travelswithcare

May 27, 2019 Memorial Day

Ruby’s Campground and RV Resort, Bryce Canyon City.

When I peeked out the window near my bed in the early morning light it was snowing. It apparently snowed during the night as there was accumulation on the trees and ground all around. Before breakfast we dressed in our warmest clothes and took a walk around the campground in a Winter wonderland. Here it is Memorial Day, the unofficial start of Summer, and it looks a more like Christmas. By now the unseasonable weather was no surprise and we enjoyed it for what it was.

Our plan to move to the North Campground inside Bryce Canyon National Park for a couple of nights was scrapped and we tacked them onto the start of our stay at the RV Park near Escalonte for a total of 5 nights.  This worked out nicely, as the weather in Escalante was predicted to be warmer and we were looking forward to visiting Harriet Washburn Priska.  We would also have more time to explore the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument and the surrounding area which is rich in history.

There was no hurry leave Ruby’s and by 11 am we were ready to depart. The drive to Escalante was 58 miles on Hwy 12 to the North, on a stretch of road that is particularly steep and windy with a 7600 foot pass. We took Harriet’s advice that Carolyn drive the Honda disconnected from the RV.  It was raining when we left Ruby’s and as we continued to gain elevation the rain turned to slush. As we started the assent to the summit it was snowing heavily and accumulating on the steep and twisty road!  I’ve had quite a lot of experience driving in conditions even worse than these, so I just kept moving slowly and carefully, never feeling like I was loosing traction. Carolyn on the other hand has had little experience driving in snow of any kind. I was grateful that the CR-V is AWD with good Michelin M+S rated tires and Carolyn just stayed right behind in the tracks of the RV. GREAT JOB Care! Very soon on the decent the snow changed to rain and we continued without stop all the way to the Escalonte Cabins and RV Park, on the South end of the city. Praise the Lord, we made it!

That evening, Harriet invited us for dinner at her house. Harriet is the sister of George Washburn a close buddy since our days Lowell High School in San Francisco. Their parents, the Reverends Harry and Winnie Washburn were angels that nurtured our faith and marriage from the very beginning. Harriet and husband Phillip moved to Escalante in the early 1990’s, who like the early pioneers in the 1860’s made the decision to move there because this was the place they firmly believed God was leading them. Dinner was pan fried trout, green salad and “Dutch Oven Potatoes”, a local specialty. After dinner we relaxed and she showed us her artwork. I knew she was a well know local artist, that she and Phillip started the “Serenidad Gallery” in town many years ago, but we were both highly impressed! She showed us her exquisite paintings on China plates, vases, pitchers, and water color paintings, much of which incorporates views in Zion National Park, Yosemite and areas around Escalante. If you’re ever in the area you must stop by the gallery.  You can find it on Facebook and Trip Adviser.

May 28th, 2019

We awoke to sunshine and mostly blue skies on the morning of the 28th, with only a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Our first stop was the Grand Staircase – Escalante Interagency Visitor’s Center. We watched the film to learn more about the history of the area and what’s in the park. We talked to the ranger and got all the information and maps we needed to plan our stay.

First on the list was to hike into the Long Canyon Slot. We drove from Escalante on Hwy 12 to Boulder on a section of the road with astounding landscapes of bare sandstone rock, like none I have ever seen. We made a stop at a view pullout that is know to the locals as “Boynton Overlook” and looked down into the valley carved by the Escalante River. The story is that in 1878 there was an argument between John Boynton and Washington Phipps and Boynton killed Phipps in this location. One legend follows that it was a fight over a woman, but the real reason was likely over land.

View from Scenic Byway Utah Hwy 12

Boynton Overlook

We continued to the town of Boulder and then drove 11 miles out Burr Trail Road past beautiful ranches and then into the canyon, a gorgeous drive. It turns out that Long Canyon Slot is really a short slot, ending in a pool from the recent rains. It was great.

Long Canyon Slot

Long Canyon Slot

Long Canyon

Just up the road in Boulder is the Anasazi State Park Museum and Ruins. This site was discovered in the 1960’s and then carefully unearthed to reveal the ruins of a community with several dwellings, storage rooms and a Kiva, which fortunately were not disturbed by treasure seekers. The find was especially meaningful to the local native Americans.

