This morning we were up at 8am to make it down to breakfast and out the door in time. Breakfast was complimentary and quite a spread! We left full and ready to go. We drove down to the Point Lomas Seafoods stand to buy sloppy crab sandwiches for later. We drove to Sea World and were quite impressed with their parking. They had everything marked with cones and attendants everywhere to guide you to a parking spot. That way everyone filled in front front to back during the day. We got in to the park and immediately went to the Shamu show. Its a little different each time, this time is more touchy feely than it used to be but its still amazing. The new Shamu is absolutely huge, its hard to believe that he can get as high out of the water as he does. We tried to take pictures with our big zoom lens but he was so fast we may have only gotten splashes.
After the Shamu show we walked over to the Wild Arctic Encounter exhibit to see Walruses, Polar Bears and Beluga Whales. One walrus did continuous laps rubbing his belly up against the glass; while another ate (and regurgitated and ate again) some fish right up against the glass. We had to run across the park to near the Shamu show again to see the Dolphins feed. The dolphins are fed and go through light training as they are so we got to see them do flips and simple tricks.
After that we decided to get lunch. Mike, Bree, Sean, Robert, and Anna Mae left the park to get our sloppy crab sandwiches in the car. They were so good! Imagine soft, fresh sourdough bread, with a cup of shelled crab and a tangy special tartar sauce. We also got "extra" sauce to make them "extra" sloppy. Everyone but Bree had a beer with it too, which made it even better. They are amazing; if you like crab and you are anywhere near San Diego, you have to go. ;)
After we got back into the park, we met up with Devon, Grandma and Pam at the Penguin Encounter. Devon loves penguins. There are over 300 in the exhibit and we were lucky enough to catch them eating. There were large stuffy looking Emperors that can way up to 100 pounds! And smaller adielas that leapt out of the water with ease. We even got to see "Tut," a King penguin that is going blind and the favorite of the trainers. There are very few King penguins in the exhibit and they are shy.
We went to the Sea Lion show which is a classic although the show itself often changes. It was very funny and the two sea lions, Seymour and Clyde, seem to be the original sea lions we last saw ten years ago! The show was a spoof on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and was called SLL (Sea Lions Live). It was quite cute; Mike thought the sea lions may be smarter or at least better trained than our dog Beau.
We also went through the Shark Encounter, saw the flamingos, watched the sea lions and dolphins feed as well as going through the fresh water and sea water aquariums. By the end of it we were tired of walking (and from the late night before) and headed out. Mike and Bree got dropped off near the airport to pick up a rental and then we all headed to La Jolla.
La Jolla is a high end road with nice galleries and restaurants. Mike and Bree noticed an artist painting outside her gallery and wandered in. It turned out to be Sally Huss, an artist Bree had seen before. Her art is light and bright, fully of happy thoughts and pretty images. We ended up buying several small prints for gifts and look forward to buying more from her. She even signed the largest print we bought which was amazing. :)
From there we met the rest of the family, including Jo and Dale at Alfonso's. Alfonso's was a favorite of Pamela and Robert's when they lived in San Diego and it was the first place they took Bree after she was born. We had nachos, margarita's and great meals. Now we're all full, slightly tipsy and tired from our long day. Its early to bed now and early to rise! We head out to the Wild Animal Park tomorrow!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good Friday = Sea World!
It was a long drive last night! We left Bree's parents house last night at 6:30pm. We had Togo's and snacks on the road and drove all the way to Button Willow without a stop. We made it to San Marcos in 7 hours, with the one stop in Button Willow, not bad! Robert drove the whole way so undoubtly he's tired. Sean, Bree, and Mike sat across the back. Three grown adults across the back does not a comfortable ride make. But we managed, with several cricks in the neck! We got to the hotel around 2am and went straight to bed. Bree had trouble sleeping and was up before the alarm. The hotel is quite nice and comfortable. We're headed down to breakfast and then off to Sea World! We are stopping first at Point Lomas Seafoods for their famous sloppy crab sandwiches. Its a family tradition and we'll take them in a cooler to Sea World for lunch. Off we go!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
San Diego here we come!
Mike and Bree head out tonight with the rest of the family for San Diego! Devon, Bree's little sister, is going through Confirmation this Easter weekend. Bree's Grandmother, Elaine, is her sponsor so she's going down with us. We'll be joined by Robert (Bree's Dad), Pamela (Bree's Mom), Sean (Bree's brother) and Aunt Anna Mae (Elaine's sister-in-law and Pamela's Aunt). It'll be a full car with seven people and their luggage. We're driving down today (Thursday) after everyone gets off work and hope to get in around midnight. After that its a go-go-go-go weekend! We have plans to go to SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park and of course, Devon's church.
Robert and Pamela lived in San Diego while he was in medical school. Sean and Bree were born down there and so we often made family trips growing up. Now Devon is attending school down there at Cal State San Marcos. But its been ten years since the whole family went down there all together. We're really looking forward to the vacation!
Robert and Pamela lived in San Diego while he was in medical school. Sean and Bree were born down there and so we often made family trips growing up. Now Devon is attending school down there at Cal State San Marcos. But its been ten years since the whole family went down there all together. We're really looking forward to the vacation!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Day 11: Zion National Park to home (Monday)
We had two options when we woke up this morning: 1) go back to sleep, eventually drive 5 hours to Bishop area, stay the night and drive the remaining 5 hours home on Tuesday; or 2) get up early and drive the 10-11 hours straight home in one day. Mike woke up, packed up and kicked Bree out of bed for option #2. We packed the car and grabbed some free continental breakfast. We were on the road by 7:56am local time. Mike set the cruise control, Bree knit and we didn't stop for five hours. We finally stopped in Barstow, east of LA, for lunch and gas. We got back on the road and headed north through Bakersfield to I-5 and all the way home. We made it home by 6pm, PST, which made the whole drive 11 hours, 10.5 hours driving.
