After New York and The Galapagos we have enjoyed the pleasures of several weeks of Alberta winter, some skiing, some hiking, some shoveling snow. Fun activities but the short days and the lack of much sun gets wearying. The thought of some time in the warm sunshine,a few spring training ball games along with desert hiking and biking was too great a temptation to resist.
With the van loaded, we head south on February 27, an overnight stop at Payne Lake cabin sets us up for the long drive south to the sun. Good weather and good road conditions were experienced through Montana, Idaho and Utah, more snow on ground after Monida Pass, but no road issues. Interesting that highway maintenance place a liquid de-icer on roads from a sprayer truck. Seemed very effective, never seen it in Canada? We reached the south end of Salt Lake City around dark and spent the night at a Wal*Mart parking lot at American Fork, the trucker that parked next to us around midnight and left the engine idle all night long remains low on my list of considerate folks.... We rise early to avoid morning traffic.
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| Red Rocks: Artist on duty |
The drive south is fast, speed limits are 80 mph for a lot of I-15 south of SLC, delicious coffee can be had at the Grind House on main street in Cedar City. A quick stop at the car wash ($2 gets you 5 minutes) to get winter off the van. The snow on the peaks and roadsides disappear south of Cedar City and by the time we get to St. George it is sunny and temperatures are very warm. I expect St.George would be a good place to spend some time.... but not this time so we head toward Nevada. Minutes west of Las Vegas there is an interesting federal park area called Red Rocks. Rock climbing is very popular as well as hiking and hanging out.
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We drive the loop road from the visitors center and get out for a couple short walks to see 1000 year old graffiti and enjoy the warmth and beauty of the desert landscape. There is an excellent Park camp ground a couple miles from the Visitors center that remarkably has a great starshow even with Las Vegas only 20 miles away.... Another place that deserves a future visit with a bit more time.
On the road again in morning, we muddle our way across Las Vegas to get on US-93 and head south to Arizona. The new bridge spanning the Colorado River Gorge downstream of Hoover Dam/Lake Mead is open and US-93 is now a 4 lane highway all the way to I-40. A remarkable structure, worth watching the extreme engineering TV documentary. Americans build very good roads....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMyTRiw8Ens
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| Willie at Blue Water |
Our first destination for the day was Blue Water resort near Parker Arizona to take in a Willie Nelson concert in the afternoon. To get there we pass by Lake Havasu, a resort town on yet another Colorado River reservoir. A less than thorough inspection while driving by did not create any interest in further visits... Lake Havasu is home to the former London Bridge, moved there in the 1960's to attract potential real estate buyers to come and look at vacation property.... apparently it was successful. Onward to Parker.... Yes, Willie starts playing there at 4PM, I think he could start later but the crowd needed to be back to the assisted living facilities by 6PM to get their meds etc.... Its a sunny and warm afternoon, the concert venue is outside with the Colorado River as a backdrop, we bring the average age down a few notches... the crowd is estimated at 4000, with no doubt a combined 250,000+ years of life experience. Willie is still a great performer and masterful guitar player, he plays his hits and we duck out a bit early to avoid the nightmare of 4000 elderly drivers exiting a parking lot at one time. We are headed for the Mexican/US border area to camp for the night.
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| Organ Pipe Cactus Campground |
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| Mexico/US Border: leave your guns in the US, keep Mexico safe |
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is located in southern Arizona on the Mexican/US border near Lukeville/Sonoyta. A lovely desert landscape that is home to the majority of Organ Pipe Cactus that grow in the US. Apparently they are common in the Mexico Sonora desert but don't like the frost that is common north of the border. We rode our bikes in the morning from the campground to the border, very pleasant ride on good pavement, not a lot of traffic. Lukeville is little more than a gas station, motel and border crossing. We didn't bother to cross to Sonoyta, they don't allow guns there so likely not safe....
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| HoHoKum Park Mesa |
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| No Dress Code Unfortunately |
From the border we head north to Mesa for a few days visit with Elaine's brother Gerry and his wife Sandy. Its baseball spring training and the boys of summer are honing their skills at various venues in the Phoenix area. We take in a couple games, (even saw Chicago vs Chicago!) very fun, just like at Boston's Fenway, only a baseball game is happening, no need for other entertainment crap that the marketers seem to think has to happen at sports events....... and there are fans there that actually seem interested in the game and their favourite team.... The beer was cold, the dogs were delicious... very much worth a visit.
