Day 33 – May 6 continued

After a review of the various purchases we relaxed (more) and then headed out for supper and to see some of the sights on the Vegas Strip. Outback was our choice for a variety of well prepared meat dishes. One thing we are finding is that Vegas has service nailed. Every staff person from the concierge to cleaning staff always take the time to say hello whenever you meet and restaurant staff, with the exception of the bar on the 64th floor of the Mandalay Bay have been exceptionally friendly. Our waitress Kim last night was no exception. Absolutely attentive of our requests and very friendly she added greatly to our enjoyment of our meal. Lesson learned, if you take the time to engage people you can learn interesting things, like Kim is a chef but lost her business due to an injury in a car accident but is now trying to rebuild that dream by competing in reality TV chef shows. Not a story you would have guessed.

After eating we made our way to the Bellagio to see their fountain display which runs every 15 minutes. We tried to make it further down the strip to the Mirage to see their hourly volcano display but couldn’t make it through the busy pedestrian traffic in time. We learned very quickly in Vegas not to mess with the car traffic. When lights turn, cars go, pedestrians scatter. Vegas is a car town, no question.

trim.1suxHb

The sights along the way, both architectural and human, were great. There was some comfort in the fact that most of our fellow pedestrians appeared to be tourists and were gawking and taking pictures just like us. We managed to not get lost, run over or separated, which actually was much more of a challenge than you might imagine. Conveniently, our shuttle bus made pickups at the Mirage and we caught it back to Tahiti Village where we did a bit of planning for our 10:00 check out time the next morning.

Day 34 – May 7

After check out we headed to Denny’s for breakfast, OK we were in a hurry, and over breakfast planned our route. We all wanted to see the Hoover Dam which although requiring a bit of backtracking was close by. Traffic was heavy in both directions but well managed and marked as we approached the site. RV parking is on the far side of the dam and therefore we had to pass through a security check which involved a quick inspection of the insides of our vehicles.

The site is very well interpreted with many venues to take pictures. It is an incredible piece of construction and the site is immaculate but to be honest, my first impression, from the upstream side of the dam was that I expected it to be bigger. Even the huge expanse of the concave side of the dam, where most of the photographs are taken, still seemed smaller than anticipated. I admit to feeling guilty saying this and I don’t mean to minimize the engineering feat and the human sacrifices required to build this structure but the feeling was shared by all of us.

There is a great interpretive centre and tour ( which Ike and I couldn’t take because we had jack knives in our pockets) just like rock beats scissors, I’m pretty sure that our knives presented little risk to this massive structure. However while we awaited the rest of the groups return it afforded us an opportunity to see other parts of the site. In particular the memorial interpretation site across from the interpretive centre. An audio loop explains how in the plaza underfoot are set brass markers locating all the significant solar bodies on the day of the dedication, September 30, 1935. The recording also explains how the flagpole points to the location of the sun on the day of dedication, which I took to be directly overhead, which tells me that the dedication date was driven more by solar alignments than the state of completion. I can say that I never worked on a construction project that had its schedule tied to the movement of celestial bodies although I have been involved with many that seemed to move forward in a geological time frame.

The impression that I left with was that this amazing and yet ultimately functional construct has evolved beyond its original purpose into not only a major tourist attraction but even more importantly into cultural icon for America, a witness to what the people of this country can achieve which, in these uncertain global times, may even outweigh its original intent.

After leaving the dam we headed towards Joshua Tree National Park where we planned to stop and dry camp at the Black Rock campsite on the northern edge of the park. We stopped at the town of Twenty Nine Palms along the way to stock up on provisions. This is a small military town and we were taken by the number of barber shops and tattoo parlours we passed. We stopped at the local supermarket and were amazed at the low cost of food and wine. For instance, Carla bought a package of five of what could only be described as Partonesque sized chicken breasts for less than$5. I’m thinking that in some chicken processing plant somewhere is a worker who still bears the scars from trying to subdue those ladies.

After once again filling our collective larders we headed to our campsite, which we rolled into just as dusk and the cool of the desert night settled in. Diane made chilli and garlic toast while Carla provided Caesar salad. Due to the quickly dropping temperatures supper was served in the capacious dining room of the BRT.

Night 32 – May 5

OK you have waited long enough.

Santana was awesome. The venue, House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay was intimate, if you consider 1,200 seats intimate. We hurried to get there for 7:00 to find out that doors opened at 7:00, Carlos onstage at 8:00 so we had time to relax and have a few snacks while we waited.

The upside to such a small venue was that you could see everything and were connected to the music. Downside is, you were connected to the music. At the risk of sounding old fartish I resorted to Kleenex in the ears – much kinder to the body, but nothing would stop the impact of all that bass. Two drum kits, a set of conga drums and percussion, two singers, a bass and backup guitar as well as a keyboard player – all of them amazing musicians in their own right.

Our balcony seats were great and afforded us An unimpeded view of the band and the rocking mosh pit below. Black Magic Woman had the crowd on its feet rocking to that Santana anthem. Two hours and change of uninterrupted Santana added another check to our collective list of artists you have to see before one of you dies.

