Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Day 38.
I woke outside a service station in the middle of nowhere, and met a guy from Pennsylvania who really annoyed me. I don't think it was anything he said, just his attitude. With that the day only got better. We drove east and then turned northward towards Utah, passing through Monument Valley. A quick stop at the Navajo Monument Valley Tribal Park visitor centre, and then on to the good stuff - a 17 mile dirt road self-guided tour of the mesas, buttes, and spires that make up the heart of monument valley. I had to ask an indian woman along the way just how to pronounce "butte", as there were names like "Camel Butte" and "Elephant Butte" and I couldn't stop myself from giggling when I read them. But she spoilt it for me: Butte is pronounced like "beaut".
The village of Mexican Hat marked the end of Navajo territory but not the end of the spectacular landscape. I wondered why in indian country they would name a village Mexican Hat, and driving out i discovered why.. a delicately balanced rock formation which looked exactly like a head wearing a sombrero.
We drove on, and pulled up in the manti la sal national forest for the night. I was thinking the poor bus was starting to lose it but then I realised we'd been steadily climbing many thousands of feet that day.
Day 39.
Moab, Utah. We got in mid morning in time for the next 3000 mile oil change and grooming required for ebay. That done it was onto Arches national park to see the worlds largest concentration of natural arches. A funny thing happened in the parking lot of the visitor centre. When I came out I couldn't help noticing that the van was not in the same spot I had left it. It turns out I forgot to put the handbrake on, and it had quietly rolled back through the busy carpark to pull up perfectly in a spot right next to another car! Ironically, the VW has better luck when reversing without me.
The park is awesome. It's hard to believe that this kind of landscape can exist. Picture Katatjuta (the Olgas) in outback Aus, then multiply it by about 1000 and then throw in a few hundred natural bridges. Sadly Forrie couldn't go beyond carparks so I didn't venture too far beyond them either.
Day 40.
We got up early and headed down to the colorado river for breakfast, and then out to Negro Bill's Canyon, a 4 mile walk up a canyon to yet another natural bridge. This time we were out of the national park so forrie could come, and it was a beautiful day - i haven't mentioned that since leaving Arizona we've been at a higher elevation and the temperature has been bearable. We got up and back, washed in the stream, and then came back to the main business of May 10: book forries plane ticket, book USDA appointments, list one limping VW on ebay.
All that went relatively smoothly. But in the process, I had to measure the dog crate for the airline, so I loosened the straps off it and moved it across the roof-rack to where i could reach it. I didn't have a tape measure but the trusty lonely planet guide had a 7 inch rule on its inside cover. So i cut some dental floss to 7 inches and got the damn crate measured in the end. I did a few other things and then we went to stock up before leaving moab. I scared the crap out of myself when I got out at the supermarket to see the dog crate balancing precariously over the side of the roof.. two days out of two for being a stupid eediot.
We raced the sun to the horizon as we made our way to Canyonlands national park. It beat us, just. Which is a pity because if my jaw dropped when I saw Arches national park, then my eyes must have popped out when I saw Canyonlands! Here the Colorado and Green rivers have carved their way through this high plateau over millions of years, leaving canyons upon canyons with staggering rock formations that quite frankly leave "the grand" canyon looking a little less grandiose. Add this place to 'must see's' in america.
But I've been neglecting the list I started a while back - guidelines on traveling cross-country america:
Rule 3: Never, NEVER, drive into the most rugged place in the country without an adequate fuel supply.
This area of Utah is the most rugged, inhospitable part of America. It was also the last area of the US to be surveyed. The national park does not have the major facilities that most others do. I realised when I was right in the heart of it that right about now I should be filling my gas tank! With not many options I didn't see the point in getting upset about it, so we drove another 6 miles in to see the view I was looking for. Thankfully the dog crate didn't fall off earlier, as the much needed spare gas was in it! We should have enough to get us out to the main road, but beyond that who knows. That will be a story for tomorrow as now we've found a great campsite overlooking this enchanted countryside.
