Trip Report - S.F to Vegas with and Eclipse and R2R and a TA MeetUp
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:04 AM
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Trip Report - S.F to Vegas with and Eclipse and R2R and a TA MeetUp
My days of travelling 'solo' are now well in the past. My eldest (H) has now been on my last 3 visits including TA Meet Ups and dear wife managed to break a nearly 20yr gap by coming again last year.
Now my youngest, (D) after several previous attempts to bring him along and the answer had always been a firm ‘No!’, finally said yes………………….. and with a smile so I knew he meant it.
To be fair, it’s a long time coming for him and I would never be truly satisfied until I brought him out this way again since he was only 3 yrs old last time he was here. Now, he’s way taller than me and bearded, yet he was way cuter back then. As a result of D coming, this trip is solely for his purpose. The bits he wants to see and the bits I want and need him to see and experience all encapsulated in a mere 14 days. He knows what’s in store and thankfully being a non-driver in this trip, I told him to do his resting whilst in the car. H and I would do all the legwork. Hotels are just for a bed and brief respite.
One way route, young driver fee for H (so he can now drive proper rather than me letting him drive just on the dirt roads), no one way rental charge and a lot of H’s noise in the car ranging from Post Malone to others I’ve never heard of. Gone are the days when ‘my’ road trip music ruled the road, but to be fair I managed to shave a few years off listing to this new stuff. Well, some of it.
I’ve been everywhere on this trip up to many multiples of times and so has H for the latter part, but apart from Grand Canyon, D is a mere virgin. We are not bothered now in indulgence of each park as we are metaphorically fully fed, so will utilize the days available and the hours in the clock be it day or night to our best advantage.
And it worked. Road Trippin’ with my boys over 8 States and multiple National Parks all in 2 weeks. And managed to include an Eclipse, TA MeetUp and a R2R!
Now my youngest, (D) after several previous attempts to bring him along and the answer had always been a firm ‘No!’, finally said yes………………….. and with a smile so I knew he meant it.
To be fair, it’s a long time coming for him and I would never be truly satisfied until I brought him out this way again since he was only 3 yrs old last time he was here. Now, he’s way taller than me and bearded, yet he was way cuter back then. As a result of D coming, this trip is solely for his purpose. The bits he wants to see and the bits I want and need him to see and experience all encapsulated in a mere 14 days. He knows what’s in store and thankfully being a non-driver in this trip, I told him to do his resting whilst in the car. H and I would do all the legwork. Hotels are just for a bed and brief respite.
One way route, young driver fee for H (so he can now drive proper rather than me letting him drive just on the dirt roads), no one way rental charge and a lot of H’s noise in the car ranging from Post Malone to others I’ve never heard of. Gone are the days when ‘my’ road trip music ruled the road, but to be fair I managed to shave a few years off listing to this new stuff. Well, some of it.
I’ve been everywhere on this trip up to many multiples of times and so has H for the latter part, but apart from Grand Canyon, D is a mere virgin. We are not bothered now in indulgence of each park as we are metaphorically fully fed, so will utilize the days available and the hours in the clock be it day or night to our best advantage.
And it worked. Road Trippin’ with my boys over 8 States and multiple National Parks all in 2 weeks. And managed to include an Eclipse, TA MeetUp and a R2R!
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:07 AM
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Day1 – 14 miles – Stay San Francisco
Opted against airport parking in favour of taxiing both ways but our 1hr journey to Heathrow still took over 2.5hrs. Virgin line was huge and took about another hour just to bag drop. After that, it was pretty much plain sailing and an uneventful flight that left late still got us to touchdown at SFO pretty much on time.
I usually get all my car rental from AutoEurope and found prices slightly better this year compared to last year. However, after initially booking the rental some 9 months before, I found I was able to rebook another 2 times as prices were dropping, even nearer to the time. This year, I would put H on as a driver and at 22yrs old knew that we’d pay the young driver fee locally. I knew it would be $25 per day, but the 30% taxes slapped on top was unexpected.
We made it out of the airport by 5pm after choosing the only one other car available from 7 Mazda SUV’s, a Nissan Rogue. It was not awd like previously, but we didn’t have much in the way of dirt roads this trip.
It's been 10yrs or so since I was last in San Francisco and we would not be doing the usual sightseeing, just using it as a gateway but catching some sights en-route. We checked into our hotel in Lombard Street by 6pm and had a short rest. We then did a 2 mile loop by walking down Crookedest Street and making our way to In-n-Out burger by the Wharf. It was a good way to stretch our legs after the flight.
Day 2 – 234 miles – Oakhurst
After a couple hours sleep, I was up at 1am. I let the boys lie in but they too were soon rustling by about 4am. We took the chance to get our suitcases sorted out for what would be mainly single night hopping from here on in. I was a bit concerned about the car thefts so had brought along a couple of bike chains and then looped it through all the handles of the suitcases once back in the car. That way if anyone wanted to smash and grab a bag, they’d have to take all six of them. Obviously, no such events would occur but with the potential of so much to lose doesn’t bear thinking about.
H would today get to do most driving. We headed down a beautiful sunrise at Crookedest Steet and then had a brief stop at Painted Ladies. They were kinda meh. Took the route through the Presidio to Fort Point for the boys’ first real views of GGB. Then drove over the bridge and up to several of the vista points on the Marin Headlands.
We had already decided to keep heading north and head to Oakhurst via the Richmond Bridge purely to check out the design and the fact that timings didn’t differ from that of heading back into SF for the shorter route and that the tolls also worked in our favour. Stopped off at Castro Valley for a late breakfast before driving straight to Oakhurst. My Vons loyalty card still works after 15yrs, so managed to stock up on groceries and get checked in all before 3pm.
I’ve stayed here at the Best Western with my mum about 10 years ago and much like last time, with it being set in a somewhat secluded location, there’s plenty of roaming deer in the grounds. We hit the pool and hot tub for a bit and then spent the rest of the day chilling and going over what the next few days had in store.
Day 3 – 159 miles – June Lake
Car was already loaded by the time we went down for the hot breakfast at 6am, and we checked out straight after.
Mariposa Grove would be just a short drive and we got to the parking lot by 7am. We had heard a few days before that the road was damaged and thus the shuttle would not be running and that everyone would need to add the initial 2 miles Washburn Trail to their hike of the Big Trees. We never really checked in the days between if that was still the case but nevertheless since the shuttle would start at 8am anyway it wouldn’t make any difference. We were the only ones on the trail.
We ended up doing about 7 miles including the loop and by the time we got back to the shuttle area/trailhead, we realised that the shuttle was indeed running, so we took it back to the car. Then took the drive up to Glacier Point. The boys appreciated the views, especially when looking down into the valley. Pretty much all the waterfalls were running to varying degrees. We then spent about 20 mins waiting to find a parking spot for our Taft Point hike. Last time I did this hike it was proper foggy and very spooky, walking through the trees with very little vision. Today was glorious. Hiking included the fissures, before we hung around at the point in a quiet spot behind some boulders with our picnic and accompanied views.
