Category: Travel

Today we awoke in Hatch Utah and decided that another hike in Bryce Canyon NP was in order. We laced up our boots for one final western mountain experience and the dusty Peek-A-Boo loop trail. This trail was deceptive…it said only 1500 feet elevation gain, but with the numerous ups and downs throughout the entire hike, we swore it was much more than that. Despite the seemingly endless climbing, we were rewarded with hoodoo views in all directions (see panorama below).

Because we successfully completed the “I hiked the hoodoos” circuit in the park, we were rewarded with a pin by a park ranger at the visitor’s center that made us quite proud. We’ll do a trip by numbers post, but the mileage logged on our boots (and legs!) was pretty significant.

We decided to make our way up to SLC this evening, as it would make for easier packing and departure to the airport tomorrow (so sad!). It’s the end of trail folks, it’s been a fabulous trip and we’ve made many memories that will last us a lifetime!

[outofthebox dir=”/Pictures/Albums/Hi Res/140914_Bryce2/Final” mode=”gallery” ext=”gif|jpg|jpeg|png|bmp” viewrole=”administrator|editor|author|contributor|subscriber|guest”]

Today we made our way out of Zion Canyon and towards Bryce Canyon. Along the way, we stopped at a way overpriced, but really delicious and totally worth it German bakery (in the middle of nowhere Utah?!)

The primary difference between the parks is that in Zion you are at the bottom of the canyon and Bryce you stand atop the Canyon and look down at the
“hoodoos” – the term for the rock spires that weather and time left behind in the park. As you can tell, they are quite the sight.

We drove to some of the viewpoints and then decided to give our legs a rest and do the “easy” Navajo and Queen’s Garden trail. Walking amongst the hoodoos was a really special sight. We then rode the shuttle bus aimlessly trying to decide which viewpoint would be best to watch sunset from and managed to miss the orange glow that the hoodoos take on just before sunset. Oh well, we enjoyed talking to the bus driver about his life story along the way.

[gfycat data_id="UltimateGrandioseJenny" data_autoplay=true data_controls=false]

We made our way over to the visitor center for a talk called “violence from the void” – all the ways in which cosmic happenings will/could obliterate the earth. It was very uplifting…nah, it was actually pretty cool and made me want to watch the Cosmos all over again.

Bryce is a very well-known dark sky conservancy and we enjoyed the ranger-led program afterwards that included getting to look through super powerful telescopes at various galaxies, nebula, star clusters, etc. We then drove to a viewpoint in the park for an even darker sky and JD snagged an awesome photo of the Milky Way over top of the hoodoos in the park. We met some German college students taking a trip through the national parks and enjoyed chatting with them before returning to our hotel very late last night. Tomorrow we will seek out another not so rough on the legs hike and start making our way up to Salt Lake City to make for an easier departure on Monday.

[outofthebox dir=”/Pictures/Albums/Hi Res/140913_Bryce1/Final” mode=”gallery” ext=”gif|jpg|jpeg|png|bmp” viewrole=”administrator|editor|author|contributor|subscriber|guest”]

Today was a great day…Well then again, we’ve had a lot of great days lately, but this one was especially great. We tried to get an early start to beat the crowds and the heat to the top of Angel’s Landing. Angel’s landing is the second most popular hike in the park, behind the Narrows. I feel kinda bad for being stereotypical with our hiking choices, but a good hike is worth doing even if it’s what “everyone” does. Angel’s landing is about 2.5 miles with 1,500 feet of gain to reach the top. The last half mile is assisted by chains installed by NPS, as there have been several deaths in the past few years…sounds comforting, right? Well take a look at this pano from the top and you can see why..it’s quite a drop-off in all directions.

The ascent really wasn’t all that bad…again, starting your trip at super high elevations, makes nearly anything at a lower elevation feel like relative cake. OK, it wasn’t cake, but less huffing and puffing thanks to some oxygen in the air and perhaps elevated red blood cell counts from our earlier mountain adventures.

Going up wasn’t the hard part, it was coming down the chains that was hard on the legs and trying to sashay your way around those coming up while not letting go of the chain for fear of slipping on the slick rock covered in sand. Descending Walter’s Wiggles (such a cute name for switchbacks) was also rough on the knees – thank goodness for trekking poles.

We’d give Angel’s landing a two-thumbs up and call it a “must-do” in Zion NP.

We also checked out the Weeping Wall – a spring-fed rock cave that you could sit under; it was very refreshing after our hike in the heat and sun.

[gfycat data_id="FlippantLikelyGalago" data_autoplay=true data_controls=false]

We drove a small portion of the eastern park road, but turned around due to road work and realized we’d be heading out that way tomorrow for Bryce NP. We did see a bighorn desert sheep though, so that was worth it.

Zion was a great experience and we hope to be able to return soon!

