Sunday, June 27, 2010

Early Sunday morning we drove north from the Kaibab Plateau to Page, AZ, arriving about 9:30.  I'd read an effusive description of the Hanging Gardens Trail: 'a half mile walk to a desert oasis on a mesa high above the Colorado River.'  The writer took a large dose of poetic license with that sentence!  It should have stated 'This is a half mile slog across hot sandstone in the blazing sun to a bunch of weeds and shrubs growing in an alcove.'    

Our search for a cool, shady spot to eat our picnic ended at the Glen Canyon Dam visitor center.  It has two items scarce in Page--a pair of large, old shade trees and a lovely lawn.  After lunch we located the headquarters of the rafting company which was to take us for a 15 mile trip down the Colorado River, slathered ourselves with sun block, grabbed the essentials for the excursion--hats and cameras--and prepared to embark. 

Good thing I didn't know in advance about the dark, two mile-long tunnel we had to go through on the bus to the loading site or the shoe-snagging gangway to the dock or the hanging stairs to the raft. Getting there and on-board was the scariest part of the whole experience! The raft had an outboard motor but the guide only used it in a few places to avoid riffles (little rapids) or move through cross-currents. Floating 15 miles of smooth water took about three hours including a pit stop (literally--the 'facilities' were pit toilets). The braver rafters ventured into the 47* water but none of them stayed very long. I waded in halfway to my knees--that cooled me down real quickly. Fred and I went with the guide and a few others to a petroglyph wall. Most people declined because of the heat and lack of shade but it was well worth some discomfort. The guide's 'interpretation' of the symbols was suspect and the dates he gave were way off but we were happy to see them.

We landed at Lee's Ferry, AKA Hell on Earth, about 4:30 and had a short wait for the bus--the wonderful air-conditioned bus--to take us back to Page. Echo Cliffs, running along Route 89 from Bitter Springs almost to Page, offers some of the most magnificent scenery on the planet. Although we'd been on that same road earlier in the day, I couldn't appreciate it fully because I was driving. The colors of the rocks and the desert were deeper and more intense at 5 PM than they'd been in the bright light of morning.


By the time we checked into the motel (a very nice one this time!), we were hot, tired, dirty and hungry. We were cleaner and cooler after showers but too tired to put much effort into handling the hungry part. The easiest option was eating at the motel's restaurant, serving 'Navajo cuisine.' An oxymoron, for sure. My navajo taco tasted fine but contained plentiful acid-reflux ingedients and Fred's 'country-fried steak' somehow morphed into fried chicken.

Last night's dinner made us leery of the complimentary breakfast buffet but it was very nice--pancakes, eggs, sausage gravy, fruit, muffins, yogurt, juice. Fueled up for the morning, we headed out to 'the rez.' (Page was carved from, and is surrounded by, a 27,000 square mile Navajo Reservation.) We obtained the permits required to hike Water Holes slot canyon at the tribal chapter office. This canyon isn't heavily visited so there are no established entry/exit points. Fortunately, previous hikers had erected rock cairns to indicate the route over bare rock and we descended at a relatively easy angle.

I was hesitant about going into a slot canyon because of tales about hikers trapped in narrow places, unable to scale steep walls or surprised by flash floods.  The heat in the canyon was nearly suffocating and its configuration offered only small, scattered spots of shades.  Nevertheless, we threaded our way east until confronted by a 10' high vertical wall with nothing more than a small opening visible beyond the wall--it looked too iffy to continue.

Although the formations aren't as spectacular as Antelope Canyon and the colors aren't as vivid as The Wave, the opportunity to explore a place that hasn't been extensively written about or photographed and wasn't filled with others made the exploration and our discoveries a very special experience.

(The most unexpected and unusual discovery was a ram's skull propped on a rock ledge at chest height.  Who? When? How? Why?!!)

Hot, dirty, tired and hungry yet again, we decided to tackle 'dirty' first by going to a laundromat then returning to the motel for showers.  We had a simple but delightful lunch on our balcony with views of Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell and the desert toward the Vermillion Cliffs.  Later in the afternoon, we went to Lake Powell National Recreation Area, stopped at several scenic overlooks, drove around the Wahweap resort and marina area and out to the Lone Rock Beach.

We had an All-American evening--dinner at McDonald's and shopping at WalMart.  We would have finished up with a couple of hours in front of the TV but a long day and an 5:45 wake-up call necessitated an early bedtime.  We had stretched out our weekend by spending two nights in Page so we needed to return to the Plateau on Tuesday in time for work. 

