Route 66 - gateway to Kansas... or 1970?

When choosing a route back east we couldn’t really do better than to ‘get our kicks on Route 66’ (a Rolling Stones classic, kids : ). We had already had some fun on the Oatman to Kingman section back in Feb around Den’s birthday and now had time to explore more of the myth around the ‘mother of all roads’ as the tourist blurb refers to it.

The curious thing about this road is the way fact and fiction have become so closely intertwined. Each State and little town it passed through has its own take on the road, its place in American history and more importantly the American psyche. Whereas some towns seemed to have moved on and their 66 heritage hardly gets a mention - the physical road itself like the route being consumed by the Interstate network long ago. Others like Kingman, Peach Springs, Seligman, Williams, Winslow (all Arizona) and Gallup (self proclaimed Indian centre of the US) Laguna and Santa Rosa (New Mexico) love nothing more than to promote a time warp based on neon and nostalgia. We sort of followed the 66 from California to Oklahoma before heading into Kansas leaving the route about 40 miles to the south.

Winslow, Arizona stands out not just for its 66 connection but it must be one of the only places in the world where the town’s entire tourist industry is based on a line from a pop song. “ Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona… “ (Taking it easy – Eagles, 1970’s). We too stood on the corner – flat bed ford in the background… sometimes you just have to let the tourist in you out for an airing : ) Santa Rosa (only 3000 people now) proudly promotes it’s Route 66 café and yet another bloody Route 66 museum. The town reeks of past glory with its 20 hotels, 3 RV parks and at least 15 restaurants (9 of them described and ‘historic diners’ which we decided means neon… burgers and fries? It is easy to mock but for a tiny spec smaller than say Benhall, Suffolk it has a good vibe and even a great little City Guide complete with a two page spread on the ‘Santa Rosa Visioning Plan’ for creating the Santa Rosa of the future… good luck with that one guys! It also seems to be a good place to get into a debate about the section of 66 that was decommissioned in 1937 or even where Billy the Kid ate his last Christmas dinner in 1880… and you think we are just wasting our life away out here…

Sorry, just in case you have never heard of Route 66… it ran from Chicago to LA, a dirt road to begin with but quickly paved, often called America’s main street offering millions of depression weary US families the open road to a better life in California – the American Dream. In 1972 it was replaced by the Interstate network (I 40 in this section) bypassing most of the little towns and business that only really existed because of it.

It is difficult to put a finger on why the Route 66 hype appeals not just to Americans but people all around the world. Maybe it is something to do with pop culture, or a time when life was simpler when the world seemed more open… before America was forced to re-evaluate it’s take on the concept of freedom. Today… you are more likely to see convoys of grey bearded bikers on Harleys (Phil and Tony), bus loads of Japanese tourists and wandering or lost old hippies… like us maybe : ).

Out of the blue came the 4th of July, a big day in the American calendar. We were at Conchas Lake in Northern New Mexico. Like holiday weekends around the world it is a time to get away with the extended family. A bit like the Dennis or Double clans gathering at Tangham except everyone brings at least 1 RV, two trucks, a tent, a boat, the dogs, grill, bikes, rods, guns… OK, some of the boats are big 30ft+ but it’s not flash… more Southend than San Tropez… a boat just seems to be something that everyone who comes to these sort of places has.

Understandably most Americans drive when they go on holiday (or anywhere)… so they just load everything in until there is no more space. In fact we are not sure what most people ate that weekend as a total fire ban meant no fires, BBQs, grills or any source of ignition. No US holiday weekend is complete without the fire and cook-out. It is no surprise that people obey the rule on fires. A week earlier we had seen the smoke from one of the major fires on the Arizona / New Mexico border from our campground over 20mls away. That fire had already been burning for around two months and even with an army of 5000 fire fighters tackling it day and night it had already consumed over 450sq miles of forest. The 4th July fireworks (on the 3rd) were great... just like the 5th Nov… but in T shirts and shorts (25C) with bats swooping around you.

United States of America… this land gets more confusing the deeper you look at it. United under a flag maybe but a state called New Mexico? Re-visiting our original comments on the ‘creeping’ Hispanic influence in Texas, in New Mexico it would appear that rather than just look Mexican and speak Spanish many are Mexican. The diversity of the people here is mind blowing with Pueblo, Navajo and Apache (tribes) pure Mexican Indians, Hispanic influences with Catholicism and finally us Europeans. If you are on the road to nowhere then in New Mexico you can travel without moving – as ever time is the enemy and we had a date with the yellow brick road of Kansas.

After the cold late spring we have gone straight into a full on mid west summer. It was as hot and sticky as you can imagine with average day temp 36-40C / 25C low at night and 90+ % relative humidity. Walking more than 5 miles is virtually impossible (you can’t carry enough water etc) even if you set off at 8am when it is only 27C! If it gets too hot we just look at each other and say “YELLOWSTONE!” that memory is usually enough to bring our temperature down : ).

Dot to dot… for any of you playing the route on the map game at home…

Cataract Lake, Kaibab Forest (near Williams, Arizona) , Homolovi (Winslow, AZ), Petrified Forest National Park, Bluewater State Park, (New Mexico), Santa Rosa (NM), Conchas Lake (NM) then across the tiny bit of Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle into Kansas.

Quick update of some stats from Jane’s diary:
16,000 Miles, 20 States, 43 National Parks, 65 State Parks… and one pair of walking boots each : )

Have fun

Den and Jane X

California – Beauty and the Beast?