We got back to the RV Park early in the afternoon to clean up and meet Harriet who invited us for dinner at Slot Canyon Inn & North Creek Grill. The Inn is located at the confluence of the North Creek where it enters the Escalonte River. The Inn is stunningly beautiful, located on a huge parcel of land with sandstone peaks with petroglyphs around the grazing land just off the highway. Dinner was extra special too, offering us grass-fed beef sirloin from stock raised on their property, and served “on the rocks”. I wondered what the “rocks” were, but when they served the meal they actually put a heated rock in front of you on a wood platform.  What you do is drop your bite of meat on the rock, to warm it just before you pop it into your mouth. It was, I keep using the word, amazing.  I’ll have to check the thesaurus out to try and find some new adjectives. Anyone looking for a place to stay in Escalante should check out the Slot Canyon Inn.

May 29, 2019

Today we drove back up Highway 12 to hike the Calf Creek Trail (near where Boynton killed Phipps) and to the 120 foot falls, 6 miles round trip.  We stopped at the Kiva Coffee House for a cranberry scone and cup of cappuccino on the way, which is a must stop, only open Wednesday through Sunday.

At the Calf Creek Park we discovered a delightful small campground where we would have loved to camp! The hike takes you through a canyon with steep high cliffs on the sides at the sides with the creek quietly snaking through valleys and meadows. We even saw trout in the river too. From 900 to perhaps 1300, the “Fremont” people lived and thrived in this canyon and there are magnificent (new adjective) pictographs visible from hundreds of feet across the river with three very large human figures that must be larger than life guarding the river and canyon.

Fremont petroglyphs

The falls were a welcome sight after a rather warm hike up the river. There we rested for maybe 1/2 hour, but just before we were to leave, a group of about a dozen hikers that were on an REI tour offered to share with us in a smorgasbord of goodies, smoked salmon, gouda cheese, strawberries, chocolate and many other treats, that they were going to hike out and throw away later. THANK YOU GOD!

On the way back to town, we stopped at the Escalante Heritage Center which has an exhibit about the “Hole in the Rock Expedition”, commemorating the historic journey of the first Mormon Settlers to venture into South-Eastern Utah, by way of a treacherous steep and narrow cut through the rock to cross the Colorado River.  What was expected to be a 6 week journey ended up being 6 months, but all survived!

May 30, 2019

Today, Care went on an all day road trip with Harriet on a loop to pick up and drop off many of Harriet’s paintings and other pieces at various galleries.  While she got to see a lot more of the country, I really wanted a day to rest and catch up on my post for Bryce Canyon.  I hung out at the RV and took care of filling up the rig with diesel and LP fuel in town.  Rain was back that afternoon. When the ladies returned, Harriet joined us for dinner in the RV. Nothing at all like the trout and steak dinners she graciously provided for us the two nights prior, but after a long day of driving it was gratefully accepted and I got a chance to hear about their day.

May 31st, 2019

This morning we drove a few miles from town to the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. This is another park that would be a great place to camp. It is located on the edge of a reservoir used for irrigation of the ranches down the valley. I discovered something new about Carolyn. She loves petrified wood. Our hike was about 2.2 miles and we enjoyed every step.

We continued Drive to back down Hwy 12 to Cannonville and then about 10 miles on a dirt road to the Willis Creek Slot Canyon Trail. There were more than a few rough spots that made Carolyn squirm in her seat and tell me “You can’t go up that”. Honda pulled us through however, and the drive was really fun (for me).  Once at the trail we dropped into a stunning slot canyon where the creek was running.  Love slot canyons! The shapes, twists and pockets in the rock shaped by countless flash floods are indescribable. The slot got very narrow in some areas with the walls 50 or more feet above us and you can’t help but walk right through the creek. In slot canyons you never know what’s just around the next corner and you just have to keep going to see what’s up around the next bend. A fair number of hikers were in the slot, and several families with young children, so it isn’t that strenuous. I don’t know for sure, we hiked about 1 1/2 or 2 miles past a small waterfall and before we turned around. A 5 star hike.  Driving back out didn’t seem as difficult for Carolyn.

We made a quick stop in Kodachrome Basin State Park, since it was just a few miles off the highway on the way home. We didn’t have much time, except to drive in and take a short look. This park has strange stone spires, some that are 100 fee high and unreal canyons with multi colored rocks. Wow.

Pictures coming!

After our long day of hikes and driving, we picked up a pizza at the Outfitter Restaurant and had dinner at Harriet’s house.  The Chicken Pesto pizza was, and excellent!  After dinner, I asked to see some of Harriet’s paintings she had picked up on her rounds the day before, and I fell in love with a watercolor of pictographs.  I now own an original Harriet Priska!  I don’t currently have a place to hang it unfortunately, but it will be prized forever.

