Non-descript campground NW of town. It was Fine, but in a bad hood.
Jean Lafitte Visitor Center
Working on Jr Ranger Badge at Jean Lafitte.
Excited about the possibilities of the beignet.
We waited and waited and waited for table service. From the smiles, we probably had finally ordered!
How do you eat this thing?
Forgetaboutit!
Watching street performers… fascinated.
Battle of New Orleans Battlefield. You could feel the history.
Monument, only took about 100 years to (almost) complete. Government bickering is not a recent development it seems.
This was cool weather to experience the battlefield.
There was some debate about whether it would be worthwhile to stop with the kids in New Orleans. I could see Kim’s point about it being an adult oriented place, one of excess and debauchery. That said, I really wanted them to experience some of it, partly because the sense of history there would be unique to the rest of our trip so far. I’m glad we did.
We camped at a campground NorthWest of town. As we rolled in, missed a turn and cruised through a neighborhood that had seen better days (nice way of saying it), I was certainly wondering about the decision, and about Kim’s choice of campground. It was a bit rough, but in the end, it worked out great.
We only had one day to hit this town, so we headed downtown after breakfast. First stop, the French Quarter and the Jean Lafitte visitor center for a Jr Ranger badge. It was really great to visit a National Historic Site within a thriving bustling city! They happened to have a band in there playing live music (a first!)… including a clarinet and an accordion! In the adjacent kitchen, we had demonstrations of praline making by the owner of “Grannies Pralines”. They were great, and I grabbed the recipe for (near) future use. Note to self, cut it in half next time, who needs 48 pralines!
After that, we made a beeline for Cafe Du Monde for the famous coffee! Just kidding, we went for the beignet, and I had a side of coffee. Service was horrible, but energy and food was high. Lots of football fans, ready for a bowl game at the superdome later in the day.
We had planned to do a boat trip at the Chalumette Battlefield National Site, so we scurred over there in the jeep. Unfortunately, we were a bit late, and once we arrived, we found out the program was cancelled! No matter, we explored the visitor center, watched the excellent movie, and got another Badge! I’m impressed by the volunteers who travelled to this place to defend the port of New Orleans from the British! Great to hear that we we’re not afraid to partner up with some questionable characters in that hour of need as well. Jean Lafitte was a local pirate who joined the battle, offering men and ammo, in return for pardons for his aquatic thieving ways.
After that we headed back to the RV for dinner, and called it a day. A short, but good visit to the bayou, gahwonteed!
Loyal readers, I added this feature awhile ago, but I’m quite certain nobody knows about it yet. You can subscribe for email notifications, so you get an email with there is a new post to the blog.
If you look to the right, on the menu links, here is a section with a link to your profile where you can turn this on. Try it, you’ll like it. I didn’t want to be so presumptuous to turn it on for all users.
Also, you may notice we have a couple of new bloggers on staff… please comment liberally, they love any and all feedback!
We’re headed East to reach Florida for Christmas. I knew I wanted the kids to see New Orleans, but we needed another stop, and just a quickie. We’d heard many times that Crackerbarrel and Wal-mart both allow for free boondocking in their parking lots, so we thought we’d give it a shot in Sulpher, LA. We planned to stop at CrackerBarrel. In theory, this will save some Money! The problem is, if you eat a meal at Crackerbarrel, and you have extra time before or after to shop there too, odds are you’ll spend more than you would at a campground.
In the back parking lot of the CrackerBarrel in Sulphur Louisiana… weird.
That’s just what we did. The kids were so excited by the “talking toucan”, that we ended up with one (among other things). Oh well. The camping was horrible too. Drunks walking by talking about joy riding on our bikes, refer truck parked in front of us running all night, road noise, and just generally feeling exposed unlike any campground. We didn’t sleep well!
The next day, we took off, and headed on east, planning to stop at Avery Island and the Tobasco Factory. The drive wasn’t too bad, and we enjoyed driving through the sparsely populated bayou. Traffic was light at Tobasco this day, and we had a nice laid-back visit. (and learned a ton)
Bus Parking at the Tobasco Factory. We were lonely!
Kane heading into the Tobasco Factory welcome center and tour.Bottling Line.These guys were in the salt business before. Somebody sent him some pepper plants as a gift, and the rest is history!Truly an international company at this point.
The day the peppers are picked, they get mixed with avery island salt, and put into mash barrels.After 3 years of aging in the barrels, they add the vinegar, and stir for another 28 days !
Mash is being mixed. Kids enjoyed trying to smell it through the vent holes.Tabasco Company Store out back!Pepper Ice Cream?These are bottles packaged for Switzerland!At 51 cents, the smashed pennies are a nice souvenir… and a good workout.
Well we’d not been to a big city for awhile, and so we were excited to be both out of the desert and in a nice city for a bit. We didn’t have a ton planned, but we knew we wanted to see the Alamo, and the River Walk for sure. We had no idea we were in for such a treat with the weather. Also, I had Facebook messaged our old neighbors that we had not seen for 14 years or so… Craig and Christen Wilson. Luckily, they lived in Boerne (just outside San Antonio), and they were free for dinner one night.
