Yosemite

Yosemite:

Having entered the Park from the south and stopping briefly to wander among a number of faithfully restored and relocated historic buildings at Wawona, we embark upon a challenging 23 kilometre drive to Glacier Point. This vantage point, almost 1000 metres above the valley floor, provides a commanding panoramic view of Yosemite Village, the Merced River and its waterfalls, the massive Half Dome and even taller surrounding granite peaks stretching away to the horizon.

While so very different in many ways, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite share one thing in common and that is their breathtaking scale and the sense of wonder and amazement that they evoke. We have stood beside a number of people who, like us, are witnessing either one for the first time and their reaction is pretty much the same – a few moments of wide-eyed silence followed by a deep breath and a “WOW!” (or the equivalent in a host of other languages).

Instead of gazing down to the Colorado 1500 metres below, here in Yosemite Valley you are gazing skyward 1500 metres as you look towards the distinctively imposing summit of Half Dome which, for the last 150 years has been ‘the enduring and instantly recognisable symbol of Yosemite’.  In the words of John Muir, this place “is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter”. There is certainly a very special ‘feel’ – almost mystique – about standing among such commanding massifs. 

Theodore Roosevelt, “The Conservation President”, must surely have thought so too when introduced to the valley by Muir, for he returned home to guide its proclamation as a National Park through Congress

   

In 1868 the Yosemite handbook declared ‘the summit of Half Dome will never be trodden by human foot’. This, of course, was seen by rock-climbers as an irresistible challenge and, only seven years later, the first ascent was completed by George Anderson. Since then the sheer granite cliffs of Yosemite such as Half Dome and the sheer 1090 metre walls of El Capitan have attracted the world’s best climbers and transported the sport of climbing into a new realm. Each day we were able, with the aid of binoculars, to see the ant-like figures of climbers on multi-day ascents of both. However, for those lacking the skill (or perhaps the courage) of these climbers it is now possible for adventurous walkers to ascend Half Dome with the assistance of fixed cables.

From our campsite at Upper Pines a short (2km) fairly strenuous climb involving some 600 very steep steps leads to the 96metre Vernal Falls while a further 600 metres brings a great view of the even higher – 180 metres - Nevada Falls. Both are located on the Merced River as it cascades head-long down the precipitous granite gorge towards the Yosemite Valley below. At this time of the year both are but narrow veils of sparkling water droplets but in late spring and early summer both can be raging torrents up to 30 metres wide and fill the gorge below with clouds of mist. 

Just above Vernal falls is Emerald Pool where the river pauses for a moment before plunging over the edge. Signs here warn visitors not to enter the water but unfortunately not all take heed and a number have been swept to their deaths across the glacier polished granite and over the precipice.

We walk to Mirror Lake which is fast becoming ‘Mirror Meadow’. In late winter and early spring a shallow lake still forms which apparently affords beautiful reflections of the surrounding peaks, including Half Dome.  At this time of the year, however, it is very much in meadow mode with broad expanses of river gravel and dry grasses with a few small patches of green in the Tenaya Creek  bed. We are left to reflect on what it must have looked like in the 1870s when one could stay in an hotel by the lake and enjoy not only the reflections but also boating. As time went on this required the annual removal of increasing amounts of gravel - a practice that has since been discontinued so that nature can continue its work.

Our plans for further walking are abandoned in favour of enjoying two great Yosemite videos in the visitor centre theatre, soaking up the atmosphere around the village and ‘just being’ as Elaine puts it. We spend over an hour at Sentinal Bridge watching the subtly changing colours of Half Dome as the sun sets behind us and are reminded of similar sunsets at Uluru.

A complete change of scene takes us along the Tioga Road on a long climb to around 2500 metres and the High Sierra of Yosemite. Glacier sculpted and smoothed granite domes, craggy peaks sufficiently tall to escape the ravages of the ice, spacious alpine meadows, glacial lakes and trees growing out of seemingly solid rock characterise this area.

 Broad glaciated pavements liberally scattered with “erratic” boulders left behind by the retreating ice extend down the Tenaya Creek valley towards a distant Half Dome from Olmstead Point. Local wildlife such as pikas, adapted to life in the high country’s cool conditions, are being forced inexorably higher as the climate warms. Where will they go when they run out of mountain?

That’s a question that we can’t answer. But we can answer the question as to where we will go at the end of the day. We must unfortunately leave Yosemite as all the campsites along Tioga Road are closed – the last one the day before we arrived. So, sadly, our National Park odyssey has come to an end and we begin our journey back to San Francisco and home.  

Death Valley

Death Valley:

After our final glimpse of the Colorado at lake Mead at the lower end of the Grand Canyon its off to the valley with the ominous sounding name “Death Valley”.

In 1849, emigrants looking for a shortcut to the Californian goldfields endured a two month ordeal of “hunger, thirst and awful silence” as they traversed this 192 kilometre long graben (sunken section of the earth’s surface.)  One member of the party died, prompting the last to leave to say, no doubt with great feeling, “Good-bye, Death Valley” The name has endured.

