Hurricane

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Driving the Kolob Canyons Scenic Drive

Today is last full day in the area of Zion National Park. I have a little work to do, so the quick excursion to the Kolob Canyons section of the park was the perfect activity, taking up the afternoon.

It was just a short drive up I-15 to the visitors’ centre for that section of the park. Here, you can see a series of slot canyons. I really want to come back and hike in this part of the park, but the prospect was too daunting for my current drive-through the area, requiring permits and equipment for overnight stays. I especially want to do the hike to the Kolob Arch, considered to be the second largest natural arch in the world. It’s doable as strenuous 12-hour day trip, but I would have had to plan for a permit in advance for that, so it was still not a reasonable to-do item for this trip.

Besides long hikes, the only activity in this part of the park is the 5-mile scenic drive to a lookout point and 1-mile trail to a further lookout point. So the road ends with a giant turn around that has toilets, a nice view, and the trail head. I met a nice couple with two beautiful older dogs who gave sweet kisses and liked to be petted. Yup, definitely a dog person now. 🙂 BTW, Zion, like most national parks in the US, is NOT dog friendly.

When I came back from the hike, a man asked me what part of SK I’m from and I explained to him that I’m about 2.5 hours south of Regina, 45 minutes north of the Montana border. He confidently informed me that Saskatchewan does not have a border with Montana, only North Dakota, and that I am mistaken… But he did correct a German or Dutch lady who asked me how to pronounce the name of my state, informing her that it’s a province, so he gets points for that. 🙂 The lady got the name correct after only two tries and sadly informed me that she would forget in minutes how to say it.

Thus ends this current visit to Zion National Park. It’s really not that far from Haven (two long days or three short ones) and there are so many more parks I want to experience in Utah that I would like to make the state a destination at some point and do a lot more hikes! I’m pretty sure now that I want a class B camper van type thing, like a small RoadTrek, rather than a bumper pull trailer, btw, enough that I’m going to start window shopping this winter!

Hurricane was a fantastic base to explore the park, much less expensive than Springdale and with more services. I think it would be nice to spend a week in Springdale and be pretty much right on site, but the drive from Hurricane is so short that it’s not a huge compromise.

Tonight, I’m going to finish my work project and continue packing. I got the tote back into the truck today, so that’s progress. I’ve also discovered that the tailgate handle I installed in 2012 is not working and I don’t have the screwdriver I need to pull open the cover and see if the handle is broken or just came loose. It’s a weird screw driver and I don’t really feel like buying one, but US Customs opened the tailgate and I want it openable in case Mexican Customs wants access, too. I can still get stuff in through the topper cover, myself included, but it’s not very convenient. I am not pleased. Oh, well, if that’s the worse thing that happens to the truck on this trip… 🙂

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Hunan City Restaurant, Hurricane UT

By 6:30, my ice cream was very far away and I was starting to feel a little faint, so I headed off in search of dinner, hoping to find a little cafe that serves burgers and beers. Siri found one about 15 minutes away (walking), so that was perfect and off I went. I found it strange that so many things were closed that early and I finally clued in that it was Sunday night! Yikes! Every restaurant I had passed saved for the fast food joints were closed, as was the café and the grocery store. My options were Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Subways. And then I saw a little light in an otherwise dark strip mall. I went to investigate and found a small Chinese restaurant called Hunan City.

Chinese is the last place I go to for sustenance, but I was famished and, having conquered Angel’s Landing, ready for more adventure! 😉 So I went in and was greeted warmly. There were a few other patrons, all speaking Mandarin, which I took as a good sign (I’ve studied Mandarin and can recognize it compared to Cantonese). The menu was small and not very descriptive. I’m sure that people who eat a lot at Chinese places would recognize all the dishes, but the names meant little to me.

