Feb 6-8, 2011 Cochise Stronghold, AZ and Gila National Forest, NM

We left Sahuarita mid-morning and headed East about 60 miles to Cochise Stronghold.  The Dragoon Mountains were inhabited by Cochise and his people (can’t recall the dates sorry). This region provided  reliable water all year and plenty of hunting and gathering for sustinence. Early on the Natives and the Whites were on friendly terms until, one day a young white boy was kidnapped.  The White People blamed Cochise and his people for the kidnapping. Cochise denied it. They didn’t believe him. The battles began.  The White people attacked and killed many of Cochise’s people-men, women and children, still the boy was not found. The land was a natural fortress providing high lookouts and several hiding places. Cochise and his people stayed there to fight. Knowing the lay of the land so well had the fighting advantage. Many people died here. Turns out, a nearby Apache Tribe had the boy all along and Cochise was falsely accused—too late by then, the damage had been done and Cochise wasn’t going to forget or forgive. Cochise eventually fell ill, supposedly with stomach cancer, and was buried here at Cochise Stronghold. He was buried with his favorite horse and dog. What a story. 

Jason and I did our own exploring after reading the interpretative signs and played out our own interpretation of the battle at Cochise Stronghold.  We followed the wash (dry this time of year) scrambling over, under, between and through these huge boulders and rocks. These boulders led us to several little caves, overhangs and hiding places—we can see how ideal a fortress this place would have been.  We had a blast monkey-ing around and of course, we had to make it to the top….”it’s just right there” Jason says. So, we climb up, up and up. WOW—what a fantastic vantage point of the surrounding area. Nobody could sneak their way in without one of Cochise’s people noticing.  We got up top and hung out a short while to catch our breath and take in the view.  Then, back down we went—picking our path back over, around, under and between the huge boulders.  It was so much fun. Kids would absolutely love this jungle gym. Its pretty safe, as long as you’re not trying to do a 5-12 climbing move and peel off the rock.  There are numerous options to negotiate the environment—over, under, around, between, or through. It was a great day. We needed to get out and burn some energy too.

We drove into Southwestern New Mexico to the Gila National Forest the rest of that day. Superbowl Sunday-Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers. We were hoping the Packers would win. Tuning into patchy AM radio as we drove along, we were able to listen to the 4^th quarter. It was an exciting game going into OT.  We tried to make it to the Buckhorn Saloon in Pinos Altos, NM , just north of Silver City, to catch the last bit of the game. If it was open, we would have been able to watch the Packers win the superbowl while enjoying a beer, but it was closed. There was nothing going on in Pinos Altos at that time of night, week or possibly anytime.  The bar looked more like a Historical Exhibit rather than a bar.  It was dark, late and cold.  We camped in the valley at Cherry Creek Campground.  We woke up in the morning and saw the sun shining up above and drove directly to it-- about 5 miles out of the valley. We did our usual morning regimen in the comforts of the sun and then headed for Glia Cliff Dwellings. 

We drove to higher elevations through more beautiful mountains to the Gila Visitor Center for info, maps, etc.  A nice stroll along a small creek and up the hill to the area’s largest Cliff Dwellings.  People of the Mogollan culture inhabited these lands from 1280s to early 1300s.  There were 6 caves that were  naturally formed in these cliffs and used by Natives. After much study and research to find out the whos, whys and whats,  anthropologists have their theories on these dwellings but nobody knows for certain what went on in these dwellings. It’s hypothesized that the caves were used as a place to gather for rituals and celebrations rather than living or sleeping. The native people were highly resourceful and adaptable to the land. They didn’t try to build permanent structures from  materials that were difficult to attain or shape the land that would be convenient to their needs.   Rather, they accepted the gifts from nature and adapted their lifestyles to fit in with the natural world around them. (What a grand idea). Most likely they built temporary pit houses amongst their crops of corn, beans and squash.  Maybe they stored crops in some of the cliff dwellings-out of the weather and safe from animals. Nobody really knows---but it was fun to try and imagine what life would’ve been like as we walk through  little passageways and storage rooms in these caves. We tagged along on a guided tour by a lovely little park voiunteer, Sarah Officer. She was very knowledgeable, animated and loved telling stories and getting people thinking. Cave 3 was the largest cave and the black soot on the ceiling was carbon dated back to the 1280s and 1300s.  It’s impressive to look around and realize all of this was built by hand. These walls have stood for 7 centuries! In this day and age, we have buildings that sometimes don’t last 50 year, even though we have all kinds of resources at our fingertips!  During the early 1800s, cowboys and other passer-throughs looted the caves, destroying many of the structures, breaking left behind pottery and removing tools and other things that may have offered some more insight.  Bummer.

