When I look at the bags that I’ve already been trying to organize for hours, they are full of toys and Maartens books. Of course he makes a place for his important stuff by taking other things out.
He is so excited. So am I, but I wish he would amuse himself with something other than helping me with packing.
We depart early in the morning. As early as possible since there is at least a 12 hour drive ahead of us. Our destination: the Utah Canyonlands!
I’m a little nervous about how Maarten will cope with this long trip but he is still very excited and amuses himself with his books. We are quite surprised when he wants to make a stop to use the restroom!? We can’t believe it but after weeks of struggling he really stays dry the whole trip. Are we really ‘there’ yet?
After the monotone drive through the Central Valley there is finally something Maarten can enjoy. The long long trains winding around the Tehachapi loop. Then the hot Mojave Desert follows and we are getting tired. We decide to look for a place to spend the night. We are lucky and thanks to Rob’s membership we get a room at the Hilton in Las Vegas. Maarten is so tired and so exited to see all the blinking and flashing gambling machines in the downstairs casino. We can’t get him away from there. I’m not impressed by this city at all and I can hardly imagine I would come here on my own free will. Nevertheless the hotel is clean and we have a great view from the 23rd floor.
Though I’m pretty relieved leaving the city again in the morning.
We have only four hours to drive today so our mood is improved as well. After Saint George it seems we slowly withdraw from the busy civilization.
Finally we reach the small town of Cannonville, where only nine miles separates us from our final destination, the Kodachrome Basin SP.
We are very happy with our nice campsite, but the happiest of all is Maarten. There are trees to climb in!
The campground is situated in a hidden valley.
It is so quiet here. It seems everybody is already asleep by nine. Just around ten o’clock the ‘songdogs’ would start howling at the moon. They wake up Maarten the first nights at the camp. He is pretty scared but he comforts me that ‘coyotes are just nice little doggies’.
Compared to what we are used to in California here it stays hot late in the evening.
We knew we are going to camp in a semidesert climate and the river may be dry. That’s why we have an inflatable pool for Maarten but with so much dirt it will probably not last long.
05-17
We are still tired from the long drive. Just next to the Kodachrome Park the Cottonwood Canyon Road takes us to Grosvenor Arch, a rare sandstone double arch.
It’s so hot I can’t wait to go down into the shady canyon of the so called Cockskomb.
We look for the ‘Candyland’ a little scenic valley with red and white ‘candy’ towers in the Cottonwood Canyon.
We descend into the creek and follow a narrow wash down into the canyon. Maarten wants to climb all the walls at once.
But in a while the trail changes into a tiring walk in deep sand. It’s so quiet here.
Then Rob tries to hide something from Maarten. I feel rather uncomfortable. How would a deer lose its leg? We better keep Maarten very close to us.
05-18
It’s Monday morning and we hope the best time to visit Bryce Canyon. I don’t expect to find solitude in this park.
It is breathtaking beautiful and despite it's Monday morning, it is also very crowded. Yet still it’s a wonderful experience. We are not sure if we will come back here again so we take the suggested combination of Navajo Loop and Queens Garden. This is supposed to also be the most popular route in the park and it really is splendid.
I understand Maarten would prefer to splash somewhere in cold water. We stop at a short trail which takes us to a running waterfall. Compared to many dry rivers and creeks we saw here the stream here flows very richly. As a matter of fact this is not a natural creek but a ditch labored some hundred years ago by the Mormon pioneers from nearby Tropic to irrigate their fields.
Maarten is happy to play in the cool water and we can chill for a while. The ‘boys’ find tossing stones and splashing each other very amusing. Then Maarten ends the fun with a super large rock...and his dad ends up with a bad legpain.
I go to check out the nearby Mossy Cave. It’s not a shallow cave filled with dark green moss and despite this hot day it is very cool in here with dripping water and even some portions of ice.
05-20
Another ‘backway’ trip. The Hole in the Rock Road is less scenic than the Cottonwood Canyon but there may be some interesting side-trips. Like the Dry Fork Coyote Gulch. We are surprised there are still some cars at the trailhead. Here in the middle of nowhere.
