We definitely saw the good, the bad, and the ugly during this road trip when it comes to lodging. We were aiming for mid-range hotels because they usually include breakfast and they always have free wi-fi. In some areas where were traveled, we had a very small number of hotels available from which to choose. We also discovered a growing trend in price gouging.
Our first stop was Iowa City, IA and we expected to find a reasonably priced room because a search showed lots of hotels in the $109-129 range. We stopped a several hotels only to find that they were full. We went to Coralville, a suburb, and chose the Hampton Inn. Although the hotel was a bit worn looking, the room was large and clean and near the hotel's great workout room. Apparently when it is a very busy weekend (a wedding party and lots of families at the hotel), hotels charge more. We paid $139 instead of the expected $129. Two nights later, we stopped at a La Quinta in Golden CO and secured their last available room. This hotel normally charges $109 but charged us $169! The hotel was old. The ice machine on our floor was broken. The rooms were clean but way past their prime. But that was not the most egregious example of price gouging. We stopped in Flagstaff when we left Utah and headed to Tucson to visit my brother. We chose a Holiday Inn Express. Their usual advertised rate is $109. When we asked for a room, we were told the rate would be $229! When I expressed shock at the high rate, the hotel clerk explained that this was freshman registration week for Northern Arizona University.
We like to travel without booking all rooms ahead of time because we never know when a place will appeal to us so much we need more time or when we decide to move on to the next destination. This price fixing discourages that practice and it does not matter that you are a "rewards" member for the hotel chain. I will be writing to La Quinta and Holiday Inn Express to let them know that I find this practice deceiving and reprehensible. I do not expect to get anything out of the letter-writing except the knowledge that I have made my opinion known.
I had noticed price disparities due to location before, but this trip underscored the value of staying in small cities. One of our favorite hotels, Drury Inn, charges more for "popular" locations and for seasonal travel. The Frankenmuth hotel runs about $120, but it can jump higher - $125 in Greenville, $155 in Nashville - or lower - $117 in Independence, $90 in Valdosta. We were happy to stay at the Drury in Independence MO. They gave us a great room and we felt at home with their happy hour and great breakfast.
Because we were going to the National Parks in Utah during the summer, I decided to book ahead so we would know we had a room. This is a "shot in the dark" process for me. I do read the reviews and I read the "about us" section of the hotel's website, but I'm still just guessing. We were fortunate in our choices. In Moab we stayed at the Adventure Inn Moab. This is a small, old fashioned motel that was purchased by a couple and renovated. The room was bright, clean and quiet. They provided us with soft, thick towels and with a continental breakfast that included croissants. It was also perfectly located a few miles from the park entrance and in the middle of town where all the restaurants are.
At Bryce Canyon I chose the Bryce Canyon Pines because they had cottages in addition to motel rooms. Our cottage was comprised of a large bedroom, a nice bathroom with walk in shower and a small porch with comfy chairs facing the mountains and meadows. It was a few miles outside the park but had a restaurant onsite. The restaurant had generous portions of well-prepared food with friendly service. This inn also had a campground and general store.
The slightly quirky find of Bumbleberry Inn in Springdale was our Zion park hotel. Springdale operates a free shuttle service to the park and one of the stops is in front of the Bumbleberry Inn. The inn also includes breakfast vouchers for Wildcat Willie's - a great breakfast place! Although the room was spare and not large, it was clean and had a small patio looking out toward the mountains - great view.
These good finds were priced from $105, $140, and $122 respectively and I would recommend them to any travelers. When we travel out west, we encounter the Best Western chain and we stayed there in two different locations. They were both updated and provided a really nice breakfast and very helpful hotel clerks. One even upgraded us to a suite just because.
We stayed a few days in Taos NM and I picked an interesting inn just from their website. It was called Burch Street Casitas. The inn consists of just four casitas. Each one has a bedroom and bathroom and a living room/kitchen. The kitchen has all the utensils and dishes you need to cook for yourself. This is a huge money saver. It was very comfortable and homey and I would recommend it to those who, like me, want to have a more home-like setting and control over food prep.
