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When I get to a place
for the first time and know it like home, this is when I know my journey
will be over
A good traveler has
no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
The traveler sees
what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.
There are always two
people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.
Never
When you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there ~ Anonymous
I was born lost, and take no
pleasure in being found
"On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of those who waited, and while waiting, died".......
I may not have gone
where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to
be.
Anyone can grow older, that doesn’t require any talent or ability
The only people who fear death, are those with regrets
“The farther backward
you look, the farther forward you are likely to see”
"One person with one
camera and one idea can make all the difference in the world"
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Pat's May Blog If this is your first time here, you might want to start from the beginning of our fulltime RV Journey with our 2007 Blog's
January 2008 Blog
February 2008 Blog
March 2008 Blog
Photo Gear We Use - Solar Tips, Fact's and Trick's we've learned while on the road
Camper
Check List - A list of things we do before leaving camp.
Again, this isn't gospel, but its a good start for those who might not
already have a list made up. **** Thursday May 1st 2008 Back to Arizona With the weekend fast approaching, we were up and ready pretty early this morning. Jeff and his family have made us feel so welcome here in their driveway, if we didn't have a commitment to be in Monument Valley on Monday, I'm afraid we'd wear out our welcome. When traveling full time in an RV, it's very hard to do the basic maintenance with no home to do it out of. Spending the last few days at Jeff's house has caught us up with all our maintenance items I was wanting to do, and even gave us a chance to remodel a few things on the inside of the camper. Darrel once told me "The RV Community is a different breed of people, they'll go out of their way to lend a hand to fellow RVer's in need." Jeff Bettenga drove that fact home in the past few days and showed Cindy and I that perfect strangers can become life long friends in a very short period of time. I only hope that I project that type of kindness in return while I go about my daily tasks. Thanks Jeff for allowing Cindy and I to camp in your driveway for the past week and opening up your house and tools for us to use at our disposal! When we left this time, I made sure I had raised the rear scissor jacks, the new ones that one of Jeff's friends, Mike had donated to the Every Miles A Memory cause. I even had Cindy and Jeff do a walk around the rig to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything this time. So with a big, sad Goodbye, we pulled out and headed back over the big mountain range that would leave the Pacific Ocean out of our view for the rest of the summer. We had forgotten how windy the drive up I-8 was and how many warnings we had received from readers the last time we were headed into California. Luckily we were only blown off the road a few times, and no damage was done to anything on the camper. We did love the beautiful boulder fields you drive through and both enjoyed the scenery on this section of the drive. I had refused to fill up with California diesel which was tipping the scales right around $4.59 per gallon!! We did have to pull over and empty the 3 6-gallon fuel cans, the ones that we had in the truck filled with Mexican Diesel, into our tank, but when we pulled into the first station in Yuma a few hours later, I never thought I'd be happy to see $4.03 for the price of fuel. Who would think that 70 something miles would drop over .50¢ off the price per gallon. While we stopped in Yuma to fill up, we also had to drop off some money for a camera I had bought online. When I asked the guy to overnight it to me by Saturday, he said "How are you going to get the money to me so I can mail it to you since I don't accept Paypal?" We had fiddled around with a few different ideas and when I told him I was driving to Phoenix, he said "My dad lives in Yuma, if you want to drop the money off to him, that would work." So we met a total stranger in a gas station parking lot, handed him a few grand in cash and drove off. Not the typical sale one makes in this day in age, but hopefully our good fortune of trusting people will not fail us. I've always thought that if you trust people, you wont get ripped off. I know in the bar business, we did plenty of sales this way, held plenty of tabs on the back wall till that check would come in on Friday and actually sold the entire bar on a hand shake, so my luck is pretty good so far. Once we were back on the road, we made good time and rolled into Phoenix around 6pm. A few hours late for Happy Hour, but Darrel was nice enough to wait for us. Cindy had called to tell him we were coming into town and wanted to see if he was still in the Phoenix area. He had just got back into town a few days ago and gave us directions to the Elks Lodge parking lot he was camped out in. We told him to try and wait for us and dropped the hammer on Big Bubba excited to see a good friend.