This is going to be just a short trip, several short slot canyons, nothing challenging. It is so hot! It’s the desert, right?!
We meet a nice couple of hikers and they explain to us how to find the canyons. They got lost. What? Here? You can see the canyons even from the trailhead. We ask about the canyons and according to them exploring two canyons is going to be more than enough. Maybe for them, huh?
It’s so beautiful here. The colors, the distant views, the blossoming opuntias.
Then we see the opening of the Peek-A-Boo Canyon. Some 3.5 meters up on the wall. Is this a joke? There are small hand and foot holds carved into the wall but how do I suppose to get Maarten up there? I notice that I’m the only one panicking. The 'men' are very excited and Maarten is already climbing up. When we reach the opening I can’t imagine I have to get in there. Only this view makes me feel claustrophobic.
Maarten guffaws loudly and tries to get further into the canyon. A couple of hikers coming out, covered in sweat. They assure me it’s going to be even worse.
I admit it’s a very adventurous and beautiful sculptured slot. I try to keep in mind that we are not the first ones here and many people before us made it as well. It’s not surprising seeing blood on the walls. Also my elbows are bruised and my shorts torn at several places.
Yet it is a lot of fun I’m relieved when we finally get out in a wide sandy wash.
We follow the advice not to retrace through the same slot but traverse to the Spooky Gulch. It looks so easy at the map we got from the ranger but it takes a while before we find it. Group of sweating school children assure us it’s extremely narrow down there.
Narrow and steep!
When we finally reach the main canyon I have to think how is Maarten going to cope with the sandy path back to the car. But it’s getting worse. We can’t find our way back! We walk at least an additional mile in the sand. Maarten is exhausted and so am I.
Now I understand the good people being so concerned about finding our way back.
It is extremely windy today and when we arrive at the campground we’re lucky the tent is still there. But everything inside is covered with red dust.
Not sand, dust! Sleeping bags, blankets, our ‘clean’ clothes… everything. And it won’t come out easily!
05-21
We are not woken up by the hot sun this morning. It’s so cold I wonder where the sun went. Yesterday it was 94° and today only ... 32°?!
We decide to return to Bryce Canyon and take the scenic drive hoping the weather will clear up during the day. But soon we can’t see any of this colorful canyon because of the grey clouds and heavy snowfall.
This can’t be real! I would love to see the reddish rocks covered with snow but not now at the end of May. We have to go somewhere. I can’t imagine sitting in the cold tent the whole day.
There is a wildlife museum close by. I’m not really excited to see stuffed animals but they may have also live elk at the preserve. And ... there is not much choice of indoor activities anyway.
The Paunsaugunt Wildlife Museum is a nice exhibition of animals from all over the world. Robert, the owner of the museum, turns out to be a friendly guy of Dutch origin who loves his animals and ... loves to talk with his guests. We had a great time with him. He was happy to practice his mother tongue again and we had an enjoyable private tour.
Maarten was excited to see the elks so close and he was even allowed to feed the sheep.
Robert told us about living his dream, about his future plans and also about the wildlife in the surrounding area.
Now we know why the pronghorn antelopes are resting so close to the highway. They have their babies right now and there is less danger from coyotes and mountain lions if they stay close to the people. Robert advises us to take the back road behind his house to see even more wildlife. He swears he and his wife saw at least 260 deer there on one evening.
After exploring the arches in Red Canyon we take the dirt road behind Robert’s house and drive along the Sevier River.
We are not so far from the Kodachrome Basin but here are green woods instead of red rocks and dry desert. I love it here! And we see some deer. Not hundreds but that’s not important.
05-22
Another cold day. Robert’s wife Teri advised us to travel a little more south for some sun.
Zion is not that far to the south but we are quite lucky with the weather here. Zion is a very popular park and therefore crowded of course.
So is the trail to the famous Angels Landing. I still don’t believe we can make it to the top. I borrowed the baby leash from a friend to make this climb a little safer for Maarten. Marten is almost running up. As long as there are other people to flirt with and the path is interesting enough, steep and winding in this case, our little hiker is happy.
He stays at the Scout Lookout of course. I can’t imagine I would take him all the way up the cliffs.