We then drove into the valley stopping at the usual spots, but our time in Yosemite would be short and sweet, although fulfilling our needs with a decent mix of views and hiking. The initial drive out of the park moved at the same rate as the glaciers of old and we decided not to really stop until we got to Tioga Pass valley view for a quick break. From here it was a relatively short drive to our lodging at June Lake, the quirky Heidelburg Inn. Dark and rustic but very comfortable condos in a hotel type setting. We had made good time, so although tired, left the boys with plenty of down time. Got some food from the grocery store and utilised the well stocked kitchen.
Day 4 – 324 miles – Ely NV
Sunrise at Mono Lake was the aim, just down the road. Although the sunrise was great, the colours at the tufas didn’t really pop as I’d remembered them last time. However, I forget if that last time was sunrise or sunset. My youngest D likes this type of stuff and was pretty awed. Snapping pics and enjoying the somewhat changing colours as the mountain lit up meant we were done within the hour. The rest of the day would be merely a transition day with the possibility of stopping off at Lunar Crater if timing and needs were met.
Since H and I would switch driving regularly (usually at fuel stops or distances of 100-150 miles) the drives were much more relaxing for me. D would regularly switch from the back seat to wing man. We indeed decided to stop at Lunar Crater by taking the dirt loop road of about 19 miles and this road would rejoin further down on Hwy 6. The initial part of the road started off as washboard then turned into deep sand, although passable if you kept moving. From the Crater back to the road would be much better. The Crater was a worthy stop, kind of a smaller version of Meteor Crater but I would not say it was a destination stop, more of an en-route stop. If you drove any distance of more than an hour, you may be pretty disappointed as there’s not much to do other than look for say 5 mins. But for us, it was an interesting 2/3rd distance stop.
We reached Hotel Nevada in Ely by 2pm but our room wasn’t ready. We then explored a bit and walked through some of the history of this place. The room was ready by 3pm and they were great, recently refurbished with really comfy beds. We did a bit of exploration after dark down the Main Street but in reality were saving our energy for a long day tomorrow.
Pics
https://photos.app.goo.gl/U34hJgx3qiDVnbkz5
Opted against airport parking in favour of taxiing both ways but our 1hr journey to Heathrow still took over 2.5hrs. Virgin line was huge and took about another hour just to bag drop. After that, it was pretty much plain sailing and an uneventful flight that left late still got us to touchdown at SFO pretty much on time.
I usually get all my car rental from AutoEurope and found prices slightly better this year compared to last year. However, after initially booking the rental some 9 months before, I found I was able to rebook another 2 times as prices were dropping, even nearer to the time. This year, I would put H on as a driver and at 22yrs old knew that we’d pay the young driver fee locally. I knew it would be $25 per day, but the 30% taxes slapped on top was unexpected.
We made it out of the airport by 5pm after choosing the only one other car available from 7 Mazda SUV’s, a Nissan Rogue. It was not awd like previously, but we didn’t have much in the way of dirt roads this trip.
It's been 10yrs or so since I was last in San Francisco and we would not be doing the usual sightseeing, just using it as a gateway but catching some sights en-route. We checked into our hotel in Lombard Street by 6pm and had a short rest. We then did a 2 mile loop by walking down Crookedest Street and making our way to In-n-Out burger by the Wharf. It was a good way to stretch our legs after the flight.
Day 2 – 234 miles – Oakhurst
After a couple hours sleep, I was up at 1am. I let the boys lie in but they too were soon rustling by about 4am. We took the chance to get our suitcases sorted out for what would be mainly single night hopping from here on in. I was a bit concerned about the car thefts so had brought along a couple of bike chains and then looped it through all the handles of the suitcases once back in the car. That way if anyone wanted to smash and grab a bag, they’d have to take all six of them. Obviously, no such events would occur but with the potential of so much to lose doesn’t bear thinking about.
H would today get to do most driving. We headed down a beautiful sunrise at Crookedest Steet and then had a brief stop at Painted Ladies. They were kinda meh. Took the route through the Presidio to Fort Point for the boys’ first real views of GGB. Then drove over the bridge and up to several of the vista points on the Marin Headlands.
We had already decided to keep heading north and head to Oakhurst via the Richmond Bridge purely to check out the design and the fact that timings didn’t differ from that of heading back into SF for the shorter route and that the tolls also worked in our favour. Stopped off at Castro Valley for a late breakfast before driving straight to Oakhurst. My Vons loyalty card still works after 15yrs, so managed to stock up on groceries and get checked in all before 3pm.
I’ve stayed here at the Best Western with my mum about 10 years ago and much like last time, with it being set in a somewhat secluded location, there’s plenty of roaming deer in the grounds. We hit the pool and hot tub for a bit and then spent the rest of the day chilling and going over what the next few days had in store.
Day 3 – 159 miles – June Lake
Car was already loaded by the time we went down for the hot breakfast at 6am, and we checked out straight after.
Mariposa Grove would be just a short drive and we got to the parking lot by 7am. We had heard a few days before that the road was damaged and thus the shuttle would not be running and that everyone would need to add the initial 2 miles Washburn Trail to their hike of the Big Trees. We never really checked in the days between if that was still the case but nevertheless since the shuttle would start at 8am anyway it wouldn’t make any difference. We were the only ones on the trail.
We ended up doing about 7 miles including the loop and by the time we got back to the shuttle area/trailhead, we realised that the shuttle was indeed running, so we took it back to the car. Then took the drive up to Glacier Point. The boys appreciated the views, especially when looking down into the valley. Pretty much all the waterfalls were running to varying degrees. We then spent about 20 mins waiting to find a parking spot for our Taft Point hike. Last time I did this hike it was proper foggy and very spooky, walking through the trees with very little vision. Today was glorious. Hiking included the fissures, before we hung around at the point in a quiet spot behind some boulders with our picnic and accompanied views.
We then drove into the valley stopping at the usual spots, but our time in Yosemite would be short and sweet, although fulfilling our needs with a decent mix of views and hiking. The initial drive out of the park moved at the same rate as the glaciers of old and we decided not to really stop until we got to Tioga Pass valley view for a quick break. From here it was a relatively short drive to our lodging at June Lake, the quirky Heidelburg Inn. Dark and rustic but very comfortable condos in a hotel type setting. We had made good time, so although tired, left the boys with plenty of down time. Got some food from the grocery store and utilised the well stocked kitchen.
Day 4 – 324 miles – Ely NV
Sunrise at Mono Lake was the aim, just down the road. Although the sunrise was great, the colours at the tufas didn’t really pop as I’d remembered them last time. However, I forget if that last time was sunrise or sunset. My youngest D likes this type of stuff and was pretty awed. Snapping pics and enjoying the somewhat changing colours as the mountain lit up meant we were done within the hour. The rest of the day would be merely a transition day with the possibility of stopping off at Lunar Crater if timing and needs were met.
Since H and I would switch driving regularly (usually at fuel stops or distances of 100-150 miles) the drives were much more relaxing for me. D would regularly switch from the back seat to wing man. We indeed decided to stop at Lunar Crater by taking the dirt loop road of about 19 miles and this road would rejoin further down on Hwy 6. The initial part of the road started off as washboard then turned into deep sand, although passable if you kept moving. From the Crater back to the road would be much better. The Crater was a worthy stop, kind of a smaller version of Meteor Crater but I would not say it was a destination stop, more of an en-route stop. If you drove any distance of more than an hour, you may be pretty disappointed as there’s not much to do other than look for say 5 mins. But for us, it was an interesting 2/3rd distance stop.
