Road Trip Part IV: Zion National Park

Our next destination was Zion National Park and as we drove in the lesser visited East Entrance, this is what we saw.

My immediate reaction was "oh Zion, how could I have lived over 50 years, traveled the world extensively, and never set foot in you before???  You are absolutely, stunningly beautiful.  I am in love!"

We arrived in the park only to discover that all of the campgrounds were full.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because we found a campground located just a few miles outside the park which was part of Zion Mountain Ranch.  Zion Mountain Ranch has thousands of acres of pristine views, a herd of buffalo and dozens of horses which abutted our campsite.

This photo of the buffalo at Zion Mountain Ranch is from Google images

In fact, our campsite was far nicer than any of those in the actual park itself.

The following morning we awoke early to tackle the Zion Narrows, a slot canyon hike in the Virgin River that has been on my "life list" for decades.  Zion Narrows is a 16 mile long canyon hike and is probably one of the most famous hikes in the world.   Despite the fact we were in the river early, the trail was already crowded.  Fortunately for us, some hikers we met earlier in Bryce Canyon told us about a turn-off several miles up the Virgin River which was just as beautiful, but had almost no visitors.  To get into this side canyon, hikers needed to wade into chest deep, frigid water and scale a bunch of boulders.  Needless to say, that kept most people away. 

Once we were in the side canyon, we only saw a handful of people and the scenery was just as spectacular.  

Despite the fact the main trail had hundreds of other hikers, it was still stunning.  We spent most of the day exploring the Narrows.  

When, not if, we return, I would like to backpack the entire canyon and camp out along the way.  This time we did an out and back hike, but it's possible to get a backcountry permit and camp along the canyon.  

The following day, we climbed Angels Landing, another one of Zion's most famous hikes.  Angels landing is a 5 mile (roundtrip) hike up a well maintained trail full of steep switchbacks.

 

The last 1/2 mile of the hike is on a very exposed, rock fin that drops off thousands of feet in both directions.  Once on the fin, hikers pull themselves up the rocks with heavy chains that are bolted in.  Mikaela is not a fan of heights, so she opted to wait for us at the base of the fin, but kudos to her for making it that far.

 

The summit was spectacular, with red mountains and green valleys as far as the eye could see.

That night, Kristi and I splurged and went out for dinner at Zion Mountain Ranch's restaurant located in an old, log cabin.  (The kids thought it was cool that we left them to cook their own meal at the campsite.)  It turns out, the ranch has a huge organic garden which provides the produce the restaurant uses.  We both ordered a delicious roasted vegetable salad and we sat there, looking at the herd of buffalo, sipping a glass of wine and chatting about how incredibly lucky we were to have had such a fantastic time in such a beautiful place. 

p.s.  I found this website to be full of great info about Zion:  http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/

Road Trip Part III -- Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

After leaving Dixie National Forest, we drove for a few scenic hours to Bryce Canyon National Park.  Bryce has long been on my list of parks I wanted to visit.  In fact, I once had a dentist whose first name was Kanyon.  He told me his parents named him that because he was conceived in Bryce back in their "hippie days."  I loved that story and it sort of added to the allure.  Bryce Canyon certainly didn't disappoint.

Despite the fact we didn't have reservations, we managed to score a terrific campsite right inside the park.

One of the first things we did, was participate in a ranger led hike along the Rim trail to learn about the park's geology, particularly the formation of hoodoos.  Hoodoos are rock spires located all over the park and are formed as a result of erosion.  It turns out, Bryce is cold most of the year and in fact, has 180-200 days of frost.  These spires are formed when water seeps into the rock and freezes.  Naturally, it expands which causes erosion.  The wind also helps speed things along. 

We enjoyed climbing all over the hoodoos.

Connor caught this baby horny toad, which I was tempted to keep.  It was absolutely adorable!