We camped in a really nice RV park near SeaWorld. There were tons of seasonal campers there, and I can see why. Great service, nice people, great weather, landscaping etc. This meant any exploring in the city would be a 45 minute drive, but it worked out great.
Our first day, we headed downtown to hit the River Walk, the Alamo, and one of the other missions south of town. The weather was perfect for exploring the city on foot! We were all so happy, soaking up the glorious sunshine!
We had a great lunch at a Mexican restaurant right on the river, then we made our way over to the Alamo. The Alamo was really set up nice, and we enjoyed the movie, as well as the artifacts (weapons!) in the museum. Too bad there are no cameras allowed inside!
After that, we jumped back in the jeep and went south to one of 5 local missions, the San Jose mission, which is also a National Monument. We did the movie, and another Jr Ranger program there, and got to explore the old Mission. The Church was beautiful, and still in use. We lit candles and prayed for our friends and family back home in the midst of challenges.
The next day, we really just messed around. We did some school, Kim did some shopping, and I took the kids to the movie (Frozen… it was the best Disney film I’ve seen for years). Then that night, we met our old Neighbors for Dinner. It was so nice to catch up and hear about how their life has been over the last few years. It brought flooding back some great times living next door to them back in O’Fallon years ago.
No time to linger, we had a date set to get to Panama City Beach Florida for Christmas!
Kids at the River Walk. Kane must have been chilly in the shade, his arms are pulled inside his shirt!
The mexican restaurant where we ended up having lunch.
Table for 4, on the river!
Boat tours like this come by periodically, and we tried to eavesdrop on the history of the area.
Waiting for girls to come back from restroom, and fighting off the birds!
Everybody loved the weather… sunny and high 60’s.
Kat had fun talking to the birds on the river. Pidgeons and Ducks!
This hat that Kat got for early Christmas present, will never again look this good!
Making our way to the Alamo.
Remember this!
Old cannons at the Alamo, not sure they really did much good against Santa Ana’s men.
Beautiful trees around here tell us we are not in the desert anymore!
Filthy Beggars.
I wonder how long this will continue?
More missions, more national monuments, more jr ranger badges!
There are a lot of factors that determine the quality of our experiences. In some cases, it’s not fair to rate a location purely based on our overall enjoyment. Oft times, the way we approach a place determines how much fun we have. Big Bend was a “perfect storm” of National Park enjoyment.
Part of this is the Park itself does have a ton to offer. At it’s core, it’s an incredible specimen of desert (the Chihuahuan Desert), but it also has a river, mountains and… access to whole other country!
On top of that, WE OWNED this place. I feel like we left no stone unturned at Big Bend, and I for one, had no expectations for the National Park, and it blew me away.
We did two great hikes (Boquillas Canyon and Lost Mine). We got “rowed” across the border by a Mexican, and rode Donkey’s into Boquillas for lunch. We built a tree swing at the campsite. We watched a meteor shower. We floated the Rio Grande in a guided raft. We backcountry camped in the middle of nowhere in 23 degree temps! We saw a wild rattlesnake and tarantula. It was amazing!
This is one place that we probably don’t need to visit again, not because it’s not great, but because we kind of maxed out our first visit.
Arrival – Boquillas Canyon – Boquillas Mexico
Drive day is postcard day!
Kids had the idea to use their rope to make a tree swing at the campsite.
Non-descript campground, but we enjoyed the grassy area with trees behind.
Neighbors recently retired, had pet chickens!
First adventure, Canyon hike
Nice easy hike over the hill to the river and into a canyon
Pretty sweet to realize… that’s Mexico over there!
Approaching the canyon
Some great views down near the canyon
You could literally throw rocks into Mexico
Unique to Big Bend, donation stations on the trail. We saw this guys canoe on the other side of the river…
Beautiful Canyon
Kate and Nate… fellow travelers (with cats!)
Walking down to the river crossing… a bit anxious
Riding the International Ferry
We sprung for 2 donkeys!
Short 1 mile trip to town
Lunch! Tamales
Tacos
We bought Kat’s, and they gave us Kane’s
Town of Boquillas
Time to go back!
Chickens in Boquillas… tomorrows tacos
Bike ride – Lost Mine Trail
Day ended with a bike ride
Beautiful Day!
Mosquito Fish!
More Mexican “Honor System” Sales
Watching the meteor shower at the Hot Springs
Start of the Lost Mine Hike
Uh Oh!
MLB trying to catch brother/mother.
Nice self-guided nature tour.
Gorgeous views!
It got quite cold, so Kat borrowed my jacket.
Rafting Rio Grande – Tarantula – Backcountry Camping
Ready to Go!
Guides loading up the boats.
Typical view for the day
Side hike in Mexico… this house fell into a sinkhole!
I’d been looking forward to visiting my Aunt Joyce and her partner Beth since we left Kansas City for a few reasons. First, I don’t get to see Joyce very often. Second, Joyce and I both got the recessive “Yoxall Dry Humor” gene. Even though I don’t see her very often, I always feel comfortable, and I know there will be laughs. Third, Joyce and Beth play and sing amazingly together and I knew we’d hear some great music. Fourth, Joyce and Beth live on an an honest to goodness farm in New Mexico, and I just knew the kids would love visiting.
