Day 1, Sunday, May 11, 1997
"On the road again," crooned Willie Nelson from the Ford Explorer's CD player. Tank was ecstatic! (Armadillo?....ecstatic? Well, happy anyway!) Tank, being of Texas heritage, is a fan of Willie Nelson, who spends a lot of time in Kerrville, Texas, just west of San Antonio. My IBM retiree friend, John Quinby and his wife, retired to Kerrville, so there must be something about that part of the country.
But anyway, today we were up at 6:00AM, breakfasted by 6:30AM and truly, on the road again by 7:00AM. For those of you who may not be aware, during my IBM career, I accumulated about three million miles on American Airlines alone, so I know what it means to be on the road again. Ah, but I do like to travel.
In anticipation of the question, no, I don't have three million miles left to redeem, because I 'spent' most of those miles on my adult children and my grandchildren. I do have about 350,000 miles left though, enough for 14 domestic round trips. I'm sure I'll find a use for those miles.
Tank was also happy with other Willie Nelson songs today, such as "Mammas, don't let you babies grow up to be cowboys". Tank, being a Beanie Baby, from Ty Inc, he feels the song was written for him and his relatives.
The weather was gorgeous today. Brilliant sunshine as I left the Reno/Sparks area and headed east to Fallon, Nevada, site of the Naval Air Station and Top Gun training. The sky got cloudy as the day progressed and I wove my way south. In some areas, since you can see for miles across the Nevada desert, you could see the misty spray of rain as it left the clouds headed for the parched soil.
In addition to me beginning my trip today, other events made the news. IBM's Big Blue tied chess master Garry Kasparov for the third time making the score one win apiece and three ties. This of course is not about the game as much as it is news about computing and the state of the art. Go, Big Blue!
My video camera and my 35mm camera certainly got a workout today. I began by shooting pictures along the Truckee River, where everything is very green at this time of year. Early on a Sunday morning, it was great to see horses running around their ranches in the sunlight, stopping for fresh grass as it suited them.
The early morning sun was also great for photography in general. The mountains just pop up all over the place and the angle of the sun provided sharp contrast between sky, the horizon, the hills and the fields. I can only hope that the film captured what the eye saw.
Strangely, things were very quiet at the Fallon Naval Air Station. With hundreds of jet fighters on the tarmac, there was no activity to speak of. Where are the weekend warriors? Saturday night in Reno? The sharply dressed seaman (female, actually) at the base main gate let me in the base, even without my U.S. Navy (Retired) ID, and she allowed me to take a few photos of the planes on display near the gate. Thank you very much.
Leaving Fallon, I proceeded to central Nevada in order to see a ghost town and the site of a fossil dig. Berlin is the name of the ghost town, and Berlin-Ichthyosaur is the name of the state park where you can examine uncovered fossils (but you're not allowed to remove anything from the park).
Enroute to Berlin, I passed through the very stark Salt Wells flats. Visions of me needing a drink of water and coming upon a well with a dead animal near a sign saying unfit for drinking. Ugh! There were a number of Nevada Historic Markers along Highway 361. I was trying to imagine what historic event could have occurred in this part of the Nevada desert? Did you ever see the brass plaque that said "On this site in 1855, nothing happened?" I thought that was great and bought my son Michael one of those for his San Jose, California patio.
Other sights to see along the desert highway included such things as a hawk feasting on road kill. Not particularly pleasant, but that's what the call 'wildlife'. Highway 361, headed south, was empty, absolutely empty. Granted, it was Sunday, but still it was a beautiful Sunday and I would have thought other tourists would be out and about.
I saw Jack Rabbits. You know the non-edible kind with very big ears. It's nice to know that they are on the rebound because during the periods 1985-1992, Nevada had a serious drought and it took its toll on wildlife.
I saw a small (everthing is relative) mountain of sand dunes, about one square mile's worth. As you look to either side of the highway when driving through Nevada, you see things like active or inactive mines, with the symmetrical trailings of unearthed rock. Man is no match for Mother Nature however because the variety of mountains is a sight to see. Actually, I think many people get bored because there are so many mountains to look at.
If one stops to think about what you're seeing, you can often see for 10-15 miles across the desert. That (!) is a long way. And then out of the desert floor come these gigantic mountains. For the most part, Nevada is about 4000 feet above sea level, and in a short distance some of these mountains spring up to 8000-9000 feet. That's awesome!
There were constant reminders along the highway cautioning drivers about open range livestock. I had to slow, and almost stop, on several occasions to give cows and calves the 'right of way'. It reminded me of driving in Hampshire, England, in the New Forest area where horses are free to roam and also have the right of way. There are several islands immediately off the Virginia coast that have wild horses roaming free also.
The Berlin ghost town was ....'okay', but I think tomorrow when I see Goldfield and Rhyolite, they should be more interesting. I stepped inside the stage coach driver's cabin, and it was gruesome. Certainly not a Holiday Inn. The 'appointments' were basic but I guess when you're driving a stage coach across the desert in the late 1800's, a roof over your head and a bed are luxuries.
Berlin was 20 miles east of Highway 361, and the last few miles was a dirt road. My Ford Explorer had no difficulty with that. And since we were 'in the neighborhood' I ventured another seven miles into the desert to an old mining town called Ione. People still live there and there are ample remains of the town's heydey. I saw truly log cabins, chinked with mud and coated with creosote. And mud huts, or sod huts, which people lived in at one time. Interesting Sunday.
The temperature in the mountains around Berlin was a pleasant 73 degrees, but when I descended in the direction of Tonopah, the temperature rose to about 84. And when I say descend, I mean a ten degree grade coming down from 6900 feet above sea level.
Berlin, by the way, is part of the Toiyabe National Forest. Forest, you say? Nevada, you say? Well, yes, there are trees in Nevada. One of the more common trees is the pinon pine, which has edible nuts. When I lived in Nevada in 1959-63, I applied for Forestry permits in order to cut a tree down for Christmas. Now that's an experience. Better than your neighborhood tree farm.
More sights to see along the highway, included an array of 1990 technology. Electricity is still delivered to remote areas across lines strung from poles, but in this day and age, telephone, radio and television communications is done with microwave and satellites. Putting today's diary on the Internet was probably done with the assistance of those dishes I saw earlier today.