Maybe it is just us or the comparison with the other states that we have camped in but considering it is a world renowned travel destination California was about the worst place we visited. It’s expensive (40% more) with way below standard facilities that at best are tatty and at worse don’t work or are out of action. The beast appears to result from lack of funding, although the rangers do their best (they love the job) it’s a letter to Arnie when we get back to the UK : )
Having said that the guys in sharp suites, dark glasses and perfect, white teeth who make the rules have it made. Sorry, but you just have to camp in the parks (National and State) in California… they are the gateway to beautiful, accessible wilderness… Acres of forest covered hillsides gently tipping into ice cold, clear, blue lakes or pretty cascading little streams combining into raging rivers and towering, thundering waterfalls. All this colour, movement and context fringed with the ever present snow capped mountains caressed by azure skies.


It’s not really that fantastic, is it?
Well… NO… it’s even better - no words or photos can do this beauty justice.

We started by camping among sugar pines and cedars tall trees at up to 200ft but these were dwarfed by the redwoods (giant sequoia) which can reach 300ft.Our first campground in California, on the banks of Lake Tahoe, was supposed to be fully booked but we were virtually alone as the late, cold spring had caused the majority of Californians to cancel.
Lake Tahoe is surrounded by the Sierra Nevadas – still covered in snow – and looks fantastic. They get a lot of snow here at 6000ft (average 12ft) but this year the snow was deeper and had only just melted with the holiday cottages being finally made ready for the tourist onslaught. After 11 hours of unsuccessful bear watching in a frozen Yellowstone we appear to have developed a knack for walking into them Our third bear was walking towards us on the trail down to the lake… He was unimpressed and ran off – if he had waited a few seconds he would have been able to smell our fear : ) - before we decided to take a different route singing and shouting (as they advise you to do when walking in the forest) to make sure the bears know you are there. Maybe this is the reason that many Americans have such loud voices?

The beauty just kept on coming and the weather continued to improve with blue skies as we were bathed in warm Californian sunshine. We walked in the magical sequoia groves and were in total awe of these giants but more on this later. Possibly as a reward for all that snow, nature treated us to a real spectacle – the year of the waterfall - as the papers coined it. As the snow pack melted higher and higher up the mountains waterfalls crashed through every crevice creating the best display for 30 years and even new falls that had never been seen before.


Talking about waterfalls bring us to Yosemite National Park (NP). It is the hardest park to get a campsite at with the reservations often selling out within hours of release. We had to camp 14 miles outside the park and get the YARTS shuttle bus in each day – if only more people caught the bus. The incredible beauty of Yosemite was completely overshadowed by the beast that is the US citizens love affair with their cars (and trucks).

Yosemite was one giant traffic jam with the free shuttle buses struggling to cope. Just like all the other most popular parks (where you have to expect crowds) you only have to walk a short distance from the shuttle stop and you can be virtually alone. So walk we did 9 miles on the first day up to the top of Yosemite falls - what a view - what a noise and 12 miles on day two… to mirror lake, fairly flat thank God.
The falls are stunning from every angle (normally completely dry by August) and this year they are really spectacular with the water crashing down the mountain and thundering into the valley with a cloud of spray and an ice cold chill that is just like entering the frozen food isle in a supermarket on a warm day. After a long hard hike (28C) to the top we ate our packed lunch (no bears here) sitting on a rock with the falls still a couple miles away but just occasionally enveloping us with a gentle refreshing spray.


Mirror lake?… just look at the photo, every picture tells a story – pure magic.

Well, not every picture – cue picture of the cotton-mouth water snake below – Jane washed her hands in the river bopping down only a few inches from this baby. Lucky for her he was far too knackered from all that fighting of the strong currents in the record volume of ice cold (4 C) water in the river. If they bite you it is serious with the potential loss of a limb… or worse. Only the third snake we have seen this trip.

Where Yosemite was picturesque but overrun by people, Kings N P our next stop was quiet and rugged. Deep canyon, the fast flowing Kings River, more falls, coniferous forest and snow on the mountains naturally. From Kings we went into Sequoia N P a short trip as they are linked and together offer millions of acres of America as it was before the white man. Having said that Lodgepole campground is more like a mini village in the middle of the wilderness – we even did our laundry here before moving on :) As you walk around the village it’s easy to forget you are in a remote, outpost. However after a 10 minute walk into the forest you quickly realise how alone and remote you actually are. The trails are pretty good but as ever the GPS tracker gave us an extra security as it is easy to get lost if you have to go off trail – like to avoid a bear maybe?

An early morning walk up Moro Rock (over 400 steps : ( with a fantastic view of the Sierras where we were joined by a humming bird of all things? Then a gentle five mile amble through the cedar covered hills, down into the towering sequoia groves and out into the flooded meadows to the ripping, snapping, tearing sound and then the sight of a big brown (black) bear about 100ft away rolling a fallen tree and ripping the bark off it to get at the insects like it was a stick of candyfloss. The ‘bear aware’ instructions they give you at the park entrance are interesting but nothing prepares you for the feeling of sheer awe. After a sniff he seemed less interested in us and more in his meal. You just have to remember to walk backwards, talking to him, making yourself as big as possible keeping him in eye contact until you can find a route around him. The urge to run like hell is very strong, believe me, but apparently it can provoke an attack and bears are big, very big and can run at 30 MPH and climb trees.

