Escalante, Utah

More red rocks

Taking a drive on the Scenic Highway 12 through the Red Canyon to Escalante for our week stay. 

Scenic Highway 12

We had to make several stops outside of Bryce National Park along the highway to oooh and aahhhhh. 

 

Driving can be a bit unnerving along the Hogbacks near Hell's Backbone. Mike insisted on driving the winding sections that have severe drop-offs on both sides without guardrails. He has control issues or doesn't trust my driving.....

Lower Calf Creek Falls

 Our 6 mile round trip hike to the lower falls in the Grand Staircase after hiking 2 miles on another trail was like being in a candy shop with so many trails to choose.

  This hike was just rolled along Calf Creek in the sunshine but not too hot. Much of the trail is through sand in a dry creek bed with markers identifying petroglyphs on the distant walls.

We passed by mineral-streaked cliffs of Navajo Sandstone and beaver dams with fish in the creek on our way to the pool and falls.

 

The cool breeze over the top of the 130 foot falls gave us a refreshing break from the sunshine as we sat under the trees for our snack next to the water fall. We were tempted to wade in the pool but just enjoyed the fresh air. I hate putting on hiking boots half way through a hike. They never feel quite right.

We had a nice surprise and stopped for a treat and lemonade at Kiva Koffee in the middle of the National Monument while driving back from our hike.

 

While enjoying our refreshments, a man joined us after overhearing us discuss our hike. Once he left, a local stopped to give us some tips about hikes we were planning to take. Then another group of locals added their thoughts. Everyone was very welcoming.

 We drove the Burr Trail outside of Boulder to hike the Deer Creek Trail that wanders along Deer Creek pastureland.

Stopping for a picnic before calling it a day, we returned to visit the Hole in the Rock Museum. Those were some hardy and maybe a little crazy,  Mormons. They had to be hardy to survive. The pictograms and story plates were interesting and awe inspiring. Click here if you would like to read the story.

 

Driving through small towns, often they don't seem to have much to offer. During a morning walk from the campground, we took sometime to find some great places like this organic grocery store and coffee shop, or in my case tea.

 

I like this fellow's classy pack.

 Part of the way though our visit, I was feeling under the weather. Realizing that if we needed an emergency room, we weren't sure where to go. We knew there was a clinic on the edge of town with an after hours number. But with no phone service even with roaming and the internet down, we would be out of luck if we needed 911 or even the clinic. A snow storm with high winds on the way with temps in the low 20s, we made a change in plans and headed west.

 

 



 

 

Hiking with friends in AZ

Doing time in the desert

Last summer was a whirl wind of travel across the country to see friends, family and do a little work. All of those miles left us ready to settle down for a while as we returned to Arizona. Six months is a long time for us to be in one place which led us to venture out a couple of times to keep the "Itch" at bay.

We had driven by the Goldfield Gold mine several times but had never stopped. This time we made the stop since I was still recovering from a virus that was sweeping through the area and not quite ready for a hike.

 

This was an interesting geocache.

 Getting ready for their shoot out.

I returned to the hospital for my four shifts a month. The flu hit pretty hard and a virus got me down for 10 days causing me to miss my trip to Denver to see my grandsons. So many nurses were missing work and the hospital was so full that they were offering

some nice bonuses for extra shifts or going to a different hospital. I only picked up one shift for a bonus as people were returning to work about the same time that I got better.

 

Mike is giving workamping a go here at  Cal-Am Resorts. He was working 24 hours per week for 3 months delivering food, beer and wine to different resorts which covered our space rent and utilities. Most couples share the job and each work 12 hours.

 

The 24 hours a week kept stretching out to many more 4 days a week. After the first month, we sat down for a talk and decided that things weren't working out as we had been led to believe they would. When he let his boss know that he was done, they came to an agreement that  12 hours a week for half of the rent would be a better plan. Mike likes the idea of working Mondays and Fridays 6 hour days. This is supposed to be a retirement job. Now he can enjoy the bike riding and hiking that we came here for.

Our resort has plenty to keep us busy and have enjoyed the hiking groups and met some fun people. We have a habit of hiking the same trails and this gave us the opportunity to see some different trails

and areas.  The comedy show and Tribute bands were a good time along with some of the classes that were offered. My Spanish is coming along.

 

 We took a few hikes with the local hiking group to checkout some new trails and enjoyed the people very much.

Why is he standing on the protective grate over the mine hole?