Our stay in Escalante was Excelente, and I bought a T-Shirt that says exactly that.  The stay was made immeasurably better by spending time with Harriet. There is even more to see and do in this area that we’ve missed and we will consider making a return visit maybe on our way back home in Phase 3 next year.

Tomorrow, June 1st, we leave for Capitol Reef National Park and then Arches National Park, so stay tuned for the next installment.

B n C
Continue reading Escalante May 27-31, 2019

Bryce Canyon May 23 – 26, 2019

Our route out of Zion to Bryce Canyon was to take Hwy 9 East, to an area of the park we had not yet seen. The road to connect the East and West sides of the park was begun in 1927 and opened on July 4th, 1930. At the time it was considered an engineering triumph with a twisty switchback road leading to a 1.1 mile tunnel blasted out of the solid rock. By today’s standards, it is a very narrow 2 lane road with a tunnel height limit of 11 feet 2 inches when two directional traffic is routed.  The RV is 11 feet 6 inches tall! When I entered the park with the RV and knew I was going through the tunnel, I purchased a $15 permit to allow us to make the trip later in the week with all Westbound traffic stopped to let us drive right down the center of the road. Because of the steep and twisty road we also disconnected the Honda and Carolyn it drove right behind me. After a short wait at the entrance to the tunnel to let the traffic clear, we were off. I was right behind a supersized tour bus, so I knew I would have no problem. It was very strange to drive right down the middle on double yellow line!

As we exited the tunnel on the East side, the landscape took on a different look. We stopped to see the Checkerboard Mesa where the rock mountain is cracked into box shapes and listen to a Park Ranger describe the features of the land and animal life. There are more Big Horn Sheep on the East side of the park, but on our short stop, we didn’t see any.

Hwy 9 before the Tunnel

Through the Tunnel

Checkerboard Mesa

Hwy 9 descends gradually to the East and we drove to Mt. Carmel Junction where we reattached the Honda to the RV.  From there we drove North on Hwy 89, which over a stretch of maybe 30 miles rises to an elevation over 8000 feet.  We then turned East on Hwy 12, which is an American Scenic Byway, and entered Red Rock Canyon in the Dixie National Forest.   We stopped at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor’s Center for a break.  From there Hwy 12 East takes you through a series of short tunnels cut through the red rock.  The last leg of the journey I turned onto Hwy 63, the main road into the Park and a short drive to Bryce Canyon City.

Our destination for the day was Ruby’s Campground and RV Resort, which is about 5 miles outside the park boundary. As we drove through town, we couldn’t help but notice signs for Ruby’s Lodge, Ruby’s General Store, Ruby’s Restaurant, Ruby’s Rodeo Show, Ruby’s ATV Adventure rides and Ruby’s everything else. You see, Reuben “Ruby”and Minnie Syrett bought a large parcel of land here in 1916 with the idea of starting a cattle ranch, with no knowledge of the “hole in the ground” that was up the road where Ebenezer Bryce lived in his cabin. Someone told them they might want to check it out, so on one Sunday afternoon they drove their wagon up the way to take a look. They were beyond surprised by what they saw. In 1919 they pitched a tent on the rim of the canyon to accommodate visitors and the next year build a lodge near what is now called Sunset Point. Ruby’s children and grandchildren have developed the property into what is is now.

May 24, 2019

Time to visit the Park! It was cold so we dressed in all the warm clothes we had and by 8:30 drove the Honda into the Park all the way to the end of the road about 20 miles to Rainbow Point. The Park shuttle bus does not come out this far and there are a number of other places on the way we wanted to see. At Rainbow Point the elevation is 9115 feet and it had snowed the day before, so there was plenty of it, the walkways were icy slick and there were icicles hanging off the eaves of the shelters and buildings. But the sight of the snow capped hoodoos and ridges in the canyon was breathtaking. Words and pictures are just not enough to describe what we saw.

This experience was repeated at the other view points on the way back; Black Birch Canyon, Ponderosa Canyon, Agua Canyon, Natural Bride, Farview Point, Piracy Point and Swamp Canyon, where we couldn’t help ourselves not to take pictures.  I believe that the pictures just can’t capture what we were seeing.  You just have to impress the sight upon your mind, and maybe pictures can help you remember.

