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Left Las Vegas with a full bus of mixed nationalities and headed up Interstate 15, travelling through flat scrub bordered by mountains, to our first stop at Zion NP. Besides the road Electricity lines were the only other evidence of civilisation.
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Fill the tank
Drain the kids
Feed and water everybody
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Called in at Mesquite on the Nevada border to refuel and stock up on drink before travelling into Utah where alcohol laws are unusual. Mesquite is an artificial oasis in the desert, built to attract tourists.
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Followed a muddy creek that went by the name of the Virgin River, with Joshua trees growing in the gullies, to arrive at our campsite at Springdale, where we set up camp before lunch.
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"There is an eloquence to their forms which stirs the imagination with a singular power and kindles in the mind... a glowing response... Nothing can exceed the wondrous beauty of Zion... in nobility and beauty of the sculptures there is no comparison". When geologist Clarence E Dutton wrote that description in 1880, south Utah was a wild, rugged country of little-known canyons and plateaux. Slowly, scientific reports, magazine articles, and photographs spread the word that deep within this remote territory lay the scenic phenomenon of Zion. Some refused to believe such a place existed, just as others had scoffed at the first stories of Yellowstone. But the massive multicoloured vertical cliffs and deep canyons were real, and in 1909 this area was added to the National Park System.
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Zion NP is made up of layers of sandstone which were formed over 135 million years ago when a desert submerged below an ocean. The red sandstone is known as Navajo sandstone, the white is Dakota sandstone and the white cap is limestone. Over millions of years the Virgin River has carved its deep gorge through the sandstone.
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Many of the features around the park have biblical names given to them by a Methodist preacher Frederick Vining Fisher.
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The plants growing on the dry sandy soil have adapted themselves over the millennia to the conditions, as have also the animals that live in the area, many of which are nocturnal in order to avoid the heat of the day.
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The Indians make use of the various plants, juniper bark is used for medicine and hut lining, the berries are used to make a form of gin and dried berries are used as a spice. The yuka, a spiny grass with a stem growing through the middle, is used for sowing needles and the skin of the root is used for soap.
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The Grotto Trailhead
Hiking the vertical
From here trails follow different routes up the canyon's west wall. The perspective changes with every step upwards. Patterns emerge: the river's canyon-carving path, and the cliffs' crack lines and fractures that hint at Zion future. Most of all, the ascent provides a sense of enormous scale - the depth of this vertical desert, its ancient sand dunes turned to stone.
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For the afternoons walk we travelled into the canyon and then used one of the regular shuttle busses to reach the Angels Landing trailhead one of many park trails.
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Angels Landing is one of the parks most strenuous day hikes, but it offers spectacular vistas, It follows the West Rim Trail through the famous switchbacks of Walters Wiggles, past dramatic views at Scout Lookout, and on up to a high point 1,500 feet above the canyon floor. The steep, isolated cliff faces along this trail provide critical habitat for several species, including the peregrine falcon. The small raptor climbs, swoops, and dives with stunning power and grace, reaching speeds of over 100 miles per hour.
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Walters Wiggles - looking down
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The walk was a short (4 mile) but a steep climb up Refrigerator Canyon and then a series of 23 short switchbacks, known as Walters Wiggles, up the side of a cliff to a position known as Scout Lookout. From then on the path became more difficult with the edge sloping down to a steep drop to the canyon floor with only a chain fixed to the sandstone wall to provide re-assurance.
After this, just when we thought we had reached the top, a narrow ridge scramble faced us, this was where we reached different decisions, with Di carrying on. I staying firmly put.
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The return along the chains was even more nerve racking and Scout Lookout was reached with much relief.
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Returned to camp for a shower and evening meal
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On our way out we drove through canyon tunnel and took a short walk up Canyon Overlook Trial to get a morning view of the massifs. As we went up, the path was in shadow and the wind could be heard blowing through the tops. When we reached the end of the trail the sun shone on the mountaintops giving excellent photo shots. With the extra few minutes, the walk back was in sunshine rather than shadow.