We reached Hotel Nevada in Ely by 2pm but our room wasn’t ready. We then explored a bit and walked through some of the history of this place. The room was ready by 3pm and they were great, recently refurbished with really comfy beds. We did a bit of exploration after dark down the Main Street but in reality were saving our energy for a long day tomorrow.
Pics
https://photos.app.goo.gl/U34hJgx3qiDVnbkz5
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:10 AM
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Day 5 – 541 miles – Idaho Falls
Hotel came with breakfast vouchers for the in-house Dennys. Thankfully, they opened at 5am so we ate and were on our way for all of our very first visit to Big Basin NP. The drive was pretty straightforward, and we got to the trail head for the Alpine Loop by around 7am with only one other car in the lot. At around 10000’ the air was crisp although did not feel that cold, but the sun was out highlighting the beautiful fall colours. Thankfully, altitude does not really seem to affect any of us as we made our way round the pretty loop. The lakes were smaller than I expected but were quaint and seemed to make for the nice route. We added the detour to the Bristlecone Loop but did not go all the way to the glacier, so I’d say around 5 miles or so. It was a decent work out with some inclines and still had some ice and snow on the ground, but the views all round were great.
It was certainly not an in depth experience of the park, but it was a good introduction and worthy of our drive through. We all felt we enjoyed the hike and views and added a decent memory to our travel. We still had 460 miles to go today including losing an hour entering Utah so were soon on our way. H took the wheel up to Nephi and then I drove the rest. Thankfully, we missed any congestion through the SLC metro area, the first time I had actually driven this route. Whatever is that mountain range running the length on the RHS heading north, it sure is pretty.
The drive was going to be a slog but we all rolled into our hotel Home 2 Suites before 5pm and were pretty glad to get out of the car. Nice room with a decent kitchenette with full size f/f so we could sort and prepare food for a couple of days.
I had told the boys in advance that today would be our most longest driving day so it was good to get it out of the way.
Day 6 – 253 – West Yellowstone
Decent early breakfast and we were on our way. Tonight would be the first time we’d stay anywhere for 2 nights so there was an incentive to get some proper rest.
We took the detour via Warm River and stopped off at Mesa Falls for the Lower and Upper views. Pretty impressive and there was not another soul about.
We pretty much drove straight past our lodging for the night in W.Yellowstone and entered the park. Today we’d just concentrate on the top loop and just do all the scenic views and areas worth the walkabout. I didn’t really want to overdo the much and muchness which can very much easily blend into a blur in the short time we had so basically picked out a few stops and missed others.
Terrace Spring is the perfect introduction I think to Yellowstone. We then hit the usual spots like Artist Paint Pots up to Mammoth Hot Springs. Roaring Mountain was cool, one I’d forgotten previously but still had a quick stop.
We then spent a few hours in Canyon Village exploring. The Trail to the lower brink was much steeper than I remembered last time. Either that or I was feeling the 10yrs older that I now was.
By now, the boys had pretty much had their fill and we went and checked in at Crosswinds Inn. We got some laundry done and worked out the plans for tomorrow and that maybe we’d have a bit of a down day since we didn’t have to rush in the morning as we’d have another night here. Even just exploring the northern loop covers huge mileage but thankfully very little backtracking needs to occur.
Day 7 – 67 miles – West Yellowstone
A really good hot breakfast nice and early but we headed back to the room to chill. The weather was looking quite moody. It cleared up a bit so we headed out around 8am and the drive along the Madison River was very pretty as the sun was breaking through and the mist rising off above the river.
Now, we had seen a few bison from afar a few times, but this morning we were privileged to see a huge guy walking alone along the road, quintessentially blowing cold snorts. The perfect start to the day quickly faded as the clouds dropped lower just after we finished the Firehole loop and it became very foggy. By the time we were at Fountain Paint Pots, it was very eerie and surreal.
But by the time we were at Midway, it was almost impossible to view Grand Prismatic as the rising mist from the water clashed with the low clouds. We were going to do the short hike to the upper viewpoint but passed on it for later in the day when hopefully things would clear. So we headed to to Old Faithful and did the whole loop up to Morning Glory.
On the way back, I was looking forward to showing the boys inside Old Faithful Inn but found the entrance caution taped off. It was closed.
We had initially planned on completing the southern loop and head back to the hotel via the village again and another view of the falls, but since we had earlier passed on the upper hike to GP, we opted to go back the way we came. We parked at the Fairy Falls parking lot and made the easy flat walk to the viewpoint. I say flat, but there is the obvious short climb at the end. Last time out here, this climb would be left to your own devices climbing up between the trees until you found a suitable spot. Now there was a viewing platform.
Pretty much achieving all we wanted, we headed back early to the hotel.
Day 8 – 418 miles – Vernal
Checked out right after breakfast and hit the road by 6.30am. We never had another car in front of us right up to Jackson lake and even then saw only 3 cars coming the other way.
Grand Tetons would merely be a drive through on the inner road. I had explored much of the park previously and didn’t really think that there would be much to gain putting the boys through that. We already had a pretty long driving day in store and would continue so in a southerly direction, so just made a few scenic photo stops.
The drive was pretty mundane and included a stop at Flaming Gorge. However became interesting afterwards. Not sure of the name of the Pass, but we encountered snowfall not soon after Flaming Gorge and then it cleared up. It was quite pleasant and pretty. After another 20 mins or so, it started snowing again as we climbed higher and it got to the stage where it actually became difficult. Thankfully I had a pickup truck in front who was cutting snow cleared tramways with his tyres for me to follow. We did think it would get to a problem very so though but thankfully just as we were starting to get twitchy bums, we started descending and the snow eventually cleared.
We were all pretty glad when we crashed out at the modest Dinosaur Inn.
Day 9 – 248 miles – Moab
A simple but hot breakfast was followed by the short spurt to Dinosaur Monument. We were at the visitor centre for opening at 9am although only staff vehicles were there. Once we went inside, I remembered as shuttle train taking us up to the quarry building, but now they said you can just drive up there. We were still the only people about and had the hall to ourselves. We didn’t really need to spend much more than 30-40 mins there and were soon on our way.
Took the Danish Flat turn as usual and H drove the scenic route into Moab. We stopped on the banks of the Colorado a couple miles before the junction and had our picnic lunch.
We only had one night here and I had pretty much decided the best bang for our buck in the time to spend and where. So we were heading to Corona Arch where H has now been a few times, but D hasn’t and it’s a decent short scenic hike with a bit of interest en route and a reward. Did the obligatory laying down on the tracks and D really enjoyed the arch. We did the dino tracks on the way back as well as watching the climbers at various progress on the climbing walls.
We would not be doing Canyonlands this time as I felt it would expend too much of our short time. It was now mid afternoon so we checked in at Rustic Inn and the boys spent an hour or so walking in town.
Day 10 – 298 miles – Richfield
We left in time to reach Arches before the timed entry of 7am. It looked like everyone else did too. There was a fairly long line at the entrance and then a slow crawl of around 40 cars behind camper vans all the way to the Delicate Arch turn off. The parking lot was full, but thankfully I saw a spot as I arrived.