Originally I told Joyce to look for us in early/mid October. That was a bit ambitious, as we arrived on December 6th. This was less than idea for Beth as she was in the throws of her peak season for selling Bee’s Wax Candles, handmade soaps, ornaments etc. We arrived on Friday, and she had open houses Fri/Sat/Sun. Joyce assured us we were welcome anytime, and could assimilate. Assimilate we did! After the first night, I felt like we were one big family.
Friday night, we had agreed to go out for Tex-Mex, but when we arrived at SparrowHawk Farms, Joyce had enchiladas in the oven. We got reacquainted, and got to explore the house. It’s a really cozy adobe house, arranged as a series of connected hexagons. The front room was set up as the shop, and smelled amazing. The next room over was the work and inventory room. This is where the wax is filtered and prepared, where the candles etc are made, and where the products are organized on shelves for restocking the store. The next room over is the Kitchen, then from there, the rooms fork with the music (and pinpong) room, then Emily’s (Beth’s daughter) bedroom on one side, and the “winter family room” (with the wood stove), and a couple of other bedrooms on the other. It’s a very inviting, cozy, comfortable home.
Within 5 minutes of being there, Beth had the kids setup in the family room with crafts and games. She was born to entertain kids I think. The kids had the time of their lives. On Sunday as our visit was wrapping up, Kane suggested that we henceforth plan to visit Joyce and Beth “every year on spring break”! We had a nice dinner, visited for awhile, and returned to the RV. We had considered boon-docking at the farm, but the driveway is way too narrow. The RV park (and Horse Hotel) 10 miles south of them in Bernardo was great though and a good value.
On Saturday, we tried to stay out of Beth’s hair in the morning, so she could prepare for her open house, had breakfast at the RV, and went over at about 10:00. It was a pretty low-key day, we hung out with Joyce while Beth worked. We got to watch Joyce cook authentic red chile with pork and papas fritas for lunch. Kim helped out making carrot cake with honey. After the open house started, Joyce and Kim took turns hosting guests in the kitchen for mulled cider and carrot cake. As you might imagine, Beth and Joyce have some interesting friends/neighbors! I had a nice time chatting with some of them as well. Saturday night, we were able to convince them to go to Petes for Tex-Mex. I’m glad we followed them, as I’m not sure I could have found Pete’s on my own, but boy it was delicious. Everybody was pretty tired after dinner, so we turned in.
On Sunday, Kim was wanting to go to Whole Foods for vitamins and Trader Joes, so she headed north to Albuquerque to do some shopping. So she dropped us off at the farm and headed north for the afternoon. The kids and I hung out, they made some ornaments, I helped with a couple of computer issues, and also got to help with hosting guests during the open house. It was a great laid back day at the farm. I got a chance to get a tour of the garden from Beth, and a tour of the rest of the Farm from Joyce. There is a real appeal to me for the farm lifestyle there. If only I had the skill and expertise to do anything that they do!
Aunt Joyce in the Kitchen
Dinner was cooking when we arrived, we just explored the house and got reacquainted
Wax heaters, this is where Beth prepared the wax for candle and ornament making. The smell in here is amazing.
Tapers and the dipper, so cool to see how this stuff is made!
Homemade latex molds for ornaments.
Can in the coziest room in the house, the “winter family room” with the wood stove
When Beth was not working, she spent her free time entertaining the kids. She either really loves kids, or she’s really good at pretending to love kids!
Within minutes, puzzles and origami
Kane finally completed the puzzle that evidently had only been solved once before in 20 years?
Hatch Chilies, not just decorations, but ingredients.
Saturday lunch, Joyce made authentic red chile. We made such a mess pulling the peppers from the pod, we had to go outside.
Kat, painting her candle holder
mmmm, spicy, and salty!
Making wax ornaments
Impromptu guitar lesson from Joyce
Done!
Beth is a beekeeper, so Honey and Wax are key. Kane used his own money to buy himself some honeycomb.
Honeycomb. Their honey is the best, mildest honey ever.
Kim helped Saturday by making carrot cake. Of course, there was no sugar… only honey.
Kat, so proud to burn a candle in her holder
The drum kit was my huckleberry
Eventually, Joyce’s quilting operation was removed from the ping-pong table and we had a great time. No quilts were made this weekend.
Saturday night, we went to Pete’s Tex mex. It was pretty amazing, in downtown Belen.
I had green chile enchiladas, with the optional fried egg over medium.
Joyces stuffed Sopaipilla looked great too
Sunday morning, we got a tour of the farm. The tree behind the house (with abandoned treehouse) is amazing.
Sadly, empty Chicken coop. They had to give away their remaining chickens after 80% were killed by neighbors dogs and coons.
Sunday afternoon we went to the wild bird refuge to check out the sandhill cranes. We saw a cool Harrier (kind of hawk) flying low over the grass looking for dinner.
Cranes are cool birds.
The second area we went to, had hundreds of cranes blending in with the grass, they were so beautiful.
Love the way their legs hang down when they are landing
Last place allowed us to get pretty close to these guys
Kat, with Joyce’s dog, Flash. It was a love/hate relationship, mostly love.
So fun to visit these guys
Joyce feeding the dragon
Games with Joyce Sunday night
Showing off their creations.
