Abbey's Road

I thought I’d give you a peak at the views I have here. The pictures don’t do it justice. The two of them combined give you the 270 degree view from the side and back patio. The “loft” gives you a 360 degree view, but that’s Lily’s domain. Lily is one of their cats. Poor Lily hasn’t really adjusted to having a dog in the house. She mostly comes down at night to go outside. The bad thing is that she stays out a long time and keeps me from going to bed. With the coyotes and other animals around here I can’t leave her out there over night. The only complaint I have about the place is that the pool isn’t heated and the water temp is still in the mid-60s. How do they expect me to swim in that?
Not a bad view for the cat, eh?
Well there’s not much to report here. Besides taking care of the cats, and, of course, Abbey too, I’ve been getting the RV back in shape. It had been getting a little beat up. I’ve also been trying to get myself back in shape going to the chiropractor and taking some yoga classes. Haven’t done either of those in a while. I’ve been taking it a little easy on the hikes for both Abbey and I. There are lots of beautiful hiking trails here, but it’s a bit hot and most trails are too dry for Abbey. I have taken her to Oak Creek Canyon, where we also went last year, a couple of times. It’s a great trail with water in the creek the whole way. Yesterday she was in the water most of the time, but she paid for it later. Her leg was pretty sore so I took it easy on her today. It got up close to 90 today, but I decided to do a hike anyways. I’ve been wanting to hike to one of the famous vortex spots here in Sedona. A vortex is supposedly a place where there is strong energy fields coming into, or out of, the earth. I actually went to 2 today, and even spent a bit of time there, but didn’t feel anything unusual. I guess I’m just not in tune with these things. There are 3 more, though, so I’ll keep trying. As one of the guide books says, whether you believe in them or not they are all beautiful hikes so it’s no loss.

Last weekend I went to Jerome, which bills itself as the country’s largest ghost town. I’m not sure why it’s still considered a ghost town with all the people living there. I had heard of Jerome from a number of people in the last few years and had been wanting to check it out. So on Saturday I drove down to see what the fuss was all about. It had been described to me as a funky little town. I was picturing a lot of “New Agey” type stores and psychics, but mostly what I saw were art galleries and tourists. It’s an old mining town, at one time known as the “Billion Dollar Copper Mine” and the “West’s Wickedest City”, that is perched on top of a mountain. The road in or out of town is pretty windy and steep so just about everyone in town has a great view and there’s not a flat lot around. I’m sure there are a few leftover flower children who live there. I did like one of the bumper stickers I saw – “Jerome, AZ – We’re all here because we’re not all there.” You gotta love a town that knows its place.

High-end real estate in Jerome
Didn't know they had a snake sanctuary...

Posted by Ed at 3:02 AM | Permalink

After leaving Kodachrome Basin we drove over to Bryce Canyon NP. It’s only about 20 miles away, but the elevation change was enough that we found snow still at Bryce where Kodachrome Basin was very dry and hot. We got there early enough that I was able to take a real nice hike down into the natural amphitheatre that is the main highlight of Bryce Canyon. Close up the hoodoos, as they’re called, look like a good heavy rain could wash them right away. Obviously, they are a bit more stable than that, but you can easily see where erosion will continue to wipe them away. When I finally got back to my campsite I was surprised to see this huge RV in my spot. It was an older couple who somehow didn’t see my receipt tag on the post. I pointed out my chair that was still sitting there and they said they were going to bring it to the host thinking that someone had left it. At least they were nice and left right away.