It was approaching mid day by the time we drove into one of the most iconic places in the Park, Bryce Point. The park shuttle and tour buses stop here and drop off hundreds of people an hour. I can see why! Then we drove over over to Paria View, a place the shuttles don’t go.  There we walked a 1/4 mile to the point and saw another side of the Canyon looking to the South.

For a break, we drove to the Bryce Canyon Lodge.  This is one of those classic old historic lodges that I love.  There was a fire going in the lobby and entry area.  We sat outside ate the lunch we had packed.  After lunch, we walked a 1/2 mile to the Rim Trail and up to Sunrise Point along with hundreds of visitors.  Even though it was cloudy, cold and windy it was amazing.  We decided we’ll come back here tomorrow to hike the Queen’s Garden Trail when the weather is forecast to be nice!

We were chilled to the bone and we found our way to the Bryce Canyon General Store for a cup of hot chocolate.  Revived, we made one more stop to finish what had been a fabulous day, at the Visitor’s Center. We checked out the exhibits, watch the film and stamped our NP Passport. Great, now we’ve collected 6 NP/NRA stamps on the trip; Joshua Tree, GC South Rim, Glen Canyon NRA, GC North Rim, Zion and Bryce Canyon.

May 25, 2019

We were looking forward to a day in the park with mostly sunny and warmer conditions.  Being the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, we chose to ride the Park shuttle bus from outside the park, which stops only 100 yards from our RV site. We got off at Sunset Point and walked about 1/3 mile of the Rim Trail to Sunrise Point where the  trail head to the Queen’s Garden begins.  Your perspective changes the minute you step below the rim.   As you move down into the canyon you are dwarfed by the spires and walls all around and above you.

The Queen’s Garden is so named for a hoodoo that resembled a statue of Queen Victoria. You have to use some imagination, but yes, there she is watching over the court of other hoodoos. The trail is not long, only about 1.8 mile round trip with an elevation change of 357 feet. But at close to 8,000 feet there were places we stopped to catch our breath about every 40 paces.

Queen Victoria

At the top we continued to walk the Rim Trail and cut across back to the Bryce Canyon General Store, where with a nice hot bowl of beef and barley soup warmed us as we ate our packed lunch.  After that, we rode the shuttle back to the RV and took the Honda to Fairyland Point, which is not a stop on the shuttle and the side road isn’t even marked.  Fairyland Point was another amazing place, and there were very few people, even on the busy holiday weekend. We talked to a few young hikers who were just finishing the Fairyland Loop Trail from Sunrise Point. 8 miles and 1716 fee elevation.  They said it wasn’t too hard, but maybe too much for us right now.

May 26, 2019

Sunrise 5/26/19

Morning moon 5/26/19

Our original plan was to move today to the North Campground and dry camp inside Bryce Canyon NP for the next three nights. The park does not take reservations for any campsites. Sites are available on the day on a first-come first-served basis, and there a limited of sites for an RV of our size. Also, there are no hookups, so we would be dry-camping.  Combined with the weather forecast for wind, freezing temps, rain and snow the next few days, we opted to stay one extra night in Ruby’s and move up the schedule to go to our next destination, Grand Staircase – Escalante to the 27th. Staying at Ruby’s required us to move sites, so we spent the morning doing laundry and moving the rig.

This afternoon was our last chance to visit inside the park, so as soon as we setup we took the shuttle to the one major feature we had yet to see, Inspiration Point.  From the bus/parking lot we hiked a very short, and very steep trail to Upper Inspiration Point and then 0.8 miles to Sunset Point along the rim of the Amphitheater. It was cold and windy, but the sun came out now and then and the views were impressive as always!

Back to the RV and after dinner, for the first time, we turned on the television and watched a movie, Seabiscuit, one of about a 10 DVD’s I brought along.  What a great movie!  And, we stayed up until 10 pm! Tomorrow we are set to leave Bryce and drive to Escalante.  More on the adventure of driving on to Escalante coming soon!  BB

Grand Canyon South Rim, May 10 – 12th, 2019

The day after our arduous ride up the Canyon from Phantom Ranch turned into a perfectly beautiful day to see many places around the South Rim we simply didn’t have time for before the mule ride.  Today, there were lingering clouds, but at least no rain or snow!  We returned to the Grand Canyon Village and the Bright Angle trail starts and looked down into the canyon where we rode mules down two days before.