[outofthebox dir=”/Pictures/Albums/Hi Res/140912_Zion2/Final” mode=”gallery” ext=”gif|jpg|jpeg|png|bmp” viewrole=”administrator|editor|author|contributor|subscriber|guest”]

This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise on the mountains of Zion NP that can be seen right from our front door. Because we didn’t have the earliest of starts this morning, we decided that hiking the Narrows (bottom-up day hike) would be best. (Our hike tomorrow – Angel’s Landing requires an early start due to heat and crowds). We purchased some neoprene socks to keep our feet warm and a pair of used canyoneering shoes for myself (my weak ankles need all the help they can get); they were less expensive that the rental version, plus, who knows, maybe we’ll get the chance to do something so awesome again.

The Narrows can be reached by riding the canyon shuttle ALL the way to the back of the canyon, to the Temple of Sinawava. Thankfully the weather and water gods cooperated and the river conditions were perfect for hiking. If that last sentence confused you, check out the pictures. 2/3 of the 6 miles round-trip that we did are in knee to waist deep (cold) water though a slot canyon. There are many other slot canyons to be explored in Zion, this one just happens to be the most easily accessible and doesn’t require winning a permit in a lottery held 6 months in advance of hiking. (Zion has 3 Million visitors a year, so it’s quite a crowded place). As you can see from the pictures, this hike definitely won the “totally unique experience” award. It was cool, refreshing and beautiful. What it may have lacked in cardiovascular rigor, it made up for mentally (every step was a careful choice) and sore legs and muscles (fighting the current all day does take its toll on your legs). Hiking poles definitely helped out a ton, allowing us to probe the water depth to make sure we never stepped off a ledge in the Virgin River (even though we had everything water-proofed, we didn’t particularly want to go swimming).

We made our way back to the hotel via the shuttle around 6 pm, and picked up a pizza from across the street, as well as a salad and baguette from a cute little food market right down the road. We feasted and watched the sun go down from right outside our motel door. We relaxed bit in the saltwater pool (again, sunset on the red rocks), took a warm shower and are ready to hit the dusty trail again tomorrow to tackle Angel’s Landing.

[outofthebox dir=”/Pictures/Albums/Hi Res/140911_Zion1/Final” mode=”gallery” ext=”gif|jpg|jpeg|png|bmp” viewrole=”administrator|editor|author|contributor|subscriber|guest”]

Today we went jet-skiing on Lake Powell. JD has been wanting to go jet-skiing all summer long, so why not do it someplace even more scenic than Lake Norman. We rented from H20 Zone in Page, AZ. They gave great instructions, and their machines were great. We put in at Antelope Marina and proceeded to explore Antelope Canyon (don’t waste your time or money on the Navajo-guided land version, by jet-ski = WAY cooler), Navajo Canyon, Labyrinth Canyon, Face Canyon, and Gunsight Canyon. Once we got a feel for our Honda Aquatrax, we had a blast zipping through the twisty, turny rock formations and doing 50mph across the open bays while ogling our fancy schmancy 3-story house boats with 4 jet-skis on the back. To call it amazing would be an understatement. As JD pointed out, “have you ever seen a sad person on a jet-ski?”. No way!

[gfycat data_id="FavoritePlayfulAffenpinscher" data_autoplay=true data_controls=false]

When it was about time to start heading back to the Marina, we noticed that the gas gauge had dropped really low. We were told there was no way we would run out of gas; they were fuel-efficient and had large tanks. Well, it turns out they count on their customers only running the units about 4 hours of the 8 hour rental day. We ran ours for 7! We stopped to eat and check out places, but really the need for speed kept us going. Turns out the low gas level sets off an alarm on the jet-ski that is really annoying and intended to get everyone’s attention. A man on a houseboat was kind enough to offer us what was left in his spare gas canister. This got us to the main channel where at least we could get a tow if we can out. We eked our way back to the Marina and just splashed enough in to make it back to the boat ramp. A bit annoying, but all in all, the day was fantastic.

Because we ran the jet-ski so hard, we finally realized how hungry and thirsty we were. We stumbled across a place called “Slackers” where JD had a jumbo bacon green chile burger (owner’s recommendation) and a pepper steak sub (think Philly Cheesesteak). After that deliciousness, we treated ourselves to a VERY oversized scoop of ice cream that thanks to the generosity of our scooper was actually about 5 scoops! We happiliy made our way to Zion NP and are looking forward to seeing it in the daylight!

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6058019196071030113?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]

[gfycat data_id="BraveAbsoluteHawaiianmonkseal" data_autoplay=true data_controls=false]

Greetings from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! When we left the hotel in Flagstaff this morning, we weren’t too sure how the day was going to pan out – thanks to leftover hurrican remnants in the Pacific, the southwest has had record flooding. Were were scheduled to go jetskiing on Lake Powell today, but given the stormy weather, that was a wash. We decided we’d give the North Rim of the Grand Canyon a try, despite the long drive and forecasted weather.

