Back to the rainforest

Ten miles up the road from Twisp is a Western themed town called Winthrop, and we had to stop for a quick look at the western style buildings and check out the Rocking Horse bakery cafe. We then headed West on Highway 20 over the North Cascades. Just out of Winthrop we were beside the Methow river, with lots of pine trees, deer beside the road, and horses grazing in pastures. The road climbed higher and higher, and we were surprised to see snow on the mountain peaks as we went through Washington Pass, elevation 5,477 feet.
Down the other side we passed the Ross dam, and finally were in the Skagit valley, beside the river, where people in boats, and on the shore, were fishing. It was raining, the maple trees were yellow and orange, we could see moss on trees and cabin roofs, and lichen (old man's beard) hanging from the biggest trees. It felt like home and we knew we were back in the Pacific Northwest.
With only a five minute wait at the border, we were home by three; the cats were waiting on the back porch!
We had a great trip we're calling the canyon tour; thanks for following along - that's all for now - until next time!

The tiny town of Twisp

We left Kennewick WA reasonably early and headed west, passing corn fields and vineyards, then stopping in Ellensburg for coffee (I want a GPS that tells you when you're nearing a Starbucks!). We headed north up 97, and over the mountains, enjoying the Ponderosa pine forests. It started to rain lightly near the town of Cashmere; the road followed the Wenatchee river and we could see that both pears and apples were being harvested.

Shortly after the town of Monitor we crossed Easy Street (honest!) and the road followed the Columbia river - the landscape looked much like our Okanagan. We took a smaller road up the Methow valley and stopped at the town of Twisp - it's very small, about 3 blocks long. We found a room at the Inn, a charming B & B that was once the hotel in town. The town sprang up during a mining boom, and sits at the confluence of the Methow and Twisp rivers.
We explored the town, checking out the various metal sculptures, galleries, had a delicious dinner at the pub - a microbrewery, - then walked down to the river. Had a fun evening in front of the fire talking with the others staying here.

Still sunny but cooler...

Yesterday we left Moab early and headed west on I 70; as the scenery wasn't too inspiring, we listened to our story: we have a library copy of The Lost Symbol (by Dan Brown), on CD - we only listen to it on travel days, when there's not too much to look at, and when there isn't an important junction coming up.  That last rule was instituted after we missed an exit because the story was so riveting; we had to go five miles down the highway before we could get off and turn around!
It was easier driving through Salt Lake City in the early afternoon, rather than at rush hour, which had been the case on our way down.  We made it to Twin Falls, on the Snake river in Idaho, before stopping for the night.
Today we gained an hour soon after we arrived in Oregon, as we'd left Mountain time behind in Idaho. We stopped in Baker City to walk around the Historic District in the centre of town. At every corner there was a scarecrow and stalks of corn. We sure laughed when we read the posters for the Great Salt Lick Contest!

Though it was sunny, there was a hint of Fall in the air, and we realized we won't be able to put on shorts and sandals every morning, for much longer...
Signs we enjoyed today: Echo 1 mile; Black Cat Road.

Brad and the blue buffalo

Brad rides the Blue Buffalo trail

This morning Brad went with a local guide on a "challenging and inspiring" mountain bike ride up some rocky terrain, over some slickrock, and along a mesa rim. From there they had a view of the valley and could even see some features in Arches National Park, in the distance. They stopped to admire some petroglyphs, one of which was a blue buffalo.
Back in town, I toured the local shops; later we took in the local Museum of Moab, which has some great exhibits on the history of the area, which was first settled by a few cattle ranchers, and then uranium was discovered, and things really started booming. They have a travelling exhibition at the moment, from the Smithsonian, called New Harmonies, on American Roots music.
Across the street, there was some public art beside city hall, from the Puma Project the sign said.

A blue puma beside City Hall

Now it's time to pack up and get ready to head out in the morning; we've enjoyed our time here and would like to come back - there's lots to see and do!

Arches, windows and petroglyphs

Balanced Rock

After a short bike ride along the river, we headed up into Arches National Park, just a few miles north of Moab. Our first stop was at Balanced Rock: a huge boulder perched atop a pedestal about 50 feet high. This would have started out as a sandstone fin, then erosion created an arch or window, more erosion caused the arch to collapse, leaving the pedestal, with a rock on top.

