Picks and Pans

As our trip comes to a close, we are reflecting on the best, and the worst. While all the scenery was fantastic, the snow capped mountains of CO had one key thing going for them – they were not in the heat/sun zone. Yeah, it’s a dry heat, but we doubt Icarus was complaining about the humidity either.

We do pride ourselves on having lunch in interesting locations, and we certainly picked up two of those this year – the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and on the Bear Creek Trail in Ouray, CO.

(The photo below is from CO. For a video of the North Rim lunch spot, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfS_S_a219o)

Our best campsites were easily those which were cooler and more isolated. And we have a new all-time worst: Wahweap Campsite at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at Lake Powell near Page, AZ. Hot, sandy, windy (which does fun stuff with said hot sand), burrs that pierce the tent (not to mention your feet), and full of RVs. Save yourself. Push on to the dispersed camping in Kaibab National Forest near the North Rim instead.

The food was disappointing in general. We had been hoping for truly amazing Mexican, some great Native American food, and we just didn’t find it for the most part. We did pick up two great restaurants in Colorado, though: The Adobe Inn in Ridgway with great Mexican and Smokin’ Jack’s Pit BBQ in Poncha Springs/Salida with fantastic pork and ribs and even better sides.

Overall, we’ve taken four trips exploring different parts of the country. We’d rank this the second-best, trailing only 2006’s Montana/Wyoming tour. Of all the trips, probably the timing was most important for this one and we may have enjoyed it more had we been able to go earlier in the year. As one of the Bryce Canyon rangers said, there’s only a couple of million years left before it erodes away. Better hurry!

A Few Random Statistics

All told on this trip we put 3,792 miles on our rented Chevy Cobalt. That’s in line with the past two years (3,819 in '07; 3,941 in '06), which is strange given that we’re pretty much just going wherever we want to go. Apparently, that’s just under 4,000 miles, wherever it is.

The Cobalt was pretty good to us from a gas mileage standpoint. We were consistently in the 32-33 mpg range. Which is good because the cheapest gas we found was $3.859 in New Mexico, and we paid as much as $4.299 in Ridgway, CO. All in all, we spent $475 on gas, $110 more than last year and $71 more than in 2006. Not bad, considering.

Homeward Bound

The scenery on the ride back to Denver was, as expected, gorgeous. For the first 35 miles we had the company of many of the 1500 participants of the Colorado Bike Tour. They had spent the night in Ouray. It was interesting to see so many kinds of bicycles and bikers, but it did slow us up a little.

Smokin’ Jacks BBQ Pit in Poncha Springs was perfectly located for a mid-drive break, and the food was even better than we remembered it.

Directly after Poncha Springs we ran into a thunderstorm, with lightening and even a moment of hail. This created an amazing mix of clouds and mountain ranges.

In Which We Learned More About Mining Than Was Strictly Necessary

This entire region was settled pretty much for the mining and it’s an important piece of the history here. So we headed to the Bachelor-Syracuse Mine for a tour. After getting outfitted with hard hats and yellow slickers, we were loaded into one of two cars on a tram (stride it like a saddle and don’t stick your fingers outside the bar, as the rip comes close!). Our guide was a hoot, constantly quipping (“did you get the round trip ticket?” “let’s start ‘er up, she usually does”). We were riding a drift where the miners followed the seam of ore. At some point the drift has been expanded and brought to the surface so the railroad could be put in. The ride to the stop in the mine was loud, and bumpy. Our car was unloaded first into a room-sized space scattered with mining equipment. When he went to move the tram forward to unload the last car, the engine wouldn’t start. So much for the quip. He tried the engine many times, but it wouldn’t start. Fortunately there was a phone there, so he rang up the front office. It took awhile, but someone finally arrived and started the engine. Courtesy of the delay, he did a very impressive job of cramming 45 minutes worth of information into half an hour. The mine was started by three guys, who joined together to drop down a shaft in a likely location. They dug 200 feet down and they ran out of money, so one of the guys dropped out. They found another investor at $2,000, which was an incredible sum for a non-producing mine (around $100 would have been standard). They went another 50 feet down and struck it rich. At that point they followed the ore seam vertically. Then they dropped the shaft down till they hit more ore. There are 10 levels to this mine. It was interesting to learn how US and global history have changed mining. In 1878, Congress passed the Bland-Allison Silver act which backed our currency with both gold and silver and required the treasury to purchase $2 to $4 million worth of silver bullion monthly. This pushed up prices dramatically till the act was repealed a few years later, causing the bubble to crash. Most of the intense mining in the area was done in this time period. There were some other times of flurries of activities, as well, but the big push was after the silver act. The life of a miner was one of 6 – 7 10 hour days a week, until they switched the pay from hourly to a percent of the ore you brought out, when most miners worked 12 – 14 hours a day. Most miners didn’t live long, as they got lung disease. This mine was considered a good one to work in, as it was producing well and the air was clean.

