Las Vegas

Not our thing at all but convenient to fly into and it's fun to look at for a day. Hotels on offer have changed quite a bit since I was last here, but the old stalwarts, such as Caesar's Palace, remain.

We collected our car at the airport (Alamo - some hassle over insurance as we already had this arranged) stayed a night on arriving at the Luxor, attracted by the pyramid. Recommend the valet parking to avoid any more exertion in the heat after such a long journey. The Luxor is quirky, but looking a little down at heel (though most casino hotels seem to in the daylight). The most interesting thing here was the diagonal lift ascending the pyramid - a distinctly odd feeling!

Before flying back home we enjoyed the altogether more luxurious surroundings of the Venetian where we treated ourselves to a suite. The bathroom was gorgeous and the living and sleeping areas extremely spacious and - well - luxurious! A recreated St Mark's Square, complete with gondoliers on a canal on the first floor is utterly bizarre, especially as the "sky" changes overhead from dawn to dusk! We left the casino winners!

What is done exceedingly well in Las Vegas (apart from gambling, I suppose) is breakfast. Even in the Luxor this was quite something, with a vast array of food on offer including Eggs Benedict, bacon and corned beef hash, lots of wonderful fruit, freshly prepared omelets and crépes. Excellent OJ but the coffee is still as bad as it ever was! What also seems to have changed is the very cheap drink and meals - cocktails used to be particularly good value in the casinos.

The Grand Canyon

The South Rim

We drove out of Las Vegas and crossed the Hoover Dam before heading north on Route 66 (had to drive on this!) and swapping drivers at Peach Springs, making sure we have plenty of water with us. The car is air-conditioned of course - a necessity in these temperatures. North to the south rim of the Grand Canyon where we bought a National Parks Pass for $50 which will cover us for most of the places we wish to visit. Then to the canyon at Mather Point - a superb view at a good time of day, around 3.30pm. We walked along the rim to Yavapai Point, marvelling at this glorious scenery - I can see this is going to be a trip of superlatives and exclamation marks!

As this was a trip arranged not long before departure we were unable to stay in the Park, but had a room just outside. This is not a problem really. I have stayed on the rim previously and it just means that you have to get up a little earlier to see the dawn - the park is easily accessible for both dawn and sunset visits.

The following morning we were at Bright Angel Lodge parking at 5.20a.m. and walked the south rim trail to Maricopa Point for sunrise. No-one else was around and it was wonderfully peaceful and atmospheric.

We walked along the south rim via Hopi Point and Mohave Point, taking photographs all the way, and on to the Abyss. Impossible to describe how breath-taking this landscape is - and it's also hard to capture in a photograph, but we did our best.

We caught the shuttle bus and stopped off at Pima Point where we could hear the mile-long rapids on the Colorado in the canyon seven miles away - the south rim is 1500m above the Colorado River.

Took the shuttle bus again via Hermit's Rest to El Tovar for an excellent breakfast - steak and eggs! This is the place to stay if you're organised!

After breakfast we drove 25 miles of the Desert Rim, stopping at Pipe Creek Vista, Shoshone Point (a great view east - all the others are north), Lipan and Desert View, with its mock "Watch Tower". On the way back we stopped at Moran Point, so we feel we're doing justice to this impressive landscape!

 

 

Later we took the shuttle to Yaki Point for the sunset but, although nice, it is not as dramatic as sunrise.

The following morning was another early start for shuttle to Hopi Point for sunrise. Again impressive but lots of people here and we preferred yesterday's solitude.

Couldn't resist breakfast at El Tovar again, then headed out via Desert View Drive, stopping for the excellent view at Navaho Point before heading for the open road.

Next time we come we'll some way get down to the valley floor - not sure I trust those mules though!

The Grand Canyon is one of the most impressive natural spectacles in the world. It's so vast it's almost impossible to appreciate the immensity of it, especially in flat, mid-day light. The best impression is at dawn when the shadows shorten and the contrast in light and shade reveals the depth and scale of the ridges more easily to the human eye.

The North Rim

On the return part of our circular journey we stayed in Kanab so that we could make a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Highly recommend Houston's Trails End Restaurant for superb breakfast. We later had excellent steaks at Rocky V but the experience somewhat diminished by the waitress adding 20% to the bill "to make it easier for you"! Although deciding not to make a fuss I mention it to warn any other innocent travellers.

