Colorado...Our Big Climb

Vail, CO sits at 10 400 feet and the two mile Eisenhower Tunnel is 11 400 feet. Both of these climbs taxed the truck's capacity, towing our big rig. Sunny in Gypsum, snow in Vail. Skiiers and snowboarders were taking to the slopes for a day of Spring skiing on this bright, sunny day. Ski hills abound in this area.

As this mountain is so steep, signs like these to warn truckers to gear down are frequent along I-70 in this area. Many runaway lanes can be seen on the downward grade; thankfully, we did not need to use them. Of course, the truckers carry chains, as often, there are snowstorms and ice to deal with while travelling in this area of Colorado.

Scenic I-70; Salt Wash and the San Rafael Swell

The scenic route of I-70 through southern Utah was unbelievable. We don't usually travel Interstate highways and think of them as particularly scenic, but this travel sure was. It is recorded that the construction of this part of I-70 is an engineering marvel, with one engineer claiming this section as "one of the most significant highway construction feats of its time". The construction of I-70 through the Salt Wash to the San Rafael Swell, as this area is known, required boring through many solid rock canyons, cliffs, and mountains. The swell is noted for its sheer canyons and rock formations and is home to a large amount of exposed dinosaur remains. This includes the largest known collection of Jurassic era dinosaur remains at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry at the north end of the swell.

The highway ascends the western edge of the swell on a steady slope loosely following the north rim of Devil's Canyon, seen here. At the top of the grade is a view area with a view of Devil's Canyon and an overlook of the country west of the swell. It then crosses Eagle Canyon via a pair of steel arch bridges. The eastbound bridge is 489 feet long and the westbound bridge is 523 feet long.

The highway then ascends Ghost Rock Summit, seen here, the highest point for I-70 inside the swell. At the summit is another view area overlooking the Little Grand Canyon of the San Rafael River. The summit is named for unusual rock formations nearby. The Ghost Rocks themselves are at 7,405 feet (2,257 m), although the freeway is slightly lower. I-70 meanders through a relatively flat portion of the swell until reaching Spotted Wolf Canyon, which provides the exit route to the swell. The eastern descent features one brake check area and two runaway truck ramps to aid trucks down.

About half way down is a view area of the canyon narrowing as it approaches the eastern escarpment of the swell, the San Rafael Reef, seen here. Just as the highway exits the swell it passes to the north of Goblin Valley State Park. The highway exits the swell near Green River, where we camped for the night. An incredible drive!

Zion National Park

Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, Biblically named, meaning "Place of Refuge or Place of Peace", we walked among the towering cliffs, and in the small narrow canyon at the Temple of Sinawava. These unique sandstone cliffs range in colour from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons. To protect this beautiful canyon, a free shuttle service in the nearby townsite of Sprucedale transports passengers to the entry gate and then a free shuttle within Zion transports to the different trailheads. Bicycles are also allowed. Vehicles are allowed to travel to the Zion Mount Carmel Highway, but there is a tunnel on that highway, through which for a fee, long, wide, high loads are escorted.
This impressive monolith, The Great White Throne, rises 6744 feet above the canyon floor and was so named in 1916 by a Methodist minister, Frederick Vining Fisher who along with his friend, Claud Hirschi, son of the Bishop of nearby Rockville, named many of the mountain beauties. Below is the Court of the Patriarchs; from left to right, Biblically named from the Old Testament; Peak Abraham, Peak Isaac and Peak Jacob, the white behind the red Mount Moroni, named from the Book of Mormon.

Mormon farmers settled in the area after the Anasazi and Paiute Indians disappeared. The Virgin R., which many archaeologists believe was responsible for carving out this canyon, provided irrigation for tobacco, corn and other grains as well as grazing land for sheep and cattle. Mormons farmed the area until Zion was named a National Monument in 1909.

Although she is keeping a watchful eye, this cutie just kept eating, 5 feet away, unperturbed by gawking photographers and rambunctious children. Mule deer are very numerous in the park. Plant life grows abundantly on the valley floor, naturally fed by the numerous waterfalls, weeping rock walls and springs, now running with the spring melt. Sunny skies and warm Spring temperatures made for a perfect two-day "Place of Refuge"..

Page AZ and Antelope Canyon

Wherever you look in this area, you will see beautiful sandstone rock formations that have been formed by rain and buffed by the wind. This is Lake Powell, formed when the Colorado River was harnessed by the Glen Canyon Dam. It took 17 years for Lake Powell to completely fill; the hydro-electric power produced here provides electricity to Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado; it is said there is enough hydroelectric power for these states for the next 300-500 years. Of course, marine activities are very popular; houseboating, fishing, sailing, cruising and boat tours are very active in season.

Undoubtedly, a highlight here was our trip to Antelope Canyon. The only way to see this unbelievable spectacle is via the Overland Antelope Tour Co, a fleet of pickups with a caged seating area which drive through a 3 mile sand wash to the mouth. Once there, we walked through the narrow canyon. Martin, our guide was very helpful in giving tips to excellent photos. Light and shadow on the canyon walls changes the texture and colour; ribbons and waves of sandstone add to its beauty. This is Navajo land so a certain percentage of the cost goes to the reservation for the privilege of touring.