I found a ‘dinner special’ section starting at $9.99 and decided to go with that. It included soup of the day, noodles, rice, an egg roll and a main dish. I glanced at all the main dish options and settled on cashew chicken. I know I like those two ingredients, but had no idea how they would be cooked, if there would be sauce or veggies, etc. and the server didn’t seem to speak much English so there was no point asking. I eat raw fish, surely I could handle whatever Hunan City put in front of me!

My soup choices were egg drop or hot and sour, which wasn’t a choice at all for me (no eggs, remember?). The soup looked quite off putting, crunchy somethings I initially thought were noodles with mushrooms and tofu in a viscous broth that was indeed hot (both in terms of spiciness and temperature) and sour. It was rather like that Iranian soup I had in Montreal, strangely comforting and perfect after a long cold walk from the hotel. I didn’t finish it because I suspected that there would be a lot of dinner, but I didn’t not like it.

When dinner arrived, I was optimistic. The plate of food was huge, but there were brightly coloured vegetables and I could tell that the chicken was all white meat with no gristle. I started with the ‘ham fried rice’, which was okay and hugely improved with soy sauce. Next, I sampled the noodles and, oh my! I think they might have had some sesame oil on them. They were just yummy. As for the cashew chicken, WOW! Yes, I just said wow and capitalized it. The dish was cooked in a savoury garlic sauce and had tons of tender crisp veggies and it didn’t skimp on the cashews. I really enjoyed it! There was also a spring roll rather than an egg roll, which I found disappointing since I prefer the dough on the latter. But there was nothing wrong with the spring roll. It was crispy and had lots of nice veggies in it.

I was too hungry to divide all the food into two meals, but there was definitely too much for just one meal. I ended up leaving most of the rice and eating everything else. It was the perfect mix of protein and carbs after a very active day.

I am really glad that circumstances brought me to Hunan City tonight. I don’t see myself seeking out Chinese food on a regular basis, but now I know there’s much more to it than what you get at the all you can eat buffets.

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A Day at Zion Canyon

Zion Canyon is actually only a tiny part of Zion National Park and not even the part that I’ve been so enthused to see, but it was the logical starting point for my first foray into this magnificent wilderness. I headed out late this morning after doing a little more work.

The base of the canyon and the park’s welcome centre are right at the end of the tiny touristy town of Springdale, theoretically half an hour from Hurricane, but it took longer due to slow drivers. Don’t do like I do and plan to get gas and water in Springdale if leaving from another community as prices are much, much higher there!

To ease vehicular congestion in the small canyon that has only 450 parking spaces and traffic that once peaked at 5,000 vehicles per day, Springdale and Zion National Park have a free shuttle service. You can park your vehicle on the street in Springdale and get a shuttle to the welcome centre. From there, you take a shuttle that will bring you to each of the stops along the scenic canyon drive.

Some people don’t like this system, but I love it! It saves on gas, it saves on frustration in finding a parking space I can get in and out of easily with my truck, and it allows you to sit back and enjoy the scenery. The shuttle also serves as a tour as there is narration between the stops (and, yes, it is very audible, nice job, NPS!).

I parked at the far end of Springdale and quickly caught the shuttle to the welcome centre. There, you cross a little pedestrian bridge and get to the booth where you have to buy your pass, which is $25 for a week. I bought an interagency (‘America the Beautiful’) pass at Yellowstone, so I presented that instead of paying, as well as my driver’s license, which has a matching signature. BTW, my ID has my legal name, but I sign it all Rae, which actually gives ‘Rae’ some legitimate status when I get a cheque or package mailed to that name, but I digress.

Entrance to the park, using the beautiful sandstone to create the welcome sign.

Entrance to the park, using the beautiful sandstone to create the welcome sign.

Even though I’d done some research ahead of time, I really had no idea which hike or hikes I wanted to do today since I would only have a few hours in the canyon. I finally decided on the Emerald Pools, which were a few stops from the welcome centre.

