Part 10 Continued … On to Bryce Canyon

The 84 mile drive to Bryce Canyon had us twisting our heads to catch the rocky beauty equal to the National Parks themselves. The first twenty-four miles took us out of Zion on Route 9. The switchbacks belied the height we climbed to take us out of Zion Canyon. The 1.1 mile tunnel was really different. The only light in the tunnel is the three “cut outs” along the path of the tunnel that are cut through the rock wall and overlooks the canyon we drove out of. Driving in the narrow, dark tunnel was fine and it was an incredible experience. We still plan to avoid the tunnel on our drive to Flagstaff. Our rig and HHR will be over the 50’ maximum length which means we are required to disconnect the HHR and drive both vehicles through the tunnel separately which we’d rather not do.
The switchbacks provided us with spectacular vistas at every “pull off.” Once out of the tunnels (2), we encountered towering, bleached rock mesas that looked as if “The Man Above” “whipped” up a massive bowl of pudding and “drizzled” the viscous mix on the landscape to harden.
Leaving the park and heading north on Route 89, we didn’t realize that we were climbing in elevation. It seemed so subtle we hardly noticed we were climbing. We passed through the beautiful “Red Rock Canyon” and on into Bryce. It is striking! While walking to “Sunset Point,” Pat saw a lightening bolt that appeared to be much too close to where we were headed. Pat wanted no part of that! Bravely, I said I’ll just run over to the overlook and take some pictures and be right back. On the way, a park Ranger was returning from the overlook and politely suggested that I’d be better off not walking to the “point.” She told me about their saying, “if you hear it, leave it! And, if you see it, fear it!” I took her advice. From then on, our time at the various “points” (as they are called) I was cautious, but I had to see this incredible expanse of color and time worn sandstone… and it was worth it. Some of the observation areas are very short walks so Pat did take in quite a bit of the beauty of Bryce. Bryce is laced with hiking trails that traverse the bottom of the canyon and take you through many of the “steeple” like sandstone pillars. It is a grand beauty of the work of “Mother Nature.”
Being 8000’ above sea level, we finally enjoyed cooler weather. The cloudy, cool day never dampened our spirits and gave us the opportunity to walk outside without baking. The drive back seemed somewhat shorter, but we also knew what to look for and Pat was ready with the camera in hand. This time we were ready for what awaited us as we sauntered down the Mt. Carmel Highway!
It’s time for us to point the Motor home east!

Part 10 – Zion National Park

Hi Everyone,
Driving out of Las Vegas was made a little easier as we dreamed of driving higher in elevation to cooler temperatures. We’ll settle for the day time temperature of 93’ here in Zion’s Watchman’s Campground. Right from the “git-go” we were faced with a let-down when we were told the campground is full Labor Day Weekend. It looks like we’re heading for home Friday morning!
We’re not upset, and are actually psyching ourselves up for the drive home. One thing we’re learning about this trip is… we certainly should’ve planned and studied our destinations before we left home. Our first question by the on-duty Ranger was if we plan to take our motor home through “The Tunnel.” We were told about “The Tunnel” and how you must be “guided” through it because it is so narrow. Well, I guess we’re not going to worry about that. We’ll just take the car. Seeing as we’re not planning to head further north, we’ll simply head south from here to Flagstaff, AZ and hit 40 East.
However, now that we’re here, this is our view out the front window of our coach.