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Emerging from the park brought us to a contrasting landscape with grassy rolling hills supporting cattle, turning to scrub were ever there was a shortage of water, with just occasional sandstone canyons. Juniper trees were dotted around the landscape. The autumn colours were also starting to show in the occasional groves of aspen. The Sevier River meandered down through the low hills keeping the area reasonably fertile.
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The orange sandstone cliffs of Bryce emerged on the horizon, glowing in the sunshine. The area became a park in 1923 and is named after Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon who settled in the canyon in the late 19th century, his quote about the maze of canyons in the area was - "its a hell of a place to loose a cow"
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Turned off the main road to drive up Red Canyon, the road passing beneath carved archways of rock, to reach the visitors centre where we were able to watch an interesting film on the area before driving down the road to Sunset Point for a lunch stop. Being a sunny Saturday there were many people out and we had difficulty getting a picnic table.
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Hoodoos cast their spell
Hoodoo - a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion. Hoodoo - to cast a spell. At Bryce Canyon National Park erosion forms an array of fantastic shapes we know as hoodoos. Surrounded by the beauty of southern Utah, hoodoos cast their spell on all who visit. Geologists say that 10 million years ago forces within the Earth created and then moved the massive blocks we know as the Table Cliffs and Paunsaugunt Plateaux. Rock layers on the Table Cliffs now tower 2,000 feet above their corresponding layers on the Paunsaugunt. Ancient rivers carved the tops and exposed the edges of these blocks, removing some layers and sculpturing formations in others. The Paria Valley was created and later widened between the plateaux. The Paria River and its tributaries still carve the plateau edges. Carrying dirt and gravel, rushing waters gully the edges and steep slopes of the Paunsaugunt Plateau on which lies the national park. With time, tall and thin ridges called fins emerge. Fins then erode into pinnacles and spires called hoodoos, that, weakening and falling, add their bright colours to the hills below.
People have been in the Colorado Plateau region for about 12,000 years, but only fragments of worked stone reveal their presence near Bryce Canyon. Artefacts add details of human use at lower elevations beyond the park boundary. Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont cultural influences found nearby are studied by archaeologists. Paiutes, who lived in this region when settlers and other people from eastern states came to southern Utah, accounted for the hoodoos as the "Legend People" whom Coyote had turned to stone.
Capt. Clarence Dutton and John Wesley Powell explored this area in the 1870s and gave it many place names. Dutton's report gave the name Pink Cliffs to the Claron Formation. Names from Paiute are Paunsaugunt, place or home of the beaver; Paria, muddy water or elk water; Panguitch, water or fish; and Yovimpa, point of pines. Paiutes were displaced by emissionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who developed many small communities in Utah. Ebenezer Bryce did such work in southwestern Utah and northern Arizona. In 1875 Bryce came to the Paria Valley to live and harvest plateau timber. Neighbours called the canyon behind his home Bryce's Canyon. Soon after 1900, people were coming to see the colourful geologic sights and the first accommodations were built along the Paunsaugunt Plateau rim above Bryce's Canyon. By 1920 people were trying to protect the canyon's scenic wonders. In 1923 President Warren G Harding proclaimed part of the area as Bryce Canyon National Park, but the provisions of the legislation were not met until 1928. Legislation passed that year changed the name to Bryce Canyon National Park.
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"Before there were any Indians, the Legend People, To-when-an-ung-wa, lived in that place. There were many of them. They were of many kinds - birds, animals, lizards, and such things - but they looked like people... For some reason, the Legend People in that place were bad. Because they were bad, Coyote turned them all into rocks. You can see them in that place now; all turned into rocks. You can see rows, some sitting down, some holding on to others. You can see their faces with paint on them just as they were before they became rocks..."
Paiute Indian legend
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Colours at Bryce are the result of oxidised minerals - red, pink, and orange from iron; purple from manganese. The whites are purer limestone.
Bryce's climate is ideal for hoodoos. With freezing temperatures more than 200 days a year, a relentless cycle of freezing and thawing widens cracks in the cliffs. Runoff scours away the frost-wedged debris and cuts narrow gullies between walls, eventually isolating. pinnacles and exposing them to even more weathering.
