Final Day

The final day of our 17-day Canyon Country trip started with the best Crested Butte breakfasts. McGill’s is located downtown on Elk Avenue.

I selected one slice of French toast and sausage patties. McGill’s French toast is dipped in cinnamon sugar before going on the grill. The sweet, crisp crust is perfect. The thick cut pieces makes the one slice serving all I could handle.

Eric ordered the breakfast tacos served with hash browns. The tacos looked terrific and I noticed they disappeared even more quickly than my French toast.

We headed to Denver via Cottonwood Pass, while we’re use to the 14-miles of gravel road on the west side of the pass we didn’t know that miles of the road east of Harmel’s Resort  is under major construction this summer. Delays were not an issue since this was Sunday but the rough, dusty, slow surface would make us consider the longer Monarch Pass route this summer.

Cloudy skies and a few sprinkles accompanied us all the way to Buena Vista. We decided to make a side trip to St. Elmo 20 miles southwest of Buena Vista. On the National Register of Historic Places St. Elmo is known as one of Colorado’s best preserved ghost towns. Founded in 1880, the town grew to 2000 residents – mostly gold and silver miners.

We trade high desert for mountain vistas as we drive from Cortez to Crested Butte in the heart of Colorado. The morning is cloudy with scattered rain showers, while we never get rained on we often have wet pavement. Makes for poor photo ops but speedier travel since the scenic drive would require frequent picture stops under sunny skies. We especially enjoy the thick green forest, jagged mountain peaks and alpine lakes.

From Cortez we follow the San Juan Scenic Byway along the Dolores River, up Lizard Head Pass, to Telluride and across the Dallas Divide to Ridgway. After lunch at Kate’s Place we leaved  the Scenic Byway heading north to Montrose. It appears Montrose has grown up since our last visit, we’re surprised at all the new businesses both national retail stores and local enterprises.

US50 takes us to Gunnison where we turn north for Crested Butte. It’s still off-season in “The Butte”. In a  couple more weeks summer adventurers will keep the area hoppin’ until mid-September. The Grand Lodge is open but extremely quiet – translate, great rates.

A visit with Eric and a family-style chicken dinner at Slogar’s fills the evening. I’m especially grateful for the two hour tutorial on my new laptop.

Don’t even think about speeding in Trout Lake, Colorado. The punishment? Not just Bad Karma but Very BAD KARMA.

Winding Down

Travel can be hard work with the busy agendas we try to keep. After a couple of weeks we will both admit to wearing down, moving slower and accomplishing less each day. We have explored:

• 6 National Parks

• 7 National Monuments

• 1 National Recreation Area

• 1 Tribal Park

• 1 State Park

In addition to numerous trails, backroads, museums, restaurants and trading posts.

Today’s itinerary included two National Monuments. Our first stop was Hovenweep NM on the Utah/Colorado border, the site of six pre-historic villages perched on canyon rims or balanced on massive boulders. I’ve always been fascinated with the intricate masonry.

We also visited Canyons of the Ancients National Monument which encompasses a large area in the southwestern corner of Colorado. Located within the monument are literally thousands of archeological sites. Most have not been excavated and appear only as rubble heaps. The most accessible of the sites is Lowry Pueblo housing 8 kivas (circular ceremonial rooms), 40 rooms and a Great Kiva.

The Anasazi Heritage Center, 10 miles north of Cortez, is the best place to start a Canyons of the Ancients visit. The AHC contains interactive exhibits, artifacts from excavations, galleries for temporary exhibits, a theatre showing two introductory films, and a gift shop. We found detailed information on sites to visit within the monument including a one-mile interpretive trail to Escalante Pueblo.

A longer travel day with two important stops. After a visit to the Carl Hayden Visitor Center at the Glen Canyon Dam we hit the road across the Navajo Nation. First stop was Navajo National Monument. The Monument preserves and protects several incredible Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. A 1.3-mile walk takes us to an observation site of Betatakin, the remains of a 1270-1300 A.D. community nestled in an alcove under a  high arching rock cliff.

The other major stop for the day was scenic Monument Valley Tribal Park straddling the Utah, Arizona border. The buttes, mesas and spires appear familiar to movie and television viewers. Photography opportunities abound. We’re amused at the enthusiasm of a bus load of Japanese tourists as they pose with abandoned gusto.