North and South Windows

Petroglyphs near Wolfe Ranch

Next stop was at the North and South windows, where we walked out around them; a ranger was reminding people to stay on the paths, that yesterday a fellow went out among the brush to get a photo, and was bitten by a rattlesnake - he was taken by helicopter to hospital, where he's still recovering. Needless to say, we were very careful to stay right on the paths.  Our last stop was at the Wolfe ranch, which is really only two tiny one room cabins. It's hard to imagine a family living in the high desert in a small log cabin with one window and one door. We walked further along to see the petroglyphs carved in the rock by Ute Indians; as some figures are on horseback, these date to some time after the Ute people acquired horses from the Spanish.

River rapids and cowboy songs

We went on a raft trip down the Colorado river today. First we got in an old Bluebird bus pulling the raft on a trailer, and drove the narrow winding route that goes up the valley - it was rather slow going as the Century bike tour was starting out and our driver had to pass cyclists on the road (no shoulder or bike path).  We made it the 26 miles upstream from Moab and got the raft in the water.

The river is fairly low at this time of year, but we still had some level I and II rapids. At one spot we jumped in for a swim, which was wonderful since it was so hot (the high has been 97 - 99 degrees F. each day so far). We saw buttes and red rock formations, canyon walls and heard stories from our guide about those jeep and car commercials they film from helicopters. It was a really good trip.
This evening we went to a free program in town; musician Hal Cannon showed a 16 minute version of his documentary Why the Cowboy Sings, then played the guitar, mandola and harmonica, sang and told stories of collecting old cowboy songs. He's associated with the Western Folklife Center. We really enjoyed his toe tapping music.

On the road again: Northeast

We took the scenic drive east from Bryce Canyon on Route 12; it drops in elevation and soon we were in the town of Tropic - so named because with some irrigation, the climate was favourable for fruit trees and growing alfafa and other crops. It was a lovely winding drive through valleys with fields and trees; soon though we were climbing up again, into a semi-arid area, and saw a sign for Hell's Backbone road. Luckily we didn't need to take it and followed the highway up to the town of Torrey, named for the Torrey pines in the area.

The Rabbitbush likes a hot climate

It was around Hanksville that the scenic portion of the route ended and the vast dry sandy moonscape started; it made us check the gas gauge to make sure we weren't going to get stranded. We crossed the Dirty Devil river, and not too much later crossed the Colorado river and arrived in Moab.
We didn't realize that it's still high season here, so with both a nearby Melon festival and a Skinny Tire Century bike tour happening this weekend, finding a place to stay took awhile.  What we found though is very comfortable, and we're happy to be settled in one place for five nights.
We attended at talk and photo presentation by Grant Collier, a local photographer; he showed some amazing photos taken in nearby Arches National Park; he hikes off the beaten path and takes photos just after sunrise, around sunset and at night when there's a full moon; we really enjoyed his georgeous pictures.

Warning: Dangerous Cliffs!

We were at the campground bus stop right at 0915 for our free 3 hour guided bus tour to Rainbow Point (elevation 9,115') in Bryce National Park. We hopped on, and our driver and guide drove the big bus with one hand and held his microphone with the other. As we went along he told us all about the origins of the park and the fellow it was named after: Ebenezer Bryce. Quite a character himself, he finally introduced himself and told us he hadn't done it sooner so as not to scare us - we would be seeing signs about dangerous Cliffs!
At Rainbow Point we got out and walked the trails - saw a Bristlecone pine tree - also called a bottlebrush tree - it was 12' tall and 150 years old - these trees can live to be 1500 years old! From Rainbow point we could see Navaho Mountain 80 miles away to the East, and to the South, on the horizon, the North Rim on the Grand Canyon.

Wild Blue Flax flower

On the way back, between stops to see various viewpoints and hoodoos, Cliff regaled us with the "true" story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who had roamed Utah (and Wyoming and other states), hiding in various canyons after their bank robberies.

Cliff points South

Wall Street in Utah?

