The Video

Here is the vacation in under eight minutes.

The Monsoon

I am told that Monsoon means "rainy season" in another language.  Therefore, saying it is Monsoon season is redundant.  Even in the desert there are violent thunderstorms.  Currently there is a severe thunderstorm warning, a dust storm warning and an airport weather warning.  Our hotel is near the airport.  We've hit a home run tonight.

I grabbed the camera and pointed it in the direction of the impending storm.  No tripod.  Just two shots and this was one of them (from through a window).  I am not stupid enough to walk outside in this.

But it's a dry heat.... NOT!

Made it to Phoenix.   Airport says 111.  Car says 113.  Either way it is hot.   Surprisingly it is not a dry heat. The dew point is 58.  Must return the car and come back to the hotel without melting.

Flagstaff

No pictures today.   We drove from Zion National Park to Flagstaff.   It was a retrace of our route for most of the day.   At times the car thermometer told us the air outside the car was 110 degrees.   Here in Flagstaff it was 88 which felt great.   After checking in we made our way up the street to a movie theater and watched Star Trek Beyond.   No spoilers.   I would see it again.

Today we drive to Phoenix.   Before getting there we will stop in Scottsdale and visit Taliesin West,  one of Frank Lloyd Wright's design retreats.  

Our plane leaves early on Saturday.   6am!  

Last Night in Zion Canyon

We are getting toward the end of our vacation adventure.  Tomorrow morning we depart Zion Canyon and head towards Flagstaff.  We are mostly there because it is a way point commuting back to Phoenix, but we will check out Frank Lloyd Wright's place while we are in the neighborhood.

Zion has some interesting features.  There are micro climates or environments in the park.  It is mostly a desert, but the Virgin River runs through it.  Because of that there are places where it is quite green.  In front of the lodge there is a tree that gets special care because it is at least a century old.  Around that tree is a green patch of lawn.  Every evening in the summer the does bring their fawn to the grass because it is moist.  They don't mind the vacationers as long as they keep a respectful distance.

For some reason people spend time naming rock formations.  I suppose that it makes it easier to navigate the park.  Many of the names are biblical in origin, but not all.  Here's one called the pipe organ.

We couldn't say goodbye unless I made an attempt at some star shots.  I tried last night but there was light pollution from the lodge.  Tonight, I went across the street to the bus stop.  They stop running at 8 PM local.  I sat in the middle of the parking lot with my photo pillow and looked at a few areas.  I like the shots best when there is still a hint of sun.

As the night progresses there are more stars, but it's time to call it a night.  We visited 3 National Parks and two Navajo Monuments so far on this trip.  All of them unique.  At Zion not only is the canyon special for its features but so are the animals and insects that live here.  There are bobcats and grey foxes, mule deer, prairie dogs and a few mountain lions at higher elevations.  In the insect category there are tarantula spiders.  We didn't see any, but a Ranger told us they are fairly common.  She says they are pretty docile if you ignore them.  OK.  I'll take her word for it.  There is also a unique insect called a tarantula spider hawk.  It looks like a very large wasp. It's mission is to find a tarantula.  It paralyzes it temporarily and then lays an egg inside the spider.  The offspring feeds on the spider from the inside until mature.  It really sounds like the plot to one of the Alien movies.

There were 3.2 million visitors to Zion last year.  For 11 of them it was their last visit anywhere.  Virtually all of them died during a flash flood.  Rangers post notices about the flood potential each day and if you are smart you do not hike the Narrows when the word "probable" is posted.

In other parks visitors often fall to their deaths from trails.  In virtually every case bad footwear was to blame.  Park literature reminds hikers to wear hiking boots.  Athletic shoes, unless specifically constructed for rugged hiking is not a good choice.  Neither are flip flops.  We saw lots of those on trails.  Someone fell into Bryce Canyon during our visit.  Vacationing from a hospital bed or the morgue just isn't fun.

The parks are a national treasure, despite a political interest in selling them.  If you visit (and you really should) visit safely.

See you in Flagstaff!