Probably our oddest hotel experience was the Four Corners Inn in Blanding UT. We wanted to drive to visit the Four Corners Monument and take the obligatory tourist shot of us standing in four states. Then we were driving on to Zion. There were not many hotels (3), so I just chose one. It was old but clean and basic. There was only one restaurant in town! The inn was owned by a family and they had a picture of mom and dad (the original owners) arriving in Blanding in the 40's. Blanding is a very small town and it is surprising that they even have three hotels that can stay open. Even with a few hotels and a restaurant, it felt very isolated.
Our experiences taught me a few things. I need to do research - it paid off. I need to think about our travel dates and see if we are staying in any college towns at the start of the school year. Book ahead in those locations to get the best rate. If we want to not book every night ahead, we need to stay in small cities or towns to control lodging costs and we need to just keep driving if the rates are not good. It is pretty easy to find good food everywhere - even vegetarian options, but not enough whole grains are served as common practice. Country music is popular in way too many places.
I love road trips. It gives us the chance to really see our country. We are gaining knowledge about the different states and about the vastness of open spaces still out there. It helps keep us from generalizing about people from different locations, because there are friendly, helpful people everywhere. That person to person contact builds our sense of community. I'm glad to be home, but I'm looking forward to our next trip.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
Following the Cimarron Trail
After our sojourn in Dodge City without a single bar room brawl or gun fight, we decided to continue along the Santa Fe Trail on the Cimarron Cut Back to Kansas City -- well, actually, to Independence Missouri. We kept trying to imagine what the journey was like for folks making this journey in wagons or on horseback and herding cattle. In a covered wagon our ancestors could cover 10-15 miles in one day. We traveled more than 335 miles in 5+ hours. It would have taken the wagon train 22-34 days!
We were imagining how endless the prairie would have seemed to them. There were many miles of acres of farmland that now take the place of wild meadows. When we reached I-70 about halfway through our journey, the terrain became hilly and green. It was a big contrast to the prairie. Here there were rivers and ponds and wetlands. Cattle drivers would have known that they were nearing their destination by the change in the vegetation and the softening of the land. I admire the courage and fortitude of those tough settlers who made the original journey of discovery.
We turned our attention to the location of the towns and to their products. The Cimarron Trail follows the railroad - or actually, the railroad was built along the trail. There are tiny towns strung along the rails like beads made of grain silos. We didn't see most of the towns. We only saw the numerous grain silos that could load semi trucks or train cars full of grain for transport. These grain cooperatives seem to be the life blood of our nation's "bread basket." We marveled at the un-countable acres of fertile farm land. I know that agribusiness has promoted some land unfriendly practices and has resulted in narrowing our food sources and crop diversity to a dangerous level. But I have also observed the growth of sustainable farming practices and the renewed interest in heritage crops and "artisinal" foods. It has given me a lot to think about --it will certainly inform my grocery buying habits.
The other huge farming trend we spotted was wind farming. We saw one enormous wind farm; one small one; and one solo windmill in a farmer's field. The windmills look like huge, ungainly sentinels marching across the landscape in rows - each seems to turn to it's own rhythm. They were not all in sync. We even saw three windmills that were under construction. I wanted to see the cranes put them together, but we didn't have time. One town, Spearville, took great pride in the wind farm. At the entrance to the town they had a large sign that proclaimed "Spearville, KS -- Home of windmills and the Royal Lancers." I'm guessing the Royal Lancers are their high school football team, but it somehow fit together: Spearville -- windmills -- lancers.
After our peaceful trek across Kansas, we arrived in Kansas City, Kansas: Siamese twin to Kansas City, Missouri. What a change of pace that was as far as traffic and driving - yikes! Everything is, indeed, up to date in Kansas City! It is a strange feeling to enter another state while driving through one large city. We continued on for a few more miles and arrived at our destination for the evening, Independence, Missouri.