We were happy to be home, unpack and get our puppy dog back. Bree still has loads and loads of laundry to do. Mike has to get the car cleaned, change the oil and do his best to let it recover from the long trip. We decided there were a few ways to summarize the trip:
Pictures taken:
Total for 2 digital SLRs and 2 digital point and shoots: 2244 (includes some triplicates for HDR)
Best of: 135
Injuries:
Bree: Crescent shaped sunburn on each shoulder, sprained ankle, two bug bites, one sunburned thigh from off-roading
Mike: 4 bug bites, sunburned top of feet, neck and driver's arm, singed eyelashes, eyebrows, hair and hair on fingers.
Miles Driven:
Total on car for trip: 2911 miles
Total "main road" driving: 2266 miles
Total off roading miles: 119 miles
Weather encountered:
Thunderstorms: 2 days
Rain: 2 days
Dust storm: 1 day
100+ degrees: 1 day
Freezing temperature: 1 day
Sleeping arrangements:
5 nights in a hotel
5 nights in a tent
Desert Adventure Tour 2009: Priceless
Videos still to come on www.youtube.com/MBDreyfuss
Pictures still to come at Picasa
We were happy to be home, unpack and get our puppy dog back. Bree still has loads and loads of laundry to do. Mike has to get the car cleaned, change the oil and do his best to let it recover from the long trip. We decided there were a few ways to summarize the trip:
Pictures taken:
Total for 2 digital SLRs and 2 digital point and shoots: 2244 (includes some triplicates for HDR)
Best of: 135
Injuries:
Bree: Crescent shaped sunburn on each shoulder, sprained ankle, two bug bites, one sunburned thigh from off-roading
Mike: 4 bug bites, sunburned top of feet, neck and driver's arm, singed eyelashes, eyebrows, hair and hair on fingers.
Miles Driven:
Total on car for trip: 2911 miles
Total "main road" driving: 2266 miles
Total off roading miles: 119 miles
Weather encountered:
Thunderstorms: 2 days
Rain: 2 days
Dust storm: 1 day
100+ degrees: 1 day
Freezing temperature: 1 day
Sleeping arrangements:
5 nights in a hotel
5 nights in a tent
Desert Adventure Tour 2009: Priceless
Videos still to come on www.youtube.com/MBDreyfuss
Pictures still to come at Picasa
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 10: North Rim of the Grand Canyon (Sunday)
We were awoken very early, when it was barely light, by very loud birds at our campsite. Since we knew we had to be up very early for the mule rides, neither one of us could sleep once we woke up. We had to be at the Grand Canyon Lodge at 7:25am, and we figured even from the closer campground it would take about an hour to get there. That meant leaving the campground at 6:25am. Usually it only takes about a half an hour for us to break down camp if we have breakfast in the car, but we wanted to make warm corn beef hash for breakfast which would take a little bit more time. So Bree set her phone alarm for 5:45am, local (mountain standard) time. So when the birds woke us up and it was light, we figured it was time to get up. We broke down camp and found it to be painfully cold. The whole tent was wet with dew and much of it had frosted over. We decided it was better to eat dry cereal in a warm car than warm breakfast in the cold open air.
We were packed up and headed to the entrance of the park by 6:25am. The meadows were covered by low lying clouds and much of them were frosted. We watched the thermometer in the car drop as we drove, finally settling around 33 degrees. It was very very cold outside, thank goodness for seat warmers! We got to the lodge at 7:05am, figuring earlier was better, we hung around for awhile looking for other mule riders. We had been told to meet in front of the lodge gift shop, which was off to the side of the lodge, and wear long pants. There were only a few people wandering around, none in pants and none where we were supposed to meet. The woman that had taken our money for the trip had told us to meet there at 7am if we hadn't paid yet so we figured she had to be there. We checked at the desk and no one was there either. We started to get worried around 7:30am and Bree finally asked at the concierge desk if they knew anything about the mule rides. The concierge provided the same information we had been given, meet at 7:25am in front of the gift shop, a large white van that said "mule rides" would pick us up. Bree told her thanks but it was 7:30am and there was no one there. The concierge calmly explained (although you could tell she was tired of doing so) that the Grand Canyon was on Arizona time, which is Mountain Standard Time, but, Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time. Which means when we thought it was 7:30am, it was 6:30am. So that meant that not only had we waited around for a half an hour, we were still an hour early!
We were cold, having not brought a sweatshirt thinking it would warm up, so we went back to the car. Mike read his book and Bree played her DS Scrabble for an hour or so in the warm car. By the time we headed back, there was a large group of long pants wearing tourists talking about mule riding. And sure enough, there was a large white van that said "mule rides," by Canyon Trail Rides. A young boy and a man in full cowboy gear (stetson, cowboy boots, chaps, plaid shirt and vest) welcomed us and got us into the van. On the way to the trail head we heard a recorded safety message about how to ride the mule and what not to do. Mike was nervous the whole time, he had never been on a horse or a mule and wasn't sure about it.
We road to the North Kaibob trail head, the only trail that goes into the canyon from the north rim. The mules were hitched up in a pen and were larger than we had expected. Mules are sterile offspring of horses and donkeys. They have attributes of both that are advantageous for trail guiding. Apparently the larger ears of a donkey help to let heat dissipate, like rabbit ears. Mule eyes are also oriented like a donkey's which allow the mule to see all four of its feet at the same time. Their shoulders make incline walking easier for them than horses. They can live over thirty years to forty years and even though they may want to stop pulling large loads in their twenties, like many work animals, they have to keep working at least a little or they will die soon after retirement.
