SW Trip 2014 - Page/Lake Powell, Arizona

Page, Arizona – Lake Powell

May 10 – 14

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The drive from Sedona to Page was fairly easy, other than a major temporary road detour. Two years ago the main highway, 89, suffered a landslide about 20 miles south of Page. The temporary road was recently paved and was actually a good road; it just took a little more drive time. We arrived at the Page-Lake Powell RV Park, just on the south side of town. This park is very nice with full hookups and all the amenities that one would want. Also, the park’s backdrop is an eroded beautiful sandstone hill with a peak at the top. We had been in Page in 2003 and it had changed a lot.

The next morning we headed towards Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. The Visitors Center was a must stop to get more info on the area. We drove out to the marina and campground area on the lake. On the way back, we hiked a trail called Hanging Gardens. This trail wrapped around the rock formations and ended up at a small weeping spring grotto. It was a nice hike with beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding area.  After that, we drove out to the Antelope Point Marina. There we spoke with some marina crew regarding getting our kayaks on the lake.  Since the public boat ramp was closed due to low water, the marina would haul us, our kayaks and gear on electric carts down to the marina docks. We were very excited about that and made plans to do this paddle on our last day in Page.  We then headed back to camp for the evening.

The next morning, we headed out to hike the Lower Antelope Slot Canyon on the Navajo land. We paid the Navajos and they provided a guide to take our group through the canyon. We were in the slot about an hour and 15 minutes. It was so amazing and beautiful, with eroded canyon walls that were in so many shapes, with the sunlight creating different colors on the walls. We took so many pictures and the young Navajo guide even changed settings on our camera to allow for the most colorful photos. He even took some pics of us. We were sad when the hike was over, we could have stayed in the canyon for another hour, but now they limit the time down in the canyon. What an amazing experience, like no other hike one would ever see.

After the slot canyon, we drove west of Page and hiked up to the Horseshoe Bend overlook. This is where the Colorado River makes a horseshoe shape path through the canyon. It was a spectacular site with the colorful, high canyon walls and rock formations all around the ground level. After heading back to camp, Kurt took the dogs up to the red rock area behind the campground to watch sunset. The sunset was beautiful and the dogs had a great run.

The next morning, we took some time to relax around the camper and get some chores done. Kurt was working on his mountain bike, which needed some repairs. We had scheduled a boat tour on Lake Powell and we headed out to the marina around noon. We chose to take the 3 hour tour on the lake, which traveled back into Antelope Canyon and Navajo Canyon. At the end of the tour, the captain took us near the Glen Canyon dam to get a water side view. The whole tour was great and we were very glad we took the time and money for this experience.

The following morning, we had already prepared our kayaks and gear for our paddle on Antelope Canyon.  We drove out to Antelope Marina and the crew there took us and our kayaks down to the marina docks. From there, we put in the water and headed toward Antelope Canyon. It was so exciting; we never dreamed we would be able to paddle the lake side of this canyon. From the marina, we had to paddle on the Colorado River to get to the canyon. It’s very difficult to describe in words how amazing to be at water level and see the towering canyon walls up so close. We were able to see so much more of the canyon than when we took the boat tour. We paddled all the way back until the canyon narrowed and the water reached a sandy beach. After securing our kayaks, we hiked back in the sandy bottomed canyon for about a ¼ mile, as the canyon walls narrowed. We returned to our kayaks, ate some lunch and began the paddle back to the marina. This was a kayak experience that tops them all, another check off our bucket list!

Back at camp, we prepared our camper to head out the next day for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

SW Trip 2014 - Sedona Arizona

Sedona Arizona – Dead Horse Ranch State Park (Cottonwood)

May 6 – 9

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Our visit to the Sedona area included camping at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, which is located in Cottonwood about 20 miles south of Sedona. The campground was very nice, on a hillside with miles of hiking/biking trails. The Verde River also flows through the town; however it was not very good for kayaking. Our activities in this area were mostly hiking and mountain biking (all in Sedona).