I feel pain in my stomach when I look at the trail up. But I have to give it a try.
I can’t look down. Just at the trail before me. Dennis, a friendly guy, seems to suffer the same height anxiety but he is also fighting himself to reach the top. We encourage each other and we make it to the top together.
I admit it is not safe and I can’t understand how some of the folks dare to climb this. I guess they just consider this a kind of Disneyland but this is serious. Some even risk standing on the safety chains to take a scary picture. I was only hoping someone would not panic and drag me down.
There is an older couple, I believe they've never hiked before and they really have a bad time.
When I’m back I don’t feel proud for reaching the top. I feel rather stupid to risk my life this way since real accidents happens here.
In the evening we look for the Grafton ghost town just south of Zion Park. The bicycle scene from Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (both local heroes?)and many other movies were filmed here.
Unfortunately Maarten fell asleep in the car so he has to miss his favourite bisons.
The sky is beautiful and dramatic with heavy clouds but when we approach the Bryce area again it starts to snow.
The snowstorm forces us to stop for dinner at the Bryce Canyon Pines, a homey old-fashioned restaurant. I can hardly imagine going back to our tent. The waitress comforts us ‘this weather is very unusual and exceptional... you are lucky to experience it...'
05-23
The bad weather continues. The back roads are impassable when wet because of the clay. We have to look for alternatives. According to the ranger the Hole-in-the-Rock Road is passable even now.
In Devils Garden we walk between the oddly shaped hoodoos and we see several arches.
~~~
Back at the campground while busy at the public sink an older guy approaches me wondering what I’m doing here. He is surprised by seeing me doing the dishes.
‘You are like the pioneer women!’
What?
'Do you also use the washboard to wash your clothes?'
?
I believe he just tries to be funny but he is right.
I’ve never seen anyone doing the dishes at this campground. Considering the distance to the nearest restaurant I guess they all use the disposable ones?
A typical conversation follows.
He asks me where I’m from and as usually he has got a Czech background.
I start to believe that every American is either from Czech or Dutch origin ;-)
05-24
Also today we try to escape the bad weather some hundred miles away in Capitol Reef National Park.
Just off the Boulder town along the forest edge we find this weird and creepy place. There are animal skeletons and skin everywhere.
We have to cross the snowy Boulder Mountain and we get such spectacular views of this colorful country.
We see big herds of deer along the way. One has to be careful not to crash into them since they cross suddenly and uncontrolled.
Capitol Reef is a remote park and therefore not that crowded. We made some stops to view the spectacular landscape around the highway.
By Fruita, a Mormon pioneer’s community homestead, we see some ancient Fremont people petroglyphs, images carved or pecked into the rock surface.
Unfortunately it’s too late to explore the whole Grand Wash, a water-carved canyon.
To me the scenic drive on Hwy 12 is today’s most fun. Nearing the town of Boulder the highway twists and turns just on the crest of the slickrock, the so-called Hogsback . The cliffs drop steeply into the deep canyons on both sides just few inches of the road. There are no guardrails!
I guess the locals may not be that concerned about their safety. I saw some driving ATV’s with babies on lap, no car seats for children or young children driving the quads on the highway all by themselves.
05-25
On Memorial Day weekend one can hardly escape the crowds.
Also, into our serene campground arrive extended families and friends to celebrate and party. Yet they all seem to be well behaved and the nights remain quiet as usual. Probably the cold weather adds to this since staying out late during these chilly and windy nights is surely not pleasant.
Till now we manage to escape the cold and rain every day and today we take a risk and stay at the park. There is enough to do here as well.
The most remarkable sights at the Kodachrome Basin are the colors and the towering mysterious sandstone chimneys and pipes. In fact the colors and contrasts of this landscape was the reason why the 1949 National Geographic expedition named this park after the popular Kodak film.
We follow the recommended Panorama Trail past a number of the red rock spires and sandstone pipes.
These spires were given names such as the ‘Fred Flinstone Spire’ for example.
I find the sandstone towers even more fascinating knowing that they actually originate from remnants of hydrothermal activity from long time ago. Some geologists believe that this landscape was once similar to Yellowstone National Park with hot springs and geysers, which eventually filled up with sediment and solidified.