So it becomes a very simple risk… this is their home, this is where they live and you are a visitor. If you walk in this part of the world you will see bears. They are unlikely to do you any harm if you obey a few simple rules and… pack a clean set of underwear. In five hours we saw six bears including two sets of cubs. We can’t describe how exciting it was to see Mum with two tiny cinnamon coloured cubs literally weeks old and the size of a child’s teddy bear. Understandably mum was a bit nervous and ushered her cubs quickly away. As were we… a mother with young is the most dangerous encounter with any wild animal.

The third bear cub was a bit older and bigger and totally disinterested in his mother’s master class on how to dig up roots in a flooded meadow, preferring to wander off and play at climbing trees nearby. We resisted the temptation to get close enough for some really great photos and this is one occasion when we wished we had a better camera.

Wow - what an unexpected privilege to spend a day surrounded by wild bears in their natural environment. They didn’t seem bothered by or interested in us and it’s not until you meet Californians and realise that they have spent their whole life there and never seen a bear do you realise how lucky we were.

Sequoia and Kings NP has got to be one of our favourite parks for many reasons not just the bears. It is a really good example of what the US National Parks offer all Americans – accessible wilderness. Let’s hope that they can continue to keep development to a minimum and protect these unique places to remind us all of how richer the human experience can be when we learn to respect all forms of life on the planet.

So in summary the route…

Sugar pine (slopes of Lake Tahoe), Big Trees Calaveras (sequoia groves), Yosemite NP, Kings NP (Sheep Creek, Cedar Grove and Sunset, Grant Grove), Sequoia NP (Lodge pole) and surrounding National Forests Lake Isabella and back into the Mojave desert (Hole in the Wall campground in Mojave National Preserve 38C+ … much hotter than in Jan – Kelso Dunes - when we had our jackets on!).

Now we are heading back East, back into Arizona and New Mexico but the northern section this time

Have fun - Den and Jane X

Idaho and Nevada (for the 2nd time)

It’s been a while as there has been no Internet - just snow capped mountains.

After leaving the frozen wilderness that is Yellowstone National Park we were not expecting that much of Idaho or northern Nevada. If it was not for the need to quickly (2 weeks) head to our next camping reservation for Yosemite National Park (California) then we may have taken a different… maybe a more northern route. It’s difficult to get too work up over a state that is famous for it’s potatoes and neo-Nazi’s (Idaho) or one that had to legalise gambling to survive. We have already been into the southern tip of Nevada (4 times on Valentines Day but that’s another story) the Las Vegas area where around half the population of 2.5m live but the rest of the state is nothing like it. So… Idaho - green fields, rolling hills, forest and mountains (not many people) and Nevada - mountainous, sagebrush, high desert and few people… both are… how can we put it… pretty empty. Nevada did have the stunningly beautiful Ruby Mountains named after the little lady herself maybe : )

The strange thing was that as we crossed these two fairly unremarkable landscapes (we have just come from Yellowstone) we were unexpectedly drawn to the history of the area and the numerous routes across it. There are so few roads and choice was limited so you can relax into the drive and look around a bit. Historical Site markers where everywhere and we seemed to be continuously criss-crossing numerous historical trails? We had stumbled across some of the major East – West routes for emigrants flooding into the promised land of California and Oregon during the last century. In fact just to confuse us Idaho didn’t exist then (1800’s) as it was part of Oregon but the important thing was that just like us this mass exodus were travelling from east to west and the modern roads tend to follow the same basic route.

Virtually everywhere we stopped another part of the puzzle emerged creating a huge kaleidoscope of colourful events and individuals. Place names, campsites, river crossings, wagon tracks even old wagons and ferries left and preserved for a history deprived and hungry audience.

When we Europeans think history, we think of kings and castles etc. It is often a bit removed and difficult to relate to. This history comes complete with all the original artefacts, real people records / diaries, photos and even cine film! You would laugh at some of the things the average American thinks of as an antique – Ronnie (Den’s father) had a shed full of these antiques - did he not Anthony?

So to cut a long story short these trails witness unbelievable tales of real endeavour and sadness, that strength of character in a raw form can still be seen in many of the traditional past-times of modern America… the pioneer spirit. Before the coming of the rail road, in just over 20 years (1840 – 1860) over 300,000 people braved the 1,700 mile Oregon Trail and 250,000 the 2,000 mile California Trail. If like us you have walked part of the trail only to come face to face with the prospect of crossing the fast flowing and half mile wide snake river at 3 island crossing (Glenns Ferry) in a wooded wagon pulled by oxen then you too would ask the only question that matters WHY?.. Why risk everything you own even down to the lives of your children and family? The answer says something about the human condition, they were sold a dream. The American dream… Oregon was the land of rich pasture and milk and honey… California had freedom, gold and some very good wine : ) The journey offered opportunity and fulfilment of a huge range of personal motivators including poverty, hunger, marriage (by 1860 two thirds were women), health and freedom from persecution, religious or otherwise. At this point it would be interesting to contrast this with at the plight of the indigenous American people… but that’s another blog - NB there is still time for us to be deported.

All that and maybe you just wanted to know where we had been rather than all this reflection…

Yellowstone, back through the Grand Tetons as the footnote in the last blog…

Craters of the Moon National Park, Idaho - black volcanic landscape with dark, wet, cold lava ‘tubes’ to explore, except where they had collapsed and then they were full of snow. Not Jane’s idea of fun.

Glenns Ferry, Idaho then South Fork State Recreation Area (SRA), Nevada – see above Did we mention the unforgettable Ruby Mountains and our secluded (only us in the restaurant) dinner at Carmela Winery?