From the details he told us of his visit, Tiffin makes one high quality coach. He told us all about the new details of this beautiful RV and you could see the excitement in his face when he described his beautiful new rolling home. His son Scott stopped by with some fresh grilled pork tenderloins he had cooked up for dinner, and his son Cody, who loves our dogs tried his hardest to wear them out while taking them for a run. How wonderful is that to be amongst good friends, have some food brought over from a wonderful chef and be sitting out in the beautiful Arizona weather? If I forgot to mention, the temperatures here are in the 80's and everything is in full bloom. I've never seen so many cactus in bloom in my life. The dried up, spiky looking plants now look soft, fuzzy and bright, glowing green with fresh flowers dripping off of them. I cant wait to get up to Monument Valley to see everything in bloom in the desert! Friday May 2nd 2008 Before we had left for Mexico, we had emptied out the bed of our truck from anything that had to do with winter gear and stored it over at a friends house in Phoenix. I had forgotten how much crap we had with us, and today was a test of fitting 10 gallons of junk into a 8 gallon bucket. I've come to the conclusion that we need to get rid of some stuff again. The longer we stay on the road, the more streamlined we become. The less stuff we need and the more we realize we can get by with just the basics. After a day spent packing and re-packing the bed of the truck, which I know will be done a few more times in the next few days till we get it perfect, we headed back to the Elks Lodge so we could go over to Darrel's sons house for dinner. Scott had invited us all over for a dinner party and I couldn't wait to taste his cooking. Darrel has always raved about Scott's ability to whip up an amazing meal, and the few times I had tasted some of Scott's dishes, I couldn't wait to sample a full blown dinner. Being around a family setting is always nice for Cindy and I. We're both very family oriented people and being away from our own family is something that is very hard for us. Staying with Jeff and his family in San Diego made us feel very home sick for those family get-togethers we were so used to back home in Michigan.
Scott and his wife Yumi have two wonderful kids who are very well behaved. His daughter is beautiful and very grown-up for her age. She is taking a photography course in school, so we had some great conversation about photography and I was able to see a few of her pictures. Very nice work! I always enjoy looking at other photographers images as there is always something to learn from studying others ideas. I was a little nervous when Scott said he was going to cook some crab wrapped in fresh halibut. Cindy and I aren't big fish eaters, but when I smelled the food in the oven, my mouth was watering. Scott lived up to his fathers bragging as his dinner was one of the best I've had in years. Something I'd pay $100 for at a fine dinning restaurant without blinking an eye. When Cody, Scott's son said he wasn't going to fishing clean his plate, I dumped everything off of his plate onto mine and cleaned both of them. If anyone else wouldn't have finished theirs, I would have done the same thing. It was that good! The amazing food mixed with the great company and it was an evening one could only hope would happen night after night. Thanks Darrel for allowing us to share some of your family time and thank you Scott for such a wonderful meal. The Dittmer family is top notch people and know how to make their guests feel welcome. Saturday May 3rd 2008 Living in a 25' camper, you can never have enough storage space. I had mentioned that when we picked up the items we had put in storage, I was hesitant to even put them back in the truck.
Well we keep a 4 season tent, two sleeping bags, sleeping pads and a host of other gear in the bed of the truck. You never know when you might want to take a day trip that would require you to camp out, and since we already owned all this gear before this adventure started, we thought we'd bring it along. I've been thinking of putting a storage bin on the roof of the camper for gear like this, the stuff that isn't always used on a regular basis, but still needs to come along for the ride. Problem is with our limited budget, I didn't want to go out and buy one of these bins because of their high price tag. I always keep looking around for a good deal, and yesterday I was looking through Craig's List, and found on for $75 right here in Phoenix. That's a great price since Sears has a new one listed at $250 and a few of the other sporting good stores have the Thule or Yakima models starting in the mid $300's. I called the guy up and told him we'd be there within the hour to pick it up. Deals like this you should never pass up. Darrel offered to drive me up to Peoria since the bed of our truck is loaded right now. So we had a nice drive in his new Jeep and tested out his GPS. He's still learning it since he just picked up the Jeep last Friday. After we got the cargo bin, Cindy and I were headed over to Nancie's house when she called to let me know that she had just ran to the store for 5 minutes and missed the Fed-Ex shipment that was delivering my new camera. Murphy's Law! So Cindy and I drove to the Fed-Ex office and grabbed my new baby. Oh boy am I excited! We stopped by Nancie's house to pick up a few things that had been mailed to us from my parents and some other stuff that had been ordered through the mail. I joke with Nancie that her postman must be curious as to this boyfriend she has that gets so much mail delivered to her house, yet is never around? After a nice visit with her, Cindy and I headed back to our camp spot so I could install the new cargo box. I know it aint gonna look too pretty, but at this point in the trip, with the bike hanging off the back, the top of the truck loaded down with kayaks, spare tires and all sorts of other gear hanging off the rig, I think we've dropped out of the race for the prettiest camper contest. Now we're just going for functional. If it works, I'll take it, if it doesn't work, no matter how pretty it is, I really don't want to lug it around.