We took several hikes in Bryce, but by far, the coolest thing we did was a 13 mile night hike lit only by the full moon.  We intentionally picked a trail that sees few visitors and we lucked into having the place all to ourselves. 

We began the hike a little before sunset and never once had to turn on our headlamps.  The trail was magical.  We had so much fun taking in this adventure together.

Several times we stopped to rest and saw shooting stars!  Even better, when we reached the Rim Trail at the end, there were two astronomers who had excellent quality telescopes set up.  We were able to view the rings around Saturn--VERY COOL and the moon, which was so bright, it almost hurt to look at.

The next day, we headed to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, which consists of 1.9 million acres of preserved desert wilderness.  There are no paved roads in this park, very little water, services are almost non-existent and four wheel drive vehicles are highly recommended.  Puh-shah--Scarlett, my minivan felt up to the task, so off we went.  She's not one to let bumpy, rutted dirt roads or stream crossings stop her!

Now I have to be honest and say that Kristi and I had to sell the kids on this hike.  After all, they were up a good portion of the previous night hiking 13 miles.  So I told them that is was going to be a spectacular, relatively short, flat, 3 mile hike through a narrow slot canyon.  (I bet you know where this story is going...)

Smiles at the start

And that's what it started off to be.  When we began the hike, it was new and fresh...beautiful and fun, with lots of scrambling.  However, I failed to take two things into account.  A slot canyon with no water has a ton of sand, which makes hiking more strenuous than usual.

The second and more significant issue was we missed the not very well marked exit and continued hiking for miles...and miles before we realized that we weren't exactly lost, but we were going to have to do a lot of backtracking.  Oh, and we were about out of water, nobody knew where we were, and it was going to be dark in an hour or two.  It was one of those lessons in what NOT to do when out hiking. 

Kaity was very happy to hear the news that we had to turn around and walk several miles back to the exit and then another 3 miles to the car--NOT.

Thankfully, Kristi, Kaity and my kids were total troopers.  We eventually found the exit and lucked out seeing a Ford Explorer driving past us.  I chased after it, flagged it down and begged the photographer inside to drive me to my van.  He generously obliged and by the time we exited the park, it was pitch dark and 9:00 at night.  The next big challenge was finding someplace to eat in the middle of nowhere.  Let's just say when we finally found a diner at almost 10:00 pm, the waitress asked Mikaela if she wanted french fries, mashed potatoes or a baked potato with her meal, and she replied, YES!  We all still laugh at that.  In fact, we still laugh about the hike.  I always tell my kids, it's the misadventures you'll remember and laugh about all your lives.  Sometimes, you just need a good mishap to turn the mundane into extraordinary.

Road Trip Part II--Cedar Breaks National Monument and Dixie National Forest

Sorry I haven't posted in months.  Between teaching full-time at Virginia Commonwealth University, homeschooling Connor and Mikaela and doing about a gazillion other things, I haven't had much free time.  That said, I really want to capture this remarkable adventure we had, so here goes.

My friend Kristi and her daughter Kaity flew into Las Vegas and we picked them up and immediately headed out for Dixie National Forest in Utah.  Several hours later, we set up camp at a rustic National Forest Service campground called Cedar Canyon.

First up on our agenda was visiting Cedar Breaks National Monument.  Cedar Breaks is located at 10,000 feet above sea level and consists of a beautiful canyon/amphitheater that is over 1/2 mile deep.  I had read that Cedar Breaks was a scaled down version of Bryce Canyon, but without the crowds.  It was gorgeous!

Cedar Breaks National Monument is also one of the darkest sky locations in all of North America.  Every summer, they host dark sky events, but unfortunately, we were there before they were scheduled (which is not until July).  

We hiked the Rim Trail, which was only a few miles long, but it still managed to get our heart rates up, given the fact we came from sea level and the hike started at 10,000 feet.  Cedar Breaks is also known for it's bristlecone pine trees, one of which is more than 1,600 years old!  We hiked to that tree as well.  It's hard to believe that several of those trees were over 1,000 years old.
 