It's 80 miles south from here to the North Rim. Again, stupendous views, though there are only a few places with access to the rim. Somehow it is easier to take in the grandeur and scale than on the south side, though we're much further east than we were when on the South Rim. Point Imperial and Bright Angel Point particularly impressive. We had a picnic lunch and a Mule Deer came to see if there was any chance of food (none) - a beautiful, delicate creature.

Hopi - Pueblo Indians

Leaving the south rim of the Grand Canyon our next major visit was to be the Canyon de Chelly. On the way we wanted to see something of the Hopi Pueblo Indians if possible. We stopped at Cameron Trading Post which is supposed to be where Navajo trade but it didn't look like it. A huge 'Navajo' store: jewellery, artefacts, etc. but not our kind of place. On the road(we're still in Arizona) the landscape is mostly sage bush scrubby desert (heading for Chinle). In our quest for the Hopi we first stopped at Oraibi on Third Mesa - the oldest Hopi settlement - but it looked small and unfriendly so we didn't linger. On to the Hopi Cultural Centre below Second Mesa. Here, as elsewhere along the road, Indian pottery jewellery and Kachina dolls are for sale. The Kachina dolls are used as instructional tools for children and are carved from cottonwood which is very light. We didn't visit the museum but got information on visiting Walpi on First Mesa. On the road again a whirling mass of tumbleweed crossed the road - very John Ford!

The road climbs beneath cliffs of precarious rock into the first village Hano/Tewa; there are three villages on this narrow mesa.

A guided tour is the only way to see the village and photography is forbidden. The tour starts with an introductory talk and taste of blue corn bread.

There were only three of us in the group so it was very easy to talk to the genial and knowledgeable young Hopi man who acted as our guide. He was very good and gave lots of detail as we walked around his village, for instance on how the women cook bread in outdoor "beehive" clay ovens, building fires inside and regulating the temperature by removing a large stone from windows in the oven sides.

We were shown the ceremonial plazas with shrines and the six Kiva in the oldest village (late seventeenth century) Walpi, at the tip of the mesa - a stunning location high above the plain, a fine defensive site. Shrines with long feathers placed there in the morning are a "wishing for good things" place.

We were told how the peaceable Hopi made a deal with the Tewa - a warrior people - to fight for them, hence the location of the Tewa in the first village on the mesa, Hano.

The Hopi have runners: some run through the village in the morning to remove bad feelings, others run marathon distances - it seems to be a traditional activity.

The houses are flat-roofed and the roofs are reached by long ladders as they are built on top of one another and also below ground level. The Kiva have flat roofs and walls only a few feet high as the space is mainly below ground where ceremonial dances are performed in before the villagers - tourists and outsiders are not allowed into the ceremonies. The Hopi are made up of several clans and each seems to have its own Kiva. All knowledge is passed on by word of mouth - nothing is written down. The knowledge of one dance (the snake dance) in our guide's clan was lost when the last expert died - none of the younger generation wanted to learn. Though another clan may have the dance, members of different clans are not allowed into the Kiva to watch.

Our guide practiced many traditional crafts including pottery making and basket weaving, for which he walks 11 miles with his uncle to gather Yucca in 200lb loads (basically in a sheet on his back ). He also practiced the traditional herbal medicine for which he gathers plants in the plain. They grow maize crops on the plain and fruit.

Water can be a problem. It used to be brought up from the plain on foot, we were shown gaps in the village walls where the carriers entered and left to get down to the plain below. We were told that Peabody mine coal on Black Mesa and use a billion gallons a year to slurry the coal to far distant locations.

This windy, exposed, hot in summer, snow in winter location is a harsh environment with incredible views and it was an immensely fascinating experience and a privilege to be shown around the Hopi villages.

Canyon de Chelly

We stayed in Chinle in order to visit the Canyon de Chelly - the town is not very attractive but the Holiday Inn was fine. We are on the Navajo Reservation here so no alcohol to go with excellent fajitas and enchiladas!