We ate like Kings and afterwards had to do a few extra laps around the parking lot to try and wear off some of this glorious food. I finished off the night emptying the back of the truck about 10 times to pack, and repack everything in some sort of order that it would be all accessible. The new roof top cargo bin allowed us to empty two of the big storage bins out of the truck, so rearranging everything was quite the chore. Darrel and Cindy sat by watching, offering suggestions on ways to save space, and as soon as I can get ahold of some tools, we think we might have come up with an idea to build a nice slide out rack to hold the two generators. I'm sure gonna miss Darrel, but it's nice to be able to meet up with him every few months and rekindle our friendship. I think hanging out with him really makes me a better person. He has such a great outlook on life, I learn new things each time I sit and talk with him. As many of you know, my brother and a few others put together a small entertainment magazine back in Michigan. I write some articles for it and have done countless interviews throughout the past 5 years. While Cindy and I were home over the summer, we were back in the Red Dog one night (Imagine that) and I got to talking with a young guy that I've known for years. He had joined the service and become a Sniper for the Military. While talking I said how cool it would be to do an interview with him for the Smalltown Lowdown. He said when he got back from his leave, he would check with his superiors and see if he would be able to answer questions for us. We've spoken back and forth online, and finally in the May Issue, we were able to print the interview. I know it doesn't have too much to do with this website, but it is a cool interview for those who have ever wondered what it must be like to be the military's most cost effective weapon. If you want to read the interview, Click Here. I know I've said it a million times, but if I have to I'll say it a million more. Thank you Kyle for what you are doing, and thanks to all our troops who are risking their lives for out country. Please come home safe! Our prayers are with you! Sunday May 4th 2008 Headed for Monument Valley Even though we move non-stop, the last few weeks has been traveling down roads we've already been on. Sort of backtracking if you will. We've also been on interstates way more than I like to be. There was really no way to get from San Diego to Phoenix without taking I-8, so we had to do that one. But I was jonesing for a new two lane road into some uncharted territory.
We were out of bed and getting packed up by 6:30am this morning. Not that it meant we were on the road early. We had to go empty the tanks, refill one propane tank and fill up with fuel before heading North. Once on the road, I found a good driving station, some Outlaw Country on Sirius radio, and dropped the hammer. Cindy was conked out by the time we hit I-17 North, so I sat singing to the dogs who didn't pay too much attention to my horrible voice. Cindy on the other hand could sleep through an earthquake, so I had no worries of waking her. She finally woke up when I-17 dead ends in Flagstaff and the highway turns into a real road. Two lanes of smooth asphalt with no stripmalls or any other chain restaurants to clutter up the views.
Nope, from
here on up we just had beautiful vistas as far as the eye could see with
dark blue sky and finally some big fluffy clouds. I'm sick of blue
sky and only blue sky. I need a change of weather. I enjoy
weather, clouds, rain, fog or anything else to change the views we
travel through. Blue sky day after day can get boring just like
Gray sky can drive a man to drink in excess. This is
Don't ask me why people in the West drink like fish, maybe the non-stop blue sky makes them drink more, or at least gives them some excuse to knock a few back. As the elevation got higher, the scenery only got prettier. Cindy was wide awake at this point and now that I have my own camera, she was back to holding hers on her lap at the ready. I like it when she takes pictures because she is so good at it. To ask her, she'll tell you that she has no idea what she is doing, but she has an eye for composition and I like to see her as excited as I am when we're driving through a new area. We were only 20 miles from where Monument Valley was supposed to officially start, but I think we pulled over 10 times to snap pictures of the amazing roadside vistas. By the time we finally pulled into the Indian Campground which is also the start of the Monument Valley Scenic Drive, the sun was setting and we had those last few minutes of twilight to get some more shots. Looking over the edge at the visitor center, I was awestruck at the view. Every now and then I have to pinch myself to let my brain know that what we're doing is real. Looking out over the Utah valley, I could have been dreaming and not been able to come up with something this spectacular.
While Cindy cooked us up some dinner, I downloaded our days pictures. Something tells me I'm going to have to work on my skills with this new camera. The reds are so red here in Monument Valley, the images look totally fake straight out of the camera. I showed them to Cindy and she said "You're going to have to tone those down, everyone will think you Photochopped the colors." Unless you've been here to see first hand how deep red the sandstone is, I'll let you know right now that I did tone down some of the colors, just to make it look a bit normal. But in real life, the rocks are almost a burnt orange in color. Add a setting sun to the spectrum, and they take on a glowing reddish orange color. We're going to bed early so we can be up to try and see the sun rise over the valley floor. Thank you God for allowing us to see such beauty day after day. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'll take all I can get while you're still offering. Heaven knows we're only here for a short time and no one knows when we'll get snatched away from it all. Wednesday May 7th 2008 The Beauty of Monument Valley The past few days have been a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to be able to photograph the beauty of Monument Valley, and being here is better than I could have imagined.
Steve Bingham was the professional photographer who put this little photo seminar together, and boy am I glad he did. I jump for any chance to better myself when it comes to photography, but what I really wanted to learn from Steve is some tips on his expertise of Photoshop. Steve is very funny to sit and listen to, and his great sense of humor makes learning new tricks very easy. With arthritic ankles from a youthful career of motocross racing and a messed up equilibrium from a recent ear injury, this 72 year old photographer walks like I do after a 12 pack of Coors Light. But his sense of humor is that of a energetic teenager and he's more than willing to teach many of the tricks he's learned on his way to a Professional Photographer.