The second day, we drove into Sedona to find the hiking trails that were recommended to us. What an amazing change as we drove into the Sedona valley. Red rock cliffs and green everywhere! We headed to the Red Rock Country of the Coconino National Forest. We found the trailhead for the Devil’s Bridge hike. This hike was about 2 miles up to the red rock cliffs of the natural bridge formation, with about 300 feet elevation gain. Kurt actually walked onto the bridge, which made us all very nervous. The strenuous hike was wonderful, with amazing views and red rock formations. It’s very hard to describe the beauty of this place; even the pictures don’t convey the spectacular natural structures and views. After some lunch, we headed to the trailhead for the Bell Rock Pathway. This red rock formation resembles a bell shape. The trail wound around the base of the rock with some other side trails, including one loop that winds up one side of the rock. After a few hours of hiking, we were all tired and headed back to camp.

The next day, we headed north to Tozigoot, the remnants of an ancient Southern Sinagua Village built between 1000 and 1400 AD. When this monument was discovered it was then excavated and rebuilt. Most of the ruins were gone, except for the base of the walls, which were rebuilt to show visitors how the village was formed with over 100 rooms for families. Then we drove up to a small mountain town of Jerome. This town was founded as a copper mining town, but eventually the copper mining ended. What a neat little place, with historical buildings perched on the side of the mountain. The town is filled with art galleries, restaurants, wine and retail stores. We also had a wonderful lunch at a Mexican cafe. After returning to camp, Kurt decided to go back to Sedona and hike the Cathedral Trail. He took some amazing pictures on that hike.

Our last day was spent back in Red Rock Country of Sedona. We brought our mountain bikes and decided to ride the trails around the Bell Rock Pathway. Most of the trails were fairly moderate, but many were challenging at different levels for each of us. After about 2 hours of biking the trails, we were tired and headed back to camp.

What a beautiful, amazing place of Sedona. It would have been nice to have a couple of more days to enjoy the numerous trails and the natural beauty of the area. Hopefully, we can return someday and spend more time here.

On to our next destination, Page Arizona. This town borders Lake Powell and the Navajo Nation. There will be many adventures is this area.

SW Trip 2014 - Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, Arizona – Lake Pleasant Regional Park

May 1 – 5

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Our drive to Phoenix was fairly easy, but windy. The drive through the city revealed what a large metropolitan area Phoenix is! Lake Pleasant Park is located northwest of the city in a remote desert area, surrounded by mountains. The huge lake is a reservoir for the Phoenix area. Our campsite was located on one of the loops out on a peninsula. The location was great and we could see way across to the east side of the lake. After getting setup, I made margaritas for us all, which were quite strong and we all enjoyed them. Bedtime came early after a couple rounds of margaritas.

The next morning, we decided to relax a little around the lakeside. We packed up food, drink, and the dogs then headed over to a lake front area where we could setup and get in the water. We also brought our kayaks for a little paddling fun. The weather was very hot; it reached 100 degrees that day. We had setup a tarp between the two trucks for some shade. The water was very cold, due to the deep reservoir, but it definitely cooled us down. The dogs didn’t even want to go into the water because it was so cold, but we made them get wet to cool off. Kurt and I paddled around the area and got enjoyed the water. After a few hours, we packed up and headed back to the camp site. Later we all got together and enjoyed a grilled steak dinner.
The next day, we headed out to hike on the north side of the lake. The Pipeline Trail followed Pipeline Canyon and crossed a floating bridge over Pipeline Cove. It was a rugged desert hike with elevation changes, but not too difficult. Along the way, we observed the many Saguaro cacti which were just beginning to bloom. We also saw a couple of burros, which live throughout the park. As we returned from the hike, the heat was going up to 100 degrees and we were happy to be off the trail. After we cooled down from the hike, we drove over to the marina to check out the facilities. It was a very large and well equipped marina, but the boat rental pricing was outrageous. Later in the evening, we attended a program called “Stargazing For Everyone”. There were serious, amateur astronomers that presented a slide show in the outdoor amphitheatre and had about 10 telescopes setup for the people to view stars, planets and galaxies. It was a wonderful and we truly enjoyed it.