The Narrows, Zion Canyon National Park

The Contis were up early this morning.  Reville sounded at 5:30 AM.  Our breakfast consisted of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, ordered last night for the very purpose of feeding us before our hike.  We were on the first park loop bus that pulled up to the Lodge and we got off at what is called The Temple of Sinawava.  Majestic peaks line the sides of the Virgin River.  You first hike the scenic Riverside Walk which is paved and about a mile and a half long.  When it finishes you walk down a short group of stairs and get in the water.

After that you walk.  Sometimes, for brief periods, you get to walk on rocks that aren't in water.  Mostly, you walk in water.  It varies in speed and depth.  The temperature of the water is 72 degrees today, which feels reasonably good, considering our air temperature is headed up to near 106 degrees if not higher.

Most of the hike the water was mid calf in depth.  Sometimes it made it up to within striking distance of your waist.  You can see Jan is sporting hiking poles which are a huge asset in a hike like this.  You can steady yourself when traversing the rapids.  My camera rode in a waterproof bag and I brought it out when I was on dry land or in a place in the water where my footing was very secure.

There are multiple advantages to an early start on this hike.  First, the air temperature overnight made it into the 60's.  So it's very comfortable.  Second, most people do not like getting up to catch a 6 AM bus.  Therefore, we weren't competing with a large crowd while hiking upstream.  When we returned and hiked out of the river and back onto the Riverside trail we were walking by dozens and dozens of people.  Third, the light in the Narrows is better for viewing and photographing.  Finally, the thunderstorms that are typical in July come late in the afternoon.  Thunderstorms can cause the water level of the Virgin to rise quite a bit and quite fast.

We did not complete the entire 9.4 mile hike, which takes the average person 8 hours.  However, we made it pretty deep into the Narrows.  We hiked upstream for 110 minutes and then turned back and headed downstream.  That made our total hiking time about 3 hours and change.  Then we did another 1 mile hike to the Lower and Middle Emerald Pools just for good measure.

Now we plan to shower and have lunch and stay out of the afternoon sun!

Farewell Bryce and hello Zion

Time to say goodbye to Bryce Canyon National Park, but not before tying up a few loose ends.  I tried for more star shots.  Negative Ghost Rider the pattern is full - of clouds.  Late afternoon thunderstorms are normal for Bryce, but they usually roll in and roll out.  Last evening it rolled in and the cloud cover stayed right through the morning.  Still, you can get some nice shots of that!

Bryce Canyon obviously existed before the Mormon couple that named it and lobbied to see the lands preserved.  The Pauite Indians lived in the canyons.  Depending on which tribal member you speak to the name they gave the canyon is "red painted faces" or "red stones standing like a man in a big hole."  I find the second version more humorous.

While we bid adieu to the hoodoos it is also time to say farewell to a companion who accompanied us on many of our adventures.  My spider leg tripod, which is so convenient because of its size, succumbed to the rigors of my photographic demands.  Repair is not possible.  A small, private service preceded its journey into the recycling bin.

Now it is onto Zion.  Incidentally, Zion gets points for great night views too so we aren't done with star shots yet.  The tripod can't assist me, but my airplane neck pillow, a Christmas Gift a long time ago from Steve Baboulis, can be shaped into many forms.  In fact, that tree line shot with the blue sky was done with the "photo-pillow."

Zion gets so many visitors that the National Park Service restricts driving.  If you stay at the lodge, like we are, you get a special permit that allows you to drive into the park.  Otherwise there are shuttle buses that run very frequently.  We plan on using them too because in the center of the park only NPS vehicles can drive.  Jan booked us a very nice room.  Check out her Facebook posts for more on that.

One of the first named features that greets visitors is Checkerboard Mesa.  Quick geology review.  Mesa's are wider than taller.  Buttes are taller than wider.

Right now, it is the hottest part of the day.  People who do not stay in the park will leave shortly to deal with traffic and get to their hotels.  Once it gets towards evening it quiets down and the lighting is better for taking pictures too.  We'll be here two days.  Then to Flagstaff and then back to Phoenix.

