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Published: December 6th 2010
Bryce Canyon
Amazing how life grabs hold on the rocksJust a little more than one month ago Lucas and I left Vancouver Island for points south. Looking back, it hardly feels like a month has gone by. I am sure it is a month because in 30+ days we have put more than 5000 km on the Explorer and nearly 200 km on our feet. We hiked Bryce Canyon and the Staircase Escalante in Utah. Walked the rim of the Grand Canyon and hiked down into its’ depths. We have basked in the warmth of our good friends Al and Helene Mein’s hospitality, in Mesa and experienced the mystical quality of the red rocks around Sedona.
Today I sit basking in the warm Arizona sun of Scottsdale. I am sitting by the pool and finally taking the time to update all of you on our blog. After a month of traveling it is hard to look back and identify the highlights. There are so many!!
I admit that Utah was a beautiful start to our adventure. Bryce Canyon is amazing! The rock formations are many and varied. You see massive arches from one look out and from the next you are gazing at an array of hoodoos. The
rock colors are as varied as the formations. They range from chocolate brown, to orange, to red and even white. Bryce Canyon is a bit of a misnomer as it isn’t really a canyon. As you drive through the park you can stop and experience multiple views in all directions. A highlight of our time there was a 6km hike into a garden of hoodoos. The hike itself was relatively easy until we had to hike back up about 800 ft. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you take into account that you are about 7000ft above sea level.
After three days in Bryce Canyon, eating loads of beef and cowboy fare. (No one is asking “where’s the beef?” down here) We headed south to the Grand Canyon. It is true this site is one of the “seven wonders of the world” and well worth the trip. We arrived to a blizzard so our first glance of the Grand Canyon was in a sleet storm. That evening we discovered a fine dining restaurant in our hotel and never ventured away from it for dinner. At last a menu that had more to offer than a 16 oz steak!!
Despite the cold we spent the day walking the rim of the Canyon and managed to find the perfect spot for a Grand Canyon sunset. Our last day, we ventured out to hike one of the trails that takes you to the basin of the Canyon. I would like to say that we hiked all the way to the bottom and then up again… but that would be a tall tail. We did manage to get about halfway down to a beautiful vista and hiked our way back up. Considering I am not much for heights, this was a pretty significant accomplishment.
After about 10 days of driving, hiking and exploring, we finally headed south to Mesa, Arizona to the warmer temperature and the warm hearts of Al and Helene. It is here that we picked up our 22 foot travel trailer and began the process of setting it up. In Mesa we replaced the steep inclines and rocky ledges with Walmarts and Costcos. Al and Helene did drag us out of the malls (thank goodness) for a number of excursions. These included a dinner out at an amazing Chinese restaurant, live theatre and a craft fair where crafts
sold from ten to ten thousand dollars. We also experience the social life of the over 55 set in Arizona. Let me assure you all, that for this crowd, the fun began at 55. As more than one “senior” said, “It’s my job to have fun!”
Finally after a week, the trailer was packed, organized and decorated and we were ready to head for points north. It is a good thing too. It was time for both of us to dry out a bit after all that fun!! So we set off for Sedona. Sedona is known for it’s red rocks, hiking trails and mystical quality. You can find psychics, and tarot readers next door to jeep tours. There are blocks and blocks of stores selling trinkets and jewelry, t-shirts and dreams. We found a wonderful organic/natural grocery store, an rv site with trees and some like souls. What was originally going to be a 3-day visit quickly became two weeks. We found the Ashram for Enlightenment and an interesting guru named Guruji. Guruji is a devotee of Ramana Maharshi, so it did not take long to feel right at home. We met the local Rabbi at the Ashram,
Calf Creek Falls
Grande Staircase Escalante 6 mile hike up a canyon to these falls a lovely woman named Aleisha and we were invited to not only join them all at an Interfaith Thanksgiving service, but also enjoy an American Thanksgiving dinner.
The Interfaith Service was amazing and Rabbi Aleisha was the star!! I was so moved by all the presentations, none more than Aleisha who shared the morning prayer of gratitude, a cornerstone of the Jewish tradition. I was inspired and before you know it, Lucas and I joined the local Jewish community for a Shabbat service. Aleisha’s Shabbat service was breathtaking. Her joyful presence filled the room and I felt as though I had come home. It was Lucas’ first experience in a Synagogue and what a memorable one it was.
Sedona showered more snow and cold on us. Our spirits were not dampened despite freezing water pipes and cold noses. We enjoyed nearly daily hikes on a variety of trails that cover the Sedona area. We did what was supposed to be an extreme jeep ride and turned out to be the equivalent of kiddie bumper cars. We explored local ruins that date back to 1100AD and tried to decipher the story of the petroglyphs and pictographs that covered the
rock walls. We were in awe of the beauty that we experienced and felt right at home in this amazing part of the world.
Our last night in Sedona, we ventured out to a restaurant called Elote. The ambience was fun and casual, the food was to die for. The evening was a blast and just when I was about ready to hit the trail…. I commented on the flights of Tequila advertised above the bar. Now I have experienced flights of wine, but never a flight of Tequila. You have to remember that Lucas is not a beer drinker or a tequila drinker… so when we started the evening with a Corona and finished the evening with a flight of tequila… I was more than a little surprised. Thus the noteworthiness for the blog…. Besides just had to share this with our boys….
So that’s about it for our first month on the road. Not sure when I will be inspired to blog next… or what we will see…. But until then…. Adios from Arizona.
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Adri & Casper
non-member comment
:)
You are both looking extremely well prepared and dangerous!