From the Berlin area, I used Highways 361 and 95 to reach Tonopah. Enroute I passed near the Silver Peak Mountain, which made me recall Rocky Mountain sheep hunting when I lived in Nevada earlier. It's amazing how fast and agile those sheep are, especially for their size.
Here in Tonapah, I have my first day's expenses, and I'm pleased to say I was able to find a motel room and a meal within my arbitrary budget. After refreshment, I checked out the Central Nevada Museum which has a very interesting collection of early mining gear, plus an array of 1800 and early 1900 memorabilia. You have to like touring museums like this, and I do.
Right now, it's time to relax and tomorrow I'll be up early to check out the ghost towns of Goldfield and Rhyolite, and then on to the big city, Las Vegas.
Day 2, Monday, May 12, 1997
Up at 5:30AM, continental breakfast in the motel lobby by 6:00AM, gas and on the road by 6:30AM. Temperature, a nice cool 58 degrees for last night's sleeping and this morning's driving.
Getting gas for the Ford Explorer this morning had its interesting moments. First of all, the price of premium gas here in the desert is $1.73 per gallon. I can only hope the price will go down once I get to the highly populated areas.
The other interesting 'event' was watching another person getting gas when he noticed Tank sitting on top of the dash board. He looked, and looked again! He just wasn't sure of what it was he was seeing. Was it real? What, exactly, was it? Whether he figured it out or not, I don't know. I didn't think the plush toy was all that real looking, but then, I know it's a plush toy. Tank's beady eyes and slate gray coat is enough to fool people, at least for a little while.
Tank slept well in the car overnight. I had the aluminum windshield screen up, to keep the car cool, but also to keep prying eyes out of the car. Wouldn't want to disturb Tank.
Certainly another piece of new news to 'report' is that Big Blue beat the human chess master, Garry Kasparov. No criticism of Garry, but the computer can think of more moves more quickly, in lieu of human intution, which didn't help Kasparov this time. Final score, Big Blue two wins, three ties to Kasparov's one win, three ties. What till next time, as they say.
The morning sun was up and bright, just as with yesterday. The hills were alive, not with the sound of music, but with the sharpness and contrast that morning photographer's like. Who says the desert doesn't have its own kind of color. Later this morning, I saw beautiful red flowers along the side of the road, going up into the Spring Mountains area, just south of Indian Springs. Many people, and let me say again, many people think the desert is a useless kind of thing. I love it. For those who take the time to look, the spring flowers of the desert are more beautiful than what you might buy at your neighborhood nursery. More on that later.
From Tonopah south to Goldfield traverses some pretty flat terrain, where it seems you can see for 15-20 miles, almost to Goldfield itself. And as I mentioned yesterday, as you look to the horizon, the mountains just seem to erupt and climb to elevations like 8000- 9000 feet above sea level. My side trip into the Spring Mountains this morning put me near Charleston Peak which is 11,918 feet above sea level. For those of you in Iowa, that's high, high, high!
The highway in this part of Nevada is 'straight as an arrow' as they say, so I put the Ford on auto-pilot and began to listen to today's load of the CD player. Tank was happy with today's selection, with recording artists such as Patsy Cline, singing "You made me love you" or "You light up my life" by Connie Smith. Tank did have a question about one song however. He wanted to know just what the boots were made of in Loretta Lynn's rendition of "These boots were made for walking". I assured Tank that I didn't think they weren't made from Armadillo hide. "Okay," he says. Tank does like country music but I told him that by the end of the trip we will have listened to the classics, big band, choral groups, pop singers singing country and country singers singing pops.
As we cruised Highway 95, headed south towards Las Vegas, I was reminded of one of the two times my son Joe and I made the trip from Texas to California, and I got stopped here in Nevada for exceeding the 55 mph speed limit. Ugh, those were the days. Before the 55 mph days, Nevada used to have 'reasonable and proper' as the speed limit for open highway. But, I'm glad that we have 70 mph today.
Goldfield was a short 26 miles south of Tonopah, so we stopped to have a look around. I was disappointed. Goldfield might be better called Oldfield, because there is lots of 'decay' around. Yes, I looked at the old courthouse, and the victorian houses that go back in time. About the most interesting place I saw was the Santa Fe Saloon. It was opening for business pretty early for a Monday. It was a weather-beaten boarded kind of place, just what a western saloon should be. Can't you just see John Wayne tying his horse up to the hitching rail?
All along the highway today, time and time again there would be 'interesting' ranches where one was invited in. Strange though; no horses or cattle or ranch equipment like tractors and such. And the names of the ranches seemed 'different'. 'Shady Lady', 'Madam Butterfly', 'The Bunny Ranch', 'Cottontail' and so on. I'll give you a clue. It's legal in Nevada.
As one travels along, there's time to observe and think about things. Not Tank, necessarily. Half the time, I think he doses off. He doesn't help with the driving, by the way.
But anyway, you see man's intrusion on nature as you travel the desert highway. Dirt roads leading off to one sort of mine or another. Telephone poles, things built by man, things abandoned by man, and so on. I don't mind civilization, but I do mind about the environment. If you brought it, take it with you when you leave.
Continuing on to the town of Beatty, I stopped for breakfast at the Burro Inn Casino. Beatty is not a large town, but the morning trade at the Burro seems to justify its existence. The food was good, cheap and the waitresses were as friendly as could be. Temperature has risen to 83 degrees by 9:00AM.
Just west of Beatty is Rhyolite. And finally my 'thrist' for a real ghost town was answered. There are virtually no inhabitants of Rhyolite these days. There is a big mining operation just down the road, but in Rhyolite, one has to imagine what the remains of the old stone or wooden buildings were like in the town's heydey.
I saw the remains a big bank (back then), the town's general store, and even the train station. It's hard to imagine a train running in this part of the desert but back then I guess someone thought Rhyolite had struck it rich. But as with so many Nevada ghost towns, the boom came and went, so today we have ghost towns to look at.