Gila National Park was the first designated wilderness in the USA. We were fortunate to get information on places to see and what to do from Liz, a co-workers of Sonia’s. She definitely guided us to some cool things. Cliff Dwellings and Hot Springs!!  Thanks Liz.

Later that afternoon, we decided to find some natural Hot Springs nearby the Visitor Center. It was a cold afternoon and soaking in some natural hot springs would feel really nice. We packed a backpack and headed out. We only had to do 2 river crossings that were calf deep. It was very cold water, but luckily not swift water or a very wide crossing. A short hike, we rounded the corner and saw the steam rising under a landmark rock overhang and we were there.   2 other people got there at exactly the same time we did—they were coming from the opposite directions. We all got undressed and soaked for a couple hours. It was lovely. A pool of hot water about 2 ft deep with sandy/rocky bottom right on the river’s edge. The hot springs feeds directly into the river. The pool is natural with retaining walls made of sand rocks not mortared together-keeping it raw, natural and beautiful. The water draining in is about 130 degrees F!! Very hot! You simply slow the hot springs by putting a few rocks in the path and then open up some space so the cold river water drains into the pool to find a comfortable soaking temperature suitable to your liking. It felt so good. These hot springs don’t have a lot of sulphur or iron therefore did not smell like rotten eggs. These hot springs are as a result of water pushing upward from magma down in the earth’s crust. This region was formed from previous volcanic activity and there are fault lines all over and therefore are blessed to have several hot springs in the area.

That night we camped at Gila Hot Springs and were able to soak some more-- Like we weren’t prunes already.  It is a privately owned ranch with camping facilities along the river and 3 hot pools to soak in. The 2 people we met earlier at the hot springs were our camp neighbors and came over for a visit around the campfire and hot chocolate that night. Nice folks; the girl grew up in the Seattle Area—small world! After another very cold night, we warmed ourselves in the morning in 3 different pools. 2 were 105 degrees and the other was 102 degrees. There was only 1 other woman in the pools that morning—pretty quiet once again. Gila Hot Springs was a funky, cool place with driftwood structures and “yard art” all around. It was a cool place and cheap, $5/person/night.  Oh and there were baby goats that were only a week old that were so cute. You have to drive past their goat pens on your way to camp.  We wanted to bring a kid home for DeWayne….there was a cute brown one that would’ve matched him and Monty. How Cute. After Soaking for almost 1.5 hours, we were all relaxed and not moving really fast.  We were heading for City of Rocks that afternnon and it was only 2 hours away.

Gila National Forest was beautiful and we could’ve spent a lot more time exploring and hiking ….another time. Thanks again Liz for the great tips.

Feb 3-6, 2011 Sahuarita and Tucson, AZ,

We left Sedona and drove south on  I-10 to Phoenix  then on I-17 to Tucson. We arrived around 6pm to Dave and Candace’s house in Sahuarita, AZ. Dave and Sonia met at Mt Stuart Physical Therapy after Dave broke his shoulder and came in for therapy —they instantly clicked and became friends. Dave, being the devoted father he is, was in Leavenworth helping his daughter remodel her shop for a new business. What a guy—just had major surgery and was undergoing a major remodel…that’s why he had to keep coming in for PT!!  Not knowing these people very well, we were compelled to  visit and were more than glad that we did. Dave and Candace and their 2 dogs, Mack and T-Zer, welcomed us into their beautiful home and made it so comfortable we stayed for 3 nights. The 6 of us got along fantastically and enjoyed sharing good food, wine and travel stories late into the first night.

