Long one: Sunday, June 21, Utah - June 29 to LA

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Happy Fathers Day everyone. We arrived in Moab at Motel 6 last night taking scenic byway 128.

  Today we hiked Arches National Park for a couple of hours  getting a few good photos of arches around the Devils Garden Trail.   

Since it was 89 degrees when we started out and rose to 102 degrees, we didn’t hike a second time.  It was computer catch up day I’m afraid.

  I was very unsure about the next overnight place I’d reserved: Green River State Park, UT in a cabin that I reserved because it was air conditioned, had a microwave, fridge, bunk queen beds and a view of a golf course.  Still I was very unsure of the system, how late we could get in, and if the ranger would be around to help on Sunday, etc.  So we checked out of bed-bug-free Motel 6 and left Moab after a brief 2 hours at the free Internet Red Rock Café.  We now understand regional rate differences when we paid $150 at Motel 6 with bare bones amenities in Moab, UT and the same price at the Lied Center in remote Nebraska City with beautifully decorated rooms, environmentally concerned amenities, Olympic size pool, hot tub, spa, sauna, work out room, TV, restaurant and manicured grounds (home of Arbor Day).  We highly recommend Lied (pronounced Leed) if you’re heading west.

  We arrived at Green River State Park this afternoon and AmericaReserve.com made everything e-a-s-y.  I said my name and a teenage girl pointed and said, “Here’s the combination for the door.”  The ranger electric carted his way over and told us where bathrooms, timer showers, and water were available. 

 I explored the waterfront walking over the riverside golf course through the 25 MPH winds that blew a steady white haze of cottonwood seeds like the floaty milkweed seeds we see in the fall in New England. 

 All was good.  Drew had a ton of reading, and I wanted to do the blog.

Mon June 22, Drove down routes 70 to 24 to scenic 12 after terrific coffee at local Green River café.  On the scenic byway http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/ [highly recommend these All American byways] we drove through Capitol Reef National Park seeing a few petroglyphs high up on the cliff, but too small to show up in pictures.

Lunch was at a very upscale restaurant before hiking into Escalante. This national recreational area is not a national park and doesn’t have regular rangers or marked trails.  I used a National Geographic guide book that explained the different trails.  I was really looking forward to this trail since the description included a waterfall, and rock pool for swimming only 1 hour hiking in. 

It was 110 degrees but we put on hats, sunscreen and with the brisk breeze it was bearable.  The open bare rock face descent looked worse than it was just as the description said.  We followed cairns down to the waterfall that was surrounded by poison ivy. 

 I saw another higher route at the top of the falls so we climbed up and over to the top and found the beautiful pool.  Boiling hot we headed up a little farther and found another pool all to ourselves where I took off my top and swam in.  Perfect, cool and clear.  It too had a small waterfall at one end.  

 Cairn in foreground with the walk all the way down and path in the distance.  It was steep.

 To cool off Drew wet his bandana and put it around his neck.  All of my clothes dried quickly since the humidity was about 8% or less and the wind evaporated the sweat and left only salt on our skin.  We brought and drank 1 liter of water each during the short hike.  Very slowly with lots of rests we climbed straight back up to the car.  We had purchased a dashboard reflector that really kept the seats and steering wheel from becoming untouchable in the heat.  We headed for the next motel,  Fosters Motel  bare bones, half the price of all the others around.  Only good thing was that a/c worked in 110 degree weather.  Dinner wasn’t bad at the family owned restaurant.  Glad to support local, but they have a long way to go.

 My car in front of the motel room.  Big sky country.

Tues. June 23 Bryce Canyon National Park today was a super steep, vertical, zigzag, hairpin climb down "Wall Street Trail", seeing the hoodoos and then up Victoria Trail.  Terrific workout for my heart.  We both wore orange shirts not knowing we'd match the terrain.

 Queen Victoria on the right.

 The slot. Again pictures don't really capture the scale.

 On to Zion where I searched for the old place the family visited in 1989, but could only scamper up the Checkerboard Mesa 

 I'm circled on the mesa just to give a little idea of the size

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to sit where Sarah had sat when she was in 3^rd grade.  The hiking in the washes and slots can be great in here,

We had time to stop at a couple of places and then continue another 2.5 hours to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Christmas present I gave Drew in his stocking.  The anticipation of the Grand Canyon last a while since the drive in is through a green sward of broad meadow and a backdrop of perfect pointed evergreens.  There were several places to learn about control burns and see the results of the 2003 and 2007 fires.

 We  arrived to a herd of buffalo right on the side of the road just like in the tourist pictures.  Always pretty incredible to get so close to a wild animal.  Some guy got out of his car and scared them away from the side of the road.  
 In the evening we walked into that grand lodge with the sunroom’s giant windows hanging over the spectacular south view. The difference between 1996, the last time I came with Sarah, , and now was that we walked into the lodge to see a large, dark one person open elevator greeting us. A strange architect put it in the middle of the view with a small L stairway to the right down to the sunroom. 

  Our room was small, unventilated, with one window in a row of about 8 rooms.  But anywhere in the Grand Canyon the grounds are fun and all views awesome.  No picture can convey the size, scope and feeling it gives.