We were imagining how endless the prairie would have seemed to them. There were many miles of acres of farmland that now take the place of wild meadows. When we reached I-70 about halfway through our journey, the terrain became hilly and green. It was a big contrast to the prairie. Here there were rivers and ponds and wetlands. Cattle drivers would have known that they were nearing their destination by the change in the vegetation and the softening of the land. I admire the courage and fortitude of those tough settlers who made the original journey of discovery.
Through the prairie land.
We turned our attention to the location of the towns and to their products. The Cimarron Trail follows the railroad - or actually, the railroad was built along the trail. There are tiny towns strung along the rails like beads made of grain silos. We didn't see most of the towns. We only saw the numerous grain silos that could load semi trucks or train cars full of grain for transport. These grain cooperatives seem to be the life blood of our nation's "bread basket." We marveled at the un-countable acres of fertile farm land. I know that agribusiness has promoted some land unfriendly practices and has resulted in narrowing our food sources and crop diversity to a dangerous level. But I have also observed the growth of sustainable farming practices and the renewed interest in heritage crops and "artisinal" foods. It has given me a lot to think about --it will certainly inform my grocery buying habits.
The other huge farming trend we spotted was wind farming. We saw one enormous wind farm; one small one; and one solo windmill in a farmer's field. The windmills look like huge, ungainly sentinels marching across the landscape in rows - each seems to turn to it's own rhythm. They were not all in sync. We even saw three windmills that were under construction. I wanted to see the cranes put them together, but we didn't have time. One town, Spearville, took great pride in the wind farm. At the entrance to the town they had a large sign that proclaimed "Spearville, KS -- Home of windmills and the Royal Lancers." I'm guessing the Royal Lancers are their high school football team, but it somehow fit together: Spearville -- windmills -- lancers.
Wind farm in Spearville KS
After our peaceful trek across Kansas, we arrived in Kansas City, Kansas: Siamese twin to Kansas City, Missouri. What a change of pace that was as far as traffic and driving - yikes! Everything is, indeed, up to date in Kansas City! It is a strange feeling to enter another state while driving through one large city. We continued on for a few more miles and arrived at our destination for the evening, Independence, Missouri.
Another state welcomes us.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Looking out the Window
Dennis took first shift driving this morning and we had the most amazing drive. We ate breakfast at our casita and packed up to leave by 8:30 am (mountain time). We drove out of Taos headed toward Angel Fire on state highway 64. We had spent three days in Taos, in the center of the historic district. We visited museums and galleries and shops, but we did not see much of the area where the real Taosenas lived.
We drove along mountain roads and saw some houses -- some large, some small, some extravagant. We drove through mountain passes following the Santa Fe Trail and wondered how people did this before we had roads. The mountains were beautiful. We were surrounded by forests of pine trees. We drove on curvy roads with sharp turns that climbed up and plunged down. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the low 50s. As we drove the houses became fewer and farther between. I looked down the hillside and saw just the red steel roof of a small house tucked into the hillside beneath a stand of huge pines -- I couldn't even see the driveway to it. This was a peaceful, beautiful isolation. And then I wondered what it was like in the winter.
After we had been driving for 60 minutes or so, we were approaching Eagles Nest and were up at 9000 feet above sea level. We rounded a curve and I looked out through the trees and said, "Look, it looks like a lake is nearby." I had seen the thick mist that signifies water and had seen what looked like a lake clouded with rising mist. I was totally fooled! As we descended into the valley, we realized that the familiar "mist maidens" we see on our lake on some mornings, were larger and more plentiful in mountain valleys. We saw the mist rising from the valley floor and completely blocking the sun! We drove from sun into fog and then drove along the valley floor and saw the fog dissipate completely. It was beautiful and awe inspiring.
I have to admit that I preferred the sunny forest glades with small cabins in the mountains. After we were beyond Eagles Nest, we drove through New Mexico's flatlands approaching the Oklahoma border. This land was all ranch land. We saw lots of cattle but not much farm land. Then we passed into Oklahoma and saw farm land stretching away on both sides of the road.