We are living the life--A comfy bed, our own bathroom, Dave’s fresh Soy Lattes and big smiles in the morning.   Friday, we all went out for a hike on the Bog Springs Trail in the nearby Madera Mountains.  A  cool but sunny day (temps in the 40s).  We are all tromping up the trail, talking and taking in the scenery when suddenly the dogs take off on a wild who-knows-what-chase. T-zer comes back and gets leashed up---but where is Mack???  We call and call and call some more, for about 45 minutes. We all spread out in our search efforts. After a while, we all are thinking thoughts we didn’t want to think---did a bobcat get him? He’s a mere morsel (Jack Russell terrier) to a bobcat or coyote. Suddenly, our search not looking favorable for the little dog.  We begin looking for tufts of hair, his collar, a wounded dog—the images and thoughts have shifted to not so pleasant thoughts. Sonia was dutifully praying to St Anthony-the patron saint of lost things.   Then, just as we were all thinking he’s gone---Candace yells, ”I got Mack”….we all breathe big sighs of relief. They come running up from the bottom of the trail. We figured he must’ve been chasing something, got far enough away, got confused,  then went down to the car (smart actually). So many people were calling from different directions—he didn’t know where to go but to the staring location.  Thankfully we got him back and he’ll now be a leash-dog for a very, very, very long time. One scare like that and that’s it for his freedom to roam. He knew he was gone a long time and was content to be on leash as we continued hiking up to a vantage point on some rocks. We had a snack, a rest and enjoyed the views looking down to the huge copper mine in the valley below.

Finally found the little bugger

We went home and relaxed in the Jacuzzi with Dave’s special Margarita blend. Life is rough.-huh? Homemade meal for dinner and peach pie for desert—we are living the life. We enjoyed more good conversation and good company late into another night. We are growing rather fond of Dave and Candace and their home and may not want to leave!!

Saturday, we had grand plans to hike in Saguaro National Park-East. We left about 11am and decided to check out the Colossal Caves first. These caves were formed by cracks in the earth’s crust. They were discovered by Indians but only explored a short distance into the caves. They were later discovered by a train robber and outlaws, they would flee to these caves for safety after robbing the trains.  Eventually, the word got out where they were taking refuge and were followed  by a posse, one of whom was an Earp Brother. The posse set up camp at the opening to the cave and decided to wait him out…they waited and waited and waited meanwhile the sneaky train robber gang found a way through the narrow passages, crevices inside the cave and made a stealthy exit on the backside of the caves. Supposedly, they hid their loot in the cave and it has never been found. We took a guided tour through this 1 mile long cave with stalagmites, stalagtites, flow columns, and other cave formations.  4 different kinds of bats still roost in these caves in the summer. Another interesting thing about this cave was that it is consistently about 70 degrees and dry. We are used to thinking of caves being cold and damp. Well not this one!  It’d be fun to crawl around some of the tight passages and do some exploring…another time.

We were hungry and went into Tucson to Café Poca Cosa (traditional Southwest cuisine)  per recommendation from Dave and Candace. We shared 2 meals: Chicken Mole-which was good, but the other dish was far better. It was a vegetarian tamale-- best described as a Masa mash with a squash and yellow pepper elote sauce with a light layer of cheese melted on top.  The flavors just blended really superbly and the texture melted in your mouth. A healthy side of greens, fruit, rice and beans to accompany the meal.  An excellent dining choice.



Jason loves his plants



Now, we are ready to go to the desert, finally, its nearly 4 pm. We take a walk right through the middle of the desert. The desert is an incredible place. The different varieties of cactus-saguaro, cholla, prickly pear, barrel cactus, ocotillo, yuccas and some others. Liittle cactus wrens make homes in the giant saguaros. Pack rats nest in the prickly pears. It’s cool to see how the animals and plants coexist in such a seemingly challenging and harsh environment. They got it worked out and the desert is thriving with life. We climbed up some rocks and quietly sat for 30 min while the sun was setting. A nearby coyote was barking and howling for his cronies. Birds were chirping but no javelinas were seen—how sad.  Jason REALLY wants to see a javelina. We drove out and caught a fire sky sunset. Never have we seen such deep oranges and reds as the sun set. We drank a beer and took in the beauty, feeling thankful for our friends, family and the opportunity to experience a desert sunset like this. Another great day.



strolling through the desert



We went home, packed, did laundry, cooked some grains for our road meals, watched some basketball and Mixed Martial Arts (ultimate fighting…another good day.

The next morning, with excitement for new adventures but sadness to leave the comforts of Dave and Candace and their home, we departed by noon to Cochise Stronghold and Gila Cliff Dwellings.