Day 41.
Ok I exagerated. It turned out there was gas as soon as we got to the main road. But it was Shell, so I only got the minimum that would get me to the next one! All round a pretty uneventful day, just driving, stopping, driving, stopping. There was one moment of glory in it though: after over 5500 miles we finally overtook another vehicle! Granted it was an SUV hitched to a caravan that was hitched to a boat. I thought my bus was like a sail in the wind, but this thing was snaking all over the road and I hadn't even noticed the wind. It all became clear when I stopped at the information booth entering Capitol Reef national park and the SUV/caravan/boat pulled up. There was no wind - the driver was rat-faced drunk. He left first and I gave him a healthy head start.
Capitol Reef's major geological feature is a giant wrinkle in the earths crust that stretches 100 miles, caused by the buckling of rock followed by millions of years of erosion to where it now looks like a horizonal staircase. It wasn't as impressive as some of the other parks, but to be fair to the park I didn't spend much time there.
Day 42.
Our campng savior has been national forests. Here you can free camp anywhere for up to two weeks, and they usually surround the national parks so have remarkable scenery too. This morning I took forrie for a hike with the sole purpose of finding a rattlesnake. We didn't. I saw another jack-rabbit but that doesn't really cut it.
With the bus on ebay and highest bid I'm told is currently around $1200, I decided to take the less strenuous drive around to Bryce Canyon national park. We arrived very late afternoon, got some good information at the national forest information center on the outskirts of the national park, then went to check out the canyon. With all the canyons I've seen the past week or so, I was tempted to skip yet another one but my god I'm glad I didn't. If the grand canyon is "grand", canyonlands "grander", and arches "spectucular", Bryce Canyon has to be the most beautiful of them all. From the rim down to the bottom the erosion has created thousands of intricate spires that they call "hoodoos", and you can wind your way down squeezing your way through them into the pine and juniper forest below. Its like a fairyland, really.
The day ended parked at a campsite in the national forest complete with toilet, fire pit and picnic table (more facilities than I've had yet). I lit my first fire for this trip and settled down with the guitar to enjoy the full moon creeping over the tree tops.
Day 43.
We hiked into red canyon where dogs are allowed and did just a 4 mile hike but boy there were some hills packed into those 4 miles! The canyon looks like a bryce canyon in the making with smaller spires surrounded by red shingle waiting for erosion to take it elsewhere. That afternoon I was torn between staying another night and making some more progress west. Bryce canyon won out - I couldn't resist taking another hike through it.
That evening at camp I met a couple also doing a cross country trip, so we shared dinner, fire, and travel tips.
Day 44.
We got off to an early start and headed down to Zion national park. The drive took us down several thousand feet and we slowly wound our way down through tunnels and into the canyon. The early start turned out to be a waste of time as by the time we got there it was late morning and being at a lower elevation it was also damn hot. And then there were the tourists - jesus god there were a lot. We stayed long enough to find out about some free camping out the other side of the park and got out of there!
The heat of the day was spent swimming and chatting with the locals there, but once it started to cool we headed back into Zion. The crowds had left and I did a really nice hike called Angels Landing. Its a 5 mile 1500ft climb to the top of a rock overlooking the canyon, and the last half mile was a scramble across cliffs and ledges thankfully with chains to hold on to - at some points there were 1200ft sheer drops either side of the trail. Going up was bad enough, but going down was worse - you had to look down!
Zion seems to be rated as one of the most popular national parks whenever I talk to people and the cynical side of me can't help but think its because its the only national park in this part of the country where you can drive right down into the canyon - all of the other canyons require exercise to be appreciated...
Day 45.
Today we really did get off to an early start to make some miles before the heat set in. The goal was to get half way across Nevada. Arizona made a surprise appearance on our trip as my excellent navigation skills sent us where I hadn't expected.