In theory, I’d not done much hiking so far in this trip compared to others where hiking formed the mainstay of my visit to a Park. Plus, I had a big event in a few days with very little training, if any. I soon found out that hiking with my much taller boys is not easy. Maybe it’s the energy levels or the longer legs, but they continually pull away from me and I’d say I’m a pretty quick hiker. On this one to D.A, I found myself falling back again and I’ve probably done it 10 times. This made me a little anxious of my energy levels as I’d be doing a R2R at the Grand Canyon in a few days.
Nevertheless, the very busy trail with the greatest number of people we had seen anywhere was here. It still looked the same as last time but is was another on D had now seen in real life rather than in the many pictures of mine. We then headed off for Landscape Arch and did a brief bit of exploring around The Windows. Indulgence into the Park and other arches or smaller hikes was not on the agenda.
We swiftly made our way to Little Wild Horse Canyon. H had been to Goblin Valley a couple times, but not here and I wanted to have a little mess around in the slot canyon. Door to door, we probably spent only a couple of hours as we only went a ways in and out again, but had a good bit of fun. I was now feeling much younger again.
All of us enjoyed the scenery on Hwy 24 from Hanksville to Torrey which I think is superior to that of Hwy 12, personally. We did not stop at Capitol Reef and continued on to Richfield.
The Kanab TA MeetUp would now be in full swing with more than another 20 or so and we’d be joining them tomorrow. The intensity of our trip and lack of time meant we’d only have a full day and a couple of evenings to enjoy with the guys and gals of which the numbers were going to swell from MeetUps of late. There was a lot of talk about finding a suitable spot for a group Eclipse viewing, but because of the distance involved, Greenwich as the spot was scrubbed off by them. But we chose to keep it as it would be on our route to Kanab anyway.
Pics
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8kR85Zxt79PdTmyy7
Hotel came with breakfast vouchers for the in-house Dennys. Thankfully, they opened at 5am so we ate and were on our way for all of our very first visit to Big Basin NP. The drive was pretty straightforward, and we got to the trail head for the Alpine Loop by around 7am with only one other car in the lot. At around 10000’ the air was crisp although did not feel that cold, but the sun was out highlighting the beautiful fall colours. Thankfully, altitude does not really seem to affect any of us as we made our way round the pretty loop. The lakes were smaller than I expected but were quaint and seemed to make for the nice route. We added the detour to the Bristlecone Loop but did not go all the way to the glacier, so I’d say around 5 miles or so. It was a decent work out with some inclines and still had some ice and snow on the ground, but the views all round were great.
It was certainly not an in depth experience of the park, but it was a good introduction and worthy of our drive through. We all felt we enjoyed the hike and views and added a decent memory to our travel. We still had 460 miles to go today including losing an hour entering Utah so were soon on our way. H took the wheel up to Nephi and then I drove the rest. Thankfully, we missed any congestion through the SLC metro area, the first time I had actually driven this route. Whatever is that mountain range running the length on the RHS heading north, it sure is pretty.
The drive was going to be a slog but we all rolled into our hotel Home 2 Suites before 5pm and were pretty glad to get out of the car. Nice room with a decent kitchenette with full size f/f so we could sort and prepare food for a couple of days.
I had told the boys in advance that today would be our most longest driving day so it was good to get it out of the way.
Day 6 – 253 – West Yellowstone
Decent early breakfast and we were on our way. Tonight would be the first time we’d stay anywhere for 2 nights so there was an incentive to get some proper rest.
We took the detour via Warm River and stopped off at Mesa Falls for the Lower and Upper views. Pretty impressive and there was not another soul about.
We pretty much drove straight past our lodging for the night in W.Yellowstone and entered the park. Today we’d just concentrate on the top loop and just do all the scenic views and areas worth the walkabout. I didn’t really want to overdo the much and muchness which can very much easily blend into a blur in the short time we had so basically picked out a few stops and missed others.
Terrace Spring is the perfect introduction I think to Yellowstone. We then hit the usual spots like Artist Paint Pots up to Mammoth Hot Springs. Roaring Mountain was cool, one I’d forgotten previously but still had a quick stop.
We then spent a few hours in Canyon Village exploring. The Trail to the lower brink was much steeper than I remembered last time. Either that or I was feeling the 10yrs older that I now was.
By now, the boys had pretty much had their fill and we went and checked in at Crosswinds Inn. We got some laundry done and worked out the plans for tomorrow and that maybe we’d have a bit of a down day since we didn’t have to rush in the morning as we’d have another night here. Even just exploring the northern loop covers huge mileage but thankfully very little backtracking needs to occur.
Day 7 – 67 miles – West Yellowstone
A really good hot breakfast nice and early but we headed back to the room to chill. The weather was looking quite moody. It cleared up a bit so we headed out around 8am and the drive along the Madison River was very pretty as the sun was breaking through and the mist rising off above the river.
Now, we had seen a few bison from afar a few times, but this morning we were privileged to see a huge guy walking alone along the road, quintessentially blowing cold snorts. The perfect start to the day quickly faded as the clouds dropped lower just after we finished the Firehole loop and it became very foggy. By the time we were at Fountain Paint Pots, it was very eerie and surreal.
But by the time we were at Midway, it was almost impossible to view Grand Prismatic as the rising mist from the water clashed with the low clouds. We were going to do the short hike to the upper viewpoint but passed on it for later in the day when hopefully things would clear. So we headed to to Old Faithful and did the whole loop up to Morning Glory.
On the way back, I was looking forward to showing the boys inside Old Faithful Inn but found the entrance caution taped off. It was closed.
We had initially planned on completing the southern loop and head back to the hotel via the village again and another view of the falls, but since we had earlier passed on the upper hike to GP, we opted to go back the way we came. We parked at the Fairy Falls parking lot and made the easy flat walk to the viewpoint. I say flat, but there is the obvious short climb at the end. Last time out here, this climb would be left to your own devices climbing up between the trees until you found a suitable spot. Now there was a viewing platform.
Pretty much achieving all we wanted, we headed back early to the hotel.
Day 8 – 418 miles – Vernal
Checked out right after breakfast and hit the road by 6.30am. We never had another car in front of us right up to Jackson lake and even then saw only 3 cars coming the other way.
Grand Tetons would merely be a drive through on the inner road. I had explored much of the park previously and didn’t really think that there would be much to gain putting the boys through that. We already had a pretty long driving day in store and would continue so in a southerly direction, so just made a few scenic photo stops.
The drive was pretty mundane and included a stop at Flaming Gorge. However became interesting afterwards. Not sure of the name of the Pass, but we encountered snowfall not soon after Flaming Gorge and then it cleared up. It was quite pleasant and pretty. After another 20 mins or so, it started snowing again as we climbed higher and it got to the stage where it actually became difficult. Thankfully I had a pickup truck in front who was cutting snow cleared tramways with his tyres for me to follow. We did think it would get to a problem very so though but thankfully just as we were starting to get twitchy bums, we started descending and the snow eventually cleared.
We were all pretty glad when we crashed out at the modest Dinosaur Inn.