Monday afternoon, Joyce came over for some jamming with Sasquatch.
Kat making desert, reindeer cookies
Beth came over for a low-key “RV” dinner of Korean Beef, then we played a few games of farkel. (Beth and Joyce taught us new rules that we love… and called it Fagiolo).
Kim and I had seen the Grand Canyon many years ago, when we piggy-backed on a business trip, drove to Williams, and rode the train to the South Rim. And while I’ve used it many times as an example of “indescribability” (no matter how you try, the person you describe it to simply can’t imagine it until they see it themselves), we really didn’t “experience” the place at all. We stared at it from a couple of viewpoints, got back on the train and headed south.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how this would be different, except for the fact that we would be camping this time, and I figured there would be some hiking that we might try. There was also the fact that we’d be there over Thanksgiving (our first major Holiday away from home). It turned out amazing.
We drove down from Arches NP in Arizona, and it was a really pleasant drive overall. I was sad that we didn’t really have time to stop to see Monument Valley. We saw the turnoff, but it was a long drive and we didn’t know now the weather would be near the canyon. Once we arrived at the Canyon, we were so excited, we stopped at the first viewpoint we came to… Desert View. The kids were so excited… Kane about the canyon, Kat about the snack bar and gift shop. It was a quick stop, then we drove to Trailer Village, and setup camp.
Some scenes from Desert View
Kids first view of the Canyon
So excited!
Our first full day at Grand Canyon happened to be Thanksgiving. We basically spent the day messing around… reading, playing video games, etc, until it was time to COOK. At around 10:30 or so we went into high gear…. I cooked a 9 lb turkey on the big Green Egg, Kim and Kat made Turkey Cupcakes for our neighbors and park rangers, and Kim also made a Cherry Pie, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Green Beans, and Croissant Rolls. I helped with the gravy at the end, and the meal was amazing! All the while, we were able to watch some football (the campground here has CABLE!), and play some football, and ride bikes etc.
Later that night, we drove to a view places to try a cell signal and call home. No luck with the cell, but Kim bought a calling card, and we were able to use a pay phone.
Putting our little butterball into the brine!
Out of the brine, on with the rub
Onions, Celery, and Chicken Broth in the drip pan
The Pie Lady in IN THE HOUSE
Score one for chatting up the park rangers. I had no Idea we had cable, until I asked our neighbor rangers about TV options. Yeah!
Stuffing!
Made these guys for rangers and neighbors.
Is it ready yet?
Let’s Eat it!
Table is ready
Stuffing is ready
Almost…
Yum, the turkey was sooo good, juicy, and just enough smoke
Love the pie!
The next day, was the day for Adventure! We started at the Visitor Center (where we always do), to get the Jr Ranger books, see the video, and make a plan for hikes etc. This Visitor center was a mess! It was new and beautiful, but nothing worked. The exhibits, the hike planning kiosks, and the video were all broken. The sign said the next video started in about 12 minutes, so we hung out and waited. At 5 minutes till, the doors opened and we jumped into the theatre for a great seat, followed by about 30 other folks (it was very busy because of the holiday). After about 5 minutes the lights came down, but the movie didn’t start. After about 5 more minutes, I went out to tell the ranger the movie was broken. He came in, looked at it, and said he had to reboot the system, and the next show would be in 30 minutes. Too much automation! It was like the Denver Airport when it first opened.
Anyway, we gave up on the video for that day, and jumped on the “orange line” bus to the Kaibab Trail Trailhead. At the trailhead, we ate our lunch, used the potty, and headed down the trail. Kane REALLY wanted to go to Skeleton Point, which was 3 miles out and > 2000 feet down. Kim was OK with going to OOH-AAH point, which is .9 miles out and 600 feet down. I was leaning toward meeting in the middle. Cedar Ridge which is 1.5 miles out and 1100 feet down.
The Kaibab trail is a really well established trail all the way down to the River. Which is good and bad. It’s a nice trail, but you have to share it with Mule trains. They use mules to a pack supplies down and people/trash back up. Proper etiquette requires hikes to stand to the uphill side of the trail and wait for the mules to pass.
We were surprised that portions of the trail near the rim were frosty and slippery in spots. About a 1/4 mile in, Kane had run ahead and he let us know that he found a really slippery spot. So of course, Kim decides to “side step” the spot, and fell. Her new walking stick flailing, knocked Kanes baseball cap down the hill, and almost poked his eye out. She also broke the screen on her (about 1 week old) camera. It was hilarious.
I was lagging behind Kane and Kim, helping Kat down… she was doing great, but was cold and scared of some of the drop-offs. At about 1/2 mile, Kim had stopped for some reason, and I took the opportunity to run ahead with Kane (leaving Kim with Kat). Kim wasn’t too keen on this and ran to catch up with me. We decided it was a good time to split up since Kane wanted to go further than Kim was willing. So, I got my snack/water from Kim, and ran to catch Kane who was way down the trail by now.
We picked up the pace and hoofed it quickly down to Ooh-Aah point. It was nice, but we didn’t stay long and headed on down toward Cedar Ridge. The path was steep, and pretty uneven in most areas. They have made crude stairs in some areas with railroad ties, but they are “cupped” by hiker footsteps and mule prints (and rain/snow). In spite of this, we made great time, but I started to get a little anxious about the trip back up by this point.