Rye Patch SRA, Nevada… where we were treated to a couple of hours watching a mixed flock of birds eating insects off the bark of the nearby cottonwood trees. These included some pretty exotic birds but none more so that the pretty little Lazuli Bunting (male is blue, orange and white).

Washoe Lake (near Carson City) Nevada - a great view over the Lake to the cold and imposing snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains in California. To think they crossed these mountains in their little open wagons and this year - even with an army of snow moving equipment the pass will not be open until July 4th at the earliest! Er… Yes… they know it was the highest snow fall and latest spring for 30 years Jane : )

Take care

PS California to follow very soon...

Wyoming – home of the BIG one - Yellowstone National Park!

Colorado was beautiful and sometimes cold and mostly long trousers. Wyoming was 500 miles further North and with Yellowstone National Park at 8000ft it was never going to be Arizona. The weather was not good 6C en route and forecast was even worse… thunderstorms… 1 to 2 feet of snow predicted in the next 24hours… The North West of the US was having its worse winter for over a decade with Yellowstone already receiving double the normal amounts of snow. It averaged at 4ft with over 15ft drifts in many places! We monitored the weather (on the radio) no internet/mobile and even considered not going any further North… we didn’t come to the USA to freeze to death : ) However, we did come to do the National Parks and Yellowstone and the surrounding parks (Grand Teton etc) are some of the best places for viewing animals outside of Alaska (er, no way far too cold!).

We decided to go for it after changing our plans… to ensure we had a hook-up for all the time at Yellowstone. At least that way if we were snowed in we would be warm(ish). Just as well we changed things around as we could not have camped at some forest sites en route, most were still closed due to the high amounts of snow…….. Full of trepidation we just kept going north and everywhere we stopped the old snowshoe jokes kept coming. The locals can smell fear and if you live here then heavy snow must be a bit of a non event.

When we got to Yellowstone it was cold and yes, there was a lot of snow - the most snow we have ever seen but there was little fresh snow. The lakes were frozen but the roads were open (most of them) and it got better not worse. Apart from one day when it snowed all day the days were warm(ish) (15C), the sun shone (sometimes), the snow melted slowly as spring finally arrived and more people appeared.

The Yellowstone animals had already seen the spring clues and were busy coming out of hibernation, migrating to higher pastures and giving birth, nesting etc.One bison mother even decided a lesson in road craft was required for her new calf and took to the highway rather than struggling in the deep snow causing what in Yellowstone constitutes a major traffic jam. Over 7 days we did over 300 miles travelling all over the Park and spent a couple of days staking out promising spot for bears etc...

One of them was the snowy day mentioned earlier… you can see what Jane looked like after 4 hours on bear watch in a very cold RV.

The moral of this tale – the US weather forecast may run and be updated continuously 24/7 but is about as accurate as ours back in the UK : )


After 3 days (around 10 hours in total) we didn’t see a single bear. The highlight being a lone wolf who looked more like a large grey dog playing in the snow than one of the world’s most feared predators. Given he was less than 2 miles from our campground maybe we would have formed a slightly different impression if he had turned up after dark… with the rest of the family! We also added moose, elk, bison, a white (winter colour) white tail rabbit and some very exotic ducks to the list of animals we have seen in the US and spent hours watching 3 different pairs of ospreys nesting and fishing.

Some of you have been to Yellowstone and will have definitely seen the hot springs, geysers and other thermal effects. We were not sure what to make of them… boiling water coming out of the ground? They look unworldly with snow and ice everywhere around and some scenes look more like a battle ground with exploding shells and smoke (steam) filling the valley… a war scene… accompanied by the smells of a child’s chemistry set. We joined the other visitors (it’s Yellowstone’s most visited area and relatively busy even when the park is empty) for what is more Disney than wilderness. We too were disappointed by the eagerly anticipated Old Faithful – high yes, but more steam that water spout, but still pure theatre. We were wowed by the Riverside geyser – an arch of very hot water forming an arc across a river - even if we did have to watch it with plastic bags on our heads to avoid a brief shower!

We too scurried for a good vantage point to see the Beehive when it unexpectedly exploded into life shooting boiling water 150ft into the air just as Old Faithful was going off again in the back ground. Man, the earth’s crust is very, very thin here! Yellowstone mixes fire, earth, water and sky like no other place we have ever visited. The Old Faithful basin was a day to remember for no other reason than by the end of it we had walked 11 miles, not bad for a frozen Yellowstone when most of the trails were totally impassable due to very deep snow ... and 'DO NOT ENTER - BEAR ACTIVITY' warning signs : )

Sitting in a pull-off overlooking a frozen river waiting for a bear to walk through the forest clearing for hours in freezing conditions – we could make a cup of tea and get lunch etc – you find your mind gets to wandering. Wyoming... Why would you want to live here, well above 8000ft anyway? The alpine scenery is stunning, wild and beautiful… especially all covered in snow but it must quickly become a lonely arctic hell living in many of the small communities. Even if you hunt, fish and shoot etc… OK, this is a late spring but winter starts in Oct and normally lasts until May, 8 months of snow! Then its flooding, landslides, rock falls and clouds of biting insects not to mention the dangerous animals you need to avoid when out for a walk.