We were split into two groups and the main guide sized us up to pair us with the "right" mule. It is tricky because they wanted to keep groups together, so they had to be mindful of what mules followed/ led other mules well. And they had to put the right mule under each person. There were easily 50 mules and the guides knew the names of all of them and their personalities. "You'll get Flex, you on Fred. You've ridden before? You get Woody," etc. Mike and I were at the end, Bree was given Blue and Mike was given Dolly, both female. We were helped up and told how to steer the mules. The mules are specifically trained on the trail and can follow each other down without rider assistance, but they like to have you back up the training. You pull the right hand rein to steer right, and the same for the left. Pulling back on both means stop. You were supposed to lean back in your seat with your toes pointed up and your heels down on the way down the trail, then lean forward on the way up. If the mules were falling behind, you had to kick them with both heels. It was dangerous to fall too far behind the other mules because then they would want to catch up eventually and trot too fast.
As we started down the trail, we each paused for our souvenir photograph. It was tough at first, until we got used to being in the saddle. At the head of the North Kaibob Trail there is a large sign that warns hikers that if you come upon mules, wait to the right and listen for instructions from the mule guide. It was a large sign, one would think you couldn't miss it.
We started down the trail, it switchbacks all the way down into the canyon 2300 feet to the Supai Tunnel. On the way down, Bree had the video camera and Mike had the small (durable) digital. We were the last two mules in the train and Mike's mule Dolly had trouble keeping up. The guide actually had to come tell Mike to be more stern with Dolly to make her keep up. After that she was better. The view on the way down was amazing, we took video, you could clearly see the change in the rock layers along the trail. Our guide stopped us ocassionally to show us formations and tell us facts about mules.
If you aren't always around large animals, you forget about the smells and bodily functions. Like horses, mules poop anywhere and alot. It was strange to look down on the trail, knowing that other visitors would walk down the trail. And as we came around one corner, a mule in front of us started to pee. The term, "I have to pee like a horse," is based on fact as far as we can tell. It was odd to see a mule spread its legs and drop a few gallons. It was quite a surprise when we saw the next mule stop and do the same, then a few mules didn't, then another one did. At most corners, at least two would pee and create a mud puddle you would want to avoid. Later, our guide told us it was prey animal behavior. We thought it was like a dog, marking territory, but that is predatory animal behavior. Apparently prey animals will hold it until they cross a point where they smell another of their own and then they will pee there. That way they are able to hide their numbers from predators. The guide told us that this is something they cannot help and you just have to wait til they're done.
We continued on the trail and crossed a few hikers. The first couple came up on us, luckily, when we were stopped. They walked past, carrying supplies and startled the lead guide's mule. We had been told not to remove hats or jackets without someone holding the mule because they can easily startle. Since they are prey animals, they are naturally paranoid and will run when anything flashes in front of them. The lead guide's mule was being trained and was young, it was particularly startled by the camper's water jug, which was sloshing and making all kinds of noise.
We continued past Coconino Point, where most easy day hikers turn around, to Supai Tunnel. The trail continues to Supai Tunnel, which was blasted through when the trail was first blazed to reach the water down in the canyon. Its farther down, 1.8 mi down the trail, a 1450 feet elevation change, and would make a tough hike. There was a place to hitch the mules so we could get down and get some pictures and water. Our guide took us through the tunnel to show us the view of canyon and see the rest of the trail. There is a bridge that the guide said a lot of inexperienced hikers try to make it to and back in a day and often get stuck on the way back up. Some marathon and triathalons runners train on the trail and one holds the record for the fastest time from North Rim to South Rim of 3 hours and seven minutes.
We let the mules rest and then headed back up. We had to stop a few times to let the mules rest, uphill is harder than downhill for them just like us. When we stopped, we were able to take pictures. On the way up we were also introduced to another large animal behavior we weren't used to, flatulence. The entire way up was like our very own wind ensemble. Apparently Mike's mule had had that problem the entire way down but no one had heard because he was in the back. It made it even more uncomfortable for hikers following us.
As we got up to the top of the trail, we dismounted and thanked our guide. We were given official looking certificates that we were "muleteers." We also got our souvenir photographs on the bus of us and our mules. We road back to the lodge and got to our car around 11am. We headed straight to Zion National Park.
It took us only about two and a half hours to get Zion National Park, back in Utah so we had to switch our clocks again. We entered from the East exit and had to wait in a long line at the park entrance. As we waited, we tuned into the AM station for park information. It turns out they have implemented a shuttle for the most popular road in Zion, and you cannot drive your own car on it. We followed a large line of cars down a single lane each way winding in and around rock formations. We learned later we were on the Carmel Highway, and it is quite a road. It was built in the 20's and has a mile long tunnel through solid sandstone. There are amazing views along the way but not a lot of places to stop. Along the way, we saw what we thought was a mountain goat on the side of the road. Later we realized it was probably a big horn sheep, which Mike had wanted to see the entire trip. He would often jokingly call for them on hikes, saying "Bbbbaaaa" as we walked. The road switchbacks as it lowers your elevation and you finally come to a T in the road. To the north is the Zion Canyon Road, which only shuttle buses are allowed on, and to the south is the visitor center, a museum and the south entrance.
We went to the south to stop at the Visitor Center and barely found a parking place. Apparently, in the summer it is often so packed that you cannot park in the park itself and have to park in a nearby town. There is a separate shuttle bus that goes to the town and back all day. We found a spot and were instantly hit with the typical tourist of Zion park. It was a whole family of large boisterous people complaining of heat, walking, each other, parking, etc. We tried to get as far as possible from them and headed to the visitor center. The visitor center is environmentally oriented and was specifically designed to take advantage of the seasonal changes at Zion. It has this amazing baffle tower system with water in it that cools the inside in the summer and keeps it warmer in the winter.