On the way there, the gentleman sitting next to me, who has been to the park many, many times (he lives near Vegas, which is two hours away), told me that I could make the Emerald Pools a much longer hike by combining it with another trail segment, called the Kayenta Trail. That would take me to the Grotto shuttle stop, where I could get back on the shuttle to go up canyon to do the Weeping Rock trail, a very short, but must-do, trail. Thank you, sir!

The Emerald Pools trail really highlighted what this part of Zion National Park is all about — the contrast of the arid sandstone cliffs with lush vegetation. The first part of the hike was very easy and I decided to continue to the upper pools, a slightly technical hike up. I was pleased to discover that, yes, I am out of shape, but not nearly as badly as I thought. I am still very nimble on my feet and as long as I remember to pace myself, I have a lot of endurance.

I enjoyed scrambling over the sandstone and the camaraderie on the trail. On the way back from the upper pools, there was a big drop that I knew my knees could not handle. As I started to drop to my butt to slide over the edge, a strong masculine hand appeared to give me something to brace myself on so I could just step down rather tan slide. Who says chivalry is dead? And, really, I need a walking stick!!!

Not my first experience with cacti, by far, but these were big!

Not my first experience with cacti, by far, but these were big!

The canyon walls soared high above us.

The canyon walls soared high above us.

Water seeping from the walls to form the emerald pools.

Water seeping from the walls to form the emerald pools, which get their colour from algae.

The path was slick and you had to go through a curtain of water!

The path was slick and you had to go through a curtain of water!

I loved the contrast of the red and green.

I loved the contrast of the red and green.

Heading to the upper pools, we had to squeeze through here.

Heading to the upper pools, we had to squeeze through here.

Not sure what this landing is officially called. It's the gateway to the middle pools, which were closed.

Not sure what this landing is officially called. It’s the gateway to the middle pools, which were closed.

It was fun to pick a path!

It was fun to pick a path!

The upper pool.

The upper pool.

On the way down, this little guy was nice enough to pose for me.

On the way down, this little guy was nice enough to pose for me.

The Emerald Pools trail takes two to four hours and I did it in less than two. I met up with the man from the shuttle on the way to the Grotto and he was shocked that I’d not only made it up and down from the upper pool, but had also taken the time to eat lunch!

Beautiful striations!

Beautiful striations!

Such a magnificent location!

Such a magnificent location!

Another tight squeeze.

Another tight squeeze.

Now that's a big bunch of cacti!

Now that’s a big bunch of cacti!

From the Grotto, I got back on the shuttle and went to Weeping Rock. This is a permanently saturated section of the canyon where it essentially rains all the time and lush vegetation grows along the rock face. It’s a very short walk, but steep.

The shuttle has a little trailer!

The shuttle has a little trailer!

More gorgeous views.

More gorgeous views.

Selfie at Weeping Rock.

Selfie at Weeping Rock. Not sure what the guy in the back is doing, but nice photobomb, sir!

Vegetation growing under the Weeping Rock.

Vegetation growing under the Weeping Rock.

I would have liked to try the Hidden Canyon hike next, but it was a two to three hour hike uphill and I was pretty tired by then. Instead, I got back on the shuttle and went to the very last stop at the Temple of Sinawava. There, I found the River Walk, a fairly easy stroll along the Virgin River, which carved out the canyon. The canyon is very wide open at the Springdale end and narrows here.

The River Walk is the gateway to The Narrows. This is a walk in the river that takes you to a part of the canyon where the walls close in. The water was freezing cold and I didn’t have a walking stick, so I only went a little further than the end of the River Walk before calling it a day. I was very glad to be wearing my Keens; they were perfect on all the terrain today and allowed me to cross the river without slipping. I couldn’t believe the number of people who attempted a river crossing in flip flops!

No risk of flash floods in the Narrows today.

No risk of flash floods in the Narrows today.

Yes, this is a swamp in the middle of a desert.

Yes, this is a swamp in the middle of a desert.

The benches really blended in.

The benches really blended in.

Looking up canyon, it really narrows.

