Arches by Sunset Sunday May 30, 2010

We returned to Arches just before sunset. Late in the day, as the sun drops low on the horizon, the park takes on an entirely different persona. In bright daylight all the massive rocks and arches take on a harsh, massive, quality. Arches in the mid-day sun reflects impending danger. One gets the impression that Mother Nature is telling us mere humans we are insignificant. She is in charge! She lets us know in no uncertain terms she built Arches to stand for millions of years largely unchanged. Arches will stand long after man has departed. Enter this place at your own risk.

But when the sun begins to drop in the sky, the landscape takes on a soft, serene, look. The colors of Arches become a patina of soft reds, oranges, yellows and purples. Look into the distance and you see a multitude of shades depending upon the way the light hits the rocks. Look farther and you can see the La Sal Mountains covered with snow. They light up in the “alpenglow” as the dying rays of the day strike their peaks. Arches at sunset is peaceful and welcoming, the hordes of cars and people are gone. Only a few die- hards like us remain to enjoy the beauty.

Tomorrow we return to Scottsdale and our adventure comes to a close. A perfect ending to a perfect trip. Thank you Mother Nature, thank you National Parks Service, thank you John Muir and Ansel Adams for turning me on to the beauty of the American West and a special thank you to Teddy Roosevelt for having the foresight and the balls to save and protect so much beauty for so many generations.

To Qute John Muir: Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

Of course I will return..again and again.

Welcome all Visitors to Our National Parks. No it’s not Disneyland, but almost! May 30th 2010

Hey, I am happy that lots of foreigners like to come to the USA and visit our National Parks. In fact, when the opportunity arises, we should always thank them in person. It’s a nice thing to do and will make all feel like good neighbors.

BUT somehow with all the buses and all the people piling into a space and place that can hardly accommodate the hordes who come, the natural beauty of the surroundings is lost. And oftentimes foreign visitors not familiar with the fragility of the desert wander off trail and do inadvertent damage to plants that takes years to restore.

Take our day here at Arches NP, had we not taken the “primitive trail” to the back side of the Windows Arches Area, we would have been deluged by literally hundreds of visitors, mostly Japanese. By taking the road less travelled, climbing over a modest rock formation, we found a pristine area with only a handful of adventurous hikers. The unspoiled views here stretched for miles.

Here is my advice. If you want to visit the National Parks during a busy time, find the more difficult and more remote hikes or trails. You will be greatly rewarded for your efforts and enjoy nature as it was meant to be enjoyed in a peaceful , quiet setting.

Geology in Slow Motion: Arches National Park May 30, 2010

I want to make a request here. If there are any geologists among the masses of those who read this blog, please drop me a note to let me know if my facts are sound. If my narrative is correct, tell me how much it warms your heart to have me enlighten my readers about a subject that is near and dear to you.

Ever wonder how those huge balancing rocks appear on top of other rocks? Check out the picture of “balancing rock" in Arches National Park. No, this rock was not placed there by some divine force, or the Parks Service, or Steven Speilberg as a prop for his latest adventure movie. As it was explained to me by a friendly park ranger, “its geology in slow motion” .

In simple terms, water is absorbed faster by the rocks above which is more porous than the layer below. This part of southern Utah has of lots of rock strata that was formed over millions of years. The upper strata are not as dense as the compressed lower strata. When it rains the water goes through the upper strata and stops and pools when it hits the dense lower strata. When this happens erosion occurs between the layers. Once the water cuts a slight ridge between the layers, more rain and the winds begin to slowly do their work. Repeat this over a few million years and you wind up having a symmetrical and ever deepening space between the layers. Thus, one rock appears to be balancing on the other. As the ranger said, we see the results of" geology in slow motion".

Arches is all about erosion. There are over 2000 arches in this rather small piece of real estate. Arches is also about light and the amazing colors that are seen depending upon the way the light hits the rocks. For those of you who care, Steven Speilberg used Arches as a backdrop for his opening scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Check out Harrison Ford running for his life in front of the two giant arches.

Canyonlands National Park May 29th 2010

Canyonlands National Park was not designated as such till 1964 and is not nearly as well known nor as visited as the neighboring Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. This was my first visit to this park and I must say I am very impressed. In fact, I cant wait to come back to explore its vast wilderness areas.

Canyonlands is much larger then Zion and Bryce and offers some amazing viewing points from the road or in designated viewing areas. From high above you get a real picture of how the Colorado and Green Rivers have carved and continue to carve the steep canyons that rise above their water’s edge. I had previously travelled through Canyonlands on a raft for a few days but never could get this sense of magnitude from the river below. The rivers literally snake their way for miles, sometimes taking a near 180 degree turn before heading back in the direction of their confluence just above Lake Powell.

