2009 – Week 8



June 4, 2009, Thursday:
Our last day in Grand Canyon NP and leaving was hard. The skies were completely cloud covered, not the bright clear mornings we have experienced in the past. We went to the cafeteria and bought some orange juice and used that as an excuse to work the internet for an hour. Finally we left and stopped at all the overlooks that we had skipped on our way in. The eastern end of the Park is really neat and not to be missed. We were so slow that it took 4 hours to travel 28 miles. There was a fire someplace to the south, and the hazy conditions were made worse by the smoke wafting into the canyon. I hope the pictures we took will capture the grandeur of the place.


Once we left the Park it was drive, drive and drive. We traveled north on US89 through the northern edge of the Painted Desert, the as we saw quite a way south before we went into Grand Canyon NP. The red Echo Cliffs were to the east and are the western edge of the Kaibito Plateau (6,100 feet elevation). US89 took us to the top of the plateau and elevation change of 1,200 feet in a short distance. It was a bit of a pull for large trucks and RV’s. We stopped for the night in Page AZ, the location of the Glen Canyon Dam that created Lake Powell and is a source of hydro-electric power. There is also the Navajo Generating Plant nearby, and we assume it is coal fired. The construction of Glen Canyon Dam started in 1956 and completed in 1963. After doing the laundry we went shopping for more food, and I tried to find a place to do an oil change. We returned just as darkness fell and noticed that a pop-up camper trailer occupied the campsite next to ours. There was more cranking and hammering as they raised the roof and put out the awning. It really is nice to pull in and be settled quickly as we can do. We worked long and hard trying to get our blogs prepared for another posting, but time was our enemy and we couldn’t do it. Susie did get her drawings photographed, and I selected most of my pictures. When we turned the lights out, we realized how many lightpoles there were and how much light they put out. It was almost daylight.

June 5, 2009 Friday:
Even thought we were still in AZ, I had set the clocks one hour ahead last night so as to be on MDT. The Wal-Mart Tire and Lube Express opened at 8:00am MST, and I was hoping to be there when they opened. We didn’t leave the RV Park until 9:30am MST, and I was concerned that we’d be last in a long line. Luckily, we took another road and passed by a quick lube place that was not a franchise and owned by a local. We pulled in there, the price was the same, and this guy really seemed to know what he was doing. Much more satisfying than dealing with a big conglomerate. We were in and out in a snap of the fingers. It was now 10:30am MST. As we continued towards US89, was passed several marine shops and sales places with the largest houseboats I have ever seen. They made some of the RV’s we’ve seen seem insignificant. These things were three stories (sorry to use a land term) and seemed in excess of 60 feet long and 20 feet wide. I guess they get special permits to move them to the lake from where they probably never return. We refilled with gas even though we were only a quarter down because of the concern about vast spaces and long distances. We crossed over the Colorado River by bridge near the Glen Canyon Dam and continued north. We saw a huge marina in Lake Powell, but I guess it had to be with those large houseboats. We entered UT, and the time became MDT, losing an hour for us. The US89 route took us along the edge of Lake Powell for a few miles and then turned northwest towards the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
We spent time in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Visitor Center in Kanab UT where there was a very explanatory geology exhibit. We learned that the term ‘Grand Staircase’ referred to the way the rock had eroded, creating a ‘grand staircase’ of different layers and colors.
At Mt Carmel Junction we turned west onUT9, the road into Zion Park. We climbed and climbed until we reached the East Entrance where we paid $15 as the price for taking the RV through an undersized tunnel, 2 times if done within a week. As we approached the undersized tunnel, the type of rock and the formations changed.


No longer was the land generally flat with a few bumps, but almost instantaneously the formations were large and cone-shaped with wind-carved swirls on the surface. Once through the tunnel, the formations and colors returned to more what we were used to. We went through several switchbacks as we went down into Zion Canyon and the Watchman Campground. It has electricity to each site but that’s it. There are no showers so it’ll be sponge baths and hair washing in the sink.
Unlike Grand Canyon NP and most others where we’ve been on the rim, here at Zion we’re in the bottom of the gorge. While the sun sets at 8:54pm, the sun drops below the rim at 7:15pm. It rises at 6:11am, but who knows what time it appears above the other rim. It is a beautiful spot, and we can tell that school is out because there a numerous kids from crying babies to college age. From the noise we here now, they didn’t spend enough time hiking the trails and being worn out. We went to a Ranger talk on flash floods at 9:30pm. Made me wonder why we’re at the bottom of the canyon.