Santana1

Like all venues in Las Vegas all routes lead through a casino so on the way home we put a five dollar bill in one machine which we collectively couldn’t figure out how to use and quickly watched it become 24 cents, the print out will be a trip heirloom.

We were given VIP tickets (ya’ right) to the bar on the 64 th floor of the Mandalay Bay as we walked through the casino so we decided to check it out. The bar offered a spectacular view of Las Vegas at night but after four ignored attempts to make a purchase at the bar we abandoned ship for the free refreshments and more attentive company at home. An attempt to buy a bag of chips from a vending machine on our floor on the way to our room resulted in the loss of another dollar, reinforcing that we should avoid all forms of machines that needed to have money inserted.

Family # 1 went to see David Copperfield, which in their words was very amazing! He started the show by magically appearing in an empty box sitting on a huge motorcycle and ended by making a 1945 Cadillac appear, perched on two metal posts. The audience participation added to the entertainment.

A late(ish) turn in anticipated a late morning.

Day 33 – May 6

A late morning (for most) started a generally relaxing day. I (Phil) joined the women folk in a foray into the Las Vegas Premium Outlets Mall (south) but lacking the Olympic shopping credentials of my companions quickly flagged and returned to man land with a bag full of ‘wife approved discount clothes’. Ike had been in a flurry of laundry while Sean caught up on work. Sean and I retired to a late afternoon visit to the lazy river, three circumnavigations later more than filled our requirement for mindless entertainment for the day. After that we found that we didn’t have the requisite card to buy poolside food so we retired to our rooms to raid the fridge in anticipation of the return of the shopping team.

An early rise saw us blasting down the highway towards Grand Canyon National Park. Despite best intentions we can never seem to return all recently used RV items to their various nooks and crannies. And with a helicopter canyon flight booked for 11AM, our campsite departure at 10AM, with 55 miles to drive, was pushing it! But the MRT cruises at 70+ so no worries there. And despite best efforts, our communication-challenged buddies were offline and we had no idea what their plans were beyond meeting at our campsites later in the day. Who knew they were hanging out with the Flintstones.

And so we made it, just! We paid extra bucks to ensure we could ride up front. And we had chosen a company flying Eurocopters which I was happier about than 30 year-old Bell products. We took off with the nose down and flew low over the take-off area with theme music from Top Gun blasting through our headphones. Maybe the older Bells would have been a better choice after all… But the experience was amazing despite flying in these things with work regularly.

As we approached the rim of the canyon the pilot (who appeared to be 12 and was hoping facial hair would develop soon) announced over the music and said we would shortly experience perhaps the most amazing view of our lives when we crossed from our 300 foot altitude over the trees to over 5500 feet above the canyon without the pilot doing anything different. Despite the noise of the helicopter you can still hear people gasp as we view the canyon in all it’s splendor for the first time. The pictures don’t do it justice of course and the video below is such low resolution it isn’t the best but you can guess the appreciation of what we were experiencing we hope.

Grand Canyon – (for e-mail)

Upon returning with large s#@$-eating-grins we headed for Grand Canyon National Park and our campsites. Checked in but no mates yet. Headed for the grocery store (you can imagine the prices when you are a captive audience in a National Park like GC with no competition – $20 gets you a bundle of 5 small fire logs and a bag of ice) and real food was… well don’t get me going, but it was expensive. As we returned to our campground area there was Phil & Diane and Jane & Ike checking in. All very exciting. we setup camp and unpacked and our MRT was anointed with the very expensive letra-set Phil had brought for the occasion. All very wonderful.

The rest of the day was hiking the rim areas and trying not to walk along the paths with our mouths open continuously. Every angle provides you with a new vista. Amazing! We leave it to the eloquence of Phil to describe the rest.

As of our unification with the other RTs we will now take a back seat to Phil in our blog entries but will assist Phil as able.

Day 32 – May 5

We achieved our goal of wheels rolling by 8:30. After a brief stop for fuel we headed for Zion National Park. Arriving at the park entrance the BRT was exposed to the humiliation of having its butt measured to make sure it would fit through the ‘small’ tunnels ahead. A surcharge of $15 is levied on oversize vehicles that require one lane traffic management at the tunnels. Luckily she came in at a svelte 93″, a full inch under the cut off size – so long as we pulled the Dumbo mirrors in. It must be all the mountain climbing that is keeping her so trim. However as we proceeded down the road we were meeting some vehicles the size of small states that clearly had made it through the tunnel as there did not appear to be any parts sheared off – long term readers will understand the particular expertise I have in that matter.

As we approached the first tunnel Diane had no problem negotiating the passage. Granted there were no oncoming cars but the warning seemed strange. However we soon encountered another considerably smaller tunnel and joined a line of other visitors who were awaiting passage. Traffic was being managed as one lane only in the tunnel, with vehicles being stopped on the other side until a group had passed, which is what the posted $15 surcharge would have covered, which begs the question why did they even stop to measure us. With only a single lane of traffic the tunnel could have handled a tanker truck.

