Powell dis-a-POINT-ment

Yesterday was a long, difficult day that started with 7 AM breakfast prep and lasted until 10 PM lights-off at the inn.  In between, we earned the distinction of having to clean up the most disgusting mess left by guests ever. ( I doubt anyone will--or will want to--take that title from us.)  So we deserved today's light workload and early finishing time.

We took Molly, Chad and Marci's chocolate lab we volunteered to pet-sit, for a nice walk and, in the process, garnered many puzzled looks.  Tropic has no ordinances that dogs must be under the owners' control or pick-up-after-your-pet rules.  I'm sure the natives regard us as strange to leash a dog and accompany it around town. 

Molly behaved nicely until we returned to the kennel.  She's not used to being penned and demonstrated her dislike of confinement and isolation by refusing to renter the pen.  Fred finally managed to get her contained but all three of us were upset by the struggle it required.  Tomorrow, we'll bribe her with doggie treats!

All our obligations completed, we focused on the fun part of the day--going to Powell Point, the southern tip of the Table Cliffs plateau.  At an elevation of 10,200', it's reported to provide sweeping views down the Grand Staircase into northern Arizona.

The directions were straight-forward and the road wasn't too bad...until we reached the 4WD-necessary portion.  Hikers told us the road was impassable and hiking to the Point and back would take about  4.5 hours.  Our trail guide had indicated we could drive all but the final mile to the viewpoint so we were prepared to do two miles but not nine.  We traveled a bit farther on the road and had some great views in the valley to the northeast and  beyond.

View From Powell Plateau

On the return trip, we stopped at Pine Lake, more scenic from a distance than from water's edge, and then headed to Soup and Pie for dinner.

Bonus Day Off!

We didn't have to work  yesterday!  The owners and their daughter and son-in-law will be on vacation this week, leaving the two work-kamper couples to handle everything normally done by 8 people.  Knowing that this is going to be tiring and trying, they gave us an extra day off.

Fred has wanted to see Bull Valley Gorge since he read about it and that seemed like an ideal destination for the day's outing.  The Visitor Center staff reported that hiking and road conditions were both favorable so we bounced off down unpaved Skutumpah (Scoot-em-pa) Road. 

I had read about Bull Valley Gorge also and was scared about crossing 'the bridge.'  Back in the 1950s, three young men went out Skutumpah Road to party.  They drove across the narrow, deep gorge and stopped (or stalled) their pick-up truck on the road beyond, which climbs steeply uphill.  The truck rolled backward and into the gorge.  The doors flew open and all three fell to their death.  Their bodies were retrieved but the pickup, wedged between the stone walls of the canyon, remains.  The practical locals made the truck the foundation for a new crossing, throwing tree trunks, boulders and dirt on top of it until the debris reached the level of the road.
My question, Have you people never heard of rust?




Bull Valley Dirt Bridge

 

Pickup Truck That Ran Off Road in 1950s

Driving the Jeep across that narrow chasm with a deadly drop-off on each side didn't faze Fred but I chose to walk to the other side.

It is only scary if you look right or left

Jan Standing on Edge of Bull Valley Gorge

We edged along the rim of the canyon to a point shallow enough to enter (and exit) without ropes or technical moves.  About 100' downstream, the bottom dropped 8-10' vertically sending the water into a deep pool at the foot.  We decided to hike another slot canyon instead and rattled down the road ten miles further.

Lick Wash, a seasonal river course, was an easy walk with a couple of short narrow, twisty sections,  two petroglyphs and some great wildflowers.  All in all, it was just the right amount of exertion prior to a strenuous week.  And now we've 'done' Skutumpah Road and never, ever have to travel it again!



Fred in Lick Wash



Jan in Lick Wash



Lick Wash Petroglyphs



First Bad Day

The weather has been wonderful for at least a month--cool mornings warming to comfortable afternoons with temps in the mid- to upper-70s with a refreshing breeze.  Nights are calm and chilly (upper 30s, low 40s). 

 Last night thunder rumbled frequently on the plateau above us but we had no rain or lightning.  (I'd like to see a lightning show in these open spaces and clear skies!)  This morning was colder than normal and never warmed.  Short-lived rain showers sprint through with grey clouds and sunshine leapfrogging each other across the sky.  The wind picked up about an hour ago and rocks the RV like a cradle. 

Too bad the outdoors is so inhospitable today because we finished early and have some energy as well as some free time!  We are off tomorrow, though, and the forecast is good.  We'll need an R&R day because the owners and their daughter and son-in-law begin a week's vacation on Tuesday.  That leaves the two work-kamper couples to do the work of 8.

