One of the reasons we didn't update the blog while on the road these past few days was that a text update simply wouldn't do. Being in the 'Grand Circle' (National Parks and National Monuments in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona) merited some photos too, so here goes.
We left you in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, watching the moon rise. Sunday (Day 30) saw us having our first real gripe with the GPS on the phone. When trying to find a church in Albuquerque, it told us that we were actually at one, despite being in the middle of a cross-roads in the middle of a residential area. This was the first and only time we've been let down by the otherwise essential GPS device. Albuquerque was a pretty place. Clearly influenced by the neighbours across the southern border, there was a clear Hispanic feel as the Rio Grande flowed through town. Our first National Monument that we visited was Petroglyph National Monument. At the time it seemed quite cool, with all these ancient drawings on volcanic rocks. What was original and what was just vandalism was difficult to decipher.
From there we headed north into Colorado. We had never really planned to visit there, but our guide books and general intrigue told us we should at least cross the border to tick it off our list. We stayed in Mesa Verde National Park, among the bears and the deer and at several thousand feet high, it was certainly the coldest night we'd had camping.
Native American tourism can be pretty tacky looking to the untrained eye. Many clearly depend on tourism as a livelihood, but at times their janky old caravans and dilapidated mis-spelt signs littering the road up to a sight of interest start to get a little annoying. We bit the bullet and paid $3 each to go stand on a plaque where the borders of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado all meet. Only later in the car did we realise that this site is actually 2,000 feet away from the actual "4-corners" location.
The drive south-west toward Monument Valley was one of the most hotly-anticipated of our journey. It seems like months ago we stuck a pin in the valley on our giant map back in Aberdeen and here we were, driving toward it. Picture-postcard perfect it was. The sun was setting just after we arrived. We took Mabel for a spin on the dirt tracks round the valley and after 2 miles gave in to the fact that she's not an all-terrain vehicle and we trundled back to the campsite. And what a view. Perched on the edge of what was basically a glorified dirt carpark, we watched the moon rise and in the morning got up early to watch the sun do the same. Best view from a tent ever? Quite possibly. Starved and slightly delirious from an early morning, we parted with $11 each for an all you can eat buffet. Unfortunately, the waitress tidied away our plate before we got chance to photograph them, but there were 6 empty plates on the table once we'd finished. It should be noted that we spent 80 minutes eating!
Camping is always fun, but after 4 days of minimal clothes-changing and zero-showering, it can get a little bit funky. So for $5 each we had the pleasure of showering, shaving and being clean, if only for a little while. We headed south to Canyonlands National Park during the day and Arches National Park in the afternoon / evening. Both were spectacular: Canyonlands in terms of wide-stretching views; Arches in terms of incredible shapes, structures and angles.
We stayed the night at the same campsite by the Colorado River having enjoyed our time in the Moab area. Thursday 30th September (Day 34) we headed south and west to Bryce Canyon National Park.
We decided to buy a National ParksHeading east a few miles on day 35 (Friday 1st October) we came to Zion National Park. Having been to Yosemite a couple of years ago I wasn't expecting much better. But it was amazing. These huge sandstone cliffs rise out of lush green valleys to heights almost invisible given the glare from the sun. We split up for the day as Duncan took on the adventurous Angels Landing which involved a walk along a 3 foot wide precipice with drops of 1,500 feet back to the valley floor. I opted for a few of the smaller walks and took things slightly easier. There was a shuttle bus which ran every 8 minutes up the valley with onboard commentary which not only kept the area free of cars, but allowed you to dot about to loads of cool walks and views. We headed into Springdale that evening for some much needed food as pringles-sandwiches were starting to get a little tiresome. These National Parks don't seem so big on showers but we knew that our future night in the Grand Canyon had showers which was an exciting prospect.
And so... the Grand Canyon. We'd seen the photos and heard the facts and figures. But we'd also spent the last week admiring amazing views, vistas and landscapes. It didn't fail to live up to expectations. Most surprising of all was the lushness of the surrounding Park as we drove to our vantage points. Yellows, greens and almost-reds dotted the sides of the road making it a very enjoyable place to hit the 9,000 mile mark.
Again, most view-points were drivable and you would then get out and walk a small trail or simply try (usually unsuccessfully) to take in the vast views. It's called the GRAND Canyon for a reason. We were at the North Rim and so were able to get to the highest point in the Canyon with more great views. A thunderstorm was definitely brewing as the winds started to pick up along the rim. We saw a few forks of lightning, but not much else. At 3.45am I was awoken by some epic rumbles of thunder. Seeing my tent light up before me I decided to make a run for the car before the rain started. I was then treated to a 1 hour 15 lightning extravaganza.
It's always nice to be clean and dry in the morning, so we were thankful to be both the next morning having showered and found none of the tents to have been vapourised by the previous nights lightning show. Our National Parks tour had taken it out of us. We were shattered. There appears to be truth to the saying 'too much of a good thing'.
We always planned to go to Death Valley, or Joshua Tree / Sequoia National Parks, but were keen just to get to Los Angeles, California. So we by-passed those and arrived in a cold and windy LA last night. Today, day 40, it's raining, cold and windy, but we're still heading off to see Hollywood and some of the other more touristy things.
Aagin, well done if you read this far.
I wish I could also do some road tripping with my friends. The adventure and the beautiful places you will see give me excitement.
ReplyDeletegrand canyon national park tours
Sounds great, and stupendous photos.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I feel your post is lacking certain information regarding a certain town you visited, namely:
Was the sun always shining?
Did the air smell like warm root beer?
And crucially, were the towels oh so flUFFy?!
Wakka-wakka-doo-doo-yeah?
I reckon I could probably still recite most of that song - I'm not sure whether to be proud or ashamed...
ReplyDeleteWe met you last night at Glacier Point in Yosemite. Just to have a bite of Birthday cake with my sister... I'll send photos when I get home.... Enjoy Yosemite!!!! Jeff, Miguel & Debbie
ReplyDelete