Bryce Canyon

(Wednesday, June 9th)
 It is the day we leave AZ.  It has been oppressively hot during our stay here, much hotter than average.  We are traveling up into Utah, straight north from Flagstaff.  The trip takes us around the side of the Grand Canyon that we did not see.  Traveling through this beautiful area is fun because the scenery is so fascinating and wonderful!  It is almost like a new canvas for every break in the trip.  New canvas but the same beautiful pallet!

We were confused about the number of boats passing us during the morning.  (For those of you who have driven with Bingo, you read that correctly...we were passed by other vehicles towing boats.  She was very good about her speed this trip!)  We finally understood the reason when we drove through Page, AZ.  The area has a recreational lake and it is well used by people in the area.  We found this out just before we got to drive over the local dam.  So, while we decided not to pass near the Hoover Dam (my request was skipped due to concerns about the time needed for a security check), I did get to see a dam on this trip after all (albeit, a very small one)!

Entering Utah, I recalled a conversation with someone before the trip started.  He had lived in Utah previously and was very excited that we would be driving through Utah.  He exclaimed that it was the most beautiful place, exclaiming that we would love it!  I had not heard too much about Utah previously, but was curious about that claim.  We also heard from at least 2 other people that mentioned that, if possible, not to miss Bryce Canyon.  Bingo and I thought that this was an unusual statement coming from 3 different sources at three different times, all completely unsolicited.  Since I consider twice a coincidence, but three a trend, we planned an overnight stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. 

The scenery in Utah was much different than in Arizona.  It was indeed, beautiful, not more beautiful, just a different kind of beauty...and less dusty!  So, I spent the early afternoon finding a place to stop overnight.  The first place I found did not have any openings, but the second place did, it was less than 10 miles from the park!  As we made our way to the site, we passed Bryce Canyon and shortly afterward, realized that we were driving INTO the canyon itself (not the park, the canyon...).  For those who have NOT towed a travel trailer, inclines and decline are not our friend, especially anything over 3% grade.  The signs on the road casually mentioned a 6-8% grade for the next 2 miles...

Suffice it to say that Bingo was NOT thrilled with this situation.  Even as we were going through a small tunnel and she worried about the trailer fitting through (it did), the 2 miles down with turns and curves did not help her knuckles at all.  After we made it to the camp and unpacked, Bingo was noticeably upset.  Worried about leaving the next day, making the trip back UP that horrible grade in the poor SnowBus had her on edge!

We took a few minutes to allow her to get composed and then headed back to Bryce Canyon Park.  As the saying goes, you've got to get back on the horse, and this indeed was a good thing.  The drive back was not as bad on the second inspection.  Our conversation on entering the park was more reflective than hysterical about our chances of getting our of the canyon in the morning, whew!  Crisis averted for now.  Time to enjoy the canyon!

Bryce canyon is indeed a fabulous place!  I wish we had an extra day to stay and enjoy the area, but we had not planned on this.  Oh well, we enjoyed it while we were there.  We bought a CD tour of the park and drove to may of the stops.  We even got to hike about 1/3 way down to the base of the canyon at one point.  My brain was better able to comprehend the size of the canyon as compared to comprehending the size of the Grand Canyon.  We were able to see an excavation crew at work in a section of the canyon as well!  The one thing we did not get to enjoy was a night in the canyon, they are very proud of the darkness at the canyon.  This area boasts some of the littlest light pollution and so the night sky is abundant with stars!  That would be a sight!

We spend the better part of the early evening in the park, but left before sunset.  Another drive tomorrow and the driver wanted some sleep.  The kids went swimming until sunset (about an hour) then some basketball (until the bickering started), then ping pong (until dad was tired).  A Lot of driving, but a fun day nonetheless.  Tomorrow, we continue the trip towards Yellowstone!

The BirthDay

(Tuesday, June 8th)
Happy Birthday, Alex!  


 Alex turned 14 today.  The camper was decorated, just like any birthday at home.  This is the second of Alex's birthday in a row that we have been camping.  While we did not have cake for breakfast, we did let Alex open his presents!

Unfortunately for Alex, this was going to be a long drive day.  The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest were on the agenda, but the drive there was going to take time - over 2 hours!  He was not thrilled with that idea, but the kids came prepared for long drives and had books and games to play in addition to movies.  This trip, they played Nintendo DS and on this drive, they played NintenDogs.  Great...2 hours of training electronic dogs. 'Sit', 'Stay', 'Sit', 'Stay', 'No, Sit'...ugh!   Oh well, it kept them occupied.


I do not think that any one else was sure that the Painted Desert or Petrified Forest would be worth the trip.  When we got there, opinions did not change much, it is hard to get excited after being at the Grand Canyon and the comparison that brings.  The park is not as glamorous, or overwhelming.  Also, we did not get there at the 'best' time of the day to see the brilliant colors.  The park is set up for a driving tour with some short stops mixed in.  The views were great, but I wanted to see this, so, I took lots of pictures!  Interest was not at it's peak, early on, but started picking up after we stopped by the site where historic Route 66 went by.  After that point, the Petrified Forest started to take shape.