Several times during the week we've taken a pre-dinner walk from the inn into and around Tropic.  Although the route has been the same, it's been a different 'trip' each time.  On our first excursion, a strange-looking but very self-confident dog returned with us.  He probably would have stayed with us all the way to the RV but Pete, the owners' dog, chased him off.  On Friday, a pathetic little kitten followed us for more than a mile!  We last saw him in the front yard of a house that looked as though another cat might not be noticed.  Yesterday a sweet, very fat yellow Lab joined us for several blocks but remained in the park when we left.  On the far side of the park, Bandit (the self-confident dog) walked with us until a beagle came along.

Finding animals in Tropic is easy.  Few dogs are tied up or fenced in, cats roam at will.  Many residents keep chickens, sheep and horses on their property.  A woman phoned the inn to report that Angie's (another of the owners' daughters) cow had gotten out and was in her yard.

Happy Anniversary!

We were thrilled to have June 15^th and 16^th as our days off this week because Thursday is our 9^th wedding anniversary.   To maximize our play time, we left half an hour after finishing work on Tuesday afternoon.

We headed northeast on Utah 12, which more than lives up to its designation of ‘scenic highway’.  Our route took us from an arid desert environment to lush alpine meadows—some harboring pockets of snow!  This week’s destination was Capitol Reef National Park.   We felt that while Capitol Reef isn’t as visually stunning as Zion, it has a greater variety of terrain and coloration than Bryce.  There is an interesting historic dimension to Capitol Reef that isn't apparent in the other two Utah parks we’ve visited.

We drove the park’s Scenic Drive and the Grand Wash road, stopping frequently for photos, took a short hike and viewed the petroglyph panels.  By that time, we were tired and hungry and took the easiest option of eating at the motel’s restaurant.  The food was good but ridiculously over-priced and the service was competent but slow.

View from Route 24 Inside Capitol Reef National Park

Petroglyphs

On Wednesday we started up the trail to Navajo Knobs at 8 AM.  We knew this would be a challenging hike—10 miles over bare rock with no shade and 5800’ of elevation change—so covering as much distance as possible before the heat of the day was worth getting up early.  Our effort was rewarded with spectacular views, achy knees and a sense of accomplishment.  Being on the summit wasn't as thrilling as I'd imagined.  It was difficult to enjoy the summit's almost-360* panorma while perched on a narrow pile of unstable rock with steep drop-offs in every direction and swarms of gnats flying into noses and ears.



Jan Relaxing on Hike Up to Navajo Knobs





Jan Not Enjoying the Summit of Navajo Knobs



Before leaving the park, we visited historic Fruita.  In the 1890s, Mormon leader Brigham Young ordered one family to this difficult environment to establish an LDS presence in the area.  The community gradually grew, attaining its highest population (108) in the 1920s.  The residents found their valley, blessed with the Fremont River for irrigation and protected by sandstone cliffs, was ideal for producing fruit.  Eventually the valley floor was filled with orchards of apple, cherry, apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, almond and pecan trees.  The Park Service has preserved many of the orchards, a tiny farmhouse typical of the settlement built in 1908 and occupied until 1969, several outbuildings, the picnic area and the one-room schoolhouse.


View of Fruita Farm from Rim Overlook

Our original itinerary included an anniversary dinner at the Hell's Backbone Grill Wednesday evening and hiking Upper Muley Twist Canyon on Thursday.  The effort expended on Navajo Knobs caught up with us on returning to the motel and we modified those plans:  breakfast at Hell's Backbone, a visit to Anazasi State Park and a hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls.

Thursday was just a perfect day. The meal at Hell's Backbone was delicious  (Fred--blue corn pancakes; Jan--scrambled eggs, potato cake and homemade toast)

Jan at Hells Backbone Grill

and the setting delightful; the state park, more a museum and archeological excavation site, was well-done, uncrowded and very interesting; and the 2.8 mile hike with lots of elevation change was just enough exercise for the day.  

Fred Inside Anasazi Dwelling

 Al-though Lower Calf Creek Falls is higher and more photogenic, the alcove around the pool of the Upper Falls is surrounded by yellow monkeyflower, woods rose, spiderwort and, best of all, scores of lovely stream orchids!

Trail Leading Down to Upper Calf Creek Falls

Upper Calf Creek Falls

Stream Orchid at Bottom of Falls

Alcove at Bottom of Falls

Obligatory Tree Picture

We truly had a happy anniversary and a great mini-vacation.

Catch-up Post

 We returned from our trip to Zion and Cedar City on Tuesday afternoon and went back to work on Wednesday morning.  The workload hasn't been killer even though Chad and Marci, the housekeeping honchos, are at a gun and knife show in Atlanta from Thursday through Monday..

Thursday was wildlife day.  A pinyon jay and several chipmunks visited the birdfeeder in early morning.  Later on, a mule deer came quite close to the RV without exhibiting any apparent fear.  As we set out for a late afternoon run and had gone about 30 steps from the RV, we saw a young rattlesnake slither across the lane heading in the general direction of our site.  That cast a whole new perspective on 'just taking a walk around the property'! We'll hack down the weeds near the RV which might provide cover and may even put away the birdfeeder.