We want to thank Dave and Candace for being such wonderful people- a source of inspiration to live life meaningfully, being good role models for a healthy, loving marriage, opening up their homes to us and making us feel totally comfortable…and not to forget the excellent, healthy food and drink. Thanks so much, we look forward to seeing them in Leavenworth this spring/summer.

Feb 1-3, 2011 Sedona, AZ

cholla and prickely pear cacti

We rolled into Sedona, AZ feeling pretty good about the Loaf, cruising along at 20 mpg (that’s VW fuel efficiency).  Sedona is beautiful, surrounded with red rocks in Arizona, north of Phoenix. Sonia was here about 13 years ago (she’s getting old) when on clinical in Tucson and wanted to explore the region a bit more.

We followed the trend of educating ourselves and obtaining the necessary regional and topo maps of the area at a local Sedona Visitor Center (we missed the Ranger station up the road...we should’ve just made a U-Turn, stay tuned to find out why). We walk in, take a look around and don’t see anything, so we ask for maps. The young man behind the counter says “well, ya gotta ask so we can talk to you and promote Jeep Tours and our vacation properties.” Right then and there, we should’ve turned around and walked out, but Jason wanted maps…So the guy tells us some mildly helpful information about mountain biking and hiking trails and lays a whole lot more promotional sales crap on us—should’ve made the U-Turn. 

Turns out, the guy gets commission on roping people into Vacation Rental Property Orientation with the hopes of becoming a sucker and buying in.  Jason proceeds to voice his opinion about “vacation rentals”  meanwhile, Sonia is nudging and kicking him to shut up…We graciously decline his offers of $84.95 + taxes for 2 nights in a studio apt or $116 + taxes for a 1 bedroom apt. Being a typical salesman, he can  always wheel and deal…”What if I can get you into the studio for $75?”. Sonia, with her spicy ways, replies, “we’ll take it for $72.50”. What’s $2.50…we agreed on $75, no taxes and no other “fees”.  Sweet---now we got a warm place to stay for the next  2 nights-- Temps are supposed to drop into the 20s and teens….brrr.  Wait, what’s the catch???  Now we have to be at this orientation from 3-5 pm.  That’s 2 hours we could be doing plenty of other things…but we have to sell our souls to have a proper roof over our heads for the next 2 nights. We have enough time to make a couple of bagel sandwiches, stop in a local bike shop for some trail info and a coffee.  We make it to our “meeting” right on time, just like Sonia’s Dad taught her.  We made a pact to “just say no”….as we walk in. 

We were greeted by a rather large, round gentleman named Mark. He was pleasant enough despite not feeling well.  He made a good salesman-style effort to get to know and befriend us.  We began our “orientation”….We sat and listened dutifully.  Then it was time to show us a villa. This large, round fella made it down 2 flights of stairs with the help of 2 handrails and gravity…and was still out of breath.  His gait analysis was rather poor—posteriorly tilted pelvis, externally rotated lower extremities, and no hip extension…more of a waddle then a walk. We certainly won’t be walking to see our villa…and were treated to a golf cart ride. Fearing we may not make it up the hill or worse come careening down the hill with all that extra front end weight,  we prepared ourselves in case we have to bail out!! Rest assured, we made it safely back to the headquarters so we can hear more of the sales pitch.

 Diamond Resorts International  offers global vacation rental properties for a mere $$$$$$ ....and like a proper salesman, when we declined the initial offer, there was the Manager who could make it “more affordable because we really would like to see a nice, young couple like you, Jason and Sonia, to take advantage of our offers and blah, blah, blah…” He was a guy who once worked as a Forester with Boise Cascade and suddenly he was bonded to Jason—a fellow woodsman….(they are good sales people….sharks!!)  Sonia is watching the clock as we approach and pass 5:00pm…and then 6:00pm…..OMG!! Sonia had to put her foot down and make it very clear that we were NOT interested.  Suddenly, our “friends” are turning on us—imagine that—damn salespeople. For a bit, Jason and Sonia were actually mildly considering buying in (these salespeople are good. They could sell a blind person binoculars) …but we were able to talk to our friend, Jeff, who’s job is to get people OUT of these contracts…Thanks Jeff.  The numbers were looking feasible, vacation dreams were in our mind’s eyes…I think there might have been subliminal messages in the 13 minute video—like in Barney and friends or Teletubbies kids shows.  Just when we think we are finally outta here and we’ve endured enough, the guy from Corporate comes and talks to us—pull in the heavy weights.  He proceeds to try to convince us to join and throws out some more enticing offers…NO! NO! NO!....Now Sonia’s blood sugar is dropping and she’s getting cranky. “No problem, we have a snack basket” they reply (they have thought of it all—good thing they don’t give out Rum and Cokes ;-) ) We forcefully decline again…these people are unrelenting. Jason and Sonia are chum in an ocean of blood thirsty sharks. We finally made ourselves clear and  were escorted down to where we can get our room for 2 nights---that’s all we wanted all along. The guy asks “so where will you be staying for 2 nights?” Sonia retorts, “probably next to the dumpster because we didn’t buy in…haha”. He didn’t laugh, but we did!!