Navajo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon

Jan’s repaired hiking boots got put to an immediate test.  We decided to hit the Navajo Loop trail into the canyon.  We descended at 8:30 AM and got back to our cabin 3 hours later, which isn’t bad.  Going early reduces the heat and the number of people you need to walk around on the trails.  

Looking at the hoodoos from the base of the canyon is striking especially when all that red rock is set against a very blue sky. Technically, we did the Navajo and Queens Loop Trails. 

I think we deserve a slice of pizza for lunch!

Stars and Sun, Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon is a famous star gazing place because it is remote and shielded from light pollution.  Once the sun starts to set the stars are easy to find.  I took these three images last evening.  The first one at dusk and the other two about 10 PM local time.  I actually think the shutter was open just a bit too long on the last two images.  The bright ones look a tad over exposed.  I will try again tonight.

The area where all the hoodoo formations are found is called the Amphitheater in park speak.  Our cabin is 100 meters from the rim so finding a place to capture sunrise was not difficult.  I found about a dozen other hearty souls to greet the sun at 6:30 am local, which is not altogether an unreasonable time.

Lower Antelope Canyon and welcome to Bryce

The friendly people at Dixie Ellis’s Lower Antelope Canyon tours gave me a “make good” this morning.  I was in the first group to descend into the canyon and it turned out I got the same tour guide as we had yesterday.  The Canyon is on Navajo land and the tour operation is run by members of the tribe.  They are friendly, helpful and pay attention to detail.  Julie (my tour guide) told me the main reason she accompanies us into the canyon is to keep us safe and to keep tourists from doing something stupid, like writing their name on the walls.

There are stairs and ladders you must walk down in order to get into the canyon.  Some are like regular stairs.  Some are more like a ladder.  As long as you pay attention it isn’t difficult.  Once you get to the bottom you are in a long canyon carved by water and changed by tectonics over time.  Light gets in through the slots above (hence it is called a slot canyon) and that, combined with the red rock makes for a pretty walk.

As you look through the pictures you might remember one of them as a screen saver for the Windows operating system.  Also, a scene for the next Star Wars movie was filmed in part of the canyon.  There was a wedding in there today as well.  It calls to people.

I entered the canyon about 8:15 and was out of it by about 9:30.  When I went in the temperature was 85 degrees.  By the time I came out it was 95 and an hour later, when we left Page for Bryce it was 105.  

Our cabin in Bryce is about 100 meters from the canyon.  I am looking forward to a night sky without light polution to do some star shooting.

We'll be here a couple of nights. Hoping to get some great star field shots!

Reviews of places, tours, cars, etc as close out week one

The day didn't go quite as planned.  The raft tour this morning was excellent and so was the tour provider, Colorado River Discovery.  After that things started to move in different directions.  The Lower Antelope Canyon tour melted Jan's shoes and Jan.  Initially, she didn't want to get out of line and head back to the car, but it became apparent that the 102 or 103 degree heat was going to get the better of her.  That tour provider couldn't have been nicer or more responsive.  Dixie Ellis's tour group was comforting.  They offered a full refund even though they didn't control the heat or the weather.  We were not seeking a refund.  And they added me to the sold out 8:10 AM tour tomorrow morning when the temperature will be in the low 80's and there shouldn't be a line of people trying to descend into the canyon.

This evening we were going to look at Horseshoe Bend.  We saw it this morning on the raft trip from the river but there is a lookout from above that is very beautiful.  We chose sunset or near sunset as the time.  When we got to the parking lot the temperature on the car's read out showed 107 degrees.  I know that is influenced by the pavement, but that still means the temperature was well above 100.  There were also hundreds of people staging and preparing to walk the 1 1/2 mile trail.  Jan immediately decided to sit it out in the car.  I headed out to the trail and marched up the first incline.  When I reached the top of the first rise I looked at the rest of the trail, saw the crowd of people marching to the lookout and decided it was too hot, too crowded and I didn't bring water, a mistake on my part.  Even if I'd brought water I think it would have been a stupid move so I went down the hill and back to the car.