Meanwhile, Kim and Kat made it to Ooh-Ahh point, and went back up to the rim. Kim wanted more hiking. So, they worked on the Jr Ranger program, and hiked around the rim.
Back to Kane and I. We made it to Cedar Ridge, and still making really good time. Kane used the restroom, and since we were cruising, I told him we’d go down another 20 minutes. The trail really thinned out the further we got. We went long stretches and didn’t see anyone else going either way. After 20 minutes, we passed a guy, and asked him how far to Skeleton Point. He said about another 20 minutes. Kane looked at me with his “please, please grin”, I looked at my watch and said “OK, we may never be here again”. (my inside voice was telling me it was a mistake)
We got to Skeleton Point, and it was amazing. The Canyon looks really different from the middle, and the lighting was getting good too. I love the 4:00 hour in the wintertime desert! While we were there, a nice couple from New York got there too, and they took our picture for us. We checked out the river (you can finally see the river from there), took some photos, drank some water, ate the snacks, and headed back up toward the rim.
This hike was absolutely amazing, and the Canyon looked amazing, but the elevation gain, and hoofing it back to beat the sunset KICKED my BUTT! Kane started complaining just before Cedar Ridge that I was taking too many breaks. I understood, but I had to get him off my back. I reminded him that I weigh 3 times what he does, and that if something happened and I had a heart attack, to run up the hill, find someone with a cell phone and call 911. That shut him up for the rest of the hike.
We felt amazing back at the rim. We took a few photos, and went over the shuttle stop to catch the bus back to the visitor center (where the jeep was). We just missed the shuttle, and Kane started chirping about walking back instead (it was 2.5 miles). I agreed to walk back to the next shuttle stop, and try to catch the shuttle there. Walking on the flat rim trail was an amazing cool down, and seemed incredibly easy! We ended up walking the entire way back.. a total of about 9 miles. Kane was so so proud to do our longest hike, and our largest elevation gain (and I was too). What a great day, but it was 1/2 hour after dark when we got home.
Love this quote on the wall of the theatre. Everybody has to see it for themselves.
Busted Automated Movie… stuck at 30:00 after the reboot
Not happy with the exhibit
On the orange Line to Kaibab trailhead
Ready for Lunch at the Kaibab Trailhead
Pinon Jay near trailhead
Serious switch backs at the top of the trail. These suckers would “pain” me greatly on the way back up
None shall Pass!
Looking back up the trail. We back in the sun and feeling fine!
Starting to get a bit of a perspective for 3/400 feet down from rim
This is where most folks (including Kim and Kat) turn around. 600 feet down and almost 1 mile out.
Getting close to Cedar Ridge
Here, we are 1100 feet down, and 1.5 miles out
See the hawk?
Girls are on the way back up, we’re cruising down
Kane and I had walked out to the end of the Cedar Ridge point, and now headed back up to catch the trail on down toward Skeleton Point
These Yucca seed pods are pretty amazing.. we saw some 15 feet tall.
I’m a sucker for a bald tree, with smooth bark, and light/shadows. Actually I’m a sucker for trees.
Can see Skeleton Point out in the distance.
Yucca
Kim/Kat made it back to the top! Just as Kane and I are reaching Skeleton Point.
Made it to Skeleton Point. We chatted up 3 backpackers on their way down to camp at “Phantom Ranch” here.
Kane ran to scout the west side of the point. Glad he did, we could see the Colorado River from there
See the River? Someday, we’ll go back and float/camp that sucker
This is a different place from here
Thanks, folks from NYC for the help.
Horse coral near trailhead. Kat LOVES animals of all kinds.
The beginning of the death march back up to the rim
GIrls saw these mule deer on the rim trail
Got a pic of Kane, taking a pic
He finally came to grips with all of the breaks. He even carried my camera bag for 10 minutes.
Pretty typical switchback
Not sure what was going on here… I guess they wanted a shot of Kat in the air? Mission Accomplished!
Loved the lighting near the top
Feel the burn!… almost at the top
We DID it!
Getting dark, but we’re feeling good, and want to stretch this thing into our longest hike ever… 9 miles
We saw these guys on the Rim Trail… they scared Kane
Well, it was good for us we had such a great day on Friday. On Saturday, we went back to the Visitor Center to try again to see the video, rode the bus West to catch a ranger led program on California Condors, and got our Jr Ranger badges. The Canyon was completely fogged-in. We felt so bad for folks like us the last time who basically had one day planned at the canyon. There was no seeing any of it. What’s funny is it was a beautiful day at the campground before we left, and so I wore shorts. I must have looked like an idiot out there in the low 30’s, with my shorts on! The trees where great with a layer of frozen fog on there though!
We caught our NP sign photo on the way out, and all was right with the world…. on to the next adventure.
Non-Traditional Christmas decorating the Sunday after Thanksgiving!
We DID eventually see the video.. it was working this day
One of the old lodges on the South Rim
Trees and bushes looked cool, covered in ice
No Canyon Views today
9 foot wingspan, Colorado Condor model
The Swearing in of the Jr Rangers
Who had two thumbs and looks like an idiot wearing shorts in freezing weather? This guy!