Day 9 – 248 miles – Moab
A simple but hot breakfast was followed by the short spurt to Dinosaur Monument. We were at the visitor centre for opening at 9am although only staff vehicles were there. Once we went inside, I remembered as shuttle train taking us up to the quarry building, but now they said you can just drive up there. We were still the only people about and had the hall to ourselves. We didn’t really need to spend much more than 30-40 mins there and were soon on our way.
Took the Danish Flat turn as usual and H drove the scenic route into Moab. We stopped on the banks of the Colorado a couple miles before the junction and had our picnic lunch.
We only had one night here and I had pretty much decided the best bang for our buck in the time to spend and where. So we were heading to Corona Arch where H has now been a few times, but D hasn’t and it’s a decent short scenic hike with a bit of interest en route and a reward. Did the obligatory laying down on the tracks and D really enjoyed the arch. We did the dino tracks on the way back as well as watching the climbers at various progress on the climbing walls.
We would not be doing Canyonlands this time as I felt it would expend too much of our short time. It was now mid afternoon so we checked in at Rustic Inn and the boys spent an hour or so walking in town.
Day 10 – 298 miles – Richfield
We left in time to reach Arches before the timed entry of 7am. It looked like everyone else did too. There was a fairly long line at the entrance and then a slow crawl of around 40 cars behind camper vans all the way to the Delicate Arch turn off. The parking lot was full, but thankfully I saw a spot as I arrived.
In theory, I’d not done much hiking so far in this trip compared to others where hiking formed the mainstay of my visit to a Park. Plus, I had a big event in a few days with very little training, if any. I soon found out that hiking with my much taller boys is not easy. Maybe it’s the energy levels or the longer legs, but they continually pull away from me and I’d say I’m a pretty quick hiker. On this one to D.A, I found myself falling back again and I’ve probably done it 10 times. This made me a little anxious of my energy levels as I’d be doing a R2R at the Grand Canyon in a few days.
Nevertheless, the very busy trail with the greatest number of people we had seen anywhere was here. It still looked the same as last time but is was another on D had now seen in real life rather than in the many pictures of mine. We then headed off for Landscape Arch and did a brief bit of exploring around The Windows. Indulgence into the Park and other arches or smaller hikes was not on the agenda.
We swiftly made our way to Little Wild Horse Canyon. H had been to Goblin Valley a couple times, but not here and I wanted to have a little mess around in the slot canyon. Door to door, we probably spent only a couple of hours as we only went a ways in and out again, but had a good bit of fun. I was now feeling much younger again.
All of us enjoyed the scenery on Hwy 24 from Hanksville to Torrey which I think is superior to that of Hwy 12, personally. We did not stop at Capitol Reef and continued on to Richfield.
The Kanab TA MeetUp would now be in full swing with more than another 20 or so and we’d be joining them tomorrow. The intensity of our trip and lack of time meant we’d only have a full day and a couple of evenings to enjoy with the guys and gals of which the numbers were going to swell from MeetUps of late. There was a lot of talk about finding a suitable spot for a group Eclipse viewing, but because of the distance involved, Greenwich as the spot was scrubbed off by them. But we chose to keep it as it would be on our route to Kanab anyway.
Pics
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8kR85Zxt79PdTmyy7
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:15 AM
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Day 11 – 190 miles – Kanab
Had a relatively late start for a change since we only needed a short drive to get to Greenwich. Just a few buildings here along the road make up Greenwich, which was initially chosen since it would be slap bang in the centre of the path.
We kept driving since there was a car parked here and there in an available gap in on the shoulder and we soon found one of our own. Actually, there were hardly anyone else about in a place where we thought there would be hoards. We had an hour or so to spare for totality so used the time to mess around with filters and camera settings. I did have my camera set up on a tripod and brought along my welding mask glass but to be honest I had no real idea on what I was doing. I suppose you just need to enjoy the spectacle with your own eyes sometimes. Anyway, between the three of us, we kinda played around with our phone settings and ended up using our eclipse glasses as the filter. We were happy with what we got.
We made the short drive to Bryce. It looks like many of the missing people were here at Bryce. It was rammed, the busiest I’d ever seen it. Just about managed to get a parking space before the lot filled up and full signs were posted. Many dozens were using the shuttles for that very reason. We ended up doing the Navajo/ Queens Garden loop and I was glad I had another workout in the climb back out and felt quite comfortable.
On arriving in Kanab we stopped off at the Belly of Dragon, just because. We did plan on doing the sand caves but there was just so many people up there that it did not look very appealing so we heading into town and checked in for 1.5 nighter. We cleared out the whole car and managed to sort out a lot of stuff for the next couple of days and then got scrubbed up for the evening MeetUp.
Many of the others would have already been here a couple of nights already, but by 5pm we’d got the message from Powderglut to ‘come on over’. The Hen House is where PG would be on the grills and everyone else bringing additional home made items so that there’s never any shortage of food or drinks. I always bring Whisky and this time had a nice peaty Talisker single malt to add to the others.
Great night catching up with the usual suspects like LVZiggy, DannyS, Dez40, OhioHick, Bannda, KBecJeans, SouthJerseyGirl, Wings (and all their other halfs) and a few other non TA regulars as well as couple of newbies. JFR had been here a couple days and was still on his way back to Kanab after experiencing and eclipse like only he can on Lake Powell. Lots of hugs and even more chats to catch up and also planning and just enjoying the night. I always look forward to these get togethers and although id been many times to these parts before, I’d never really attended a MeetUp till 2015 and this is now my 7th with this great bunch. JFR did in fact turn up later and since he was leaving tomorrow it was great to catch up and his British accent and cuss words were even better than last time.
After having our fill we made arrangements for the 11 of us who were Canyoneering tomorrow for a time and place to meet up whilst the others had mainly decided on Observation Point at Zion.
Day 12 – 42 miles – Kanab (sort of)
8am was the time and Mount Carmel Junction was the destination for meeting up with the guides for Canyoneering. Brett and Jillian from All Ways Adventure would be looking after us today.
All of us had done Canyoneering before and maybe D would be the only sort of newcomer. However he has rappelled 10 years before and only a couple of weeks ago we had done a Via Ferrata/High Wire/Bungee package at a slate mine in the Lake District in the UK as part of his 21st birthday, so he was well up to speed on the adrenaline stuff.
We all got into two trucks and made our way a few miles up the road, through a gate and then some winding, bumpy, dusty route to our spot. We’d only be doing a half day stint today but were promised a mix of rappels and shuffling. I think the hardest part is always getting into the harness and making your bits and bobs presentable.
It turned into a great day out best described by pics and videos as attached as we made our way downwards through slots and crevices using a multitude of techniques and having the freedom to choose how much or lack of assistance was needed. As always, the slow uphill climb back to the vehicles is mandatory.
The canyoneering bunch had also planned to do Observation Point during the afternoon, but by the time we had finished most wanted to get back to their lodging and clean up. That was certainly the case for us. We’d be having another get together at the house tonight but since we’d be leaving in the middle of the night, the car, my backpack and all the rest of our stuff needed getting together and loaded into the car.
We joined the gang back at the house and whereas last night was burgers, brats and chicken, tonight would be fish tacos. As usual PG served up a treat. It’s often nice to have in depth chats sharing same topics but how they may differ on each side of the pond. DannyS as usual, gave me a few map hand outs of hiking trails for me to study. And much too quickly, for us anyway, another MeetUp ended. I needed to get back and get some rest for my big day tomorrow. Boulder was proposed for next year.