Bryce Pics

Friday morning I got up early and made the 2 hour drive to Zion to try and get a spot in the first come, first served campground. Enough people left that morning that I was able to get a spot. It wasn’t the nicest campground, but it was real convenient being next to the visitor center and the shuttle bus stop. From April to October in Zion they don’t allow cars up into the main part of the canyon. It actually works out quite nice because you don’t have to fight over a small number of parking spots or wait in long traffic lines. There was actually one trail that Abbey could walk on so I took on it both mornings before I took off hiking for the afternoon by myself. The first morning she got attacked by a friendly-looking dog who was off leash. It really wasn’t anything and she seemed to recover her wounded pride pretty quick. I had heard a lot about Zion before going there and a few people had told me that it was one of their favorite parks. I kept struggling to figure out what captivated them so much. It is a beautiful canyon, especially now that spring is here and the trees are turning green, but the hiking is a little limited and the terrain is not too varied. I think the other thing that tainted it for me were the crowds of people. I was really surprised how many people were there for Easter weekend, even families with young kids. How was the Easter Bunny going to find them there? Another thing that surprised me was how many people were hiking on the more difficult trails. And many of the people didn’t look like your typical, fairly fit hiker, but they were going on some pretty steep trails. Usually in the national parks, once you get out on the trails a little way the crowds dwindle quite a bit.

On Saturday I did a hike to a place called Angels Landing. I can see where the name came from. The trail was cut right into the rock in many places and they built these switchbacks, called Walter’s Wiggles, up a steep face.
Before this I think only angels could have made it to the top. One section traverses a very narrow ridge before climbing steeply up to the landing on top and a beautiful view of the canyon. They’ve added chains to hold onto in some of the hairier parts. I couldn’t believe some of the people that were going up this part.
Some were parents with little kids. Some people didn’t make it the whole way, though. They finally succumbed to their fear and turned back. It was actually a very cool hike. My niece, Rachel, would have loved it. On the top I met a guy from Austria who I hiked back down with. He likes to climb, go canyoneering, paragliding and kayaking. He’s on a 6 month sabbatical from his job, but is nearing the end very soon. Somehow I always seem to meet these people, though he is going back to his job. He invited me to come to Austria anytime and he would take me climbing, paragliding or whatever I want. Sounds real tempting to me. Now I just have to find someone to watch Abbey for 2 weeks or so and it just might work out. On Sunday, after catching the last 10 minutes of Easter mass (I missed the early shuttle and the priest did a speed mass), I did another hike with quite a bit of a climb. It wasn’t quite as crowded as the day before, but the views were as good, if not better.

More Zion Pics

On Monday morning I took off early for Sedona. What should have been about a 5 hour drive turned out much longer. The wind was pretty strong the whole way, but at one point it got so bad I even had to pull off the road. It was in the Painted Desert north of Flagstaff. Sand was blowing across the road and I did all I could to keep my box on wheels on the road. I pulled off for a few minutes when I saw a bunch of other RVs and trailers pulled over. I was real happy to make it to Sedona where a nice cold beer was waiting for me at Michael and Diana’s. They live right near the center of town, but they are up on a hill so you don’t really notice. The house is very nice, but the views are what knocks you out. From their loft, you can see 360 degree views of the red rock cliffs and formations surrounding Sedona. It’s quite amazing. I’m housesitting for 3 weeks and watching their cats. (Abbey has been very helpful keeping on eye on them so far.) I told them when they get back from their cruise they may have to kick me out of the house. I might not want to leave, at least not until the weather starts getting real hot. Well, that’s all for now. Soon I will update with pictures from Sedona and the views from my temporary home here.

Posted by Ed at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On Tuesday morning, after leaving Moab, I drove to Capitol Reef NP. It’s the least known, and least visited, of Utah’s National Parks. It’s not all that big and only has a handful of hiking trails, but it is another interesting place for geological formations. We made a short stop there and did a scenic drive before continuing south. This part of Utah is pretty sparse and the towns are barely a blip on the map, but the scenery is pretty cool.
After leaving Capitol Reef I picked up Hwy. 12 which heads south over Boulder Mt. and then goes through more of canyon country sometimes winding along ridges only 2-3 times as wide as the road. The landscape is pretty desolate with sandstone everywhere. Unfortunately, it was getting late and I should’ve stopped for the night in Capitol Reef. The few small campgrounds I found were all full so I pulled off in a sand and gravel clearing on top of Hwy. 12. I kept waiting for someone to come along and tell me I couldn’t stay, but no one did. I left early just in case, but not before watching the sunrise over the desert. We hiked a few trails that day, both to waterfalls – Upper and Lower Calf Creek Falls. It was pretty hard to believe that not only would there be waterfalls in this desolate, barren landscape, but one of them was over a 100 ft. high. Abbey again had fun in the water and this time she even had some fish to chase.