June 24  I walked the Transept Trail (Drew had a business call in the morning.)  In the afternoon we listened to Geology and Condor talks on the terrace.  The condor is making a comeback from 22 to over 400 in the world now.  They had to teach them how to survive from chicks because they were raised in captivity: how to hunt and what to avoid.  They have no instincts and purely learn from other condors. Once the hand-raised ones were taught by humans the educated condors taught other condors. 

  At dinner in the grand dining room we were served by a wonderful Colombian woman.   Another talk at 8 on all the people who have run the Colorado on various boats from strange business ideas to the successful fun rafting trips we know of today.

June 25 For about 35 miles we drove to all of the viewing places and walked down the Kaibab Trail to the first turn.  The Trail is very dusty and sandy because mules go up and down twice a day.  The Roosevelt look out is completely wiped out from a fire.  He was the one who had the idea for the park when he visited in 1903 and said it should be saved for all Americans to see forever, By the Act of March 1, 1872, Yellowstone was the first national park in the world.  Many other countries soon set aside land.  In 1916 President Wilson created the National Park Service for national parks, monuments and reservations. The National Park System of the United States now comprises more than 400 areas covering more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. These areas are of such national significance as to justify special recognition and protection in accordance with various acts of Congress. The Roosevelt Point in the Grand Canyon has descriptions about trees and picnic benches and instead there is nothing. Since it was his idea in 1903 to set aside the Grand Canyon then probably should do a bit more.

   At the last view stop, Look Out Point all the plants are labeled: cliff rose, sage, pinyon pine, blooming cactus, Indian paint, and penstemon.  The only unusual animal was something called the Kaibab squirrel that has a big puffy white tail where the grey one would be for the eastern squirrel.

  That night the “cookout” at the campground was actually a premade buffet with chicken and beef brisket.  The entertainment was old cowboy songs and a pretty good old couple from Nashville who now does the RV camp ground circuit.  

 We bought their CD and played it all the next day “Mariah,  “16 Tons,” ”Ring of Fire.”.  After the entertainment we walked back the 1 mile to our room on the Bridle Trail. Beautiful night. Looked at the stars, Jupiter and Venus and drove around to try and see some wildlife but saw none. 

June 26 got up at 4:45 am for the 5:15 sunrise over the canyon on Bright Angel Point – the best little walk anywhere. 

360 degree views of the canyon just .25 mile from the lodge.  Many clicks later we went back for our coffee and latte at the morning saloon and sat on the terrace overlooking the canyon one more time. Back to the room where Drew went back to bed for a couple of hours, and I bird walked the Transept trail one more time up to the campgrounds a little over 2 miles round trip and one hour.  I’ve added a few birds to my lifetime list: gilded flicker, Stellar‘s Jay, western bluebird. 

At 9 we packed up, checked out, and headed north on 67 to 89 to 389 and down toward Moapa Valley toward the Valley of Fire, all scenic by ways. The ground was dryer and we saw cactus in the landscape, seeing fewer cattle on more land.  Car lights shimmered and flickered from the intense heat off the road.

  We had lunch at a little Mormon place, Merry Wives Café, in Hurricane, Utah.  A couple of large families all looked alike and the kids were a a year apart from each other, dressed in long skirts, dad in all camo outfit – hat, pants, jacket in 114 degree heat.

   On TV we watched the shocking news of the terrorist killings as well as the fabulous Supreme Court decision on marriage.  Finally accepting the loving humanity of everyone in the country; thank you Roberts for a well-worded decision. 

  Stayed in the North Shore Inn in Moapa on route 15, North Shore Road.  No shore nearby but a very spacious room, a pool, hot tub, and needed laundry. We waited to swim because of the 114 degree heat that subsided to 106 by 7 pm.  Ate in little sports place with delicious NY sized fresh sandwiches and burgers.  Learned of the US women’s soccer win over China!!  Next match Germany on Tuesday. (when we’re n LA)

June 27 hotel breakfast, emailed and blogged and drive 2 hours to Hoover Dam tour. 

Next drove to Lake Havasue to see Jim and Judy Bodine, Drew’s childhood friends from Philadelphia for 2 nights.  We jumped right into their pool before a beautiful crabcake dinner looking out over the lake, sunset and moonrise.  A hot tub dip before collapsing into a soft bed.

June 28  Pictures of Hoover Dam and Lake Havasu at 112 degrees to follow in next blog. This is the hottest weather I’ve ever experienced, but in a motorboat with a bimini, swimming in cool lake water, caressed by a hot breeze it was heaven.  Lunch was at Pirate Cove trying fried pickles. We motored under the famous London Bridge that was bought years ago to become a tourist attraction for Lake Havasu. 

That night after a delicious Italian dinner where we were waited on by the fun loving Santos we sang karaoke in their living room.  My first time and it was fun with just close friends.  Judy and I could really harmonize on a number of country songs.  It was so much fun.  Again we collapsed into bed about midnight.

June 29.  We woke up with an invitation to have breakfast at Rusty’s before we took off for LA.  Drew also had a chance to drive Jim’s Porsche Boxster.  They certainly have great toys and a great time.  It was still 114 degrees out.  We packed up after seeing a family of quail – so cute, hummingbirds, a baby rabbit, a roadrunner, and other birds in their virtual animal sanctuary garden around their home. 

  6 hours later we were hugging Yeang and Sarah and moving the futon into the guest room for our bed.  So fabulous to see them again!  (Granddaughter, Isabelle was asleep.)