Just 160 kilometres from the highest point in the southern 48 states, Mt Whitney - 4000 metres+ , the Valley is known for its extremes – up to 85 metres below sea level, less than 50mm annual rainfall (in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada) and maximum temperature of 55 degrees Celsius – it none-the-less supports a surprising variety of life. A rare heavy shower of rain can bring forth a brightly coloured carpet of wildflowers from the more than 1,000 plant species found here. More surprising are the pupfish, snails and other aquatic life found in and around springs – relics from times past when the valley was an ice-age, melt-water lake. Mammals such as bobcats, kit foxes, coyotes and nocturnal rodents, birds, reptiles including the rattlesnake, spiders, scorpions and many other invertebrates are also common but elusive

In spite of these extreme conditions, Death Valley National Park is a popular destination for tourists with around one million visitors annually, a fact that doesn’t greatly surprise us based on the number of tour buses, RVs, caravans and cars we see regularly along the road.

Our base for two nights is Furnace Creek Ranch which is adjacent to the Timbisha Shoshone Village. These hardy people have occupied the valley for the last 6,000 years or so and now jointly manage the region with the National Parks Service.

While the main route through the Valley is excellent, we are somewhat restricted in where we can go here as many of the roads are either unpaved (a strict no-no for rental vehicles) or otherwise unsuited to larger rigs such as ours. As we descend towards Furnace Creek we are able to absorb the broad valley unfolding ahead -nestled between steepling, jagged peaks - and wonder at the almost surreal, dramatically sculpted and rather fantastically coloured landscape at Zabriskie. This was the site of one of the many mining activities – borax, silver and gold – during the typical mining town boom and bust years.

The valley floor consists predominantly of broken rock swept initially from the surrounding steep mountain canyons and gullies as huge, overlapping alluvial fans and then re-distributed along the valley floor by Salt Creek in times of rare flooding rains. Normally dry, it would seem that on occasions the valley must receive a large portion of its annual precipitation in one huge cloudburst which transforms the creek into a raging torrent such is the impressive result of its work.

A most enjoyable and rewarding day is spent taking a guided tour through the intriguing Scotty’s Castle followed by the natural wonder of Ubehebe Crater.

‘Scotty’s Castle’ is the subject of one of the Valley’s many fascinating folk tales. A one-time entertainer with Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, Scotty became a very clever and successful con-man. His greatest deception was to convince a number of rich investors in New York that he had discovered a rich gold mine in Death Valley. Among those to invest were Chicago businessman Albert Johnson and his wife Bessie. By the time that they discovered the hoax they had become firm friends with Scotty and had fallen in love with the Grapevine Canyon Spring area of Death Valley. The climate was good for Albert’s health and allowed him to indulge in cowboy-style adventures while Bessie was taken by the beauty and solitude of the whole Valley and so, throughout the 1920s they built their extremely luxurious castle which they called Death Valley Ranch.  Scotty continued to live on the property and perpetuated the myth of the goldmine, passing the property off as his own, ‘financed’ of course by the non-existent gold. The Johnsons never corrected this story and Albert became Scotty’s source of ‘gold’ for the rest of his life. In the words of Albert, “We have been partners for a long time. Scott has a great appetite for money and I like to feed it. He has always repaid me – in laughs.”The National Parks Service now maintains what has become known as ‘Scotty’s Castle’ and preserves not only the house but also the stories and experiences of the Johnsons and Death Valley Scotty.

At around 2,000 years, Ubehebe Crater is quite young in geological terms. One of many such explosion craters throughout the valley, Ubehebe is evidence of the underlying geothermal activity which sometimes breaks through to the surface. These craters are created when magma rises upwards and contacts groundwater to create an explosive mixture of superheated steam and rock which eventually blasts through the surface to create huge chasms such as this 800 metre wide, 50 metre deep crater.

As we leave the area Elaine spots our first – very well camouflaged - coyote and, quite

fittingly in Loony Tunes tradition, we encounter a roadrunner in the campground upon our return. The following morning a number of coyotes are scavenging quite openly opposite the campsite and along the roadside as we depart.

Rather surprisingly for such an arid region, there are very few sand-dunes. We spend some time exploring the largest collection, 36 square kilometres of wind sculpted quartz grain dunes at Mesquite Flat on our way out of the Valley. From Towne Pass, some 1500 metres above the valley floor in the Panamint Range, we can see, less than 80 kilometres away, the 4,000 metre peaks of the Sierra Nevada on the eastern boundary of Giant Sequoia

National Park, our next destination. They however form an impenetrable barrier and so we detour south through the desert terrain of Panamint Valley to Bakersfield and then north to the Park along the western edge of the range, a distance of around 270 kilometres.

Just as the ‘awful silence’ of the Panamint desert environment is shattered by the ear-splitting roar of military aircraft from the nearby Naval Air Weapons Station, we come across a small, hand-written, wooden sign by the roadside that evokes a twinge of homesickness. Yes, it was named after our very own Ballarat but had a far less illustrious history as it served surrounding mining camps for only 20 years during which time they produced, ‘about a million in gold.’

Giant Sequoias and Kings Canyon

Giant Sequoias and Kings Canyon:

The plan to come into Sequoia NP from the south on Hwy 198 is snookered...vehicles over 24ft are not permitted to travel this route. Ours is rated 22-24ft but the rangers on duty are turning such vehicles back, so instead we take the 'scenic route, Hwy 245 via Badger and Pinehurst. If 198 is narrower and more circuitous than this, we'd like to see it! However, here we are and here we will stay...at times the road is narrower than the truck so a u-turn is an impossibility anyway!