Friday, June 25, 2010

We went buffalo hunting this morning!  Betsy knocked on the RV door and told us the Wonder Bread delivery man had spotted a herd just outside the gate to the park, about six miles from here.  We leapt into the Jeep, sped up the road to the entrance and saw....no buffalo.  But we recognized Judy, another former Xanterra co-worker, manning the gate-house.  She said they'd moved to the first meadow inside the park, a quarter-mile south.  Sure enough, there was a herd of 18-20, including two calves, lounging at the far edge of the meadow by the trees.  All in all, a successful 'hunt' : we got to see these huge, magnificent beast, took lots of pictures and enjoyed the serendipity of seeing an old friend from 2007.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

We had a great weekend!  On our recent days off, we'd done a great deal--too much--driving so we decided to stay on the Plateau and hike close to home.  The weekend got off to a nice start with dinner at the Kaibab Lodge across the road. 

 Sunday was the day for exploring Tater Canyon, which extends north of our location.  Maps don't accurately show roads and trails in that area so we had to invent a route.  After four or five miles on gravel roads, we headed cross-country through the forest toward Route 67 in order to return.  Along the way, we picked up dozens of stones that looked like arrowheads, at least on the ground, with no success.  Walking in the meadow that parallels the highway (a surface much rougher than its benign appearance), Fred found an arrow with razor-sharp blades.  We laughed about being granted the wish of finding not only an arrowhead but an entire arrow!  A short distance farther, I found a second arrow, also with a razorblade point.  Within sight of our RV, while walking in a run-off ditch, I found a Native American arrowhead.  Its point is broken but it's an authentic artifact created by the Plateau's past inhabitants.

Our plan for yesterday was to hike Cliff Springs trail in the park.  At the start of the trail is an Indian granary where crops raised at Walhalla were stored.  The 'springs'--actually a seep--is about half a mile from the trailhead.  The steepest stretch of the trail has been relocated to make the descent less treacherous.  Last winter's heavier than normal snowfall has produced a greater variety wildflowers in the drainage field than we found there in 2007. 

Most people turn around at the springs but we continued on, following an unmaintained path that's more track than trail.  About midway along, we looked down the side canyon and south across the main canyon toward the San Francisco Peaks.  East of Humphreys Peak (over 12,000' high) was a massive cloud of smoke billowing from the four wildfires around Flagstaff.  Beautiful but sad.

After a good deal of scrambling and slipping and sweating, we reached the end.  And it truly is THE END:  the trail terminates on steep slickrock at a  slide-thousands-of-feet-to-your-death angle.  There we took some pictures, explored a bit, ate lunch in the meager shade and then headed back. 

We'd gotten almost as far as the springs when Fred realized his camera was missing from its case at his waist.  The last time he'd used it was way out there at the end.  No choice but to retrace our route, checking the trail, the bushes and that slope down-down-down.  We inspected every inch in both directions with no luck.  As we approached the spot where Fred noticed the camera was gone, he spotted it.  See the picture to solve 'the mystery of the missing camera'.

We rewarded ourselves with soft-serve ice cream (very expensive but not very good) at the Deli, did some shopping for the grandkids and came home.

P.S.  Mouse fatalities have risen to three.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Bits & Pieces

*Wednesday was our eighth anniversary and the one-month anniversary of our arrival on the Plateau.

*As well as packs of motorcyclists, the North Rim seems to be a destination for aficionados of unusual automobiles.  A caravan of eleven Things stopped by earlier in the week. ('The Thing' was Volkswagen's version of a Jeep.  They were imported 1973-74 and only 27,000 of them were brought into the US.)  The following day, five Morgans, a British sports car, came through.

*The Bookmobile paid us a visit!  It's a Greyhound bus outfitted with shelves instead of seats and chock full of fiction, non-fiction, children's books, books on CDs and DVDs.  Monthly visits are a service of Coconino County, which stretches from Flagstaff to Page.  I was impressed by the selection and services provided as well as the helpfulness and enthusiasm of the librarian/

driver.

*Mice have invaded our RV!  After discovering their 'calling cards,' we vacuumed, swept, scrubbed and scoured our living space feeling sure there was nothing to attract them and no way for them to enter.  Ha!  While we were watching television, a rodent scampered across the floor, stopped to look directly at us then continued on his way as if he had a perfect right to be
running around the RV.  We plugged their entry-point with steel wool, put Bounce dryer sheets in drawers and closets and borrowed mouse traps from the owners.  Caught two of them last night--yea for the good guys!!

*The weather is getting better--not quite so cold at night, lighter wind during the day.  It was a week ago today that we had snow.  Still haven't needed the shorts or sandals, though.

*Dreams of fresh tomatoes have bitten the dust, just like the poor tomato plant itself.  Temps in the low 40 degrees and winds in the 50 miles per hour did it in.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Our weekend didn't turn out as we'd planned.  We wanted to see some reportedly spectacular petroglyphs known as Shaman's Gallery that pre-date the pyramids of Egypt.  Because reaching them required a 60+ mile drive and a 4+ hour hike through challenging terrain, we decided to spend the night in Kanab to eliminate the 70-mile trip from the Kaibab Plateau.  The motel looked OK on-line but was a dump in reality.  At least the beds were comfortable and there was plenty of hot water for showers.