The following day, we had decided to drive around Phoenix and check out the area. Kurt had lived there for a couple of years when his father was stationed at a nearby Air Force base. We drove by his old house and elementary school. At lot had changed in 50 years! Then we drove up to Scottsdale to “Dos Gringos”, a great bar/Mexican restaurant to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We enjoyed margaritas, drinks and Mexican food. We were impressed with Scottsdale and it is such a nice, upscale area. It was very beautiful among the desert environment.

Our last day at the lake, Kurt and I went on a kayak paddle. We took Kody and headed up to a popular cove on the north side of the lake. We put in our kayaks and paddled around some islands and back into another cove. Kody got to “run the shore” and he had a fun time jumping off and on Kurt’s kayak. I believe that Kurt has created a new kayaking game for Kody. We had to head in after a couple of hours as the wind began to get stronger. Later, we began preparing for our move the next day.

Our next location is the Sedona area. We will be staying at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood. Can’t wait to see what adventures are there for us!

SW Trip 2014 - Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona – Catalina State Park
April 25 – 30

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I have three words for Tucson, WE LOVE IT!

As we drove into the Tucson area, we were impressed by the many mountain ranges around the area. We had no idea that there were so many mountains; we had expected more of a flat desert environment. It is so beautiful; the city and surrounding areas seemed clean and modern. Catalina State Park is in the Sonoran desert area, with the Santa Catalina Mountains as the backdrop. The campsites are spacious with great views of the mountains. Even though we were in a remote desert area, there was shopping and restaurants within a mile of the park entrance. After getting setup, we relaxed and enjoyed the evening, even though it was windy.

The next morning, the wind was getting stronger as forecast. Debbie and I decided to use this time to get some laundry done. The guys decided to mountain bike a trail that originated right in the park. Later in the day it rained for awhile and then the weather became nice again. We took Kody on a hike on one of the trails inside the park. We were only able to go about 1 mile up the trail, as beyond that point no dogs were allowed, due to the reintroduction of bighorn sheep into the mountain area. We all decided to do the full trail the next day.

In the morning, we made our plans to go mountain biking in one of the local area trails. We found a great trail called Fantasy Island on the southeast side of Tucson. We had to drive across town to the site, but it was worth it. Some of the trails were more difficult, so Debbie and I decided to ride some of the easier ones. The guys had a great time riding the challenging trails of Fantasy Island. Located near the trail area is Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and miles of “airplane boneyard”. It was amazing how many planes were being stored there as far as you could see; wrapped up in protective materials and ready for whatever purpose. Looking at Google Maps satellite view of the Tucson area, it’s quite apparent how many planes are there! After bike riding, we headed back to camp and a cookout for dinner.

The next morning, we set out in the park to hike the Romero Canyon Trail. This was a steep and rocky great trail up the Catalina Mountains. It was challenging at many times, with many switchbacks and steep cliffs. The views of the canyon and valley below were amazing, with Saguaro cactus along the mountain sides. We hiked back in to an area called Romero pools, where there was standing water in rocky creek bed below. The hike back down was a little easier, but was still a challenge. We were never fortunate enough to see a bighorn sheep; as there were only about 14 sheep at this time. The round trip hike took us about 2.5 hours. Heading back to our campsites, we were very glad we went on this amazing hike.

Our challenge for the next day was to mountain bike a trail just north of the park. This desert trail called 50 Year Trail started out as an intermediate level biking. We were able to ride most of the trail, but attempted to find another more challenging part called “the chutes”. We rode around trying to follow a trail map and were never able to find the chutes. After a couple of hours, we headed back to camp. Our next event for the day was to drive a scenic road up to Mt. Lemmon, called Sky Islands Scenic Byway. The 25 miles followed hairpin and blind turns, climbing more than 6300 feet to the peak of Mt. Lemmon (9157 ft). The drive begins in the Sonoran Desert, passing through five distinct life zones, ending in a cool mixed conifer forest (Coronado National Forest) that looked more like Canada than Arizona. It was a beautiful drive with amazing views, well worth about three hours of driving and overlook time.