We take elevenses near the top of 245, noting that this seems to be horse ranch country...with some very nice looking horse flesh, lunging rings, undercover training facilities, and an air of $$$'s. Some very big trees here as well - Ponderosa pines, maybe Douglas fir, and possibly Redwoods which we find later not to be the case...there are no Redwoods in these two NP's as they are confined to the Pacific coastal strip; there are only Sequoias on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range in California.

Entering the Kings Canyon NP on Hwy 180 from the west at the appropriately named Big Stump Entrance, we make our way south to the adjoining Sequoia NP and Lodgepole Campground. Fall is not the best time of year for river flow and waterfalls, and this has been a particularly dry summer, coming as it does after 10 years of drought, so the 5km walk up a steep trail to Tokopah Falls must be seen as exercise for the body and the imagination - how must the dribble of water we see look in spring, or better still, after a 'normal' seasonal progression? We meet our first sequoias along this trail...we now have some idea why they are called the Giant Trees, and these are not so big.

A wonderful overview of the 'sublime wilderness' explorer John Muir saw on his first visit is from the top of Moro Rock, a granite dome with a steep, sometimes narrow, staircase (350+ steps) which rises 300ft to look out over the tops of trees, most of which are 200+ft tall and many are hundreds of years old. The opposite view is down the Kaweah River valley with the notorious Hwy 198 winding its way ever upward.

As we make our way from trailheads in any particular direction, we find beautiful meadows nestled in sheltered glens, maybe lakes in a previous life; a "squatter's" cabin, so named because the man who built it, unaware that a claim already existed on the land, had to walk away, leaving a 'legacy' as a squatter; we walk through areas of recent 'prescribed burns' where the understory has been cleared and the heat of the fire has scorched the big trees and opened the pine cones high above to allow the seed to drop on fertile, now clear, ground and so regenerate this great forest. As many as 200 seeds can fall from one cone. Because their thick bark insulates them from most wildfires, and chemicals in the wood and bark provide resistance to bugs and parasitic growths, the main cause of sequoia death is 'toppling'...they have a shallow root system with no tap root so soaking rain and strong winds can cause their downfall.

Should note that the larvae of the cone-boring beetle and squirrels are helpful in opening the cones after they have hung on the tree for around 20 yrs, but fire is the key.

While we are excited to see SO many giant trees, no visit to this National Park is complete without viewing what is generally accepted as the world's largest tree - the General Sherman Tree. Vital statistics: 275ft tall, its trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons and at ground level, it is nearly 103ft around; about 2,200 yrs old, the largest branch is almost 7ft in diameter, and every year it grows enough new wood to produce a 60ft tree of normal size. This tree also marks the start of the Congress Trail - groups of trees with names like the Senate Group, the House Group, and individuals called President, McKinley, Washington...in honour of the people and particularly the Congress of the US without which there would be no security for these wonderful, wild places, for only Congress can enact the establishment of a National Park.

Back to Kings Canyon NP and Azalea Campground at Grant Grove for a different experience...a drive eastward along Kings Canyon Scenic Byway as it follows the South Fork Kings River into the deep canyon. The variety is very obvious - big trees give way to smaller shrub-like vegetation in a rain-shadow; Yucca Point is typically arid, and well named for the almost bare landscape and yuccas in all stages, from young plants to those that have flowered but are still holding long stems even though the plant appears to be dead. In fact, offshoots or 'pups' will regenerate from the roots. The narrow road winds its way through the canyon, following the river course with little room for the fly fishermen to park, or for vehicles to pass without taking great care...we 21st century folk can't quite believe that over millions of years, this same river has run its course and has shaped this landscape, and more remarkably, continues to do so. Grizzly Falls, an interesting name for a landmark in an area where there are no grizzly bears, makes a gallant effort to produce enough water to send a cascade of sparkling mountain water tumbling onto rocks about 20m below...and a most acceptable place to have lunch.

The settlement of Cedar Grove - a Lodge, campground, car park and Visitor Centre - has closed for the season...everything is shuttered or boarded up awaiting the first snowfall, so we turn back and return the along the same (the only!) route to the Princess Campground where a secondary paved road leads to Hume Lake, a water storage which is under the authority of the US Forest Service. There is a public campground at one end of the lake and at the other is a huge Christian Camp called Camp Ponderosa. All the land at this end of the lake is owned by a church organisation...the general public has access to the general store which also has gas for sale, a small cafe, row boats, paddle boats and canoes for hire, all of these being owned and operated by the Camp; the public restrooms are operated and maintained by the Forest Service. The camp facilities are quite grand - a dining and meeting complex, a conference facility, a swimming pool, accommodation in small self-contained cabins, and a large chapel. We spend a little time sitting by the lake before continuing on this quite pretty drive through the forest to rejoin the General's Highway at Quail Flat, south of Grant Grove Village.