Eventually, we got checked in and moved into our studio apt for 2 nights…not super fancy or chic, but its out of the weather and we got a SHOWER!! Yahoo!!  We had grand plans to go out for dinner and wander around the town of Oak Creek but…we stayed “home” and made ravioli with kale and broccoli and drank red wine—catching up on internet stuff, phone calls and old episodes of Seinfeld.

A day we didn’t expect, but was a good learning experience and plenty of laughs (mostly amongst ourselves) …and 2 nights stay for 75 bucks….sweet!!  The stars have aligned again for us…thank you.

Tommorrow Mountain Biking in Sedona….getting back to nature.         

Wednesday, we got up leisurely, after watching stupid TV for entirely too many hours the night before. It was frigid cold outside, 24 degrees with a wind chill of -4….don’t think we’ll be biking today. We were both pretty happy hanging out inside.  By 1-2 pm, cabin fever is setting in and we decide to atleast take a drive up Oak Creek Canyon.  Yeah really smart—let’s go to a higher elevation and into a canyon with less sun…that’s us, smart. We brave the cold and take a short walk up the North Fork of Oak Creek…talk about frigid temps….OMG!! it was beautiful but we lasted about a mile and turned around to make a run for the Loaf. The creek was frozen in most places along with small frozen waterfalls on the steep canyon red rock faces.  A nice idea, but painfully cold. We drove back into Sedona and went out for lunch instead.

Tired out after that grueling hike, we came home and took a nap!!  Haha. Woke up and decided to go to Dinner at ELote Café—a recommendation by the 4 people we asked. It was excellent. An adoreable waitress greeted us with a big smile and a red hibiscus flower behind her ear. We had Elote, which is a fire-roasted corn mixed with  a spicy mayonnaise sauce—delicious.  Because we didn’t exert much energy today, we ate appetizers and drank margaritas instead. Because we had an exhausting day, we opted for a decadent chocolate pie for dessert.  An excellent meal at a lovely place—highly recommend it.

The next morning we wake up at a decent hour and make breakfast and coffee. Pack up and head out for a bike ride. Sonia’s not feeling so good, so she’ll bike/hike at a slower pace and Jason can go great guns on the bike trails. We ride the Bell Rock Trail—its absolutely gorgeous. Red Rocks with contrasting green trees in the valley against a sunny blue skies. A crisp, cold temperature of 30 degrees.  Bell Rock is supposedly a vortex and we wanted to find out. It’s pretty special, but neither of us came away healed or with greater spiritual powers. We did a short outing that day and had to get back to drive south to Tucson, AZ.

Sedona has become far more touristy and commercialized since Sonia last was there. The natural beauty is still worth seeing and we think there must be an eclectic population of locals, aside from the crystal-healing hippies that thrive in the Vortex.



Church of the Holy  Cross-built into the side of a cliff



Jan 31-Feb 1, 2011 Grand Canyon National Park

Depite our efforts to drive south and dodge the cold weather, we met a snow cell in the Grand Canyon. We arrived by noon in GCNP on the South Rim.  Our first stop was at Desert View Point. WOW! The Grand Canyon is GRANDE.  It is the canyon in which all other canyons are measured by. Another uplift of the earth’s layer some million years before, creating this vast, deep canyon. The Colorado River flows in the valley bottom at an elevation of 2, 450 ft. The rim elevations vary from 4000-8000 feet…It’s a massive gorge. It’s hard to really express the expanse of this canyon in pictures or words, you just have to see it to believe it. 
At this DesertView Point, the Watchtower is a cylindrical stone building that was erected in 1930s. A spriral staircase winds up to the top. The inside stone walls are painted with beautiful Hopi Indian drawing and pictures. There are small, medium and large windows framed in around the Watchtower offering different views into the Grand Canyon.  A cool building with good energy within the walls.