As for my new camera, boy is it different than my old one. The Canon 5D is a full frame digital camera rather than the other models that have a crop factor involved in their image sensor. This means that my wide angle lenses are what they are really supposed to be, VERY WIDE! After my first day of shooting, I think I deleted 90% of my images because I wasn't used to the settings of this new body. By the second day the quality of the images had improved 75% and as of today I'm pretty comfortable with the inner workings of my new baby. As for editing the images, being as my old camera was only a 4.2 megapixel camera, and this new model is a 12.8 megapixel, working on the images in Photoshop has rendered my laptop almost useless. What I thought used to be a fast computer, has now turned into a 'Oh So Slow' dinosaur. I guess like all technology upgrades, when you move up on one side, you have to up the size and speed of everything else to go along with it.
Another thing that has struck me as strange is the weird weather. Our first day was beautiful with only a few clouds in the sky. The second day some clouds rolled in just after sunrise and made any chance of a good sunset impossible. On our 3rd day, it went from mildly cloudy during the morning, to a wild wind storm that did its best to blow us off the top of the butte were camped on. With winds around 50mph, a fine layer of sand pelting the side of the camper, and even a few heavy rain drops thrown into the mix, we've seen just about every type of weather I think we could see in a few days time.
While driving some of these dirt roads and sandy two track trials through the Navajo reservation, I did see a rattle snake that had been run over, and found some abandoned cars sitting out in the desert. I enjoyed the time to myself with the eerie quietness of the open landscape. I was standing in the middle of the valley just looking around for about an hour before I realized how long I had just been sitting still looking. I don't know if I was looking at anything in particular, just everything around me. Words cant describe the beauty, and I'm not that talented of a writer to even try and put my feelings on paper when subjected to this type of scenery. I can understand why the Native Americans hold so much of this land sacred and fought till their deaths to try and keep us from developing it. It's hard to wander around and not find cool things to add to the composition of the photographs. But I didn't take too many photos this morning, mostly just sat taking it all in by myself.
Then just like the last few days, the beautiful morning sun went behind some afternoon clouds and a nasty wind storm blew in. Now when you get winds back home, it might just blow some leaves around and rattle some shutters. When you're camped at 5800' and surrounded by open desert, a wind storm becomes a serious event. But as the campers were getting their surfaces pelted, our group of photographers loaded up into two trucks and headed over to Utah to visit Valley of the Gods. This scenic park is much smaller than Monument Valley and much less visited. Don't let the small attendance fool you, Valley of the Gods is very beautiful and the best part about it was during the 17 mile loop road that intersects the Park, we only passed one other vehicle.
Talking with the fellow campers, we were told of numerous hikes, ruins and 'Must See's' that were all within an hours drive of this Four Corners Region. Hopefully once the crazy spring storms blow out, we can return for a few more weeks to really explore this area in more detail. I know I could spend an entire summer in this area alone and not get bored with the beauty. Valley of the Gods was great, but I never got a good photograph of the dozens I took due to the clouds and funky lighting. Next time I'll wait around till I do. Thursday May 8th 2008 Leaving Monument Valley for Page The photography group got together in Steve and Bobbies camper this morning and critiques each others pictures. We all brought in some of our images from the last few days and had Steve tell us what he would do to make them a better shot. I love to see other photographers images from the same place I've been to. Not only to compare them to mine, but to see the same place from a different perspective. Many times someone might have an image of the same subject, but make it look completely different. This I learn from and it reminds me to always look at each subject from multiple angles. After our critique session, where Steve thought he was commenting on one of my images before I told him "That's not mine, it's Cindy's." He stopped, looked over at Cindy and said "WOW, I didn't know you were better than your husband at this stuff!" Everyone decided that the weather was just too crazy here and we should leave to head farther South to Page Arizona and Glen Canyon. When we had walked into Steve's camper, it was nice and sunny with big white fluffy clouds.
That picture is the ground littered with tiny hail stones during one of the freak storms that would blow through. Driving over to Page, the scenic byway of HWY 98 is a postcard in itself. This whole section of Arizona and Utah is just heavenly when it comes to the vistas. We pulled into Glen Canyon Recreation Area where the weather was sunny and warm overlooking another postcard scene with Lake Powell below us. One of the other photographers, Bob, a solo RVer who travels alone in his homemade truck camper had split away from the group and headed North towards Moab. He is going to be work camping this summer in Colorado on the tallest peak Colorado offers, and didn't see any use in heading South, just to turn around to head North again. But there was still the other 3 couples, and Steve and Bobbie, Bob and Diane and Cindy and I all settled in for the night. We unpacked the camp chairs and circled around the fire pit. We uncorked a few bottles of wine, brought out a few cold beers and entertained each other with some great conversation. We actually sat up talking till the wee hours of the morning until that cool desert air had all of us wanting those down comforters. Boy did we share some great memories from childhood and past adventures we've all taken. Friday May 9th 2008 Talking with so many people in this area, there was one place that has come up over and over. The Wave! This place is so coveted in the hiking, photography and adventure guide books, that many will travel from around the world to get the chance to experience it.