Chipmunk hoping for a treat

We hiked from the rim down a trail into the hoodoos, admiring the various colours and formations. As we went south there were more pine trees, and we sat down for a snack. From way up a hillside a chipmunk came running to see if we would share; he was very cute and soon a lot of photographers stopped, hoping he would stay still for a good picture.
The trail turned back towards the rim, was more uphill and soon we were in the narrow slot canyon they call Wall Street. It was incredible. Closer to the top there were many switchbacks on the trail, and more viewpoints.

Ranger Gary

Later we were back in the area for a Rim Walk with Ranger Gary, who we think is Dustin Hoffman's twin. He was delightful and informative and we learned about the Limber Pine, which grows on the cliff edge and has very flexible branches to cope with the wind. He also talked about the geology, the plants and pointed out evidence of lightening strikes on nearby trees.

Heading to the hoodoos

Sunset Point hoodoos

We left the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and headed north again, stopping for lunch once more in Kanab. So many Western movies have been filmed there that they have signs around town with photos and info on various actors who've been in town and when.  On our previous visit we parked near a sign for Maureen O'Hara; this time it was a male actor. We enjoyed the signs in town: RV Corral, the Stage Stop (for a gas station store), and a poster for a Flu Shoot-out (flu clinic).
We drove north to the turn-off for Bryce Canyon and admired the Red Canyon; the road goes through two big arches. We arrived at the Park and headed right to the campground where we were pleased to get a spot under the pine trees.
Right across the road at Sunset point we walked up the rim trail aways, taking photos of the late afternoon sun on the hoodoos below. Later we enjoyed a Ranger talk at the lodge, on the threatened Utah Prairie dogs and other wildlife in the Park.

Cape Royal and the Colorado River

  The Angel's Window at Cape Royal

Still in Grand Canyon National Park, we drove out to Cape Royal; at the second viewpoint, we got our first look at the Colorado River far below. It was brown in colour, and was described by an early explorer as "too thick to drink, and too thin to plow." Once right out on the Cape, we started down the trail and were surprised to see another view of the river, this time seen through what's called the Angel's Window, an arch in a limestone point. Later we walked out to the point, right over the arch; look closely at the photo and you'll see people on the top.

Lunch on the edge

Back at the parking lot we got our lunch and looked for a place to have a picnic; we saw a great spot, but 4 people beat us to it - they told us they were only there to take photos - we we took some of them and then we carefully exchanged places and they took a few of us!  What a view.

Sunday evening

On the way back from Cape Royal we stopped so that I could walk into the woods to take a few photos of the beautiful wildflowers: small lupines, asters, and these yellow ones - large drifts of them - they were lovely with the sun shining on them.
Back at the lodge, we staked out a spot on the West patio, again with dozens of others, to watch the sunset. A waiter comes and takes your order while you wait, so you don't even have to move to get your refreshments. It's fun to talk to the others around you about their travels and compare notes.
Once it was fully dark we moved over to the East patio, as a ranger had set up his giant telescope - it was so big it had blinking red lights on its feet so no one bumped into it. We looked at the craters of the moon, at Venus, others stars and a nebula. He let us know that the International Space Station would be visible at precisely 8:18, for less than a minute, so a few minutes before, we went back over to the West patio and waited - sure enough there it was - so bright, and moving quickly - then it changed colour from white to orange and disappeared into the Earth's shadow.

South to the North Rim

We got up early and visited the Human History Museum in Zion National Park - it has excellent displays on the Native groups in the canyon, how they lived, and the artifacts found, the early explorers and the settlers who farmed the lower canyon before it became a park. Then we headed east on the amazing Zion - Mt. Carmel road - up the many switchbacks to the mile long tunnel built in the late '20's, through one more tunnel and out into a slightly different landscape - one with pine trees and less red sandstone.
At the junction we headed south, stopping at the Western town of Kanab, where we had lunch at the Trail's End restaurant, and were startled to see that the waitresses wore, along with their jeans and western shirts, leather holsters with six-shooters!
Heading south again, the land became more forested, and we noticed aspen and pine trees. Soon we were at the entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park where the sign told us that the Park campground was full, so we turned around and drove 4 miles back to a Forest Service campground, where we found a nice spot in the pine trees.
Back in the park, we drove to the old Grand Canyon lodge; from the back (main) entrance you don't realize that it's on the very edge of the canyon; it's when you enter, and walk down the stairs to the enormous sun room, with its huge windows and panoramic views of the canyon, that you see you're on the rim all right! It took our breath away. We hiked out to Bright Angel Point and got back to the Lodge in time for a ranger talk on Condors and other birds.