Instead of posting pictures from that lookout here are the hits and misses on the tour so far.

Canyon Villa in Sedona is a great place.  You can't beat the setting.  The owners are gracious and helpful.  The staff is friendly.  Everyone there worked at making sure the guests enjoyed the stay.  The owner also works at finding amenities he can add to the rooms for guest convenience.  There is a universal device charging station on the dresser.   Nice touch.  The bed was comfortable.  You can tell that repairs and maintenance are a priority since nothing is broken.  And the view!!!

Safari Jeep tours took us on an off road adventure.  I wasn't happy with the way the Jeep swayed on the highway.  I also thought it was odd that the check engine light was on the entire time.  I've communicated with the owner who gets points for engaging in dialog, not in a defensive way, with a customer.  He says the Jeep does sway on regular roads because the suspension in the vehicle is optimized for off road performance.  He also says the check engine light is on because certain vehicle emission controls in the truck are bypassed to improve engine performance off road.  I did not like the way seating was handled in the Jeep.  But the staff was friendly and the tour scenery and guidance during the tour was good.  I wouldn't encourage anyone else to book this tour without checking others.  They get generally favorable reviews in social media.

The hotel we stayed at outside of the Marble Canyon in a locale called Cliff Dwellers was fine.  It is a perfectly good place to stay for one night when commuting from Sedona to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  They do serve great eats!!!

Hertz Car Rentals is our transportation supplier.  We are in a Nissan Versa.  It gets great mileage and doesn't have too much trouble with the hills.  If I give it a running start before the steeps ones it will maintain speed.  The air conditioner cools the car well.  There is more room in the trunk then one might think for a small car.  We fit four suitcases and one smaller duffel bag in there without any trouble and the back seat is still available, although we do drop one of the seats to open it up so that cool air gets back there and nothing melts in this heat.  That isn't a metaphor.  That's a literal sentence.  In the car is a guidance tool called NeverLost which Hertz is promoting.  We are using it for free.  However, if we listened to it every time we would get lost.  It gets confused easily and the touch screen on the device is not very responsive.  It often misreads what you are trying to type.  Car is good.  We'd rent there again and probably will, but we give NeverLost two thumbs down.

At the North Rim of the Grand Canyon there aren't many hotel and lodging options.  There is a camp ground although we aren't campers.  Even that is small.  The lodge there rents cabins.  They are buildings that are split into four, separate units.  From that four, two of them, on each side, can be joined together to create a large living arrangement for families.  Like most National Park lodging booking early is a necessity.  To get a reservation you must connect with them at least a year in advance.  The cabins are fine.  You aren't there for a spa experience.  You are there to take in the surroundings.  The walls between the rooms aren't sound proof.  If your neighbor is noisy you will hear it.  In the early part of the evening we did get some noise from another unit, but truthfully, we could also hear a family on their porch in an entirely different unit.  There's nothing to compete with the sound to deaden it.  We ended up using our Bose Quiet Comfort headsets one night.  Highly effective!!!  I would stay there again if we visited the North Rim again.

The View in Monument Valley is a fabulous hotel.  They did a great job of designing the space.  The decor is fitting and enhances the experience.  You get to look at all of the surroundings from your balcony no matter which room you get.  Great place.

Equally high marks are awarded to Navajo Spirit Tours.  His pickup truck was amended, which is the way most of the operators work in that park.  They take the bed off and replace it with a custom built passenger compartment like a very small school bus.  It's open air on the sides and a protective canopy over the top.  The guide even carried rain gear for all of us just in case.  Bring your own water and a camera.  We both thought our guide was a special talent for the way he communicated with us about his culture.  He also knew the tour very well.  How he kept track of all those roads, none of which are paved or marked, I do not know.  But he did.