There can be anywhere from 100 people to only 30 that crowd into a little block building to fill out their paperwork so their name can be put into the daily lottery. The lottery is drawn while you wait at 9am each morning. If you're party is picked, then the following day you will get a back country permit and be one of the few who can brag about hiking The Wave. Cindy and I were up early driving the 30 miles towards the Paria Ranger Station where we planned on taking our chances with this lottery. I guess for every day you show up consecutively, you get another chance at your name being called. So if we don't get picked this morning, then tomorrow well get two chances. When we pulled into the dirt parking lot, there were already dozens of people milling around waiting to see if they would be that lucky hiking group. There were adventure seekers from all over the world. Of the 71 people that were here this morning, only a few were from the United States. One was a fellow camper that we had shared a bonfire with a few nights ago in Monument Valley. When the clock struck 9am, the room quieted down while the rangers explained the rules. Everyone had a number, a bunch of wooden balls all numbered would be placed in a wire ball and 10 hikers would be drawn. The ranger explained that some people had been coming for the last few days in a row, so a few individuals would have multiple numbers. This is where it gets tricky. Each party gets a number. So if Cindy and I are picked, we're counted as one party and take up two of the 10 available slots. If another party has 8 people in their group, then those would be the only two numbers drawn. Say a group had 9 and there was one more number to be called, if the next number that was called had two people in their group, only one would be allowed to go. I know it sounds confusing, but read it a few times and it'll make sense. This was the case that happened today when a German couple that was standing beside me was chosen, but there was only one available slot left. You can either give up your number, or chose to split your party up and go alone. One couple had already given up their number and said they would be back the next day. This German couple had been coming to the morning lottery for 5 days in a row, and said "One of us has to go, we leave for home on Monday." I was talking to Darwin, the camper we had met in Monument Valley when he asked if I would be interested in joining him tomorrow? Apparently he had been chosen today, but his wife had fallen yesterday while hiking another trail and wouldn't be able to hike with him due to some bruised ribs. I mentioned that since the German couple was on their last chance to go, and only one of them could go, maybe it would be better if he brought one of them with him so they could go together. I thanked him for the amazing offer, but said I'd feel guilty going when Cindy and I can wait here for a few weeks if need be. This couple had flown half way around the world to do something that I could take my time to accomplish.
The rest of today is a Laundry day. After the stay in Monument Valley, the inside of the camper looks like a red dirt bomb has been exploded inside. Sheets are pink, the floor has a red tint to it and clothes that could normally be worn for a few days before being washed, were tossed into the hamper after only one afternoon out on a trail. I feel bad for who every washes their clothes after us. Hopefully they'll be doing a black load and not ruin their whites. Tomorrow we'll go back for another chance with The Wave Lottery, followed by a hike in Utah in the Buckskin Gulch. Slot canyons, tide pools and amazing photography opportunities are in store for us for the next few days.
Saturday May 10th
Rather than keep wasting diesel fuel to go enter the lottery, I got the motorcycle down and rode by myself to the Ranger Station this morning. Man I missed riding this thing for the past few months. Driving a vehicle can almost be done on autopilot and my mind tends to wander thinking about all sorts of different things. Riding a motorcycle demands your utmost attention, and is one of the few times my mind thinks about nothing else but the task at hand. I love to watch the pavement 10 feet in front of the front tire and I'm always amazed that at 60 miles per hour, how many details you can pick out of it. These back roads along the border of Utah and Arizona are meant for motorcycles with nice long, smooth straight-aways breaking up the tight mountain curves. I was glad Cindy stayed back at the camper so I could open it up and have some fun. I'm not sure how much the bike liked the wide open throttle after two long months of rest, but if the motor was straining, I didn't notice. My luck was no better this morning with the lottery for The Wave, but it only gives us more time to experience the many other hiking trails this area has to offer. By the time I got back to the Lake Powell Campground, Steve and Bobbie were loaded up and just waiting for my return before they shoved off heading for home. We thanked them for the great weekend and made promises to keep in touch. Steve was cracking me up when I helped him load his big 100lb dog into the back of his Suburban. He said "Boy, we should travel together more often. We make a great team. With my brains and your young muscles, think of all the fun we could have!" I like this guy very much and his constant sense of humor reminds me of my late grandfather who I very much looked up to. I don't know why, but I've always gotten along with people twice my age. I guess I love to learn and I find it fascinating the wealth of knowledge that can be absorbed from people who have already been out there doing what we enjoy doing.
