Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley

Page Arizona was our next destination chosen because of its proximity to Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon. We fuelled up before we left Panguitch - $3.59 a gallon for diesel which was the cheapest we have seen.

We arrived at Page and were amazed at the number of hired motorhomes and how big and touristy the town was. Plenty of takeaway food stores including our now favourite Taco Bell - lunch sorted!

Sunset at the Lake Powell RV Park, Page Arizona



Page is home to the Lake Powell Dam - one in a series of dams that controls the water flow of the Colorado River. Tours are conducted from the visitor centre for a mere $5 a head - quite a bit cheaper than the cost of the Lake Mead dam tour.

View of the dam wall


The down river side showing the highway bridge



We have met many wonderful people in the last 6 months and it is extra special when we happen across some fellow Aussies. Walking around the park one night we spotted a 5th wheeler sporting an Aussie flag sticker. As was done to us in Las Vegas we knocked on their door to say 'G'day'. Jenny and Doug are from Adelaide and within minutes we were sitting in the shade of a tree, beer in hand, having a 'yarn'. One beer led to another and then dinner at 'our place' - turkey roast done in the weber. Doug and Jenny are on a similar adventure as us so we had lots to discuss including our intention to drive out to Monument Valley the following day. It didn't take too much to persuade them to join us.


Monument Valley is about 100 miles (a 2 hour drive) from Page so we hit the road pretty early. The Monument Valley Park is run by the Navajo Indians with all proceeds of the gift shop sales and guided tours supporting their education and health care programs. Unfortunately sometimes they out-price themselves. Visitors to the park have the option of driving around the park themselves or pay for an Indian guided tour, sitting in the back of an open air (not so new) dodge truck. After paying the $5 per head park entrance fee we headed to the tour booth. We were initially quoted $300 for the four of us which we very politely declined and headed back to our own vehicle to undertake the self drive option. As we walked away we were followed by an Indian woman offering a cheaper, undefined amount. Once again we declined!

So down the rough dirt road we went with Rose playing tour guide without the $300 fee! Upon entering the park we were given an information brochure itemising the monoliths and other landmarks including a rock that supposedly looks like an elephant, another like a teacher and her 3 students and yet another one like a mitten. Obviously everyone else had a good imagination because they looked just like rocks to me which was an ongoing joke all day.

The road through Monument Valley


Breathtaking


Pictures do not do it justice


Jenny, Doug and Rose, the truck was covered in red dust by the end of the trip



Monument Valley done we headed back to the park for happy hour and dinner. Doug and Jenny were heading off to Zion National Park the following day so happy hour turned into happy 'many' hours - ok for us but not so good for Doug and Jenny - they both looked a little worse for wear when we said goodbye the next morning. As always it was hard to say goodbye.

Antelope Canyon is situated about 5 miles from Page and tours are organised and conducted by the Navajo Indians. The best time to view the slot canyon is between 11.30 and 1.30 as this offers the best light for taking photos. Unfortunately tours during these hours are booked out well in advance so we had to be content with the 1.30 time slot. We travelled to the canyon in the back of an open air bus along a dry creek bed or commonly known as a 'wash'.

The tour buses parked in the 'wash'


The entrance to the Canyon


The canyon is famous for its texture and changing colours and is obviously a photographers delight. The canyon is formed by flood waters and rain washing down the creek bed through the original slot canyon. Our guide Patrick was a mine of information not only regarding the canyon but also where to position yourself to get the best photos. He certainly earned his $5 tip!

The canyon was everything, plus more, than what we had expected.

Awesome!



The sand contributes to the erosion


Ever changing colours


Our guide set this photo up, can you see the torch flame



After 7 days in Page it was time to move on. The trip to our next stop at Williams, the gateway to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, will take longer than we anticipated due to a landslide on highway 89.


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Location:Page Arizona

Bryce Canyon

Rose my very trusty co pilot set about finding a new destination that was not booked out but still had something to offer. A short time later we were heading further north to Bryce Canyon in Utah. The Bryce Canyon area offers a number of RV parks, some within the national park itself and some on the outskirts. We decided on a park in the town of Panguitch (Indian for Big Fish) which boasts a population 1600.

The Hitch-N-Post RV Park


One of the benefits of staying at this RV park was its walking distance into the small township. First stop was the fully refurbished Gem picture theatre complete with an old style ice cream parlour. We were met by a most delightful young girl who gave us a tour of the theatre including the small area they had dedicated to the artefacts discovered whilst rebuilding. As always we received a number of comments about our accent! They screen one movie a week and we agreed we would be back to see Bruce Willis in GI Joe at the bargain price of $6.

Bryce Canyon and Panguitch sit at an altitude of over 7,000 feet and due to this we were advised by the owners of the Hitch-N-Post to spend a few days touring before we ventured out for a hike. So a drive along Scenic Byway 12 was first on the list of must dos. The 200 mile round trip drive starts at Red Canyon winding through many different types of desert and townships ending at a small town called Boulder.