Day 13 – 294 miles – Grand Canyon S.R
It was barely past midnight and we were all awake. I would drive and get to the North Rim. I would do my day hike R2R and the boys would meet me on the South Rim. Easy peasy!
The boys would make a slow drive from North to South knowing they had a good 12hrs to do so and would include stops at Navajo Bridge, Cameron T.P and all or as few of the viewpoints en-route to the village. How they chose to do it would be up to them. JFR had joked they both might make a run for it with the car to the Mexican border!
The below is an extract of my report.
Hoping to share my experience of my day hike NK to BA and I'll add my timings at the end for reference. It was singularly the most enjoyable, stressful, fulfilling and exhausting day of my life.......but wouldn't change it for the world. It's a bit long but I wanted to record my day.
When circumstances favour a bucket list item, one must take the opportunity.
For me, although I have ventured to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 3 times as a day hike and many other trails in between, the infamous R2R cross hike always alluded me because the logistics or my lack of patience never really worked.
This time, my boys would provide my shuttle to pick me up on the other end with a 210 mile 4hr drive of their own. My travel would be a mere 25 miles or so and 1 mile down, 1 mile up, give or take.
After a successful Meetup with some TripAdvisor friends we left Kanab about 1.45am Utah time for an 80 mile drive to the North Rim GC. From Jacob Lake to the Park we encountered over 200 deer throughout that stretch, all either staring at us from the shoulder, in the road or crossing the road. I mean, don't they even sleep? Certainly kept me awake!
Got to the trailhead parking lot at about 2.20am with the temp at 29F. Thankfully we gained an hour crossing into AZ. That gave me time for a quick nap till 3am. Then spent 20 mins finalizing my backpack of which I already knew I had far too much stuff in and was very heavy.
Anyway, the boys had their day's itinerary printed out on what they can do en-route to the South Rim including sleeping there until daylight and hopefully take some time to see the North Rim.
I however, started on my way. It was cold but didn't actually feel cold for some strange reason. I had a big flashlight that I charged up in the UK some two weeks ago and forgot to bring the chargers, so had expected it to last only about half hour before I would change to my headlamp. In fact, it lasted over 2.5 hrs in the pitch black rocky steep down climb. I did have a brief stumble in the first 5 mins and realized the torch would be better pointing directly at my feet where the rocks were rather than lighting up ahead.
I had posted on this group earlier about taking poles which I don't normally use. Because I was using my flashlight I wouldn't have had any hands free but actually felt quite comfortable downhill freestyle.
There was a swift cool breeze that for some reason kept changing to a straight to a warm up draft, so much so that I thought I'd shed a layer......until another cool breeze came.
I never passed a single soul until I reached Cottonwood Campground. It felt a bit spooky but I was making good time and my flashlight gave me confidence even though I couldn't see the drop offs.
I had my first break at Cottonwood and took off a couple of layers. When I came out of the toilet block it was light enough not to need it anymore. I had actually thought that it might still be dark by the time I got to Ribbon Falls detour but thankfully it worked out fine. I know I had missed a few good scenic spots in the darkness and a friend had mentioned that the Red Wall was her particular favourite, one that I would not see.
I then met a group who asked me to relay a message to a detached part of their group maybe 30 mins away to turn around as they won't make it up NK. I didn't know if they were going a R2R or R2R2R. I told them ok. Literally within 5 mins I came across the 2 guys they were referring to and passed on the message. The guys became disappointed and even asked if they could catch a bus back to the South. I kinda told them they were in no man's land since they had come more than half way since they came down BA and wished them luck.
Shortly afterwards, you get the first views of the South Rim way ahead.
The turn off to Ribbon Falls was easy to find. As was the high hill that many say we'd miss by taking the detour.
I changed into my water sandals and a after a second attempt made the creek crossing which was running just below knee height.
Ribbon Falls exceeded my expectations and had it all to myself. Climbed up into the alcove behind. Catching the South bound trail was a bit hit and miss with a couple of wrong turns and a slightly deeper crossing. The detour is well worth it and probably takes up to an hour and a bit of bushwhacking and boulder hopping.
As I was changing my footwear, I came across the two hikers again who had obviously decided to turn back and return to the SR.
Pushed through all the way to Phantom and got the obligatory Lemonade. Although it's only $1 for a refill, one big cup was enough.
From here on in would be common ground. I've done the rest of this route several times. However, although I'm not unfit, I'm certainly not as fit as I'd like and didn't do any of the regimental training talked about so often.
It would be this common part of the hike which would defeat me more.
I'm more of a slow plodder uphill usually favouring momentum with a slightly slower pace as I find regular stops hard to get going again. This time I had no choice.
I found that the climb out I'd done before up BA to be a completely different hike to that of before. I think it must have been the distance travelling to that point being about 7 miles or so longer that took the wind out of me. Maybe it was the very early start and drive too.
I decided to take out the poles and used them right up to what I still know as Indian Garden. That 5 mile kinda seem to take forever. I realized I was actually hiking slower with the poles because I felt I needed to adapt to them.
They were back in the backpack by the time I had reached Indian Garden at the same time met with 2 or 3 continuous chopper runs.
Here on in, I made a plan to physically rest at the next two test stops and chug away in between. But I had run out of steam and was really stopping for a breather at the end of every switchback. It was starting to take it's toll. I did between resthouses at 1hr flat with a 15min break.
If I'm honest, I lost all puff at about 3/4 mile from the end. Then almost like a vision from above, as I rounded the corner I saw my two boys standing there on the trail (as part of my contingency) with what looked like a halo glow around them and carrying cute puppies and kittens, so much was my relief in seeing them. My eldest grabbed my backpack and then I walked the last stretch out with my boys with added vigour. A perfect ending to one of the best days of my life.
Some figures for reference:
Left trailhead 3.20am
Tunnel 4.04am
Bridge 4.25am
Cottonwood/North rim sign 5.12am
Manzanita 5.30am
First people seen 5.33am
Cottonwood 6.00am stop
Layers off
Flashlight off.
6.15am moving again
First glimpse South rim 6.20am
Ribbon falls turn 6.37am change shoes
Back to main trail 7.34am
Phantom ranch 9.20am stop
On the move 9.45am
Indian garden 12.10pm stop
Move 12.30pm
3 mile rest 1.30pm stop
Move 1.45pm
1.5 mile rest 2.45pm stop
Move 3.00pm
Topped out 4.04pm
So, I was immensely grateful that my boys were there for me at the end, even though they parked the car another 10 minute walk away.
We checked in at Yavapai and I had a long soak in the bath tub and plenty of adult liquid refreshments.
Day 14 – 295 miles – Downtown Vegas
H would do the rest of the driving this trip. Made our way and had breakfast at Kingman, before getting to our usual free parking spot at the Tropicana.
Did the usual walking the strip, much of which was a first time for D since the last time he spent it mostly sleeping in his pushchair. Obviously a lot of changes to allow for the upcoming F1.