I saw corn fields and was not surprised, but I also saw fields of a plant I did not recognize. So, 21st century Americans that we are, I asked Dennis to look it up on his phone. (It was the second shift, so I was driving at this point.) I suggested amaranth and quinoa. He looked it up and said that the plants looked like amaranth - kind of. When he drove next, I looked them up and thought that the plants looked more like quinoa. If they were quinoa, we are growing a huge bunch of quinoa in this country!
As we drove, I remarked on the great geological change between the New Mexico countryside and the Oklahoma/Kansas countryside. We drove for hours and miles with farmland stretching as far as the eye could see. I told Dennis that I felt like I was driving into an Andrew Wyeth painting.
As we approached our destination of Dodge City, the landscape gave way to cattle feed lots. I know that my vegetarian friends would be distressed to see how many cattle are fed this way. I was wondering how ground beef can cost so much when there are so many cattle available. Surely there is not a shortage in the U.S. Dodge City has lots of history associated with it. We saw sculptures of a longhorn bull and of Wyatt Earp as we drove down Wyatt Earp Blvd into town.
We were blessed with folks who wanted to give us a nice hotel room and we settled in with no problem. The manager even gave me directions for the shortest route to the highway for our morning drive. I love the hospitality we received here.
In all of our travel today we were again reminded of the plenty of land and food that we have in the U.S. I mentioned that a nation plagued with over population, like Pakistan or India, could live here with room to spare. We have so much that we are immune to it. I love my country, but I love the planet, too, and hope that we can all be part of the solution. The bounty and beauty of this nation is almost overwhelming. The hospitality of those around us is always heartening. I know we can do more to make the whole planet a better place. I love traveling and learning and hope that it makes me a better, more proactive citizen.
We drove along mountain roads and saw some houses -- some large, some small, some extravagant. We drove through mountain passes following the Santa Fe Trail and wondered how people did this before we had roads. The mountains were beautiful. We were surrounded by forests of pine trees. We drove on curvy roads with sharp turns that climbed up and plunged down. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the low 50s. As we drove the houses became fewer and farther between. I looked down the hillside and saw just the red steel roof of a small house tucked into the hillside beneath a stand of huge pines -- I couldn't even see the driveway to it. This was a peaceful, beautiful isolation. And then I wondered what it was like in the winter.
After we had been driving for 60 minutes or so, we were approaching Eagles Nest and were up at 9000 feet above sea level. We rounded a curve and I looked out through the trees and said, "Look, it looks like a lake is nearby." I had seen the thick mist that signifies water and had seen what looked like a lake clouded with rising mist. I was totally fooled! As we descended into the valley, we realized that the familiar "mist maidens" we see on our lake on some mornings, were larger and more plentiful in mountain valleys. We saw the mist rising from the valley floor and completely blocking the sun! We drove from sun into fog and then drove along the valley floor and saw the fog dissipate completely. It was beautiful and awe inspiring.
I have to admit that I preferred the sunny forest glades with small cabins in the mountains. After we were beyond Eagles Nest, we drove through New Mexico's flatlands approaching the Oklahoma border. This land was all ranch land. We saw lots of cattle but not much farm land. Then we passed into Oklahoma and saw farm land stretching away on both sides of the road.
I saw corn fields and was not surprised, but I also saw fields of a plant I did not recognize. So, 21st century Americans that we are, I asked Dennis to look it up on his phone. (It was the second shift, so I was driving at this point.) I suggested amaranth and quinoa. He looked it up and said that the plants looked like amaranth - kind of. When he drove next, I looked them up and thought that the plants looked more like quinoa. If they were quinoa, we are growing a huge bunch of quinoa in this country!
As we drove, I remarked on the great geological change between the New Mexico countryside and the Oklahoma/Kansas countryside. We drove for hours and miles with farmland stretching as far as the eye could see. I told Dennis that I felt like I was driving into an Andrew Wyeth painting.
As we approached our destination of Dodge City, the landscape gave way to cattle feed lots. I know that my vegetarian friends would be distressed to see how many cattle are fed this way. I was wondering how ground beef can cost so much when there are so many cattle available. Surely there is not a shortage in the U.S. Dodge City has lots of history associated with it. We saw sculptures of a longhorn bull and of Wyatt Earp as we drove down Wyatt Earp Blvd into town.