There was plenty of time to walk along the rim trail and stop at the Kolb Brother’s Studio, looked around the Bright Angel Lodge, The El Tovar and Hopi House which are all congregated in close proximity with fantastic views of the Canyon.  That afternoon we were still feeling the effects of the mule ride, so we made a stop at Market Plaza to restock groceries, and then made our way back to the Trailer Village and do laundry which had piled up since we left.

On May 11th, we were more rested.  To start, we took the Park shuttle bus that stopped right at the Trailer Village and rode the Red line out to Hermit’s Rest, which we had not visited on the three previous trips to the Grand Canyon.  Private vehicles are not allowed on this road. The shuttle bus operates every 15 minutes, so we stopped at at least 5 view points to take it in and shoot pictures, then be picked up by the next bus. At Hermit’s Rest we found a spot to eat the lunch we had packed and gaze at the Canyon. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches never tasted so good.

Our last stop of the day was at the Visitor’s Center in the Market Plaza. Here we got our National Park Passport stamped. Now we have two new stamps! Joshua Tree and the Grand Canyon.

The morning of May 12th, we got the RV ready for departure for the journey to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but had a plan to visit a number of spots on the road east where the shuttle bus doesn’t go, and where we’d never adventured. We first drove the rig out to Desert View very near the east entrance. Here we were amazed by the Watch Tower, a building designed by Mary Coulter and constructed in 1932. Besides the views of the canyon from the four levels, the beauty of the building and the art work painted on the interior walls and ceilings can’t be fully described. You just have to go there to appreciate and take it all in. Mary Jane Coulter was commissioned early in the development of the park by Fred Harvey and the Park Service to design a number of buildings in the Grand Canyon area, which include the Bright Angel Lodge, the El Toval Grand Lodge, Hopi House and buildings and cabins at Phantom Ranch.

After looking around Desert View we left the RV in the parking lot and drove the Honda back into the park where we took our time to stopping at view pull-outs, each of which seemed to be the greatest. We especially enjoyed visiting the Tusayan Museum and Ruin, where there is a small but very informative museum describing the early Pueblo natives that inhabited this area centuries ago. There are also ruins of stone dwellings and the Kiva used to gather for community events and ceremonies, about 900 to 1100 years old. How they survived there is remarkable.

About 1:30 in the afternoon we returned to Desert View for ice cream. Alas, it was time to leave the South Rim and our drive to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

To Be Continued… B n C

Wednesday, May 6th, 2019

We left Joshua Tree early in the morning on Wednesday May 6th to drive to Williams, AZ which is about 340 miles; another long haul. We took HWY 62 East and turned North on US 95 where we picked up Interstate 40 at Needles. There were several long and steep grades to climb and we noticed how the surrounding landscape changed from arid desert to trees and mountains.

Williams is the gateway to the Grand Canyon South entrance and is on what what was the original Route 66. We arrived at the Canyon Motel and RV Park around 4:30 pm and were greeted with the sign “Welcome Route 66 Travelers”. I’m sure that Pat and Debby Brown passed through and appreciated the Old Town of Williams. The Park has motel rooms some that are in converted railroad cars and cabooses. There is also an indoor pool, but it was just a bit too cool for us to want to swim, as the temperature had dropped dramatically from Joshua Tree. The staff the RV Park had us sign a waver that informed us that the temperature might drop below 32 degrees that night, and suggested that we disconnect the hose to the “city water” and drain the hose to avoid potential damage if there was a hard freeze. Soon after we setup the clouds moved in, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped noticeably. Carolyn had read extensively how to outfit our rig, and one thing she brought along that came in very useful that night is a small electric space heater. The little heater, which we can only use if we are tied into AC, is more efficient than running the LP gas system to heat the entire coach and use up all our LP. Fortunately, it only got down to 36 degrees that night. However I had an unexpected wake up call at about 5 am by the sound of thunder and then rain pelting the roof of the RV.

Later that morning the rain had moved on and we had a leisurely breakfast of ham, eggs and toast. We left Williams about 11 to drive the 34 miles to Flagstaff to restock groceries and pick up a few other items. We headed straight for the Walmart Superstore in town. Walmart has made a lot of friends in the RV community, by having a policy to allow RVs to stay overnight in their parking lot (no hookup, dump, etc.).