The primary motivation for visiting the Canyon de Chelly was the famous Ansel Adams photograph of the White House. In order to visit we hired a jeep and Navajo guide to show us both the Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerte ($125) and started at 9a.m on an incredibly bumpy drive into the canyon (we feel sorry for those who choose a guide using a flat bed truck!).

The canyon has a desert sand floor but the water table is high so there is quite a lot of vegetation, particularly cottonwood trees. There was no water in the river or stream beds and it was very hot, into the high 30s.

The canyon walls at the entrance are less than a man's height but soon rise to immense red cliffs on either side, the highest around 1000ft. This extremely bumpy ride is the only way to see the cliff dwellings, wall paintings and pictographs - of which there are many ranging from primitive human figures around 2500 years old to animals no more than 200 years old.

The canyon has evidence of occupation from around 2500B.C. Rock shelters were used by these people who found abundant food in the form of antelope and more than 40 types of plants. The White House is one of the Pueblo Indian structures around 1000 years old and with 80 rooms both on the canyon floor and built into the cliff face. The name derives from the long white wall in the cliff dwelling which is covered with white plaster. We saw many ancient Anasazi Indian cliff dwellings. The Anasazi are Pueblo Indians and were in the canyon around 1000 years ago.

Hopi used the canyon for grazing land between 1300 and 1600 but did not live there permanently.

The Navajo only arrived in the canyon around 300 years ago and brought domesticated animals - the Indian peoples did not have horses until they were able to obtain them from the Spanish invaders. What should have been a peaceful existence was later destroyed, first by inter-tribal warfare and war with the Spanish in the late seventeenth century. In 1846, the canyon was claimed as United States territory by the military. An uneasy period of conflict and broken promises was eventually brutally terminated in 1863 when most of the Navajo were killed or captured, the hogans, orchards and sheep were destroyed and survivors forced to endure the infamous 300 miles Long March to Fort Sumner in New Mexico.

I was able to buy some very lovely turquoise and silver jewellery from the Indians here.

Later we drove the south rim of the canyon to various look-out points - binoculars invaluable on the overlooks to inspect the many cliff dwellings. We had considered doing the White House Trail but it seemed rather too hot to attempt the two hour round trip and contented ourselves with the views. The final overlook is of a very impressive double column of red rock, towering above the canyon floor. This is Spider Rock, where Navajo legend has it that Spider Woman taught the Navajo to weave rugs. Wild horses roam here - we saw three rolling in the dirt at Spider Rock, and there are also impressively large-horned cattle around.

The following day we drove the North Rim on the Canyon del Muerte with some very memorable stops: Antelope House Overlook offers an excellent view of the layout of the buildings (named after the nearby wall paintings) and a great canyon view; Mummy Cave Overlook (where two mummified bodies were discovered during excavations in the 1880's) : wonderfully preserved ruins, high in two huge smooth caves said to have been occupied for over 1000 years until 1300 and consisting of 80 rooms including 3 kivas; Massacre Cave Overlook: little more than a ledge but according to Navajo legend a Navajo woman grappled with a soldier and the pair fell to their deaths, hence the place is called "Two Fell Down" - the "massacre" relates to a Spanish military expedition which attacked in response to raids on Spanish settlements.

As Frommer's says " It's hard to imagine narrow canyons less than 1,000 feet deep being more spectacular than the Grand Canyon, but in some ways Canyon de Chelly National Monument is just that." Having visited the celebrated "Montezuma's Castle" many years ago it surprises me that this canyon is not more well known - it certainly offers much more of interest in the wealth of Indian dwellings and long history of occupation which provide a vivid insight into the often difficult lives of the various inhabitants.

Monument Valley

From Canyon de Chelly we travelled north to Mexican Water Trading Post then west via Baby Rocks to Kayenta where we were staying for visits to Monument Valley. Already some wonderful landscapes unfolding. We arrived early afternoon which was excellent timing for our first visit to Monument Valley. This is an impossible landscape to describe - the scale is enormous and the contrast - the buttes rising steeply from the desert floor - is what makes it so impressive.

I had been very much looking forward to this visit - a landscape I knew almost intimately from the westerns my dad liked to watch, and one that I had always wanted to visit. This is quintessential "Wild West" - stunning! We decided to do the 3.2 mile walk around West Mittten. NB: sign the book at the visitor centre to say that you are taking the walk and sign out when you return.