Short historical note: Sequoia NP was created on September 25, 1890. A week later Congress tripled its size and created General Grant NP to protect Grant Grove. In 1893 more lands in the Sierra Forest were protected and in 1893, Kern Canyon was added to Sequoia NP. In 1940, General Grant NP was merged with the newly created Kings Canyon NP and since 1943 Sequoia and Kings Canyon have been jointly managed.

Grant Grove takes its name from General Ulysses S Grant and the giant sequoia called the Grant Tree is dedicated to all those who served and died in conflict. It is designated as "The Nation's Christmas Tree." A 'renovated' pioneer cabin is nearby and a fallen sequoia, lying where it fell, has been hollowed out by an enterprising settler and used as a house at one time.

There is no evidence that "The Nation's Christmas Tree" has ever been actually used in celebration...it's a long way up for the person who gets to put the angel at the top!

Now we leave the giant trees, briefly retrace our steps on Hwy 180, resist the challenge of Hwy 245, and continue out of Kings Canyon NP, out of Sequoia National Monument, out of Sequoia National Forest, and into the valley of grapes and orange groves.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon:

Still the Colorado Plateau, still countless layers of sedimentary rock, still the same forces of nature (water, gravity, ice and wind) at work sculpting the landscape, still the same brilliant colours, so you may be thinking, “What’s so special about the Grand Canyon?”

1        1. There is the scale. WOW! The Canyon is so absolutely breathtakingly HUGE that we            find it impossible to fully comprehend its true dimensions. Can that puny little strip of             brown way down there really be the mighty Colorado River?

2          2. There is the geological history exposed in the terraced sides, sheer cliff-faces, steep             shale slopes and pyramid-like towers of the Canyon walls. Over the last six million years       the river has exposed much of the past almost two BILLION years of the geological               history of the plateau.

3     3. There is the ever-present evidence of the power of moving water, not only in the mighty        Colorado River itself, but also in the multitude of side canyons which join the river in              times of summer thunderstorms to create the fantastic shapes of the canyon walls.

During our visit the river is its traditional, true-to-name red-brown colour due to flash flooding of the Little Colorado, but these days it is usually clear and green as most of the sediment settles behind Glen Canyon Dam, the flow is regulated and so the character and ecology of the river has changed.

(More information relating to the geology and history of the canyon is appended below)

From our rather cool overnight stop at Jacob Lake (no lake to be seen) some 60 kilometres

outside the park we first visit the North Rim.  Being around 300 metres higher than the South Rim, it attracts far greater precipitation and so the Kaibab Plateau, where the visitor centre is located, is clad in dense pine, fir, aspen and spruce forest interspersed with large, grassy meadows. A light dusting of snow is a reminder that winter is on the way.

While it attracts far fewer visitors, many believe this side of the Canyon to be more impressive than its counterpart. We, of course, are in no position to judge, but suffice to say we are mightily impressed. The spectacular views from such vantage points as the narrow, precipitous Bright Angel Point and Cape Royal – at 2,700 metres the highest point on either Canyon Rim – defy description. We’ll leave that to the pictures. Other highlights include the Puebloan ruins on the Walhalla Plateau and our first glimpses of the Colorado looking quite tiny 1600 metres below – especially the quirky view through Angels Window.

Another special moment is the chance sighting at our campsite of two quite rare Kaibab squirrel found only in the stands of Ponderosa pines on this plateau. For an hour we watch intrigued as they cavort around high in the treetops gathering pinecones, flashing their pure white bushy tails and skilfully avoiding being photographed before the cold drives us into the warmth of the RV.

While it is ‘only’ seventeen kilometres “as the raven flies” across the Canyon to the South Rim, it is over two hundred by road. The forests and meadows soon give way to harsh desert as the road descends steeply to the renowned Vermillion Cliffs at the foot of which is the Pipe Spring National Monument.  For centuries this spring was a vital source of water for Ancestral Puebloans and Kaibab Paiutes (whose descendants still live in the area) but it now lies beneath the floor of a fortified ranch, nicknamed ‘Winsor Castle’ after the first ranch manager, Anson Winsor.  Built by pioneer Mormons, it was at first a stronghold against Navajo Indians who were raiding the Mormon ‘tithing herds’ and later as a hideout for polygamous wives, following the passing of federal laws in the mid 1880s making polygamy a felony. Men would hide their ‘plural’ wives here to avoid detection. A watch tower in the roof gave forewarning of approaching law enforcement agencies.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints tithed (gave 10% of their income) to the Church, often in the form of cattle, hence the term ‘tithing herds.’

Our route then crosses a rather placid looking Colorado via the wonderfully engineered Navajo Bridge – we are now on a Navajo Reserve – and a much livelier Little Colorado before climbing once more through a parched landscape to a much drier South Rim at Desert View. It is from here that we enjoy the most extensive view of the Colorado as it snakes its way along the Canyon floor far below.

The effect of the lower rainfall on this Rim of the Canyon is reflected in the vegetation, with only a few scattered stands of Ponderosa Pines in more favoured locations. These stands, however, do support a population of the distinctive Aberts squirrel, a close but long separated cousin of the Kaibab squirrel of the North Rim. We are both intrigued and anxious to discover what is so different about the nonnative elk mentioned in the brochure until we realise that the only difference is a missing hyphen!