There’s only one catch camping here in the National Park, we just have to consider camping amongst the Tarantulas, Scorpions, Mountain Lions and a host of wilderness creatures we “Flatlanders” must learn about.
Thank goodness we have our cell phone service and that we brought a few movies with us. We have three digital TV channels; one all Spanish station, one cartoon station (and they’re not the great old one) and one PBS Station. PBS will put you in a coma! At least we can connect to the “outside world” via our cell service and the internet.
We really kicked back yesterday. The heat and late nights in Vegas finally caught up with us and we crashed. The 73’ morning temperature was a “breath of fresh air.” We opened all the windows and actually got to enjoy a hot coffee in the morning. We packed Gnorm, water and cameras and headed for the Zion shuttles to make our way up into the Canyon. Zion is a hiker’s paradise. Most of the stops offered hiking trails that ranges in difficulty from Easy to Difficult and one or two that will make you “hang on!” The temps rose into the 90’s and took its effect on us “flatlanders.” Hiking Zion is the best way to enjoy Zion. The higher you go or the deeper you hike into the steep cliffs, the better the vista. Zion, unlike the Grand Canyon, is a relatively narrow canyon with sheer rock walls. From time to time the shuttle drivers will ease into the tour a story or two about “rock slides.” In fact, the first shuttle we rode on, the driver notified us that the “Weeping Rock” Trail was closed because at 10:30 this morning a rock slide closed the trail! Great! The “Weeping Rock” Trail was recommended to us for it is very short and easy to hike. OK, so now we have in our minds the words, “Rock Slides.” As we drive the canyon the vertical cliff walls you cannot help but notice the massive time worn fissures that scale the sandstone rock walls. Time and tide waits for no man. Passing beneath these rock behemoths can give you a new perspective on the effects of time on all things… not to mention, make you a wee bit nervous! The return shuttle with all its passengers made it back home just fine. We sought out the cool air of the coach to recharge our batteries, drove to the small town south of the Park and shared a gooey cinnamon bun before we called it a day.
Enjoying a beer outside the coach was an opportunity to watch as the setting sun made like a dark curtain rising upward on our very own rock wall stage backdrop.

This'll put you in a Vegas "mood!"

Here is a sample of the the outdoor entertainment in Downtown Vegas.

(I tried to upload a two-minute video of the music video under "The Canopy" but the Wi-Fi server was unable to complete the upload. So I opted for a shorter video.)

This is music from the band "Sixties Mania."

An evening in Downtown will make you a fan of Vegas

We joined hundreds of visitors under the canopy for an outside concert. The theme just happened to be "Woodstock." Along with the band "Sixties Mania" and the top of the hour overhead canopy 10 to 15 minute music videos you just couldn't help "getting into it!" Drinking is a "religion" in this town. We saw people carrying their napsacks full of beer, casinos sell $2.00 beers plus all kinds of weird drinking containers. People carry their drinks everywhere!
Las Vegas is a place where you truly can "get away from it all!"

Part 9 Continued - And then there is THIS Vegas!

And then... there is THIS Vegas!

Las Vegas is a feast of visual "eye candy" and something for everyone!

Part 9 - This is Vegas!

We traversed "The Strip" by bus and were continuously amazed by the way we are fooled by the way we are faked out by the distances between casinos. The sheer size of the buildings and massive "themed" structures demand space. You can see the buildings you want to go to but walking to them is out of the question (especially in the heat). But even then, you will be fooled by your eyes, into walking to the next major casino. Caution is a must every where you go in this town. The traffic is NOT pedestrian friendly... you wait for the light to walk! If it's jamb packed with people, they too may not be too friendly as well! They are just as determined to get where they're going as the people driving cars! And then, there is a great deal of poverty in the area which dictates that you be constantly aware of people around you. Several local workers gave us suggestions as to what and where to be more cautious but I will say, we never felt we were in danger along the strip and the casinos.

In spite of the basic precautions you should take almost anywhere you go today, we enjoyed our stay here in Las Vegas. Here is a tiny glimpse of the town. With that said... "THIS IS VEGAS!"

