Four Corners

We dropped off the Kaibab Plateau and pulled into Page Arizona, just south of hell, to quote a friend. Highlight of our Page visit was a great meal in small mexican restaurant accompanied by the best Patron Margarita's either of us had ever had. Low point was discovering that one of the trailer tires was starting to fail. This delayed our departure until we could locate four new tires. Good thing, though, that we found it before we headed across the reservation to Farmington. It's a lotta nothin' for a long ways. Joanie talked me into visiting the four corners when we passed by. We did the tourist thing there, complete with Indian Fry Bread. Yum. I did come across a Harley towing a small trailer with an appropriate slogan - made the side trip well worthwhile.

Kaibab Plateau/North Rim

After leaving the furnace called St. George, we dropped down into Arizona and ended up on the Kaibab Plateau north of the Grand Canyon. We found a great spot in the Ponderosas to setup a camp that served us well for 10 days. Mornings were cool (34 degrees), with afternoons hitting 75. Perfect.
We day tripped to the Grand Canyon. Had a good breakfast in the the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim. Awesome views. Impressive log beams on the inside of the lodge as well.
In the National Forest outside the park, we came across this small Buffalo herd. Evidently they're part of a herd that's usually found much lower down, off the plateau. I figure they were up escaping the heat, just like us.

Found out what a slack line is. Joanie and I set one up at camp between the trees. Sure beats a hammock! Ratchet on one end of the line allows it to be tensioned as desired. This one started out waist high before my 200 lbs. got on it. It'll activate every balancing muscle you've got, trust me. One day I hope to drop the poles!

Snow Canyon

After leaving Zion, we spent a few "working" days in Snow Canyon outside St. George Utah. No snow in the Canyon. It'd be a great place to visit in March, but in June it was hotter than a pistol. While there, Joanie solved her hair cut dilema - she bought a new clippers, set it on one inch and voila. We took care of our business there as soon as possible and headed out for the cooler weather on the Kaibab Plateau. Highlight of Snow Canyon was watching this balloon take off and cruise the Canyon early one morning. I woke up to the sound of his burners.

Zion

Zion handles the crowds better than any other park we've been in. One key part of their approach is that they've closed off part of the park from automobile traffic. Instead, they run a fine shuttle system. At first I didn't think I'd like the shuttle. One ride convinced me I was wrong. Our favorite way to see that part of the park was to throw our bikes on the front rack of the shuttle, ride the shuttle to the top of the canyon, then ride our bikes down canyon until we came to a spot from which we'd hike. In the afternoon a soak in the Virgin River was really refreshing. The rock formation named "The Watchman" dominates the eastern side of the campground. We had no cloudy sunsets at Zion, so instead had to content ourselves with the changing colors of the Watchman.

Zion

Zion is by far the most awesome National Park that we've visited in 30 years. The (relatively) plentiful water changes the whole character of the canyon. Waterfalls abound. High pools can be found at the bottom of tall cliffs. They've made a great trail system that really opens the park up. If you're willing to spend a few hours and alot of sweat, you can, with one notable exception, loose the crowds.

Bryce

Bryce was stunning, visually, but inaccessible unless we wanted to invest quite a bit of time hiking down into the Canyons. We were feeling lazy that day so we stayed on top. The rhythm of the park seems to ebb and flow with the tourist buses. That being the case, it wasn't a place where were wanted to spend much time .


Joanie did find a Bristle Cone pine she liked. And, that's her way out on the point.





This ancient gas station had a unique way to state why it's no longer operating. The (hard to read here) sign says "Too pooped to Pump".

Kodachrome Basin

Kodachrome Basin is between Capitol Reef and Bryce. We opted to stay there, allowing us to avoid the crowds in Bryce, while still being close enough to for a day trip to Bryce. Joanie got to experience her first single track ride. Had a fair amount of sandy pushes. Still, it was a good way to see the sights, we'd bike for a bit, park 'em and take a side hike.

We did get some stretches that were smooth riding.





Grosvenor Arch is a few miles down a rough road from Kodachrome. White, not red like most of what you'll see in Arches.
The chukars were nesting while we were there. This one was particularly friendly.
The spires in Kodachrome Basin are thought to be remnants of ancient springs. When the springs dried up the sands within them became harder rock than the surrounding material. Erosion removed the softer rock.