The house where we are staying in Page is a work in progress for a young couple who are new to the rental business.  Nothing is wrong.  Nothing is broken.  There are some things that could use remediation, but none of them is a show stopper in our opinion.  Example, the light switch for the kitchen is currently behind the refrigerator.  They pulled it out so you can get your hand back there easily, but it is an odd place for a light switch.  There is a washer and dryer in the unit.  To operate it you open a nearby closet and reach in for the thick, black electric cord with the yellow marker on it and plug into the outlet in the hallway.  It's odd, but it works.  Matthew and I could rig an electrical outlet in that closet in a couple of hours.  In fact, we did precisely that one afternoon.  You can tell they are updating the place continually.  All new floors are in it.  It's more convenient than the hotels.  It's cheaper than the hotels.  We get to be in charge of our own food instead of eating out each night.

The tour we took on Lake Powell last night was provided by the Lake Powell Resort and Marina.  Our only complaint, and it's firm, is that the boarding process is a free for all.  There is limited space on the top deck.  When it's hot like now everyone wants to be up there.  No pre-selection process is in place.  They simply announce that the boat is ready for boarding down at the dock, about 1/2 mile away.  People sprint, push, block and are generally rude in trying to get to that top deck.  It doesn't matter what time you get to the Resort to check in either.  The Resort could solve that problem very easily by adopting a seat reservation process similar to Southwest Airlines. 24 hours before the tour departs you can jump on line and select a seat.  Some day someone is going to fall running down the slope to the dock and hurt themselves.  The boat was clean and comfortable.  The staff was helpful about everything EXCEPT the boarding process.  I'd recommend the tour because you get to zip around a marvelous lake, but practice your pass blocking.  Incidentally, we did get to sit up top.  Just fortunate that Jan got up there quickly.

Next week an entirely new list of places to see, stay and eat.  Leather always has some scars.  It's how you know it's genuine.  Not my words, incidentally,  It's on the liner notes from the Woodstock album.  The first one.

It's a great vacation and we are looking forward to next week, especially since Bryce will be in the 80's.  Zion on the other hand......

Colorado River Discovery Tour

We took a raft ride down the Colorado River from the base of the Glen Canyon Dam.  In fact, to get to our launch point the bus rides through the old construction tunnel, which is two miles long, through the Mesa.  We popped out at the base of the dam, where CRD keeps its powered rafts.

It's a very comfortable ride.  The raft had actual padded benches, but you could sit on the pontoons if you preferred.  A big Honda engine powered the raft when power was needed.  Going down stream it was used to steer the raft periodically.  Going back to the launch point our guide used the engine full time.

Our trip began at 8 AM so we escaped the heat of the day here where temperatures are expected to climb past 100 degrees.  Fortunately, the river water we rode upon comes from the bottom of Lake Powell.  So it's cold.  About 45 degrees.  That gave us natural air conditioning from the rocks of the canyon walls as they start to bake in the summer sun.

Earlier in our travel blog I lectured about people who throw coins into strange places in hopes of winning good fortune.  As we exited our bus to walk down the ramp to the dock we were all handed hard hats to protect us from coins people feel compelled to through down from hundreds of feet above.  The coins become rocket like projectiles as they gain speed and can penetrate skin.

 Morning is always best for spotting wild life.  Here is a small herd of mountain goats out for breakfast.

In the lower right of this picture you can see a blue raft tied up at the dock.  That's where we launched and returned.  It gives you a great look at the dam and the bridge above.  Most of what I shot today is video so you'll have to wait to see it.

Incidentally, if you are ever in this region and are contemplating a raft trip I highly recommend this one from Colorado River Discovery.  The half day version is probably good for most people but there is a full day version.  The company operated efficiently.  Everything was clean.  They were on time.  Friendly.  In their prep paperwork they tell you not to bring a camera bag.  You cannot bring any carrying bag which is opaque.  You can bring along a carry on that is clear.  They sell them at the tour company desk but you can probably find one at home for less money.  The reason is because we get to go the the base of the dam.  It's a security precaution.

Next tour stop today is the Slot Canyon.