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After lunch we descended into the canyon on the Navajo Loop Trail on a series of switchbacks and through a slot canyon.
Looking down into the canyon we saw terracotta armies lined up ready for battle. As we descended we were in a valley of giants, statues of the Madonna, kings, queens, and other grand personages, as well as gargoyles assailed us. Looking up from the valley we saw the walls of ruined cathedrals and chessman stacked on top of each other, tall chimneys reached for the sky.
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Slot Cayon
Bryce Canyon
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Bryce Canyon
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Sandstone of red and white bands stretched across the landscape with occasional patches of green, purple and lilac from the minerals in the rock. Juniper and jajoba bushes grew on the floor of the canyon. Crossing over to the Peekaboo Loop Trail we continued around meeting ever more fantastic shapes as well as horses that also use the trail.
Returned to the canyon rim at Sunrise Point via the Queens Garden where one of the figures had the appearance of Queen Victoria.
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For camp we travelled out to the Oasis Campsite at Kodachrome. Due to some error of administration we ended up sharing a pitch with another Trek group, fortunately it was quite a large site. In the group sharing our site was a girl called Louise who we would run into a few more times on our travels,
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A long day and so got away to an early start, first travelling north to pick up the SR12 and then east into the sunrise. Irrigation sprays were working in the cold morning air creating ice on the grass and icicles on the bushes.
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Travelled through a hilly but mostly barren landscape, sometimes sandstone, sometimes sand and just occasionally fertile valleys.
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Groves of aspen stood under a clear sky, golden yellow in their autumn foliage, as we climbed up to over 9,000ft towards Boulder. Birch stood naked having already lost their leaves. In shaded spots lay patches of early snow. Views to our left were of distant mountains and deep cut valleys with conifer woodlands of the Dixie National Forest.
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Turned down SR24 to pass through the red sandstone of Capitol Reef NP and the orchards that were farmed by a group of Mormon settlers. Followed the trickle of the Fremont River down to Hanksville where it flows into the Dirty Devil River. Then headed up towards Interstate 50 turning off on a side road to take us to Goblin Valley.
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Vehicles must use existing road only
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Stopped at Goblin Valley for lunch amongst many families on St Columbus Day weekend. After lunch spent a little time wandering by the Goblins.
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Goblin Valley is Utah's skull in the sky, parade of elephants and dance of dolls. Unique and enchanting rock sculptures carved by wind and water suggest mischievous goblins of folklore still about their secretive deeds. Add year-round solitude in a remote desert setting and you have the stuff dreams are made of. The antics of these chocolate goblins amid balanced rocks, spires and pedestals are limited only by your imagination.
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A Ghostly Discovery
Arthur Chaffin and two companions were searching for an alternative route between Green River and Cainsville. They came to a vantagepoint about a mile west of the valley and were awed by what they saw - five buttes and a valley of strange-shaped rock formations surrounded by eroded cliffs.
Chaffin, owner/operator of the old Hite Ferry, returned 20 years later to the area he called Mushroom Valley. In 1949, he spent several days exploring and photographing its delightful formations to share with the world.
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The wonderfully grotesque stone sculptures in Goblin Valley result from millions of years of geologic history. The goblins are made of Entrada Sandstone. They consist of debris eroded from former highlands and redeposited here on a tidal flat (alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone and shale). The goblins show evidence of being near an ancient sea with
1) the ebb and flow of tides
2) tidal channels that direct current back to the sea
3) coastal sand dunes.
Joint or fracture patterns within the Entrada's sandstone beds created initial zones of weakness... which weather more quickly producing spherical shaped goblins.
The geology of the area formed 150-160 million years ago and consists of 3 layers, at the base Entrada Sandstone, red siltstone and fine sandstone in alternating bands; in the middle Curtis Sandstone, Greenish-grey sandstone of siltstone-marine formation; and on top Summerville Sandstone, chocolate coloured silty sandstone with gypsum veinlets.