When we got back to the campground, we met a man who told us about a hiking trail called the Virgin Rim Trail which was located a few miles up the road.  The kids wanted to chill out at the campsite, so Kristi and I decided to go check it out.  Thank God we did!  This trail was so gorgeous, I literally can't stop thinking about it. 

The trail was a bit difficult to find, especially since the trail head sign was knocked over.

 Imagine a picture perfect Aspen forest,

with a floor comprised of acres and acres of blooming bluebells as far as you can see.

 

Then add a perfectly groomed single track trail flanked by a bunch of other wildflowers

and spectacular rock formations, and you get the idea.   The Virgin Rim trail is 32 miles long and runs from Cedar Mountain to Zion National Park.  I fully intend to go back in the not too distant future and backpack the entire trail.

 

We loved this trail so much, we brought the kids back next day to hike it with us.

 

We even managed to find a spring along the way.

As an interesting aside, when Kristi got home from UT, she also raved about the Virgin Rim Trail--so much so that her husband surprised her with this beautiful painting done by a Utah artist for her birthday.

While we were in Dixie National Forest, we also came across a huge lava flow near Navajo Lake that beckoned for us to explore it. These lava flows run for miles and reportedly are the result of an eruption which took place sometime around 1050 A.D.  Nothing like bringing geology to life.

Next up, Bryce Canyon National Park.

ROAD TRIP: Richmond, VA to Las Vegas, NV

It's hard to believe, but Connor, Mikaela and I are just wrapping up our 7th year of homeschooling!  When I began  homeschooling the kids, I had all sorts of cool visions of these epic adventures we'd have together.  I imagined us studying the ancient Egyptians while sailing the Nile and climbing over ruins in Luxor. I could picture us becoming fluent in Spanish by studying the language at some small school in rural Guatemala.  I envisioned us going back to Cambodia to do volunteer work with sex-trafficked kids and I dreamed of us taking epic backpacking trips, perhaps along the Appalachian or John Muir trails.

Somehow, these epic adventures never transpired.  We have taken at least a gazillion field trips and mini-trips (only just a slight exaggeration) over the years, but somehow life, work, time, school, lessons, extracurricular activities and money managed to get in the way of us doing something really extraordinary.  Several months ago it dawned on me that if we were going to do it, now was the time.  We only have one more year of homeschooling before Connor and Mikaela head off to public high school and we'll then be totally tied to a school schedule.

So after giving it much thought and talking it over with Bob and the kids, we decided that I'd take the kids on a 5 week road trip out West--camping, hiking, backpacking and exploring along the way.  I invited my Dad to join us for the first week.  My mom, sisters and I have taken dozens of "female bonding" trips literally all over the world over the past 20 years, but I had never done anything like that with my father.  Several months ago, Bob's Dad passed away and it really hit home for me that time is short.  I really wanted to spend some quality time with my Dad and this seemed like a fantastic way to do so.  Fortunately, he agreed to join us and drive with us from Richmond to Las Vegas.

And so, on the morning of June 2nd, we packed up Scarlett (my minivan) and off we went.

Our first stop was to one of my absolute, very favorite places in Virginia and it's only 2 hours from our home--the Virginia Safari Park.  This park is by far, one of the coolest animal experiences I've ever had--which is saying something since I've been on two African safaris!  Basically, you purchase buckets of feed and slowly drive for 3 miles through the safari park and all the while, dozens of animals come and literally stick their heads in your car.  My Dad had never been there before and Connor and Mikaela didn't remember it, so I couldn't wait to take them.  Fortunately, it was every bit as fun as I imagined it would be.  We loved it and laughed so hard!

This deer let me rub the velvet on his antlers which was so very soft!

I couldn't help but laugh at my Dad as he quickly rolled up the window when the bison approached the car.  I can't imagine why he didn't want that head with its horns sticking in the window just inches from his face!