Now, we visited a petrified forest last year in Mississippi.  That memory is what the kids were anticipating seeing again.  Fortunately, this was the National Park Petrified Forest instead.  The magnitude and beauty of this park wiped out any preconceived images as soon as the first signs of large numbers of trees were visible.  The heat was now the big deterrent to any time spent outside.  We managed to spend a good 1.5 hours visiting the two parks combined.  The kids were excited by the end, so I think it went well.

We left the parks and headed to the nearest Walmart for food and supplies.  That store happened to be in Winslow, AZ.  Pretty cool to say we were there, since the line to a popular '70s song is 'Standing on a Corner in Winslow, AZ.  I wish we had more time to visit this small town, since Route 66 goes through it and it seemed like the town was emphasizing the historic area, kind of like Williams, AZ does.  However, the length of the drive and the packing necessary for tomorrow's trip out of AZ, prevented any tourist time.


Leaving AZ tomorrow, had a blast, loved the area.  Here's hoping the rest of the trip provides as nice an experience!

Away from the Canyon

(Monday, June 7th)
Today was an intentionally late morning.  Altitude, sun, heat, and attitude all helped us decide to sleep in.  That and I had to work...  I was up much earlier than everyone so I could work, but everyone else slept late, it was a good arrangement.  By the time laundry was done and lunch was over, I was done working!  The 3-hour time change worked in my favor here.  Lunch was a huge hit for the pies!  A little restaurant in Williams makes homemade pie.  They were massive, homemade pies of all varieties.  Very memorable!

After lunch, we headed for a day hike.  This came highly recommended from two of my cousins.  Tammy even had a nice map of the trail and directions to the Lava Tube.  It is a short distance from Flagstaff, but about an hour from Williams.  The drive was good up to the point where we entered the National park.  That is where the dirt road began.

I never consider Flagstaff a winter area, but driving to the Lava Tube made me rethink that impression.  There were plenty of signs for winter activities in the area!  The elevation was surprising, especially in the park.

The dirt road took us to the entrance to the trail of the Lava Tube.  The parking lot is a non-descript general parking, not many cars or signs.  Since we followed the published directions, we knew the trail was near, so off we went.  Of course the trail directions warn of the temperatures involved (all were below 45 degrees), but someone forgot their sweatshirt.  It is easy to understand if you consider that the temperature outside was 80 degrees.  The short hike to the cave entrance brought us to the realization that the temperatures were NOT a misprint.  The cool air coming out of the cave was certainly below 50 degrees.  So it ended up that only Ali and Dad went into the Lava Tube cave for the hike.

This is not a 'Show Cave'.  The entrance into the cave was dark, cold and very rocky.  The rocks were, oddly enough, large volcanic boulders.  We did a flashlight check (Ali brought her Carlsbad Caverns souvenir cap) and descended carefully.  Planning our early route around the ice that had formed on the rocks and careful not to fall and cut ourselves on the rough rocks, we went slowly.  After the first several hundred yards or so, the cave was less large rocks and more smaller, rocks.   The path was also less of a steep climb and more of a downward slope.  

Now, reading about the cave ahead of time, there is no way to get lost , however, it is still a dark, enclosed space.  I had not studied the 'map', but was confident that we could go in and get out without any trouble.   That does not mean I had any idea where I was in relation to the map.  I was completely lost in relation to the start, end, and any features on the map.  Ali, however, knew exactly where we were at all times!

The hike was fun, but uneventful.  The cave really IS a tube.  The ceiling was smooth, but the floor was like 'popcorn' carpet of rock. The volcanic rock caught on our shoes and made walking fast impossible, but we made good time anyways.  We just had to pick up and place our feet carefully with each step.  I still rolled my ankle a few times.  There were a few low ceilings, low enough for me to crawl.  Crawling was limited to bending very, very low, since the sharp edges of the volcanic rock would have cut me if I tried to use my hands and knees.  Fortunately, the low spots were few and short.  The temperature of the cave was as advertised, cold.  My ears and nose were cold, despite sweating in my sweatshirt.  Ali thought the water in her Camelback was too cold to drink!  At one point we turned out our flashlights to see how dark it really was int he tube, in case you wondered, it was D-A-R-K, very dark.  After over and hour hike, we came back to the entrance and climbed back out into the Arizona sun...and Heat!  There was a huge temperature difference.  That was a lot of fun!!!  Too bad Mom and Alex missed it.

The trip back to camp was cut short by a stop at 'Bedrock'.  The road from camp to the Grand Canyon had a tourist version of The Flinstone's Bedrock, complete with store, diner, and playground.  The playground had all the major buildings in the cartoon's plots!  After finding Alex a cowboy hat to keep the heat off, the kids convinced us to let them go in.  What a great picture opportunity!  The place in not in tip-top shape, but the buildings still compare favorably to the cartoon.  The kids had a BLAST running around to all the building and people.  Lots of good pictures!

That was all the excitement for a slow day, but enough to keep us going until the BirthDay!