in semi desert with stunted Juniper

trees where the north rim is forest with Ponderosa pines. The other difference is that the tourist buses do not come here so there are no hordes of tourists. At sunset we walked to the end of the camp and watched the changing light on the rock faces.

4 June

We failed to get another night here so drove a short distance to the Widforss Trailhead for a 10 mile return hike. We followed the north rim of the GC for about half the hike with spectacular views down the Transept Canyon, The next part of the hike was along a beautiful forest valley with Ponderosa pine, Aspen and Oak before emerging onto Widforss Point with one of the best views of the GC. We sat and had lunch before the return hike back to

“Ernie”. One of the best hikes we have done. The extra altitude here (8500ft) makes quite a difference. We are breathing a bit harder on uphill bits, and the food takes longer to cook! The boiling point of water is much lower. We continued on to a forest camp at De Motte about 20 miles from the north rim. This will be our last night in Arizona. We have been in Arizona and New Mexico, apart from a short stay in West Texas, for 8 weeks and it has been great!!

5 June

An easy 90 mile run to our planned stop at Hurricane. We stopped on the way at an old Mormon fort and

spring. It had been built around 1860 when the Mormons had settled in this area. The ranger took us thru the building. Very interesting. Paul would have been interested as the main activity was cheese making using the milk of the “Tithed” cows from the church. Further down the road we crossed into Utah and down a steep incline into Hurricane. We went to the visitors centre and found where the State

Park we wanted to stay in was. We are now at 3500ft and it’s very hot. (108F) To our surprise we discovered that Quail Creek State Park was a beautiful dam. It reminded us of Lake Dunstan but the rocks and hills are either pink or red. We spent the rest of the day swimming and sitting in the shade of some trees. We even had a swim at 9.30pm.

6 June

A big shop up at Wal-mart. Even bought a lamp so that we can sit outside at night. The liquor laws are different here. You can buy beer in the supermarket but spirits and wine are only sold at the State Liquor outlets. There are not many around but fortunately we found one not far away. We are camped at a nice RV Park because we needed catch up with our vehicle registration from Florida. It had arrived and we proudly installed our Florida plate with 1 years registration on it. What a battle this has been!! We went out to a local restaurant for dinner to celebrate my birthday in 2 days time. As we walked home at 9:30pm we passed a sign that said it was 95F!