We drove through the park 3 times so everyone could have a chance to sit up front and feed the animals (the downside of a minivan).  Here's Mikaela with an ostrich.

Connor cracked me up the most.  Here he is being quasi-brave with one lone dromedary camel.

However, when two bactrian camels poked their heads in the window, he was almost in my lap!

The camels are notorious for stealing the buckets of food.  We lost 3 of our 4 buckets to them!  They are the only animals behind a fence, yet they still manage to get inside the car.

After leaving the Safari Park, we drove a couple of hours to our first campsite at Claytor Lake State Park in Dublin, Virginia.  Claytor Lake is a small, but beautifully maintained park on a large lake, flanked by the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

 

The next day, we drove about six hours to Cumberland Mountain State Park in Tennessee.  This park had a small lake, great trails for hiking and running, and it had a restaurant which claimed to have a "famous seafood buffet." So all day, we chatted about how we were going to splurge and get the buffet.  We could almost taste the king crab legs and broiled salmon as we motored down I-40.  Well, let's just say that my Dad, Connor, Mikaela and I, do NOT believe that fried and broiled tilapia and mediocre southern food constitutes a famous seafood buffet! Can you say majorly d-i-s-a-p-p-o-i-n-t-e-d???

The next day we drove for another six hours to Meeman-Shelby State Forest which is located just outside of Memphis, TN.  This huge forest is located on the Mississippi River and has decent campsites, plenty of hiking trails as well as a lake.

 

At around 4:30, the kids and I headed into Memphis.  We wanted to see the National Civil Rights Museum as well as visit Sun Studio and Beale Street.  Unfortunately, Memphis completely closes down at 5:00--everything was closed except for Beale Street, but to be perfectly honest, I found it a bit depressing.  It was little more than a bunch of middle aged people getting drunk all over the place.  It just wasn't my "scene."

The next morning we decided to forgo the Memphis sites and go directly to Little Rock to visit the Clinton Presidential Museum.

My Dad is pretty conservative.  In fact, before we set out we agreed that we wouldn't talk about politics nor would we listen to any AM radio stations.  I was thrilled that he was willing to visit the Clinton library and jokingly told him I was going to photoshop in a Hillary 2016 sign in this picture.  :)

The library was interesting.  We got to sit in the "oval office" and learned that each president can pick which portraits and sculptures he wants in that office.  Clinton chose portraits of Lincoln, Jefferson and T. Roosevelt.

We also got to see what Clinton's office looked like and learned about the history behind the Presidential desk which has been used by many of the Presidents.  This is a replica.  The real desk is still being used.  It is made from the wood of a sunken British ship and was a gift to the U.S. from the Queen of England.

Our tour guide was rather uninspiring, but there was a lot to see and learn about.  My Dad wanted to see if the notorious Blue Dress was on display--it wasn't, but there were several displays that mentioned the impeachment attempt as well as the transgression.  I enjoyed refreshing myself on the history that I lived through--Clinton certainly dealt with a lot of disparate issues during his Presidency.

The Clinton Library also had a Dale Chihuly exhibit going on both inside and outside.  Fortunately, we had already seen an extensive collection of Chihuly's work at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, but it was nice to see several of the pieces again.

After we left Little Rock, we headed into the Ozark Mountains to camp at Lake Ouachita State Park.  Lake Ouchita is a beautiful, clean, clear 44,000 acre lake.

This was the view from our campsite.  Not too shabby!!!

The water felt great!

We all enjoyed this campground.  I squeezed in a great trail run and the kids went hiking by themselves.

Next up was Oklahoma...and an epic camping adventure.  We didn't have any reservations or plans, but saw a sign for Foss Reservoir State Park and decided to spend the night there.  I'm sure everyone is familiar with the song "Ohhh-klahoma, where the WIND comes sweeping down the plain.  Well, we set up camp on the "plains" and as we climbed into our tents, the wind, lightning and rain all kicked into high gear.