Put this on my bucket list: explore the more remote areas of Canyolands and camp out for a night under a starlit night.!!

Bryce Canyon May 28th 2010

I want to add an editorial comment here. Why is it that so many of the National Parks in the Southwest are named after a white settler and almost none after the tribes who populated the area for hundreds of years before Columbus ever left Spain for the New World? Seems a bit unfair don’t you think?

Each of the National Parks we visit on this trip is different. Bryce is the most compact and the canyon rim is at the highest elevation, reaching over 9,000 feet at its pinnacle. The pictures attached speak to the beauty of the place. Bryce is very unique for its “hoodoos”, sandstone structures aligned in rows that look like the famous Chinese Terracotta Soldiers.

Bryce is small enough that one can experience its beauty within a few hours. The hike from the rim to the floor of the canyon drops steeply but if you are in reasonable shape you can do a good round trip up and back within three hours or so. And because of the elevation, Bryce is the coolest of the parks. In fact the day before we arrived the temps were as low as the twenties and it snowed!

No trip to Bryce would be complete without a stop at Ruby’s . Ruby’s is just outside the entrance to the park and has lodgings from tents up to reasonably fancy hotel rooms. The place has been open for more than 70 years. The restaurant is fun, decorated with all sorts of memorabilia from times gone by and the food is pretty good, especially the pie with ice cream.

Utah the home of magnificent canyons, snow capped peaks, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and more dead car skeletons per capita than anywhere in the USA.

Utah May 2010

Utah is a spectacularly beautiful state. I have enjoyed its natural wonders and skiing its light fresh powder. But please, does every small town here have to have an automobile and truck graveyard that is always visible to the main road?!! In New Zealand I am told there are 100 sheep per capita, in Utah the same ratio exists between its residents and dead cars. At least there is something soothing about looking at a heard of sheep .. not dead rusted cars. Perhaps it is against the law to destroy a car in Utah, or there are no scrap metal dealers. . Can any of my Utah readers (it there are any) enlighten me on the subject?

A word about Hatch Utah ..we stay here for two nights

For those of my readers who have visited this bustling metropolis, you can skip this part.

Hatch is about two hours north of the Arizona border in Western Utah in the middle of a green valley at about 7,000 feet. Like most of the towns along route 89 Hatch was settled by the Mormons in the later 1800s. Blink and you will pass it. But Hatch has its bright spots, clean air, vistas that go on forever and the charm of the little cabins we have booked for two days. If you ever want to experience a slice of Americana Utah style, visit Hatch or Panguich or any of the little towns that follow route 89 from the Arizona border till it intersects with interstate 70. Don’t expect great food or posh accommodations, but at least the prices are right and the people are very friendly. And, by the way, if you are looking for a great rock store, there is one just south of Hatch. Look for the fake dinosaur out front. Everything is always on sale.

Man with Bionic Knee hikes to Angels Landing!

Thursday May 28th

Allan Warshawsky, that famous Israeli explorer and financial planner wins the Moshe Wesley Powell award today for perseverance. In spite of his bad knees, Allan's gave an admirable performance hiking the five miles and thirteen hundred vertical feet to Angels Landing above Zion Canyon. What a guy!

I have been to Zion several times and the place never disappoints. Sandstone cliff rise above the canyon floor nearly 2000 feet straight up with all sorts of geological layers of different colors. We were told by the ranger driving the shuttle bus into the canyon that Zion was formed 250 million years ago. Zion has evolved in unique geological ways, creating the varied and fascinating landscape that captivates park visitors at this particular instant in geologic time.

The Virgin River is the primary sculptor in the formation of Zion Canyon. But the river has been aided by other erosional forces, creating the spectacular vistas.

Lacking a geologist guide, I decided to buy a book “Water, Rocks, and Time” and now I will become an expert on this place! Note: Two pages into the book, I can now tell my readers that Mother Nature has sculpted this deep canyon over millions of years, but only 12-15 inches every THOUSAND YEARS. therefore, I do not advise looking for any changes in the depth of the canyon if you come back to visit every few years or so.

We arrive in the park for our trek to the top of Angels Landing around mid-morning. The air is crisp with only a few puffy clouds above. This is my second trip up to Angels Landing and this time it was surprisingly easy. Perhaps all the hiking I have done lately has made me better prepared, but it was probably because last time the temperatures in the canyon were well over 90 degrees. Along the hike we meet lots of interesting people, mostly from abroad. One British couple, with three young children, was especially interesting. He had a media company that he sold and now they were taking off two years to travel the world. Wow!