We are soon once again enjoying the great company of our personal tour guides, Audrey and Ken, who we meet up with again at the South Rim Trailer Village. We also use the free shuttle bus service as we explore sections of the Rim trail and visit many of the viewpoints, each offering different but equally spectacular vistas across the Canyon. Once again we will leave it to the photos to tell the story. 

Like some other Parks, visitation here is now such that traffic needs to be regulated with some roads only available to shuttles.

John:  A highlight for me was the descent of the Bright Angel Trail – a 19 kilometre round trip below the Rim – first to Indian Gardens (the location of a backpacker campsite) and then to Plateau Point. Indian Gardens surrounds a natural spring and provides a splash of green, largely provided by a stand of very large cottonwoods, in an otherwise arid landscape. Plateau Point, a couple of kilometres further on, provides a birds-eye view of the Colorado almost directly below, but as it is still some 600 metres below it still looks quite small. However, the turbulence created by the rapids and eddies still manage to convey an image of immense power.

Having enjoyed the spectacle and solitude for 20 minutes or so it’s time to confront the 1000 metre climb back to the Rim. The trail is actually very well graded and allows for a steady rhythm but it still doesn’t pay to look up too often. Elaine’s offer of a coffee and snack at a posh café is gratefully accepted after a hot six-and-a-half hours on the track.

Facts and Figures

The Grand Canyon is officially 446 kilometres in length, up to 29 kilometres in width and 1.6 kilometres deep. While the river has exposed around 1600 metres of the geological history of the plateau, this represents only about two thirds of the total 1.8 billion years. Erosive forces long before the river began its work have removed many tiers between periods of deposition. If all of the original sedimentary rock strata were still present, the Canyon walls would be around 4.6 kilometres, three times, as high!

Below the sedimentary capping of the Kaibab Formation – formed under shallow, warm seas some 270 million years ago – the strata becomes progressively older until, at about 900 metres down, the igneous and metamorphic Vishnu Basement rocks – granite, schists and gneisses – are exposed. These date back to around 1.8 billion years and, being more resistant, form the sheer cliffs of the Inner Canyon.

Difficult to spot from above, the Colorado looks quite puny – much smaller even than the Barwon as it passes through Geelong – but it is around 90 metres wide and deep, cold and deceptively fast flowing. Even these days, with its flow restricted by Glen Canyon Dam above and Hoover Dam below, it transports large quantities of silt, sand and rock which continue to erode the Canyon floor, but prior to the dams, annual floods would have carried hundreds of thousands of tons of sediment through the Canyon daily. Although at times in the past it could have carried ten times the volume of water, mystery still surrounds how the river managed in just six million years to carve its way so deeply into the plateau. With catchments of predominantly bare rock, side canyons become raging torrents during summer thunderstorms, moving with a force that tumbles huge boulders down into the river, frequently in such volume as to create entirely new sets of rapids.

With most of the sediment now settling behind Glen Canyon Dam, most of the traditional sandbars have been swept away and not replaced, and the clear water is colder and admits more light causing significant ecological issues for both plant and animal communities – another of man’s unintended consequences.  

Signs of human occupation of the Canyon can be found both on the Rims and on small alluvial fans beside the river. Earliest evidence is of Paleo-Indian hunters from around 12,000 years ago through to ancestral Puebloans who cultivated crops of corn, beans and squash on the Rim in summer and in the warmer conditions by the river in winter. Led by Hopi guides, the first Europeans to visit were Spanish explorers in 1540, while the first to undertake the treacherous descent of the Colorado Canyon was an expedition led by John Wesley Powell in 1869.

It is a difficult and dangerous enough challenge even these days in large, tough, purpose built inflatable rafts and wearing wetsuits and lifejackets. One can only imagine the apprehension of these brave (perhaps foolhardy) adventurers as they set off into the terrifying unknown of the canyon in tiny, decked-in, clinker-built dinghies in regular clothing of the day and no lifejackets!!

The completion of the Union Pacific Railroad to the South Rim in 1901 greatly boosted tourism (these days around 5,000,000 visitors annually) while its proclamation as a National Park in 1919 has ensured its protection for future generations.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park:

The drive south on Hwy 89 towards Mt Carmel and Zion NP, we think, is our least interesting...however, keeping in mind what we've seen over the past few weeks, and put in perspective, this may well be quite charming! The same cannot be said for the Zion RV and Campground...DON'T stay there!! Make the time to drive straight through to Springdale.

Now the fun bit...coming from the east, all oversize vehicles must pay a $15 tunnel fee as the road needs to be closed one way to allow RVs and trucks to use the centre of the tunnel because of its curved side walls. Built in the 1920's when such vehicles were unknown, the tunnel is the only access from this direction, and as we emerge into Zion Canyon, it is immediately obvious why the only way in has to be a tunnel!

One of the very few downsides to driving an RV is that it can be difficult to find a parking place in some pull-off areas at points of interest. Often all the spaces set aside for large vehicles are filled by quite small cars.

So it is that we are unable to make the short walk to the Canyon Overlook, instead making our way through the tunnel and on to the wonderful Zion Human History Museum, tracing the history of settlement from the Pueblean race through the arrival of Mormon pioneers, the considerable influence of Union Pacific Rail in opening up the area to the first 'tourists' and the declaration of National Park status on November 19, 1919.