The next morning, we all decided to go back to mountain bike the 50 Year Trail. Debbie and I rode mostly on that trail, while the guys were able to find the path back to “the chutes”. We all had a great ride that morning and it was so much fun. We later headed back into town for some shopping and preparations to leave the next morning. We all were sad to go, as this was one of our most favorite places we have been so far on this trip! We could have stayed a few more days, Kurt and I vowed that we will return someday and stay at least a month.

On to Phoenix Arizona for our next adventure!

SW Trip 2014 - Deming, New Mexico

Deming, New Mexico – Rockhound State Park
April 23 - 24

Rockhound State Park is located a few miles east of the town of Deming. This is a beautiful park with awesome campsites. Our campsite was very large with nice landscaping of cactus and rocks. The park is surrounded by the Florida Mountains. The weather was cool and sunny, but the wind was kicking up to 35mph. The first night the trailer was rocking with the wind howling most of the night. By the next morning the wind died down and we went on a short hike on some trails around the park. This park is known for semi-precious stones and rocks. The main activity here is to look for these rocks. Later in the day, we were trying to determine where we could go hiking in the area where it might be more challenging. There was also no mountain biking within 30 miles, so Kurt and I decided to do a hike in Spring Canyon, which is on the south side of Rockhound Park. This was a nice hike back in a canyon to Lovers Leap. It was steep with a small elevation gain, and we enjoyed the scenery and the exercise.

After getting back to camp, we had discovered that a wind storm was heading our way and may affect our travel in 2 days to our next location. We were told that if the winds go over 50 mph, they could shut down I-10, which could be a problem for us. So we all decided to leave the next day and arrive in Tucson a day earlier.

That evening, the wind had died down and we were able to have a nice campfire. We sat up until late looking at the amazing stars and searching for meteors. We saw a couple of meteors, but it was getting really late and we wanted to get an earlier start on the road in the morning.

We were ready to head to Tucson and see what that area has to offer.

SW Trip 2014 - Alamogordo, NM - Oliver Lee S.P.

Alamogordo, New Mexico – Oliver Lee State Park

April 20 – 22
 

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Our drive from Carlsbad to Alamogordo was quite nice, especially when we drove over the Sacramento Mountains, through the Lincoln National Forest. The road winds through a beautiful forested river valley, ultimately crossing through the mountain town of Cloudcroft. Then the road began going downward towards the foothills. There was an overlook area where we pulled off and took some amazing pictures looking down to the Tularosa Valley. From that vantage point, we could clearly see the White Sands dune fields.

After arriving at Oliver Lee S.P. we got setup and prepared for an Easter dinner with Rick & Debbie. The table was setup in the shade behind our RV and we enjoyed a nice dinner. After dinner we took the dogs and hiked into the Riparian Nature trail, which went up through the creek bed. It was shaded and lovely with a small flowing creek. This wonderful campground is located in the foothills of the Sacramento Mountains. What an amazing place with great views of the Tularosa Valley.

The next morning, we all hiked up the Dog Canyon Trail, which winds up to a peak overlooking the canyon and the valley. The trail was well maintained and had a steep elevation change. We hiked up to the 2 mile mark, which took us 2 hours. We then headed back down to the campground. We didn’t see much wildlife; however, Rick & Debbie did have a snake encounter. On their way down, they came within 2 feet of a Western Diamondback rattlesnake. The snake was not aggressive and wasn’t even coiled up, but rattled a warning. They moved slowly past it and were not affected.

