We're boondocking tonight just outside the Petrified Forest National Park. The drive here from Rimmy Jims, near the Meteor Crater, was less than 70 miles, so it was an easy day. Once we got settled we drove into the Park and scouted around a little, did a visitor center and a short hike.
Where we are tonight there is NO ONE for miles around. Not a soul with the exception of a few pronghorn antelope. It's so quiet, so peaceful. We're without hookups of any kind and running on batteries and LP gas. It's relatively warm outside tonight... about 62f degrees at 7pm... and no wind at all.
More adventure tomorrow in the Park.
Thom Hoch
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On a Corner in Winslow...
This'll be a short update tonight. We've been going all day and didn't get back to the bus-house until almost 8pm. Then make dinner -- one of the best deals around right now... the 12 inch Supreme Pizza from the Walmart fresh deli area for only $5. There's enough goop on it that we can stretch almost two meals out of it. And it's suprisingly good. (End of commercial ad.)
We did visit the meteor crater earlier today. Just a 5 minute jaunt down the road from our camp, it's the best preserved impact crater in the world but not the largest. This one is 4,000 feet across and 550 feet deep -- and created from an meteor impact some 50,000 years ago. They estimate the meteor was about 150 feet in diameter and it hit the earth traveling about 10 miles per second... far faster than the fastest rifle bullet... and the resulting crater is still here after all that time. It was an enjoyable stop and it's certainly something you don't see every day.
We then headed into Winslow, AZ., just 20 minutes up the road from camp. Part of our mission was to, just for fun, stand on that corner in Winslow referred to in the classic Eagles song "Take It Easy"... a portion of those lyrics go like this:
We did visit the meteor crater earlier today. Just a 5 minute jaunt down the road from our camp, it's the best preserved impact crater in the world but not the largest. This one is 4,000 feet across and 550 feet deep -- and created from an meteor impact some 50,000 years ago. They estimate the meteor was about 150 feet in diameter and it hit the earth traveling about 10 miles per second... far faster than the fastest rifle bullet... and the resulting crater is still here after all that time. It was an enjoyable stop and it's certainly something you don't see every day.
We then headed into Winslow, AZ., just 20 minutes up the road from camp. Part of our mission was to, just for fun, stand on that corner in Winslow referred to in the classic Eagles song "Take It Easy"... a portion of those lyrics go like this:
Well, I'm a standing on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona
and such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
in Winslow, Arizona
and such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
This song was released by the Eagles the same year we were married -- yes, it's that old! So we stood on that corner in Winslow, Arizona, snapped a few pictures and had a few laughs acting like kids again. The city of Winslow, in an effort to revive the tired old town and attract a few tourist, has created a small park on that corner, complete with a flatbed Ford truck. Sure, it's corney, but what self-respecting small town boy from Wisconsin doesn't like a little corn once in a while.
The next stop was absolutely unplanned and very unexpected. On good authority from a local we walked a few blocks to the La Posada Hotel, the last of the great railroad hotels. I want to write more about this stop, but will have to do so when I'm more awake and lucid. We were also introduced to an incredible painter, Tina Mion, whose works are on display all around the newly renonovated hotel. As I said, this will have to wait.
The last stop of the day was a Walmart stop for provisions. We're heading further east tomorrow and would like to stay near the Petrified Forest National Park. We may be boondocking (no hookups) and I'm not sure what the interent connection will be like either. So if updates to the Journal are slow in coming, just check back the next day.
standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona...
Thom Hoch
Sunday, November 8, 2009
From Canyon to Crater
We had very mixed emotions about leaving the Grand Canyon this morning. This is the perfect time of year to be at the Canyon -- as the crowds we ran into attest. It's relatively cool compared to the intense heat of the summer. And even though it was busier than we expected, compared to the millions that show up during the summer, the late fall crowds are easy to take. We know we'll be back, we know we'll do more hiking deeper down into the Canyon, we'd love to take a float trip down the Colorado river, a helicopter flight down the middle of the Canyon would be good too. It may sound touristy, but these are other ways of experiencing one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. There's something about it... once you see it you want more. You want to see it from different places, angles, elevations, seasons. You want to hike, float, climb, jump... did I say "jump"? Hmmm. Scratch jump... touristy enthusiasm.
Anyway, we were on our way before 10am. The only minor concern I had was the less than quarter tank of diesel fuel we had and the 75 miles we needed to travel to get to the truckstop where I planned to fill. The bus-house's ECM computer was telling me I had 150 miles to empty... there was some comfort in that. But as we traveled along the fuel guage was closing in on "E" faster than we were closing in on the truckstop. Do I trust the guage or the computer?