Back to Beatty and heading south, I saw more sand dunes that don't get a lot of publicity. In the Amargosa Desert, just west of Highway 95, there is several miles of sand dunes, rising probably a thousand feet above the desert floor. I'll save my dune fun for Colorado and Michigan.
One sees a lot of signs along the highway. Some make sense, others do not. And even 'funnier' is to see signs in other countries. I have been to England maybe 70 times, and I can remember early on getting use to signs like 'Soft Verges' (soft shoulders) or "Football Coaches Not Allowed" (busses with rowdy soccer fans not welcome), etc.
Anyway, one of the signs I took note of this morning was 'Flood Area'. Who's kidding who? Desert? Flood? Well, yes, but of a different kind perhaps. I can relate a personal story because one year I was hunting Rocky Mountain sheep at Silver Peak mountain just west of here, and one night I could not find a level place to camp. So, I pitched my tent, and sleeping bag, in what I presumed to be a 'dry' creek bed. Well, about 3:00AM I woke up in three inches of water. The water level of this creek bed rose during the night, and even worse if it were a so-called flash flood. There must be a moral here.
I continue to be fascinated by mountains. Nevada mountains, California mountains, Colorado mountains, you name it. The word 'sculptured' keeps coming to mind. Some mountains are peaked sharply, while others have humps like a camel. There are those with interesting rock formations and so on. If you like to drive as I do, driving is not boring when you have sights to see. Remind me to tell you a story about me and my Australian friend who asked me one day, "Bob, what do you see?"
Rather than barreling down Highway 95 straight into Las Vegas, I took a side trip west (actually south of Indian Springs) and went up into the Spring Mountains. If you're ever in Las Vegas and you want to see something other than neon lights, try the Spring Mountains and its largest formation, Charleston Peak (mentioned earlier).
This area is part of the Toiyabe Forest and is heavily wooded. Before getting up into the mountains, Highway 156 takes you through literally miles of cactus country. Strange stuff, this cactus, growing where you would swear nothing could grow. Then you climb, elevation-wise, into the mountainous area. Grand views on all sides. Dramatic rock formations and a twisting road to lead you through all of it. The temperature dropped to a pleasant 68 degrees because of the higher elevation. Highways 158 and 157 took me back to Highway 95 and then onto Las Vegas.
I checked into my second budget motel and had a delightful swim in their pool. I was glad to see the pool opened for use. The one in Tonopah will not be open until Memorial Day, as is the case with the campgrounds at Spring Mountains. Temperature in Las Vegas was 95 degrees.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so my evening was spent.....that's it, spent! Easy come, easy go. What's a few dollars here or there. If you come to Nevada expecting to win, you probably will be disappointed. But if you come to Nevada to gamble and have fun, then if you lose, you don't mind, and if you win, boy are you happy.
Recently, I had taken Danish friend of my to the Reno airport after his weekend visit with me. To kill some time, I put three quarters into my favorite slot machine and won $625. He thought I should stay retired and simply show up at the airport when I needed more cash. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
But, an evening of fun in Las Vegas, an inexpensive casino meal and taking lots of video and 35mm pictures of 'neon city' is how I spent my evening. Tomorrow, on to Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Valley of Fire and more.
Day 3, Tuesday, May 13, 1997
"What's that?", said Tank, in reference to the music coming out of the Ford Explorer's CD player this morning. After two days of country music, I wanted a change, so it's a bit on the classical side today. "America the beautiful" by the London Festival Orchestra seemed appropriate since Tank and I are touring the U.S.. Later this morning, the CD player should get around to "Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini" played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and "Clair de Lune" with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Tank will have to wait a few days to get back to country music.
The sun was up and the Las Vegas temperature was 73 degrees at 5:30AM. The city always seems to have a dusty haze over it, maybe a Los Angeles type of smog.
Gas was cheaper today, running only $1.49 compared to yesterday's $1.73 in Tonopah. The Ford is dusty dirty with desert road grim, but it will have to wait until Denver before I plan to wash it.
Before leaving the motel, I filled the Igloo ice chest to keep the Budweiser and orange juice cool. It's nice to pull over at a shady rest stop every now and then for some refreshment.
I had barely gotten out of Las Vegas, when I spotted the Clark County Heritage Museum along the Boulder Highway. It wasn't open at that hour however. I was up at 5:30AM, breakfast at 6:30AM and beginning to head for Hoover Dam around 7:00AM when I spotted the museum. But, that's okay. I walked around and saw what I could see outside of the building itself. Interesting, I must say. Obviously, museums have to have old farm machinery and a railroad car or two, but this museum also had a little 'neighborhood' of buildings relocated and preserved on this site. A few homes, a print shop and so on. Neat. A couple of the buildings date back to the 1800's and the rest from the early 1900's.
I saw a number of cottontail rabbits while at the Heritage Museum. I can only assume that they have been spoiled by people leaving food out, or even feeding them. Those furry little critters had best watch out or they may wind up in someone's rabbit stew.
I got to Hoover Dam by 8:00AM and my primary interest was to get good 35mm and video pictures of the dam. I have been here before and had taken the tour to the bottom of the dam. I was able to get some good shots of Lake Mead being held back on the lake side of the dam, and some good shots looking straight down on the output side of the dam. But, because of the tight terrain and just a two lane road to move traffic through the area, there is no pedestrian walkway to enable someone to get a good straight shot from 'down river' looking back up at the dam. I did the best I could however.
I stopped by the National Park Service at the entrance to Lake Mead Recreational Area, bought a number of books and brochures, postcards and my Golden Age Passport. Being over 62, I'm eligible for a $10.00, good for my lifetime, pass to all the national parks. You can't beat that. As for the books and brochures, sure I'm going to see Zion and Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon, but I learned a long time ago that you just cannot absorb and retain it all. Those books will help me remember 'the good times'.
The postcards I bought were for my grandkids and my two sons who have no children. I got into the habit of writing postcards years ago and I'm happy about it. For the grandkids, it's a bit of geography education - where's Grandpa? And for all of them, it shows I care about them, and I do. For this trip, they can expect to get about 100 postcards from all over the country.
Starting this trip in early May has been great. There are really not many tourists out yet, so the roads are lightly travelled, the motels have not been a problem, and getting in and out of tourist attractions has been easy. It probably will get more crowded as we get into June.
