29 May 2023 Toadstools

 Leslie, Bill and David decided to explore closer to home today. Within Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (BLM), there is a trail right off US89, about 45 miles east of Kanab. The trail is Toadstools Hoodoos (2.2 miles, 161 feet of elevation gain, 723 calories burned). Being close to a main road and relatively short, it is a popular trail. The trail runs up a dry wash to a set of rock formations where erosion has left tall pillars of soft rock protected on the top by a harder layer of rock. With the harder cap of rock and the lean pillars of softer rock, they look like toadstools. We spent an hour exploring around the toadstools before hiking back out to the Behemoth. There was very little shade and even though the temperatures were mild (83 degrees), we still got pretty warm in the unrelenting sun. 

27 May 2023 Tuweep

 The North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park is still closed, and we were wanting to see the canyon. Pam did not want to send the day getting bounced around again, so she stayed home to tend to some chores. Leslie, Bail and David plotted a path through Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument to the Tuweep district of Grand Canyon National Park. This is a very remote area and we had to drive 62 miles of dirt and gravel roads (one way) through portions of the Kaibab Indian Reservation, across the Kanab Plateau (on 109), into the eastern end of Grand Canyon Parashant NM. The road to the NM was in pretty good shape and we were able to cruise along at 30MPH.  We spotted a nice sized lone Pronghorn that crossed the road in front of us.The wild flowers along the road were just beautiful and formed a carpet of orange all the way to the next ridge. When we entered the NM, the road conditions degraded and we had to slow down to avoid beating us and the Behemoth to death. We then followed CR5 down to the Tuweep entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. There a park VIP checked our pass, which David had purchased last night, and gave us directions. 3.8 Miles from the ranger station, the road changed into a serious fourwheel drive track. The Behemoth bounced and bucked for another 2.8 miles to the end of the road at the rim of the Grand Canyon. The views from the rim are spectacular. There were no crowds and no guard rails. We took our time walking around the point where the road ended at the Toroweap Overlook and enjoyed great views down into the canyon to the east and west. We pulled out our lunches and sat down in the shade to eat lunch with a ranger and another VIP  (who happened to be the Ranger’s mother  from Massachusetts who had been coming every year for 15 years) that were there to keep folks from doing anything really crazy along the edge. After lunch, we piled back into the Behemoth for the four hour drive back to Kanab and were lucky enough to spot two more Pronghorn in the distance.

Entrance Sign

Flowers along the road

Entrance Sign

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

26 May 2023 Kanab Area

 We decided to explore some of the local sites to Kanab today. All four of us first tried out the local Mexican Food (Escobar’s) before picking up Lacy (Bill and Pam’s dog). We then headed north on US89. First stop was the Sand Caves. Located close to the road, Leslie, Bill and I followed the trail to the base of the slick rock. Leslie looked it over and decided it would not be a good thing to do to her knee or ankle. David and Bill climbed up the slick rock to the cave entrance. The caves are man made and were carved out in the 1950s. We explored the caves for a few minutes and marveled at the number of inscriptions people had carved into the wall and ceilings of the soft sandstone. We worked our way back down the slick rock without hurting ourselves and met up with Leslie for the walk back to the car. Pam and Lacy were sitting out enjoying the beautiful weather when we got back. Next stop was the Moqui Cave. Moqui Cave is a privately owned cave system which in its heyday in the 1950s was the only bar and dance hall in all of Utah. Now it is a privately run museum with Indian and Dinosaur artifacts and various mineral/crystal samples. A bit of a tourist trap, but still a fun stop. From there we drove further up US89 to the Belly of the Dragon. Originally carved out as a drainage tunnel for the highway, mother nature has carved the tunnel to her own design. It’s a short hike from the parking area and requires a little scrambling, but Leslie, David, Bill and Lacy walked the tunnel from end to end with the help of our cell phone flashlights. Our final stop was Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We drove into the park, stopped at the gift store before we walked out to the observation deck to view the Coral Pink Sand Dune field. This is mostly an ATV playground and some folks were sand boarding one of the larger dunes. Not really feeling like climbing sand dunes, we headed back to Kanab. 

Sand Caves from the trail

Scramble across the slick rock

Inside the caves

Inside the caves

Entrance to Coqui Cave

Entrance to Belly of the Dragon!

From inside the Belly!

Other end of the Belly of the Dragon

Inside the Dragon. Notice all the inscriptions in the wall

Heading out of the dragon

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes looking toward the gap where the sand blows in from the west

24 May 2023 Zion NP

 Leslie, David and Bill headed out early to Zion NP. Pam was still feeling sore from her fall a couple of days ago and decided to rest. Bill drove so David and Leslie were able to gawk at the gorgeous scenery on the way. There was a 20 minute back up at the east gate entry. When we got close to the Mount Carmel Tunnel, we were lucky and found a parking spot along the road. We walked down to the Zion Canyon Overlook Trailhead and headed on up (1.5 miles, 183 feet of elevation gain). The trail is popular and there are several narrow places with steep drop offs where you need to wait your turn. The views at the end are stupendous! Leslie’s ankle held up well but she did not like some of the narrow spots with no guardrails. We were fortunate to see some Big Horn Sheep below us on the other side of Pine Canyon. It took us a little over 1.5 hours to hike out and back. We then headed into the town of Springdale and ate at the Zion Brewery. The food and the beer were excellent. From there we went to the visitor center and did our normal business (passport stamps, hat, cup, post cards, etc). We jumped on the shuttle (the only way into the main canyon this time of year) and road it all the way to the end at Temple of Sinawava. The park looks so much different then when David was here in the 1980s. We hiked the River Walk Trail (2.2 miles, 193 feet elevation gain) to the entrance to the Narrows. We have wanted to do the Narrows trail since hearing about it from our favorite authors, but it was closed due to the high water flow from the snow melt off upstream. After returning from the River Walk Trail, we got back on the shuttle to the Lodge where we got off to look around the historic lodge. The cottonwood trees where shedding their pollen and it looked like it was snowing it was so heavy. We then jumped on the shuttle back to the visitor center to pick up the car and drive back to Kanab. 

Entrance Sign

Zion Canyon Overlook Trail

Big Horn Sheep

Pine Canyon

Zion Canyon Overlook Trail

Zion Canyon

Chickmonks looking for a snack

Virgin River flowing through the canyon

Entrance to the Narrows

Virgin River

Lobby of Zion Lodge

22 May 2023 Jacobs Lake AZ to Kanab UT

 As we were packing up to head out, a Thunderstorm started building nearby adding impetuous to our efforts! After getting hitched up, we headed up to the Jacob’s Lake Inn for an early lunch. Once again the food was delicious and we stopped by the bakery to pick up a few snacks for the coming days. It was only a 38 mile drive down to Kanab, with a few steep downhill sections. We are staying at the J&J RV Park ($52 per night with GSC) in Kanab. Bill and Pam are parked just a couple of sites down from us. We have a lot on our Itinerary for Kanab!

J&J RV Site