It was mid-afternoon and still very hot - around 35 °C - but we made sure we took plenty of water and sunscreen, though I foolishly did not have a hat. The trail out to West Mitten is well-marked, although the 0.2 mile marker doesn't seem to be in the right place! The views are fantastic with some very strategically placed dead trees for added effect!

We reached the halfway point quite easily, though as soon as you drop below the rim of the valley the temperature goes up and it must have been well over 40 °C. Rounding the West Mitten, this furthest part of the trail does not go right up to the butte, and the number of trees is even less than on the first part of the trail so shade is very limited. I definitely began to feel the strain - the walk itself is not difficult but the heat is unrelenting. I took advantage of every bit of shade and sipped water.

The final third was, for me at least, deadly. We lost the trail twice - the route at this point is not at all well-marked. The first time we lost the route we recovered it quite quickly but the second time it took some wide casting about and calm to decide which way we should go. There are two problems here: the first being the poor route marking and the second the fact that on walking into the valley you lose all points of reference on the rim. The final climb out was tiring - this is not a walk to be trifled with! Nevertheless, highly recommended for the close-up encounter with the fantastic landscape.

I was rather tired so stayed at the end of the walk in the shade while Andrew fetched the car. While waiting I talked to a girl who was a travelling dentist, treating Navajo on the reservations. She told me that the original source of dispute over land between the Navajo and the Hopi was that the government promised the same land to both tribes - why doesn't that surprise me!

The following day we had organised a guided tour with a Navajo Indian ($90) in a flat bed 4 wheel drive fitted with quite comfortable bench seats. The going to begin with was quite rough but mostly OK, easier than Canyon de Chelly, but glad we did not try to drive ourselves.

Fantastic scenery and an excellent tour seeing the different rock formations, pictographs and family hogans (only six or seven families live in the valley). John Ford Point where the first film cameras were set up for "Stagecoach" is on every tour!

There are window and arch rock formations: Eye of the Sun and Ear of the Wind and at one point - Moccasin - was a Navajo flute player in a huge cave (hogan-shaped) - maybe it was staged but it was incredibly atmospheric. Up to this point we'd been alone in our wanderings but here we came upon a group of tourists being encouraged to try Indian dances - very undignified!. On the way out we came upon a trail of oil and water and eventually an abandoned car - very glad we organised our own tour!

The burgers come highly recommended at the restaurant here - I had the "Michael Horse" which was the only 4oz on the menu - all the rest were 8oz, and of course the view is unbeatable.

 

 

 

Later in the day, around 6pm, we returned for sunset. We made a quick visit to Gouldings Lodge where there is an excellent small museum with old trading store and movie-related stuff plus John Wayne's Captain Brittles' cabin from "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon".

The following morning we drove out on 163 - the views back to Monument Valley are stunning - this would be a great road to arrive here!

Goosenecks

Just after Mexican Hat (we're now in Utah) we came upon Goosenecks State Park. The short detour is rewarded by the most impressive sight of the San Juan River, 1000ft below, looping around huge mesas in an "extended meander" - it flows six miles while only advancing one mile west!

On to Moab

Edge of the Cedars State Park

The partially restored ruins of pre-Colombian Pueblo (Anasazi) Indian buildings here include a reconstructed ancestral kiva - possibly the only way we would be able to see inside one of these ceremonial buildings. The Anasazi flourished in the south west around 900A.D. Their original dwelling places were below ground but later they began to build homes above ground. The original homes were not abandoned, however, and some became the ceremonial kivas.

The kiva is entered by descending a sturdy ladder. Inside it is very cool and, though rectangular above ground with a low wall and flat roof, the interior is circular with a ventilation shaft and an oval pit. The pit could have been a fire pit perhaps.

On the edge of this peaceful site is a Sun Marker sculpture. The Anasazi used such devices to chart the passage of celestial bodies across the sky allowing them to trace the different seasons of the year. For an agricultural people it was important to be aware of the time of year. Animal and spiral shapes allow the sun to shine through onto the inner surface of the sculpture.