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| Passionate Fans |
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| Weavers Needle |
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| Peralta Canyon |
A couple runs, a bike ride, some time at the pool... very pleasant environment at Mesa .... couldn't find the usual excuses of cold or snow or wind or laziness to avoid getting out.... Went on a excellent hike in the Superstition Mountains east of Mesa. The Peralta Trail is a 5+ mile walk up Peralta Canyon to Fremont Saddle where you obtain excellent views of Weavers Needle and surrounding area. You can return as you came, down the valley, or with coaxing can be convinced to return via Cave trail along the ridge north of Peralta Canyon. The Cave trail is a fun return trip, mostly on open ridge top with fine views throughout. A bit tricky, but many cairns mark the way and with a few backtracks we find the car where we left it, time well wasted, and the beer at Racks Sports bar in Gold Canyon was particularly thirst quenching.
It is a road trip after all so have a few more things to do and places to see before heading back to the Great White North. We leave Mesa after 5 days, (a rain storm makes it a bit easier) and head to La Quinta, California for a couple days to visit with my sister Bev.
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| Galleta Meadows Sculptures at Borrego Springs Ca. |
Four hours on the I-10 from Mesa and you are in the Coachella Valley, another land of sun and desert and golf courses. Lots of stuff to do in the Coachella Valley, many bike lanes on the roads, a 2 weekend music festival every April, lots of hiking nearby including Cactus to Clouds at San Jacinta, and I suppose golf if one knew how to play.
The highlight at La Quinta was the maybe 1 hour each way drive out past the Salton Sea and on to Borrego Springs to see an interesting collection of outdoor sculpture art.
A local philanthropist, Dennis Avery, land owner of Galleta Meadows Estates, commissioned artist Ricardo Breceda to create some 128 welded steel sculptures of an eclectic collection of life size dinosaurs, extinct mammals, farm workers giant insects and other things. He had them placed on his Galleta estates, where visitors are encouraged to wander out, drive around and observe. Mr. Avery is no longer with us but the realization of his dream leaves an interesting legacy. At least one of the sculptures had been vandalized so hopefully the legacy included maintenance costs....More on the artist at this link ... http://ricardoabreceda.com/
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| Looking off into the future |
From La Quinta we head back to Arizona. First stop is Flagstaff to pickup 75 feet of #4 electrical cable to complete material acquisition for an upcoming solar panel project at the cabin. Flagstaff suffered a bit more from the Friday rains than Phoenix area, apparently a foot of snow fell there while it rained in the south. Much snow was still on the ground Monday afternoon.... Cable in hand we head north on US-89 for Kanab, Utah for some desert hiking and sight seeing. South of Page Az. US-89 has collapsed and is closed for extensive repair. We detour on US-89A past Grand Canyon North entrance. The North Rim service road is closed still due to winter snow, but US-89A is plowed and traverses over a beautiful forested 8000 ft plateau before plunging down toward Kanab. We have been to Kanab before and had enjoyed a great meal at the Rocking V restaurant. The Tex/Mex place is closer to our camping spot but we decide for the Rocking V. A good thing since it was closed the next 2 days. A great place with good service and decent food.
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| Toadstool Hoodoos |
Kanab is the gateway to Coyote Buttes and many other interesting places in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. We are interested in seeing The Wave at North Coyote Butte in Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.. The Wave is an area of swirling colourful sandstone rock formations, very photogenic and close to a 2 wheel drive road. A permit is required to visit The Wave and only 20 a day are issued. 10 permits can be obtained via online lottery 3 months in advance and 10 in person at Kanab Grand Staircase Visitors Center. The probability of success online is very low as upwards of 300 people apply for each day (around 100 groups). This is an excellent revenue source for the US BLM however as there is a $5 US charge for each application on top of the $7 per
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| Upper Antelope Canyon |
person fee if you are successful.
One of the BLM staff told us that all spaces will likely be lottery soon and the in person permits will be history. Figuring that chances were better in person we arrive with optimism before 8:30 to place our application. Another 76 people apparently had a similar plan. We are not lucky at this draw, but decide to get a permit for the next day at Coyote Butte South, a similar geological attraction a few miles south of the Wave. The South Butte requires a 4x4 or to walk the 2.5 miles of sandy road to the access. This lottery is less popular, only 5 others are also interested in the South Coyote permits that morning, the Ranger tries to make it exciting suggesting a large bus will arrive soon with more eager permit seekers but it is only fantasy and we all get permits.