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Left the park to continue our journey north to Interstate 50, passing through more arid, banded, sandstone massifs. As we progressed along the Interstate the white peaks of La Sal mountains came into view and we shortly swung right to head towards them and Moab, which we soon reached after crossing the Colorado River.
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Water and ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement are responsible for the sculptured rock scenery of Arches National Park. On clear days with blue skies, it is hard to imagine such violent forces, or the 100 million years of erosion, that created this land that boasts the greatest density of natural arches in the world. The more than 2,000 catalogued arches range in size from a three foot opening, the minimum considered an arch to the longest one, Landscape Arch, which measures 306 feet from base to base. New arches are being formed and old ones are being destroyed. Erosion and weathering are relatively slow but are relentlessly creating dynamic landforms that gradually change through time. Occasionally changes occur more dramatically. In 1991 a slab of rock about 60 feet long, 11 feet wide and 4 feet thick fell from the underside of Landscape Arch, leaving behind an even thinner ribbon of rock. Delicate Arch, an isolated remnant of a bygone fin, stands on the brink of a canyon, with the dramatic La Sal Mountains for a backdrop. Tower spires, pinnacles, and balanced rocks perched atop seemingly inadequate bases vie with arches as scenic spectacles.
Native Americans utilised the area for thousands of years. Archaic people, and later ancestral Puebloan, Fremont, and Utes searched the arid desert for game animals, wild plant foods, and stone for tools and weapons. They also left evidence of their passing on a few pictographs and petroglyph panels. The first white explorers came looking for wealth in the form of minerals. Ranchers found wealth in the grasses for their cattle and sheep. John Wesley Wolfe, a disabled Civil War veteran, and his son Fred, settled here in the late 1800s. A weathered log cabin, root cellar, and a corral remain as evidence of the primitive ranch they operated for more than 20 years. A visit to Wolfe Ranch is a walk into the past
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We were told that in order to be an arch it must be formed by the action of water freezing and thawing resulting in rock being broken away. A similar feature resulting from water or wind erosion is a bridge.
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Cryptobiotic soil crust
In this harsh environment, plants need all the help they can get! Cryptobiotic soil crusts provide stable soil, nutrients and moisture. Unfortunately, the interwoven mat of sheath material is easily broken, especially when dry. If you tramp on a well-developed patch of crust, you erase decades of growth. Bike and vehicle tracks leave long, straight strips of damaged crust that are extremely prone to wind and water erosion. Pieces of the damaged crust can also be carried by the wind. The now loose soil underneath often blows over adjacent undamaged patches of cryptos, preventing them from receiving sunlight. No sunlight, no photosynthesis, no cryptos. Unstable sandy soils can turn a nearby solidly anchored, crypto-covered "garden" into a drifting sand dune.
Cyanobacteria are the most prevalent and most important component. When filaments of a cyanobacteria are moistened, they advance through the soil, leaving sheaths of sticky mucilage on their trail. These gluey filaments bind to soil particles and, over time, can create an erosion-resistant surface. Because cyanobacteria is able to capture nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use, it serves as a fertiliser - a truly useful trait in an ecosystem notoriously poor in nitrogen. Calcium, potassium and manganese bind to the sheaths and are made available to plants in usable form. When wet, the sheaths will expand to ten times their dry size, enabling the cryptobiotic soil crust to retain moisture, to its own benefit as well as that of nearby vascular plants.
Does cryptobiotic soil ever recover? Well... sort of. The thin top layer can grow back in a few years. Down where the dead sheath material binds sand grains together, the damage heals much more slowly. It is estimated that for a disturbed area of crypto to become fully functional again, to do all the wondrous things it can, may take as long as 250 years.
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Cryptobiotic soil
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Delicate Arch
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Set up camp ad then set off on a sunset hike in the Arches National Park, starting out from the Delicate Arch trailhead we wound our way up to Delicate Arch on a well marked trail to join about 100 others with cameras waiting for the sun to set. The best colours seemed to be about 10 minutes before sunset rather than the actual sunset.