You'll read this historical info in other NP blogs as well...it's a common thread woven into the history of quite a few Parks in Utah and in Arizona.

For three nights we are based at Springdale, the 'heart' of the NP, and during that time we use the shuttle to enjoy walking most of the trails accessible from the Zion Park Scenic Drive

Zion has two free shuttle services:

a                the 'town' shuttle which runs the full length of the 'main street,' for shopping, restaurants,     adventure tour bookings, ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) rental and the acquiring of souvenirs;

       

                   the National Park shuttle which runs the length of Zion Park Scenic Drive on which               private vehicles are excluded, except for those staying at Zion Lodge.  This road is               access to the trailheads and other areas of interest and is free of ‘where to park’ worries       as well as being much more environmentally sound as the shuttles are LPG powered.

As our introduction to the Park, we choose to 'Ride with a Ranger' on a special evening shuttle.  We spot some mule deer grazing quietly by the road, and Ranger Adam shares the history of the early population of the area, while pointing out the main geological and geographical features along the way.  We hear some local legends (myths?)…like the Flanigan boys and their logging endeavours. From the valley, we can just make out the gantry (flying fox) they used to lower the huge Ponderosa pine logs (and occasionally themselves!) to the valley floor from the top of Cable Mtn.

We sort of plan our days according to the weather, walking early and sometimes later, avoiding the heat of the day where possible, especially on those trails with little or no shade. The Riverside Walk leads to the Canyon 'narrows', a popular walk along a very narrow trail, ending at, or rather, in the river – the next part of the walk is in the river as the canyon narrows even further.  We don’t enter the “narrows,” instead taking the steep, paved path to Weeping Rock where the spring water seeps from the sandstone to form streams and 'hanging gardens.' 

We climb the Kayenta Trail to the Emerald Pools; not holding a great deal of water, given that it is the end of a dry summer, but well worth the effort to rest in the cool shadows before taking the path under a small falls and back out into the sun.  On occasions we take the shuttle between trailheads, or stroll along the river bed, imagining what it must be like in spring and early summer when the streams are flowing with melt snow. There are no animals out and about in the heat of the day apart from a couple of mule deer hiding in the shade along the creek bed.  Even the birds are silent.

Relocation to Virgin, just 13 miles away, gives us easier access to Kolob Canyon on the western flank of the Park. The RV Park there is at capacity as there is a mountain bike event, the final leg of 'The Red Bull Rampage,' a series that 'combines slopestyle, downhill racing and natural terrain free-riding' in the one event, with prize money of $45,000!!  David Holman & Peter Cranage...what am I talking about?? 

The move to Virgin...permanent population - 2 shops selling local rocks as souvenirs, a couple of burger joints, and a few cabins, apart from the RV Resort - is a great idea and we drive up the winding Kolob Terrace Road to the Reservoir, a steady climb from 3500ft to just over 8000ft, through the trees wearing their fall colours of gold and red, looking out over the meadows where cattle graze, and up to the high ground of what is essentially the 'backside' of where we spent the last three days. We have been watching ominous clouds gathering around the mountain tops and our decision to go for a stroll is interrupted as a brief thunderstorm (with lightning) sends us scuttling back to the truck, but the sun shines on our descent and we are hopeful of a great day tomorrow in the Canyon.

On our way back along the valley, we pass the start/finish area of the “Rampage” in the red clay hills, and also notice many folk camping along the dry river bed.  We comment that hopefully they have looked at the forecast for the next couple of days.

Alas! The thunder, lightning and heavy rain begins in earnest at around 10.00pm and continues virtually unabated until about 11.00am the next morning. The dry creek bed, separated from our campsite by a (fortunately substantial!) levee bank, is now a raging torrent several feet deep, carrying all before it - logs and all manner of debris - and we hear that Zion NP was closed for some time yesterday; bridges have been washed away; the Mt Carmel road we so blissfully drove along a few days ago has been undercut by a washaway and is closed indefinitely; campers have been rescued from riverside campsites; there is a rock blocking the highway we plan to take tomorrow. 

It is considered unsafe to travel anywhere in the area not cleared by road authorities...so we hunker down and watch the internet reports of road conditions in order to plan our safe onward travel. PS... even the mountain bike event is postponed!!

Goblins to Hoodoos

Goblins to Hoodoos:

After waking to a very colourful sunrise over Goblin Valley we take a stroll among the goblins before retracing our path back to the town of Hanksville where we join the scenic Route 24 west to our next destination, Torrey, on the doorstep of Capitol Reef National Park. The route follows the Fremont River valley, with areas of green, irrigated pasture, occasional ranches, cattle on the road and, of course, amazingly colourful sculpted cliffs, mesas, canyons and rock towers which increase in size as we enter the Park.

As the towering cliffs close in, evidence of early Mormon settlement of the area begins to appear – first the tiny, single roomed cabin, once home to the Behunin family of twelve. The parents and two youngest slept inside, the older girls in a box wagon, and the boys in a hole dug into the cliff-face behind the cabin. In the settlement of Fruita, orchards planted by the Mormons still bear fruit - which visitors can pick for a small fee – and the original schoolhouse where, purely by chance, we meet the reminiscing, middle-aged son of the last school mistress.