There was no real plan today, just take it as it goes. We did have Strat tickets for the tower and a couple of the rides which I planned to do later since I wanted to see the Sphere come to life. So after a bit of hotel hopping D was getting the gist that it was mostly samey samey so on the walk back to the car we popped into Flyover just before MGM Grand. We opted for the Iceland Trip since seeing the South West one would be just too much! It’s much like Soarin’ from DisneyWorld and was just about ok. I was hoping for some more action but although the scenery was worthwhile the movement effects were rather lame.
Moved the car and parked up at Sahara, again free parking. Took the short walk to the Strat and ended up doing Big Shot and X-treme. I was hoping to get seated at the front but they bunched us all into one go then end result was lame. I remember it used to shake at the end as if it was going to fall off and when I queried it with the guy he said it hasn’t done that for years and has been toned down.
We managed to get some views of the Sphere from above but I told the boys we’d take the long route to Four Queens by going down Sands Ave and pass the Sphere. Well that was a mistake and we had to make 2 circles after being somewhat confused with the roadworks and as well as being stuck in traffic for 30-40 mins, the boys were not impressed. The Sphere also did not co-operate as it was just playing adverts but did turn into the eyeball for a short period.
Checked in at Four Queens then gave the boys $50 dollars each for a punt on the slots. A task which lasted exactly 7 mins before the usual end result. I like the tacky evenings on Fremont, more so for the bands that play. We’d have an evening flight tomorrow so told the boys we weren’t checking out till noon.
Day 15 – 24 miles -Home
As planned, we checked out as late as possible and then headed to In n Out for some grub. Sorted our suitcases out and headed to the airport.
And that was that.
Pics
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vLLbbYow7x2bj6wAA
Had a relatively late start for a change since we only needed a short drive to get to Greenwich. Just a few buildings here along the road make up Greenwich, which was initially chosen since it would be slap bang in the centre of the path.
We kept driving since there was a car parked here and there in an available gap in on the shoulder and we soon found one of our own. Actually, there were hardly anyone else about in a place where we thought there would be hoards. We had an hour or so to spare for totality so used the time to mess around with filters and camera settings. I did have my camera set up on a tripod and brought along my welding mask glass but to be honest I had no real idea on what I was doing. I suppose you just need to enjoy the spectacle with your own eyes sometimes. Anyway, between the three of us, we kinda played around with our phone settings and ended up using our eclipse glasses as the filter. We were happy with what we got.
We made the short drive to Bryce. It looks like many of the missing people were here at Bryce. It was rammed, the busiest I’d ever seen it. Just about managed to get a parking space before the lot filled up and full signs were posted. Many dozens were using the shuttles for that very reason. We ended up doing the Navajo/ Queens Garden loop and I was glad I had another workout in the climb back out and felt quite comfortable.
On arriving in Kanab we stopped off at the Belly of Dragon, just because. We did plan on doing the sand caves but there was just so many people up there that it did not look very appealing so we heading into town and checked in for 1.5 nighter. We cleared out the whole car and managed to sort out a lot of stuff for the next couple of days and then got scrubbed up for the evening MeetUp.
Many of the others would have already been here a couple of nights already, but by 5pm we’d got the message from Powderglut to ‘come on over’. The Hen House is where PG would be on the grills and everyone else bringing additional home made items so that there’s never any shortage of food or drinks. I always bring Whisky and this time had a nice peaty Talisker single malt to add to the others.
Great night catching up with the usual suspects like LVZiggy, DannyS, Dez40, OhioHick, Bannda, KBecJeans, SouthJerseyGirl, Wings (and all their other halfs) and a few other non TA regulars as well as couple of newbies. JFR had been here a couple days and was still on his way back to Kanab after experiencing and eclipse like only he can on Lake Powell. Lots of hugs and even more chats to catch up and also planning and just enjoying the night. I always look forward to these get togethers and although id been many times to these parts before, I’d never really attended a MeetUp till 2015 and this is now my 7th with this great bunch. JFR did in fact turn up later and since he was leaving tomorrow it was great to catch up and his British accent and cuss words were even better than last time.
After having our fill we made arrangements for the 11 of us who were Canyoneering tomorrow for a time and place to meet up whilst the others had mainly decided on Observation Point at Zion.
Day 12 – 42 miles – Kanab (sort of)
8am was the time and Mount Carmel Junction was the destination for meeting up with the guides for Canyoneering. Brett and Jillian from All Ways Adventure would be looking after us today.
All of us had done Canyoneering before and maybe D would be the only sort of newcomer. However he has rappelled 10 years before and only a couple of weeks ago we had done a Via Ferrata/High Wire/Bungee package at a slate mine in the Lake District in the UK as part of his 21st birthday, so he was well up to speed on the adrenaline stuff.
We all got into two trucks and made our way a few miles up the road, through a gate and then some winding, bumpy, dusty route to our spot. We’d only be doing a half day stint today but were promised a mix of rappels and shuffling. I think the hardest part is always getting into the harness and making your bits and bobs presentable.
It turned into a great day out best described by pics and videos as attached as we made our way downwards through slots and crevices using a multitude of techniques and having the freedom to choose how much or lack of assistance was needed. As always, the slow uphill climb back to the vehicles is mandatory.
The canyoneering bunch had also planned to do Observation Point during the afternoon, but by the time we had finished most wanted to get back to their lodging and clean up. That was certainly the case for us. We’d be having another get together at the house tonight but since we’d be leaving in the middle of the night, the car, my backpack and all the rest of our stuff needed getting together and loaded into the car.
We joined the gang back at the house and whereas last night was burgers, brats and chicken, tonight would be fish tacos. As usual PG served up a treat. It’s often nice to have in depth chats sharing same topics but how they may differ on each side of the pond. DannyS as usual, gave me a few map hand outs of hiking trails for me to study. And much too quickly, for us anyway, another MeetUp ended. I needed to get back and get some rest for my big day tomorrow. Boulder was proposed for next year.
Day 13 – 294 miles – Grand Canyon S.R
It was barely past midnight and we were all awake. I would drive and get to the North Rim. I would do my day hike R2R and the boys would meet me on the South Rim. Easy peasy!
The boys would make a slow drive from North to South knowing they had a good 12hrs to do so and would include stops at Navajo Bridge, Cameron T.P and all or as few of the viewpoints en-route to the village. How they chose to do it would be up to them. JFR had joked they both might make a run for it with the car to the Mexican border!
The below is an extract of my report.
Hoping to share my experience of my day hike NK to BA and I'll add my timings at the end for reference. It was singularly the most enjoyable, stressful, fulfilling and exhausting day of my life.......but wouldn't change it for the world. It's a bit long but I wanted to record my day.
When circumstances favour a bucket list item, one must take the opportunity.
For me, although I have ventured to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 3 times as a day hike and many other trails in between, the infamous R2R cross hike always alluded me because the logistics or my lack of patience never really worked.
This time, my boys would provide my shuttle to pick me up on the other end with a 210 mile 4hr drive of their own. My travel would be a mere 25 miles or so and 1 mile down, 1 mile up, give or take.
After a successful Meetup with some TripAdvisor friends we left Kanab about 1.45am Utah time for an 80 mile drive to the North Rim GC. From Jacob Lake to the Park we encountered over 200 deer throughout that stretch, all either staring at us from the shoulder, in the road or crossing the road. I mean, don't they even sleep? Certainly kept me awake!