I took a look at boats in several of the Lake Mead marinas. I plan to get a ski boat for my family to enjoy beginning next year. I just think the age of my kids and grandkids is right, and water skiing can be good family fun. So, I took advantage of this trip and looked into marinas and such.
My new prescription sun glasses have been great. There has been a lot of sunshine so far and the road glare can really tire you out after a day's driving. The only minor problem I have is remembering to change when I head into a restaurant. Hard to read the menu sometimes. I should also point out, that the sun glasses are polaroid and it actually makes things look better, bringing out the color in the countryside.
Tank likes southern Nevada. Hot, dry, dusty, sandy, etc. All the good things that your average American armadillo would care for. The temperature was up to 91 degrees by 10AM at Hoover Dam. The park rangers at Lake Mead tell me it averages 105 degrees in June-September.
You might think to ask, how is it that I seem to know the temperature here and there. Well, the desert does not have time and temperature signs along the highway. No, the Ford Explorer is a Limited model and if there's some gadget or feature, this car has it. It has an onboard thermometer (outside temperature), compass, onboard computer to provide average gas mileage, gallons left and miles left before a fill up is needed, miles left before an oil change is needed, etc. Add to this, thermostatic climate control, the CD player, leather seats, lumbar adjustments, etc, etc, and this is one nice car to travel in.
Lots of recreational vehicles on the road. You name it, I saw it. Pickups with campers, trailers, RVs of various kinds, extensive motor homes, fifth wheel trailers that can be quite luxurious, and even some boats and cars being pulled behind.
I used Highway 93 to get from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam, but then doubled back and used Highways 166, 167, and 168 to travel across the northwest boundary of Lake Mead. Seeing the variety of mountains makes me think of glaciers, eruptions and so on. I even saw rock today that looks like lava. Tank saw a mountain ridge he thinks looks like the rippled shell of an armadillo. Eyes of the beholder, I think someone once said.
The Valley of Fire is one interesting place. It's worth the trip. Some of you have already been to Las Vegas, but did you ever leave the city to see what's around it? Once I flew in a light plane 'in' the Grand Canyon! What an experience! Well, now I can add to this that I have driven through the Valley of Fire. Sure, Zion and Bryce Canyons, in Utah, have their beauty, but so does Nevada.
While in the Valley of Fire, I took lots of video and 35mm pictures, but the one that came out the best, I think, was moving video footage which I shot from the 'moon roof' on my Explorer. I put the car in gear, opened the roof, positioned the video camera look straight down the road and away we went. I played it back immediately and I love it. Should you visit my home in Sparks, Nevada when I return, be prepared for long video sessions.
Another beauty that caught my eye while in the Valley of Fire were the native desert flowers. I know some of you are going to wonder - flowers?, desert?, Nevada? But yes, I filmed some beautiful white flowers, on bushes that were about 3x3 feet high. Great stuff!
In Overton, Nevada, I stopped to tour the Lost City Museum. It really has a nice collection of Indian artifacts, and an interesting replica of a pueblo village outside. Unfortunately, I will also be visiting Mesa Verde this trip, so the replicas won't be able to compete with the real thing.
I had a restuarant breakfast (which I didn't enjoy) and I stopped at the deli counter in Overton's supermarket for a sandwich. I didn't like that either. Oh well, this is not home, as they say.
It finally dawned on me that for the past three days, I have been seeing cross country bikers. No, not the Harley kind, but rather the 10 and 20 speed kind. Some with elaborate saddlebags to bring along clothes and other gear I'm sure. That takes a special kind of person to pedal across Nevada, given the heat and the hills, much less the highway traffic. Best of luck to them.
I covered a lot of ground easily today, and saw what I came to see. So I continued beyond Overton, where I originally had planned to stay for the night, and aimed for St. George, Utah. Thusfar, I had not driven much on Interstate highways, but I had no choice now. I15 moves along at 75 mph and the scenery is a bit different. First of all, I began to see Joshua cactus again, but not as dense as in the Spring Mountains area.
Before leaving Nevada and entering Arizona, a number of casinos make their last attempt to lure you and your money. They have water from somewhere because the surrounding area is very green. Plush golf courses, neat baseball diamonds, and hotel/casinos with all kinds of landscaping. I should also mention (it surprised me) how rapid the drop in elevation was coming out of Nevada and into Arizona. Watch your speed and check your brakes.
I15 goes through the very northwestern corner of Arizona before it enters Utah, and I15 continues on up to Salt Lake City. The road in Arizona cuts a path (and boy do I mean 'cuts' a path) through something called the Virgin River Gorge. I'm sure they blasted a lot of rock to make this road, because the mountain sides are very steep and the gorge is so narrow at places that the road literally was built on stilts over the river. Wow, what a drive!
The Arizona mountains have a character all their own. What I saw today, I consider to be a prelude to my seeing the Grand Canyon later this week. High buttes, table top mesas, layers of different color rock - enought to drive a geologist wild! Awesome, comes to mind!
With so much red soil and red rock around here, I'm going to have to arrange for my two granddaughters, Marie and Emily, to come down here for visit one day. Both were born with red hair, although now it's tending toward auburn.
Having checked into my third budget motel, I had time to key this part of my diary, and then go for tour of St. George, Utah. Neat town! The motel clerk tells me the population is approaching 40,000. There's a Mormon presence in town, with a temple and tabernacle, plus the winter home of Brigham Young as part of the walking tour of the city center.
Since I'm close to Zion now, tomorrow's driving will be minimal and that should give me lots of time for long hikes in the national park. You'll have that report in tomorrow's diary.
Day 4, Wednesday, May 14, 1997
Here in what is called the 'Color Country' of southwestern Utah, the sun seems to have a special way of bringing out the reds and yellows and greens of the countryside. At dawn, the sky seemed hazy or dusty. By mid-morning, the sunlight clarified the air and the unique colors of the mountains began to stand out. By mid-day, the sun was high and the sharpness of the mountains were profiled against a brilliantly clear blue sky. What a day for sight seeing!