Returned to the bus and finished the day off with an all you can eat pizza at $7.99
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A more leisurely start to the day as we didn't need to move camp, so set off at 8.30 for Arches NP and arrived at the visitors centre just in time for a well presented slide show of the park and then on to the Devil's Garden trailhead.
First stop on our walk along a visitor's path was Landscape Arch, the second longest arch in the world with a span of 306 feet. This arch is now very slender and could fall in the not too distant future.
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Landscape Arch
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Landscape Arch
September 1, 1991 - Hikers thought they heard cracks of thunder from distant clouds. Visitors resting under Landscape Arch noticed loud cracking and popping noises overhead. They fled as small rocks tumbled from the slender 306 foot long span. Moments later, a six foot long rock slab peeled away from the arch's right side. When the dust settled, 180 tons of fresh rock debris lay scattered on the ground.
What caused this cataclysmic event? Water had been slowly shaping the arch for countless centuries, dissolving cement between sand grains, seeping into tiny cracks, freezing and expanding. What had finally upset the delicate balance?
Unseasonably heavy rains the preceding 10 days may have filled pore spaces within the sandstone. The added weight may have finally overwhelmed the rock slab in the timeless struggle with gravity.
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Continued on to Navajo Arch and Partition Arch for more photos then Double O Arch and Dark Angel. The walking was not difficult and was really more a sight seeing trip until we started out on the primitive trail. Here the path became more challenging and enjoyable, following rock fins and streambeds that were dry apart from where it had flowed over a small waterfall and formed a small pool. At one point getting round the pool involved a minor challenging scramble.
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After 4 hours we happily returned to the bus and a quick drive for a lunch spot and then back to camp for an early finish and catching up on jobs.
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A mostly free day, half of the group opted to go mountain biking, we chose to take a hike from Angel Rock car park over Hidden Valley and onto the Rim Trail to descend down to the Colorado River.
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Climbed up a not too steep switchback path to reach Hidden Valley, which we were able to wander through with walls either side. Following rains of a couple of weeks previous, a few asters were in late flower, juncos were also flying around. A small incline up to a rocky outcrop at the end of Hidden Valley brought us to a highpoint with views back down Hidden Valley and to the northwest over the Moab River Trail. Strolled along an uneven path to the Moab River Trail, which can also be used by 4WD vehicles. The track was sandy with rock outcrops and many 4WD and bike tracks, though fortunately we only came across one vehicle on the walk. Rested at a track fork and then slowly walked along the sandy Wash Trail, animal tracks - longeared jackrabbit, cat and mule deer, were to be seen. The track became less distinct and we had to follow white paint spots and wheel tracks to rejoin the main track. A path took us over slickrock to just after the chair lift to view the Arches NP, Moab and La Sal all in one vista. Descended and turned a corner towards the car park to gain views over the Colorado River. A steep and uneven path on slickrock with cyclists huffing and puffing their way up returned us to the car park. Talking to the assistant in the Gearhead shop previously had given the impression that the walk was long and difficult but at 6 miles it was not too much of a challenge.
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After catching up on jobs in the afternoon we set out at 4.30 to Dead Horse Point to watch the sunset over Canyonlands, an enormous landscape of deep canyons beloved of cowboy films.
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Welcome to Dead Horse Point
Dead Horse Point is perhaps Utah's most spectacular State Park; awe-inspiring scenery, intriguing cultural history and unique recreational opportunities. you've come to the right place. Dead Horse Point State Park offers all of these and more.
Enjoy yourself!
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The Legend of Dead Horse Point
Before the turn of the century, mustangs ran wild on the mesas near here. The 'Point' provided a natural corral for early horse roundups. Once chased onto the point, the fence was closed at the narrow 30 foot wide neck. Mustangs were then roped and broken, the better ones kept for personal use or sold to eastern markets.
Unwanted culls or 'broomtails' were left to find their own way off the Point. The legend tells that although the gate was opened the mustangs mysteriously remained on the point and died of thirst within sight of the Colorado River 2000 feet below.