At the summit the view is breathtaking (see pic) and you cannot believe how great a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can taste at the top of Angels Landing. Actually it is almond butter, and it is my “go to” food for any hike longer than three hours. Trader Joe’s brand gets my recommendation.

This trip as it unfolds is a series of “OH MY GOD” moments for our Israeli cousins. It seems we can’t go for anymore than a few minutes in the car or on a hike when those words come out of their mouths and describe another breathtaking view, or even a beautiful wildflower which all seem to be in bloom this time of year. Although I have been in most of these places several times before, it is great to experience them again through their eyes. Allan and Sheila genuinely enjoy nature and the beauty of the Southwest. This is a long way from Newark New Jersey where Sheila's dad and his sister, my mom, immigrated to from Russia in the 1920s. I wonder if they are looking down on us and experiencing an "oh my god" moment of their own!

Finished the day at Zion by joining the National Park Historical Society and dropping a few dollars on pins, sweatshirts and cards for our adopted “kids” in Mexico and India. Looking at all the “stuff” they sell in the parks, I have decided to take a more frugal path to mark my visits. I will buy a US map on the web, put it in my office and place pins in the National Parks I have visited. I think I have been to about thirty or so, but I have about forty or so to go.

So where are all the Antelopes? Antelope Canyon May 26th 2010

Wednesday May 26th 2010

Note: All these pics were taken with my Motorola Droid Google Phone..

Imagine you are a nine year old Navajo girl and you are out for a stroll some eighty years ago. You remember what it was like then. No internet, no Google, no YouTube and of course no face book.

This cute little girl (all Navajo girls are cute in 1930) wanders down a wash and discovers a tiny opening in the red sandstone cliffs on the sides of the wash. In she goes, and like Alice dropping into the rabbit hole, she enters Wonderland. Bright sunlight streams down the sides of the narrow canyon like orange colored lasers illuminating the sandstone and embedded crystals. The fine dust in the air glows. She looks up and the stone above is shaped like orange and red corkscrews reaching the top some fifty feet above. The shapes of the narrow canyon take many forms, a bear, giant hands, and a man with a beard. Would anyone ever believe what she had discovered?

Fast forward almost eighty years and here I am in her canyon, Antelope Canyon, just outside Page Arizona a few miles from Lake Powell.

The trip from Phoenix took nearly four hours but went quickly and was as beautiful as ever. Accompanied by my cousins, Allan and Sheila from Israel, this was an opportunity to share our travels through Navajo Country. I never tire of this ride, the San Francisco Peaks covered with snow outside Flagstaff, the Painted Desert and the Vermillion Cliffs. These five days upcoming through Northern Arizona and Southern Utah will be “eye candy” for all of us.

We arrive in Page Arizona and wait for our Navajo “guide” to take us to the canyon, about twenty minutes outside of town. All shapes and sizes of people are waiting to board our open truck. Most are non American. Understandably, this part of the West has much appeal for those foreign visitors (guests) wanting to see the beauty they have often watched in our movies. It does amaze me, however, that so many Americans choose destinations outside the USA before ever experiencing the natural beauty that we have right here within our borders.

We board this open truck. A few seat belts are there for display. None work. Our driver and our guide is a very pleasant and attractive Navajo woman in her early thirties. By the way she drives however, I am sure she thinks she is Danica Patrick, the famous, beautiful, Indy Race car driver. Sitting in this open truck, with the wind blowing so hard I can hardly open my eyes, it feels like she is going 100 miles an hour. Once we reach the sandstone wash that leads to the canyon she proceeds to put the truck in four wheel drive and we slide and spin our way to the canyon entrance.

Even though you cannot get to the Canyon without a Navajo guide, the place is very busy. We enter the canyon with lots of other people including a contingent of Japanese who are all wearing surgical masks! The canyon is very narrow, in some places as narrow as ten feet across, but even with all the people inside, the place is magical. At one point we enter a “room” where dust is dropping from above in a fine illuminated mist and it covers us with a layer of orange dust. We all experience some bit of anxiety with all the people in this narrow space and a German couple in our group has to turn back because they are feeling so anxious from their feelings of claustrophobia. But we all press on and exit the canyon on the side where the water enters and carves this magnificent natural wonder. This is not a place you want to be in when flash floods race down the wash and enter the canyon with the force that has carved all these openings and shapes in the sandstone.

Returning to the canyon for the walk back to the truck, the crowds have disappeared and it is quiet and peaceful inside. This is clearly the way to experience Antelope Canyon. I stop to imagine what that young Navajo girl might have experienced when she discovered Antelope Canyon so long ago. She must have thought she was in a dream, unless of course, she had read Alice and started looking for a talking rabbit that was late for a very important date!