Today is "the wedding" which has had things here in an uproar.  The actual ceremony will take place tomorrow in the national park with a reception at the lodge there.  The shindig this evening is an informal dinner for 25.  The inn isn't set up for large groups or food service for more than 12 people so it will be...interesting.  We'll cover check-ins and the desk while the owners and the other work-kampers handle the guests.

Yesterday we finished our duties about noon and went to Bryce.  We couldn't hike the trail we'd selected because the parking lot was like the mall at Christmas.  Instead, we decided to try Swamp Canyon loop.  With only the information provided by the Park Service (inaccurate/vague), we couldn't find the second half of the loop so we made it an out-and-back. 
We went from the top of the Paunsaugunt Plateau to the floor of the canyon (750' of elevation change in each direction) and saw hoodoos, cliffs, a momma pronghorn deer with her three (!) tiny fawns, forests, a lovely little stream and many varieties of wildfowers.

On the way back to Tropic we stopped along the wash (seasonal river course, now bone-dry) to photograph an old pick-up truck and sun-bleached wooden wagon.  You never know what you'll find out here in the wilds of the West!

Parowan Gap Petroglyphs--Old & New

Our 'weekend' plans were designed around the need to purchase and mail the external hard-drive and to restock our larder at WalMart.  A visit to the Parowan Gap petroglyph panels about 15 miles outside Cedar City, briefly mentioned in a tourist brochure, seemed like an interesting activity for Tuesday morning.

Although the directions were sketchy, the site was easy to reach and well worth the trip.  Archeologists have counted over 1500 figures, some nearly 5000 years old, scattered over 90 panels on both sides of a 600-foot deep notch in the hills surrounding Cedar Valley.  What makes the site so unusual, aside from the number of figures and span of time during which they were created, is that the Gap was used by the Paleo-Indians as a solar calendar.  The main glyph, nicknamed "The Zipper", may record the sun's movement through the Gap in order to schedule planting and harvesting times.



Zipper Petroglyph



Earlier visitors to the site have felt compelled to add modern graffiti to the ancient.   Thus, chainlink fencing has been erected around several panels to protect them from further damage or theft.  (Yes, people have pried off slabs of petroglyphs!) .  The necessity of the barrier is apparent but regretable because the direct and bright light (it's a solar calendar, after all) makes photography difficult.

On the way back across Cedar Valley, we saw a long white line moving across the horizon.  As we drew closer, we discerned a shepherd on horseback moving a huge herd of ~300 sheep from one side of the road to the other.  Cool!

It Just Makes You Wonder...

OK, we're bound  for Zion's Observation Point--4 miles and 2147' above us.  The trail ascends in a continuous series of switchbacks along the wall of Zion Canyon.  Although narrow and steep, the route offers astounding views and, at this time of year, wonderful wildflowers.  Our favorite section was the stretch through Echo Canyon, where the trail hugs the wall.  At various points, you can peer over the edge of the trail and look down, down, down into this hanging slot canyon but not see the bottom.

Our guidebook describes the last part of the ascent as 'airy'.   We didn't understand that adjective until we reached the "final ascent across white cliffs that drop away for a thousand feet below the pathway."  At that point, we learned that 'airy' means  'trying to move forward along a narrow ledge in the face of 60 mph head-winds.'  We literally clung to the wall, pulling ourselves along and attempting to shield our faces from the stinging blowing sand. 

Fortunately, the wind was less intense on the plateau at the summit--or so we thought.  When we rounded a turn, we saw a young woman sitting on the ground holding a bloody cloth to a wound on her head.  The wind had blown down a heavy 25' dead bristlecone pine on her as she passed by!  Although injured, she was very lucky not to have taken a more direct hit or been knocked off the precipice.  'Whew!,' we thought, 'That's two bullets (the wind and the tree) we've dodged today.' 

As we headed for the point, hikers warned us to watch out for the rattlesnake.  Yep, there he was, slithering his whole four-foot length under a tree toward a patch of shade.  Fred took several pictures and we proceeded to find a spot for lunch.  Suddenly, we noticed Mr. Rattler-- about six feet away and wending his reptilian way right for us.  Ours was a movable feast so we hastily relocated. When I commented to Fred that we'd done a tough eight miles, he told me we'd only done four miles at that point.  But we'd certainly had 8 miles worth of thrills and chills.

Our descent was faster and less eventful--until we were about a mile from the trailhead.  I stopped to snap a wildlfower while Fred continued on and was about 15' ahead of me.  At the same instant, we both heard a rumble above us and knew it was a rock fall.  But the sheerness of the cliffs and vegetation hid the source.  Then a basketball-size rock crashed on the trail between us and continued bouncing downward.

Although Observation Point had been a great hike with breath-taking vistas and beautiful wildflowers, we were glad to complete it unscathed, i.e., not blown off the trail, clobbered by a tree, bitten by a snake or smashed by a rock.