I was up at 5:30 and out the door by 6:00AM. This morning it was multi-grain cereal bars, orange juice and coffee for breakfast, and I was on the road by 6:00AM. Because of driving more than planned yesterday, it put me very close to today's destination, Zion National Park. In just 30 minutes, I was at the entrance of the park at Springdale, Utah.
It wasn't country music, but Tank seemed to like hearing from Jim Croce and his famous recording of "I got a name". The CD player also entertained us with other songs from the 'good old days' like Sonny and Cher's classic "The beat goes on". And for those of you reading my diary and following the 'Yelavich Road', Andrew Gold lets me "Thank you for being a friend".
The miles were short from St. George to Zion Canyon, but the road was not pleasant, not even at 6:00AM. After I went north on I15 for a bit and then turned east on Highway 9, the road turned to no road. At a town called Hurricane, construction has temporarily 'removed' the road and we were literally driving in the dirt. Thank goodness traffic was light at that hour but I couln't help think about the upcoming tourist season, and what impact construction zones all over the country will have this summer.
If you have been to the Zion Canyon, then you know what I'm about to say. If you have not been to Zion, all I can say is that you have to go someday. You can't believe how awesome this place is. I felt so little, so insignificant in God's cathedral of mountains.
Water and gravity, and a million years or so, have carved out one fantastic place. Today, the Virgin River moved along so pleasantly but it appears that in times past, the movement of a lot of water took its toll on the sandstone rock and sculpted the beauty we see today. Majestic. Spectacular. These words come to mind.
The canyon is relatively narrow for the most part and quite narrow at the northern end which is understandably called The Narrows. The height of the surrounding mountains is about 2000 feet from valley floor to the mountain tops. The mountains just don't meander upwards. They go 'straight' up!
On entering the park, one of the sights I took in was something called the Weeping Rock. Imagine being next to a 20 story building which leans slightly over your head, and the building (the rock here) is crying tears all over you. Well, that's how it is. Water finds its way down through the pourous sandstone until it comes to some impervious rock and then finds its way out horizontally, and the rocky mountains appear to be crying tears out of its pores.
I drove the Ford Explorer to the road's end and then hiked to The Narrows. Today I wore my new hiking boots that I bought before the trip and broke in before the trip, and today they really got a workout. Yesterday's song "These boots were made for walking" was fresh in my mind today.
At the end of the trail to The Narrows, if one wants to continue north, the park provides stout walking sticks for those who want to wade across the Virgin River and continue walking north on the other side. I took off my boots and socks and strapped my video and 35mm cameras, plus my boots around my neck. The Virgin River was cold and the river bed covered with mossy river rocks. I abandoned my trek because I didn't want to risk damage to my cameras, or me.
I met a delightful couple along the way. Bill and Marion Certain, from Huntsville, Alabama were here for a second visit. Being married for over 50 years, Zion is their mutual favorite vacation spot. Marion recently had both knees replaced but it didn't seem to slow her down. I'm 63 and in pretty good physical condition. I hope I can do as well as they did today, hiking around the park.
And speaking of hiking, here's the part about my boots getting a workout. One of the major trails here at Zion is a 2.5 mile hike 'up' to a place called the Angel's Landing. 2.5 miles doesn't sound like much, but you rise 1500 feet in elevation in those 2.5 miles. If you're not physically fit, don't try it!
I saw all kinds of hikers today. The experienced ones with telescopic walking sticks, sweat bands, fanny-packs, water bottles, the whole bit. And then there were the novices; those that really didn't seem to understand what they were getting into.
As my Australian friend would say, "Bob, what do you see"? Well, tromping up the path to the top of Angel's Landing and the western rim of the Zion Canyon, I saw a lot of nature. I saw spiders, grasshoppers, beatles, ground squirrels, chipmonks, birds, butterflies, lizards, crickets, and who knows what else. Fascinating!
And the flora is a delight. Yellow, white, red, lavender, gold, pink, purple - all kinds of flowers in springtime bloom, each showing off their color. A special treat for the springtime visitor to Zion is the prickly pear cactus, each showing one or two blooms.
It's a good thing there was such a variety of sights to enjoy because the tromp up and up the trail was not fun. Not yet anyway. The trail is well maintained by the park service and where appropriate the trail was covered with cement or tarmac, the surface of either made rough on purpose to give the hiker (climber) good foot traction. We're talking steep here!
Imagine, if you can, that you're climbing this narrow trail, headed towards a gap between two very steep mountains, thinking that's the top of the trail. Sorry, that's sort of the intermediate station. From there you have another mile or so, but boy is it gorgeous! You just have to experience it. Words cannot give you the thrill of seeing these huge mountains, with all their color giving you a sight to behold!
But onward and onward to the top. The highlight of my day was getting to Angel's Landing and being able to look 'straight down' to the valley floor, where earlier this morning I was looking straight up.
I took a lot of 35mm pictures and many minutes of video. Coming back down the trail, I just turned on the video camera and had it going the whole way. I didn't try this going up and that would have been tough anyway. Coming down is a lot easier, with the one exception being getting rubbery legs. I narrated the video tape with things I wanted to remember about the climb.
I said hello or 'hi' to everyone I met along the trail. Some were surprised and didn't respond. Most did return a greeting. There seemed to be a lot of foreign visitors today, who didn't respond easily. But that's okay. I have been a foreign visitor too in the many countries IBM enabled me to visit during my working career.
My toes pinched in my new boots. That's not a criticism of my boots but a comment about the steepness of the trail. It was good to finally get to the valley floor and a nice cool Budweiser from my Igloo ice chest.
I drove around the valley floor and stopped at almost all the photo sites. I shot quite a bit of film today, and of course I'll be anxious to see how it all turns out when I return home.
I checked into my motel in Springdale, which is just outside the entrance to the park. My second floor room has a balcony which gives me a direct view of Mount Kinesava, a dramatic 'high rise' of a mountain, with all of its unique color. Had I gotten a room on the back side of the motel, I would have been looking directly at a mountain called the South Watchman. Not your ordinary scenery.
After lunch and a deserved afternoon (recovery) nap, I was back in the park, doing what I did yesterday at Nevada's Valley of Fire. There is so much to see and take in at these places, I'm going to make it a habit of just opening the moon roof on my Ford, poke the video camera out the top, turn it on and just record minutes of driving through the area. What a way to remember this place.