Part 8 Welcome to Nevada

While at the Grand Canyon we met a couple that told us there were restrictions on motor homes driving over the Hoover Dam. So, we plotted our course accordingly. While on the way while fueling up, we wanted to verify exactly what restrictions applied to vehicles going over the Dam. We called the Hoover Dam information number and found out that motor homes ARE allowed to cross over the Dam; they are just required to undergo a vehicle inspection. That helped shorten our expected drive very nicely!
The drive into, across and out of the Dam area was our first experience with the motor home on twisting, and (relatively) mountain type road. There was a good deal of traffic and congestion in the parking areas so we decided to return by car once we were camped in Vegas.
We were welcomed to Las Vegas by record high temperatures. Our five night stay just happened to be a heat wave that topped the charts. We arrived on Thursday with the temperature over 105’. Friday and Saturday the temperature “baked” us at 115’. Sunday we “simmered” at 108’. They say it should get back to normal at around 100’ just in time for us to leave. But fear not… IT’S DRY HEAT! … BULL!!! We’re thinking of “ditching” Gnorm and leaving him in the motor home so we can utilize the space in our knapsack for water bottles!
We “sweated” our way into the Circus Circus KOA campground and when we stepped out of the camper, the twenty-five foot walk into the Registration building was all we needed to know about “dry heat!” Once into the air conditioned building it took a second or two for our throats to gulp the cool air so we could talk to the receptionist.
It cost us a few more dollars but the receptionist wisely suggested she put us in a site where the sun would not be directed into our expansive front windows… the five bucks extra per night is worth every penny!
Realizing we were in an “oven without a door” we had to deal with the heat. We headed out on foot to experience “The Strip!” The short walk to the Circus Circus Casino put us almost in the mid-section of the 12 mile “Strip.” We learned early on to take the “Duce” bus system up and down the “Strip.” But, for our first evening in Las Vegas, we introduced ourselves to the Circus Circus, Slots of Fun, Riviera and the Sarah Casinos on foot. Judging by this "really big" slot machine, you know Vegas is serious about it's slot machines!

Fortunately, most of that was done in the “cool” of the night temperatures of just under 100’!
Tomorrow, Hoover Dam!

Part 7 - the Arizona Meteor Crater

We decided (on my pleas) to go to the Arizona Meteor Crater. As an Amateur Astronomer I certainly have an interest in such a space related event. The Meteor Crater is said to be the only well preserved impact crater on Earth. Even after 50,000 years it remains relatively pristine and as such it is much sought out by NASA for Astronaut and geological training for our space program. Even Hollywood couldn’t resist its value. You may recall the movie “Starman” starring Jeff Bridges. The crater became the “pick up” point for Bridges’ persona to be returned “home.”
Like many of you, we’ve all seen pictures of this crater, either in textbooks, National Geographic, etc. But, to drive up to it and view it from the side from a distance, one notices the crater wall rim rise up from the relatively flat land surrounding the crater. Driving to the exit of Meteor Crater Rd. we looked to see a clue as to how far the crater is from the highway. Pat could see cars parked on a rise in the land and that’s when it hit me. The impact of the 150’ space rock hitting the earth at 26,000 mph raised a wall of earth about four or five (or more) stories high. From our position we could plainly see the rim of the crater rising above the flatness of the land. Those are NOT "mountains" in the distance. That is the crater rim.
We turned onto Meteor Crater Road, drove past the Meteor Crater Campground and proceeded on the well maintained six mile road leading to the crater. The crater is privately staffed and maintained. It sits in the middle of a 350,000 acre ranch. The main building built into the north side of the crater rim consists of a museum, store, theater, Subway and dozens of interactive displays. You have a choice of whether to view the crater by yourself in a designated viewing area or take a one hour guided tour a short distance along the rim.
“Kim” was our tour guide and provided us with all kinds of crater “nuggets of knowledge.”
Due to the fragile nature of the crater and the desire to keep it in excellent shape, they no longer allow visitors to “meander” along the rim on your own. Not to mention, the walls are steep and very rocky so liability became a very real concern.
The depth of the crater has decreased due to erosion from 700’ to 500’ from the time of the event. It has a beauty all its own. For many years it was thought that the crater resulted from a volcano. But scientists just can’t leave things along. “Clues” strewn several miles away began to unravel the cause of this “moon like” crater here on Earth.
People study the moon’s craters and try to comprehend the forces that are at work when a high speed object hits terra firma. Well, here is one we can admire, “feel” and learn from, right here on Earth, and it’s a beauty!