The North Rim is really out there – no wonder it only receives 10% of all Grand Canyon traffic. The drive in is kind of funny – it’s a long drive on a flat plateau with open range cattle grazing on the side of the road. Absolutely no cell phone reception. It was raining steadily and fog everywhere. We were starting to have second thoughts about our plan and head back to where we’d be staying for the night to catch a movie or something.

At the visitor’s center, we spoke with a ranger who was very excited about the weather. She urged us to “just wait” because if the sun did come out it would result in some pretty awesome views. JD shot a cool video of the temperature inversion created by the canyon manipulating the clouds in some pretty fantastic ways.

Check out this panorama – we happen to think she was right.

We drove out to Point Royal and Point Imperial (highest point on the canyon rim at 8,800 ft.) to watch the sun poke through the clouds. We met a cool couple from Belgium and compared notes about our west coast travels. Everyone was so thrilled that the rangers were right and that our patience would be rewarded. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the north rim. You could enjoy quiet, unadulterated views, free from the busloads of tourists the descend upon the South Rim. Sure, it was a haul to get there, but you’re still looking at the same canyon, and being able to experience it without people pushing you out of the way to get their picture taken before the shuttle bus leaves made it a truly special experience. The cliche of “there’s a silver lining in every cloud” really came true for us today!

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6057282952161526769?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]

Today was an early start to the Grand Canyon, especially after staying up much too late catching up with old friends that we haven’t seen in nearly a year. We made it to the South Rim by 9 am and went straight to Mather Point. Although I had been to the GC once before, I had goosebumps in anticipation of the view that would open up in front of us as we walked the path to the overlook. This was JD, Middleton, and Lauren’s first time at the GC and I was excited for them. It’s truly one of those awe-inspiring sites that needs to be experienced, because no picture or description can ever do such an amazing thing justice.

We hiked about a mile down Bright Angel Trail to experience the canyon from a different perspective. The number of fit people huffing and puffing their way back out of the canyon made us feel good about our decision to not venture too far down (canyon hiking is VERY deceptive in terms of exertion).

After working up a sweat, we rode the red bus line to some of the 8 lookout points west of the visitors’ center. Each one was unique in its own way. We enjoyed spotting the river down below and when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds to expose beautiful colors in the many layers of rock. The canyon was formed over the course of 5 million years, which is the “blink of an eye” in the geologic sense, considering some of the layers date back to 2 billion years ago.

We feasted on snacks and enjoyed a bottle of wine out at Hermit Point and made our way back to the village and car so that way Middleton and Lauren could get back to Phoenix at a reasonable time. We had some leftovers in our hotel room and are gearing up for either jet skiing or Grand Canyon North Rim tomorrow depending on the weather.

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6056873545097545121?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]

Today we slept in ever so slighltly after our late-night desert driving adventure, but actually were awake at the same time thanks to the time change. We had a lovely breakfast of toast, nutella, sausage, egg & cheese bagel, juice, coffee, etc.
We hit the road around 10am and headed towards Sedona, land of the red rocks. While Lauren and Middleton were enroute from Las Vegas, we hiked up to Cathedral Rock, as per their reccommendation and were very impressed by the views (and the steep climb!) We then went into town and had a nice lunch with Lauren and Middleton at Cowboy Cafe and had some desert “specialities” including cactus fries, buffalo bites, cilantro flatbread, and fried shrimp (not desert-themed, but it was good)!
We then headed out to hike Devil’s bridge, which did not disappoint. The hike was about 4 miles round trip because our little Subaru couldn’t handle the access road, but it was a good time. We were able to stand atop the arch, which made for some awesome photos. Middleton had a nice surprise in the form of an excellent bottle of wine to celebrate (that may top the classy-factor of having crab salad atop Mt. Washburn). As we hiked down, we enjoyed the setting sun turning the red rocks a fiery orange.
We decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for our Grand Canyon adventure (likely in the rain/storms) tomorrow!