Zion National Park, like the Grand Canyon and Bryce was created due to the natural beauty of it’s canyon setting. Once again it is difficult to put in words the experience of being in one of these settings. We opted to take one of the frequent shuttle busses from the visitors centre that does an 80 minute loop of the park stopping frequently at vantage points and trail heads. There is a taped interpretation of the park that is perfectly synched to the sights so we got a great explanation of the history and specific features of the park as we rode to the halfway point where we got off the shuttle and walked the River Trail, which is held out not only as one of the most scenic, but being a wheelchair accessible trail also one of the most easily walked.

Although lacking the magnitude of the Grand Canyon and the unique colour and shapes of Bryce, Zion offered many breathtaking sites, including a chance to see some of the ascent of some mountain climbers who, according to our driver, had spent the night suspended in little hammocks hung from the face of the cliff. All could think of was you really would need to keep track of where you were if you woke up in the middle of the night and had to have a pee – watch out for that first step.

It was after noon by the time we scarfed down a quick lunch and headed off towards Vegas. Carla’s sister, Karen and brother-in-law, Cam had gifted Carla two nights stay for her birthday. Very generously they had booked a double suite to accommodate our full contingent and we were all looking forward to some down time. However we had booked tickets to Carlos Santana (families #2 and 3 and David Copperfield family # 1 and didn’t want to be late so as we all had the address we opted to head out as quickly as possible along the I-15 with Sean and Carla taking the lead in their swifter vehicle.

Starting off, the drive was uneventful, passing for the most part through unremarkable desert landscape. The very high winds blew tumble weeds across the roads and buffeted our vehicles around. The passing traffic, especially the transport trucks, travelling at or beyond the posted 75 mph speed limit also required some frequent steering corrections. One difference I did note in the landscape from other desert routes we have travelled was the proliferation of power lines and towers through the desert heading towards Vegas. A steady line of hi deeds of towers marched their way across the desert, an indication of the mass of the city we were approaching.

As I crested a hill I saw a sea of red tails lights ahead and a sinking feeling came over me. We were now in a two lane parking lot that stretched to the horizon. Having read about the scale of some of the accidents that happen on these high speed interstates I knew that we could be here for hours. Our on board toilet provided some comfort if we were in for a protracted stay but we did not have a lot of time to spare in getting to our 7:00 show. Even with the one hour time shift that we had picked up at the Nevada Border we couldn’t afford any long stops.

Jane and Ike were right behind us but we knew that Sean and Carla were ahead and as improbable as it was, at the back of all of our minds was the concern of not knowing where they were. The walking talkies that we have been using to stay in touch on the road had very limited range so would be of no use is checking on their location.

As vehicles came to a halt at the Interstate parking lot, drivers and passengers flung open doors like a well practiced team and immediately headed for nearby vantage points to try and see what lay ahead. It was easy to see that this was not an uncommon experience. As we turned off the engine we were approached by two couples who were noting our Nova Scotia licence plates. They said that they had been to Nova Scotia and in fact were from Regina. What are the odds of being so far from home and ending up two car lengths away from some fellow Canadians. As it turned out it was one of the many happy instances where circumstances throw people together and within seconds you find some common ground. Pictures were taken of all the Canucks sitting on the Nevada guardrail. Not a common sight I’m sure.

As I was considering taking my bicycle off the back of the BRT and exploring, the line far off began to move. We crept along for what seemed hours but in reality from start to finish was less than an hour, eventually passing the accident scene which involved a bus, a motorcycle with a trailer and the jersey barrier. Mercifully the site was clean as we passed and resumed our trip but based on the condition of the motorcycle I fear for the driver.

Not much further down the road a wrecking truck was pulling a completed burned wreck from the roadside ditch. These both served as a sobering reminder to stay alert and a reinforcement of our normal policy to avoid these routes. Again, although not spoken, we breathed a sigh of relief as we passed these vehicles that we didn’t recognize them.

Jane and Ike took the lead as Ike’s GPS seemed to be offering a faster route than mine. As we approached Vegas, traffic intensified, exits proliferated and the associated rapid lane changes and impatience of seasoned interstate drivers increased. The chatter between Jane and Diane as navigators increased as they confirmed upcoming exits and signalled upcoming lane changes. Frequently when travelling in together in dense traffic the trailing vehicle will change lanes first, running defence for the lead vehicle who has the greater responsibility for watching the road ahead.

Ike and Jane did a great job of getting us close to our destination and as we chattered back and forth looking for the address were were joined by Sean’s welcomed voice over the walkie talkies as he told us to take the next turn. As we later found out, they had been very close behind the accident and also were delayed in the traffic so only had arrived about a half hour before us.

Sean helped us up to our rooms and we quickly cleaned, changed and headed out to our shows.

Day 31 – May 4

The Kanab RV Corral proved to be a good stop for us and in 30 days of travel it gets top points for the cleanest washrooms and laundry facilities. Although somewhat more costly than some sites ,$26 after our Good Sam discount, it is clear that they are putting that money back into the facilities. There is a loyal and friendly group of long term residents and maintenance staff that take great pride in their home.