We got our stamp in the passport book, our last one of the trip and it was only then that we realized some of our stamps were in the wrong section. Utah was in a different section from Nevada and Arizona. It bothered Mike that they were in the wrong section so we plan on scanning and pasting them in the right spot.
From the visitor center we got onto a shuttle and headed north into Zion Canyon. There are several stops for hikes and exhibits. It was over 100 degrees and being late in the day, we decided not to do any longer trails. Like the Grand Canyon, there were a few hikes less than a mile and a bunch over 5 miles. The shuttle had a prerecorded narration that pointed out sights and gave us a bit of history on the park. We got off at the Court of Patriarchs and took a short (100 yards) hike to the view point. The Patriarchs are three large mountains named Abraham Peak (6890ft), Isaac Peak (6825ft), and Jacob Peak (6831ft) – named for three towering figures of the Old Testament.
We got back on the shuttle and headed north to the Weeping Rock stop. There was a short hike, a mile round trip, up to the Weeping Rock. Its half a mile straight up, with stops along the way with flora and fauna signs. There were wild grape vines, and variations of oak and maple. When we got to Weeping Rock, we learned that it was sandstone above and shale underneath. Water went through the hundreds of feet of sandstone above because its porous and when it hits the shale, which is not porous, the water seeps out along the horizontal barrier. Experts say that the water took 1,200 years to move through the sandstone! The water gets all over everything, so there are handrails everywhere. On the way down, Bree had to walk behind a guy that stopped on the stairs. She tried to step to the side and ended up stepping right into a large divet on the stairs, spraining her ankle. The hike back down was a bit slower, Mike called her gimpy.
After we got back to the shuttle stop, we continued on the shuttle north to the very last stop in the Zion Canyon. The Zion Canyon narrows at the north end and if you follow the Virgin River up into the north end of the canyon its called the Narrows. We took the shuttle back south, each of us on a different side of the shuttle so that we could get pictures of everything. We stopped at the museum on the way back and watched a short video on the park and its history. Apparently, everything had an original Native American name until the Mormon settlers came and renamed everything. Other names that were not biblical, were definitely not accepting in nature. For example, the Altar of Sacrifice, is a large mountain that has distinct red stains on the side from water filled with iron. But the Mormons named it as such thinking the Native Americans sacrificed on the peak. All the renaming annoyed Bree.
We got back to our car around 6:00pm, and were quite done with Zion. It was very commercial and very busy. It was hot and with Bree's ankle we couldn't hike anything. We gave up and decided to go to our hotel. We plugged the address into our GPS and were surprised that it said we would arrive at 6:20pm, considering it said it was 6:18pm. Turns out, if you go out the south exit, you are immediately in the neighboring town of Springdale. Springdale is where we were told to park and catch the shuttle if we couldn't find parking. It was less than a mile to our hotel from the visitor center.
Mike got us checked in and we went up to our room to settle in. Bree blogged and uploaded some pictures as she iced her ankle. We showered and headed downstairs to a burger shack attached to the hotel. The owner had just opened and was originally from Vacaville, so he knew where we from. The food was great and the owner was great, always checking on us. It seemed like his business was going well because as we were finishing up, over a dozen teenagers came in and racked up a huge order.
We went back up to the room and relaxed as Bree iced her foot. We're undecided if we're going to try to head back in one day or make it two.
We were packed up and headed to the entrance of the park by 6:25am. The meadows were covered by low lying clouds and much of them were frosted. We watched the thermometer in the car drop as we drove, finally settling around 33 degrees. It was very very cold outside, thank goodness for seat warmers! We got to the lodge at 7:05am, figuring earlier was better, we hung around for awhile looking for other mule riders. We had been told to meet in front of the lodge gift shop, which was off to the side of the lodge, and wear long pants. There were only a few people wandering around, none in pants and none where we were supposed to meet. The woman that had taken our money for the trip had told us to meet there at 7am if we hadn't paid yet so we figured she had to be there. We checked at the desk and no one was there either. We started to get worried around 7:30am and Bree finally asked at the concierge desk if they knew anything about the mule rides. The concierge provided the same information we had been given, meet at 7:25am in front of the gift shop, a large white van that said "mule rides" would pick us up. Bree told her thanks but it was 7:30am and there was no one there. The concierge calmly explained (although you could tell she was tired of doing so) that the Grand Canyon was on Arizona time, which is Mountain Standard Time, but, Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time. Which means when we thought it was 7:30am, it was 6:30am. So that meant that not only had we waited around for a half an hour, we were still an hour early!
We were cold, having not brought a sweatshirt thinking it would warm up, so we went back to the car. Mike read his book and Bree played her DS Scrabble for an hour or so in the warm car. By the time we headed back, there was a large group of long pants wearing tourists talking about mule riding. And sure enough, there was a large white van that said "mule rides," by Canyon Trail Rides. A young boy and a man in full cowboy gear (stetson, cowboy boots, chaps, plaid shirt and vest) welcomed us and got us into the van. On the way to the trail head we heard a recorded safety message about how to ride the mule and what not to do. Mike was nervous the whole time, he had never been on a horse or a mule and wasn't sure about it.
We road to the North Kaibob trail head, the only trail that goes into the canyon from the north rim. The mules were hitched up in a pen and were larger than we had expected. Mules are sterile offspring of horses and donkeys. They have attributes of both that are advantageous for trail guiding. Apparently the larger ears of a donkey help to let heat dissipate, like rabbit ears. Mule eyes are also oriented like a donkey's which allow the mule to see all four of its feet at the same time. Their shoulders make incline walking easier for them than horses. They can live over thirty years to forty years and even though they may want to stop pulling large loads in their twenties, like many work animals, they have to keep working at least a little or they will die soon after retirement.