After we left Dead Horse Point State Park, and left the 8 inches of snow behind, we drove to Moab Utah so that we could visit Arches National Park. I have to admit that I had a bit of “desert fatigue”, and I suggested to Kim that we skip Arches. I’m glad we didn’t!
This place is one of the most beautiful parks we saw. Especially just before sundown (around 4-5pm), with the sun hitting everyhing at extreme angles creating shadows and unexpected highlights.
The first day, we settled into a really nice RV park, we went out for lunch (an awesome pizza buffet). and headed over to the visitors center to get the lay of the land (and Jr Ranger books). This is another beautiful visitors center. The movie was top notch, and the exhibits really educational. I’ve never been more interested in Geology, it’s truly fascinating what can be learned by studying the rock layers.
After the VC, we decided to drive into the park and check out the “Windows” area, a well known grouping of arches not too far from the entrance. On the way, we stopped at “Balanced Rock”, whic is an amazing HooDoo in the park. We arrived at the Windows just near dusk, and got some great photos, climbing around the windows. Kane and Kat really had a blast climbing around and we all loved the sunset and shadows at Windows.
The next day, we did the most famous hike in Arches, “Delicate Arch”. It’s actually quite a hike up a long rock ledge, and they set up the trail really well, not allowing you to catch a glimpse of the arch until the very end. It’s a magnificant sight! A huge arch, at the edge of a cliff (actually between a cliff and a huge bowl shaped formation). Well worth the hike. On the way up there, we saw some petroglyphs, and an old homestead. It took nuts to live out here for sure.
The next morning, Kim and the Kids ran back up the the VC to get their badges, and we headed south to the Grand Canyon! Moab is a really nice (classy touristy) town, and the combination of Canyonlands, Arches, and Dead Horse Point State Parks makes this area a nice destination for a weeklong trip.
“Sorry Mustache” the kids made for each other. They can be so darn cute sometimes.
Very nice Visitor Center had rock samples from each layer.
The layers of rock in the area. It’s amazing what they know about the time periods when these were laid down.
Well, I made a mistake. I told Kim that I was getting tired of the same old thing… hiking in the desert. I was longing for trees, water, mountains, and I suppose some new and exciting activities like we experienced on the Oregon coast.
We woke up on drive day in Panquitch Utah (near Bryce), and there was an inch of snow on the ground. The roads reportedly were OK heading north to I-70 (our planned route). Getting ready was unique, in that for the first time I had to climb on top of the RV to scrape ice/snow off the slide toppers (rolling tarps that prevent debris from settling on the slides).
The road north to I-70, was tricky in spots, but not too bad. I-70, was a breeze, totally clean. We were 30 miles from our destination and feeling great. We went south toward Arches/Canyonlands 10 miles. Then we went West, up the slope of the plateau on Utah 313 toward Dead Horse State Park (our camping destination). We started up the windy hill, and immediately became surrounded by huge snowflakes. Wow, this was pretty and unexpected, thankfully we’re less than 20 miles from setting up camp. We got to the top of the hill and noticed it had been snowing for a bit, and there was an inch of fresh powder on the road. By this time, we were a bit concerned, but thankful that we were going uphill, and the road was straightening out. Kim said “well, you said you wanted some new experiences!”
5 more miles down the road, and now it’s a blizzard, we’ve got 2 inches on the road and no tracks to follow. I’m hoping hard that we’re heading in the right direction and the park is still open. There is no place to turn around, we have to press on. By the time we get to the park, there’s 3 inches on the ground, and it’s coming down fast. Finally, we reach the visitor center, and Kim goes in to check in. They acted like it was no big deal. We unhooked the jeep in the deserted parking lot at the visitor center. I followed Kim to our campsite, a pull through space on the loop of 21 campsites. Our spot was a semi-circular pull through, that kind of dips in the middle. When Kim pulled through the spot in the jeep, we had to put it in 4WD for her to be able to pull back up the other side! We got parked and setup with no incident. It was a wonderland!
By the next morning, we had 8 inches on the ground, and it was still snowing. We had a really nice time playing in the snow, messing around in the RV, playing games, doing school etc. I cleaned off the jeep and took Kane up to the visitors center to let them know that our electricity was off. The only folks at the center were the other campers, and they confirmed that their power was out too. The sign on the door said, they would be back “after the plow comes”.
Well our power was out most of the day Saturday, and then it finally came back on. We were in good shape, with plenty of Gas to run the generator, and LP to heat/cook with(we filled up both in Panquitch). It was a welcome “change” from our routine, and very energizing. Dead Horse State Park was wonderful, and the campground is amazing. Each site has a private covered patio with huge table, and some lockable storage.
We drove out to the end of Dead Horse Point, and it was complete fog! We could not see anything. The next day, we drove over to the Canyonlands NP, the kids got their Jr Ranger badges, and we did a couple of short hikes. We were able to see a bit more, but not too much.
The next morning, Kane and Kim got up early and drove back out to the point. This time they were able to see the canyon, it was spectacular. Kat and I went out after they got back, but it was fogged in already. Leaving this place, took an extra hour, for me to clean the snow off the top of the RV, but it was really peaceful up there looking out over the park.