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Culture
From 10,000 to 2,000 years ago, an archaic culture of hunter/gatherers traversed these sandstone plateaux in quest of food.
Fremont and Anasazi cultures followed with developed agriculture and more permanent settlements from about 100AD until they mysteriously left the area between 1200 and 1400.
Ute and Piute Indians roamed the area in nomadic forays as recently as the 1800s when white explorers and fur trappers arrived. Mormon colonists developed communities near here by the late 1800s.
Today, people from around the world flock here to experience this incredible legacy.
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As it was one member of the group's birthday, we had a picnic dinner sitting on a lookout above a 2000-foot drop down to the Colorado River. As we cleared up after cake and champagne a kangaroo rat hopped out from a rock crevice. It was well after dark when we left to make our way back to the campsite
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Candlestick Tower
Canyonland
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After three days on the same site we finally had to break camp and set out first to drive out to visit the Canyonlands NP with its vertigo inducing views. Again we watched a good short introduction in the visitors centre before moving on to Upheaval Dome, Candlestick Tower Lookout, and Mesa Arch to take photographs as well as learn something of the geology.
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Canyonlands preserves an immense wilderness of rock at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Water and gravity have been the prime architects of this land, cutting flat layers of sedimentary rock into hundreds of colourful canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches, and spires. At centre stage are two great canyons, those carved by the Green and Colorado rivers, Surrounding the rivers are vast and very different regions of the park: to the north, Island in the Sky; to the west, the Maze; and to the east, the Needles. The areas share a common primitive spirit and wild desert atmosphere. Each also offers its own special rewards. Few people were familiar with these remote lands and rivers when the park was established in 1964. Prehistoric Indians, cowboys, river explorers, and uranium prospectors had dared to enter this rugged corner of south-eastern Utah, but few others did. To a large degree, Canyonlands remains untrammelled today. Its roads are mostly unpaved, its trails primitive, its river free-flowing. Throughout its 527 square miles roam dessert bighorn sheep, coyotes, and other animals native to this land. Canyonlands is wild America.
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All rock layers are not created equal
If all rocks were made the same, the eroded scenery would not look as it does. Environmental conditions changed over millions of years, creating distinctive rock layers which erode easily, forming slopes. Harder rocks erode slowly and form cliffs. This differential erosion is easily seen throughout the canyon country.
Navajo Sandstone - Jurassic 175 million years
Deposited as vast sand dunes and later compressed into rock by the weight of overlaying layers which have since eroded away.
Kayenta Formation - Late Triassic 180 million years
Formed from sand deposited by streams at a time when dinosaurs roamed the area. This formation is very resistant to erosion and caps the Island in the Sky mesas.
Wingate Sandstone - Triassic 200 million years
Massive cross-bedded cliffs indicate sand dune formation. Vertical cliffs are 300 to 500 feet (91m to 152m) high.
Chinle Formation - Triassic 210 million years
Laid down in an organically lush, wet environment with some volcanic ash. Uranium was mined from this layer and petrified wood is common.
Moenkopi Formation - Early Triassic 230 million years
Tidal mud flats left behind a rich chocolate brown layer. Mud cracks, ripple marks and raindrop impressions are visible.
White Rim Sandstone - Permain 250 million years
Probably formed from an ancient shoreline or an offshore sand bar. This layer forms a resistant bench 1000 feet (305m) below1 the Island in the Sky mesa.
Organ Rock Shale - Permain-Pennsylvanian 275m years
Mud and silt were deposited by streams in a tidal flat environment. Monument Basin viewed from Grand View Point shows pedestals of organ rock shale.
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Upheaval Dome
There are two theories for the formation of upheaval dome.
A Salt Dome
Everywhere in the region you see rocks in layers - orderly layers that lie nearly flat one on top of the other. But not at Upheaval Dome. Here, exposed in a crater-like depression more than two miles wide, the rock layers are tilted and displaced, as if they'd been 'heaved up'. What happened and why?
