Lois & I embarked on our epic Great Western Road Trip on TUE 10/5. Before returning home on TUE 10/26, we traveled over 3,800 miles, which spanned 4 states & 3 time zones (Central, Mountain, Pacific). The two of us have never traveled this many miles on one road trip, nor have have the two of us ever spent 22 nights on the road. Care to learn more? Read on.
Family. On our very first night on the road, we stayed with our nieces Jocelyn & Lia in Commerce City, CO, a suburb of Denver. As we were loading the car the next morning, I missed the bottom step of the stairs, fell, & banged my head on the wall, putting a dent in it. Jocelyn was very solicitous, & we haven't heard from her lawyer yet. On OCT 13 & 14, we got to visit Chris (our nephew), Megan, & their two adorable children, Sullivan & Callahan. We also met up with Lois' siblings, as we prepared to travel to Sedona, AZ, for a . . .
Sibling Bash. This was actually the inspiration for our Great Western Road Trip. Thanks to Wanda (Lois' oldest sister) & John, we were able to stay in their time-share resort in Sedona, AZ. Her siblings included Wanda, from Kingsburg, CA; Kathy, Lois' 2nd oldest sister, from St. Petersburg, FL; David, her younger brother, & Carmen, from Wichita Falls, TX; & John, her baby brother, from Fayetteville, NC. Special note: Carmen happens to be my 1st cousin. She & David met at my brother Mark's wedding. She is an honorary sister.
National Parks. We shattered our record for NPs visited on one trip. We visited Arches & Canyonlands NPs in Utah, Grand Canyon NP in AZ, & Zion, Bryce Canyon, & Capitol Reef NPs, all in Utah. Which one was our favorite? Each park was unique, & they each stood out in their own way.
State Parks & National Monuments. We also visited Pipe Spring NM in AZ, where we learned a lot about the Kaibab Paite Indians & Mormon settlers. We drove past Vermillion Cliffs NM on our way from Sedona to Zion NP. We visited Dead Horse Point SP in Utah--close to Arches & Canyonlands--Slide Rock & Red Rock SPs in AZ, which we toured with the siblings; also Sunset Crater near Flagstaff, AZ; & Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Escalante-Petrified Forest, Anasazi Village, & Kodachrome SPs, all in Utah.
Lodging. We shared a condo with David & Carmen at John & Wanda's time-share resort in Sedona. We stayed in a Vrbo in Moab, UT, close to Arches & Canyonlands; the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel in Williams, AZ; Maswik Lodge at the Grand Canyon; motels in Hurricane, UT, near Zion; Tropic, UT, near Bryce Canyon; & Sterling, CO. We stayed at an Airbnb at Torrey, UT, near Capitol Reef. Which was our favorite? The condo had the most amenities. The motel in Tropic was actually a log cabin, which we really liked. The Vrbo in Moab was named Kokopelli after a pagan fertility goddess. None of our abodes were dumps, for which we were grateful.
Scenic Drives. I-70 through CO is very scenic, especially as you pass through Glenwood Canyon. Our our way east we had to detour across Loveland Pass because of an accident at the Eisenhower Tunnel. Although it cost us about an hour, it, too, was very scenic. Pretty much all the drives through UT & AZ were scenic with each offering its own unique terrain. The drive through Monument Valley along the UT-AZ border was picturesque, also very recognizable, since it was the location for many Western films. The drive through Oak Creek Canyon outside Sedona, which we did twice, was beautiful. After awhile we had to limit our stops at vista points, because we just didn't have time to stop at all of them. I almost forgot, we saw petroglyphs at a scenic stop within Capitol Reef NP. This reminds me . . .
Photography. Lois served as our official photographer. She posted a plethora of memorable pictures on her FB page.
Hiking. We spent the better part of a day hiking in Canyonlands. Our favorite trail there was probably the Mesa Arch Trail. Just on the backside of the arch was a sheer drop, falling hundreds of feet into the canyon. We hiked along the south rim of Grand Canyon, being careful not to edge too close to the rim itself. [Lois has acrophobia.] We hiked with our siblings in Slide Rock & Red Rock SPs, close to Sedona. The trail in Red Rock was a little strenuous, but I managed it without falling even once! [Yes, I have somewhat of an unfortunate history.] At Kodachrome SP we hiked the Sentinel Trail. Our goal was to make it to Shakespeare Bridge, which is a collapsed arch, but the trail got a little too treacherous, so we turned back. At Escalante Petrified Forest SP we hiked the Petrified Forest Trail. The ranger told us at the front gate that it was an easy trail. Either we misunderstood him, or he lied, but I will say that it was very scenic. The petrified forest itself was a little underwhelming, as it consisted of a few, short, petrified logs. We hiked two trails in Zion NP. The Pa'Rus Trail was OK; the Riverside Walk, which paralleled the Fremont River was excellent. We hiked the Bristlecone & Sunset Point to Sunrise Point Trails in Bryce Canyon. Both were excellent, although the elevation really got to me. [It doesn't help that I have COPD.] We hiked the Grand Wash Trail in Capitol Reef & followed it to The Narrows. Definitely a 5-star hike. The Hickman Bridge Trail was awesome--also a 5-star hike--but very demanding--very steep & strenuous in places--but thanks to Lois' encouragement, I made it.