The real fun part began when we headed north into Nevada up route 375, "the extraterrestrial highway". The road took us up around the Nevada test sites and past the front gate of Area 51 - allegedly the most top-secret of all US military sites, and even more allegedly the place where the extraterrestrial corpse from the Roswell incident was taken. There was no front gate though, just a dirt road with a letterbox. I noticed it as I passed, but it wasn't until I hit the village of Rachel that I learnt what was there, at a bar called the A'li'Inn. That was pretty much all there was in Rachel. In the bar there was the usual alien paraphenalia, but what got my attention was a chiller covered in bumper stickers with three themes - gun control, bill clinton, or aliens. The only positive stickers were about aliens! Here's a taste: "guns cause crime like flies cause gargage", or "control your kids not my guns", or "take the bite out of crime - shoot the bastards", or "those who beat their guns into plows will plow for those who don't". These guys were hardcore so I picked my jaw up off the floor and kept my mouth shut.
While sitting at the bar 12 people simultaneously almost soiled themselves as all of a sudden a huge BOOM rang out and the bar shook - I was one of them. I thought it was a bomb being detonated over in the test site, but the barmaid - the only in the person in the place looking calm - told us it was the sonic boom of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. We went outside and sure enough there was a jet, and then another earth-shaking boom as another jet broke the speed of sound in hot pursuit. So much for top secret. As I left at dusk the barmaid warned me of the cattle on the road and of low flying jets that like to play games with the traffic.
This is the most remote part of the country we've been in. Like outback australia it can take half an hour before being granted the excitement of turning the steering wheel a nudge before the next long straight. The road is good but hard on the bus, with long uphill stretches over a pass and then a short drop down before the next long uphill, and with night setting in the cattle roam free on the road and packs of wild horses play nearby.
I woke outside a service station in the middle of nowhere, and met a guy from Pennsylvania who really annoyed me. I don't think it was anything he said, just his attitude. With that the day only got better. We drove east and then turned northward towards Utah, passing through Monument Valley. A quick stop at the Navajo Monument Valley Tribal Park visitor centre, and then on to the good stuff - a 17 mile dirt road self-guided tour of the mesas, buttes, and spires that make up the heart of monument valley. I had to ask an indian woman along the way just how to pronounce "butte", as there were names like "Camel Butte" and "Elephant Butte" and I couldn't stop myself from giggling when I read them. But she spoilt it for me: Butte is pronounced like "beaut".
The village of Mexican Hat marked the end of Navajo territory but not the end of the spectacular landscape. I wondered why in indian country they would name a village Mexican Hat, and driving out i discovered why.. a delicately balanced rock formation which looked exactly like a head wearing a sombrero.
We drove on, and pulled up in the manti la sal national forest for the night. I was thinking the poor bus was starting to lose it but then I realised we'd been steadily climbing many thousands of feet that day.
Day 39.
Moab, Utah. We got in mid morning in time for the next 3000 mile oil change and grooming required for ebay. That done it was onto Arches national park to see the worlds largest concentration of natural arches. A funny thing happened in the parking lot of the visitor centre. When I came out I couldn't help noticing that the van was not in the same spot I had left it. It turns out I forgot to put the handbrake on, and it had quietly rolled back through the busy carpark to pull up perfectly in a spot right next to another car! Ironically, the VW has better luck when reversing without me.
The park is awesome. It's hard to believe that this kind of landscape can exist. Picture Katatjuta (the Olgas) in outback Aus, then multiply it by about 1000 and then throw in a few hundred natural bridges. Sadly Forrie couldn't go beyond carparks so I didn't venture too far beyond them either.
Day 40.
We got up early and headed down to the colorado river for breakfast, and then out to Negro Bill's Canyon, a 4 mile walk up a canyon to yet another natural bridge. This time we were out of the national park so forrie could come, and it was a beautiful day - i haven't mentioned that since leaving Arizona we've been at a higher elevation and the temperature has been bearable. We got up and back, washed in the stream, and then came back to the main business of May 10: book forries plane ticket, book USDA appointments, list one limping VW on ebay.