Tomorrow? Bryce Canyon is just a hour or so northeast of here, and with minimal driving time, I should have most of the day for sightseeing and hiking. I like the way this trip is going.
Day 5, Thursday, May 15, 1997
Today's objective was to visit Bryce Canyon National Park, and boy what an experience that is. Pictures just don't tell the story. You have to be there, to see it, and look again and again. There is so much, you just cannot absorb it all and comprehend what it is that you're looking at. But, I gave it my best shot.
Zion and Bryce Canyons have much in common but oh, are they different. At Zion, you are awed with the very vertical and very high mountains, and the narrowness of the canyon. At Bryce, you see the same generic elements (sandstone, water erosion over time, gravity, etc) but instead of the huge mountains, you are confronted with miles of towering spires, pinnacles, monoliths. Unbelievable!
I was up early, another orange juice, cereal bars and coffee breakfast so as to be on the road early enough to be at Bryce at dawn. Well, good intentions, but the sun didn't cooperate. It was up before I got there.
In preparation for my 'See the USA' trip, I used a number of publications as reference. One of the National Georgraphic books was devoted to national parks and the suggestion it offered for beginning a morning's tour at Bryce Point was good advice. The angle of the sun made photography a pleasure. Over the shoulder light, sharp contrast among the red sandstone and other hills. Great stuff!
Getting to Bryce was interesting. I chose to stay in Springdale, Utah for two nights, and it is at the south entrance to Zion National Park. To get to Bryce, I drove east, through two tunnels in the giagantic mountains around here and then north to Bryce. Well, I knew I had to pass through some tunnels, but on reaching the first, I misread the sign and thought it would 11 'miles' long!! So, I missed a decimal point, so what? I was actually 1.1 miles long.
The tunnel was built in 1930 so it's narrow and has no lighting. When it was constructed (drilled?), they also cut some large holes laterally outside the mountain so as to provide some ventilation for the long tunnel. Interesting.
It crossed my mind as I drove up the mountain and through the tunnel (to Bryce, not grandma's house), that thank goodness I'm driving a late model car with only 12,000 miles on it. The condition of one's car can make a substantial difference for this kind of trip.
The condition of the driver is important too. If you don't like steep mountain roads, very sharp drop offs, hairpin turns, narrow roads, etc, then I guess you had best find another vacation spot.
I was at Bryce Canyon by 7:00AM and first went to Bryce Point for picture taking. Parking was easy and the short trail to the observation point was 'a piece of cake'. Next I drove to Inspiration Point and that observation point was not a piece of cake. Even before I took the Navajo Trail down into the canyon floor, the very steep climb to Inspiration Point got my heart going and my lungs filled with 55 degree morning air. But the view was great and the pictures should be great too.
At Sunset Point, I knew from the National Geographic guide book that it was the start of the Navajo Trail. Very quickly, the hiker descends into the canyon and among the very unusual spires of sandstone. The guidebooks will tell you all the details, give the names of the more significant rock formations, and even tell you some of the Indian legends associated with some formations. But what you come away with is the beauty of it all - the sheer, and grand beauty of it all.
I thoroughly enjoyed the hike. I met a lot of hikers along the way, many of which were foreign visitors to the park. Most were pleasant but some apparently are not aware of common American courtesies. I hope I'm a better visitor to their country.
Like the trail to Angel's Landing at Zion yesterday, the Navajo Trail at Bryce is not for the faint of heart. Your heart, lungs and feet had better be in good condition. There are many things that can make your hike pleasant such as a walking stick, a water bottle, hat, sweat bands, good hiking boots, and even things like sun screen lotion. I'm building up a good suntan in just a few days of touring already.
The CD player was loaded with a mixture today. Tank like listening to Kenny Rogers sing "Rueben Jones" (I did that just to cater to his country music liking). "Amazing Grace" by Judy Collins seemed somehow appropriate since I was seeing so many 'amazing' things these days. Tank thought the song "Me and You and a dog named Boo" should somehow be changed to mention an armadillo. I didn't think so.
I should tell you, Tank comes up with the darndest ideas. With me stopping here and there to tour this and that, Tank spends a lot of time in the car by himself. He thought I should ask if the park had 'day care' so he might enjoy spending time with local chipmunks and such. I ignored his request.
The temperature by 10:00AM was getting to the 72 degree mark and climbed to the 80's, depending on just where I was. Enroute back to Springdale and my motel, I stopped to see the Red Canyon, and took a few pictures of the road literally going through several red rock archways. It reminded me of other parks I have visited such as those where the road might go straight through a giant redwood tree. There is so much to see and do in these United States.
I mentioned the tunnel going through the mountains to get from Zion to the eastern side of the park, but I didn't mention that those tunnels have substantial restrictions as to the vehicles they can accomodate. If your RV or motorhome is over a certain length, you have to be escorted through the tunnel, for a cost of $10.00. The reason for this is that inside the tunnel are a number of curves and with the lanes being so narrow (remember, it was built in 1930), a longer vehicle cannot safely pass another vehicle. My Ford Explorer posed no such problem for me.
I shot a lot of film today. In a manner of speaking, forget about my arbitrary budget for motel/gas/meals. I have shot eight rolls of 36 exposure film in just five days, so I wonder just how much I'll wind up with at the end of this trip. But, as my friend Hank Drews once told me, "film is cheap".
Coming back to my motel, I took time to sight see on the eastern side of Zion and it was just as fabulous as the park's central attractions.
I replenished my ice chest and its contents (Bud). I bought some slides of both Bryce and Zion, to complement those that I took. Having climbed to Angel's Landing yesterday, I bought a terrific poster of the mountain, and it will be framed and hung at home on my return.
There was a laundry just down the street, so it was convenient for me to tend to that and my first five days of dirty clothes. Last night I had chinese food, so tonight I will look for something like pizza or maybe a good hamburger. In St.George, I ate supper at a buffet and it was great.
Tomorrow? Grand Canyon North Rim, here I come!
Day 6, Friday, May 16, 1997
Up early, what else? It's a breezy morning, temperature 66 degrees. I'm off to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon today, but first a stop at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, a Utah State Park.