We were blessed with folks who wanted to give us a nice hotel room and we settled in with no problem. The manager even gave me directions for the shortest route to the highway for our morning drive. I love the hospitality we received here.
In all of our travel today we were again reminded of the plenty of land and food that we have in the U.S. I mentioned that a nation plagued with over population, like Pakistan or India, could live here with room to spare. We have so much that we are immune to it. I love my country, but I love the planet, too, and hope that we can all be part of the solution. The bounty and beauty of this nation is almost overwhelming. The hospitality of those around us is always heartening. I know we can do more to make the whole planet a better place. I love traveling and learning and hope that it makes me a better, more proactive citizen.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Continuing our Travels
We took a brief break from National Parks and visited my brother in Tucson. It's always great to visit with family and Tom's house is beautiful, peaceful and welcoming. I was happy to be able to celebrate my brother's birthday with him - that hasn't happened in years. We visited the Pima Air and Space Museum and went up to Mount Lemmon for a refreshing break from the heat. Actually, Tucson has really awesome weather. The mornings are clear and relatively cool (78 degrees or so) and then it heats up fast. But the evenings are also cool with a slight breeze. I really love the Tucson area, but it does not have much water and the increasing population is putting a strain on the water supply.
When we left Tucson, we drove up I-25 to Taos, New Mexico. We have never been here before. It is a small city up in the mountains. It doesn't seem to get really hot like some other parts of New Mexico. The center of town is a historic Plaza - plazas are common in town - filled with shops, galleries, and restaurants. Taos became an artist's mecca in the early 1900s and the city is still filled with beautiful and inspirational artwork of all kinds.
We planned to visit an art museum today, but when we pulled in we noticed a sign saying the museum is closed today! We will try again tomorrow. So, we had to satisfy ourselves by visiting several shops and galleries. We have a few more of those to check out tomorrow too.
I love the adobe architecture here. The place where we are staying is fairly new, but is built in that old fashioned style. The inn owners built four casitas - small houses. Each one has a bedroom and an open living room/kitchen floor plan. It has a real kitchen! I'm very excited about that. It is a trial for me to eat all of my meals in restaurants or hotels. I am surprised that so many restaurants still do not regularly supply whole grains, vegetarian options, and fresh vegetables. This casita also has a washer and dryer. For folks who are traveling with one suitcase each, this is a huge benefit. In fact, this casita is pretty ideal for me.
Our hotel stays have left me with some notes and comments that I will share in a later blog solely devoted to lodging on road trips.
A meadow near the top of Mount Lemmon. It reminded me of the opening scene of the Sound of Music.
When we left Tucson, we drove up I-25 to Taos, New Mexico. We have never been here before. It is a small city up in the mountains. It doesn't seem to get really hot like some other parts of New Mexico. The center of town is a historic Plaza - plazas are common in town - filled with shops, galleries, and restaurants. Taos became an artist's mecca in the early 1900s and the city is still filled with beautiful and inspirational artwork of all kinds.
We planned to visit an art museum today, but when we pulled in we noticed a sign saying the museum is closed today! We will try again tomorrow. So, we had to satisfy ourselves by visiting several shops and galleries. We have a few more of those to check out tomorrow too.
I love the adobe architecture here. The place where we are staying is fairly new, but is built in that old fashioned style. The inn owners built four casitas - small houses. Each one has a bedroom and an open living room/kitchen floor plan. It has a real kitchen! I'm very excited about that. It is a trial for me to eat all of my meals in restaurants or hotels. I am surprised that so many restaurants still do not regularly supply whole grains, vegetarian options, and fresh vegetables. This casita also has a washer and dryer. For folks who are traveling with one suitcase each, this is a huge benefit. In fact, this casita is pretty ideal for me.
Our hotel stays have left me with some notes and comments that I will share in a later blog solely devoted to lodging on road trips.
The road we took up Mount Lemmon. Look at those tiny cars!