We motored along, making our obligatory stops at the posted viewpoints.  Ominous cumulous clouds were looming over the western part of the canyon with intermittent breaks offering partial views into the massive canyon. We decided we would tough it out and camp (without electrical hookup) at Mather’s Campground in the park. One of 5 other campers in the huge CG of 300+ campsites—it was pretty quiet. We decided to take a bike ride along the South Rim of the Canyon and check out sunset.  Great idea.  Now it’s snowing (no accumulation, just dry flurry activity) and very cold. We dress in long johns, several layers, down jackets, hats, scarves, and ski gloves….why are we going for a bike ride?? Because we can!  People were definitely looking at us like we were crazy as we rode up Hermit Road.  We climbed and climbed and climbed some more….the views were outstanding. We’d roll into the viewpoints stopping to take a quick peek (can’t linger or else you’ll get cold)…and kept on riding. We got the highpoint and then started to descend and Sonia turned around---not willing to descend and lose all that elevation and traverse the snow and ice. She turned around and waited for Jason at a sunny location (she did planks to stay warm).  Then we had to hurry back, the sun was getting very low in the sky and it was getting colder---fortunately the ride home was mostly downhill, but that makes the wind chill even colder.

We made a quick stop at the grocery store—bad idea when tired, cold and HUNGRY!  An impulse buy, Entemann’s Raspberry Danish---we ate half of it that night. So good—can’t remember the last time we ate Entemann’s Danish.  We turned on the Little Buddy propane heater and huddled around to thaw out our hands and feet—why did we ride bikes?? Because we can!!We made hot chili and warmed ourselves inside and out. Ahhh…tired, full-belled and relatively warm…brush teeth with nearly ice cold water and go to bed.  Doesn’t this sound enticing? 

In the morning, we had to duke it out for who would turn the heat on. “you do it” “no you do it” “it’s too cold to move”  . We had ice frozen on the inside of the windows…it was probably our coldest night yet, somewhere around 20 degrees.  It was nasty. Every morning, Sonia wakes up with another invention or idea to keep her face warm at night—complaining “my nose is too big, it gets cold too fast!!”

We left in the AM, with the snow flying and zero visibility of the Grand Canyon--good thing we saw it yesterday. We are heading South to Sedona….hoping for warmth and sunshine. We’ll see…



Roadside camp with Lake Powell in the background-night before GCNP



Jan 29-30, 2011 Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park was another oddity worth seeing that looks like a scene from a fairytale.  It’s also a small park but it feels like you are on another planet.  Bryce Canyon is famous for its Hoodoos (a derivative of “voodoo” which means to cast a spell) which are pillars of rock in fantastic shapes left behind by erosion. They take on various colors from minerals in the soil, oranges/reds/whites/purples. The towers are constantly being broken down and reshaped by the forces of nature, thunderstorms but primarily the freezing and thawing patterns.  These hoodoos form castle-like formations with its rounded turrets and spires.  It's located at about 8,000 ft. elevation and has 200 days of freezing temperatures a year…brrr.
The Legend of Bryce Canyon: A coyote got mad at the people for doing bad things to the land and in his anger turned them all to stone.  When you stop and look around—it does look like human forms in the formations. Some are single, some are in groups or standing side-by-side—bizarre...

It was mostly sunny and pleasant on our first day for our walk-about. We took a hike along the rim from Inspiration Point to Sunset Point, then zig-zagged down into the heart of the mystic Hoodoo land on the valley floor via the Navajo Loop Trail. It’s a bit unnerving standing on the rim looking down into this jagged valley bottom—thinking it could really hurt if I fell in. But then when you descend into the valley and are amongst the hoodoos, there’s a very different, peaceful and comforting feeling—perhaps the spell was cast.  