Squash Blossom Boys

We stopped at the Ridgway Farmer’s Market Sunday morning. There were about 8 or so vendors, selling jewelry (??), cheese, elk meat, grass fed chickens, plants, and a quite good blue grass quintet, the Squash Blossom Boys from Albuquerque, who had popped over from the Bluegrass Festival at Telluride. Younger than you’d expect, but they were all characters, and quite good. They were using one mike stand and had down pat the delicate dance of shifting to and fro to allow people to move closer to the microphone when it was time. They looked like they could do this in their sleep, and indeed a few of them may have been asleep. One of the two main singers had the absolute perfect bluegrass voice.

NOTE: Just listened to the stuff on their myspace.com page (linked from above) on Wednesday. What we heard them do live was very different and way better. Oh well. Sorry.

Two Unexpected Gems

What a way to end a great day. We stopped a the local Box Canyon Falls, which contains the geological wonder called the Great Uncomformity that people come to from around the world. When you walk the 95 stairs to the bottom of the falls, you see an intensely powerful waterfall rushing through a vertical slit in the rock. It's difficult to describe the power of the falls. The sign said that if they hooked it up to a generator it would create enough power for the whole town. The Great Uncomformity is sedimentary rock that was crunched together until the black and white bands turned completely vertical. Then more sedimentary rock was laid down on top of that, kind of like a lady's fingers cake.

For dinner we landed, rather by chance, at the Adobe Inn in Ridgway, which definitely had the best Mexican food we've had the entire trip. That makes the two best restaurants, by far, we've found on this trip being located in Colorado. What's not to love?

Coming Full Circle

With just a few days left before Tuesday’s return flight, we knew we wanted to get back into Colorado and we thought it’d be nice if we could keep the same campsite for our last three nights under the stars (Monday we’re in a hotel so we can re-pack everything). After a less-than-helpful stop at the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez, we decided to come back to the area we fell in love with as we drove to Mesa Verde and decided to give Ridgway State Park a try because of its ideal location, between Telluride and Ouray (YOU-ray).

We nailed this one. Turns out National Geographic named this the best Colorado state park and it’s easy to see why. The facilities are spacious and immaculate. The walk-in tent sites in Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Campground, while a good distance from the parking spaces, are across the Uncompaghre River and have sweeping vistas. The area has phenomenal hiking, cute towns, and gorgeous scenery.

Today we opted for the Bear Creek Trail, the first 2.4 miles of which go to the Grizzly Bear Mine. While the mine itself was a tad disappointing, this was by far our most challenging (climbing 1600' in elevation, much of it over a strange rock) – and most rewarding – hike to date.

You Know it’s a Long Day When the Campsite Host Locks the Gate on You

For such a tiny town, Jemez Springs is surprisingly touristy and they have quite a nice library. From there, we took a scenic drive past a view of the caldera. (Those of you with us last year will recall that Crater Lake is also a caldera, though a much wetter one.) This area had quite the volcanic activity tens of thousands of years ago (hence, the springs) and the ash compressed into rock (called tuff), which is now eroding interestingly, creating a neato Swiss cheese effect.

We then went through the Santa Fe National Forest (under some amazing cloud formations, including something disturbingly mushroom-y, especially given our proximity to Los Alamos) and ended up in the city of Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a bit like a hotter, drier Newport (minus, of course, the “port”), with art galleries (high end art galleries: nice to see an Ansel Adams in person, but $55K is a lot for a photo) and museums galore. We lunched on carnitas from the “famous” truck at the Plaza and wandered around for a couple of hours. On our way back, we stopped at Bandelier National Monument (free entrance fee with our InterAgency Annual Pass – at $80, quite a bargain around here) and walked the 1.2 mile main loop past an Ancestral Pueblo village and through some cliff dwellings.

Then we stopped at one of the hot springs that give the area its name. We almost didn’t make it, turning around after a steep scramble to nowhere but Scott sussed it out. It’s kind of just a hole in the rock, and quite warm. We joined a nice couple from Albuquerque and spent 45 minutes “taking the waters” and chatting with them. Earlier we’d targeted the Laughing Lizard for dinner and were surprised to be greeted with a closed sign at 8:20. We were also surprised to be greeted with a locked gate at our campsite 10 minutes later. Guess it’s a good thing the Lizard was closed.

It's All About Water

Over the years, but especially this trip, we've come to realize the importance of water. So many of the natural wonders we've seen have been formed at least in part by water (either through its running or freezing/thawing or dripping, etc.). Here, water, or lack thereof, will make or break a community. In past trips, as in this one, we've seen a lot of desert-type landscapes hard up against green, irrigated fields. This year, though, is the first time we've seen river beds completely dry. What natural water there is tends to look more like something you'd expect to see from a toxic waste dump: yellowy orange, in the middle of a salt flat, nothing that looks remotely potable.