Our casita.
Pictures of Bryce Canyon
We have been quite busy at each park .... from touring, walking and photographing. We haven't had time to look at the photos we've taken... until now....
I uploaded pictures from Arches a while ago, so now here are some pictures from Bryce.
Hope you enjoy these photos... we have many more, but I thought I would spare you the complete amount. My next major upload of pictures will be of Zion .....
Peace to all!
I uploaded pictures from Arches a while ago, so now here are some pictures from Bryce.
This last picture is of a tunnel outside the park as we left going to Zion. It's the entrance to Red Canyon
Hope you enjoy these photos... we have many more, but I thought I would spare you the complete amount. My next major upload of pictures will be of Zion .....
Peace to all!
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Tunnels of Zion
One of the more exciting features of driving Zion are the tunnels. I feel like a kid when I drive through them.... such a difference from side to side. There are at least three tunnels. The big tunnel is the largest. It really can't be documented .... it's so dark and long.... over a mile long!!!
Here is one of the other tunnels.... love the coming out of the tunnel. This one is cool because you can see the exit and you approach the entrance...
Another blog about today's activities will ensue ... but it's time to eat and relax here in Flagstaff...
Note that all the tunnels were hand dug..... just jack hammers shovels and a little dynamite...
On the large tunnel they only allow one way traffic. Although... our trip down we shared the tunnel with the opposite direction traffic. I was very surpised!
Here is one of the other tunnels.... love the coming out of the tunnel. This one is cool because you can see the exit and you approach the entrance...
Another blog about today's activities will ensue ... but it's time to eat and relax here in Flagstaff...
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Walking in Zion
Today was devoted to walking the trails to see some beautiful vistas in the park. We drove into the parking lot before 10:00 am and hopped on the park shuttle. It took us to the farthest stop, the Temple of Sinawava, so I could walk the Riverside Trail. It was a 1.1 mile walk down to the Narrows, then I walked back to where Dennis was waiting for me. With his bad knee, he thought a two mile walk might be too much -- especially since I wanted to walk two other trails.
The trail led through almost-tropical flora, past hanging gardens to a wide, shallow spot in the river, then into the narrows. We were walking along the bottom of the cliffs and mountains. It was shady and I was able to maintain a good walking pace. As I walked, I noted places that I wanted to photograph on the way back. Many hikers go on into the Narrows and hike through water to the Kayenta Trail. That sounded like fun, but I just stopped there and turned back. The path was wide and paved. It was a great walk.
When I got back to Dennis, we boarded the shuttle and got off at stop 7 to walk up to the Weeping Rock. It was a short trail, but when the trail description said "steep" it was NOT kidding! We took pictures along the way and Dennis stopped about halfway up because it was so steep -- he was concerned about coming back down. So we traded cameras and I reached the weeping rock all out of breath, but glad I came to see it. The water seeps through the rock and it gently rains down inside a shallow cavern. It was cool and shady and a welcome break after the climb.
We reached the shuttle stop just as a bus was pulling in and we rode to stop 5 to take the Lower Emerald Pools Trail -- a half mile trek to another hanging garden and "waterfall." This walk was a gradual slope up to a vantage point that overlooked some lovely, shady pools. The waterfall, however, was slightly disappointing. I did take a video because the sound of water raining down onto a rock shelf was pretty cool.
At 1:30 we did some souvenir shopping and took a snack and water break. That was quite enough hiking for Dennis, so we decided to take a scenic drive up Kolob Terrace Road on the far side of the Park. The drive climbs steeply up through mesas to what looked like the edge of the world. We climbed from 3500 feet above sea level to 8000 feet above sea level. It was incredible!
Tomorrow we drive to Arizona. We'll stay in Flagstaff and then go on to Tucson to visit my brother Tom and sister-in-law Betty. It is always a delight to spend time with them in that amazing city.