Welcome to Page Where the Internet Service Provider is Slower than Dial-Up

We are in Page, Arizona the next couple of days.  Jan found a place on VRBO (vacation rental by owner) and it is comfortable.  Perhaps most important to us is that it had laundry facilities and just about at the midpoint of the vacation.

One thing we find odd is how poor the service is from the Cable Provider to this community.  The ISP (internet service provider) is Cable One, which is run by Donald Graham, who I believe is the son of the late Katherine Graham the former owner of the Washington Post.  When it's working, and from what we read it doesn't work very often, subscribers are treated to download speeds of a painfully slow 1 mega bit per second.  The base package with Time Warner in Albany these days gets you at least 10 and most people have 30.  Upload speeds are .5 mbps which is just pitiful.  I don't know what the issue is, but the community deserves better.

Anyway, back to the tourism part of the blog.

The central recreation feature in the region is Lake Powell, created by the Glen Canyon Dam.  The water level is recovering from a low point in 2012.  We looked at the dam and went on a sunset boat ride.

When you dam up a river like the Colorado the land and water work together to create interesting canyons within the resulting lake.  This is Antelope Canyon.  The sides are very tall although if you look at the rock walls the lighter color is the difference in the water level from normal.  

Does anyone know what this sky feature is about?  I do not.  This is in the eastern sky as the sun dips blow a rock formation on the west side of the lake.  It looks like rays of dark and bright light are shooting out from a center point.  There was a thunder storm cell to the right of this picture if that makes any difference.

We always get pretty skies when the sun sinks below the horizon.

Busy day tomorrow.  We have a raft trip.  We are climbing down into the Slot Canyon.  That's just in the morning.

Sunset, Monument Valley

Jan arranged for a sunset tour of Monument Valley.  The roads into the actual "park" aren't paved.  In fact, for an ordinary sedan they are dangerous.  There's a fairly good chance you can lose a transmission in there.  Plus there are many roads in the park that only a guide can drive.  Those are in even worse shape.

Navajo Spirit Tours was our provider and our excellent tour guide was Don.  He was not only good at finding really interesting spots and knowing what time to get us there, but he also imparted lots of information about his people.  For example, to each other they are known as Dine, which looks like it rhymes with wine but is pronounced Dih-neh.

Our sky was a rich tapestry of sun and blue skies mixed with incredibly black and ominous ones.  We never got wet although it rained around us.  We got to see bright rainbows and lightning together.  As luck would have it I clicked the shutter at the right moment and have both in one shot.

The various formations inside Monument Valley (which is not what the Dine call it) have names that are in no way connected to the tribal culture.  But, as our guide laughed, it's good for tourism.  It was difficult to decide which pictures to use tonight.  Here are 6 that I like.

 This formation is called The Sisters.  If you look at the one on the left and you use a little imagination it looks like a nun praying.  Or, if you can't see it, just think of it as a big letter W.

 There are wild horses running through parts of the valley.  A few look like they could use a meal.   Look at that sky!  How black can you get?

 Evidence that people inhabited the land many centuries ago.

 Last night I worked for the better part of 45 minutes to capture the two lightning strikes I posted on Facebook.  Today, I just clicked at the right moment.  The rainbow looked like it was really close, although that's just an illusion.

 Called the Totem Polls, the Navajo people do not carve them.  This art form is indigenous to tribes in Canada and Alaska, but as Don said, it's good for tourism.

Every grand landscape must have a location called Artist Point.  This is theirs.  And it's the last shot for this particular post.  You'll have to wait for the video for more.  Incidentally, I decided to shoot some video from this precise location as well and while shooting it there was a huge lightning strike.  Also, on the way back to the starting point, which is basically the parking lot of this Hotel, I got another one in front of The Mittens.  Sometimes you get on a roll.

The Maryalice Molgard Film Genre's Post

All for you, MA

We aren't certain if the clapper is a replica or authentic.  The other artifacts clearly are original.  It isn't climate controlled and it is not lighted for museum display.  That said, I did not use a flash.  I did not wish to contribute to fading.