The plan that we made about a year earlier was to meet up with Carolyn’s sister, Carla O’Neill, at the Flagstaff airport on May 7th, so she could join us to do the Grand Canyon Mule Ride to Colorado River and back on the May 8th/9th. Alas, Carla’s connecting flight from Phoenix to Flagstaff was delayed and instead of arriving at 2:30, she didn’t arrive until 7 pm. Fortunately, with the second vehicle, we split up. Carolyn stayed in Flagstaff with the CR-V to wait for Carla to arrive, and I drove the RV into the Park to setup when it was still light! Okay, we have to remember that things just don’t always, (or in some cases very often) work out they you planned, and you need remain flexible!   Carolyn and Carla arrived late, around 8:30 pm, and we welcomed the first guest to stay with us in the RV.  But we had an early call for the mule ride in the morning, so all went straight to bed.  Good Night.

Thursday, May 8th  MULE RIDE!

The forecast for the day was rain. We had been told that the ride would happen sun, rain or snow! We were up before daybreak to be at the Bright Angel Lodge and checked in at 6 am. It was very cold and raining when we met at the mule corral around 7 am when we saw the first flash of lightning and heard thunder rolling off in the distance.  This would in most instances be a fantastic experience, standing there on the rim of the Grand Canyon, had it not been the morning of our ride. Then pea sized rail started to fall.  Oh, LORD, help us. The livery manager John came over to our group of 10 riders standing under the cover of an awning and greeted us with “Welcome to Arizona”. He gave us a talk about the ride, and especially safety. After his talk we gathered at the coral to meet our mules and the wranglers, Cindy and Teagan, who would be escorting us down and back up the Canyon. They handed each of us a whip, but so not to upset the animal rights activists, renamed “motivator”. The motivator is an essential tool use at times when your mule falls behind. “A tight group is a safe group”. The ride was for a party of 10, and each of us were matched up with a mule, given the name of the mule we were to ride. Carla got Dusty, Carolyn got Delilah, and my mule was Sheldon. How do you do, Sheldon? Then we were put in order of who would follow whom, and we started down the fabled Bright Angel Trail.

Tip: If you click on an image, you will see it full size…

By the time we got started down the Bright Angel Trail, the rain had subsided and quite soon there were patched of blue sky and warming sunshine.  THANK YOU, Lord!  As the clouds parted, the views of the Canyon were spectacular. The top part of the trail drops many hundreds of feet very quickly, requiring switchbacks that are nearly on top of each other.  Our wranglers, Cindy and Teagan kept us in a tight line.  “Nose to Tail” is the best and safest way to avoid problems.  They had us stop for short breaks to rest the mules and Cindy and Teagan would point out sights and landmarks.

Before we started the ride, I had been warned that Sheldon had a habit of hugging the inside of the trail, which seemed okay with me, but in some cases would brush the rider’s knee into the rocks on the steep side walls. Teagan was close behind at the rear gave me a couple of warnings, but when I was paying more attention to the view than riding, Sheldon gave his greenhorn rider a lesson. BANG! It hurt at first, but luckily it felt okay in a few minutes. I didn’t get a look at it until later when we stopped for our lunch break at Indian Gardens. Quite the nasty scrape and bruise, which looked worse than it felt thank Goodness. I paid much more attention to riding from that point forward!

Indian Gardens. Lunch break.

The next section of the trail took us deeper into the canyon, and suddenly we caught sight of the deep green of the Colorado River. The trail followed the river upstream a mile or so, where we came to a short tunnel, which opened up to the suspension bridge that crosses the river. AMAZING! The trail continues a short way up Bright Angel Canyon and very soon we were at our final destination for the day, Phantom Ranch by about 2:30. We were all ready for the ride to end by that point. Riding 5.5 miles down a steep trail, where in some places the mules had jarring steps, puts unusual stress on the posterior, legs and feet. Carolyn’s “fit-bit” recorded 23,000 steps, all but a very few were on mule-back. Dismounting and walking around on our land legs never felt strange, and it took a few minutes to adjust. Having come down about 5,000 feet in elevation the temperature was in the 70’s and sunny. We were met by the Phantom Ranch staff, who gave us our cabin assignment, and let us know where the showers and, most importantly, location of the canteen which was stocked with beer and wine. We had made it!…well, down at least.

Some of us showered, and then we all felt that we deserved a beer at the canteen, followed by a nap in our room.  All of our group of riders and a number of other guests who had hiked down and were staying in the campground or in cabins, were in front of the canteen at 5 pm sharp looking forward dinner; steak, baked potato with all the fixin’s, fresh carrots, green salad, corn bread, ice tea, coffee and a slice of spice cake for desert. Some folks were in bed by 7, but I stayed up until after dark to see the stars and the sight of the crescent moon setting over the ridge in the Bright Angel Canyon. Thank you GOD!