In the arid Arizona Strip southwest of Kanab, Utah, Pipe Springs National Monument honors native and immigrant cultures that settled around a spring on the high desert. Rangers give guided tours every half-hour of the stone fortress known as Winsor Castle. The structure was built by Mormon pioneers protecting a year-round natural spring. A museum also features the culture of the Kaibab-Paiute tribe who have inhabited the region for centuries.

Our destination for the day was Page, Arizona and Lake Powell. Since we arrived boatless we choose the Canyon Adventure boat tour for a nearly three-hour lake experience. The waters of Lake Powell flow into dozen of desert canyons. On this tour we went up Navajo Canyon and the narrower Antelope Canyon to a spot where we could almost reach out and touch the walls. A watery day in the desert.

North Rim – Grand Canyon

This one has definitely been on my Bucket List. With a half-dozen trips to the South Rim I, like most Grand Canyon National Park visitors, had never been to the North Rim. We normally travel to the Canyon in late winter or early spring when the road into the north side is under several feet of snow. Visitor services at Grand Canyon Lodge are provided from mid-May to mid-October.

Many Canyon afficiandos profess a preference for the North Rim. First, the number of visitors is a small percentage of those at the South Rim creating a less hectic environment. The elevation on the north is more than 1000 feet higher than on the south and temperatures are generally more moderate.

Grand Canyon Lodge sits right on the rim, east and west terraces are ideal locations for photography, rest after a hike or just putting your feet up and watching the changing light.

Because our trip was planned at the last minute lodging in the park was not available , we made a day trip from Kanab, Utah – 80 miles one-way. In addition to gawking and taking lots of photos we walked out to Bright Angel Point, and made the 23-mile drive and 1-mile walk out to Cape Royal with a side trip to Imperial Point. After a light deli takeout dinner enjoyed on the terrace it was time to head back to Kanab. Check!

Note to self: Next time plan ahead and book two nights in one of the rim-side cabins to fully appreciate a North Rim experience.

Zion National Park

Motorist speeding down I-15 in southern Utah have no hint what’s in store if they take Exit 40. The spectacular Kolob Canyon in the northwest section of Zion National Park lies just minutes from the busy Interstate. After checking in at the Visitor Center (fee required) motorist follow a five-mile scenic drive ascending over 1000 feet in elevation to Timber Creek Overlook. Hikers find numerous trailheads for adventures into the narrow valleys of finger canyons.

Rounding a curve within the first mile the view of massive red Navajo Sandstone cliffs is simply a hint of things to come.

Frequent turnouts, many with interpretive signs, provide a place to ponder nature’s wonders or photograph the stunning scenery. Although the return is on the same road views appear different coming from the other direction.

Horse Ranch Mountain, the park’s highest peak, is found in this section of the park. Depending on the source Kolob Arch is either the longest or second longest freestanding arch in the world. Kolob Arch can be reached from the trailhead at Lee’s Pass (about 2/3 of the way up the scenic road). The hike is 7 miles, one-way, following LaVerkin Creek into the Kolob Wilderness.

Kolob comes from Mormon scripture meaning “residence closest to heaven”. Who would have guessed it was so close to I-15′s Exit 40?

Is this an indictment on the trail ride?

A “sign” seen near the remote northwest portion of Zion National Park.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Guess what’s in that cloud! Yes, the date is May 26 but at Cedar Breaks National Monument near Cedar City, Utah the clouds rolling in brought snow and wind. The car thermometer went as low as 26 degrees and a ranger said the wind was gusting up to 60 mph, averaging 30-40 mph. Even with four layers – shirt, hoodie, fleece, coat – fleece headband and gloves I could only tolerate being outside for a few minutes at a time. Can’t image what the chill temp was – COLD.

We started the day with a light rain at Bryce Canyon National Park, and wind. All of southern Utah seems to be on high wind alert. After the rainy beginning we were happy to see increasingly bluer skies as we headed through Red Canyon and the Dixie National Forest on our way to Cedar Breaks. The monument’s visitor center just opened for the season yesterday. One of the rangers said, “I’ve been here five years and it seems to be a law that we have snow on opening weekend.” A toasty fire in the Visitors Center provided a warm up before heading back to the car. While the weather limited our activities the views are enticement to return on a better weather day.