We got up at 5:45, choked down a bit of the motel's awful 'free breakfast', and set out on our expedition. Thirty miles down a rough gravel road we located the 'road' to the trailhead.  Its appearance, a mere dirt track through the desert, and the vagueness of the directions made proceeding seem foolhardy: If we had trouble, there was no help, no shade, no water, no cell phone reception, no people.  Instead of pressing on to the petroglyphs, we traveled the entire 61 miles down the gravel road to Toroweap. 

Although it hadn't been an easy drive when we did it in 2007, we were shocked at how badly the last nine miles of the road had deteriorated in the past three years.  Signs announce that it is unimproved, unmaintained, subject to flash flooding and wandering cattle.  Mention is not made of deep muddy ruts, sharp rocks, rocky obstacles, swirling dust, washboarding, etc.  The poor Jeep got the workout of its life.  It shook and shuttered and bumped and bounced so violently, I was surprised the numbers didn't fall off the license plate!

We arrived at Toroweap with mixed relief and dread--relief that we hadn't gotten stuck or punctured a tire; dread that we still had to face the return trip.  Although this visit lacked the breath-taking impact of our first, the stark beauty of this wild and remote place is breath-taking.  We wandered the rocky ledge, lay down to peer three-thousand feet straight down to the Colorado River and took lots of pictures.  Our picnic spot provided us a front row seat for watching rafters drift downstream toward Lava Falls, the highest and most dangerous of the river's length.

With no other option, we headed for asphalt, just 61 miles of gravel, ruts, rocks, dust and cattle guards away.  We were astounded when a large rental RV traveling toward the rim went by.   True, there is a campground out there; however, it offers nothing--no hook-ups, no water, no latrines.  Just a few miles ahead were conditions where good sense would counsel turning around.  But by that point, it would be impossible for a vehicle of that size and low-clearance.

We rejoiced at the sight of black hard-top and reveled in the fast, jolt-free trajectory of driving on a highway.  We did the grocery shopping, filled the gas tank and headed up the mountain to our RV home, physically and emotionally worn out from our time off. Although we were unsuccessful in seeing Shaman's Gallery this trip, we plan to return when we can accompany friends with another vehicle for safety backup.  

Saturday, June 12, 2020

It's 7:30 AM.  The sun is up.  The temperature is down.  Down so far that Fred, at his laptop across the table from me, is wearing a sweatshirt, a jacket, a ski cap and gloves.  Both the furnace and space heater are running full blast.  And we're still cold.

Although yesterday morning was sunny, clouds started moving in around 10.  Rain showers, gentle at first, began shortly after noon and picked up in frequency and intensity as the afternoon progressed.  By five, we were in the midst of bouts of hail, thunder and lightning as the temperature plunged.  We were awkened by thunder throughout the night--hearing first a low rumble from miles away that rolled closer and louder until exploding directly over the RV with jolting crashes and flashes.

Tomorrow and Monday are our days off and the forecast isn't auspicious for hiking or biking--chilly temperatures and thunderstorms.

About noon, big fluffy snowflakes started lazily drifting from the gray sky then became smaller and smaller as they fell faster and faster.  By mid-afternoon travelers reported National Park authorities had closed the road to Cape Royal and Point Imperial due to slippery conditions.  Those heading toward the North Rim from Jacob Lake said there was at least 4" of a snowy-slushy mixture on the road at elevation 8840'. 

Although our sales of long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and socks sky-rocketed, many drivers stopped at the store for respite from the weather and driving conditions rather than for supplies.  A father and his 17- or 18-year old son came in for repairs to the son's brand-new Suzuki, whose spark plug was shorting out from water leaking into the well.  The son was wet, cold and very obviously completely disillusioned with the whole father-son motorcycle road-trip idea.  Fortunately, dad, a professional mechanic, was able to jury-rig a temporary fix with paper towels, duct tape and Vaseline.  The snow slackened a bit, a weak sun peeked through the clouds, son warmed up (several cups of hot cocoa helped with that) and they decided to resume the adventure.

Late in the afternoon, the sun came out, temps rose into the low 40s and snow began to melt from the road and meadows.  It went into the low 30s/upper20s overnight and patches of snow still lingered in the woods and at the edges of the meadows by morning.  It felt and looked way too much like winter for us and we looked forward to 'getting off the mountain' and being warm in Kanab.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Still windy.  We wanted to take a run this morning but it's just too windy.  I have to be very careful not to get grit under my contacts.  The super-dry atmosphere causes eye problems as well. 

Last night we drove into the park for pizza at the Deli.  Yep, a 36-mile round-trip for pizza.  But it was go-o-o-d!!