Railroad Adventures. The Grand Canyon Railroad Trip from Williams to the Grand Canyon & back was awesome. I highly recommend it, as the package included a night at the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel, two nights at the Maswik Lodge in the Grand Canyon, & a final night at the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel; a cowboy show prior to departing Williams; two supper buffets & two breakfast buffets at the Fred Harvey Restaurant in Williams, plus a sack lunch at the Maswik Lodge, & a guided bus tour at the Grand Canyon. The Verde Canyon Railroad Trip, which departed & returned from Cottonwood, AZ, close to Sedona, was also awesome. We saw a cave where an archaeology dig had revealed several ancient Indian cultures; also the ruins of a cliff dwelling. Before we left Cottonwood, we enjoyed a beer tasting.
Other Excursions. We explored downtown Sedona, which I assume is Spanish for "tourist trap." Lois & her siblings enjoyed a wine-tasting there, while I enjoyed an ice cream-tasting next door. There were many signs advertising vortex maps, healing rocks, healing crystals, mediums, & fortunate tellers. We also took a trolley tour, which featured views of the red rocks surrounding Sedona, plus a stop at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. While we were in Moab, we took the "Moab in a Day" tour, which featured a very informative guide & visits to Arches, Dead Horse Point, & Canyonlands. We also walked around in Jerome, AZ, a historic copper-mining town near Sedona. Lois & her siblings enjoyed yet another wine-tasting. There was a very informative historical museum there. In Capitol Reef NP we visited the historic Gifford Store & bought a homemade mixed berry pie, which we enjoyed ala mode at our Airbnd in Torrey. Also--& I've noted this before in my posts about other NPs--visitors' centers were mostly closed with very few if any displays accessible, but gifts shops were always open.
Wildlife. During our trip we saw elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, many squirrels, ravens, possibly a red-tailed hawk, & Lois saw prairie dogs while we were traveling from Williams to the Grand Canyon.
Weather. We were blessed with really great weather throughout our trip, with two exceptions. On our second day in Moab, during our "Moab in a Day" tour, it was rainy & very chilly, which curtailed some of the planned hikes. On our last day in the Grand Canyon we were treated to a blizzard & wished we had packed stocking caps & gloves.
Fantastic Food. Our most memorable meals--at least for me--included butternut squash soup at the Maswik Lodge at the Grand Canyon . . . The supper & breakfast buffets at the Fred Harvey Restaurant in Williams, AZ, which included a beef tenderloin carving station at supper & build-your-own-omelette station at breakfast . . . A Mexican restaurant & take-out Chinese in Sedona . . . Barbecue in Tropic, UT . . . Utah trout in Torrey, UT . . . & seafood bisque (Lois' choice) & a faux runza [my choice] in Sterling, CO.
What I Read. I got a lot of reading done while we were on the road . . . "Killer of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders & the Birth of the FBI," by David Grann . . . "The Case of the Vanishing Blonde & Other True Crime Stories," by Mark Bowden . . . "Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon," by Michael Ghiglieri & Thomas Myers . . . "No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest," by Janis Thornton . . . "Double Plays & Double Crosses: The Black Sox & Baseball in 1920," by Don Zminda. My favorite, although it took a long time to wade through, was "Over the Edge." It included chapters involving falls off the rim, falls within the canyon, drownings in the Colorado River, drownings in flash floods, death due to hypothermia, heat stroke, dehydration, murder, & suicide. Yes, it was a little grim in places, but it gave us both an even healthier caution about approach the rim too closely.
What We Listened To. During most of the trip we listened to The Message on Sirius XM, which we find very uplifting. Occasionally we listened to Fox News, which was pretty depressing, but not as depressing as listening to CNN. There, that's as political as I'm going to get. Maybe.
Fuel. We consistently paid over $4/gallon for gas once we were out of Nebraska. The worst was $4.96/gallon, which we paid in AZ. I won't attribute it to our president's energy policies. [OK, yes I will.]
Gratitude. God has certainly blessed us with the means that have enabled us to take many road trips this year. We had always hoped to be able to do some traveling after we retired, & the Lord has made it possible. Are also grateful for the opportunity to witness the majesty of His creation.