The Red Canyon Entrance


The views were fantastic



As my very knowledgable older brother advised us at the beginning of our journey it is important to have a 'rest' day every week so we spent the next day catching up with some washing, blog writing, reading and of course chatting to anyone who stood still long enough. As we were talking to the park owners we were introduced to a bloke by the name of Gary who it would seem is somewhat of a character around the town. Gary like many other Americans takes flight to the warmer parts of the USA during the winter months and had just returned 'home'. While on the road he earns a living doing leather work from his trailer and when back home he also runs quad bike tours around the canyon. We had had a taste of quad biking with Keith and Betsy in Caliente and were keen to give it another go. The going price was $250 for the day for 2 people however as Gary needed a hand to get his quads out of storage he dropped the price to $200 plus my labour costs.

Gary was a real character



Unlike in Australia, most of the National, State and Bureau of Land Management parks are open to all forms of transport ie, bikes, horses, and quad bikes (and yes you can also take your pets as long as they are on a leash!) We spent a total of over six hours on the trails - it was obvious that Gary had done this before and knows the area very well. We went to many places that the average tourist does not go to - no big shiny bus for us - just the dust and wind in our hair.

As isolated as we felt we did meet other people along the way travelling in what is commonly called a"side by side". We stopped, and for once Gary had more to say than me. They were fascinated with his uniqueness and character. Our fellow travellers didn't get away without one of our 'business cards' however!

A great day, including meeting others






Of course the whole point of going to Panguitch was to visit Bryce Canyon. We had heard so much about it during our last USA trip. We were definitely not disappointed - the views are just breathtaking and hiking into the canyon is a must. A few of the trails were washed out due to the snow melt and the altitude did have us gasping for air as we ascended back to the rim of the canyon, but well worth the effort.

Beautiful!











Yes we made plenty of stops, looking back down the trail



Time to sit and be amazed



Our hosts at the RV park (Randy and Jodi) had suggested a couple of other hikes in the region, Mossy Creek and their favourite, the Kodachrome Basin - named specifically for the fantastic photographic opportunities. Always ready to tackle any track we headed off with our backpacks full of energy bars and water.

















We calculate the time we stay in any one place on trip advisor reviews and other google research. We had planned 7 days in Panguitch but very quickly discovered that this was not enough. Seven days very easily extended to 9. Panguitch will forever hold a very special place in our RNRUSA Gap year memories.


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Location:Panguitch Utah

A Country Cottage

Our next stop was a town called Caliente. Keith and Betsy have bought a "weekender" in this lovely town which is about 3 hours north of Las Vegas. The cottage is what is called a "fixer" up. Keith I gather would demolish it but Betsy, like most women, is a bit more sentimental and wants to fix it up. The house is over a hundred years old and needs some real work - luckily Keith is a tradesman and jack of all trades so can do most of the work himself.

We headed to Caliente on Thursday and the workers, Keith and Betsy, came up Friday afternoon. We booked a site in what is commonly called a " mom and pop" RV park - one that is family owned and operated. As luck would have it there was a practice run for an ATV off road event happening that same weekend and the majority of the bigger sites had been booked. The site we were allocated was pretty tight but with our 6 months towing and backing experience we manoeuvred the trailer in.

We squeezed in, just!


Caliente's Railway Station


Caliente sits close to an area commonly called "Area 51" which is a USA top secret military base - well the base is not a secret but what goes on there is. The air space above and near Area 51 is a total no fly zone to anyone other than the military. We did see some very high flying jets doing very daring manoeuvres one day. The military base itself is protected by ground sensors and cameras - locals confirmed that if you venture near the boundaries of the base you will be handcuffed and detained. There will be no venturing off the main roadways for us!

Keith and Betsy head up to Caliente every few weeks to do a little more maintenance on their weekender so unaccustomed as we are to physical work these days we pitched in and helped with a bit of painting.

Ron the handyman


Work done for the day it was time for a "Cooks" tour of the area. Betsy has spent many years camping and ATV ing in the area so knows it well - we visited many of her old stomping grounds including an old silver mining town called Pioche. The surrounding area is dotted with old mine shafts and the buckets used to carry the ore out of the mines still sit above the town 50 years later.

The mine seems to have just stopped!


Pioche


No trip to a small town would be complete without a stop at the local bar or saloon.

Just one - well maybe two at the Overlander Saloon


Our last stop heading back to Caliente was the Cathedral Gorge State Park. Driving along the highway it would be very easy to miss this amazing place.

The Cathedrals were a great sight


Just huge!



In addition to a couple of restored vintage cars Keith and Betsy also own a Polaris which is a four wheel drive off road vehicle. At the end of their street there is a huge area of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land which offers countless miles of well defined trails for this type of four wheel drive vehicle.

Seatbelt on, helmet on, lip gloss on - we are go!



It is easy to see why the Americans love and own their "toys". Unlike in Australia, horses, quad bikes and pets are allowed in most National and State Parks and in all BLM areas.

Keith and Betsy headed back to Vegas Sunday afternoon however there was more for us to explore so extended our stay another day. The highlight of the day was a visit to the Kershaw Ryan State Park. We are constantly amazed at the unexpected beauty of this country. The park which is at the base of a gorge has had to be rebuilt many times due to flash flooding.

A real oasis


Time to just sit and enjoy



Well our time in Caliente has come to an end it's time to move on to our next destination. Our intention was to head to Zion National Park however, as no doubt we will encounter more often now that winter is over, it was fully booked until August. Back to the drawing board, or rather to the map!

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Location:Caliente Nevarda