We were split into two groups and the main guide sized us up to pair us with the "right" mule. It is tricky because they wanted to keep groups together, so they had to be mindful of what mules followed/ led other mules well. And they had to put the right mule under each person. There were easily 50 mules and the guides knew the names of all of them and their personalities. "You'll get Flex, you on Fred. You've ridden before? You get Woody," etc. Mike and I were at the end, Bree was given Blue and Mike was given Dolly, both female. We were helped up and told how to steer the mules. The mules are specifically trained on the trail and can follow each other down without rider assistance, but they like to have you back up the training. You pull the right hand rein to steer right, and the same for the left. Pulling back on both means stop. You were supposed to lean back in your seat with your toes pointed up and your heels down on the way down the trail, then lean forward on the way up. If the mules were falling behind, you had to kick them with both heels. It was dangerous to fall too far behind the other mules because then they would want to catch up eventually and trot too fast.
As we started down the trail, we each paused for our souvenir photograph. It was tough at first, until we got used to being in the saddle. At the head of the North Kaibob Trail there is a large sign that warns hikers that if you come upon mules, wait to the right and listen for instructions from the mule guide. It was a large sign, one would think you couldn't miss it.
We started down the trail, it switchbacks all the way down into the canyon 2300 feet to the Supai Tunnel. On the way down, Bree had the video camera and Mike had the small (durable) digital. We were the last two mules in the train and Mike's mule Dolly had trouble keeping up. The guide actually had to come tell Mike to be more stern with Dolly to make her keep up. After that she was better. The view on the way down was amazing, we took video, you could clearly see the change in the rock layers along the trail. Our guide stopped us ocassionally to show us formations and tell us facts about mules.
If you aren't always around large animals, you forget about the smells and bodily functions. Like horses, mules poop anywhere and alot. It was strange to look down on the trail, knowing that other visitors would walk down the trail. And as we came around one corner, a mule in front of us started to pee. The term, "I have to pee like a horse," is based on fact as far as we can tell. It was odd to see a mule spread its legs and drop a few gallons. It was quite a surprise when we saw the next mule stop and do the same, then a few mules didn't, then another one did. At most corners, at least two would pee and create a mud puddle you would want to avoid. Later, our guide told us it was prey animal behavior. We thought it was like a dog, marking territory, but that is predatory animal behavior. Apparently prey animals will hold it until they cross a point where they smell another of their own and then they will pee there. That way they are able to hide their numbers from predators. The guide told us that this is something they cannot help and you just have to wait til they're done.
We continued on the trail and crossed a few hikers. The first couple came up on us, luckily, when we were stopped. They walked past, carrying supplies and startled the lead guide's mule. We had been told not to remove hats or jackets without someone holding the mule because they can easily startle. Since they are prey animals, they are naturally paranoid and will run when anything flashes in front of them. The lead guide's mule was being trained and was young, it was particularly startled by the camper's water jug, which was sloshing and making all kinds of noise.
We continued past Coconino Point, where most easy day hikers turn around, to Supai Tunnel. The trail continues to Supai Tunnel, which was blasted through when the trail was first blazed to reach the water down in the canyon. Its farther down, 1.8 mi down the trail, a 1450 feet elevation change, and would make a tough hike. There was a place to hitch the mules so we could get down and get some pictures and water. Our guide took us through the tunnel to show us the view of canyon and see the rest of the trail. There is a bridge that the guide said a lot of inexperienced hikers try to make it to and back in a day and often get stuck on the way back up. Some marathon and triathalons runners train on the trail and one holds the record for the fastest time from North Rim to South Rim of 3 hours and seven minutes.
We let the mules rest and then headed back up. We had to stop a few times to let the mules rest, uphill is harder than downhill for them just like us. When we stopped, we were able to take pictures. On the way up we were also introduced to another large animal behavior we weren't used to, flatulence. The entire way up was like our very own wind ensemble. Apparently Mike's mule had had that problem the entire way down but no one had heard because he was in the back. It made it even more uncomfortable for hikers following us.
As we got up to the top of the trail, we dismounted and thanked our guide. We were given official looking certificates that we were "muleteers." We also got our souvenir photographs on the bus of us and our mules. We road back to the lodge and got to our car around 11am. We headed straight to Zion National Park.
It took us only about two and a half hours to get Zion National Park, back in Utah so we had to switch our clocks again. We entered from the East exit and had to wait in a long line at the park entrance. As we waited, we tuned into the AM station for park information. It turns out they have implemented a shuttle for the most popular road in Zion, and you cannot drive your own car on it. We followed a large line of cars down a single lane each way winding in and around rock formations. We learned later we were on the Carmel Highway, and it is quite a road. It was built in the 20's and has a mile long tunnel through solid sandstone. There are amazing views along the way but not a lot of places to stop. Along the way, we saw what we thought was a mountain goat on the side of the road. Later we realized it was probably a big horn sheep, which Mike had wanted to see the entire trip. He would often jokingly call for them on hikes, saying "Bbbbaaaa" as we walked. The road switchbacks as it lowers your elevation and you finally come to a T in the road. To the north is the Zion Canyon Road, which only shuttle buses are allowed on, and to the south is the visitor center, a museum and the south entrance.
We went to the south to stop at the Visitor Center and barely found a parking place. Apparently, in the summer it is often so packed that you cannot park in the park itself and have to park in a nearby town. There is a separate shuttle bus that goes to the town and back all day. We found a spot and were instantly hit with the typical tourist of Zion park. It was a whole family of large boisterous people complaining of heat, walking, each other, parking, etc. We tried to get as far as possible from them and headed to the visitor center. The visitor center is environmentally oriented and was specifically designed to take advantage of the seasonal changes at Zion. It has this amazing baffle tower system with water in it that cools the inside in the summer and keeps it warmer in the winter.