The theme has played out here over centuries: the Ancestral Pueblos left their cliff dwellings at least in part due to drought. (And even before that, much of their water supply came from seepage from the sandstone, which looks like a damp spot on the rock wall.) Bryce, the namesake of the canyon, and his family created a ten-mile ditch, a project that failed the first time and took two years to complete, in order to re-route water from the Sevier River. Prior to that the community had been surviving on a trickle of water that, when we saw it at least, couldn't have been more than 6 inches wide.

Turns Out, Standing Will Get You Places

On a non-random corner in Winslow, Arizona, (Amy is questioning whether the famous corner had something to do with the area penitentiary we passed on the way into town) we ran into a recent Yale Law grad who had just quit her job and was traveling cross country en route to her home in LA. She had just come from a small town in New Mexico called Jemez Springs (that's HAY-mes) that she highly recommended we check out. Having no other heavy plans, we decided to make our way over there and are we glad we did!

We pulled in a little later than we'd have liked to the San Antonio Campground in the Santa Fe National Forest (close to 9 PM) and found an isolated, wooded site near a rushing stream (Water! They have water here!). Ben, the campground host, is friendly and helpful, the area is peaceful and (relatively) non-hot so we'll spend at least one more night here.

We Just Didn’t Take to Sedona

Maybe it was the noisy camper who had us up at 1:30 a.m.
Maybe it was the nasty $3 showers in the already expensive campground.
Maybe it was the written warning Scott received for going 50 in a 40.
Maybe it was the multiple trips through town to find the restaurant recommended by Officer Dominguez.
Maybe it was the two-year road construction project through both main roads of town.
Maybe it was the fact that the Coconino Loop Trail disappeared and we were left to scramble in 90+ heat at 9 a.m. through cacti and thorny brush to reach the safety of the road.

It’s a Small World, After All

Headed south from Fabulous Flagstaff, we found our way to a semi-remote campsite in one of the many campgrounds on the steep and scenic road from Flagstaff to Sedona. Our neighbor was showing Scott the short cut to the vault toilet.

Scott: Where are you from?
Neighbor: Prescott Valley
S: Where’s that?
N: Well…. It’s near Jerome…Where are you from?
S: Connecticut.
N: Really? I grew up in Connecticut.
S: You’re kidding! Where about?
N: West Hartford.
S: You’re kidding! What high school did you graduate from?
N: Conard.
S: You’re kidding! What year?

Turns out she graduated a year before he started. And to top it off she’s a guidance counselor at a high school in the area. Now, how can we expense this?

Fabulous Flagstaff

Our attempt to enjoy a slot canyon in Arizona was beaten out by the incredible heat at midday and the exorbitant tour fee. Despite what the brochure says, it’s not $6 to just wander around the canyon soaking up the atmosphere and color. And we arrived too late to tour the Hopi village but too early to camp in the beating sun waiting for them to open in the morning. So, on to Flagstaff to camp and maybe eat in a restaurant.

Flagstaff is a lot like a warmer, drier Northampton, MA. An adorable, walkable downtown with a ton of patio dining, artsy places and art galleries. As it was after 5, the visitor center was closed. Oh wait, we changed time zones, so they’re open! After a visit to the best camping store and a wonderful dinner on Café Ole’s patio, we realized that many businesses in the area don’t use their air-conditioning. The art gallery was kind of hot, and the restaurant was warm, but who sits in the restaurant when the patio is open? It was pretty warm out, but the breeze was lovely and it was the most pleasant 90+ degrees we’ve experienced.

What’s Next?

Frankly, we’ve about had it with dust and dry and rock formations. (Ranger: “That’s what we specialize in around here.”) We would probably enjoy this a great deal more if the heat were not so intensely merciless. We are slowly learning that the temperature outside means less than where the sun is. Most of the days we’ve had have been cloudless. Between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. or so the sun is intense and hard to avoid. We’re deciding to skip this year some of the other Utah National Parks. We had been especially looking forward to Zion but it is hotter there and the mandatory shuttle bus system for non-overnight stays makes it harder to navigate the area (one bus to get into the park, a second to move around once inside).

Slot canyons still hold a lot of appeal for us and a talk with a ranger here suggested that Antelope Canyon back in Navajo Nation would be a good destination. We’ll head there tomorrow and hopefully go further south into Arizona afterward, perhaps camping near Flagstaff.

Bryce Canyon: International Tourist Destination

We’ve noticed on our travels around the park a much higher percentage of non-native English speakers than we’re used to. We’re betting the favorable Euro-to-dollar exchange rate has a bit to do with that. All of the signs encouraging people to use proper footwear appear only in English, as do the warnings in the park newspaper that the #1, #2, and #3 causes of death in Bryce Canyon are “Bad Choice of Footwear.” Could this explain the designer flipflops we’ve seen along the trails? We even saw a baby stroller abandoned on a set of switchbacks leading into the canyon.