Friday, May 8th   Back to the Rim

Breakfast was at 6:30 am; scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit cocktail, coffee and juice. Everything at Phantom Ranch, including every stick of building materials brought in over the years, and all the food we ate and beer we drank, was brought down on on the back of mules. Mules are incredible animals, bred by the coupling of a female house with a male donkey. The mule is sterile, having an odd number of chromosomes. But the mule requires less food and water and works longer and harder than a horse. You know the saying “stubborn as mule” may be true, but they are also very intelligent creatures, and maybe for that reason have more of a mind of their own.

We were all back at the corral to mount-up at 7. Today our route was to cross back over the suspension bridge and branch off to take the Kaibab Trail back to the eastern end of the South Rim, which was to offer different views. The Kaibab trail is shorter, and we expected to be at the rim by 12:30 or 1, without a lunch break. Before we crossed the river, we pulled off the trail to wait for the supply mule train to pass by, which makes the trip down and returns to the rim on the same day!

As we started off it was raining lightly, which soon developed into heavy rain and it got noticeably colder as we ascended.  Although we were provided with a heavy rain poncho our legs were exposed. My legs were soaked through and dripping into my shoes. The final 2000 feet of climb to the rim, I started to loose sensation in my feet and hands. Then it started to, you guessed it, snow big fluffy quarter sized snow flakes. We stopped for a couple of potty breaks, but just wanted to keep going and get to the top. It helped if I leaned forward and put my hands on Sheldon’s neck, for warmth. The final 30 minutes or so, I willed myself to just keep going, but I wondered how much longer I could go before I fell out of the saddle. By the time we made it to the coral and dismounted, I was shaking uncontrollably and almost couldn’t stand or walk. I managed to make it to the shuttle van which had the engine running and the heater going full blast, and we rode the 40 minutes back to Bright Angel Lodge where we turned in our ponchos. In the pictures of us near the top, we are smiling, but we all agreed that the ride up the Canyon that morning was the most difficult test of endurance any of us had ever experienced.

Soon after returning to the RV it was time to take Carla to Flagstaff  where she would stay one night so she could catch an early flight back to LA the next morning. Before dropping her off, we had dinner in Flagstaff at “The Tinderbox Kitchen”, a very good restaurant, which was Carla’s treat. By now, we were thawed out and laughed hard as we recounted the memories of our amazing mule ride!

May 4 – 5, 2019 Joshua Tree National Park.

On the morning of May 4th before leaving La Quinta, we walked a short distance from Robert and Karen’s house to the beautiful La Quinta Resort & Club for coffee. Originally opened in 1926 by Walter H. Morgan, it soon became a favorite desert resort frequented by Hollywood movie stars the likes of Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and Cary Grant. It was also the favorite retreat where Frank Capra along with Robert Riskin penned many screen plays, including “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Today it has been transformed into a premier golf resort owned by the Waldorf Astoria, but Casita 136 “San Anselmo”, where Frank and Robert worked, and several others remain with updated amenities. The ew hotel retains the classic charm and style of early California architecture. We owe great many thanks to Robert and Karen for their hospitality for our stay in La Quinta.

Back at the RV campground, the Girl Scouts and the CAMPORAMA were in full force. It was getting hot already by 10:30, so we got busy prepping the RV for departure, which involves disconnecting the power, water, dumping the black and grey water tanks and moving in the “slide” (a 5 foot section with a couch that slides out on the driver’s side to open up the living area) and putting things in order in the RV. Lastly we hooked up the CR-V and were on the road by about 11:30.

Our drive to Joshua Tree was short, only about 50 miles. We back-tracked a short distance West on Interstate 10 and then picked up California Highway 62 East where we climbed several steep grades to out of the Coachella valley. Joshua Tree National Park has a number of campgrounds in the park proper but does not allow RVs to camp overnight. Months ago Carolyn reserved a site at Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground 5 miles out of the town of Joshua Tree which is the South West entrance of the National Park. There wasn’t much of a lake, more like a large pond, but they stock it with trout and rent fishing poles for guests. Willie Wilcoxen would have enjoyed their collection of iron farming implements and artifacts dotted around the campground. We settled in our site by mid afternoon and straight away drove the CR-V about 15 miles into the Park.