For the next 3 hours, we had lightning striking 360 degrees all around our tents.  But the wind, oh my, was insane.  We had sustained winds of 40-50 mph for hours.  The tents tilted and flapped all night long.  How they weren't shredded to pieces is an absolute miracle.  At 6:00 a.m., I got out of the tent to go the bathroom and took this blurry photo of the tent my Dad and Connor were sleeping in.  My Dad was "sleeping" on the far right hand side of the tent and the wind literally lifted he and his air mattress off the ground--and this is a man that weighs 230 pounds!  Right after I snapped this photo, the tent I was sleeping in with Mikaela totally blew over without my weight holding it down.

I then turned around and this is what the sky looked like.  It was a gorgeous sunrise, despite the wind and rain.

Needless to say, we had a very early start.  We basically threw everything into the back of the van and we were on the road by 6:30 a.m.!

Next up was Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We stopped for some great Mexican food at Sadies and then visited Petroglyph National Monument.  This National Monument has thousands of Petroglyphs, which are 400-700 year old rock drawings made mostly by native americans (except for the one drawn by some guy named Bernie in 1987).  My Dad took the picture below.  We're not actually meditating--it's just really bright in the New Mexican desert!

The kids and I hiked along a few of the shorter trails and saw dozens of petroglyphs (unfortunately due to arthritis in his feet and ankles, my Dad can no longer hike).

We thought this one looked like a mouse with a sucker.

From there, we drove west a few more hours and followed a sign for Red Rocks State Park near Gallup, NM.  When we drove in, the park didn't look terribly inspiring, but it really turned out to be quite a gem.  The park had several gorgeous hiking trails which we took complete advantage of!

 

The campsite had electricity, so I was able to plug in my rice cooker.  This is the first time I've ever brought my rice cooker on a camping trip, and I've got to say, it rocks!  So far, we've made Mexican rice and beans, mac and cheese, oatmeal and we even heated up some turkey sausage one night.  (There's not a lot of firewood in OK, NM, or AZ, so it's been really useful for preparing warm meals, when we can't get a fire going.)

The following morning I awoke early, around 5:30 and this is what I saw about 150 yards from our tent.  What a gorgeous sight to wake up to!

I walked up and spoke to the balloon pilot.  He let me take a picture of the inside of the balloon,

as well as what it looks like when it's about to launch.

The rock formation in the background is Churchrock.  The kids and I decided to hike to it and have our own miniature church service there since it was Sunday morning.  To me, there is nothing more spiritual than being in the great outdoors communing with God's creations!

At first glance, the desert seems sort of colorless and devoid of life, but once you really start looking, you discover that it's breath-takingly gorgeous in its own way.

Shortly after we left Red Rocks State Park, we crossed into AZ and saw a sign for Petrified Forest National Park.  We decided to visit this beautiful National Monument which is located in the heart of the Painted Desert.

The road through the park is 28 miles long and is desolate and outer-worldly, but full of amazing sights to see.  There are multi-layered rock formations that tell the geological history of the area.  I learned that the red sandstone is red because the iron in it oxidizes.

There are also hundreds of thousands of pieces of petrified wood scattered throughout the park.  Some of the pieces are huge, while others are much smaller.  We were tempted to collect some samples, but alas, it's not allowed.

After we left Petrified Forest, we headed into Las Vegas.  We've now been here for 24 hours--and are staying in a very nice hotel (thanks Dad, aka: Sugar Daddy!).  It's been nice to sleep in a real bed, do our laundry, swim in the pool and catch up on e-mails and blogging.  My Dad flies out in a few hours and my friend Kristi and her daughter are flying in from Richmond later in the morning.  Together, the five of us will be heading to Utah for 8 days of exploring Cedar Breaks National Monument as well as Bryce and Zion National Parks.  We can hardly wait!

So far, the Road Trip is everything I hoped and dreamed it would be!