It being only 10:00 we still have most of the day to find other adventures. We book a 3:30 appointment to tour Upper Antelope Canyon and head toward Page Az. Along the way we stop and do a short walk around some free standing hoodoo like structures called the Toadstool. Another area of cool desert landscapes and water/wind carved rock features. We also try to visit White Rocks north of Church Wells but after a false start on a dead end road we find ourselves in a pasture near the river on a sketchy dirt road with no obvious "White Rocks" in sight. We decide to get better directions and return another time.
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| Swirling sandstone layers Antelope Canyon |
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| Upper Antelope Canyon |
We pass over the Glen Canyon Dam, another restriction of the Colorado River creating much hydro power and the massive recreational Lake Powell behind it. We arrive at Page and find the Antelope Canyon staging place, there are four or five pickup truck loads of excited tourists waiting to be driven in the back of a pickup truck to the Canyon site a few miles Southeast of town. Antelope Canyon tours are run by the Navajo Indians whose land the canyon resides on. Seems to be a pretty good business.
We pass a massive coal fired power plant on the way, there really is an economy in this part of the world. Once off the pavement we see why they have the big decked out 4x4's to take us in. We endure a couple of miles of washboard and sand before getting to the entrance to the Canyon. The Canyon does not disappoint, it's a magical water carved rock formation approximately 200 m long and 40 m high. Our guide is very knowledgeable about photographing the Canyon and makes great effort to allow us to get cool photos whether we have a handheld or big SLR camera. We spend over an hour working our way from one end to the other with our guide pointing out photo ops and regaling us with tales of the Canyon. We are the last group of the day and linger a bit longer as no pressure to herd in the next group of experience seekers. An excellent guided experience, truly time well spent.
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| Coyote Butte South |
We drive back to Kanab for another night at the local RV campground and another chance for the Wave lottery in the morning. Tonight we try the Tex\/Mex place and make a note to avoid another time, a busy place but somewhat undeservedly so....
We are up early to break camp and try the lotto again before we head for the South Coyote Buttes. The parking lot at the visitor center said it all, not even a parking space left today, way more permit seekers than yesterday. Some 130 people chasing the 10 permits, again we leave empty handed.
We drive the 40 miles of pavement on US-89 to the House Rock road then 10 miles of that crappy road to the Az/Ut border, then magically the road has been graded and the remaining 7 miles in Arizona to the parking area are on excellent dirt road. Different priorities and budgets in Arizona than Utah I guess. From the parking area its about a 2.5 mile walk on a 4x4 road to the edge of the South Coyote Buttes permit area. No established trails after that, just wander aimlessly as the Ranger suggested. It's easy walking in open desert area with expansive views of the surroundings.
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| Not quite "The Wave" but very fine indeed... |
Surreal landscapes are everywhere, an exceptional area to wander around. We spend a couple hours enjoying the warm weather and amazing rock formations, then make our way back to the van. We decide that given the road condition in Arizona we will drive south and intersect with US-89A and head back to Kanab that way, with a couple road pops to help with the dust we head south, the road is excellent all the way to the US-89A pavement. If starting at Kanab this is a far better way to get to the South Buttes.
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| Peekaboo Canyon Entrance |
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| Peekaboo Arches |
It's mid afternoon and still lots of daylight left. We gas up in Kanab and head for Escalante. There is very little traffic on US-89 and US-12, we are in Escalante by 7:00PM. The pizza at Escalante Outfitters is delicious as is the nearly beer. We camp in the van in Outfitters parking lot after the "Horse People" breakup their meeting behind the building. Good facilities for camping and Cabins also. Coffee in the morning and we are off to Hole in the Rock road to find Peekaboo and Spooky canyons.
Peekaboo and Spooky are slot canyons in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument. Highly rated as area attractions they seemed worthy of a visit prior to heading back north. Always hard to judge the difficulty of activities from others descriptions, but one guy online said he took his baby in a baby pack, how hard can it be? What can go wrong? Anyway, we follow a trail of massive cairns like a giant trail of bread crumbs and descend into the wash and soon find the entrance to Peekaboo Canyon. Someone has carved foot holds in the sandstone to ease in entry, but it is still a 20 foot climb so not trivial.
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| Peekaboo! |
Elaine experiences some difficulty and gets stalled in the middle of the pitch. Fortunately a young lady passes by and offers up enough verbal encouragement to allow Elaine to overcome the obstacle with the help of my jacket as an ersatz rope. We are in the canyon now, difficulties behind and can enjoy wandering through the twisted narrow sandstone passage way. The canyon is maybe 1/2 a mile long and narrows in places to a couple feet. The canyon ends soon enough and we head across the desert to Spooky.