Even if you love all this then there is the dormant Yellowstone volcano. It’s ready to blow a hole the size of the M25 that will cover everything for miles with debris and leaving an ash cloud that will affect the whole world’s weather for years to come. This is not meant to sound negative - we loved Yellowstone - but after 7 days we are ready to move on. That’s travelling for you – after a few days the desire to ‘move on’ kicks in and it feels good when you do. It’s difficult to explain what this roaming life style really feels like as the months roll by. For us, unlike many RV’ers [who have a 5th Wheel RV (truck + caravan) and can detach the truck while the caravan stays put], virtually every day we pack-up and secure everything - yes everything - even if we are only going 2 miles.

Wyoming is as far North as we go. Now it’s a quick exit through a tiny bit of Montana into Idaho and then back South… NB we are nowhere near any of the bad weather (storms, tornados) that you may have read about in the central US states. By the time we head back across them (mid June) the weather pattern should be more settled.

This blog is understandably all about Yellowstone but we did also dip back into Utah en route from Colorado stopping at Dinosaur National Monument (dinosaur bone fossils), Red Fleet State Park (dinosaur track ways this time) before Buckboard Crossing, Flaming Gorge and Warren Bridge (we had to do this one : ) in the Bridger Teton National Forest continuing through the Grand Teton National Park - where we saw moose… into Yellowstone.



Finally, CONGRATULATIONS to Kate and Mr B’s bookshop, Bath for winning ‘Independent Bookseller of the Year 2011’ Magic!

Take Care – only 3 months left before we see y’all. Have a nice day : )

Jane and Den x




PS Our plan was to leave via the west gate but many of the roads were closed due to heavy snow and low temperatures (-6C and 2-3 inches at the campsite last night) So we were forced to leave Yellowstone back the way we came south, via the Teton NP. A stoke of luck - we saw a wolf just after it had attacked an elk and then within 3 miles we stopped to watch a black bear chasing an elk. All that waiting around in the freezing cold in Yellowstone – it just luck this wildlife watching lark!

‘Cold…orado Rocky Mountain High’

Remember when we sat there in sunglasses, T-shirts and shorts when most of you were in the depths of the UK’s pre-Christmas winter blast? Well the tables have turned and we have experienced how cold it can be in May, 8000ft up the Rocky Mountains. We have spent two exciting weeks in Colorado as the weather has see-sawed from winter cold (3C day, -12C night!) to beautiful spring days with reasonable nights. With snow everywhere and some very scary high road passes we have slowly and carefully followed our route north. Mile after mile on narrow roads with 8 -10% gradients in 1st or 2nd gear up and down hill, it needed a lot of concentration in something so big. (PS I did hear Jane muttering about it being warmer in Arizona on at least one occasion.)

The weather was unpredictable all across the US, bad storms, tornadoes and either flooding or heat waves. The way things are politically the weather is also likely to be seen as Obama’s fault : ) Virtually anywhere that we have had really cold weather we have had a power hook-up which means that although frozen up outside, the inside temp has not dropped to freezing like it did one night in California.Some nights we have just had to ‘do a Shakespeare’ and wear all our clothes in bed : )
To keep warm we did watch the Royal Wedding (no TV so via Internet)… well watch was a relative term. We were at a state park with very, very limited connectivity and it took over an hour to download 5 mins of video! So we had a complete (cold, snowy) day of 5 min snippets of the big day etc and followed it with champagne and strawberries to toast the happy couple… and ‘Her Royal Hotness’ as Kate’s sister Pippa was labelled by the UK Press. It was a real surprise how many Americans have asked us about the wedding one way or another. Many of them got up at 4am to watch it on TV! Some however have no idea - one even asked us “So how do you like your new Queen buddy?” obviously a colonial peasant!



Colorado is a beautiful green state. It has wide-open, big blue skies, crisp mountain views everywhere (snow covered at the moment) and a wide, open, conservative, common sense approach to life and the environment. Colorado seems to care about most things (environment, nature, local food, quality food and wine etc) just that little bit more than many of the Southern states we have visited… could it be all those months snowed-in their pretty log cabins?

There is real money here with exotic, expensive houses perched on mountain tops. We are only 60 miles from the rich and famous ski hang outs of Aspen and Vail but I bet you that the ‘in crowd’ spend most of the winter somewhere else. As we were some of the only tourists mad enough to be travelling north we had nearly everywhere we stayed to ourselves and we got to see and hear a lot of wildlife close up. You know that there are very few tourists around when the deer start taking photos of you! At Vega State Park the lady Ranger was so pleased to see someone that she offered to lend us some snow-shoes to do the walks in as the snow was still 3ft deep in places… real friendly in Colorado.

Talking about wildlife… we parked at a remote location (called High Point) in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to do a walk recommended by a very bored Ranger (only a couple of visitors that day) who had time to chat and exchange jokes about a so called ‘problem bear’ in the park. After lunch in our RV (a packed lunch is not recommended as apparently bears can smell food from 5 miles away) we were already outside locking up the RV only to hear Jane shout ‘BeeaAR!!’ and pointing. A big black bear was making his way towards the empty picnic ground only 15ft from the RV… he heard us… stopped, looked, sniffed and carried on ambling across the picnic site in front of us and disappeared into the undergrowth.
I was so surprised that by the time I had got the camera out of my pocket (Jane had quickly opened the RV door) the bear had gone behind a bush and we never got a clear shot of him – Damn! We thought about it for 5 mins and decided to do a different walk… closer to the Visitors Centre… The bears are just coming out of hibernation and are pretty hungry. There was only one other empty jeep at the High Point trail head – let’s hope the occupants didn’t take a packed lunch with them : ). It was an amazing experience that we have not stopped talking (or dreaming) about. OK, we had hoped to see bears on our travels… at Yellowstone maybe … a 100ft away… from inside the RV… but this unexpected encounter will make us a bit more wary for the rest of the journey.