After a somewhat leisurely start up and a short stop at the farmers market in Kanab we headed out on the 89 for Bryce Canyon. Our goal was to see Bryce and to get at least to Zion National Park for the night to position us for Vegas for tomorrow as we had tickets to see Carlos Santana. The drive out through Kanab showed us a south west style town that was immaculately groomed, with beautiful red sandstone pylons and street lamps marking the Main Street.

A stop in Hatch around noon for a coffee and leg stretch break broke up the morning ride. We arrived in Bryce Canyon and after getting some info from the visitors centre developed a plan, which was to drive to some of the scenic look offs and then to hike down into the canyon. Bryce is much smaller and more easily accessed than the Grand Canyon. You come upon it suddenly when the earth rises up in vibrant red cliffs full of phenomenal shapes and forms called hoodoos. Just as at the Grand Canyon this defies description. The vibrancy of the red cliffs and the multitude of shapes keep you gasping at each turn as you drive along the park roads.

After a quick lunch in a picnic area, we took the Sunrise trail as recommended at the visitors centre and emerged at the Sunset vantage point. The trail, much wider than at the Grand Canyon took us down to the bottom of the canyon through a series of switchbacks. At the start of the walk the wind was very high and although the trail in most places is wide there are places where it travels along ridges and the buffeting wind was very disconcerting.

If the Grand Canyon was staggering because of its magnitude, Bryce was inspiring because of its colours and shapes. In the Grand Canyon I felt insignificant in the enormity of it as we walked down the trail. In Bryce I felt more engulfed by the canyon and I found some places that as strange as this may sound, were more of a human scale where I could take some respite from the visual onslaught that confronted me at each turn of the trail.

Upon emerging from the trek we all agreed that Bryce Canyon was a site we were glad to have included on our journey.

By the time we had finished our hike we knew that we could not make it to Zion at a reasonable hour, as we have said before, all plans are STC, subject to change so we headed towards Zion looking for a spot close enough to afford us a morning arrival at Zion. We stopped at a KOA campground on highway 89, the Bryce Zion Campground. Jane and Carla cooked up a great supper of buttered chicken, rice and asparagus. We retired early in expectation of an early morning start.

Day 30 – May 3

Our plan for wheels rolling by 9:00 was close to being met by all. Sean and Carla wanted to see some of the displays in the Visitors Centre which they had by passed on their entry to the park so the MRT was off first, followed by the BRT whose occupants were in need of a shower after the hike of the previous day.

With a staggered start our plan was to meet at the first turn off to Tuba City, where there was a flea market we wanted to see, but really who could drive by a place named Tuba City and not stop to find out where the name came from. However as the road passed along the Little Colorado River we spotted the LRT at a scenic look off as we pulled off were soon joined by the MRT. I contrast to the desert and warming temperatures, to the south we could see the snow covered top of Humphreys Peak, at 12,633 feet the highest point in Arizona.

We arrived at Tuba City around 11 and after some directions from a local we found the flea market. Set in the middle of what on non market days must be a dirt parking lot the market was a bustle of open booths selling native jewellery, bags of beads and a variety of local foods. The foods included buffalo burgers, mutton, pulled pork and fried bread. Sean and Carla sampled the $5 buffalo burger, Jane and Ike the pulled pork and Diane and I the fried bread. After the usual cross sampling we all agreed that the food tasted as good as it smelled. Although a feast for eye and nose the food appeared to be the main reason most of the locals were attending.

After about an hour of exploring we headed off to visit the Navajo Museum in the town. The museum was well laid out and offered in interesting insight into Navajo culture and history, one that has been marked with hardship and adversity. The treatment of these people was similar to that of First Nations in many countries, in many instances nothing short of a policy of physical and cultural genocide. That fact that anything at all remains of the Navajo way of life is more a testament to the strength of that culture than it is to the ineffectiveness of the various attacks, both physical and cultural against it.

By 2:00 we were on our way heading towards Bryce Canyon. Along the way our route took us along the Little Colorado River which provided some other unique views of the Canyon. After some group consultation and calling ahead by Carla we were sure that there was no room at Bryce, as it was a Friday night. We started to explore options of campsites on the way and kept a watchful eye for any signs of camping sites. Carla consulted her Woodalls book and found a site in Kanab called the Kanab RV Corral. We found it without much effort and even though at first view appeared full we were given three adjacent sites. Although small sites they worked well for us as a group.

Having just crossed into Utah we found out that we had passed back into Mountain Time from the Pacific Time we had in Arizona due to their lack of adherence to Daylight Savings so we lost an hour and began to prepare supper around 8:00 in full sunlight which was a nice change. A meal of barbecued pork tenderloin was followed by a rousing game of ‘pass the pigs’ marked by enough laughter to cause us to be concerned about getting a reputation as the noisy Canadians so we retired to our RTs.

Day 28 – May 1 continued

We walked for a while along the rim of the canyon stopping frequently to take pictures but feeling challenged to take in the magnitude of this place. It is truly one of the most incredible demonstrations of natural beauty that I have ever seen and the quiet that overcame our normally vocal group spoke volumes of our shared impressions.