I’d like to see Canyonlands again someday, I know there are tons of trails for hiking and Jeeping. It really is a huge and beautiful place!
Barely beat the sun going down, we finally made it to the Visitor Center at Dead Horse!
Got set up, and it’s beautiful!
View out our door Sat Morning. The mesquites seemed dreamlike, on account of that frosting.
Darn, power out Sat morning, we had to unplug and run the gene.
Our backyard that first night.
Getting ready to take the jeep up to the visitor center. O-cedar broom makes an OK snow shovel (at least once)
Kane cooking b-fast for us.
Kat getting ready for the big day coming
Kat was having fun hiding out in one of the trees in our campsite
Kids played all day, I played for an hour or two.
Try me!
Kane’s loving it!
It’s on!
Games and Hot Cocoa after playing in the snow… it’s the best!
We got all of these for NPs except for Death Valley!
We saw a bit of the canyon behind the visitor’s center, but not much
Jeep is lonely at the shutdown visistor’s center
Kids working together to build a fort
Kat, making a brick for the fort
Coming together nicely
Kim and I stayed in most of the day and watched the kids through the windshield. We listened to music and played some Yahtzee. It was amazing.
It was tall, but weak so…
I came out and helped them build a stronger one with a roof
Kids did this on their own
Canyon views were fogged in most of our time here, but we still had a great time
This is what park rangers do when the power is out
Power back on, up to VC to do our Jr Ranger programs
Love me some scale models.
So, I finally get the “geology degree”, it’s more than “rocks for jocks”!
Have to admit, I’m fascinated by the history on display in these rock layers.
Ravens are taking over the west. Oh and Stellar’s Jays. I think they’re smart as heck.
Hiking to the arch in Canyonlands Park.
1/2 mile hike up to the arch. Kane in the lead as per usual. He NEEDS to be the first to see stuff.
Kane found the arch
Had to stop at the arch, it’s right on the edge of a big cliff.
Found this little guy, and added to him
Kim got some good shots the morning we left.
Colorado River up stream from Grand Canyon.
They call this the Grand Canyon of Utah
Several movies shot here, including famous scene from Themla and Louise.
I guess I knew there were several National Parks in Utah. I guess I had visual expectations for Arches and Bryce Canyon. I had no idea what Zion was about. That’s partly why it’s now solidly in my “top 5”, and maybe as high as 3rd after Glacier and Denali. To be sure, we had 2 top 5 hikes here.
Zion is essentially a more approachable Yosemite. Zion is a Navajo Sandstone canyon carved by the Virgin River. To me, it feels like a smaller Yosemite Valley, but because the vegetation is shorter and more sparse, when you are in the canyon, you are treated to 360 degree views of the rock. It’s amazing. It’s also smaller and “cozier” than Yosemite.
We camped at the Watchman campground, just inside the park, which was great. Nicely sized sites, electricity hookups, great views of the canyon, plenty of wildlife etc. Because it was still in season, and we were there over the weekend, we were not able to drive our Jeep into the Canyon until Monday. That simply means that you catch the shuttle at the visitor center (short walk from our camp).
We spent 3 days here, and it was amazing. Day one: did the visitor center (kids got Jr Ranger books, and we watched the video), then rode the shuttle to the “Grotto Trailhead” stop. We ate our lunch there, and did the “Angel’s Landing” hike. It was quite a climb… 1500 feet up. The first 1/3 is pretty steep, long sweeping switchbacks, the 2nd third (thankfully) is relatively flat trek back through a slot canyon), and the last 1/3 is quite a steep set of switchbacks (21 of them). Actually, then the last 1/2 mile is steep climbing on mostly unimproved rock, with just a chain to hold.
Kane and I did the entire thing, the girls stopped prior to the last .5 miles up to the landing. I was pretty beat when we got started on the last 1/2 mile to the landing, but I didn’t notice it, I was running on adrenaline! Kane had no problem doing this hike, but he’s a great climber, and (mostly) careful. When we got to the top of the landing, we finally saw our first California Condor overhead. These guys are endangered (~200 in the wild), and have an amazing 9 ft wingspan. This hike was an amazing experience for all of us.
Gallery of Angel’s Landing Hike:
Can’t beat this campsite! They closed the loop behind us, so it was very private. Electricity is much appreciated too!
Broken glasses? No problem. 1001 uses now.
Mule deer are rampant in here.
If NPs can be photogenic, Zion is.
On the weekend, there was no auto traffic in the canyon, everybody has to ride the tram.
Lunch at the Grotto Trailhead.
A couple of hikes launch here, but only one is calling our name.
Love the graffic of a guy falling off the mountain. This is a MUST do hike if you come here, but it is a steep climb.
Barely up the trail, looking back. The breathlessness floods back with I look at these pics.
LOTS of switchbacks on this one… at least 21 I think and their named “Walter’s Wiggles”
Rare Kim sighting, in her Gathering T
Typical of the first 1/4 of this hike. It’s 80% uphill.
Looking back again, we can see a little more of the canyon.
This slot canyon section is the only relatively flat part of the hike, and was much welcomed
Peek
A-Boo
Can’t even describe the views, unreal.