Bluff

This was a pioneer town settled by Mormons. The fort consisted of a square of 40 or 50 log cabins whose doors and windows faced inwards. The Barton Cabin is actually all that remains of the original Bluff fort which was built in 1880 when the first settlers arrived. With some care and reconstruction this would make an interesting pioneer site.

Moab

By far the nicest town we have visited so far - reminds us both of New England. Lunch at the Poplar Place - pizza and, as we are now out of the Reservation, a beer for those not driving! The Slickrock Cafe, where we lunched on a later day, is a highly recommended spot - excellent Mango Tango Salad and Dead Horse Ale! On our final morning in Moab we had breakfast at the Jailhouse Café (it really was the courthouse/jailhouse at one time). Eggs Benedict and ginger pancakes eaten outside in the shade as the temperature soars.

Dead Horse Point

This is a fantastic canyon landscape: red rock walls soaring 2000feet above the Colorado river and in the middle distance turquoise blue potash evaporation ponds. The views from the overlooks are truly spectacular.

According to legend cowboys used to herd wild horses onto the mesa and corral them in with branches and brush at the narrowest point, which is only 30 yards. They would then choose the mustangs they wanted and just leave the rest to die. Presumably this would be reasonably quick in this desert environment with no available water, but it still seems rather a cruel thing to do - even in the Wild West!

Arches National Park

The park sits on a thick (at one time maybe more than a mile!) layer of salt. laid down 300 million years ago when the area was coverd by an ocean. Over the following millenia organic material covered the area and gradually compressed into rock. The huge weight of rock on the layer of unstable salt caused it to buckle thrusting some areas of rock up into domes while other areas sank. Wind, rain ic formation - the weather eroded the rocks into the fantastic shapes which can be seen today.

Boasting the highest density of natural rock arches in the world from a three foot opening (the minimum allowed to be called an arch) to the beautiful 306 feet long Landscape Arch. The park is another incredible landscape of red rock pinnacles and mesas as well as the famous arches, which appear to be on the sandy side of red - the colour's probably very much dependent on the position of the sun. The rock is mostly salmon-coloured Entrada Sandstone and buff-coloured Navajo Sandstone.

By 10a.m. it was already very hot so we decided not to overdo things! A short trail led us to Landscape Arch - in 1991 a slab of rock 60 feet long and 11 feet wide and four feet thick fell from the underside of the arch and it looks as though the remaining slender strip of rock may not remain intact much longer.

We went on to Delicate Arch then drove back to Windows and walked the trail to Turret Arch.

A fascinating and beautiful place.

Canyonlands

I knew I would run out of superlatives - and we haven't got to Bryce yet!

Canyonlands is yet another stunning desert wilderness of canyons, mesas, buttes and pinnacles. Two rivers, Green and Colorado, have carved out the separate massive canyons. The park has few paved roads and the opportunities to explore on foot are limited - without proper equipment it would be foolish to venture into this wide open space. But the views are magnificent: huge red-walled broad canyons. First stop was Mesa Arch overlooking a vast rocky, canyoned expanse below.

Then on to Upheaval Dome and a short hike to a view of the "meteor crater" - some fantastic canyon/butte views on the road. Late in the day it is now around 37°C and clouds are massing - looks like thunderstorms threatening in the distance.

At Green River Overlook the vast plain below is punctured by the Green River canyon. Then our final stop was Grand View Point Overlook: rock pinnacles on the Green River Stillwater Canyon, the plain with its distinctive white rim on the canyon 1000ft below the overlook and the river 1000ft below that.

Capitol Reef

Thunderstorms were obvious in the distance for much of our drive to Bryce but, nevertheless, we wanted to stop at Capitol Reef. Here are some very fine petroglyphs, around a 1000 years old.

The park preserves a section of the massive Waterpocket Fold - a 65 million year old wrinkle in the earth's crust. We couldn't spare much time but drove the scenic route into the park and had a picnic. There is obviously some fine scenery here but we could not do it justice. This was especially true as the thunderstorms were getting nearer and I was driving, anxious to get to our next stop before the rains hit.

In Escalante the scenery is again fantastic but somewhere around Escalante town the thunderstorm overtook us. The rain was pelting down so hard we eventually had to pull off the road into a school yard to wait for it to ease up a bit.

