It was like looking down at the top of a cloud, which I guess we were when we visited the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We had driven in rain from time to time ever since we started our trip and it was cool and cloudy when we visited Petrified Forest National Park on the first day out. The Painted Desert had received a lot of rain and the washes were running bank to bank with muddy water. We drove through snow and sub-freezing temperatures as we approached the north rim. That didn’t seem to deminish the crowds, though. The north rim is supposed to be less frequented than the south, and it may be, but that’s not to say it isn’t frequented. There was a generous sprinkling of foreigners judging by the gibberish being spoken. For the most part the canyon was socked in but it cleared enough before we left for us to get a taste of the beauty and immensity of the Grand Canyon.
Zion National Park is nice, full of people, but nice. They have bus tours to areas of the park where cars aren’t allowed, which is good because no one would get to see anything if they did allow cars. People can hop on and off as they choose the buses running every 5-7 minutes at a number of features along the route. We got off at the Narrows Trail. The Virgin River originates in a slot canyon from springs along the canyon walls. We stopped at the end of the path, maybe a mile from the bus stop. It involved wadding the creek to continue up the slot canyon, which some people were doing, but not us.
On the way back to Kanab we stopped at the Coral Dunes State Park. It was so named because of the pink tint of the sand. It was an OK little side trip but not worth a special trip, and the dunes were pinkish like the surrounding country but no redder than some of the strata in Palo Duro or Caprock Canyon state parks.
We braved all kinds of weather heading to Bryce Canyon well before sunup. It was overcast, the temperature dropped as low as 24 degrees as we gained elevation and there was snow on the highway as we approached our destination. The sun broke through the clouds while it was still low in the sky and, since we were headed east, we had to deal with snow, ice and poor visibility from the sun in our eyes. We passed through a geological formation called Red Canyon just as the morning sun was hitting it and it was spectacular, as much so as anything else we saw on the trip. A little farther down the road a car pulled out in front of us and proceeded down the highway at barely half the speed limit. It appeared the windshield was covered with ice and the driver couldn’t see very well especially with the sun in his eyes. He pulled over to the right at a highway intersection, apparently to get out of my way, but then realized he was in a turn lane. It looked like he might move into my lane and consequently he had my full attention. We got around him safely, though, and went on our way. Unfortunately the intersection was where we were supposed to off for Bryce Canyon. We kept going thinking we would see our turn any time. I finally stopped and inquired but not before we had gone considerably farther than we should have. Grrr.
Bryce Canyon also has shuttle buses but we followed the advice of my national parks book, drove to the end of the park road and backtracked toward the visitor center from there. The viewing turnouts were on the east side of the road which was to our right going back, making it easier to turn in, gawk awhile, then pull out and keep going. Bryce Canyon has some interesting scenery, but after you’ve seen one hoodoo you’ve seen them all. The first view (the one we saw last) was the best and one could save a lot of time just giving that a good scrutiny and letting it go at that. We could have taken in Bryce Canyon NP and Capital Reef NP on the same day, but we didn’t know that.
Before heading out for Capital Reef NP for the day, we went down to the lobby of our hotel for their free breakfast. I had decided I would make myself a waffle, all the ingredients and machinery were at my disposal but the place was overrun with oriental gentleman and ladies. They were with a tour, thus the large number. We got down there at 6 a.m. which is when the complementary breakfast was supposed to begin but the oriental foreigners were already there gobbling up everything in sight. It quickly became apparent that waiting one’s turn was not a concept they were familiar with. It was catch-as-catch can. After having several people cut in front of me I started blocking out. It helped that I was bigger than most of them. I got several baleful glares but I also got our food so we could eat and be on our way.
When on these peregrinations, we encounter a lot of people. Most are friendly and courteous enough while some aren’t. And some are downright amicable. For instance, I nearly ran into an oriental lady coming out of an elevator I was about to get on. We had just finished our breakfast among the oriental tour group and were loading up to leave for our destination that day. I was carrying some bags down to the car and when the elevator opened I started in without thinking there was anyone in it when this well-dressed oriental lady started out which caused me to do a little dance to keep from running over her. I was just thinking to myself, ” Aw hell, is there no end of them,” when she pleasantly wished me a good morning. Then there were the two Englishmen, looked to be father and son, we met on the trail along the Grand Canyon during a time when the fog was especially thick. There were many people on the trail and it was common to exchange some sort of greeting, if just a nod. These two, coming back from the view point, took the time to assure us that if we just waited a little while, there would be a break in the fog enough to give us a pretty good view of the canyon. I guess we weren’t patient enough because there never was a break for us. In fact, it was starting to rain. We walked the two or three hundred yards back to the car and wouldn’t you know it the rain stopped and the sun started to come about the time we got there. I was inclined to go back and Joyce encouraged me to do so while she waited in the car. Naturally it clouded over again by the time I got back to the viewpoint but I did get a little bit of a break, enough to snap a few pictures and feel somewhat satisfied. On the way back to the car I encountered the two Englishmen again and again we stopped to chat. Though they didn’t tell me they were Brits, the younger man’s jacket had a Cromwell patch on it and their accents sounded like the King’s English (or Queen’s as the case may be). The younger man had very blue eyes, not that that makes any difference, just a bit of trivia. They told me they planned to be back there for the sunrise the next day since the weather was supposed to clear. I sort of envied them but we had clear skies over Zion NP the next morning so I expect they got a clear view over Grand Canyon. Then there was the Hispanic couple with their children and luggage trying to get in the side door of the hotel the same time we were. The young husband and father had a really nice smile. I realize I leave myself open for criticism pointing out pretty eyes and smiles from other men, but, well I don’t care. Finally there was the little lady overseeing the breakfast area in the hotel in Gallup on the morning we left for home. I was hoping there wouldn’t be a crowd so I could make myself that waffle, and there wasn’t. Gallup is Navajo country and this lady was of that genre I’m pretty sure, and I think she spotted me because she came over and helped make my waffle. In fact, she did it for me. She was so nice and had such a nice smile we left her a tip on the table.
Capital Reef NP was my favorite. Zion may have been the prettiest, but not by that much, and Cap Reef was far less crowded. After visiting that park we drove to Hanksville, Utah where we spent the night. The next day we stopped to view Canyon De Chelly in Arizona on the way to Gallup for our last night on the road. Some people in the Master Naturalist group told me about CDC and it was worth stopping to look at. The canyon is large and very narrow relative to its depth. Navajos farm the canyon floor now as their ancestors have done for centuries. There are remnants of cave dwellings along the canyon walls similar to those in Mesa Verde. I don’t know how deep the canyon is but I feel sure anyone going over the side would have plenty of time to plan their landing. The flat land around the park is also inhabited by Navajos and pretty depressing. I’ve read of the high rate of alcoholism, spousal abuse, out of wedlock births and such on the rez. Those problems aren’t exclusive to Native Americans by any means, but it would be nice if there were a way to break that cycle of poverty, on the rez and anywhere else it exists.