After lunch, we packed up the truck and headed to White Sands National Monument. It’s so amazing how large this white gypsum sand dune field is, 275 square miles! We watched a video which explained how the dunes were formed over the centuries and continue to change to this day. The sand is amazingly cool, even with the direct sun. We had decided to arrive in the middle of the afternoon so we could stay for sunset. We played in the sand, took pictures of our shadows and footprints. We didn’t have sled saucers to slide down the dunes, so Kurt improvised. We did have the kayaks on our truck, so he took down my 12’ Tarpon and hauled it up to a dune top. He was able to successfully slide (uh, kayak) down the dune; several people on a nearby dune stopped to watch him. He did it a second time and we all had a great laugh. We were not surprised that he would find a way to slide down the sand dune!  For awhile, we sat at one of the picnic tables and enjoyed Happy Hour. As sunset approached, we took more great pictures of the changing shadows and the San Andres Mountains to the west. What a great day we all had, we will cherish these wonderful memories.

The next day, we decided to drive north of Alamogordo to the Three Rivers Petroglyph Area, which was inhabited by ancient Indians who carved over 21,000 glyphs in stones around the area. We spent the afternoon looking for glyphs and taking pictures of the most prolific images. We also hiked around the nearby ancient “village” where these natives lived and observed some ruins of their homes. It was a great day to learn about the history of this area.

Later in the evening, we began preparing for our next day and the move to Deming, New Mexico and Rockhound State Park.

SW Tour 2014 - Carlsbad, New Mexico

Carlsbad, New Mexico

April 16 – 19

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After a one night stop in Ft. Stockton, Texas, we headed into New Mexico to Carlsbad. After a drive through the desert with endless views of oil and gas wells, we arrived at the RV park and got setup for the evening. This area of the country has so much oil production it’s amazing! The town of Carlsbad is mostly inhabited by oil and gas workers, with some tourism for Carlsbad Caverns.

The next day we headed to Carlsbad Caverns for a couple of tours.  After going through the Visitors Center, we walked down to the natural entrance. This allowed us to do a self-guided tour through parts of the cavern with trails that head down to the Big Room area. We spent about 2.5 hours viewing this part of the cavern. The amazing formations are so beautiful and such a treat to look at. It’s so hard to imagine how these mineral forms were created over 10s of thousands of years ago! We had lunch in the café at the Visitors Center, then proceeded to the meetup spot for our guided tour of the Kings Palace rooms. The Ranger was a great tour guide and was an experienced caver. He offered so much information on the cave geology, what’s in the cave and what’s not. We were fortunate to have this Ranger as our guide. This part of the cavern is a separate wing that had smaller rooms, but was much more decorated with formations than the other parts of the cave. What an amazing place! We had considered staying until dusk for the bat flight, but the guide did advise us that this time of year the bats are migrating and there may or may not be many bats.  After this tour, we followed another range up to the observation deck of the Visitors Center. Here we were able to see great views of the valley below. He described much of the geology of the area and the caves. He pointed out landmark locations in relation to the Big Room and the Bottomless Pit sections of the cavern below. He also explained how this land was once under a sea and the mountains were a huge reef. What a wonderful day for a tour of these amazing caverns!

The next day, we again headed south to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. There were several great hikes there and the prime landmark is El Capitan, which is the second highest peak in the Guadalupes. We spoke with the rangers to advise us on trail conditions and decided to go on the  Permian Reef Trail. This was an amazing hike which was 4 miles to the peak. We only hiked up about 2 miles, as the trail was steep and the elevation gain was about 1000 feet. We stopped to eat our lunch there and we decided to head back down. Kurt was determined to go to the peak, so he continued upward. Debbie, Rick and I headed back to the trailhead. Kurt did make it to the top and took some more great pictures. He met us back at the trailhead about an hour later.  This was such a great hike, and we all enjoyed our first desert/mountain hike on this trip. There will be many more to come.

The next day we had planned to go mountain biking on some local trails near the town of Carlsbad, but we woke up to a thunderstorm. We hunkered down for awhile and Kurt said he couldn’t sit around in the camper any longer, so he drove back to Carlsbad Caverns. He wanted to see it again, and to hike back up and out the natural entrance. He really enjoyed it the second time.

Later we had Happy Hour and began preparing for our departure the next day. We will be heading to Alamogordo, New Mexico.