We returned to our campsites and the quickly dropping temperatures. The warmth of the afternoon was fading and we retreated to our respective RT’s to add some layers. Snacks around a pre dark campfire and then we retired to the spaciousness and warmth of the BRT for our first full complement communal supper of Greek chicken fajitas – don’t ask for the recipe, it’s one of those nonrecreatable dishes. As we are dry camping for two days we were trying to conserve power so a variety of flashlights appeared and were pressed into service, creating a very pleasant dining atmosphere with great friends.

Day 29 – May 2

A somewhat sluggish start after perhaps partying a bit too late the night before saw us heading to catch one of the park shuttle buses just before 10:00. In a very successful effort to reduce traffic congestion in the park three interconnecting loops of free shuttle busses make all parts of the park easily accessible. Our plan was to hike the South Kaibab Trail partway into the canyon. A surprisingly narrow path, whose edge is marked only with a row of boulders winds its way down the sides of the vertiginous cliffs, absent of any form of guardrail. It is a well worn path, with many rocks and imbedded logs creating steps in some of the steeper inclines required close attention to footing, which was contradictory to our desire to absorb the incredible scenery that surrounded us. Literally one false step could be your last. Although you might not actually fall all the way to the bottom of the canyon, the fall to the next fetch up point below would probably suffice to dispatch all but the most rubbery of hikers or leave survivors wishing that they hadn’t.

An additional challenge was presented by the trains of donkeys that were ascending from the canyon bottoms. Signs advise hikers to keep to the cliff side when confronted with an approaching train. The signs seemed absolutely unnecessary to me as only someone with a death wish would try to stay anywhere but pressed into the cliff side as these animals and riders passed. In future years geologists may puzzle at the butt-like impressions in the cliff face that I left as I avoided these slow moving beasts.

Breathtaking view after breathtaking view presented themselves as we walked down into the trail. Slowly the multiple layers of clothing that the cold early morning temperatures required began to be peeled off in response to the effort of hiking and as the heat of the day built and the wind felt at the rim subsided.

This is not a trail I would recommend for sufferers of vertigo. There were many spots when we opted to hug the cliff wall rather than stare over the edge and there were places where the path seems to disappear into space as you round a switchback corner. Keeping in mind that the trip up was going to be more far more arduous than the descent we hiked down for about an hour before stopping for our lunch on a little flat spot at the end of a switch back. We agreed that our simple sandwiches, water and fruit took on a special quality at what may be the most spectacular and yet at the same time most simple venue we might ever eat at with its rock chairs and tables.

Our ascent back to the rim was paced and less taxing than we had anticipated. The late afternoon was filled with various chores, showers, blog updates and possibly a stolen nap or two. We planned to take one of the shuttle buses along the rim to a vantage point noted for its views of the sunset. With a combination of good timing and blind good fortune we caught the last bus for Hermit’s Rest and arrived at one of the several view points along the route to a ‘click’ of photographers who, with cameras running the gamut from IPhones to a 120 film Hasselblad, were poised to capture the moment. I have decided that the collective noun for a group of photographers should be a ‘click’ – in an earlier entry I referred to a group of ‘Birders Americanus’ with the collective noun clutch. After some reconsideration and closer observation of the species I have decided to change that noun to a ‘gawk’, my apologies).

As the sun descended parts of the cliff sides were painted in ever deepening shades of pink and red while others passed into darkness. The finale of the show was the explosion of pinks in the few clouds overhead, contrasting against the ever deepening shades of blue in the canopy of sky beyond. Another unique and spectacular view of the Grand Canyon.

Sean and Carla provided steak for dinner. In fact steak doesn’t do this cut of meat justice, it would have been quite at home in the Fred and Wilma’s kitchen in our earlier Flintstone campsite and was beautifully prepared by Sean on his shiny new barbecue. Again, low temperatures moved us into the BRT which, with appropriate choreography, can host 6 for supper. The added bonus was the preheat all those bodies provided prior to an anticipated near freezing temperature overnight.

Day 27 – April 30

With one day to rendezvous we were well positioned and had a leisurely breakfast before departing to a couple of the local scenic attractions. We had several options but after a discussion with the camp host we decided upon Jerome and Sedona. He told us that there were opposite ends of the spectrum of tourist towns, Jerome being a historic mining town turned artisans village while Sedona was a high end shopping town for the well heeled citizens of Phoenix. Although we thought that we would probably blend in more at Jerome we had time to check out both before finding a overnight spot close to the Grand Canyon.

Jerome was just as it had been described with funky craft stores and art galleries and a lot of artists who may have seen the 70’s but sure weren’t ever going to be able to remember them.

We had lunch at a restaurant that specialized in hamburgers but we were unanimous in our opinion that the offerings were at best pedestrian and at worst reheated burgers, a disappointment to a group that punctuates it day with convivial meals.

After Jerome it was a short hop to Sedona. Our camp host guide had mentioned the scenery but we were taken aback as we rounded a curve to a wall of beautiful red mountains set off by the contrasting green pine and hardwood forests. As promised this was a very upscale little city. The downtown was lined with trendy shops offering everything from complete cowboy outfits, including gun holsters to very upscale jewellery stores promising the best of native art, they didn’t specify natives of which country however. The downtown was very low scale, two stories at most so views of the surrounding red mountains were unobstructed, making for a very pleasant walk.