 Below sheltered overhangs, as evidence of even earlier habitation by native people of the Fremont Culture, are many, well preserved petroglyphs which date back to around the year 700. This is also the site of the park Visitor Centre, beautifully located, and the campground which is, as usual, fully occupied so we move on to our pre-booked site in Torrey.

Many RV parks and campgrounds have special ‘treats’ on offer…this one has freshly baked muffins for breakfast – too much to resist and we get a couple of extras to freeze for ‘emergencies!’

A visit to Capitol Gorge the following day is cut short because the last section of the road is unsealed – a strict ‘no-no’ for a rental vehicle – but it is still a spectacular drive and once again quite different from other parks.  We return to Fruita for the obligatory U-pick bag of apples, and a long, hot climb to Hickman Bridge.  It is worth the climb, but suffered a little by comparison with those at Natural Bridges State Park, this opinion being, of course, totally subjective.

Gifford House - built by Fruita’s only polygamist, Calvin Pendleton, in 1908 - now houses an interpretive exhibition of early Mormon settlement in the valley, and sells original recipe pies and jams as well as reproduction utensils and tools used by the pioneers…rag rugs, rag dolls, soap and wooden items, including rolling pins!  The Gifford family farmed in the valley from 1928 to 1969, were the last permanent residents of Fruita, sold their home and land to the National Parks Service, and moved away.

From Torrey, the road to Bryce Canyon climbs through Ponderosa pine and aspen forest and across alpine meadows, providing panoramic views to the east across country we had traversed the previous week, before descending once more into the little settlement of Boulder. The road from Boulder to Escalante, across the ‘Grand Staircase,’ is not only particularly scenic and a little breathtaking on the steep, narrow sections, but defies imagination as to how the early pioneers ever managed to navigate a passage through this confused labyrinth of gorges, sheer cliffs and domes of sandstone. Small pioneer hamlets of Henrieville, Cannonville and Tropic nestle in pockets of green, arable land as we begin the steady climb towards the Paunsaugunt Plateau and Bryce Canyon. Suddenly, around a curve in the road, appears ahead of us a totally unexpected and amazing sight. 

It’s pink!  Perhaps apricot…no, it’s peach coloured!!  We have not seen anything like these colours before…the red, white, terracotta, beige, black, conglomerate…all pale into insignificance when confronted by the colours of Bryce!  Look past the colours to the formation of the spires and hoodoos…once again, nothing like we have ever seen!  The camera shutters are overheating, the lenses are being changed with some haste, and the panorama views are being recorded on the Samsung tablet!

Settle down and enter the monopoly that is Ruby’s Inn – everything from 5-star accommodation to lodges to RV park to campground, general store, camping and hiking supplies, car wash, gas stations, restaurants, etc. etc. Garfield County covers 5,000 square miles, has less than 5,000 people, and two-thirds of them work at Ruby’s Inn! Bryce Canyon is served by a fantastic shuttle service – a hop-on hop-off regular bus that covers the main routes around the Park.  The Rainbow Tour at Bryce runs twice a day, every day and is the overview of the Park that we take as our first activity.  Driver and erstwhile guide, Spike, is a mine of information – plants, animals, trails, history – he has it all.

The small town of Tropic, just outside the National Park, was having a problem with coyotes attacking sheep.  Meeting was called, attended by local folk and 2 environmental officers from the County.  Discussion ranged from poisoning the coyotes to shooting them, but the enviros’ solution was to round them up and castrate them. Whereupon the local school teacher, a mature lady, rose to her feet and said, “Boys!  They’re not screwing our sheep, they’re eating them!”  There is now a bounty on coyotes!!

We explore the Park over the next 3 days - a walk to Fairyland Canyon where we find some pronghorn hiding out in the trees; another from Bryce Point to Inspiration Point around the Rim of the Canyon; then onto the shuttle to Sunset Point and a walk to Bryce Lodge.  Like Lodges in a number of other National Parks, it was built in the 1920’s by Union Pacific Railroad, and like others, this Lodge retains much of its original Olde Worlde charm. 

We have some heavy rain overnight and rejig our ‘program’ a little, but we are able to continue our explorations by walking from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point along the floor of the Canyon.  Called the Navajo/Queens Garden Loop, the trail drops away from Sunset Point down into the Canyon via a series of switchbacks and very steep, narrow sections.  While there are no opportunities for expansive views, it is quite spectacular from a sensory perspective…and a little scary at times for those who don’t relish tight spaces.  But if you want to feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things, this is the place!  The soaring canyon walls, the hoodoos and spires standing to attention all in a line, the towering Ponderosa pines that have somehow managed to take root and reach for the sun, and the colours!! 

Driving away from this place we continue to be amazed that each place we visit is somehow the most spectacular, but at the same time, cannot be compared with other places.

You must search for the loveliness of America;

It is not obvious; it is scattered;

But when you find it, it touches you

And binds you to it like a great secret oath

Taken in silence

Struthers Burt, Jackson Hole Dude Rancher, 1934

Of Bridges and Goblins

Of Bridges and Goblins.

A change of plan...with several 'spare' days to fill in, we decide to head south rather than west and visit the Natural Bridges National Monument before our planned visit to Goblin Valley, and what an inspired change it turned out to be!!!