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| Spooky Canyon Entrance |
Spooky Canyon turns out to have more difficulty, we encounter a sketchy downclimb about 1/3 of the way and decide to retrace our steps. We exit and follow the canyon from above and get down to the wash on other side by adjacent valley. We decide to go in from other end and meet a couple coming out who do pretty much what we did and bypass going the other way.
Further up the canyon I encounter a boy and a dog hanging around by 3 packs, apparently his parents were ahead. I continue on and the canyon narrows to maybe 1 foot wide in places, wouldn't be a good place for a traffic jam. I get to just below where we turned back and the other folks are ahead so call it good and head out...
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| Very Spooky and Tight |
I meet the dog again wandering around, the boy chasing him, I guess they didn't read the sign at the trail head that said the trip was not suitable for dogs.... Anyway, a cool canyon experience, a length of rope would be an asset.We find our way back to the van following the bread crumb cairns, only 18 hours in the Escalante area, but action packed and fun. We set our sites on home.
A couple days drive, a crappy La Quinta hotel at Layton, north of Salt Lake City and a decent Comfort Inn at Helena and we are heading home. But wait, the Scotsman in me has me getting new tires for the van at Helena.... 2/3 of Canadian cost, its expensive to be Canadian (you can quote me on that) and sometimes you have to grab opportunities.
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| Tiny Pump Jacks at Oilmont |
Closing in on Canada we stop for a delightful lunch at the Four Corners Bar at Oilmont Montana, just 20 miles south of Sweetgrass/Coutts border crossing. This very cool establishment is a cash only casino/bar/restaurant where a sign on the wall warns us that sexual harassment will not be reported but will be rated and where you can get a T-shirt proclaiming Earth First (Will drill other planets later), yes I have one....And the food is good too. It's a fitting launching point back to Alberta and an end to a 16 day action packed vacation... 4700 road miles, lots of fun and many interesting adventures.... we look forward to visiting the desert again soon......
It is a road trip after all so have a few more things to do and places to see before heading back to the Great White North. We leave Mesa after 5 days, (a rain storm makes it a bit easier) and head to La Quinta, California for a couple days to visit with my sister Bev.
The highlight at La Quinta was the maybe 1 hour each way drive out past the Salton Sea and on to Borrego Springs to see an interesting collection of outdoor sculpture art.
A local philanthropist, Dennis Avery, land owner of Galleta Meadows Estates, commissioned artist Ricardo Breceda to create some 128 welded steel sculptures of an eclectic collection of life size dinosaurs, extinct mammals, farm workers giant insects and other things. He had them placed on his Galleta estates, where visitors are encouraged to wander out, drive around and observe. Mr. Avery is no longer with us but the realization of his dream leaves an interesting legacy. At least one of the sculptures had been vandalized so hopefully the legacy included maintenance costs....More on the artist at this link ... http://ricardoabreceda.com/
One of the BLM staff told us that all spaces will likely be lottery soon and the in person permits will be history. Figuring that chances were better in person we arrive with optimism before 8:30 to place our application. Another 76 people apparently had a similar plan. We are not lucky at this draw, but decide to get a permit for the next day at Coyote Butte South, a similar geological attraction a few miles south of the Wave. The South Butte requires a 4x4 or to walk the 2.5 miles of sandy road to the access. This lottery is less popular, only 5 others are also interested in the South Coyote permits that morning, the Ranger tries to make it exciting suggesting a large bus will arrive soon with more eager permit seekers but it is only fantasy and we all get permits.
We are up early to break camp and try the lotto again before we head for the South Coyote Buttes. The parking lot at the visitor center said it all, not even a parking space left today, way more permit seekers than yesterday. Some 130 people chasing the 10 permits, again we leave empty handed.
We drive the 40 miles of pavement on US-89 to the House Rock road then 10 miles of that crappy road to the Az/Ut border, then magically the road has been graded and the remaining 7 miles in Arizona to the parking area are on excellent dirt road. Different priorities and budgets in Arizona than Utah I guess. From the parking area its about a 2.5 mile walk on a 4x4 road to the edge of the South Coyote Buttes permit area. No established trails after that, just wander aimlessly as the Ranger suggested. It's easy walking in open desert area with expansive views of the surroundings.