Well, we made it. When the diesel tank was topped off we had pumped a bit over 85 gallons into a tank that's supposed to have a 100 gallon capacity. Assuming the tank does in fact hold 100 gallons, and further assuming that there might be 5 gallons at the bottom that are below the dip tube for the fuel pump, we may have been able to go another 70 or 80 miles... about what the computer said. This is the lowest I've ever taken the tank, so it was a learning experience.
The route today took us south, through the Parks south entrance, on AZ-64 to Williams. There we picked up I-40 East, around Flagstaff to an exit out in the middle of nowhere, exit 233, which is Meteor Crater Road. There's an RV Park just a short distance south of the exit -- Meteor Crater RV Park. Hmmm... there must be a meteor crater around here somewhere.
More on that tomorrow.
Thom Hoch
Anyway, we were on our way before 10am. The only minor concern I had was the less than quarter tank of diesel fuel we had and the 75 miles we needed to travel to get to the truckstop where I planned to fill. The bus-house's ECM computer was telling me I had 150 miles to empty... there was some comfort in that. But as we traveled along the fuel guage was closing in on "E" faster than we were closing in on the truckstop. Do I trust the guage or the computer?
Well, we made it. When the diesel tank was topped off we had pumped a bit over 85 gallons into a tank that's supposed to have a 100 gallon capacity. Assuming the tank does in fact hold 100 gallons, and further assuming that there might be 5 gallons at the bottom that are below the dip tube for the fuel pump, we may have been able to go another 70 or 80 miles... about what the computer said. This is the lowest I've ever taken the tank, so it was a learning experience.
The route today took us south, through the Parks south entrance, on AZ-64 to Williams. There we picked up I-40 East, around Flagstaff to an exit out in the middle of nowhere, exit 233, which is Meteor Crater Road. There's an RV Park just a short distance south of the exit -- Meteor Crater RV Park. Hmmm... there must be a meteor crater around here somewhere.
More on that tomorrow.
Thom Hoch
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Now That's Some Hole
We're back from our hike... no twisted ankles, broken bones, or pulled muscles. My GPS reported we walked 8 miles today including our walk from camp to the trail head, but GPS's only report the horizontal distance traveled, not the vertical distance. The vertical distance, or elevation change, today was about 1,400 feet -- first down, then back up -- and almost all that change was in just 3 miles of the total 8 we walked today.
The trail we hiked was the Bright Angel Trail, the most heavily used trail in the Park. It can take you from the South Rim all the way down to the river... 4,500 feet down and 3 miles to the north. You can cross the river on a suspension bridge and then hike another mile or so to Phantom Ranch, a touch of civilization at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where a hiker can stay overnight in a small lodge or cabin. We didn't get anywhere close to Phantom Ranch during our hike today.
The Bright Angel Trail is a shared use trail, with both people and mules having access to it. Mules are used to haul both passengers and supplies between the rim and the river. It's been done for many years and the mules are an institution around here. While hiking on the trail there's a protocol the must be followed in order to avoid spooking the beasts and potentially throwing a rider off and down the canyon... basically, stand aside, shut up, and don't do anything that'll scare the mules. We passed a number of mule trains on the way down and up today.
Our little hike took us only about a third of the way down into the canyon. It took us a little over an hour to go down 1,500 feet and a mile and a half of walking. We spent almost an hour at that point (picnic lunch, talking with people, etc.). The trip back up took about two hours. The rule of thumb is that the "up" trip is twice as long as the "down" trip.
During our hike we ran into all kinds of people. Some actually run down and then run back up. These cannot be normal people. But they do it and they time their result only to return the following week to do it all over again in an effort to better their previously best time. There must be some kind of defect that causing this aberrant behavior. At what point can they call what they've done a success? How will they know? At what point will they decide they've had enough and quit?
Then there's the other extreme... people walking down the trail with flip-flops, or pointy toed purple pumps (which I actuallly saw today), or people obviously too large and out-of-shape to go very far. The first part, the going down part, is easy compared to the return trip. I wonder how many people require assistance at the end of the day to get back to the top?
My thoughts from our brief descent into the canyon today are these: 1) that's one heck of a hole 2) it's just as hard to fathom the scale of the Grand Canyon from down in it as it is from up top, and 3) I can't wait to get back and go further, all the way to the river, maybe all the way to the North Rim.
As we neared the top we saw 6 Desert Bighorn Sheep clamoring around and feeding on who-knows-what as they were working the side of a near vertical canyon wall. They're top-notch natural entertainment. It doesn't seem possible for any four legged beast to be that sure-footed, that adept at standing on the tiniest slivers of rock ledges... and make it look like it's easy... no big deal. I've been told that seeing these Bighorns is a rare treat. Well, we certainly enjoyed it.
After our successful return we somehow managed to crawl into the Bright Angel Lodge's Bar, and with my last burst of energy, order a couple beers. That was some of the best tasting beer I've had in a long time. We eventually made it back to the bus-house where we watched the best sunset sky-show we've seen in a long time. It'll be an early night tonight so we can get rested up for the move tomorrow.