June 6, 2009 Saturday:
This morning was a slow morning. The sun didn’t come over the east rim until 7:45am, and we were very lazy. I managed to get started on a second cup of coffee before she had her first. She drew and colored for a bit before taking Daisy for a walk that turned into a swim in the Virgin River. I did more work on the bikes and think I’ve got them in proper condition. When Susie came back she made lunch and we biked to the Visitor Center and loaded the bikes on the propane-fueled busses, each with a passenger trailer. These busses are the only vehicles allowed to drive up the canyon. Information about these vehicles: each full bus with trailer replaces 28 cars, the exclusive use of busses reduces the number of visitor vehicle miles traveled per day by 50,385 and reduces the CO2 emissions by 24,201 pounds per days. The program began in 2000 and has been very successful. As the busses moved up the canyon, the walls became closer and closer until they could go no further. This spot is known as the Temple of Sinawava.




From here we were able to walk further, but were stopped because we had to cross the Virgin River that was fast flowing and cold. We saw a family wearing drysuits, and they were going to cross the river and continue up to the Narrows, basically the end of the trail. We jumped on the bikes and headed downhill, with the plan being to stop at each available viewpoint. At the first point, known as Big Bend, we saw 2 rock climbers working their way up a vertical wall. Just about this time, the sky began to darken and the winds blew. We passed by, stopping at the Weeping Rock where water percolates through the rock, creating a small stream. Next stop was The Grotto, the trailhead for the Angel Landing Trail. Successfully completing the 5-hour roundtrip to Angel Landing, longer than we had time for, allows you a broad overview of the canyon. Just about this time, the skies turned dark and the thunder rumbled. Now, if there is one thing that has been told to all visitors is that you don’t want to be on a high point if there is a chance of lightning. We looked to the top of Angels Landing, and there were about a half-dozen people up there, with one standing on the top of a very big boulder to get a bit higher. Now the rains really came down, we saw a downhill bus, loaded the bikes and jumped in. It rained hard for a while and then stopped. We decided to return to the Campground and make plans for the rest of the day. Not much day left because it was 5:00pm when we reached the RV. Daisy was fed and walked, and we headed back to the Visitor Center to sign up for a tour tomorrow, but when w arrived, we found that there were spaces on the tour that left in 15 minutes. We loaded up and went back up the Canyon, this time with a tour guide. It was another look at the Canyon as the sun was setting. We returned to the Campground at 8:30pm, had dinner and quickly went to bed. I was another great, but exhausting day.

June 7, 2009 Sunday:
I was up at 7:00am, assisted by the incessant barking of a small dog somewhere near by. Daisy and I took our walk, and when we returned, Susie was up. We decided to grab a snack and head to the Zion Lodge from where we would climb the Emerald Pools Trails on the west side of the canyon. We went up the Middle Emerald Pool Trail, stopping at the Middle Emerald Pool, then continued on the Upper Emerald Pool Trail where, surprise we stopped at the Upper Emerald Pool. This series of pools gets its water from seepage through the Navaho Sandstone that exits the wall when it hits the impermeable Kayenta Formation.



The Upper Emerald Pool is the largest of all three pools and has a big sand beach for 40% of its perimeter, the remainder being the stone cliffs. A big surprise was the number of families up here with small children. It was not an easy hike due to the traverse across large stones with relatively steep slopes. There were several fairly large logs floating around and some of the bigger kids were paddling them around the pool. It was interesting to watch the interaction of the parents. A few wanted to control their kids and not let them on the beach or near the water. Others just let their kids play, but watched them carefully. One family was from Salt Lake Salt City, and their two boys (7 and 3) were busy building pools and trying to catch sea life to put in them. The 7 year old was soaked almost to his waist (the water was cold) but it didn’t slow him down. I bet they could have played for hours, but finally they loaded the 3 year old in a back carrier and off they went down the trail heading for more adventures. We heard distant bird noises and saw several small birds harassing a much larger bird. I took some pictures while Susie talked with a couple who believed that the larger bird was a Golden Eagle, the first one in the wild we have ever seen in our years of travel. Very exciting! We have heard that there are CA Condors in the Kolob (northwest) Section of the Park. We will go there tomorrow as we leave. We stayed for bit more before heading down ourselves. We stopped by the Lower Emerald Pool and then continued down the Lower Emerald Pool Trail where we walked behind a small waterfall. Continuing on, we heard loud yells from across the canyon (there was a trail there also) and believed them to be kids just hollering, but they didn’t seem to stop. A few people were looking, but there didn’t seem to be any real concern. A few minutes later we heard a more adult voice calling, and while the words were difficult to hear, the yelling had stopped, and everything quieted. Looking across we could see several people on the trail, and everything seemed OK. We continued down and had lunch at the mass feeding section of the Zion Lodge where there were too many people and too few tables. Interestingly, a person from management, not the Park Service (I think), was walking around, stopping at each table to see if there was anything he could do to assist the visitors in their time at the Park. I don’t think we have ever seen that any place before. We jumped on the shuttle bus and headed down to the Zion Human History Museum where we watched a film on the Park and also attended a Ranger talk about predators in the Park, starting with the cougars and working down the food chain. It was well done and informative. We returned to the Campground at 4:00pm, and Susie took Daisy for a swim while I took a nap. When they returned we sat outside in the shade with a nice breeze. It is interesting that yesterday there was 0% chance of rain and we were dumped on, and today there was a 20% of thunderstorms in the afternoon and as of 5:30pm there were a few small cumulus clouds and a bright blue sky. We had planned our schedule around great weather yesterday and rain today. People started drifting back to the campground around 5:00pm, and we are starting to hear stories about their adventures of the day. At 9:30pm we went to the Ranger talk about predators and their prey. The program ended at 10:15pm, and I suspect there were several kids who had trouble getting to sleep. I went to bed fairly quickly, but Susie stayed up. There are ‘quiet hours’ in the campground, but there was a group who didn’t understand what 10:30pm meant. Finally someone hollered at them to be quiet and eventually they quieted at 11:30pm.