As time pressed on we decided that we would head for Flagstaff, further west and look for some camping site that would provide us with an easy jumping off point for the next days run into the Grand Canyon and our long awaited rendezvous with Family # 2. Access to wi fi has been limited so we are not sure of their location but are confident that all will go as planned. As we drove through Flagstaff, quite a small town, we fuelled up and headed out on highway 180, ever watchful for some camping site. We saw a couple of sites for tents only as we drove along a very narrow highway, sheer high cliffs on one side and oncoming traffic on the other with no shoulder to speak of. The odd cyclist on the road also added to the excitement for Diane and Ike as they drove. At one point I had to pull in the passengers side mirror for fear of decapitating some hapless cyclist.

The drive was beautiful and as we suddenly emerged from the forested climb onto the plains approaching the canyon we were treated to the best sunset of the trip, thanks to the swirling clouds on the western horizon. As dark started to engulf us however we began to abandon hope that there was going to be any intervening camp sites before we arrived a day prematurely at the Grand Canyon. As reservations are recommended all year at this popular site we did not have any confidence that a site would be available.

However at the intersection with the 64 we saw the Fred Flintstone Camp Grounds. Yabb Dabba Do the sound pronounced. Yes alarms went off, but it was late and the notions of parking alongside the road may have effected our otherwise sound decision making. We were not deterred by the decor of the office and adjacent Wilma’s laundry done in ‘cave’ style complete with curved walls and rounded door openings. mercifully the attendant was not dressed in furs and did not have bones tied to any part of his body.

However, benefiting from previous experience, examinations of the washrooms preceded our decision to bed down in Bedrock. Still feeling full from the generous if unexciting lunch at Jerome we opted for snacking before turning in.

Day 28 – May 1

The light of dawn revealed the magnitude of our nocturnal decision. The 8 foot wall surrounding the ‘theme park’ component of this site formed the backdrop of our venue. The wall was white stucco with fake rocks painted on its surface in a unnatural palette of brown, orange, red, purple and blue. The wall was punctuated at about 10 foot intervals with columns that projected above the top of the wall fashioned to look like dinosaur bones. The mind reels at what clever devices lay beyond the confines of the enclosure forever scarring the minds of the youthful visitors. I chose not to investigate, confident that those wonders exceeded even my wildest expectations, set by the standards of the architectural efforts demonstrated in the office and wall.

Ike risked a shower and surprisingly advised that the shower head was not in fact a mastodon trunk thrust in through the window. A mere $1 afforded him 5 full minutes of luke warm water in a shower enclosure with a working floor drain, better than at least one previous venue we had settled in for the night. Serial readers of the blog will recall the ‘Western Skies Incident’ of Day 24, forever burned into our collective memories.

While Diane busied herself eliminating the backlog of our laundry, mercifully carried out in modern machines rather than the anticipated beating of clothes riverside on the rocks, Jane prepared a sumptuous group breakfast of pancakes with strawberries and Vermont Grade A medium amber maple syrup that we had purchased earlier in the trip. I find we compensate for our surroundings with our meals, the more dismal the site the better the food. Ike was busy trying to remove from their carpet the remnants of the flour and water mixture that had exploded from one of the LRT’s cupboards the previous day. Had the carpet been a bit thinner we would have considered just adding some toppings and throwing it into the oven as the mixture was well on its way to becoming well kneaded dough by the time the accident was discovered.

We chose to eat in the BRT despite the clear skies and warming temperatures as the ‘campsite’ really looked more like an abandoned drive in theatre than a place to have breakfast. The hook up posts where water and power are provided tilted from the grass less terrain at a variety of angles, none of them 90, and resemble the speaker stands of the aforementioned drive in theatre that had been struck one time too many by departing movie goers.

However on the positive side the sites were level and there was a dumping station. We were on the road by 11:00 for the short haul to the Grand Canyon. After a stop in the beautiful visitors centre where we watched a couple of movies explaining both the recent and geological history of the canyon we proceeded to the administrative building where there was wi-fi to check on the status of Sean and Carla. There was an email from Carla from the previous day explaining that they planned to take an early morning helicopter tour of the canyon. We spent some time checking up on emails and then headed to the campgrounds to check in. As we were waiting in line to confirm our reservations Sean and Carla drove into the parking lot.

Following a brief but vocal reunion we followed them to the campsite as they had already checked in. The expected exchange of stories ensued as we sat around enjoying the sunlight in the coolish temperatures of this altitude.

Our conversation was interrupted as an elk slowly grazed through the adjacent site. I had seen a sign earlier about not leaving ropes or clothes lines between the trees unattended due to the elk getting tangled. After seeing the size of this elk it would have to be a heavy rope and a very large tree to slow it down. Never having seen an elk up close before we were all amazed at its size. It was as big as a horse, and totally unconcerned about our presence. Although that nonchalance provided us with a great opportunity to observe the animal it was at the same time a bit disconcerting as the park information warned about approaching closer than 100 feet of the elk and deer in the spring mating season. Clearly, unlike the rattlesnakes of Gila, this elk couldn’t read so we kept a wary eye on it as it meandered through the adjacent sites.

