Category: Travel

Now that I’m retired, I am not a fan of getting my day going before 9:00 am. This way, I have plenty of time for my morning routine: Wordle, DuoLingo, Quordle, Quordle Daily Sequence, Connections, and Spelling Bee – preferably all before coffee and breakfast!

Today, though, I agreed to hike with Nanine and Bossa at 6:30 am. Why? Two big reasons. With temperatures forecasted to be in the 90s, it would allow us to hike in cooler weather. AND, I could photograph these amazing red rocks during golden hour, the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset.

Our hike today didn’t disappoint! As you can tell from the photos, golden hour lighting provides its own magic.

Furthermore, the well-maintained and well-groomed trail made the five mile moderate hike enjoyable.

With gorgeous scenery, a comfortable campground, and a location close to Bryce Canyon National Park, I highly recommend Red Canyon Campground.

This morning, after doing “water in/water out” with Addie, I joined Nanine so we could check Red Canyon Campground in the Dixie National Forest. What a gem! It’s surrounded by red rocks, situated near green trees, and located next to the Red Canyon Bicycle Trail and multiple hiking trails. The only two “downsides”: limited cell service and no electricity. With temperatures in the 90s, it would be nice to plug in so I can use the air conditioner without running my very loud generator.

While Nanine picked up her sweet pooch, Bossa, I hopped on my bike, talked to the ranger at the Visitors Center, and rode the bike trail to Chevron for today’s ice cream treat. During the afternoon, I sat outside and read my book – until it was too hot even in the shade. Time to run my genny and turn on my a/c.

As it cooled off, Nanine popped out of her RV (she too was running her [much quieter] generator to use her a/c) and suggested a golden hour walk to snap photos. Taking a shortcut into the campground, we tried to avoid walking through a couple’s campground. Seeing us, though, Nectar and Pete invited us to sit with them, gave us VERY COLD and REFRESHING water, and shared their potato chips with us. Turns out, they are from New Zealand, quit their jobs (she is a nurse, he works in the film industry staging scenes), bought a camper van, and are exploring the US. Very fun chatting and sharing stories!

Here are a few of my favorite photographs from today. No, I am NOT getting bored of taking red rock pictures! 🙂

This was a normal hike!  Yes, there were areas exposed to the sun.  Yes, there were people on the trail (about a dozen other hikers – yesterday we saw NO ONE). And, yes, the uphill climb out of the canyon seemed relentless.  All in all: normal!

Speaking with the ranger yesterday after our Under the Rim hike, we decided – wisely! – to pivot and not do the second half of the Under the Rim Trail.  Instead, we picked the Fairyland Loop Trail, which meanders in the less-traveled (although well-maintained) second Bryce Amphitheater.  Something I learned: Bryce is not really a “canyon.”  From the National Park Service website, “This area is referred to as an ‘amphitheater’ as it is a bowl-shaped area shaped by the drainage of seasonal rains and melting snow (not truly a canyon, as those are shaped by flowing rivers).”

With amazing scenery, a clear trail, and some challenging elevation changes, this was a MUCH BETTER day than yesterday’s HIKE FROM HELL!

This was the HIKE FROM HELL. 

First a bit of background.  I’ve hiked with Nanine for many years, and I completely trust her, her judgment, and her knowledge of my capabilities.  So several months ago when she said, “Hey, Lisa, want to do the Under the Rim Trail at Bryce Canyon NP,” Without hesitation, I said, “Yes.” Her thought – which I agree with – is it would be a good training hike for our upcoming Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike in October.  Similar length, similar elevation changes…

As time moved forward, we researched the trail.  It seems not many people hike the Under the Rim Trail, other than those who do it as a three-day backpacking trip. Hmmm…

We decided to break it into two days, about 12 miles the first day and 13 miles the second day.  BEST DECISION EVER! After shuttling RVs into place (Nanine has a 30 foot Class A, and I have Addie), we left Rainbow Point for what we thought would be a great 12 mile hike to Whiteman Connecting Trail.

WRONG!!!  The hike was GRUELING!  Although the scenery was Bryce Canyon magnificent, the trail was HORRIBLE!  It was washed out at points, not well-maintained, and nearly impossible to follow.  We butt-scooted into gullies, climbed up granite rocks, and traversed loose scree.  That was the worst. 