Arriving in Tropic the contrast with Moab could not be greater - talk about a one horse town! We were staying at Bryce Canyon Livery Bed and Breakfast here and we were greatly annoyed to discover that, though they had advertised the room as having AC, this - to them! - meant it had electricity; naturally I complained! I notice their website still includes AC (September 2008) so beware! Apart from this, and the complete lack of closet space, the room had two advantages: a balcony where we were able to gaze at the Milky Way at night, and a skylight - ditto from the bed!

Bryce Canyon

Bryce has the most beautiful rock formations of any of the National Parks - certainly of the ones we've seen. The pillars of rock giving this place its distinctive beauty are called Hoodoos. Formed by erosion and upheaval the cliffs become isolated rock fins then golden pinnacles and spires.

The rim road is 18 miles long with detours to the various overlooks. Our first morning we went straight to Sunrise Point and the landscape is fantastic - all stops on this amphitheatre area are stupendous with sand-coloured hoodoos and rock spurs deep into the canyon.

From Sunset Point we hiked the Wall Street section of the Navajo Loop trail, the other section being currently closed. On the first part of the descent in there were lots of tourists but we soon left these behind and were able to enjoy the peacefulness and awe-inspiring scenery along with a few other intrepid walkers.

On to Bryce Point, Paria View, Inspiration Point - all incredible views. Then lunch at Bryce Lodge where they only serve beer in pints - Cut-throat Draft!

After lunch it's the fine, expansive views from Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point - difficult to photograph well, especially with the sun still quite high in the sky. The clouds had been gathering through the afternoon so we left around 4pm as it started to rain - so hard that we had to park up two or three times, especially when the hailstones hit!

By 6.30 we were back for sunset photos!

 

 

 

 

The following day we were up early for sunrise shots at Bryce Point - it's really essential to get the light as low as possible on this landscape to get the definition.

 

Our photography itch scratched (temporarily) we set off on a walk along the rim as far as Peekaboo Trail. It was quite narrow and rubbly in places with water run-off from yesterday's storm but leads through a window in a rock wall which is particularly nice.

Climbing back out we did a further tour of overlook points around the park, including all we hadn't already seen such as Agua and Natural Bridge. Then back to Bryce Lodge for breakfast: Bryceberry Pancakes highly recommended - a stack of three with a mixed berry sauce, including blueberries - I could only manage one!

Then a tour of points at Fairyland followed by a picnic.

In the afternoon we did the Mossy Cave walk from Highway 12, between Bryce Canyon and Tropic. This is a pretty walk with a nice waterfall and the mossy cave is mossy, and its roof looks rather precarious! Having a little time to spare we decided to drop down to Kodachrome Basin State Park, it having unique "sand pipes" - rock spires. I'm afraid we weren't impressed.

We again returned to Bryce for sunset shots at Fairyland, Bryce and Inspiration, followed by dinner at Bryce Lodge. The Milky Way was pulling out all the stops this night, stretched near vertical in the southern sky - binoculars show it stuffed with stars.

Zion

Reluctantly leaving Bryce early next day we came upon Red Canyon NW of Tropic on Highway 12 - it lives up to its name and looks to be a little gem. The rock formations line the highway for about 4 miles.

We were on our way to Kanab and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

From Kanab we were returning to Las Vegas and stopped off at Zion to break the journey. We drove through a lovely pink canyon and views of Checkerboard Mesa to the east entrance of the Park. No private cars allowed so took a shuttle bus to the top of the canyon. This took quite some time due to the many stops and changing from a trailer bus to a single bus but eventually we reached Temple of Sinawava and a very nice, easy riverside walk. We returned to The Grotto and started a walk north, but had become very hot and the trail was exposed so we returned quite quickly. Instead did the Lower Emerald Pool Walk - perhaps a walk too far, but short and mostly in the shade. It's around 38°C in the car when we return, and it was parked in the shade!

Zion suffers in comparison to the magnificent landscapes we have seen. I am probably doing it an injustice, as we only had a few hours here, but my impression is that it is nice, but not spectacular.

And so we came to the end of a magnificent holiday - but we'll be back!