Some geologists trace the origin of Upheaval Dome to the impact of a huge meteorite. But others see evidence of a more gradual development, controlled by forces below ground. Prominent among these explanations is the salt dome theory.
Beneath Upheaval Dome lies a massive body of salt which evaporated from ancient seas. Over the salt were laid hundreds of feet of sediments which later formed the rock layers of this area. According to the salt dome theory, the buried salt, which is plastic under pressure, flowed upwards here, pushing up the overlaying rocks to form a dome. Erosional forces then stripped away the top of the dome, exposing the deformed layers you see today.
Ground Zero
A recent theory proposes that some 60 million years ago, a huge meteor streaking through space at many times the speed of sound pierced the earth's atmosphere directly above this point. It may have been debris from a comet - a chunk of dirty ice 1/2 mile in diameter, its exterior set ablaze by the friction of the earth's atmosphere.
The meteor hit with little warning. All living things near this site would have been vaporised in the blast - plants, trees, perhaps even a dinosaur. Rocks and dust blown upwards filled the sky turning day into night. Tremors were felt around the world.
The impact produced a crater 3/4 mile deep, and deformed surrounding rock layers. Then the earth recoiled filling the void. During the millions of years since the event, erosion has stripped away the upper portions of the impact structure. What remains today is its convoluted core, aptly named 'Upheaval Dome'.
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When the Colorado Plateau began to rise above sea level about 10 million years ago, forces of water and gravity carved deep canyons and sculptured buttes and mesas. This dynamic process continues today.
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Returned to the campground for lunch before heading out south through more sandstone to Mexican Hat, a small settlement near the Utah Arizona border.
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Turned off down a dirt track of red sandstone with salt leaching from the rock sides and after a bumpy ride arrived at Slim & Kody's ranch beside the San Juan River. Small (3ft beam) nodding donkeys stood by the side of the track but only one was pumping any oil.
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Another Trek group had got there first and so we settle ourselves into the Navajo female hogan. This is a vertical octagonal timber construction on the inside, with a roof of ever decreasing octagonal supports laid at 22.5 degrees to each other and a hole in the top through which a stove pipe passed. On the outside the structure is covered in earth to form a dome. It is known as the Female Hogan, not because it is occupied by the females, but because it is domed like the womb of a pregnant woman. The male hogan is a smaller structure again circular in shape like a tepee with a rectangular entrance and used by the men for ceremonies purposes
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When the other group had returned from their horse ride we set off to ride along the canyons of Mexican Hat in the setting sun, returning under a bright 3/4 moon aching from the muscles and ligaments that we rarely use.
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Ready for our dinner, we set to on a piece of beef that had been cooking in a pit all day, making it extremely tender, to accompany it we had beans and salad.
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To round the evening off we tried our hand at lasooing and line dancing before sitting round the campfire. At 11pm we retire to our sleeping bags in the hogan.
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A leisurely start with the luxury of having our breakfast cooked for us. Just time for one more cowboy activity before we left. Walked a little way up the road and took a few pot shots with a rifle at some beer cans. Also a little bit of hool-a-hoop (not a cowboy activity!) and we were off south into Arizona and the lands of the Navajo Nation.
Stopped as we entered Monument Valley for a photoshot of the long road leading to it.
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Road to Monument Valley
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Arrived at the Goldings Campsite and quickly set up camp and had lunch as we had a tour arranged for 11.30 and we didn't arrive at the campsite until that time.
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Drove out to the Monument Valley visitors centre and boarded a pick up with seats and a roof for a tour around the monuments. After 30 minutes we arrived at a point where we set off on a 5-mile hike to get a better view of the valley. It was quite a challenging hike, when we weren't walking on soft sand we were going up steep rock, sometime with the aid of a rope ladder or footholds cut in the rock. But the effort was worth it with views over the valley; it was a pity the sun wasn't out to provide better photos.
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Monument valley is in many ways opposite to Canyonland, there it was a high plateau cut through by deep canyons but here the erosion has continued much further so that most of the plateau has now disappeared leaving just large isolated mesas.