Maarten is excited to explore the ‘Old Indian Cave’ since besides water he is also greatly fascinated by the rocks and caverns or simple holes, especially where he can climb or creep inside.
Later that day I walk to see the Shakespeare Arch and continue on the abandoned Sentinel Trail. From the trail, I get great views of the park in all directions.
And I have this strong feeling I’m now going to encounter a mountain lion...
05-26
Rob is very impressed by a particular picture in our guide.
We ask at the visitor center where it is, it is supposed to be somewhere in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, this area consequently.
‘Those are the Toadstools’, answers the friendly ranger and shows us on the map where we should look for them.
We take the scenic Cottonwood Canyon Road near Kodachrome Basin and drive all the way to the junction with the highway.
Even here there are grazing cows all over the hills. I wonder how they got here in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly there is an explanation, kind of.
Two cowboys, a little boy and his dad, are bringing another herd of cows. How long would it take them to bring them here?
After the rainy days the flowers are also abundant in such a dry environment. I wish I had a better camera…
Finally we get to the trail in the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness which leads to the ‘toadstools’.
We already see those bizarre balanced rock formations from a distance.
But there are more as we come closer. Also this is the work of high erosion in ages. White columns are capped with dark sandstone. Those hoodoos assume the shape of a toadstool or mushroom.
Later we also explore the Old Paria and Johnson Canyon, the ‘Little Hollywood’ of Kane County. Many Westerns have been filmed here.
The Paria Canyon seems to have been washed away by floods for several times and there is not much left from the Pahreah ghost town either. Yet the beautiful cliffs surrounding the valley are magnificent.
The ‘Gunsmoke’ set in Johnson Canyon near Kanab is still pretty intact.
05-27
The weather has improved and we hope Maarten may even take a bath in the pool beneath the falls. The hike is quite tiring, it’s hot (we don’t complain!) but you have to walk the entire 6 miles in sand; and this is heavy for my hips. Along the route are numbered markers indicating points of interest. This is how we keep Maarten on the move. Thanks to the trail guide brochure we learn at every stop something interesting about this canyon and its past. We spend a while looking for the granary of the prehistoric Fremont people who used to live here. There are also some typical Fremont style pictographs, painted images on the rock walls.
We see deer and a marmot next to the path.
The scenic Calf Creek is full of trout and therefore very tempting to Maarten.
Finally we hear the falls. And the 126 ft (38 meter) waterfall is superb.
Unbelievable to find so much water in a desert canyon like this.
Because of the high rocks around, it is already shady at the pool. I don’t like the idea of Maarten swimming in the cold water as we promised him.
Luckily there is a little pond on the other side of the creek where it is still sunny and where Maarten can swim safely.
05-28
Let’s pretend this is just another day of our vacation, huh?
This morning, what we have already been afraid of, finally happens . Maarten falls out of his favorite tree and he hurt himself pretty badly. Luckily nothing serious, just his palm and his leg are injured. We put a piece of cloth on his hand to stop the bleeding and...he climbs up again!
The weather is so warm and dry! we can explore the nearby Willis Creek Narrows. This pleasant easy hike through a pretty slot canyon leads along a cobblestone creek. You have to cross the creek almost every second. A lot of fun for Maarten therefore though quite tiring for us, Rob in particular, since we have to carry him quite often over the stream.
Later that day we drive further on the Skutumpah Road to get to the trailhead for Bull Valley Gorge. This should be an incomparably difficult hike with rock-scrambling and chimneying down narrow cracks before you get to the bottom of the slot. Some other hikers before us signed the register with words ‘we couldn’t get into the canyon’.
The Bull Valley Gorge is very impressive only when viewed from above, on either side of the road bridge. It is about 40 meters deep and dark and narrow. I feel dizzy looking down there and therefore we don’t even let Maarten out of the car.
There is one interesting feature already visible from the ridge.
A wreck from a pick-up truck wedged high above a narrow part of the slot, evidence of a fatal accident in 1952. Now it forms the base of the road bridge across the gorge.
05-29
More than 800 miles home...