Cindy and I headed up HWY 89 till we found Cottonwood Road. This dirt road intersects the Grand Staircase of Escalante National Monument with amazing views in every direction. After leaving Jeff's house in San Diego, the truck looked as clean as the day it rolled off the dealers lot. It didn't take but a few miles of rough dirt road before it was back to the dust covered dirt ball it so likes to be dressed up as. The rough washboard roads made me think we were back in Baja and I remembered the front steering stabilizer that we think might be broken. 15 bumpy miles later we found the trail head and loaded up the cameras. This hike was described as a 2 mile hike up a wide canyon that follows the mountain stream. It said that it could be hiked barefoot if the water was present, but who would hike a trail barefoot? A few hundred yards into the trail, we noticed a pile of shoes and boots up on a rock. After another few hundred yards, Cindy announced "I'm taking my boots off! This ankle deep water flowing over the soft sand just looks too inviting." So we both sat on some big rocks and shed the hot boots and thick hiking socks. The water was so warm, it felt surreal to put your feet into it. The cold, soft sand squished between our toes as we hiked up the beautiful canyon and I kept thinking to myself - 'Now this is hiking!'
We hiked for
a few hours with the only sound being the birds that nested in the steep
canyon walls and the cool mountain water trickling over the rocks.
When
We met some fellow hikers along the trail who told us once the trail made the next turn, the water stopped and the canyon widened. The 3 women all noticed our barefoot hiking apparel and commented how nice that must be. As they walked away with heavy hiking boots and thick socks soaking wet, Cindy and I questioned why they wouldn't just take off the boots if they were going to hike down the stream anyway? When we asked what the trail was like up ahead, they said "The sand was brutal and the heat was similar to sticking your head in a blast furnace." We stopped and had some lunch before we turned around to hike back to the truck. Of the hundreds of miles we've hiked, this was probably one of the most picturesque trails we've been on. I'm always amazed at the diversity of the hikes around the country. We've hiked trials like this in the Smokey Mountains, but you could never put your feet in the icy water for fear of frost bite even in the middle of summer. When we finally stopped to put our boots back on, my feet were all pruned up, but yelling at me "NO, don't cover me with those heavy things!" Once back at the truck, we refilled our water bottles out of the big water jug in the bed of the truck and bounced up Cottonwood Road another 10 miles till we found the Cottonwood Narrows trail. This trail was described as a hike through a narrow Navajo Sandstone canyon that is phenomenal for pictures. It was very beautiful, but the sand was very deep and the late afternoon sun was making me sweat like whore in church. I think we had gotten spoiled on our first hike and should have taken this one first, with the cool hike in the ankle deep warm water as a afternoon dessert.
Driving back down the bumpy road, I could tell Cindy was going crazy. Normally after a long day of hiking, she's asleep before we get out of the parking lot. But this time the road was too bumpy and curvy for her sleepy eyes to get any rest. Every time I would see her head start to bob, we would hit a big section of washboard, and she would wake up. Finally I think the sleep overpowered the bumps and her head sat bobbing around on her shoulders through even the roughest sections. By the time we got back to HWY 89, I was ready to kiss the smooth pavement. So much for a clean truck, as the thick dust was now hiding any wax Jeff had applied back in San Diego. The rest of the night was spent visiting with Bob and Diane in their big Motorcoach. Tomorrow they leave for home, and Cindy and I are going to move closer to the Paria Ranger Station so we don't have to drive 30 miles each way for The Wave lottery.
Sunday May 11th Happy Mothers Day! We had packed up camp 90% last night, so all we had to do this morning was hook the truck up to the camper and raise the jack stands and we'd be ready to go. We said goodbye to Bob who was out doing his last minute preparations before heading home to the Phoenix area and we were on the road by 7am. Driving along the highway into Utah, we noticed a solo bicycle rider packing up his gear from last nights camp. We had spotted this guy riding along the highway on our way back from Cottonwood Canyon last night. He towed a little trailer behind his well worn road bike that was loaded down with camping gear. I looked at Cindy and said "Now that's traveling light!"
Cindy started talking to Danny, the owner of the bike and pretty soon we were listening to one of the best stories I've heard in quite some time. This guy was circling the lake, all 800 miles of it in 7 days time! That's over a century (100 miles) per day, and he was 80% around the grueling loop. He told us that once he finishes riding the loop, he was going to hike the entire Buckskin Gulch in one day since the overnight passes are sold out for the next six months. When I asked if he knew the entire length was over 20 miles, he shrugged his shoulders and came back with a cool reply "Yeah, it'll be a hard days hike, but wouldn't that be cool to do it all in one day!" Danny told us about his winters spent following the powder in the mountains so he could feed his insatiable ski habit and his summers spent around the Four Corners area following the many different sports this area has to offer. In the fall he heads home to Massachusetts where he works through the fall raking leaves before heading back to the mountains for the winter. What a way to live life and see the country. We offered Danny numerous high protein foods to help out with the muscles that probably never got enough food, but he said his jar of peanut butter and supply of apples was enough to get him to the next town. We wished him luck and he rode away heading up the side of a long mountain climb.