We then all piled into the MRT and drove to the primary observation point for the canyon where Families # 1 and 3 were treated to their first views of the canyon. Here is words and even pictures fail to capture the magnitude of this wonder. Stretching as far as you can see is the expanse of the canyon with its multi coloured straitions marking the eons of sedimentation and geological upheavals that gave birth to the canyon. From the observation building we were afforded a 180 degree view of this section of the canyon. As we were on the south rim the view is across to the north rim, which is less developed and at about 8,000 feet elevation, a full 1,000 feet higher than the south rim.

Day 25 – April 28

We were on the road early, once again winding down from the heights of the ridge of the Continental Divide. The 35 proved to be a much more driver challenging road even though the slopes in places where just as attention grabbing as on the 15.

At one point up ahead we saw what appeared to be some sort of open pit mine. As we approached we were amazed at the size of the operation and pulled over to have a closer look. It was a copper mine that had been in operation for over 200 years. Looking to the far side of the excavation you could see puffs of smoke, indicating some sort of activity. I returned to the BRT to bring back my man sized binoculars. These aren’t your average ‘let’s take a look at that bird – binoculars’ they are for star gazing and would be better described as ‘you better put on your neck brace bubba before strapping these bad boys on – binoculars’. I have been accused of some compensation issues.

Upon closer observation we came to see that these little puffs of dust were caused by some monster excavators and 80 ton capacity trucks. Only then did we realize the scale of the hole we were looking into. The interpretive panel at the observation point noted that after the mining operations ceased New Mexico law required that the site be ‘restored’ but that signs of mining activity would always be present. As I looked at the tiny trucks moving around the bottom of the pit I imagined that would be the case.

Our next stop was Silver City. There is also a town called Vanadium and another called Radium Springs, which probably glows in the dark – part of the reason we decided to visit Silver City instead. Signs along the road had promoted Silver City as having dozens of galleries and shops. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, most of these shops were closed on Sunday and we were kept from temptation. We did have a great lunch at a restaurant interestingly named ‘Diane’s Parlor’ and luckily for us their cooking lived up to that name. Diane had what she declared as the best Eggs Benedict (other than mine of course) that she had ever had.

As we left the mountains and began driving across the desert heading for Phoenix we noted several plumes of dust on both sides of the road. At first they looked like what you would see from a vehicle driving along a dusty road but we soon realized that they were dust devils, little wind vortexes, sort of mini tornadoes. Now these aren’t the ‘I’m going to blow you and all of your stuff to Oz’ scale but they form the same kind of funnel and sometimes you could see two of them colliding and combining forces. I had had a close encounter with a much smaller one a couple of days earlier while driving the BRT and it gave us a pretty good shake so I kept a close eye on any of those whose path looked like it was going intersect ours.

We passed another milestone as we crossed into Arizona. The landscape and vegetation continued to change and we began to see our first Cowboy Cactus. Now the official name is Saguaro Cactus (pronounced suwarro) but we call them Cowboy Cactus because they are the ones you seen in Cowboy Movies and cartoons. They grow tall, and have several branches that look like up stretched arms. As we drove further we went through areas where entire hill sides were covered in these cactus.

We wanted to get close to Pheonix and were prepared for a late arrival at a campsite but around 6:00 we were pleasantly surprised to find that we must have passed through another time zone and had just picked up another hour, we were now 4 hours difference from home. The clock that came with the BRT reads home time. I could say that it was a sentimental gesture but to be honest it is so hard to change the monstrous little digital device that I gave up rather than drive over it with the BRT, which would have been the natural outcome of continued fiddling, so lets go with sentimental.

We made it to the Lost Dutchman State Park, which fortunately was must easier to find than its name suggested. Just east of Pheonix, situated right in the desert in the middle of the Cowboy Cactus Country. The camp host drove by to welcome us but returned several minutes later to apologize for failing to warn us about the rattlesnakes which, according to him, had been very common of late. He warned that any nocturnal trips to the washrooms should be made with a flashlight. I passed the information on to Ike who immediately stopped any liquid intake.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset, silhouetting the Cowboy Cactus, as we had supper. Of all the spectacular scenery we have seen so far there was something about that scene that brought home how far we have travelled.

Day 26 – April 29

We awoke to what promised to be another hot day. We have arrived in the middle of an unseasonal heat wave with temperatures of 100 degrees. And dry heat be damned, 100 degrees is stinking hot no matter what the humidity. We are all making an effort to stay hydrated, gentle headaches being a reminder for me if I fell behind in my intake.

Our plan today was to split up with Family #1 for the day. We were planning a tour of Taliesin West, the winter studio of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and as riveting an adventure as that sounded to Jane and Ike they opted to try and get their 12v electrical system fixed, which has continued to give them sporadic service, and to find a laundromat. We agreed to rendezvous at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park that night. I don’t know who has the job naming these parks but they could use a bit of training in marketing. I am on the watch for the Break Your Leg and Die in the Desert with Vultures Picking Your Bones Clean Park. It has to be around here somewhere.