June 8, 2009 Monday:
I was awakened around 4:00am with the wind blowing and the awning rattling. I was unable to fall asleep again so at 5:00am, I went outside and rolled up the awning. Ah, peace and quiet and I awoke at 7:30am. We wanted to get an early start, but things happened, and we pulled out at 10:00am. Our plan was to visit 2 sections of the Park that we had not seen before, nor had many others We drove up the Kolob Terrace Road for 15 miles before we turned around and came back.



The scenery was wonderful and reminded us of Canyonlands, Arches and Grand Canyon all mixed together. At the start we were in the valley (elevation 3,550 feet), but then we climbed up to the Lower Kolob Plateau and then to the Upper Kolob Plateau (elevation 7,950 feet). At the higher elevations were we astonished to see excellent glasslands supporting horses and cattle. It was a magnificent drive both ways, and if you come to Zion NP, you must take it. We headed west to I-15 and then north along the 1,800 feet tall Hurricane Cliffs, the edge, more or less, of the Colorado Plateau. We turned into the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center (elevation 5,074 feet) and had lunch before driving up the Kolob Canyons Road, our last drive in Zion NP.


The end of the road is at elevation 6,195 feet, but there is a 1/2-mile trail leading to an overlook. We looked to the east and were able to see the top of the Lower Kolob Plateau and identify land features on Smith Mesa we had driven by earlier. From here we went to Cedar City where we checked into the local KOA, only to find that the internet service is very spotty. As usual it is ‘not my fault’, but we’ll muddle through. Daisy and I took our last walk of the evening and discovered that at the other end of the RV Park, there were about a half-dozen of the big and most expensive RV’s built. All these RV’s were pulling trailers that were at least as long as our vehicle. These trailers were custom painted to match the RV. Scattered amongst the RV’s and trailers are custom motorcycles. When we were checking in, I overheard a conversation by someone who was part of the group that one of these custom cycles had a 350 horsepower engine. I suspect that these cycles must have cost more than $50,000 each and live inside the custom trailers. I don’t think the lagging economy has hit these folks. I have a few comments about our Zion NP experience. The Park is very environmentally aware, from the propane busses to the recycling plan. The facilities are clean and everyone seemed happy to be there. I believe it is the 8th most visited National Park in the country, and it accommodates all those 3,000,000 plus people with courtesy. There are several motels, etc. outside the Park at the South Entrance, and the Park runs the propane busses picks up visitors to the Park, eliminating the need for people to drive their cars.