At Mile 8, there had been a landslide leaving scree uphill, scree downhill, and a very narrow scree-covered trail.  SCARY!  I hate scree!  Anyone who has ever hiked with me knows my fear of falling, especially when there’s scree.  Most of the time, Nanine is a ROCK – strong, confident, capable.  This time, though, she was even more scared than I.  With no alternative to moving forward, I had to be the strong one.  Using my hiking pole, I widened – by only a couple of inches – the trail and pushed some of the loose scree downhill.  Somehow, I figured out how to maneuver to the other side of the washed out section, about five feet away.  Then I talked Nanine through the process.  Soon afterward, we had another gnarly section without a strong foothold even while scooching on our butts.  Somehow, I managed to get through that and again guided Nanine to safety. 

With another nearly five miles to go, including a big uphill climb out of the canyon, we continued on the trail.  Adrenaline turned to endorphins…turning into our next BEST DECISION: We are NOT going to do the second half of this absolutely horrible trail!

The day started with a beautiful sunrise…

Photos of the canyon – when we were not avoiding hazards, scooching, climbing…

One shallow gully…other gullies were much deeper!

Nanine toward the start of the adventure

Nanine was quicker taking pics of me as I traversed the trail

Magnificent!  The hoodoos, red rocks, and cliffs of Bryce Canyon are absolutely magnificent!

Waking up a bit early, I wandered around red rocks on my way to one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been:  Bryce Canyon National Park!

Upon arriving at my campsite, I hopped on my bike so I could catch my first glimpse of the canyon during this trip (I was here in May 2021).  I know many more photos will come, but these are my favorites from today.

Engineering marvel on the highway to Bryce!

Bryce Canyon National Park

Today, I decided to chase cooler temperatures.  I originally thought I’d stay at the St. George Elks with their beautiful scenery and electrical hookup. Although I made my second cup of coffee while hanging out in the St. George Elks parking lot, with less than an hour’s drive I could lose 15° of heat.

Therefore, I kept driving.

The Cedar City Elks, though, has no hookups and an entrance with a “gully.” Across the street, I saw tents, food trucks, jump houses, and lots of people hanging out on blankets. Little did I know that today is a state holiday – Pioneer Day.  From Wikipedia:

“Pioneer Day is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the American state of Utah, with some celebrations taking place in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois, and other locations in the eastern United States. Parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities help commemorate the event.”

After walking around a bit, I decided to find Walmart. Yes, Addie and I have traveled over 35,000 miles in less than three years, and today is my first Walmart! 😊 Our big delight: Nanine and Bossa decided to add three hours to their drive today to meet me at Cedar City!

St. George Elks

Addie enjoying the scenery at the St. George Elks

Cedar City Park

Petroglyphs next to the Cedar City park

Me, any time I’m driving Addie!

Time for another road trip!

This trip has had many – and I mean many! – iterations.  In fact, plans are still in flux, especially with the heat dome sitting over the west and south of the United States.  The anchor of the trip, though, is Bryce Canyon National Park.  Nanine:  “Hey, you want to meet me at Bryce Canyon the end of July?”  Me:  “Sure!”

With reservations for three nights, that’s where I’m headed.  Following Bryce, today’s plan is Colorado, northern Utah, and Elko (NV).  From there, Nanine – and her wonderful pup Bossa – will peel off back home and I’ll continue onto Seattle, Portland, and Bend.  🙂

This morning, I woke up relatively early – for me! – and finished cleaning my home (friends will be staying there for some of the time while I’m gone) and packing up Addie.

Then, we hit the road.  Thank goodness for air conditioning! Temps got up to 113 degrees, the wind blew hard in the desert, and Addie and I kept moving.  We made only two short stops – gas, food, bathroom – all with Addie’s generator and house air conditioner blowing. Otherwise, drive on we did.  (Spoken as Yoda would…?  Thanks a lot, Greyson!  Haha!)

Tonight’s destination:  Boulder City, NV Elks.  Just south of Las Vegas, I chose this location for tonight’s stay since I could make a reservation, and I knew I wanted to plug in so I can run my a/c.

I only took a few pics I took today, all taken at the Elks Lodge…