This was the first time that we had visited JTNP, and also the first on our long list of National Parks and Monuments to visit on the Great Adventure. Entering the park from this side we came upon a vast plain of the curious trees that are the namesake of the park, surrounded by craggy mountains. The trees were named by early Mormon settlers who believed they looked like the Biblical figure Joshua lifting his hands toward heaven. We were lucky to be visiting in the Spring after what was more than average rainfall this past Winter. The land is an arid high desert where rainfall ranges only about 5 to 8 inches annually. At first glance it may look strangely barren, like some other planet. But when we got out and took a short walk, we noticed that there was abundant life, making the most of what little moisture is provided. We saw jack rabbits, birds and lizards now and then. Every plant in the park got into the act this Spring. Blossoms were exploding from the Joshua Trees, Yucca trees, Agave and myriad of tiny wild flowers and cacti that were all showing their colors.

Then there are the boulders. There are random piles of giant boulders piled up high here and there, cracked and with strange shapes that you couldn’t imagine. The formations are a great attraction to rock climbers (Will Tam and his rock climbing buddies need to schedule a trip here, preferably when it isn’t too hot) and they just plain look cool. Before we entered the park, we stopped in at the Visitor’s Center, where I watched a video presentation that described the geologic process of how these boulders came to be; first magma pushed up through faults due to tectonic plate movement. The granite cooled far underground, cracked and fractured before being uncovered by erosion millions of years later. Hmmm. How do they know that? Maybe they were created by space aliens since this place looks other-worldly. Some say there is a lot of alien activity going on around here by the way.

We continued driving North stopping at many of the pull-outs to read the exhibit signs and checking out places we will explore and hike around the next day when we have more time. By 6 pm we had driven about 50 miles through the park and exited at the South-East entrance, near the town of 29 Palms. We stopped at the 29 Palms Visitors’s Center, which by then closed, but we discovered the “Oasis of Mara” right behind. The oasis and the California Fan Palms that grow there are how the town got it’s name. Here the earth’s crust fractured, allowing water to rise up from the aquifer giving life to the palms and other plants. When white men first discovered the oasis, there were no natives, but there was ample evidence that Native Americans gathered at the oasis. We followed a loop trail around the Oasis about 1/2 mile, on which are a number of signposts telling the story the Manhunt for “Willie Boy”, which was well publicized around the country in 1913. It was a great introduction to the Wild West and the town of 29 Palms.

On May 5th we got up early and drove back to 29 Palms and into the park. We did a short hike around the Cholla Cactus Garden, and then hiked about 5 miles on the Split Rock Trail and Discovery Trail to Skull Rock. It was at Skull Rock that a very sudden gust of wind tore my beloved Tilley hat from my head, and before I could turn to see where it went, it was gone to places unknown. Someone nearby told us it flew some distance over the road and parked cars, past bushes and beyond the rocks, maybe about 50 or 60 yards. About 30 minutes of searching for it we came up empty. I figured that Joshua Tree National Park had claimed my hat for good, although I kept hoping that it still might blow by, so I could retrieve it, like Indiana Jones. We hiked back, feeling a bit bummed about the hat. We drove by Skull Rock and Carolyn asked if I would like to stop and look some more. I was going to drive on through, but there was a space by the road near where I had lost the hat, so I parked. “10 minutes”, I told Carolyn, that’s all I want to look. Sure ’nuff, I discovered the hat behind some bushes way back from the road. Score 1 for Bob, JTNP 0, in the hat department.

Hikers on the distant boulders. Just before Bob’s had blew away.

One of our last stops of the day was to drive to Keys View. Here there is a panoramic view of the Coachilla Valley, with Snow capped Mt San Gorgonio to the North, Palm Springs nestled into the Coachilla Mountains across from us and raging far South where we could make out the Salton Sea. It was a little hazy, as it almost always is unfortunately, because the prevailing winds drive the smog into the valley from the LA Basin.

A Panoramic shot of the Coachella Valley from Keys View. You can click on the image to enlarge it.

Here we also saw a rattle snake very near the path slithering off into the bushes. After enjoying the view and taking our pictures we walked down to the parking lot, there was a group of visitors walking off the path close to where the rattler had been. Carolyn told them what we had seen and recommend them to be aware! They took Carolyn’s advise and promptly moved back on the path! Thank you JTNP for a great day. Tomorrow we leave California and head to Arizona and the Grand Canyon.