The trail led through almost-tropical flora, past hanging gardens to a wide, shallow spot in the river, then into the narrows. We were walking along the bottom of the cliffs and mountains. It was shady and I was able to maintain a good walking pace. As I walked, I noted places that I wanted to photograph on the way back. Many hikers go on into the Narrows and hike through water to the Kayenta Trail. That sounded like fun, but I just stopped there and turned back. The path was wide and paved. It was a great walk.
Beginning of the trail
Hanging garden - flowers
Hanging garden - hanging on for dear life
The Narrows
When I got back to Dennis, we boarded the shuttle and got off at stop 7 to walk up to the Weeping Rock. It was a short trail, but when the trail description said "steep" it was NOT kidding! We took pictures along the way and Dennis stopped about halfway up because it was so steep -- he was concerned about coming back down. So we traded cameras and I reached the weeping rock all out of breath, but glad I came to see it. The water seeps through the rock and it gently rains down inside a shallow cavern. It was cool and shady and a welcome break after the climb.
Weeping Rock
We reached the shuttle stop just as a bus was pulling in and we rode to stop 5 to take the Lower Emerald Pools Trail -- a half mile trek to another hanging garden and "waterfall." This walk was a gradual slope up to a vantage point that overlooked some lovely, shady pools. The waterfall, however, was slightly disappointing. I did take a video because the sound of water raining down onto a rock shelf was pretty cool.
Crossing the Virgin River toward Emerald Pools
Waterfall
Waterfall up Close
At 1:30 we did some souvenir shopping and took a snack and water break. That was quite enough hiking for Dennis, so we decided to take a scenic drive up Kolob Terrace Road on the far side of the Park. The drive climbs steeply up through mesas to what looked like the edge of the world. We climbed from 3500 feet above sea level to 8000 feet above sea level. It was incredible!
Lava Point overlook
Cloud shadows approaching Lava Point
Tomorrow we drive to Arizona. We'll stay in Flagstaff and then go on to Tucson to visit my brother Tom and sister-in-law Betty. It is always a delight to spend time with them in that amazing city.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Wild Life
We were lucky to be able to see some mule deer and mountain goats... as well as many other indigenous species. Here are a couple examples:
One of my fave mesa tops is the Altar of Sacrifice ... note the 'blood' running off the altar.
and finally ... my favorite Wild Life:
More Zion Tomorrow
One of my fave mesa tops is the Altar of Sacrifice ... note the 'blood' running off the altar.
More Zion Tomorrow
Pilgrimage to Zion
Today we toured Zion National Park with a park ranger. About 30 tourists were on the shuttle bus. We heard about the history of the park and of the Mormon settlers who arrived in this beautiful, barren land with the goal of being entirely self-supporting living off the land.
The park has such diversity of ecosystems that it offers stunning beauty and sere, high desert in a relatively short walk. We started our tour under the gaze of the West Temple and the Altar of Sacrifice. The blood red stains gave the Altar of Sacrifice its name.
The settlers who were successful were able to create irrigation systems in order to produce enough food, but they also introduced non-native species, like peaches. When Zion became a National Park, the NPS removed all of the non-native trees.
We understand that the terrain is changing, but that usually means that visible change happens over the course of centuries. The second sight on our tour was a "slide" that is active and changing much more frequently. In 2010 after a large storm and vigorous flooding, there was a significant landslide that destroyed part of the park road. The hillside here looks raw.
The next feature we toured was the most surprising -- it was a waterfall. It is called Menu Falls, odd name right? So named because a picture of this waterfall graced the front of the menu at the Lodge at Zion. That's what the locals began calling it and the name stuck. The ranger explained that this was the oldest water in the park. It has been carbon dated to determine that it is about 4100 years old. I didn't realize that you could test for the age of water! This water is held under the caps of the largest mountain peaks and it gradually seeps vertically through the layers until it encounters a barrier. Then the water pushes along horizontally until it finds it way out. The foliage surrounding the waterfall included maidenhair ferns and columbine. It felt so familiar, but I'm sure our waterfalls don't have old water in them in Michigan.
We were able to get one question answered with a great story. We saw this flower everywhere and admired it because it looks like moonflower -- but it seems to be very hardy.