All that went relatively smoothly. But in the process, I had to measure the dog crate for the airline, so I loosened the straps off it and moved it across the roof-rack to where i could reach it. I didn't have a tape measure but the trusty lonely planet guide had a 7 inch rule on its inside cover. So i cut some dental floss to 7 inches and got the damn crate measured in the end. I did a few other things and then we went to stock up before leaving moab. I scared the crap out of myself when I got out at the supermarket to see the dog crate balancing precariously over the side of the roof.. two days out of two for being a stupid eediot.
We raced the sun to the horizon as we made our way to Canyonlands national park. It beat us, just. Which is a pity because if my jaw dropped when I saw Arches national park, then my eyes must have popped out when I saw Canyonlands! Here the Colorado and Green rivers have carved their way through this high plateau over millions of years, leaving canyons upon canyons with staggering rock formations that quite frankly leave "the grand" canyon looking a little less grandiose. Add this place to 'must see's' in america.
But I've been neglecting the list I started a while back - guidelines on traveling cross-country america:
Rule 3: Never, NEVER, drive into the most rugged place in the country without an adequate fuel supply.
This area of Utah is the most rugged, inhospitable part of America. It was also the last area of the US to be surveyed. The national park does not have the major facilities that most others do. I realised when I was right in the heart of it that right about now I should be filling my gas tank! With not many options I didn't see the point in getting upset about it, so we drove another 6 miles in to see the view I was looking for. Thankfully the dog crate didn't fall off earlier, as the much needed spare gas was in it! We should have enough to get us out to the main road, but beyond that who knows. That will be a story for tomorrow as now we've found a great campsite overlooking this enchanted countryside.
Day 41.
Ok I exagerated. It turned out there was gas as soon as we got to the main road. But it was Shell, so I only got the minimum that would get me to the next one! All round a pretty uneventful day, just driving, stopping, driving, stopping. There was one moment of glory in it though: after over 5500 miles we finally overtook another vehicle! Granted it was an SUV hitched to a caravan that was hitched to a boat. I thought my bus was like a sail in the wind, but this thing was snaking all over the road and I hadn't even noticed the wind. It all became clear when I stopped at the information booth entering Capitol Reef national park and the SUV/caravan/boat pulled up. There was no wind - the driver was rat-faced drunk. He left first and I gave him a healthy head start.
Capitol Reef's major geological feature is a giant wrinkle in the earths crust that stretches 100 miles, caused by the buckling of rock followed by millions of years of erosion to where it now looks like a horizonal staircase. It wasn't as impressive as some of the other parks, but to be fair to the park I didn't spend much time there.
Day 42.
Our campng savior has been national forests. Here you can free camp anywhere for up to two weeks, and they usually surround the national parks so have remarkable scenery too. This morning I took forrie for a hike with the sole purpose of finding a rattlesnake. We didn't. I saw another jack-rabbit but that doesn't really cut it.
With the bus on ebay and highest bid I'm told is currently around $1200, I decided to take the less strenuous drive around to Bryce Canyon national park. We arrived very late afternoon, got some good information at the national forest information center on the outskirts of the national park, then went to check out the canyon. With all the canyons I've seen the past week or so, I was tempted to skip yet another one but my god I'm glad I didn't. If the grand canyon is "grand", canyonlands "grander", and arches "spectucular", Bryce Canyon has to be the most beautiful of them all. From the rim down to the bottom the erosion has created thousands of intricate spires that they call "hoodoos", and you can wind your way down squeezing your way through them into the pine and juniper forest below. Its like a fairyland, really.
The day ended parked at a campsite in the national forest complete with toilet, fire pit and picnic table (more facilities than I've had yet). I lit my first fire for this trip and settled down with the guitar to enjoy the full moon creeping over the tree tops.