Our tour was in the afternoon and the colours in the canyon were more reds and purples with some yellow and orange, near the source of light. Martin mentioned that morning light is more reds and oranges with yellow. I noticed that in the hour, the same area looked completely different coming out of the canyon than when walking in. There was a streaming sand storm while in the canyon, which gives a completely different focus; of course, the lens needed protecting and a shower was needed to clean out the fine red icing-sugar type sand from my hair.


To see more, copy and paste:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/brenda.southwood/AntelopeCanyon#

Sedona, AZ

Great hoodoo-type red rock formations or monoliths rise high above the mountain tourist town of Sedona in all directions. Sedona is located at the mouth of the stunning Oak Creek Canyon in central Arizona about one hour south of Flagstaff. History tells us that this city developed from the Zane Grey characters from The Call of the Canyon (Oak Creek Canyon) with its rugged canyon rock walls and fast rushing waters beneath whispering pines. Settler after settler arrived, creating cow-paths which would become future roads, raising cattle and planting orchards. The name Sedona, was the namesake of the wife of one of the first homesteaders, J J Thompson. Today, it is a mecca for artists, archaeologists, spiritualists, outdoor enthusiasts and shoppers.


We walked about the town after our drive up Oak Creek Canyon to Slide State Park and back. A variety of shops from western wear to western art to jeep tours to time share solicitation lined both sides of the street. Art Galleries and studios abound; Tlaquepaque is an art and craft centre that mimics the markets of Guadelajara, Mexico. Easter Sunday brought many tourists into town to buy a souvenir or book an outdoor tour or just browse.


This amazing structure, The Chapel of the Holy Cross, is an architectural marvel and thought to be bold and daring for its time. Built on a twin pinnacled spur about 250 feet high, jutting out of a thousand foot red rock wall, "solid as the Rock of Peter" the building of the Chapel was completed in April 1956. Perched between the rocks, the church has a small sanctuary backed by a floor to ceiling wall of glass, through which more red rocks can be seen. Of course, the Cross, the focal point, appears to be the support for the structure, much like Christ is in our lives. Entrance is gained from the rear and all are invited to spend some time in reverence to God.

Montezuma's Castle, Tuzigoot and Jerome

Southern Sinagua farmers began building this 20 room dwelling in the early 1100's. It stands in a recess 100 feet above the valley below. It was assumed to be an Aztec structure by the early settlers and hence the name. A short distance away is Castle A, once an imposing six storey apartment with 45 rooms; however, it has deteriorated badly as it was built at the base and against the cliff and not protected from weathering and was also ravaged by fire which burned the wooden portion of the structure. Beaver Creek was a reliable source of water and the land fertile for these farmers to survive. They vanished in the 1400's for unexplained reasons. The public cannot physically visit the inside of this structure, but Parks' Service has constructed a diorama to depict Sinagua life within.

Today, we visited the Tuzigoot ruins (Apache for "crooked water) another remnant of the Sinagua, a village constructed in 1125-1400. It crowns the summit of a ridge that rises 120 feet above the rich, fertile valley below. This pueblo was 2 storeys high in places with 77 ground-floor rooms. There were few exterior doors; entry was by way of ladders to openings in roofs. The village began as a small cluster of rooms inhabited by 50 persons for a 100 years but soon doubled and doubled again, so that the population grew to about 400. A very well preserved, enormous structure!

We visited Jerome today, too, an old copper, silver and gold mining camp, established in 1883, named for a New York investor, Eugene Murray Jerome, who never visited his namesake. Jerome is known as the mile high town, built on the side of Cleopatra Hill and can be reached by a canyon road that snakes its way up the 5246 feet. As you travel higher, the road gets narrower. In its mining heyday, it became "the wickedest town in the west", a hotbed for prostitution and gambling. Jerome had three major fires between 1897 and 1899, burning out much of the town. In 1918 fires spread out of control over 22 miles of underground mines, burning the inflammable massive pyrite. One of the mine fires continued to burn for twenty years. This prompted the phasing out of underground mining in favor of open pit mining. Mining survived the war years, but declined when copper devalued to 5 cents a pound; mining was finally phased out in 1953. The population dropped to 50. Today, the town, with a population of 343, is a haven for artists, galleries and many eateries. Unfortunately, being the Saturday of Easter weekend, there was no room to park the truck(there were a good many more people than 343), so we will be back next year to explore the shops and cuisine and do our own walkabout! This has been an outstanding Easter weekend! Life is good!


For more pics of these amazing visits, copy and paste below:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/brenda.southwood/MontezumaSCastleTuzigootAndJerome?authkey=Gv1sRgCPv1ru2F-sjWbA#

The Desert in Flower

Roadsides have become desert gardens with a profusion of yellow, orange, blue and mauve. While the smaller cacti are just beginning to show colour as in the hedgehog's bright red and the strawberry's magenta, the stately suguaro are not showing even their buds, although the tops do look lighter to me; maybe just wishful thinking. The sun is bright, the temps are warm and the air is dry...beautiful for travel. Oh, and the nights? They are cool which is great for sleeping. Life is good!