We got our stamp in the passport book, our last one of the trip and it was only then that we realized some of our stamps were in the wrong section. Utah was in a different section from Nevada and Arizona. It bothered Mike that they were in the wrong section so we plan on scanning and pasting them in the right spot.
From the visitor center we got onto a shuttle and headed north into Zion Canyon. There are several stops for hikes and exhibits. It was over 100 degrees and being late in the day, we decided not to do any longer trails. Like the Grand Canyon, there were a few hikes less than a mile and a bunch over 5 miles. The shuttle had a prerecorded narration that pointed out sights and gave us a bit of history on the park. We got off at the Court of Patriarchs and took a short (100 yards) hike to the view point. The Patriarchs are three large mountains named Abraham Peak (6890ft), Isaac Peak (6825ft), and Jacob Peak (6831ft) – named for three towering figures of the Old Testament.
We got back on the shuttle and headed north to the Weeping Rock stop. There was a short hike, a mile round trip, up to the Weeping Rock. Its half a mile straight up, with stops along the way with flora and fauna signs. There were wild grape vines, and variations of oak and maple. When we got to Weeping Rock, we learned that it was sandstone above and shale underneath. Water went through the hundreds of feet of sandstone above because its porous and when it hits the shale, which is not porous, the water seeps out along the horizontal barrier. Experts say that the water took 1,200 years to move through the sandstone! The water gets all over everything, so there are handrails everywhere. On the way down, Bree had to walk behind a guy that stopped on the stairs. She tried to step to the side and ended up stepping right into a large divet on the stairs, spraining her ankle. The hike back down was a bit slower, Mike called her gimpy.
After we got back to the shuttle stop, we continued on the shuttle north to the very last stop in the Zion Canyon. The Zion Canyon narrows at the north end and if you follow the Virgin River up into the north end of the canyon its called the Narrows. We took the shuttle back south, each of us on a different side of the shuttle so that we could get pictures of everything. We stopped at the museum on the way back and watched a short video on the park and its history. Apparently, everything had an original Native American name until the Mormon settlers came and renamed everything. Other names that were not biblical, were definitely not accepting in nature. For example, the Altar of Sacrifice, is a large mountain that has distinct red stains on the side from water filled with iron. But the Mormons named it as such thinking the Native Americans sacrificed on the peak. All the renaming annoyed Bree.
We got back to our car around 6:00pm, and were quite done with Zion. It was very commercial and very busy. It was hot and with Bree's ankle we couldn't hike anything. We gave up and decided to go to our hotel. We plugged the address into our GPS and were surprised that it said we would arrive at 6:20pm, considering it said it was 6:18pm. Turns out, if you go out the south exit, you are immediately in the neighboring town of Springdale. Springdale is where we were told to park and catch the shuttle if we couldn't find parking. It was less than a mile to our hotel from the visitor center.
Mike got us checked in and we went up to our room to settle in. Bree blogged and uploaded some pictures as she iced her ankle. We showered and headed downstairs to a burger shack attached to the hotel. The owner had just opened and was originally from Vacaville, so he knew where we from. The food was great and the owner was great, always checking on us. It seemed like his business was going well because as we were finishing up, over a dozen teenagers came in and racked up a huge order.
We went back up to the room and relaxed as Bree iced her foot. We're undecided if we're going to try to head back in one day or make it two.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Day 9: North Rim of the Grand Canyon (Saturday)
We woke up early and broke down camp. We weren't sure if the other campground we wanted was full or not so we thought we'd pack up just in case. It takes about an hour to get from Jacob Lake to the entrance of the park. On the way we drove through lots of meadows. After we got into the park we saw more meadows, one with bison in it! Apparently, Bison are called "bison" in the US but should be referred as "buffalo" if they're in Asia or Africa. We wanted to stop to get more pictures but didn't think we should. Later in the meadows we saw deer (not sure if it was common deer or mule deer) that started prancing. They looked just like Bree's parents' dog, Zoey when she prances. The main park road splits into a Y shape, off to the West is the main lodge and off to the East are some view points. We went to the lodge first, the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim reminded us of the Ahwanhee hotel at Yosemite National Park. People that stayed there wanted paved trails and access to gourmet food. We visited the Visitor Center to buy postcards and get our stamp and to check about trail conditions.
We decided to take the Bright Angel Point trail, only about a half mile but nearly straight up along a rock outcropping from the point the lodge was on. It was pretty steep, although short. It ended right on the edge of the rock. We saw one tourist climb over the fence to go a little bit farther out to pose for a picture. Silly people. We took pictures and took the other half of the trail back to some other fenced outcroppings below the hotel. They had some great views of the canyon. From there we headed back up through the lodge towards the car. There was a bronze statue of "Brighty" the donkey. Apparently, Brighty was a donkey at the Grand Canyon that was popular with children and tourists, met the President and a children's book was written about him.
We went back to the car and headed back up the road to check in at the campground to see if they had any space. The ranger didn't quite laugh at Bree when she asked but apparently it fills up way in advance. So we continued on the road and Mike found a 4x4 road he wanted to take out to Point Sublime. Usually, we check with the Rangers for road conditions, suggestions, and to see if the Subaru can make it. We didn't because we didn't know it existed until after we left the visitor station.