After the troubles of the night before, I started looking for a campground earlier. I got one of the last spots in Kodachrome Basin State Park. I was surprised but Abbey was up for another walk. We didn’t go far, though, because it was pretty warm. This park is known for its “sand pipes” or spires. The theory is that millions of years ago this area used to be active with geysers and hot springs. When the geysers and springs dried up, their spouts filled with sand, or liquefied sand, which hardened over time. The surrounding sandstone was softer and was eroded away over time leaving the spires. They were interesting enough for the hike we took in the morning, though they probably won’t really impress you in pictures. It was a good hike to tire Abbey out with since I was heading to Bryce Canyon afterwards. As usual for the NPs, she’s not allowed on the trails there. Well, I’ll leave Bryce for another day. That’s all for now.

Posted by Ed at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Early in the week I didn’t feel real good so I took it easy, did a few short hikes with Abbey, did laundry, cleaned the RV and did other exciting things like that. Tommy arrived early Thursday morning and we kicked off his visit with a stop at the venerable Moab Diner. He had been salivating over one of their breakfast burritos ever since he booked his flights to come out, and the diner did not disappoint. I had rented bikes for a couple of days so after breakfast we did a nice warmup ride to a place called Gemini Bridges, where there are two, you guessed it, natural bridges. It was also convenient that the ride was mostly downhill except for one killer climb at the end. It was a good way to start the trip. The next day we decided for a little more ambitious of a ride, even though the guys at the bike shop seemed to think it would be fairly easy. We started up in Canyonlands NP and right in the beginning we rode down some very steep switchbacks dropping about 1000 ft. in a few miles. The views from the top were spectacular.

After lunch overlooking the Colorado River (see previous pic), we rode further out on a 4WD trail called the White Rim. It is actually a 100 mile loop, but we didn’t entertain the notion of doing the whole thing for even a second. We made it out to Musselman’s Arch where Tommy decided to show that he still had some of the guts of his youth by riding across the arch. The drop was well over a 100 ft. so I decided to just take pictures and leave the riding up to him.
We underestimated the time it would take to get back to where we left my RV down by the river. There was no way we were riding up those switchbacks so we left his car at the top and my RV at the bottom as a shuttle. Unfortunately, the “easy” road down was about 10 miles and it actually had quite a few uphill parts with a lot of gravel. So it took quite a bit longer than we had hoped. All day Tommy would cruise by me on the downhills, but I usually beat him up the hills. Well, on this last stretch to the RV I was pretty proud that I beat him back by enough of a distance that I went and picked him up about a mile back. We were about an hour late returning the bikes but they didn’t say anything.

On Saturday we decided to take it easy and do a little hiking. We took Abbey up Negro Bill Canyon for the 3rd time since I had been there. It’s a great hike for her because there’s a creek the whole way and she has a ball running in the stream. After tiring her out in the morning with that five mile hike, we went up to Canyonlands again and did what we thought would be a leisurely scenic hike. About halfway through we met a group who had turned around because they lost the trail. Undaunted, and not wanting to go back the way we came, we pressed on and found where they made their mistake. Unfortunately, the way out was quite a steep climb out of the canyon we were in and our legs were really feeling it. Our rest day turned out to be 11 miles of hiking.
So, on Sunday, we took a real rest day. We drove out to Goblin Valley State Park. We had no urge to do any of the short trails, but we did wander into the valley itself where the “goblins” were. They are actually strange stone formations that look like some kind of cartoon stone babies. At least, that was an alternative description that we had read. In any case, we took it easy and didn’t wander too far. It was a little warm so even Abbey didn’t want to wander.

We thought about renting bikes again on Monday but Tommy wanted to see Arches NP and I didn’t mind going back. I found out that Tommy is a closet geologist. I never saw anyone who was so awed and excited by rocks. OK, there not just any rocks. Utah really is a geological wonderland and Arches really is pretty amazing which was evidenced by the crowds on the trails. We even tried going back at sunset to get some pictures, but it clouded up right before the sun went down.