Our tour of Taliesen West was great, although far from a pilgrimage, having appreciated the works of good old Frank Lloyd since my student days it was meaningful to see this work first hand. Originally located in the middle of the desert this site has now become engulfed by Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix. It was intended to be FLW’s winter camp where he, along with his ‘apprentices’ continued work on their architectural projects. These apprentices were really a mix between labourers, students and acolytes to the high priest Wright. Working only with natural materials at hand, stone and sand from the desert, redwood from the lumber yards of Pheonix these apprentices built the roads and structures that now form the core of this facility which still operates as an accredited university. Students must live on site and master students can build their own unserviced structures in the desert at their own expense if their design is approved. Tuition fees are $30,000 per year and like FLW each year the students migrate between Taliesen West and Taliesen East, as the seasons dictate. FLW lived to be in his 90’s and some of his original apprentices, themselves well into their 90’s still live and work here, sort of a living display of the long reaching impact of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work.

The guided tour took 2 hours and afforded a chance to see all the interior spaces of the facility, unlike the typical tour where rooms are cordoned off, this being a operating facility, every space was open and you could sit in the Wright designed and built furniture. A unique opportunity indeed.

After a stop for liquid and solid provisions we headed out on the 87 and 260 towards the enticingly named Dead Horse Ranch State Park. We had decided earlier to take this route rather than the faster interstate for the scenery and we were duly rewarded. As we climbed the mountainside, yet another mountainside, the vegetation changed from flat Cowboy Cactus country to pine forest mountainside. There were times when we felt that we could have driving in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, except for the mountains of course.

We arrived at Dead Horse Ranch about 7:00 to find that conveniently Jane and Ike had arrived about an hour before us and had reserved a spot for us next to them. They did not have any success at Camping World with their problem except a promise to look at it in 3 weeks but they did score on a laundromat which by their description had an atmosphere more like the bar in Cheers than you might expect in your typical laundromat.

A late-ish supper of barbecued chicken and wok fried broccoli I ended the night.

Cool again this morning but by afternoon it was on with the AC again. And of course clear and sunny – in this part of the world why would you expect otherwise :-). The evening in the Days Inn was great with a nice meal from the small family restaurant. I bailed on having the Navajo Taco which was a good thing. It was a monster, like most food in Texas and Arizona. Smothered or perhaps drowning is a better word in cheese (pepper-jack and American cheese [courtesy of the oil industry] are favorites) and sour cream, tons of sour cream. Somewhere within was meat of some sort, veggies, salsa and of course, red sauce (the best), burns coming and going (sorry).

We spent most of the day in the coolest (neatest) place we have seen in many a year. The Painted Desert & Petrified Forest National Park. It stretches for about 30nm north to south and starts just off the I-40.

It is like an other planet. Subtle hues of brown, grey, yellows, reds, purples, really every color. From the Painted Dessert to the Tee Pees (structures that remain after all else has eroded) were unique. Dry river beds and of course logs. It looks like someone cut them with a chain saw but apparently a diamond saw is the only way to do it. The trees were buried in swamps a bizillion years ago when the continents were differently aligned. The original wood fiber was replaced with silica over many eons and what was once a tree eventually becomes a glass, quartz, agate, or whatever tree. The colouring comes from iron and other minerals that color the ‘logs’ As the soils underneath the logs erodes away, these logs fall apart in about 1 m sections. Whole areas of the desert floor looked like someone had tossed a couple of cord of wood down there. But unlike wood, the replacement weighs several magnitudes more and a section of 1 m former log can weigh in excess of a ton. I was challenged by the town of Holbrook information guy to pick up a piece. The conversation started because I thought it would be relatively easy to steal a piece. Ha, I was given a 1 foot log slab about 10 inches in diameter and while I could have lifted it, physio would have been required. The stuff is so dense. And this explain why more isn’t stolen, that and it appears to be everywhere. The Navajo and Cherokee both harvest this product from the desert areas of their lands and sell it for about $2 a pound. But within the park, people have been known to take a piece. In fact, you are given a form to fill out if you see someone taking stuff. The story is that if you steal it you will be cursed, unless of course you buy it. Anyhow, the following letter is from what I hope is a younger person full of remorse returning a piece he stole from the park. This and other letters were posted in the ranger station, enjoy!

From there we headed to Flagstaff. There were very high winds and dust and sand were blowing about in dense clouds that brought visibility down to 200m at times. But it cleared after a while and as we approached Flagstaff we drove through the continental divide at 7,335 feet. Trees became more plentiful as we neared the west side of town and hopes were high for a nice treed campground for the night. But it was not to be. We ended up heading towards Grand Canyon just north of the village of Williams. KOA was again our host for the night and a few trees were available that we took full advantage. And of course, the amenities were excellent. We were now just 50 miles form GC and somewhere nearby was the BRT and the LRT but we had no way of n=knowing as they had gone tech-stealth over the previous few days.

A very nice meal and we had booked GC helicopter flights for the following day, but not until 11AM, so a slow start was possible with just 50 miles to go.