The big surprise about Colorado is not the cold, the stunning mountain scenery or the bears but the amount of conventional agriculture at altitudes where in Europe it would just be Alpine pasture? Colorado, starting at 4,000ft with 54 peaks at over 14,000ft and a very short growing season (May – Sept)... we were stunned to see so many vineyards, farmyards and orchards (peaches etc) there are – something in virtually every mountain valley. Other surprises include the number of birds you get with blue colour in them at 5000ft (Blue birds, several types of jay, painted bunting etc) and coming across lots of huge brown velvet butterflies when walking at Vega (8000+ft) when everything was still dormant and covered in snow?

Having spent our whole lives at sea level we have suffered from the altitude even after 5 weeks. They say that at 5000 ft the air carries only 70% of the oxygen it does at sea level. We found we got out of breath quickly, with headaches and chest pains and felt weak especially walking in the heat… so with that and the colder weather our walking average has come down to around 5 miles a day since Utah.

Our journey through Colorado…

Cortez… Mesa Verde NP… Durango… Ridgway… Back Canyon NP (South Rim) Crawford… Back Canyon NP (North Rim)… Vega… Grand Junction… Colorado National Monument (National Park).

Mesa Verde is a World Heritage park/site with some amazing well preserved Pueblo cliff dwellings. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park…South Rim - remote, (a very remote campsite, 103 site but just 2 RV’s camping) rugged 2000+ft sheer dark grey cliffs with coloured streaks. The North Rim was similar – but no visitor Centre here - just dirt tracks and more like being on safari than anywhere else we have been in the USA. We only saw 2 trucks and 3 other people all day - not a good place to break down etc. Colorado National Monument – we spent a day on the 22 mile scenic drive and walked the trails to the various lookouts – some great monoliths and canyons.


Our best bits? Easy this time round… close encounter of the Bear kind!

Seeing that the source of both the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers are here in Colorado has made us think that our journey so far has been a tale of two rivers. First we followed the Rio Grande west and then the Colorado north. Both these mighty rivers (sadly tamed by numerous dams) would have been both barrier and highway for untold numbers of people during the history of the discovery of North America. Unlike many of these explorers who settled along the way, we have to find our way back home… or Kate will come looking for us! : )


North into Wyoming next…



Take Care

Den and Jane X

Utah Rocks - Part 1 and 2

Utah Rocks – Part 1… with or without Hoodoos

Utah is a state that for our journey (visiting the green bits on the USA map) was full of promise - but after five weeks did it deliver? With five fantastic National Parks, seven National Monuments (parks in waiting) and two National Recreation Areas (huge reservoirs etc) all within a 300 mile radius we were always going to have fun there. Add six National Forests and 43 States parks - some of them like Snow Canyon or Dead Horse are mini National Parks in their own right - and it is a miracle that we have stayed out of Utah for so long. The problem is the weather… to be more precise the altitude. Much of Utah is above 4000ft… even the ‘flat’ bits are higher than Mt Snowdon! Altitude drops the temperature by around 3 to 7C per 1000ft. Utah can be very cold in March.
For us it was a bit schizophrenic as the cold fronts came through reminding us that spring in Utah tends to unfold in much the same way as everywhere in the world – in stops and starts. To prove that after seven months we have not lost our ability to think like true Brits here is where we have been in Utah and the impact of the changing weather : )

Cold, wet and windy at Sandy Hollow State Park near Hurricane, Utah – nothing to write home about - place or weather : )

Cold and wet when we arrived in Snow Canyon State Park near St George, Utah but from day two it was warm / hot with one rather windy day… It is one of the best State parks we have visited - amazing multi-coloured sandstone cliffs rising 3000ft from the canyon floor and topped with a jet black lava flow. No surprise that this place has a list of film location credits a mile long. The campsites were the narrowest we have seen. Hitting a post when parking proves why it takes a special level of skill to become ‘UK Minibus Driver of the Year’ *** Congratulations David ***.

Sunny and hot, very hot one day at Zion… but typical of Utah, Zion was also a bit schizophrenic with the South (Watchman end) of the canyon being warm, bright and fun while the following day, the North end (the ‘Narrows’) was dark, cold and damp. In fact the 16 mile Narrows hiking trail is always wet… very, very wet. A quote from the park newsletter… ‘Not a trail to be underestimated. Hiking the Narrows means hiking in the Virgin river. At least 60% of the hike is spent wading, walking or swimming in the river. There is no maintained trail because the route is in the river!’ We decided we didn’t have the right shoes for this walk… and yes we were a bit put off by the fact that five people died in a flash flood whilst ‘walking’ it recently.

In fact the Zion National Park newspaper drew to our attention how schizoid Utah and much of the US can be. In a state where you can legally ride a motorbike without a crash helmet, drive a car whilst using a mobile phone, bring a firearm into the National Park (discharging it is prohibited… nice touch) and still have more than one wife (this one is illegal - mostly) you can’t buy alcohol in a supermarket? Can you see what we mean by schizoid – you can undertake an utterly insane hike that you need to be drunk to even consider and no one stops you… but don’t ask for a bottle of wine in Wal-Mart!