Looking up canyon, it really narrows.

Starting my river crossing.

Starting my river crossing.

The crossing took at most two minutes and I could barely feel my feet on the other side!

The crossing took at most two minutes and I could barely feel my feet on the other side!

Folks heading into the Narrows.

Folks heading into the Narrows.

More narrowing.

More narrowing.

It was late afternoon when I returned to the shuttle stop and I was ready to call it a day. I returned to the welcome centre and hopped on the Springdale shuttle.

Interesting rock formation nearing Springdale.

Interesting rock formation nearing Springdale.

I was famished by this point, so I decided to have dinner in Springdale. I couldn’t find a badly reviewed restaurant in the whole town, so I walked into the saloon and got a table with a great view. There was a reasonably priced pulled pork sandwich on the menu, something I haven’t had in ages, so I ordered that. Unfortunately, I got my first truly disappointing meal of this trip. The coleslaw and sweet potato fries were bland while the pork was drowned in too much over sweet BBQ sauce. I brought half the meal back with me, but I don’t even know if I’ll eat the leftovers. I think the pork might be salvageable with a little cheese, so I’ll try that for breakfast this morning. It didn’t help that I lost leave of my senses and ordered a lemonade, too, which was also way too sweet. I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t order the same things I used to like!

View from the restaurant.

View from the restaurant.

Dinner aside, today was an amazing day! I am nearly recovered from my days slaving away on the computer. 🙂

A change in my work schedule has given me a third day in the park, so tomorrow, I will return to the canyon to attempt the Angels Landing hike, one of the canyon’s most famous adventures, which culminates with a crossing of a narrow isthmus very high up. It’ll be interesting to see if I get across it!

The shuttle system stops running daily tomorrow night, so Monday will be the logical day to drive north to the Kolob Canyons section of the park, which is the part I’ve been so keen to see. Stay tuned for more about this magnificent park!

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Pocatello, ID to Hurricane, UT

I didn’t plan to do a long day today. So when I awoke at 6:00 to rain in Pocatello, I promptly went back to sleep. The weather had not improved when I finally got up two hours later.

Last night, my GPS insisted that there was a Starbucks near my overnighting spot, by the McDonald’s, but I couldn’t find it. In the light of day, I had an epiphany, the Starbucks was likely in the Fred Meyers (a store like a Super Walmart) that I had spotted. So I headed there in the hopes of getting decent coffee, breakfast, and munchies for the road. Success! I found some nice Oscar Meyer ‘protein packs’ with lean meat, a few nuts, and cubes of cheese for dirt cheap, and one of those was the perfect breakfast, along with a grande dark roast from Starbucks.

I then hit the road, sticking to I-15 to make sure that I wouldn’t miss the Utah welcome centre. It was very dark almost all the way to the Utah border. It was weird to driven I-15 in that direction, although I do believe I’ve drive the Idaho/Montana portion of the highway as well. I just associate it with the long drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. 🙂

I wasn’t sure if I was going to stop in Salt Lake City or not. When I finally came to the welcome centre, many miles into the state, and got a ‘SLC highlights’ map, I knew that a stop would not be a good use of my time. SLC is a planned community established by the Mormon Brigham Young and the highlights of the city all have to do with the LDS church. I’m all for learning about different faiths, but I’m on an increasingly tight schedule. One thing I can say about the Great Salt Lake, you can smell it from a distance!

I stuck to I-15 through the city (not for the faint of heart and glad not to have done it in an RV!) and then took back roads, most notably route 6. At first, it was painful going, lots of stop and go and slow speed limits, then the road opened up and I was glad to have made the decision. The drive was incredibly isolated, with almost no services, much like the drive through the Sierra Nevadas and the Mojave Desert. I would not recommend getting off the interstate in Utah unless you trust your vehicle! My truck is running great, by the way. 🙂

There really wasn’t much to stop at and the landscape was all the same, so I didn’t take a lot of pictures. I was very grateful to find a small rest area south (or was it west?) of Elberta (not a typo), and I got fuel in Delta ($3.35, I think, compared to $3.19 at Fred Meyer). I didn’t fill up completely, hoping to do so at cheaper prices later.