I planted 'the garden,' i.e. a tomato plant in a flower pot, yesterday.  I tried to start seeds but cooked them in the intense sunlight here, so I skipped the seed-to-seedling stage by buying a single 10" tall plant.  The challenge was finding a sunny spot sheltered from the wind.  That ended up being at the rear bumper of the RV screened by plastic cartons.  Looks rather tacky but fresh tomatoes come at a price.

Fred just learned how to wash clothes by hand using a washboard.  He found it so incredibly fun and satisfying that he's offered to do all the laundry including sheets and jeans.  NOT!!!!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Another bright, cloudless day on the Plateau!  The wind has returned, not at gale strength but definitely with significant force.  Nevertheless, this is better than Phoenix's triple digit temperatures.   A cold front will move through southern AZ this weekend bringing temps down--to the low 90s. 

Last night we went to a star party at the campground across the road.  Each year, a group of amateur astronomers from Phoenix spend a week, setting up their telescopes every evening.  They're knowledgeable, enthusiastic and happy to share and show all they know about the heavens.  This is the perfect place for star-gazing because the air is clear and there's minimal light pollution.  As the sky darkened and my night vision improved, I was astounded by the number of stars (objects) up there--the sky was full, pinpoints of light everywhere!  Very enjoyable--an hour well spent.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Today was our first hiking adventure of the summer, destination: Snake Gulch.  And, yes, the reality is just as desolate as the image that name conjures.

Reaching the trailhead was an adventure in itself.  We went from paved highway to gravel Forest Service road to dirt road to a really scary track introduced by a sign warning "steep, narrow road, sharp curves."  No mention of the washboard surface that threatened to throw the Jeep over the edge, however.

The trail was basically flat with only 400' of elevation change over the 10 miles we hiked.  The challenge was coping with exposure--there was no shade and no water--so we were in full sun for five hours during the hottest part of the day.  On the way out we traveled west, with the sun at our backs;  on the return trip, we traveled east, once again with the sun at our backs.  Fred wisely slathered himself with sunblock but I'd overlooked the the back of my upper arms and the back of my legs. 

Our reason for doing this hike was the opportunity to see Native American petroglyphs and pictographs created as long ago as 500 BC.  About two miles into the gulch, we found the first set.  The excitement of that find encouraged us to press on to the next set and the one after that, further than we'd planned to go but well worth the extra miles.  Without the inducement of discovering archeological treasures to inspire us, the hike back to the trailhead was a long, hot ordeal.  Although we decided to use a less remote road for the drive home, it wasn't much better than the original route.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Weather on the Plateau is improving rapidly.  It's supposed to reach the low 70s today with night-time temps in the 40s.  Winds have ratcheted down from gale-force gusts to gentle breezes.  Patches of snow are shrinking, aspens are leafing out, wildflowers are appearing--spring is beautiful in Kaibab Forest!

Hoping that the danger of frost is past, I started a  modest vegetable garden.  We have a hanging basket kit with two types of tomatoes; one plant grows up in the normal way while the other grows down from the drainage hole.  If it works, we will have fresh tomatoes right outside our door!  We're at step one where I'm mothering the seeds into seedlings.

We explored the ridge behind the store in a different direction yesterday (Wednesday) morning and discovered a beautiful little meadow surrounded by majestic ponderosa pines and graceful aspens.  On the lower edge, tucked into the trees, is an old corral.  A shiny white object, sitting in the open on top of the crisp green grass, caught my eye.  It was an egg-significantly larger than a hen's egg with a more pointed end, in tact except for cracks underneath.  Our best guess is that it's a duck's egg.  There is no water close by and we've seen no ducks.  So how did the egg come to the meadow? 


Yesterday's morning walk was so invigorating and interesting that we decided to roam across the road, on the northern side of Kaibab Lodge.  Proving once again that old saw 'you never know what you'll find,' we discovered the skeleton of a teepee in the woods, lingering snow,  an adult and a very young horned toad, wildflowers, ground squirrel tunnels and remains of arrowheads.

Monday, May 31, 2010

While reviewing the rough patches we've encountered so far, Fred reminded me of one of the low points of this adventure which deserves to be blog-i-fied.

The RV's cooking equuipment includes a combination microwave-conventional-convection oven. The unit is so complicated that I found it handy to keep the manual and cookbook in the oven for ready reference. During dinner preparation the other night, I wanted to track cooking time, so I set it for 10 minutes and thought I'd selected 'timer.'  About six minutes later, a strange, unpleasant odor (that I hoped wasn't our dinner) filled the RV.  I noticed smoke accumulating inside the microwave and saw that the manual and cookbook had achieved a lovely golden brown color.  I opened the door and flung them outside where they lay in a smoking heap.   When Fred retrieved them several hours later, they both had a large hole burned through the center.  I cooked the cookbook!