Bryce Canyon – sunny, very warm days, lots of snow about and freezing cold nights -6C with no heater! It’s not really a canyon at all but the result of erosion on a massive scale along the edge of an uplifted 100m year old mud puddle now known as the Colorado Plateau. More on a human scale than say the Grand Canyon – in both size and rate of change - Bryce has to been seen to be believed. Picture it like this - if you were to ask Tinka Belle (or any other fairy) to design a grotto to live in Bryce would be the result. The magic of Bryce is to suggest that nature has the imagination of a five year old… if you still believe in Father Christmas or enjoyed Tolkien even then you will be totally at home staring into the Bryce Amphitheatre. The interesting and equally sad thing is that this landscape changes as you watch. The Hoodoos (see picture) seem to have a human quality… Bryce is their birthplace, nursery and graveyard - each time you look ‘they’ appear to have changed, moved even… enchanting and disconcerting at the same time. In addition to ‘doing’ the scenic drive, we spent two days walking along the Rim and down into the Canyon.

The week old snow had blown off the exposed areas resulting in three feet drifts in the low lying areas making some bits of the Rim trail just a little bit more exciting than we had foreseen. As we write this section of the Utah blog Bryce is getting another 17 inches of snow over the next 3 days! Phew, so glad we made it back down to below 6000ft (and a power hook-up : ) before that lot came in!

Then Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Escalante, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. OK it was wet and windy but a lot warmer than Bryce and all that snow.
Escalante is so remote that the town of only 750 people is the only settlement for 75 miles in any direction. It’s a myth that people don’t settle here because it takes two days to write a home address when filling in a form : ) The Monument itself is huge and unspoilt stretching over 2 million acres of Southern Utah. It is a giant outdoor laboratory for scientists with only a few dirt roads and is no place to venture if you don’t have a four wheel drive vehicle. Like most people who come to this area we stayed in the State Park and hiked at the bit around the edge when it was not raining or snowing. This was the first time I (Den) had seen petrified wood in its natural setting – amazing colours.

The weather was so bad (snow, -5C at night) that we extended our stay and used the time to plan in and out of Yellowstone National Park at the end of May. Yellowstone is very popular and gets fully booked so you need to book early in the season. The power hook-up at Escalante means we can use our little electric heater (Lasko) over night. We hadn’t forgot how cold it was at Joshua N P when the water froze inside the RV. Once was enough, thank you!

We finally left Escalante for Capitol Reef National Park (N P) full of trepidation – it was higher and bound to be colder… we were wrong it was warm and sunny! The campground (Fruita) was high at 5,400ft but set in a fertile bowl and beautiful. The National Park Service has preserved the original Mormon settlement which included a farm and an amazing orchard. The ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ sequence in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was filmed at the old barn there apparently.


Capitol Reef was a real find and had an old world feel with some great walks up on to the 2000ft sheer faced, red sandstone cliffs that overlook a truly magical setting down in the valley. Hey, did we mention that the nights were cold, really cold (no hook-up)… but at least it was not teeming with thousands of visitors like it will be in May : )

From Capitol Reef onto Natural Bridges via the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Hite if you are following with a map : ) Hite (hot and sunny) was a marina on the shores of Lake Powell and it should have been a great spot. It was a beautiful, rugged, vast open area but now a ghost town as the Lake is at a 30year low and boats can’t launch there anymore. We were totally alone – us and the coyotes - after the lone ranger (Kimosabi) went off duty. We did have a great BBQ (hand built rock, fire pit) and an even better thunderstorm.





Utah Rocks – Part 2… natural bridge or arch

Utah really is simply like no other place on Earth… lots of US visitors (some of you guys?) do what is known as the ‘Grand Circle’. A loop that normally includes the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (flight and some man-made fantasy) and as many of the main Southern Utah National Parks as possible - depending on how long you have / can afford etc. We are lucky enough to be able to zig zag across Utah and spend a couple of days or more in each park and although we know already that Utah will not be our favourite state it is the most amazing natural playground with photo opportunities at every turn. One thing that has been rather strange this year is the way we have witnessed the spring. Not our normal slow, stop start progression but a jumbled up mix – trees that are in full leaf in one place… not even in bud at the next etc… as we go up and down in altitude. We have even become quite expert at determining how cold it is likely to be at night by looking at the stage of the cottonwoods in the nearby valley. We have seen wild flowers bloom here in the last few days that were out in Arizona over a month ago. The vast majority of Southern Utah is technically desert with less than 10inches of precipitation per annum so as you would expect it has been mostly blue skies and cold nights… and a small amount of rain / snow (above 6000ft).

So following on from Part 1… Natural Bridges was a small National Monument (park) with three natural bridges all at different stages of evolution. It was very chilly (coats) with scary climbs down makeshift ladders (brown trousers). One hell of a day’s walking down to each bridge in a canyon and then climbing back to the plateau – an exhausting day. We were too big (RV not us) for the campsite (21ft max) so we camped for nothing on public land and saved $20 before heading to Canyonlands N P (Needles section) the following day.

Canyonlands is split into three large areas The Needles, The Islands in the Sky and The Maze. The Maze is 4WD only and very easy to get lost in - surprise, surprise!
The Needles looks just like a scene from a Road Runner cartoon… spires, columns, huge rocks with typically big ‘western’ vistas. We did a great 5 mile hike at the end of a 6 mile dirt road … and got a citation (ticket plus a hand written note from Ranger Kerri) on our screen when we got back – dirt road classified as unsuitable for vehicles over 21 feet - we are 30ft plus. OK, the road was very scary – slow, windy, rough, single track, blind bends, big dips and long drop offs and yes we did have to park the wrong way round in the tiny ‘one way’ loop car park because we didn’t think we would be able to turn round if it got any busier… but it was all cool. After contacting Ranger Kerri back at the Visitors Centre and using a bit of English charm we got off with a warning… Miles from anywhere in the Land of the Free but you still have to obey the law – we didn’t see the sign – honest! The sights and sounds (silence) experienced were worth the humble pie as we could never have walked the full 20+ miles.