The first portion was just unpaved, any car could have made it. Then we hit a sign that suggested only 4x4 vehicles with high clearance should continue the next 18 miles of the road. Bree was hesitant, Mike wanted to go. It was a great ride, up and into the forest. At times the road was only as wide as the car. We traveled from open grassy meadows to dense pine forest mixed with aspen. The aspen is called Quaking Aspen and is so named because with any wind the wide leaves move and make the trees look like they are shaking. The road went up and down many hills and we reached a total elevation of 7400 feet, best we can estimate. The road wasn't actually shown in its entirety on the park map so we had to look over some satellite photos and an offroading site to try and find the point. It was way out there! The road was technically very difficult and Mike had some trouble. There were quite a few points that Bree was sure we'd get stuck on. The road was rough and rocky, with large boulders to maneuver around while going up a steep grade. But we finally made it and Point Sublime fit its name. It was totally isolated and we had the whole point to ourselves. It was very high up and gave a great view. We wandered around and had lunch out there at a picnic table. Someone before us left an entire 30 pack of Coors Light Beer up there. Mike said it was water and wasn't worth taking. We headed back down the road, which was a lot easier when Mike let a little air out of the tires. It ended up taking about 3.5 hours by the end of it to go 36 miles of rough off-road.
When we got back to paved roads we continue to the Y-intersection and headed the other side of the north rim. It took about 45 minutes to get to the end of that branch of the road. It dead-ends at Cape Royal, where we took another short hike. It was only 0.6 miles round trip and paved. Still, we heard tourists (the same ones that had climbed the fence at Bright Angel actually) complain that this was how trails were supposed to be, not like that dirt trail they took earlier. Along the trail there were several spots to go right up to the canyon edge for viewpoints. One of the best was of Angel's Window, which is an easily seen arch in the park. The trail continues so that you can walk out on the rock that Angel's Window is in. Along the way there were several explanatory boards for the flora and fauna of the area.
We got back in the car and headed up the way just a little bit to take a short hike to Cliff Springs. It was a mile roundtrip, straight down there and straight up back up. It was nice and cool because it was into a smaller canyon. You end up walking under some overhanging rocks to the spring. As soon as you step onto the rocks there was a large sign that warned against damaging the rocks, marking them or moving them in any way. We wondered why until we got to the spring. Apparently, visitors like to grind up some of the red sandstone, get it wet and use it to make red handprints on the lighter colored sandstone above their heads. The whole spring area is now covered in red handprints. We walked around for a little bit before heading back up the hill. We continued on the road back towards the Y and stopped at a few overlooks on the way, including a short road up to Point Imperial. "Point Imperial, the highest point on the North Rim at 8,803 feet, overlooks the Painted Desert and the eastern end of Grand Canyon."
From there, we headed back to the Y-intersection and towards the park entrance. We had done everything we could for the day. Most hikes are either super short or super long. It was way too late in the day to start a long one. As we exited the park, we saw Bison again. About halfway between the park entrance and Jacob Lake was another Kaibob National Forest Campground called the De Motte Campground. We wanted to camp there for the night so that it wouldn't take us so long to get back to the North Rim in the morning. Luckily they had room, same set-up as last night so we picked a spot and got set-up. We made macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner which was quite yummy. Mike read and Bree played Scrabble on her DS before it got too cold and she went into the tent. We went to bed early because we had a mule ride early in the morning!
We decided to take the Bright Angel Point trail, only about a half mile but nearly straight up along a rock outcropping from the point the lodge was on. It was pretty steep, although short. It ended right on the edge of the rock. We saw one tourist climb over the fence to go a little bit farther out to pose for a picture. Silly people. We took pictures and took the other half of the trail back to some other fenced outcroppings below the hotel. They had some great views of the canyon. From there we headed back up through the lodge towards the car. There was a bronze statue of "Brighty" the donkey. Apparently, Brighty was a donkey at the Grand Canyon that was popular with children and tourists, met the President and a children's book was written about him.
We went back to the car and headed back up the road to check in at the campground to see if they had any space. The ranger didn't quite laugh at Bree when she asked but apparently it fills up way in advance. So we continued on the road and Mike found a 4x4 road he wanted to take out to Point Sublime. Usually, we check with the Rangers for road conditions, suggestions, and to see if the Subaru can make it. We didn't because we didn't know it existed until after we left the visitor station.
The first portion was just unpaved, any car could have made it. Then we hit a sign that suggested only 4x4 vehicles with high clearance should continue the next 18 miles of the road. Bree was hesitant, Mike wanted to go. It was a great ride, up and into the forest. At times the road was only as wide as the car. We traveled from open grassy meadows to dense pine forest mixed with aspen. The aspen is called Quaking Aspen and is so named because with any wind the wide leaves move and make the trees look like they are shaking. The road went up and down many hills and we reached a total elevation of 7400 feet, best we can estimate. The road wasn't actually shown in its entirety on the park map so we had to look over some satellite photos and an offroading site to try and find the point. It was way out there! The road was technically very difficult and Mike had some trouble. There were quite a few points that Bree was sure we'd get stuck on. The road was rough and rocky, with large boulders to maneuver around while going up a steep grade. But we finally made it and Point Sublime fit its name. It was totally isolated and we had the whole point to ourselves. It was very high up and gave a great view. We wandered around and had lunch out there at a picnic table. Someone before us left an entire 30 pack of Coors Light Beer up there. Mike said it was water and wasn't worth taking. We headed back down the road, which was a lot easier when Mike let a little air out of the tires. It ended up taking about 3.5 hours by the end of it to go 36 miles of rough off-road.
When we got back to paved roads we continue to the Y-intersection and headed the other side of the north rim. It took about 45 minutes to get to the end of that branch of the road. It dead-ends at Cape Royal, where we took another short hike. It was only 0.6 miles round trip and paved. Still, we heard tourists (the same ones that had climbed the fence at Bright Angel actually) complain that this was how trails were supposed to be, not like that dirt trail they took earlier. Along the trail there were several spots to go right up to the canyon edge for viewpoints. One of the best was of Angel's Window, which is an easily seen arch in the park. The trail continues so that you can walk out on the rock that Angel's Window is in. Along the way there were several explanatory boards for the flora and fauna of the area.