Loooking through the slot.
Decision Time!
And another graphic of a guy falling! This time it’s for real!
Not much of a trail, kind of like a social trail, with a heavy chain fastened to the hillside.
Views keep getting better, but watch your step!
Virgin river below, and probably a few sacrafices made from up here too
Looking back on the ridge we crossed
This is typical of the last .5 miles of this. Not for the faint of heart.
Even tying his shoes, Kane can’t help himself from the view
At the top, we made it!
Had to have someone take this.
Coming back, across the ridge.
Kane was very cautious and responsible on this hike, he did great.
They’d been waiting all day to see a California Condor. He showed up just after we got to the end.
I hope you enjoy these, I re-strained my back trying to get them. Seriously, the hike didn’t hurt me, but photographing the darn condor did.
You have to see this place!
So proud and happy!
Coming down was not as bad as I feared coming up. Thank God for the chain though.
Carrying the camera down, probably not the best idea, but, no way I’m missing this.
We’re back on the normal trail again, and suddenly everything looks different!
Back in the slot.
Great view of the start of the wiggles.
Wild Turkeys hanging by the river.
Hens
I love the hour before sunset in the desert!
Our backyard for our time there.
The next day, we did school in the morning, and drove over to the east side of the park to do another shorter hike… to the observation deck. It was a nice little hike with great views. One thing I really enjoyed about it was the drive over. There’s a pretty winding road over, and then a tunnel through the rock. The tunnel is listed as 13 ft, 1 in in the middle (it’s arched). I had been told that our RV was 13 ft 6 inches tall. Coming over allowed me to scope out the road and tunnel, in advance of potentially taking it out of the park. This tunnel (Zion Mt. Carmel tunnel) is simply the best, by far, way to get from Zion to Arches/Canyonlands. More on the tunnel later.
The third day was epic. Ever since we saw our first picture of the Narrows hike at Zion, we’ve (especially Kane) have wanted to do it. The Narrows is a slot canyon at the North end of Zion canyon. It runs anywhere from 10 to 15 feet wide and up to 2000 feet tall. It’s absolutely stunning! The main challenge with hiking the Narrows is that in most places, the only place to hike is in the Virgin river. That may be a mostly welcome environment in the heat of summer, but it’s late November now, it’s 50 out and the water is 40 (degrees F).
So when I found out we would need to rent drysuits, walking sticks, and special water hiking boots (to the tune of 200-250 bucks) in order to do the Narrows Hike, I really questioned it. Most hikes are free, couldn’t we find a nice free hike (like Observation Point?)? Kane and Kim wore me down, and we rented the gear Sunday night.
Monday morning, we got up early, got our gear on, and drove out to the “temple” section of Zion canyon (at the very North end). We hiked about a mile on a paved path along the river, then sort of anxiously started testing our water gear.
I’ve worn wet suits before, but never dry suits. Immediately, the kids complained that their suits were leaking. I can kind of see why. Any part of your body in the dry suit that is under water, especially, fighting 81 CFM (cubic feet per minute) flows at 40 degrees, does indeed feel wet. It just takes getting used to. Thankfully, we all got used to that feeling, and eventually we reveled in it.
The lady that rented us the gear, said we’d have to make a couple of crossings. She was wrong! Easily half the hike was in the water, we made dozens of crossings, in rapids. Kane led the way, and only needed a bit of help in a couple of deep/fast spots. Kim kept her eye on Kane, and I took Kat. Kat and I did the rapids together, and she did great. I only felt like I was dragging her a few times!
Our goal was to see “Wall Street”, which is the 15-20 wide section of the slot. Right after we hit Wall Street, Kat was cold, and the rapids were getting deeper. We decided to separate. Kane and I pressed on, going probably 1/2 a mile further. It did get a bit tougher, and then ironically a bit easier. We messed around for 45 minutes or so, then headed back to try to catch the girls.
We caught up with them at around the spot were we had lunch (maybe 1/2 way back to the start of the river hike). It was fun to be back together, and soon, Kane had taught Kat his new trick. On the way back Kane had started “floating” back down the river. There were definitely spots where this was best done, deep enough to float, slow enough to be manageable. We had a great time hiking back down the river. It’s actually quite a bit easier to hike with the current!
Anyway, these pics speak for themselves. I didn’t have my DSLR, only Kim’s Point-n-shoot, but you get the idea. This was one heck of an experience for us all!
Gallery of Narrows Hike:
We all felt like space men in our dry suits.
1 mile of this.. plenty of time for doubt!
Love this place!
An omen? We saw this guy make a crossing.
It’s close to go time!
Looking back down the canyon
Whole family of space men!
Here we go…
Lunch
View from lunch spot
Side canyon (another river)
Floating!
Back!
So Zion blew me away, and we did decide to take the Zion Mt. Carmel tunnel. I looked up our RV height on the internet, and it was listed as 12 ft 10 in. This left us 3 inches clearance, what could go wrong? So, we had to pull out of the park and back in, to buy a pass for the tunnel. They actually have to stop traffic for you, you can drive down the middle of the tunnel (it has curves too!). There were some “white knuckles” going through that tunnel, but we made it!