Day 43.
We hiked into red canyon where dogs are allowed and did just a 4 mile hike but boy there were some hills packed into those 4 miles! The canyon looks like a bryce canyon in the making with smaller spires surrounded by red shingle waiting for erosion to take it elsewhere. That afternoon I was torn between staying another night and making some more progress west. Bryce canyon won out - I couldn't resist taking another hike through it.
That evening at camp I met a couple also doing a cross country trip, so we shared dinner, fire, and travel tips.
Day 44.
We got off to an early start and headed down to Zion national park. The drive took us down several thousand feet and we slowly wound our way down through tunnels and into the canyon. The early start turned out to be a waste of time as by the time we got there it was late morning and being at a lower elevation it was also damn hot. And then there were the tourists - jesus god there were a lot. We stayed long enough to find out about some free camping out the other side of the park and got out of there!
The heat of the day was spent swimming and chatting with the locals there, but once it started to cool we headed back into Zion. The crowds had left and I did a really nice hike called Angels Landing. Its a 5 mile 1500ft climb to the top of a rock overlooking the canyon, and the last half mile was a scramble across cliffs and ledges thankfully with chains to hold on to - at some points there were 1200ft sheer drops either side of the trail. Going up was bad enough, but going down was worse - you had to look down!
Zion seems to be rated as one of the most popular national parks whenever I talk to people and the cynical side of me can't help but think its because its the only national park in this part of the country where you can drive right down into the canyon - all of the other canyons require exercise to be appreciated...
Day 45.
Today we really did get off to an early start to make some miles before the heat set in. The goal was to get half way across Nevada. Arizona made a surprise appearance on our trip as my excellent navigation skills sent us where I hadn't expected.
The real fun part began when we headed north into Nevada up route 375, "the extraterrestrial highway". The road took us up around the Nevada test sites and past the front gate of Area 51 - allegedly the most top-secret of all US military sites, and even more allegedly the place where the extraterrestrial corpse from the Roswell incident was taken. There was no front gate though, just a dirt road with a letterbox. I noticed it as I passed, but it wasn't until I hit the village of Rachel that I learnt what was there, at a bar called the A'li'Inn. That was pretty much all there was in Rachel. In the bar there was the usual alien paraphenalia, but what got my attention was a chiller covered in bumper stickers with three themes - gun control, bill clinton, or aliens. The only positive stickers were about aliens! Here's a taste: "guns cause crime like flies cause gargage", or "control your kids not my guns", or "take the bite out of crime - shoot the bastards", or "those who beat their guns into plows will plow for those who don't". These guys were hardcore so I picked my jaw up off the floor and kept my mouth shut.
While sitting at the bar 12 people simultaneously almost soiled themselves as all of a sudden a huge BOOM rang out and the bar shook - I was one of them. I thought it was a bomb being detonated over in the test site, but the barmaid - the only in the person in the place looking calm - told us it was the sonic boom of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. We went outside and sure enough there was a jet, and then another earth-shaking boom as another jet broke the speed of sound in hot pursuit. So much for top secret. As I left at dusk the barmaid warned me of the cattle on the road and of low flying jets that like to play games with the traffic.
This is the most remote part of the country we've been in. Like outback australia it can take half an hour before being granted the excitement of turning the steering wheel a nudge before the next long straight. The road is good but hard on the bus, with long uphill stretches over a pass and then a short drop down before the next long uphill, and with night setting in the cattle roam free on the road and packs of wild horses play nearby.
panoramic of monument valley
mexican hat rock!
arches national park
landscape arch, arches national park
looks like a snow shower? its the cottonwoods
full moon over canyonlands national park
longhorns
top of a climb in red canyon
bryce canyon panoramic - you'll need to click it to enlarge
bryce canyon panoramic
zion canyon, zion national park
this was the last scramble up to angels landing
rachel, nevada
some happy redneck stickers