Grand Canyon sunset - North Rim

Later we waited on the Lodge patio, with dozens of others, for the sun to go down; it seemed that every minute the sun and shadows in the canyon changed; B took many photos of the ever changing sky.

Exploring the Zion canyon floor

Our tent in the canyon near the river

We got into the south entrance of Zion National Park early, and got a coveted spot in the South Campground, right in the canyon. Deer wandered and grazed, not bothered at all by all the people nearby. After checking out the visitors centre, we were ready to catch the shuttle up canyon to the Lodge. Cars are no longer allowed past a certain point - the shuttle buses come along often, stop at most trailheads, are free, and you can hop on and off.

A hanging garden

Cardinal flowers

We got off at the Lodge and hiked up to the middle Emerald pool, along a sandy trail, spotting lizards, birds, rock squirrels and wildflowers, like the paintbrush and purple asters. At the middle pool, we crossed and took the trail down to the lower pool, walking under the small waterfall coming from the pool above, admiring the plants and ferns growing from the moist cliff; they call this a hanging garden. After lunch we took the shuttle right to the end of the road, and hiked the trail along the river; the canyon is narrow at this end; we passed a desert swamp, a mule deer resting in the shade only about 40 feet from the trail (a buck with impressive antlers), and butterflies visiting the red flowers growing up on the cliff.

From Provo to Hurricane

Leaving Provo (just south of Salt Lake City) this morning I read in the guidebook that the city got it's name from Etienne Provost, a French Canadian who explored the area. We began to see more and more of these what look to me to be a type of black-eyed Susans beside the road; sometimes only a few, and sometimes whole fields of brilliant yellow. We thought hmmm... maybe that's the state flower, but no, the state flower is the Sego Lily. I took this picture of the yellow roadside flowers when we stopped for gas.
We also saw a bright orange sign we've never seen before: "Drowsy drivers use next exit." Luckily we can take turns driving and napping (not at the same time!)

Even the road was red!

By late afternoon we were at the north entrance to Zion National Park, and drove the 5 miles to the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint. It was a good thing there was no one behind us as we slowed to take photos of the red sandstone mountains; there was an astonishing view around every corner! At the end of the road we hiked the mile long trail to the viewpoint.
We're now in the town of Hurricane, Utah. Other town names we liked were Lime in Oregon, and Bliss in Idaho.

Another good driving day

Great Salt Lake in the distance

Ontario, Oregon is so close to their neighbouring state that the motel had copies of the Idaho newspaper. Southern Idaho is dry except where there is irrigation for hay and corn fields. In the Southeast corner there were signs saying "dust storms, do not stop." So we didn't! We crossed into Utah and soon had our first glimpse of the Great Salt Lake. It's warm and sunny here - about 80 degrees F.

On to Oregon

We left Seattle and headed southeast across Washington - first in rain over the Snoqualamie pass; the farther east we went the drier it got. We saw two deer, hay fields and vineyards. The driving was easy and soon we crossed the Columbia river into Oregon. We looked for traces of the old Oregon trail, saw the Snake river, and stopped in the town of Ontario, where we set our watches an hour ahead as it's the Mountain time zone.

Looking for the wagon ruts of the pioneers on the Oregon trail

Road trip

We started our trip by visiting friends in Kirkland, just east of Seattle. While the guys rode mountain bikes on the Iron Horse trail (43 miles in total), V and I had a great time exploring the Bellevue Botanical Garden. It's a public garden with various areas such as the waterwise garden, the alpine one, Japanese section and the perennial border. This is where we were captivated by a flowering shrub without a name tag, so we took a photo of it and showed it to the staff at a local nursery. At one point three employees were studying the photo and searching reference books, but no one could come up with the name, so it remains a mystery!