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Returned back the route we had come, the steep sections weren't any better in the opposite direction. As we descended spots of rain began to fall (the first for over a month in the Valley) and as we neared the end point the wind picked up and drove the drizzle at us.
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Made it back to the pickup, only slightly damp, to continue on with our tour. But with the drizzle blowing in the front and us crouched behind the seats we decided to call it a day and drove back to our bus and then the camp ground.
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The weather was dry back at the campground but with a bit of a breeze and the threat of rain we rigged the cooking shelter. But our luck held and except for a few over nightspots we awoke to a cloudy but more promising day.
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On again to our last National Park at Grand Canyon. Passed into Arizona and down through the lands of the Navajo Nation until we reached Cameron Trading Post where we stopped for a final shop and lunch. The journey down was again through an arid landscape, the Navajo were no longer live in hogans but huts and mobile homes, though they sometimes had a hogan out the back for old times sake (or a granny annex?) Every few miles there would be a group of stalls selling Indian crafts, but we must be out of season, as most weren't occupied.
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Continued on down the 64 for the 54 mile run in to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon following the gorge of the Little Colorado river..
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Enjoying Grand Canyon National Park
Perhaps no landscape on Earth is as surprising to the observer as the vast yet intricate face of the Grand Canyon. Over several million years the Colorado River has carved an immense chasm through this arid land. The layers of rocks exposed in the canyon walls provide snapshots of the geological events that shaped the American Southwest.
It is the visual impact of the landscape that impresses most people. The world seems larger here, with sunrises, sunsets, and storms taking on an added dimension to match the landscape. It is a land to humble the soul.
More than 100 years ago people began to realise that if future visitors were to experience the natural wonder of this landscape, the canyon needed protection. Although it was not without controversy, the US Congress expressed the will of the people by setting aside Grand Canyon National Park in 1919. Sixty years later the canyon was declared a World Heritage Site to be preserved and protected with the assent and support of the entire community of nations, for future generations as one of the greatest treasures for humankind. Please help us safeguard this special place by treating it with care and respect.
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"We've come to see the Grand Canyon but I can't get her out of the goddam shop."
Overheard at Desert View - first visitors spot
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Toured around the south rim village and other points of interest in order to get our bearings before going to the Mather Campsite to set up and prepare for our hike the next day.
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Grand Canyon
from Bright Angel Trail
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The big hike of the National Parks Walks trip. As we were now well into autumn the problems with heat were less and so we didn't need to set of too early to avoid it. Loaded up with plenty of water and food, and discarded anything not needed. Caught one of the free shuttle busses and after doing a circuit of the Blue Route we were ready to start at 8.15.
The Bright Angel Trail is a broad, rocky but easy to follow trail that is also used by mules to carry the less active down the canyon. The views ahead to the north rim of the canyon were magnificent. Most of the descent as far as Indian Garden was in the early morning shade which made it possible to keep up a good pace taking only a couple of hours to get down.
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After resting for a while we pressed on to Plateau Point, a much more open path and although on the level, because it was in full sun, it was more exhausting. However, the effort was worth it, giving us views down over the Colorado River.
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Returned to Indian Garden for our lunch by a stream, a very pleasant setting near a campground. If we ever return we will considers hiking down and stopping there.
At 1pm we started the long journey back up, fortunately much of the path had returned to shadow making the effort much more bearable. At 3.45pm we emerged at the top for a well-earned ice cream.
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Bright Angel Trail
Grand Canyon
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Had just enough time for a shower before rushing out to catch the sun set a Mather Point, may have been just a few minutes too late to see the best of the colours.
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Returned to the campsite to catch up on our jobs and relax before our final evening meal.
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Our final day of the trip and so spent the first part of the morning cleaning up the equipment before setting off south through the park to pick up Interstate 40 west. Considering that it was a Sunday there were plenty of trucks on the road.
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Turned north and headed up to Las Vegas, mountains on our left that in any other setting would be considered a major range, here were just a side show.
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At 4pm, we reached Las Vegas and for the final time unloaded our bags from the bus as we passed on to the next stage of our journey.
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