 

South Mountain's Fatman's Pas

The first time I locked myself out of our trailer was shortly after we sold our home. We were in Manitou Springs and Mike was working at the bike shop downtown. I couldn't figure out how I could have locked the door but I was stranded outside without my phone. I walked over to the office and used their phone. Mike came home and unlocked it for me. This was a wakeup call for us. Fortunately, we weren't in the toolies without a way in, other than breaking a window. We purchased a heavy duty lockbox to place on our hitch for a key, just in case.

 

Fast forward to Mike's first day work camping here in AZ. Once he went to work, I went outside without my phone or keys. I turned around to open the door and it was locked. I called Mike from the office for the combo to the box which I couldn't remember and opened the door. I was beginning to question my neediness when the door locked again and he was at work. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. The door will not close once the switch is in the lock position.  

Once I explained it to him that I notice the upper lock was turned to the lock position, a light went on. Every time this happened, he had locked the upper door lock as he left since I was sleeping in. I would unlock the lower lock from the inside without realizing he had locked the top.  We tested out his theory and he was right.

 

 

We had a good time visiting with Mike's sister, Susan and Rick on their visit from Vermont to see the Barrett Jackson Car Auction. They enjoyed the sunshine after a cold winter in the northeast.

We still have a little more time before heading out for the spring. But, it is sure nice to have Mike out cycling with me once again.

Oak Creek Valley

Up in the valley

Not ready to return to the heat of the city, we were able to book some days at the Cave Springs a USFS campground north of Sedona along Oak Creek for the week. Sedona is a

beautiful but congested area even during the week.  Once through town, the traffic really did not improve as the road narrowed and became more winding.

Of course, a picture of Bell Rock is required as we enter the canyon from the south. The north route has hairpin turns and steep ledges from the south is the way to go for us.

View from our campsite

 The temperatures were 10 degrees cooler in the canyon. Sedona was also experiencing higher than normal temps. The leaves were at their peak fall colors. Nothing to compare to New England but very nice for Arizona. It was good to hear the crunch of the fallen leaves as we walked along the cliffs.

  West Oak Creek Trail is said to be one of the most visited trails in Arizona. As we drove by the trailhead, the parking lot was full and cars were parked along both sides of the road for 1/4 of a mile. The gate opens at 8am and the cost is $10 a car. The next morning we happened to be up early and decided check out the trail. A camp host had mentioned that there were three parking spots outside of the gate that allowed access before the gates opened. We arrived at 7:15, got the third parking spot and paid our $10 to hike.

Approximately 11 miles from Uptown, the West Fork Trail parking lot is on the left. There’s a Call of the Canyon sign post evoking memories of Zane Grey’s famous western of the same name and the time of a different era. Grey is said to have written the novel in one of the historic cabins that eventually evolved into the Mayhew Oak Creek Lodge and the 1923 movie was filmed here.

 The  fall leaves were past peak but still quite nice. The trail is an 6 mile round trip of rolling hills along the creek. The temps were in the low 50s as we started out with only an occasional person on the trail. As we were returning, the closer to the end we got, the more people we came across. On our return, we met a very nice couple from North Carolina that walked with us and had a nice to visit that made the miles pass quickly. Hi Jim and Susan!

The trail is three fairly flat miles one way with 13 creek crossings.

Most of the pictures were taken pointing up at the walls of the canyon.

Most of the pictures were taken pointing up at the walls of the canyon.

 I am not sure if we would hike this trail again with so many trails to choose but were glad to spend a morning in the canyon. It was good to sit in our recliners after the hike and read as the wind blew leaves from the trees. We would wake after dozing off and be covered with leaves. You have to admit, a good book and a nap after a hike is just a great day.



We were dry camping this week, using our solar panels, which are not very big, to keep our batteries charged. It worked great in Prescott since we had sunshine all day. In Oak Valley, the sun was not shining on our site until after 9 am and down by 4 pm in a very shaded spot also. We woke one morning to the sound of our furnace sounding funky and realized the batteries were dying. Using the truck for a charge, we managed to get the slide in. Mike used a ratchet to lift the hitch so we could load up and return to Mesa a day early. It would have been good to stay one more day. With temps in the 30s at night, our charge probably wouldn't make it until midnight. Yes, I am a wimp and like at least a few amenities like electricity and heat.

After a month in one place, it was good to get away for a week in some places we haven't visited before.  We are enjoying our friends and new acquaintances at Val Vista Resort and think it is a pretty good place to stay for a while.