The sand is really a very, very fine red sand. Red sandstone mountains are all over the place so there's no shortage of red sand. Mother Nature has done a fine (pardon the pun) job again, by blowing the wind in such a way so as to create sand dunes as good as the Sahara Desert.
The sandstone is used effectively around here, for instance, cut blocks of stone are used to build walls, guard rails for mountain roads, and the facing on a number of bridges. It is very attractive looking, and it reminds me of a similar use of native, local stone, such as the Cotswolds in the west midlands of England. Now there's a place to visit for villages where the residents really know how to put in a flower garden!
I paid a $3.00 park fee via the honor system to use the park. I even let Tank play in the sand dunes. He loved it! Most campers at this park had dune buggies or quads to drive among the dunes. There were tracks all over the place.
The park is about 50 miles southeast of Zion, so it was on the way to the Grand Canyon. Before I left Utah, I stopped to take still more pictures of the landscape. I have taught myself, that if I'm driving and I see something I really liked, I should stop and take a picture. I did that yesterday for a 'real' log cabin. And today, I spotted a little mountain pool nestled up against (you guessed it) a red sandstone mountain. It was the reflection of the mountain in the pool that caught my eye. Beauty in the morning.
My visit to the sand dunes really collected a lot of sand in my sneakers. I thought I got rid of it all when I next stopped for gas, but here I am tonight still pounding sand out of my shoes. And, would you believe, this sand is soooooo fine, it permeated my socks. Just wait until I do laundry the next time.
I stop for coffee along the way, then buy some gas, some postcards for the grandkids, anything to break up the drive. I do like to drive but there are things anyone can do to make a drive more pleasant. Stop at least once an hour or every one hundred miles. Do it for your own good.
The CD player filled the Ford Explorer today, with music complementary to the surrounding countryside. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang "This land is your land, this land is my land" while the Fred Waring chorus caroled "This is my country". The Vocal Majority, an all male barber shop chorus, from Dallas Texas, paid tribute with "God bless America". My good friend, Charlie Lyman, has been singing with the national champion, Vocal Majority, for years.
It seemed that just as I left Utah, the terrain 'flattened' out. No more majestic mountains but rather sweeping plains of sage brush, with table mesa hills on the horizon. Just south of Jacob Lake, Arizona, I enter the Kaibab National Forest which stretch all the way to the Grand Canyon. A hillside vista at 6000 feet enabled me to stop and photograph the area.
For 30 miles from Jacob Lake to the Grand Canyon, the road was lined with tall trees. Like sentinels, or an honor guard, making you aware that you were entering something special, the Grand Canyon area. The trees included tall pines, spruce and lots of birch. Meadows began to appear along side the road.
Under some of the trees, winter snow was still visible. I did not realize it, but the north side of the Grand Canyon did not open until May 15th. What luck, on my part to make reservations for May 16th. In the meadows, there were many pools of water, the last bit of snow creating these fresh spring mirrors to the sky.
Along the road, I began to notice license plates, and I think I will conduct a study later to see how many different states are represented with visitors to the park. In one brief look, I spotted Texas, Ontario (Canada), Massachusetts, Florida and more.
As I entered the Grand Canyon park entrance, I noticed the daily fee per vehicle as $20.00. It made me even more glad that I bought the Golden Age Passport for people over 62. In three days, I have visited three parks and that would have been $60.00 by now. Plus, I will be visiting the south rim, Mesa Verde and a number of other national parks before this trip is over.
Another thing to take notice of at the park entrance was the sign noting that all campgrounds were full! If you want to visit a national park, make your reservations early!
Finally, I have arrived at the park. What can I say? It is simply GRAND, as in Grand Canyon. It would have to be a pretty bad weather day to prevent you from having tremendous views from just about anywhere. For my visit to the northern rim, I made sure I saw the canyon from Bright Angel Point, Point Imperial and Cape Royal. I can't tell you how much video footage and 35mm slide pictures I took today. Marvelous!
The northern rim of the Grand Canyon is less visited than the southern rim. I'm staying at the Lodge and here it is full. At some of the vistas and trails I went to today, traffic was light and some locations did not have many cars and people. That was fine with me.
I bought more books and brochures, and maps and trail guides, to help me remember my visit. There is so much to see and enjoy here. I saw deer come within 20 yards while I was walking on one trail. On the road to Point Imperial, I just loved seeing the birch trees pushing out their yellowish-green leaves that sparkled in the spring sunlight.
National parks tend to be 'price performers'. That is, many things are reasonably priced. For lunch, I had two huge pieces of Supreme Pizza and a drink for under $4.00. Somewhere else probably would have charged much more. Tonight, I'm booked into the Lodge dining room, and I'm looking forward to a good meal there.
Tomorrow I will visit the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. I saw it today, albeit ten miles across the canyon and the Colorado River. I'm asking myself, how can the southern rim show more than I have seen today. Well, being someone who enjoys photography, the sun will be over my shoulder so maybe I will have some advantage there. Better stock up on more film.
By the way, even though it's only ten miles across the canyon, it will take me 200 miles, north/east/south and then west to get there. This canyon is one big place, and you should come see it some time.
Tomorrow then......
Day 7, Saturday, May 17, 1997
Before I tell about today's experiences, I really have to complete my diary for last night. Dinner was delicious at the Grand Canyon Lodge. A New York steak, baked potato, salad and several glasses of cabernet - as good as anywhere. And the evening in my log cabin was made pleasant by the cool mountain air, just right for sleeping.
My log cabin is really made out of logs, but it does have a bath. No TV here, but telephones, yes, after you speak to the front desk to get it activated (once they know your credit card number). The lighting in the cabin is minimal so don't expect to do much that might require bright lighting.
Yesterday's touring and some hiking really tired me out. It's a good thing I did not try one of the more strenuous hikes. The Bright Angel Trail allows you to hike from one side of the canyon to the other. But do realize what you're in for. It's recommended that you take 2-3 days to do this, and that's for a one way trip. The elevation from the top of the canyon to the bottom (and obviously back up again) is about 4000 feet. That's almost a mile deep, and you get to do it twice. For a longer stay here, many people book a place on one of the mule pack rides to the bottom of the canyon. Next time.