In Grand Canyon N.P...
Thom Hoch
The trail we hiked was the Bright Angel Trail, the most heavily used trail in the Park. It can take you from the South Rim all the way down to the river... 4,500 feet down and 3 miles to the north. You can cross the river on a suspension bridge and then hike another mile or so to Phantom Ranch, a touch of civilization at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where a hiker can stay overnight in a small lodge or cabin. We didn't get anywhere close to Phantom Ranch during our hike today.
The Bright Angel Trail is a shared use trail, with both people and mules having access to it. Mules are used to haul both passengers and supplies between the rim and the river. It's been done for many years and the mules are an institution around here. While hiking on the trail there's a protocol the must be followed in order to avoid spooking the beasts and potentially throwing a rider off and down the canyon... basically, stand aside, shut up, and don't do anything that'll scare the mules. We passed a number of mule trains on the way down and up today.
Our little hike took us only about a third of the way down into the canyon. It took us a little over an hour to go down 1,500 feet and a mile and a half of walking. We spent almost an hour at that point (picnic lunch, talking with people, etc.). The trip back up took about two hours. The rule of thumb is that the "up" trip is twice as long as the "down" trip.
During our hike we ran into all kinds of people. Some actually run down and then run back up. These cannot be normal people. But they do it and they time their result only to return the following week to do it all over again in an effort to better their previously best time. There must be some kind of defect that causing this aberrant behavior. At what point can they call what they've done a success? How will they know? At what point will they decide they've had enough and quit?
Then there's the other extreme... people walking down the trail with flip-flops, or pointy toed purple pumps (which I actuallly saw today), or people obviously too large and out-of-shape to go very far. The first part, the going down part, is easy compared to the return trip. I wonder how many people require assistance at the end of the day to get back to the top?
My thoughts from our brief descent into the canyon today are these: 1) that's one heck of a hole 2) it's just as hard to fathom the scale of the Grand Canyon from down in it as it is from up top, and 3) I can't wait to get back and go further, all the way to the river, maybe all the way to the North Rim.
As we neared the top we saw 6 Desert Bighorn Sheep clamoring around and feeding on who-knows-what as they were working the side of a near vertical canyon wall. They're top-notch natural entertainment. It doesn't seem possible for any four legged beast to be that sure-footed, that adept at standing on the tiniest slivers of rock ledges... and make it look like it's easy... no big deal. I've been told that seeing these Bighorns is a rare treat. Well, we certainly enjoyed it.
After our successful return we somehow managed to crawl into the Bright Angel Lodge's Bar, and with my last burst of energy, order a couple beers. That was some of the best tasting beer I've had in a long time. We eventually made it back to the bus-house where we watched the best sunset sky-show we've seen in a long time. It'll be an early night tonight so we can get rested up for the move tomorrow.
In Grand Canyon N.P...
Thom Hoch
Cold Slow Saturday Morning
Dar's sleeping in this morning. I've been up for almost an hour, have had a couple cups of coffee already, and perusing the internet. We have great speed on our Verizon aircard here at the Park which makes anything internet-related much faster and more efficient -- very little wasted time waiting for pages to update.
The Grand Canyon airport is reporting 21f degrees this morning. But the wind is calm and it doesn't feel like 21f. The next 5 days look like carbon-copies of yesterday... sunny, clear, bright, highs in the low 60's, lows around freezing. We can deal with that just fine.
We're going to hike down into the canyon a ways today... NOT all the way down, not 4,500 vertical feet down and 3 miles horizontal to the river. No sir! We're not geared up for that as they recommend at least two days for that. We're going to take the Bright Angel Trail down about 1,000 feet to get a feel for what the place looks like from down there. By the time we're back up top, we should have about 3 miles of walking under our belt... but none of it level. I offered to carry Dar down if she'd carry me back up. Seems fair, doesn't it?
Tomorrow is still set as moving day.
Slurping coffee at the Grand Canyon...
Thom Hoch
The Grand Canyon airport is reporting 21f degrees this morning. But the wind is calm and it doesn't feel like 21f. The next 5 days look like carbon-copies of yesterday... sunny, clear, bright, highs in the low 60's, lows around freezing. We can deal with that just fine.
We're going to hike down into the canyon a ways today... NOT all the way down, not 4,500 vertical feet down and 3 miles horizontal to the river. No sir! We're not geared up for that as they recommend at least two days for that. We're going to take the Bright Angel Trail down about 1,000 feet to get a feel for what the place looks like from down there. By the time we're back up top, we should have about 3 miles of walking under our belt... but none of it level. I offered to carry Dar down if she'd carry me back up. Seems fair, doesn't it?
Tomorrow is still set as moving day.
Slurping coffee at the Grand Canyon...
Thom Hoch
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