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6056520466926746465?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]

This morning we had a lovely breakfast at the hotel and drove an easy hour and a half to Arches NP. Arches is kind of out in the middle of nowhere (go look up Moab, Utah on a map), but it made for a really cool stopping over point en route to Arizona. The way in which the arches in this park formed over the course of millions of year is really fascinating and made us appreciate what we were looking at.

http://www.nps.gov/arch/naturescience/geologicformations.htm

We immediately drove all the way to the back of the park to do the Devil’s Garden loop hike. We were told it was popular and the parking lot could fill, so we wanted to get there ASAP. Altogether it was a 7 mile hike past 8 beautiful arches. Once we passed the 1 mile mark, the crowds disappeared. It was weird to be hiking in shorts (finally!). It was about 90 F and dry – we were glad that we heeded the signs warning us to bring plenty of water (we ran out about 0.5 miles from the end of the hike). The main trail we took out had us scrambling over some “slickrock” as it’s called and atop some high perches that afforded fantastic view of the red fins, distant mountains, and colorful canyons. We decided not to hike all the way out to Dark Angel arch and instead opted for the “primitive loop” on our return. (This was JD’s idea, not mine =) This trail was aptly named. There were some tiny little rock cairns to follow, but for the most part, it was a scramble through river washes (when it actually rains) and over some impossibly high boulders that required all four appendages to get up and down from. Doing the crab and using my butt and boots for braking traction was my favorite mode of transportation down the steep slopes. Thankfully there were a scant few brave souls who decided to take this route as well, so we weren’t totally alone in the desert; if it wasn’t for them, a mental breakdown and terrible thoughts about getting lost in the desert would have likely ensued. There was actually something really cool about trailblazing (or so it seemed) our way through the desert. When we finally hooked back up with the main trail, relief, tired legs and thirst really set in. Thankfully a water fountain awaited us at the end of the trail.

We followed the park road out of the park and pulled off at several lookout points. We stopped at the visitor center for a few postcards and then made the wonderful decision to have dinner at the Moab Diner. If you’re ever in Moab and want a LOT of food that isn’t fancy, but really tasty (especially if you’ve been hiking all day), then that’s your place to go. JD had a steak burrito with their green chili sauce and I had a green chili chicken dish with “sweetwater potatoes” (diced, sauteed potatoes with onion, pepper, bacon, seasoning) that was outstanding. We topped it off with a “bunny tracks: milkshake. We were very full and content as we hit the road to Flagstaff, AZ.

Even though we picked up an hour in time crossing over into AZ (no daylight savings time here), the sun still sets at the same time, so we ended up doing most of the 5 hour drive in the dark through largely Native American reservation land. We tried to avoid driving this seemingly vast expase of desert nothingness in the dark, but Arches was too much fun. The drive was very trying on the nerves and we had to take turns to stay fresh at the wheel. We made it to the hotel 11 pm and vowed to never do such a scary drive like that again (there were no closer hotels to be had) Thankfully the longest drive of the trip is over. We’re looking forward to meeting up with Middleton and Lauren tomorrow in Sedona, AZ and we’re hoping the weather forecast calling for 80% chance of storms for Grand Canyon on Monday and again for jet skiing on Lake Powell on Tuesday is simply not true. Either way, it’ll be new sights and good company =)

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6056360542470866113?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]

After yesterday’s afternoon storms, we were glad to see a beautiful blue sky over the pond out back of our cabin. We had waffles again for breakfast and decided to try our luck at fishing. We were told that there were rainbow trout stocked in the pond, but we didn’t see any! We spotted one lonely, large, and very lazy fish that when bait was literally cast right upon his head, he didn’t even move.

At about noon, we packed up our stuff and headed into the park to check out Holzworth Historic Site – a former dude ranch that was set up in the park. Volunteers gave guided tours of the site and it was pretty hard to imagine surviving the harsh winters on the west side of the park 100 years ago. To illustrate the harshness, they had a replica buffalo coat that we got to try on that looked very much like a creepy pimp coat.

We went into town with the hopes of finding a couple of souvenirs when the skies opened up again (lightning and thunder). We wanted to do a little hike to Adams falls, but lightning at 10,000 feet of elevation is especially scary, so we decided to hit the road instead.

The trip from Grand Lake, CO to Grand Junction, CO was an adventure. We started driving into some of the darkest clouds we’ve seen in a while. We stopped at a Dollar Store to replace our non-function aux cable since driving for hours without music is a drag (no radio stations available either). At this point, we took a wrong turn when JD cracked a joke about a potentially inappropriately named gas station (we didn’t hear the GPS telling us to turn) and proceeded to drive about 40 miles in the wrong direction. We were headed in such a roundabout direction that it was quicker for us to backtrack. Google Maps then took us down a 40 mile dirt road, which was amazingly smooth but bizarre to think that this was the best route. At this point, we were not happy campers, but the sun decided to come out and the valley that opened up ahead of us was truly beautiful. Along the rocky slopes, we saw about 7 long horn sheep, which was a treat, since we had only spotted them from really far away previously. We finally made it out to the major highway but then got stuck in terrible construction traffic through a tunnel in a mountain pass in Glenwood Canyon.

We arrived in Grand Junction about 9:30 pm, but our mood soon improved when we saw how beautiful our hotel suite was. We feasted on ramen noodles and had a very good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we’re headed to Arches NP!

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6055808176263366625?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]