In planning for this trip, one of the items I thought I might need, and I did, was insect repellent (Off). The flies can be annoying and the spray keeps them away.
Today, Saturday, I was up early, checked out of my cabin and could have gotten on the road immediately, but instead I waited for the sunrise, to see its effect when casting its rays on the contours of the Grand Canyon. It was worth the wait. Needless to say, more pictures and video footage.
While I waited for the sun to reach a good position for some picture taking, once again I found myself looking at the plant life and being amazed how plants can grow directly out of the rock (or so it seems). The wind blows a bit of dust here and there, plus some seeds, or maybe a bird carries a seed, and before you know it, some new plant life springs up in an otherwise impossible place. Interesting, thing, nature.
Yesterday I saw one deer. Today, I saw deer, deer and more deer! Two were right at the Lodge, looking for food. Others were in the meadows along the road leading out of the park. As always, you have to use a lot of caution, because they can run right in front of your car and boy will you have a mess. One of the deer I saw wore a a collar, put on by the Fish and Game people, for tracking, I assume. All the deer I saw today were does.
The temperature seems to vary quite a bit in this area. It was 41 degrees at the park as I left, but it dropped to 36 degrees on the highway. By 7:00AM it was 53 degrees, 75 degrees at Marble Canyon and 82 degrees when I finally reached the Grand Canyon south rim.
The cost of gas hit a high this morning when I filled up. It was $1.799 per gallon. When I stopped for gas, Tank had a complaint - no, actually it was a request. He didn't think I cleaned the bugs off the windshield well enough, and it blocks his vision (remember, he rides on top of the dash board). So, I scrubbed a bit harder this morning.
The Kaibab National Forest runs for 30 miles north of the park, and who knows how many miles east to west. It is one huge forest. You just can't appreciate something like that by just looking at a map. Once I got to Jacobs Lake and turned east to begin circumventing the valley, I descended rapidly - 7000, 6000, 5000, 4000, and finally stay around 3000 feet above sea level as I drove south on Route 89.
Gone were the tall trees of the forest, and the landscape open up to where you can see for miles. Along the edge of the road, I noticed a grass, about eight inches high, where the bottom was green, but the top was 'pink'. "Bob, what do you see?".
At Marble Canyon, I crossed the Colorado River. A relative new steel bridge spans the river and its gorge which I guess to be several hundred feet at that point. The many miles along Route 89 were different than covering similar miles in the Nevada desert. No mines here, no small towns, whether new or old. This is Navajo country and maybe there is something about land distribution, but houses just seemed to be scattered here and there.
The speed limit for much of northwestern Arizona has been 55 mph. In seven days, and 1300 miles, I have only been on the Interstate for less than 100 miles. Another thing about Arizona is that it advocates driving with your lights on during the day, for safety reasons, and have signs to encourage you to do this.
In Navajo country, I don't think you can go a mile before you see another roadside stand with people selling arts and crafts. I stopped at several, and they all seem to look alike in the kind of thing they sell.
I stopped at a vista for the Little Colorado Gorge, but it in no way compared to see the 'real' gorge once I got to the Grand Canyon South Rim. Approaching the park from the east is not as picturesque as coming in from the north. The desert is pretty barren and not until you're in the park, after Moran Point, do you finally see the tall trees. But, not as many as on the north rim.
I stopped at Desert View, climbed the watchtower, and did tourist things (pictures, souveniers, etc). There are soooooo many views of the Grand Canyon, I'm going to have a devil of a time labelling all my slides when I get home. I have bought books, brochures and maps, and hopefully have kept track of where and when I was at various places, so I can sort it all out in the end. I can't memorize the names of all the things I see, so I rely on collecting reference material.
I visited Navajo Point, Lipan Point, the Tusayan Ruins, Moran Point, Grandview Point, and on and on. The ruins are the remains of where the Hopi Indians lived and farmed. They lived in one and two story pueblo structures (condos of the day) and also built rock ceremonial structures.
The south rim of the park is crowded. Many more people than the north side. I guess I have formed a personal opinion already, that if I could only visit one side of the park, I would choose the north rim. Much more pleasant. The south side has considerable traffic, construction and just doesn't project a relaxed atmosphere. I had a mix up at the Maswik Lodge, where I was supposed to stay, so I took advantage of that, and after spending the day at the park, I drove south to Flagstaff to spend the night.
The views from the south rim are certainly different than those of the north rim. But it's all colossal! The sun was over my shoulder, me looking north, and the sun coming from the south. That should help with color and contrast in my photos.
I had considered taking a helicopter ride to see the canyons, but the $89.00 for a 25 minute ride or $139 for a 45 mide ride, didn't seem worth it. On a prior visit to the canyon, I literally flew below the rim of the canyon and took maybe the best pictures of my amatuer life.
A pesky rain came and went all afternoon, including lightning in the evening as I drove to Flagstaff. But it didn't amount to anything really. The weather has been quite good. My face, neck and arms are getting redder and redder, or tanned in the end. My gray hair is turning white almost.
I used highways 64 and 180 from the park to Flagstaff. Route 180 is a very, very pleasant drive. Miles of trees, mostly pine, but to my surprise a lot of birch. And like the park, the leaves on the birch trees are just coming out, and showing their yellowish-green color. Beautiful.
Along Route 180, I also saw orange-colored flowers along side the road. Isn't nature grand? What a paint brush! "Bob, what do you see?".
The forest northwest of Flagstaff is called Coconino. I like the sound of that. There are moutains in the area, Humphreys Peak being the highest at over 12,000 feet. It still has some snow on the north side. People can ski here at a place called the Snowbowl.
A new Cracker Barrel restaurant opened near the motel where I'm staying so that was my place for supper tonight. My waitress was super and made my evening meal a delight. As I sat down, she was giving/getting hugs from some customers, and when she waited on me, I asked whether all customers got hugs. She gave me one!
The CD player belted out show tunes today, such as "Oklahoma" (from Oklahoma), "Something's comin'" (from West Side Story) and "If I were a rich man" (from Fiddler on the Roof). Tomorrow's another day, another selection of music for the miles.
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