June 9, 2009 Tuesday
I was awakened by another small yapping dog at 6:15am, tried to ignore it but surrendered at 6:45am and took Daisy for her walk. We explored every corner of the KOA, but managed not to place her mark around the big fancy RV’s.
I prepared the RV to leave while Susie got up and made a traveling breakfast. We left the KOA at 9:00am, stopped at the grocery store to get some perishables. Susie saw a bread store that she headed for. Off we went, east on UT14 towards Cedar Breaks NM. The climb from Cedar City follows Cedar Canyon, and we were between twp steep walls. As we navigated some switchbacks, we came upon the Zion Overlook. We were higher than Zion NP and as such were able to look down on the features we had visited the previous days. Just before we turned north on UT143 into the Monument, we heard the noise of a helicopter, and as we crested the hill, there it was. There has been an infestation of pine bark beetles and approximately 50% of the forest has been killed. On the US Forest land, they have been harvesting the dead trees because the wood is still good and removal will reduce the forest fire hazard. The use of the helicopter eliminates the need to build logging roads across meadows that are ecologically very fragile at to the 10,000-foot elevation. We watched for a few minutes and recognized that it was a very efficient operation with no lost time. The helicopter picked up as many as three tree trucks at a time, the largest being 80 feet long and about 18” in diameter. While rental of the helicopter must be expensive, on the balance, it is a good way to remove the timber. On we went to the Cedar Breaks NM Visitor Center, but ended up on the Ramparts Trail along the rim to Spectra Point (elev. 10,285 feet). We were about 200 feet high as we traveled there. At Spectra Point we saw several Bristlecone Pine trees, the oldest of which is estimated to be in excess of 1,600 years old. While the oldest of these trees in other areas of the Southwest is estimated to be 4,500 years old, 1,600 years old is pretty impressive. While we didn’t really need to go to Spectra Point, the view from there was wonderful (even the resident marmot thought so). There is nothing subtle about the view at Cedar Breaks. It is a giant rock amphitheatre with Spectra Point at the focal point. You look down and see numerous rock formations of many colors. On our hike back to the RV, it started to snow. I am sure the snow didn’t stick because the ground was too warm, but it was a nice touch. We knew it was cold because the Visitor Center had its wood-burning store fired up. In certain ways, it is a Bryce Canyon NP in the making with hoodoos, rock fins and all the features that only erosion can create. And there were many fewer people visiting. What a waste, well maybe not, we had a wonderful visit. We are headed to Bryce Canyon NP about 60 miles away, driving along a very scenic road before hitting the town outside to NP entrance. We were not able to make reservations for the RV Parkground with its utilities because it was full, so I had placed my hopes on Sunset Campground that didn’t have utilities. Both tents and RVs (small sized) are allowed, but it is first-come, first served. We pulled in around 2:00pm, had lunch and then took a nap. We took a shuttle bus to the Visitor Center and that was it for the day. The weather forecast is not great for the week, but we’ll work through it.


June 10, 2009 Wednesday:
It was cold last night at 47 degrees when we woke. At times we thought we had a few sprinkles, but if so they were short and insignificant. We ran the generator for a bit to to recharge the house battery and recharge the computer batteries. The house battery must have been the first priority or the computer batteries were too cold, because the computers didn’t seem to get any charge. We left the RV at 10:00am and took the shuttle bus to Sunrise Point (elev 8,000 feet). While waiting for the bus, we had some hail but it stopped quickly. We stood on the rim of the Bryce Amphitheatre and looked out with amazement. As the clouds came and went, the colors darkened and lightened. The little bit of rain made the colors more vibrant. We started walking down the Sunrise Point Trail and saw many different shapes and colors of ‘hoodoos’.



Some of the hoodoos have been named, and we tried to find them. Pictures, pictures and more pictures! We weaved our way down and came to Queens Garden Trail. We took a short detour, looked up and saw Queen Victoria holding court over her garden. We also saw a figure of an angel taking a picture of all the sights. We wandered on, eventually coming to the Peek-a-boo 3oop. This trail wandered around, up, down and through man-made tunnels as we worked our way south into previously undiscovered (for us anyway) areas of the Amphitheatre.



A bit more than halfway around the loop, we came to a horse corral and saw some folks from Atlanta GA who we have met in Zion NP. They were taking a horse/mule ride in the Amphitheatre and were taking a break before heading back up to the Rim, following the trail that we had just done. We continued along the LOOP, until we came to a fork in the trail and took it (thank you Yogi Berra!) It was a mile long trail to Bryce Point, a vertical distance of 600 feet. There was never a downhill or flat section during the mile. We waited for the bus to take us back to the Sunset Campground (there’s a bus stop where we’ve been picked up several times) but the bus driver blew right on by it, tried to tell us a cock and bull story about it not being a stop even though it was on the posted schedule in the bus. We got off at the next stop and jumped on the next bus going back. At the Campground, it is windy and the temperatures are in the mid-50’s. It has been a cool Spring, but better than a hot one. The hikes are good, but we are drinking lots of water. The 8,000 foot altitude must be part of that. We haven’t had any headaches from the altitude and that’s good. We’ll have steaming hot chili and that will be nice.