Only 2 miles down a washboard road right beside the Paria Ranger Station is the Whitehouse Trailhead that has a dirt parking lot/campground. We set up the camper beside a giant white rock that I'm assuming gives this area its name, and loaded up the backpacks for another day of hiking. One of the guys we had met in Monument Valley had told us about the Coyote Buttes Trail. Scooter and his boyfriend were the ones who had told us about The Wave, but they also told us that the Coyote Buttes trail was just as good, if not better. So we drove the few miles down another dirt road to the trail head and headed out in the brutal heat of the noon time sun. The first mile was nothing but pure torture. Hiking with a loaded backpack in soft sugar sand is not fun, I don't care how beautiful the surrounding views are. But once you get onto the hardpack surface of the sandstone, the hiking becomes 100 times easier. Hiking through the Coyote Buttes is what I would think the surface of Mars would be like. I'd love to come back in the winter to see the contrast between the red sandstone covered in a bright layer of white snow!
The deep red
sandstone resembles a candle that was left burning for too long.
The earth looks as if it has melted on top of itself and except for the
random
If you were to go to sleep and be placed in the middle of this rugged stretch of land, it wouldn't be hard to believe you had died and gone to hell in your sleep. It's just amazing to think last year at this time we were hiking in the Ozarks which are very close to a rain forest. With thick wooded mountains that hold in the humidity, hiking there you're dripping in sweat even on a cool spring afternoon. Straight across the map, but a few thousand miles west, the landscape is 180° opposite with air so dry, no amount of water can quench your thirst. Sweat beads up, but almost never runs down your face like it will on those Eastern hikes. Another amazing sight was the blooming prickly pear cacti. We had seen a few of them along the road sides, but this trail was loaded with them popping out from under the dry layers of red rock. They looked so out of place in this brutal landscape, that you almost thought to see something blooming out here must be fake. When we finished the trail, we werent tired enough to head for the truck, even though we were running low on water. The one thing about the Coyote Buttes trail is there is no such thing as shade....anywhere!
The trail head to Coyote Buttes shares the same trail head as the Wire Pass Slot Canyon trail. Hiking and photographing a slot canyon has always been a dream of mine, so we turned down the next trail and headed for our first Slot Canyon hike of our adventure. The first 1.4 miles is another grueling trudge through soft sand where we were second guessing ourselves the entire way. Then you see the canyon walls start to close in on you, and before you know it you're walking into the cool confines of a narrow slot canyon. The feeling of walking into the side of a mountain is indescribable. You go from the heat of the desert into the cool air of the cave like atmosphere and instantly become cooled down.
The chilly breeze whipping through the narrow, water carved slot canyon was actually giving me goosebumps while it dried the sweat off my shirt. The next few hours were spent filling multiple compact flash cards on our cameras and just taking in the surrounding beauty. When we thought there was no way we could take another picture, we turned and headed for home. Besides we had already sat in the narrow confines of the canyon and ate all the food we had brought, drank all our remaining water and worked up a callus on our shutter fingers. While we had sat relaxing in the cool caves, we wondered aloud about the pioneers who had ventured away from the security of the flat lands of the eastern seaboard in search of untamed lands and uncharted horizons. We curse the bumpy roads and rugged trails all so we can visit these beautiful natural features Mother Nature has made for us. But imagine those first travelers who had to cross this treacherous landscape for the first time. Most doing it with a family in tow on horse back with a covered wagon to carry their supplies. These adventure seekers are super heroes in my mind. Not even bumpy roads to curse as they were cutting the trials themselves. Imagine riding for miles through this unforgiving landscape only to come upon a slot canyon that has to be crossed? With no wood to collect to build a bridge for you family to cross, you might have to reroute your path miles in either direction to get by. Or backtrack untold miles only to search out another path with no known ending. Cindy and I have numerous detailed maps so we know where we are located at with precise accuracy. GPS incase we get turned around, we will be able to find our way back to where we came from. I'm envious of the true Nomad who sets out with no map, only in search of uncharted territory.
For us soft bellied explorers, we knew we had more food and cold drinks waiting for us in the cooler in the truck. So we had a goal to hike back to and knew our way exactly. A day like today is what I call a perfect day of hiking. One of those days when you look forward to going to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will gain us access to The Wave, but if not, we still have a few more hikes we want to bag before we leave this area.
