Mama's Bike Held Hostage

and other adventures at the Grand Canyon!  The day began early for John! He arose at 4:30 to get an early start down to the canyon. After checking in at Bright Angel Lodge he headed down the Keibab trail. He will spend the night down there and we expect to see him coming up the Bright Angel trail late tomorrow morning.

The rest of the family got a much slower start. We set off several hours later to see the canyon.  The park encourages using the shuttle so we hopped aboard and figured that out. We took in the views from the rim and walked up to Hemit's Rest. At the Hopi house we took in a tradional dance before renting bikes for Adelaide and Mama. Later in the afternoon, the mama was filling water bottles at the spiquot when Adelaide said, "Uh, Mama?" Then "Mama, behind you." Not two feet away were two female elk also come to get a drink at the dripping faucet. Mama moved off fast when one of the elk made eye contact and made a no-nonsense move to tell us that it was their turn! After a bit they moved off enough that we could retrieve the bike and return to whizzing around the park.

Hoover Dam

The excitement of the day began with breakfast. We stopped at a Krispy Kreme donut shop where we could smell the donuts being made as soon a s we exited the car. This is the second time we have had this experience in our travels and no less exciting. The employees dropped the donuts in the oil and we watched them make their way through the fryolator on the way to be iced and them plucked off after some cooling to be out on racks. Of course we ordered the warm fresh donuts off the rack. If you ever get a chance to see this and sample the melt in your mouth goodness, you will not be disappointed.

Our first sight at Hoover Dam was Lake Mead. It was very blue and actually had a marina. That was surprising since so many reservoirs do not allow motorized boats. The lake level seemed low and we observed a white layer all around it-- the top of which we took to be a more normal level. We took the power plant tour. Incredibly the electricity generation was an after thought to finance the construction of the dam which had the main emphasis of creating a stable water supply for the region. 

Interesting tidbits about the Hoover Dam:

The volume of water in Lake Mead would cover the state of Pennsylvania with a depth of 12 inches.

It was originally called the Boulder Canyon Dam even though it is actually in the Black Canyon.

It was completed in 4 years- 2 years ahead of schedule and under budget. That's something that doesn't happen often these days!

Las Vegas

It was a day of contrasts. We departed Zion and descended several thousand feet into the flat desert until we arrived in Las Vegas. It was only 109 degrees F--apparently a cool down from the 117 of a few days ago. Our hotel was a block away from The Strip so we walked over to take it all in. The first casino we went in was the Flamingo. The kids wanted John to try a slot machine so they stood on the gray walkway (kids are only allowed to pass through the casino floor- not stop) while he gambled his dollar. He cashed out when he won 23 cents! Woo hoo! We walked through several hotel/casinos. Such opulence in some of them! The heat did us in so we went back to the hotel until evening. It was sensory overloading experience with the throngs of people, music, and lights! A highlight was seeing the famous fountains in front of the Belagio.  We had hoped to find an all you can eat buffet but our timing was off and we were looking too late in the evening. We capped the evening with a refreshing late night swim in the pool.

Zion Day 2

The weather forecast for today was pointing to 102 F, so we planned our day to beat the heat.  We got up before the sun, and rode the Zion shuttle to its final stop, the Temple of Sinawava.  There we donned the water wetsocks, water shoes, and sturdy walking sticks and began our trek up the Virgin River.  

This hike was actually hardly a normal hike.  In some parts we walked on sand and rocks, but for the most part, we walked IN the river.   It was usually 1 to 2 feet deep with canyone walls rising 1500 feet vertially to the left and right.  In places the water rushed by our legs and it was a challenge to find the next foot hold.  And in other places, the water was more slow moving.  At some points we had to clamber over boulders that all but blocked our passage.  And in a couple of places the water was up to our chests.  Here we had to hold our backpacks over our heads and walk very carefully.

Despite it being a very narrow channel (a slot canyon) there were some signs of wildlife .. ravens, flowers, a young tree, and even a horrible looking worm crater.  Adelaide told me it was a parasitic worm.  There was lots of moss on the walls and occasionally water falls or invisible gurgling noises.  An occasional raven soared over head.

All told the family covered about 9 miles in this way.  Nicholas probably covered about 13 miles as he explored more than we could get to. Overall a remarkable day seeing the river that has been busily at work for millions of years, carving the canyon of Zion National Park 

Zion National Park

Our last morning at Bryce we arose early and were all packed up by 8 am. Our aim was to be at Zion around 10 to secure a campsite which was first come first serve.  We saw and smelled.smoke from the Brian Head fire during our entire drive. We entered Zion through the east entrance which was spectacular. We drove down hairpin curves, through long tunnels, and were awed by the beauty of the canyon. Unfortunately, we found that the campground was full. We had a mad scramble to find accommodations and ended up in an hotel in the adjoining town of Springdale. This is a town that seems to have gone through a big growth spurt in a short amount of time. It was filled with new hotels. It also had a laundromat--an important detail on road trips!!

Springdale is set up as a gateway to Zion and they have a free shuttle to bring you to the park. Once there, you need to hop on another shuttle because the park is car free. Smoke from the forest fire had settled into the canyon so everything was hazy, but it was still grand. It was an extremely hot day so we just did a preview of the park. Tomorrow we explore more.

Bryce Day 2

Saturday June 23, started early at Bryce's campsite #61.   The 3 am visit to restroom revealed that the previous days smoke clouds had moved elsewhere and the full glory of the milky way was laid plain over our heads.  Amazing!  We learned that this area is indeed one of the best dark sky regions in the country.  It's also one of the quietest.

The normal morning started with a novel camp breakfast innovation:  Pillsbury crescent roll dough stretched around a forked stick and toasted over the campfire.  Remarkably tasty.  

We drove up to rainbow point at the very south end of Bryce Canyon National Park.  Lots more hoodoos, cliffs, and ridges.  Here it was easy to see the capstone layers protecting the underlying more crumbly materials creating these remarkable vertical shapes.  The road rose up to 9000 ft and passed in and out of the smokey haze.

We also visited Bryce point, and Visitor Center with some excellent geological tutorials and displays.  (There also was a moving violation as John overlooked a stop sign, but fortunately the park officer let us off the hook.)

Later in the afternoon, John completed a hike of the 8 mile Fairyland loop trail .  At the same time as the smoke from the wildfire in the adjacent forest darkened the sky and made the sun just a dim red disk.  

Dinner was the again a campfire first for the Notte's:  Pizza - another camping meal planned by Adelaide.  It was good and surprisingly easy to clean up.  

We also learned that while the days can be hot ( 107 F at peak) and dry, the evenings can be remarkably cold.  This night got to 40 F, making Michele and John shiver through the night.  The super lightweight sleeping bags were perhaps not the best choice for camping in the high desert at the canyon rim.  

Bryce Canyon National Park

We arrived at Bryce in the late morning and were lucky enough to grab a premier camp site!  It is about 12 feet from the rim trail. We have a little side path that leads up to it. We couldn't have planned this any better. The sites filled up soon after we arrived so we feel doubly fortunate.

The views from the rim are so dramatic! Of course they were pretty spectacular from the canyon too. We took the Navaho Loop trail to the Queen's Garden trail and saw several of the famed hoodoos. It seemed like there was another "Wow!" moment at each bend of the trail.

Another dramatic scene today was the smoke rolling in from a forest fire about 75 miles away in the town of Brian Head within the Dixie National Forest. We had noticed a white haze approaching Bryce this morning but by late afternoon it was thick and dark over portions of the park. The sun looked crimson through the dark gray.