Got to the trailhead parking lot at about 2.20am with the temp at 29F. Thankfully we gained an hour crossing into AZ. That gave me time for a quick nap till 3am. Then spent 20 mins finalizing my backpack of which I already knew I had far too much stuff in and was very heavy.
Anyway, the boys had their day's itinerary printed out on what they can do en-route to the South Rim including sleeping there until daylight and hopefully take some time to see the North Rim.
I however, started on my way. It was cold but didn't actually feel cold for some strange reason. I had a big flashlight that I charged up in the UK some two weeks ago and forgot to bring the chargers, so had expected it to last only about half hour before I would change to my headlamp. In fact, it lasted over 2.5 hrs in the pitch black rocky steep down climb. I did have a brief stumble in the first 5 mins and realized the torch would be better pointing directly at my feet where the rocks were rather than lighting up ahead.
I had posted on this group earlier about taking poles which I don't normally use. Because I was using my flashlight I wouldn't have had any hands free but actually felt quite comfortable downhill freestyle.
There was a swift cool breeze that for some reason kept changing to a straight to a warm up draft, so much so that I thought I'd shed a layer......until another cool breeze came.
I never passed a single soul until I reached Cottonwood Campground. It felt a bit spooky but I was making good time and my flashlight gave me confidence even though I couldn't see the drop offs.
I had my first break at Cottonwood and took off a couple of layers. When I came out of the toilet block it was light enough not to need it anymore. I had actually thought that it might still be dark by the time I got to Ribbon Falls detour but thankfully it worked out fine. I know I had missed a few good scenic spots in the darkness and a friend had mentioned that the Red Wall was her particular favourite, one that I would not see.
I then met a group who asked me to relay a message to a detached part of their group maybe 30 mins away to turn around as they won't make it up NK. I didn't know if they were going a R2R or R2R2R. I told them ok. Literally within 5 mins I came across the 2 guys they were referring to and passed on the message. The guys became disappointed and even asked if they could catch a bus back to the South. I kinda told them they were in no man's land since they had come more than half way since they came down BA and wished them luck.
Shortly afterwards, you get the first views of the South Rim way ahead.
The turn off to Ribbon Falls was easy to find. As was the high hill that many say we'd miss by taking the detour.
I changed into my water sandals and a after a second attempt made the creek crossing which was running just below knee height.
Ribbon Falls exceeded my expectations and had it all to myself. Climbed up into the alcove behind. Catching the South bound trail was a bit hit and miss with a couple of wrong turns and a slightly deeper crossing. The detour is well worth it and probably takes up to an hour and a bit of bushwhacking and boulder hopping.
As I was changing my footwear, I came across the two hikers again who had obviously decided to turn back and return to the SR.
Pushed through all the way to Phantom and got the obligatory Lemonade. Although it's only $1 for a refill, one big cup was enough.
From here on in would be common ground. I've done the rest of this route several times. However, although I'm not unfit, I'm certainly not as fit as I'd like and didn't do any of the regimental training talked about so often.
It would be this common part of the hike which would defeat me more.
I'm more of a slow plodder uphill usually favouring momentum with a slightly slower pace as I find regular stops hard to get going again. This time I had no choice.
I found that the climb out I'd done before up BA to be a completely different hike to that of before. I think it must have been the distance travelling to that point being about 7 miles or so longer that took the wind out of me. Maybe it was the very early start and drive too.
I decided to take out the poles and used them right up to what I still know as Indian Garden. That 5 mile kinda seem to take forever. I realized I was actually hiking slower with the poles because I felt I needed to adapt to them.
They were back in the backpack by the time I had reached Indian Garden at the same time met with 2 or 3 continuous chopper runs.
Here on in, I made a plan to physically rest at the next two test stops and chug away in between. But I had run out of steam and was really stopping for a breather at the end of every switchback. It was starting to take it's toll. I did between resthouses at 1hr flat with a 15min break.
If I'm honest, I lost all puff at about 3/4 mile from the end. Then almost like a vision from above, as I rounded the corner I saw my two boys standing there on the trail (as part of my contingency) with what looked like a halo glow around them and carrying cute puppies and kittens, so much was my relief in seeing them. My eldest grabbed my backpack and then I walked the last stretch out with my boys with added vigour. A perfect ending to one of the best days of my life.
Some figures for reference:
Left trailhead 3.20am
Tunnel 4.04am
Bridge 4.25am
Cottonwood/North rim sign 5.12am
Manzanita 5.30am
First people seen 5.33am
Cottonwood 6.00am stop
Layers off
Flashlight off.
6.15am moving again
First glimpse South rim 6.20am
Ribbon falls turn 6.37am change shoes
Back to main trail 7.34am
Phantom ranch 9.20am stop
On the move 9.45am
Indian garden 12.10pm stop
Move 12.30pm
3 mile rest 1.30pm stop
Move 1.45pm
1.5 mile rest 2.45pm stop
Move 3.00pm
Topped out 4.04pm
So, I was immensely grateful that my boys were there for me at the end, even though they parked the car another 10 minute walk away.
We checked in at Yavapai and I had a long soak in the bath tub and plenty of adult liquid refreshments.
Day 14 – 295 miles – Downtown Vegas
H would do the rest of the driving this trip. Made our way and had breakfast at Kingman, before getting to our usual free parking spot at the Tropicana.
Did the usual walking the strip, much of which was a first time for D since the last time he spent it mostly sleeping in his pushchair. Obviously a lot of changes to allow for the upcoming F1.
There was no real plan today, just take it as it goes. We did have Strat tickets for the tower and a couple of the rides which I planned to do later since I wanted to see the Sphere come to life. So after a bit of hotel hopping D was getting the gist that it was mostly samey samey so on the walk back to the car we popped into Flyover just before MGM Grand. We opted for the Iceland Trip since seeing the South West one would be just too much! It’s much like Soarin’ from DisneyWorld and was just about ok. I was hoping for some more action but although the scenery was worthwhile the movement effects were rather lame.
Moved the car and parked up at Sahara, again free parking. Took the short walk to the Strat and ended up doing Big Shot and X-treme. I was hoping to get seated at the front but they bunched us all into one go then end result was lame. I remember it used to shake at the end as if it was going to fall off and when I queried it with the guy he said it hasn’t done that for years and has been toned down.
We managed to get some views of the Sphere from above but I told the boys we’d take the long route to Four Queens by going down Sands Ave and pass the Sphere. Well that was a mistake and we had to make 2 circles after being somewhat confused with the roadworks and as well as being stuck in traffic for 30-40 mins, the boys were not impressed. The Sphere also did not co-operate as it was just playing adverts but did turn into the eyeball for a short period.
Checked in at Four Queens then gave the boys $50 dollars each for a punt on the slots. A task which lasted exactly 7 mins before the usual end result. I like the tacky evenings on Fremont, more so for the bands that play. We’d have an evening flight tomorrow so told the boys we weren’t checking out till noon.
Day 15 – 24 miles -Home
As planned, we checked out as late as possible and then headed to In n Out for some grub. Sorted our suitcases out and headed to the airport.
And that was that.
Pics
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vLLbbYow7x2bj6wAA
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Axelbobo
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Nov 5th, 2017 02:20 PM