We capped off his visit with some good food and beer at a place in town. If you’ve ever been to Utah you probably know about the strange, arcane alcohol laws they have. While waiting for our table we had a beer in the bar, which has to be completely separate from the restaurant. When our table was ready, the waitress had to carry our beers to our table. Seeing that she was pretty cute we really didn’t mind, but it was kind of funny. There are more strange laws, but I will spare you.

All in all we had a great visit and we didn’t even get a scratch from the biking. We both left all in one piece and I left with more “Tommy” stories that I hadn’t heard before. That’s one good thing. He always keeps you laughing, even though you might not be able to repeat some of the stories in mixed company.

Posted by Ed at 3:04 PM | Permalink

On Thursday I went to Arches National Park just outside of Moab. As usual in the NPs, Abbey couldn’t go on the trails so she had to be satisfied with getting out once in a while in the parking lots. The trails at Arches aren’t all that long so it wasn’t too bad for her. The park and trails were very crowded, but it was still worth it to be able to see a lot of the natural arches. This area has the largest concentration of them in the world. In order below are: Landscape Arch, Wall Arch, Partition Arch, Double O Arch (2x), Delicate Arch, South Window seen through Turret Arch, and, of course, the Aching Arch.

The Arches:

Friday morning we left Moab and headed for the Needles District of Canyonlands NP. I was able to get a spot in the campground which was one of the nicer ones I have seen. It didn’t have a lot of facilities, but the sites had tons of space between them and they were backed up to a big sandstone mound. The views were also fabulous from the campsite. Friday I managed to get in a pretty nice hike, but I saved a real long one for Saturday. The only problem was that I couldn’t drive my RV down to the trailhead for Saturday’s hike. So, I figured, no problem. I’ll ride my bike down the dirt road to the trailhead. Well, my legs were pretty tired by the time I reached the trailhead as it was longer than I expected. And I hadn’t even started the hike yet. Well, I managed the hike OK anyways. The middle part of the hike was kind of boring, but at the end you had to climb out of this canyon and you didn’t see the final destination, Druid Arch, until you were almost at the very end. It was one of the cooler arches I’ve seen as well.
As if that wasn’t enough I took a detour on the way back through an area called Chesler Park which takes you in amongst the Needles themselves. All in all it was a really cool hike with some fun scrambling up the rocks and gorgeous views in every direction. On the way down from Chesler Park I saw a woman’s watch on the trail. I figured I might run into someone at the trailhead who had lost a watch, but, more likely, I would take it to the Visitor Center and leave it there. When I got back down I was unlocking my bike and dreading the long ride up (did I mention that it was mostly downhill and a very rough road on the way down?) when a woman asked me if I wanted a ride up with her and her husband in their pickup truck. I guess she was thinking the same thing about that ride as I was and was feeling sorry for me. She said her husband was just up the hill a ways and that she had a young baby who was getting restless so they wouldn’t be long. I almost said I’ll start out and if you pass me you can stop and pick me up. But then I thought, “Are you crazy? It’s a free ride up that nasty, long hill.” So I accepted. I ended up waiting about 20 minutes for her husband but in the meantime a group of hikers came back to their car and I overheard one of the women saying she couldn’t find her watch. It turned out the watch I found was hers. She was quite surprised but very grateful. So I was happy I accepted the other woman’s offer of a ride in more ways than one. And when we got to the top of the dirt road I was really happy because I didn’t remember it being that long.

Sunrise from Camp
Sunset from Camp
Invasion of the Cairns
Newspaper Rock (or Primitive Graffiti)

On Sunday I took it much easier, though I did take another bike ride. This time it was mostly on a paved road and mostly flat. I’m learning that you use different muscles to bike than you do to hike. I’m a little worried about mountain biking when my cousin, Tommy, comes out this week. Luck for me, he said he’s not in very good shape right now so I just might survive. Monday morning we headed back to Moab to stock up again, find a new campground and get ready for Tommy’s arrival. Hopefully, I’ll make it through the rest of the week all in one piece.

Posted by Ed at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)