At the campsite we met Lesley and Rich from Montana… Lesley is by far the most interesting American we have had a conversation with so far. The majority of RVer’s we have met are good, solid, honest, reasonably educated, flag flying, white, retired Americans but dare we say they often seem a little parochial and not particularly self aware. There’s nothing wrong with this as such and it’s likely to be the same in many countries including the UK (who are we to judge etc : ) but it is somehow just not consistent with the view of the USA as the bastion of the free world. Two or three hours chatting with Lesley just whizzed by… covering anything and everything from Quorn to politics… asking questions and even remembering our names…

Sunshine all the way at Canyonlands - Islands in the Sky. It is different from Needles with vast, big sky, multi-coloured panoramas stretching for thousands of feet down and miles across with majestic snow capped mountains in the distance - lovely. After our success with getting off the previous citation we decided to risk camping in the campground with a limit of 28ft. A patrolling Ranger did come after us – knocking on the bedroom window – but only to tell us that our socks had escaped from our walking boots (airing outside) and were making their way across the road. These things happen when you only have 5 pairs (of socks) and are walking over 70 miles a week : )

For the uninitiated Park Rangers (National and State) come in many flavours… the Law Enforcement Rangers carry guns, look mean but are friendly (mostly) and in remote parks can be seen (you normally hear their radios way before you see them) hiking the trails. They enforce the Law… but also offer guidance, wisdom, water (only an idiot sets off on an 8mile walk without any - but people do) and a defibrillator for those who wander beyond their bodies capabilities.

Over Easter it was often cloudy, cold, wet and grey with glimpses of sun and yes, we know the UK had lots of sunshine! We stayed at our 2nd Dead Horse State Park, (DHSP) Utah this time with an even more suspect story to justify the name. On the 1st day the weather was good enough, long enough for us to explore the ‘breathtaking panorama of Canyonlands sculptured pinnacles and buttes towering 2000 ft or more above the Colorado River’. In fact it was a beautiful park with miles of walks but the view of the 12000 ft snow covered Le Sal mountains bathed in a pink glow from the setting sun was extra memorable given that we had to walk 2 miles along the rim back to the campsite in fast approaching darkness. If you have seen the film Thelma and Louise the final scene - when they drive off the cliff - was shot here. Errr… it is not a good location to stumble around in the dark. In fact the whole Moab (biggest town) area is a movie buffs mecca with hundreds of film having been shot here.

In the middle and at the end of our stay at DHSP we spent 3 days, 2 nights at Arches National Park. Lower than the 6000ft DSHP it was sunny but it did get very windy with almost a sand storm one tea time. At Easter Arches is very popular but other than at Delicate Arch (most famous arch) we didn’t see too many people. OK, during the 2nd day (Good Friday) we saw more people than we have seen in all the National Parks put together (excluding the Grand Canyon maybe). Most of them gather around the road sites and don’t walk to where you get the best views of some of the 2000 arches.

The truly iconic Delicate Arch (see photo) is the symbol of Utah and with good justification. It just looks like it could and should never be. Unlike natural bridges which are eroded by a river, stream or wash, arches are simply eroded by rain, wind and the thaw freeze cycles making their existence even more amazing. These very individual structures are timeless in the human context with Delicate Arch looking pretty much the way it does today (a giant pair of cowboy chaps) when the Egyptian Pyramids were being built… However, even apparently timeless solid rock arches have a life cycle - the Wall Arch fell (2008) and Landscape Arch is now very precarious. So, as Baby Arch gets bigger Delicate Arch will one sad day fall. If you go to Utah – Arches N P is a must visit destination – even during a national holiday. Unusually we found it to be better than even the guide book hype.

So,… the best bits of Utah for you Jane?

Where do I start…Could it be the majestic presence of Mount Watchman standing guard over the Zion campground? The alien quirkiness of the Bryce hoodoos? Maybe the poetic, old world charm of the Fruita orchards set amidst imposing red rock cliffs at Capitol Reef or the infinite number of weird and wonderful gigantic spires and fins that make up the Needles? Perhaps it’s simply the quiet magic of Arches with its massive multi-coloured, eroded sandstone spans… offering smooth, slick-rock solitude.
Yes, all of these will have a special place in my memory!

Whilst I agree with Jane’s sentiment entirely (the look and feel of the Fruita valley, Delicate Arch etc) I have fallen in love with the Bryce Canyon hoodoos. If the word isn’t enough for you then these hauntingly beautiful yet precarious, fantasy structures offer solace in the fact that in the physical world as in life, beauty is only skin deep - nothing lasts forever.

Into Colorado next






Thinking of you all back home… In addition to David’s success mentioned earlier…… Our congratulations to Chris for his recent promotion to ‘Reception and Accommodation Manager’ … To Taryn for a 3 month internship at the ‘Way with Words’ Literary Festival and to Logan and Kaleidofly (his band) for winning the ‘Live and Unsigned Band’ Regional Final… London and the East final next on the15th May 2011 – Good Luck!





HAPPY EASTER : )

Jane's Easter chocolate cake...


Take Care

Den and Jane X