We got back in the car and headed up the way just a little bit to take a short hike to Cliff Springs. It was a mile roundtrip, straight down there and straight up back up. It was nice and cool because it was into a smaller canyon. You end up walking under some overhanging rocks to the spring. As soon as you step onto the rocks there was a large sign that warned against damaging the rocks, marking them or moving them in any way. We wondered why until we got to the spring. Apparently, visitors like to grind up some of the red sandstone, get it wet and use it to make red handprints on the lighter colored sandstone above their heads. The whole spring area is now covered in red handprints. We walked around for a little bit before heading back up the hill. We continued on the road back towards the Y and stopped at a few overlooks on the way, including a short road up to Point Imperial. "Point Imperial, the highest point on the North Rim at 8,803 feet, overlooks the Painted Desert and the eastern end of Grand Canyon."
From there, we headed back to the Y-intersection and towards the park entrance. We had done everything we could for the day. Most hikes are either super short or super long. It was way too late in the day to start a long one. As we exited the park, we saw Bison again. About halfway between the park entrance and Jacob Lake was another Kaibob National Forest Campground called the De Motte Campground. We wanted to camp there for the night so that it wouldn't take us so long to get back to the North Rim in the morning. Luckily they had room, same set-up as last night so we picked a spot and got set-up. We made macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner which was quite yummy. Mike read and Bree played Scrabble on her DS before it got too cold and she went into the tent. We went to bed early because we had a mule ride early in the morning!
Day 8: Canyonlands, Needles District and on to the Grand Canyon (Friday)
We left the hotel and headed way out in the middle of nowhere to get to the Needles district of the Canyonlands National Park. It took about an hour and a half and it wasn't until we got there that we realized it was nothing like the Island in the Sky. The visitor center was small and didn't have a lot of information. There is little "scenic drive" in the Needles District and few short hikes. We did the Roadside Ruin hike which was only a third of a mile and led to an ancient Native American granary. Apparently it was a common thing in the area to create a mortar and stone granary to store fruits, vegetables and seeds. They often had openings only in the roof and are still fairly complete today. From there we drove around a little more trying to find other small hikes, but the rest didn't appeal to us.
Mike found a 4x4 road to Elephant Hill and we decided to take that. It was only about 5 mi in and not too rough. We couldn't continue on the last part because it had extreme caution signs. Basically if we didn't have a lifted jeep, we weren't going to make it. Luckily, the road let us actually see the famous needles the park is named for. They were way off and there were "mushrooms" in front but we still saw them. We headed back to the visitor center, passing the only outlook in the whole park.
From there, we headed straight to the Grand Canyon. We were warned of thunderstorms and kept a careful watch on the storm clouds we could see to the west. Bree took anti-nausea medicine again and so was in and out of sleep. At one point when Bree woke up Mike was steering the car carefully through really rough winds. Another time, there was a painted wild (?) horse on the side of the road. The last time Bree woke up it was because the rain was so loud. All of a sudden, Mike found himself in the middle of a fierce thunderstorm. It cleared up and we continued across more desert. All in all it took about seven hours to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon's closest town, Jacob Lake.
Jacob Lake is a small tourist town at the corner of the main highway and the road down to the North Rim. Its over 40 miles from this intersection to the North Rim and the campground there fills up way in advance. So we decided to camp at the campground maintained by the Kaibab National Forest up at Jacob Lake. The campground was nice, potable water and pit toilets and we were able to pick our place. We had our leftover spaghetti which was good. It seems everywhere though that you can't wash your hair or dishes. So Mike had to fill the pot with some water, walk somewhere else to wash it with soap and the sponge, go dump it, walk back to rinse it, repeat. We had also grabbed s'mores supplies so we lit the stove up again and made ourselves some s'mores. Mike had to search everywhere for the "right" stick to whittle down for our s'more stick. We went to bed early to get a jump on tomorrow!
Mike found a 4x4 road to Elephant Hill and we decided to take that. It was only about 5 mi in and not too rough. We couldn't continue on the last part because it had extreme caution signs. Basically if we didn't have a lifted jeep, we weren't going to make it. Luckily, the road let us actually see the famous needles the park is named for. They were way off and there were "mushrooms" in front but we still saw them. We headed back to the visitor center, passing the only outlook in the whole park.
From there, we headed straight to the Grand Canyon. We were warned of thunderstorms and kept a careful watch on the storm clouds we could see to the west. Bree took anti-nausea medicine again and so was in and out of sleep. At one point when Bree woke up Mike was steering the car carefully through really rough winds. Another time, there was a painted wild (?) horse on the side of the road. The last time Bree woke up it was because the rain was so loud. All of a sudden, Mike found himself in the middle of a fierce thunderstorm. It cleared up and we continued across more desert. All in all it took about seven hours to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon's closest town, Jacob Lake.
Jacob Lake is a small tourist town at the corner of the main highway and the road down to the North Rim. Its over 40 miles from this intersection to the North Rim and the campground there fills up way in advance. So we decided to camp at the campground maintained by the Kaibab National Forest up at Jacob Lake. The campground was nice, potable water and pit toilets and we were able to pick our place. We had our leftover spaghetti which was good. It seems everywhere though that you can't wash your hair or dishes. So Mike had to fill the pot with some water, walk somewhere else to wash it with soap and the sponge, go dump it, walk back to rinse it, repeat. We had also grabbed s'mores supplies so we lit the stove up again and made ourselves some s'mores. Mike had to search everywhere for the "right" stick to whittle down for our s'more stick. We went to bed early to get a jump on tomorrow!
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