While we
were sitting in the camper resting our throbbing legs, a fellow
photographer/hiker who I had met at the lottery drawing knocked on the
screen door. He was hiking back to his tent that was just down the
road on his
Nathan asked politely "Hey man, got a cold beer you could spare?" We invited him in the camper and spent the next few hours listening to his wild stories of traveling around the globe. From working as a Merchant Marine to photographing his way across the Orient. He told us of some great Native American ruins that aren't on any maps and shared some other cool secret hiking spots he had found along his travels. I also love to hear the thoughts of fellow Americans on the same places we visit. When the topic of ancient Petroglyphs came up, I mentioned how some areas were fenced off due to our generation applying their own graffiti over top of the rock carvings. Nathan's view of this was "I think it's fine, it's just another form of expression and our part of history being left right beside theirs." He went into more detail saying "What is the difference between the ancient tribes marking the stone or our culture doing it?" | ||
Once
we pulled in and stretched out, we spent the rest of the evening
catching up on the past few months apart from one another. Darrel
told us he has purchased a new coach and will pick it up in a few weeks
once it's finished being built. He had just flown back into town
from visiting the factory where he watched his new house roll down the
assembly line. 
But
being able to be around families and enjoy wholesome company is a good
thing that Cindy and I both enjoy very much. So we're love every
chance we get to spend time in situations like this. Scott's
family is great and we had a wonderful evening. 
We
have a few big Rubbermaid bins in the bed of the truck for our winter
gear. We also keep one big bin filled with camping gear, the real
camping type. I know some people call what we're doing camping,
but when I think of camping, I think of a tent and a sleeping bag.
While
I was on the roof bolting it down, Cindy and Darrel cooked us up some
scrumptious dinner. Darrel had a Tri-Tip Steak simmering on the
grill, and Cindy whipped up a salad sautéed some mushrooms in a
beer/wine sauce. 
why
people in Michigan drink like fish. The sky is Gray from November
through March with only a few days of sun to remind you that you haven't
gone completely mad. 
When
we finally pulled into the campground, I laughed at the sight of 25
rental campers. Since everyone always thinks our travel trailer is
a rental because of all the logos on it, I thought we'd fit right in for
once. Most of the rentals were housing German tourists, and they
got a kick out of our rig. 3 different people walked over to take
a picture of this rolling fun mobile loaded to the limits with too much
stuff. 
From
early morning sunrises, to the long shadows of the late afternoon
sunsets, the views are impossible to capture on film and have them look
anything like they do in real life. But believe me I've been
trying.
After
sitting with Steve and a few of the other photographers yesterday for
only a few hours, I've learned a few tricks that I've been struggling
with for months. Its so much easier when you have a professional
show you some short cuts.
As
for photographing Monument Valley itself, all I can say is driving along
the bumpy, dusty road that winds its way through the bottom of the
valley floor is a humbling experience. There are breathtaking
views 360° around you, and the towering buttes change every day, so the
photo opportunities are endless.
Cindy
decided she didn't want to get up with me this morning for sunrise
photos, so I wandered around some back roads trying to find a different
angle than the typical views the loop drive offers. 
Once the
morning picture taking session was over, the 7 of us gathered around our
camper and spent the beautiful afternoon swapping stories on photography
and traveling in general. I sure do like it here and the company
of fellow photographers only adds to the experience.
It's BLM
Land, so you can camp right in the park and there is numerous campsites
along the road. With so much stuff to visit within an hours drive
of this area, we think we might come back and use this as a base camp
for many other one day excursions. 
While we
were in there, maybe an hour and a half total, it had rained, very hard
for a short period, then hailed, and by the time we were finished, it
was back to sunny and windy again and we were being pelted by sand as we
packed up camp. 
There
are only 20 people allowed to hike The Wave per day. 10 reservations can be
made online, most needing to be made up to six months in advance, with
the other 10 lucky hikers being drawn each morning at the Ranger Station
in Paria.
As
I walked over to Cindy who was waiting in the truck, I hoped that they
could work out a deal so the three of them could go together. It's only what I
hope someone would do for me if the tables were turned.
Once
the goodbyes were over with, Bob and Diane said they were heading into
town and Cindy had us all packed up for our days hike. We made
plans to meet up this evening for dinner or maybe another bonfire if
the winds would allow it.
you
would have to walk out of the water, the sand in the shade would freeze your feet,
but once you could get back in, the warmth of the stream would bring them back up to a
comfortable temperature very fast. We joked that we were not only
getting a great hike out of this trail, but our feet were getting
exfoliated in the best way I could think possible. 
After
bouldering over some monstrous fallen slabs of sandstone, me tearing my
pants on a sharp stick that tried to impale my thigh, and post-holing
through the deep sugar sand, we turned around after only one mile.
I'd
like to say that we won the lottery this morning, but this is why I
refuse to waste my money on lottery tickets...I never win! When we
came out from the Ranger Station, the bike and trailer were leaning up
against a pole beside our truck. 
I
thought back to him saying "It's all mind over matter, you just need to
trick the brain when you have those long climbs ahead of you!" You
go Danny!
sound
of a hawk screeching, there was no sound to be heard for miles. It
was almost spooky it was so quiet.
way
back from spending the day in Buckskin Gulch. You could tell this
14 mile hike had worn on the guy with his heavy backpack laden down with
photography gear sitting low on his shoulders.