This lovely flower is sacred datura and is not from the same family as moonflower. It is poisonous. Some people are highly allergic and react even to a small brush with the leaves. Our ranger told us that it was used in Native American ceremonies and that it is hallucinogenic if ingested. The hallucinations could last for up to three days! When he told this to one of his tour groups, a woman drew him aside and said that she had consumed Sacred Datura when she was younger (a hippie girl); she told him that his explanation was completely accurate. The things you can learn on a tour!
After the tour we walked a mile to the museum to check out the exhibits, but along the way we saw this mule deer and her kids grazing. You have to look closely -- they are masters of camouflage.
Tomorrow we are going to do a couple of the easy hikes to some of the icons of the park - can't wait.
The park has such diversity of ecosystems that it offers stunning beauty and sere, high desert in a relatively short walk. We started our tour under the gaze of the West Temple and the Altar of Sacrifice. The blood red stains gave the Altar of Sacrifice its name.
The settlers who were successful were able to create irrigation systems in order to produce enough food, but they also introduced non-native species, like peaches. When Zion became a National Park, the NPS removed all of the non-native trees.
We understand that the terrain is changing, but that usually means that visible change happens over the course of centuries. The second sight on our tour was a "slide" that is active and changing much more frequently. In 2010 after a large storm and vigorous flooding, there was a significant landslide that destroyed part of the park road. The hillside here looks raw.
The next feature we toured was the most surprising -- it was a waterfall. It is called Menu Falls, odd name right? So named because a picture of this waterfall graced the front of the menu at the Lodge at Zion. That's what the locals began calling it and the name stuck. The ranger explained that this was the oldest water in the park. It has been carbon dated to determine that it is about 4100 years old. I didn't realize that you could test for the age of water! This water is held under the caps of the largest mountain peaks and it gradually seeps vertically through the layers until it encounters a barrier. Then the water pushes along horizontally until it finds it way out. The foliage surrounding the waterfall included maidenhair ferns and columbine. It felt so familiar, but I'm sure our waterfalls don't have old water in them in Michigan.
We were able to get one question answered with a great story. We saw this flower everywhere and admired it because it looks like moonflower -- but it seems to be very hardy.
This lovely flower is sacred datura and is not from the same family as moonflower. It is poisonous. Some people are highly allergic and react even to a small brush with the leaves. Our ranger told us that it was used in Native American ceremonies and that it is hallucinogenic if ingested. The hallucinations could last for up to three days! When he told this to one of his tour groups, a woman drew him aside and said that she had consumed Sacred Datura when she was younger (a hippie girl); she told him that his explanation was completely accurate. The things you can learn on a tour!
After the tour we walked a mile to the museum to check out the exhibits, but along the way we saw this mule deer and her kids grazing. You have to look closely -- they are masters of camouflage.
Tomorrow we are going to do a couple of the easy hikes to some of the icons of the park - can't wait.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
The Last Day at Bryce
Ok... so we spent three days here. Barely enough. Today was relaxed and as you can see from MaryAlice's post we still covered a lot of ground. I had a minor issue with my knee... but it is what it is.
The following pics are from Inspiration Point. A perfect closure to our stay here. So beautiful!
I love how you can see the storm rolling in.... mind you, we're at ~8,000 feet above sea level.... lightning is a present danger!
Oh.. and you can see one of the many trails on the second pic.
Tonight dinner was at the Bryce Lodge. Much smaller than the lodge in Glacier Nat. Park... and not as cool but still very nice.
Tomorrow to Zion!
Don't forget that you can comment on our posts!!
Until tomorrow!
The following pics are from Inspiration Point. A perfect closure to our stay here. So beautiful!
I love how you can see the storm rolling in.... mind you, we're at ~8,000 feet above sea level.... lightning is a present danger!
Oh.. and you can see one of the many trails on the second pic.
Tonight dinner was at the Bryce Lodge. Much smaller than the lodge in Glacier Nat. Park... and not as cool but still very nice.
Tomorrow to Zion!
Don't forget that you can comment on our posts!!
Until tomorrow!
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