I had a lot of time to think today, even with the radio blaring the whole way. It’s 10 days to the end of the month and I really want to get to Mexico the first week of November. I have four days’ of work in my queue and ideally need to do another three to be in good shape for November. I hadn’t planned on a canon ball run to Zion, but it suddenly made sense to push on tonight and stay there a full week, giving me time to alternate work and exploring days.

It got really, really hot by mid-afternoon and in an act of desperation, I turned on the truck AC, which has been dead as a doornail since I left Quebec in late 2012. Whadya know, it started blowing cool air… Not super cold, but just perfect! WOW.

I stopped at a McDonald’s in Cedar City to check out the hotel situation in Springdale, the gateway community to Zion National Park. Hotel prices were out of my price range. It makes no sense to sink nearly a day’s income into a hotel room. Might as well not work and truck camp instead! Prices in St. George were much more reasonable, but St. George is a full hour to Zion. Priceline clued me in that there might be a compromise, the city of Hurricane, 30 minutes from Springdale. Online prices weren’t great and I decided to go door to door at each hotel in Hurricane until I found one with a decent weekly rate.

It was coming on seven when I pulled into the first motel on my list. No weekly rates and the daily rate was $50 for weeknights, $90 for weekends. PASS.

Next motel had a weekly rate of about $33 plus tax per night. Amenities included an onsite laundromat and a pool. Suspicious, I asked for a key to a room on the second floor away from the main road so I could inspect it. The room was large, clean, and newly renovated, had yet another super comfy bed, a microwave and fridge, and a decent table and chair setup for work. SOLD. I booked for the week and was assured that I can renew for a few days at the same rate if I want to as I may decide to just hang out if I get work for next week early in the week. We shall see.

I lugged about 50 billion pounds of luggage into the room. I hadn’t planned to get on the road so late and therefore hadn’t expected to be in HOT weather quickly. I really need to switch out the fall clothes with more summery ones!

Dinner was from a well reviewed fast food Mexican joint, Alberto’s. My enchiladas were made with corn tortillas and were not smothered in cheese and sour cream, so even with the beans and rice, it wasn’t a heavy meal. It wasn’t a wow meal, but it hit the spot.

I got some groceries after dinner from a nearby supermarket and noticed a frozen yoghurt place on the way back similar to the one I went to in Salem, OR, where you pay by the weight and can add toppings. I got a small portion of yoghurt with a few toppings and was shocked when it weighed in at over $10! I could have bought several Ben and Jerry containers for that price! It was outrageous and I would have complained had tonight not happened to be ‘fill your container for $3 night’ and my price got reduced to that! Phew! I had a yummy pineapple yoghurt with fresh fruit. Very refreshing!

So now, the plan is to work tomorrow and go exploring on Thursday and Sunday. Andy Baird is camped just minutes away, so I’m hoping to meet up with him while I’m here! This is the guy who gave me a vision of the RV I wanted when I was shopping way back in 2008 and who has been an incredible mentor. It would be the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae to cap off a trip to Zion with a meetup!

So Zion… The LAST item on my American bucket list! Sure, there are other things I’d like to see, volcanoes in Hawaii, the Everglades, the Black Hills, Arches National Park, and Monument Valley come to mind, but nothing absolutely pressing that I’d want to make an express trip to (post edited on July 20th, 2017, to note that I’ve been to the Black Hills, Arches National Park, and Monument Valley since then!). I started traveling as a grown up at the age of 17, starting with my trips to Colorado and NYC in the fall of 1996, and it has taken me less than 20 years to make my way through my list of must dos. My Canada list has only two things left on it. I think it’s high time for me to get to Mexico, and then the world beyond, no? 🙂