The leisurely drive is largely on roads designated as 'scenic', and deservedly so, and we are able to arrive early enough at the small, peaceful, 'no hook-ups' campsite in time to secure a prime site close to the bathroom’ facilities.’  From the campsite, a fourteen kilometre circuit road provides a great overview of the deep recesses of White and Armstrong canyons wherein are found three massive natural stone bridges which can be viewed from strategic lookout points along the way. We are sufficiently impressed by what we can see to commit to walking through the combined fourteen kilometres or so of the canyons the following day to gain close-up encounters.

Natural bridges differ from arches in that they are created by moving water, in this case the intermittent streams which at times of summer thunderstorms bring huge torrents of water raging down the gorge to erode the narrow sandstone walls separating the river's meanders. Eventually a hole is breached which is further enlarged over time by both the stream and other erosive forces.

Until you stand beneath one of these bridges you cannot comprehend just how massive they are.

Sipapu (a Hopi mythological gateway through which soul s may pass to the spirit world) is at the foot of a rather steep, narrow, challenging descent involving a couple of rickety wooden ladders. Our feeling of unease is heightened by the presence of six turkey vultures waiting in anticipation in small tree only metres above the trail.With a height of 73 metres and a span of 89 metres, Sipapu is both the highest and greatest in span.  However, being ‘middle aged,’ it has been subjected to many more centuries of erosion than its younger partner further downstream which has reduced the width of the span to only 10 metres and the thickness to 17 metres.

The youngest of the bridges, Kachina (dancers who play a central role in Hopi religious traditions) stands big and bulky astride White Canyon,  some six or so kilometres further on along an, at times, rather tenuous, unmaintained trail. Being so young, Kachina has by far the smallest opening measuring only 35 metres in height and 60 metres in width, but its span is 14 metres wide and 31 metres thick.

The canyon floor supports a wide variety of plant life, including some quite large trees among which are Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Firs, which in turn support a range of animals including mule deer, big horned sheep, mountain lions, bears and coyotes but, apart from chipmunks, lizards, butterflies and a lone frog, the only evidence of their presence are the occasional tracks in the patches of still wet mud. Early human occupation of these gorges dates back some 9,000 years, with people coming to hunt and gather wild plants then leaving again as climatic conditions changed. Evidence of their nomadic existence can be found in rock art, tools and structures such as the Horse Collar Ruins.

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Finally, a similar distance further along Armstrong Canyon and now standing some way above the canyon floor is old Owachomo (Hopi word for 'rock mound'), no longer eroded by stream action but frost and seeping water continue to take a toll. At 70 metres in height and 68 metres wide it still is an imposing sight but the constant flaking away of large chunks of rock has left it only 9 metres wide have and 3 metres thick and possibly with a fatal crack. It could collapse tomorrow or survive for another couple of centuries. We are rather pleased that it remained standing while we were underneath. If you search for the figures under Kachina and Owachomo bridges it brings their size into perspective and you can understand how small and insignificant one feels when standing below.

This trail is classified as ‘primitive’…that is, not marked except for the occasional stone cairn, which can be in the correct place, or maybe moved a bit by passing water, animals or pesky people.  Obviously, any trail markings that were put in place would almost certainly be washed away or relocated by the flash flooding that shapes and reshapes the landscape.  It  is hot, and shade is hard to find as the day wears on, but with well-timed snack and hydration breaks, we reach Owachomo in good spirits…hot, tired, very grubby, and looking forward to a good strong cup of tea and a hot shower!!

After this slight rejig of the itinerary, we take the scenic Route 95 which  follows White Canyon to where  it meets the Colorado River at Cataract Canyon. Every turn in the road sees something different in the desert landscape – mesas, spires, ‘birthday cakes’, canyon offshoots and, from above Dirty Devil River, a great overview of the Colorado River snaking its way to Lake Powell. From the number of boat trailers on the road we assume the lake must be a popular destination for boating enthusiasts.

No cell phone or internet access for a few days and we need to book a couple of campsites ‘up the road’ so decide to have lunch at ‘Stan’s Burger Shak’ (sic) in Hanksville…this being the only place in ‘town’ with WiFi…other establishments being ‘World Famous Burgers,’ ‘Blondie’s,’ a market and 2 gas stations.  We have our first all-American lunch – burger, fries and a soda! – with the truckies, a group of Asian cyclists on a supported tour of Utah, a few touring bikers (mostly on Harley’s of course!) and other itinerant travellers.

Goblin Valley State Park campsite nestles in late afternoon shade at the foot of a huge mesa in the middle of nowhere and we wonder where the goblins can be. Following dinner we walk to an overview of the goblins which, in Elaine’s words, are “fascinating little ‘creatures’ all tucked up in their valley, hiding in small canyons, some peeping over the top.”

Once again we are in sandstone country and the goblins, which stand only a few metres high, are formed as wind and water erode away softer layers more quickly, leaving harder caps the futile task of trying to forever resist the forces of nature. Eventually the battle is lost and they slump to the valley floor. It is quite fascinating to wander among them and see these processes in action from the creation of new goblins to the fall and decay of others.

The day ends with a cloudless sunset to the west, but in the east, the ‘back-lighting’ on a bank of white, fluffy clouds is quite lovely.