By sundown, the weather was getting cold and windy. There was one CG open—we would have been snow camping in the park---no thanks. So we treated ourselves to hot showers, TV, and  beds to sprawl out on in a hotel room in town. The next morning we poached a free continental breakfast in the neighboring hotel….what rebels we are ;-)

The next day we hiked the Queen’s Garden Trail down into the valley bottom again. A gentler, descent offering many great views of cool hoodoos, windows and doors formed into the rocks. Trees mangled and contorted in the valley floor. A popular hike in the park, we still didn’t see a bunch of people.  We didn’t linger too long this day because the clouds were rolling in fast and snow was imminent.  We decided to head South into AZ towards the Grand Canyon.
Winter travel has its benefits of little vehicle traffic and we’re allowed to drive your own rig into the park.  In the summer, visitors are required to use the shuttle to lessen traffic jams and lessen the impact on the land. 
Another awesome place….

Jan 26-28, 2011 Zion National Park



Virgin River Valley, Zion National Park


We've continued the Loaf Tour through Utah, the land of 3% beer (Mormon country and yes, even Heineken abides to the laws set forth by the LDS) and through some very beautiful countryside on the Colorado Plateau.  We spent two and a half days in Zion National Park gazing in wonder at the colorful canyon walls and mostly dormant vegetation.  We've developed a system getting to know our national parks.  The first day is usually spent driving around, getting our bearings, stopping in the visitor’s center and educating ourselves on the hows and whys of the park.

That night, we set up camp and establish a game plan for the next day's adventure--which usually includes some form of activity/exercise.  Zion seemed like a fairly small park, especially since half the road system was closed for the winter.  The main canyon was still amazing. This place must see gaggles of tourists in the summer, so we were happy to be here now--with just a few other crazies like us.  ZNP is located on the Southwest portion of the Colorado Plateau. It was formed by a large uplift in the continental crust-old sea bed, lake bed, sand dune, and lava then deposited in layers on top of each other, kind of like a cake.  Now all the exposed layers are vulnerable to erosional forces, mainly water and wind.  The Virgin River flows year round through the main valley floor while most other drainages run dry during the summer months. Despite what one would think about the River in a valley of red rocks...the water is a milky green color. We were surprised by that!!  It’s a truly magnificent place.

We camped for 2 nights at Watchman CG (the only one open-easy choice) and we were fortunate to have electrical hookups to run our heater-yeah! Nights were clear and cold, with millions of stars.  We had spectacular sunset colors on The Watchman and Crawford Arch—which is the skinniest arch on the entire Colorado Plateau—a mere sliver.

The camp host was a nice gentleman from Portland, OR and gave us some good insider info. You all know how much, we like to hunt and gather…well we gathered pecans from the non-native trees in the CG that were planted by the Mormons, who tried to settle in this valley in the 1880s.  Jason climbed up the tree like a monkey and shook the branches…we gathered up those nuts and enjoyed the sweetness in each morsel. A good activity for the day’s last light.
We were fortunate the weather was clear and sunny--offering great views.



Angel's Landing

 The highlight of Zion NP was our hike to Angel's Landing.  It's one of the most popular strenuous hikes in the park and even more perilous in the winter with snow and ice on the shady parts of the trail. The beginning of the trail is paved switchbacks up a rock face (a turbo Mom was pushing a stroller up it).  Then, the trail wanders through a slot canyon that infrequently sees the sun and is appropriately called Refrigerator Canyon. The trail then goes up another rock face through a section called Walter's Wiggles--which are a series of short switchbacks (normally not a problem, but with ice and snow...proceed with caution). Finally, you get up to the Scout’s Lookout and the views begin to open up.  Then (now it’s getting good), you hike along a knife ridge (apprx 1 mile long).  Steep, unforgiving drop-offs of a couple thousand feet on either side.....proceed with utmost watchfulness. Then, you get to the really best part....(for some people) where you have to hold onto chain rails to reach the summit. Imagine walking up steep stairs of uneven heights, with an occasional inconvenient icy patch disguised under some red-tinted sand and a handrail on one side that's a heavy duty chain...that's kind of what it was like--IT WAS AWESOME, FUN, CHALLENGING AND VERY REWARDING. The prize is the incredible view of Zion Canyon, The White Throne and Virgin River in the valley...some 2,000+ ft below. We enjoyed our well-deserved lunch on the top and let the other hikers come and go—and took in the solitude on top of Angel's Landing. A great hike--highly recommend it to those who are not afraid of heights and are up for an grand adventure. It’s well worth it. 

Thanks Dave and Glen for the hike info.