Week 5
23rd
to 31st of August
As I am sitting
here under the darkest sky imaginable( it IS actually the darkest spot on the
‘light pollution’ map of the US), it is time again to reflect on a whirlwind of
a few days.
Yes, it’s taking
me right back to where I last left you…. Zion National Park..
Final note on
Bryce: our final stop there was at the visitor center. We were so excited to
find international stamps and even a facility to post our long overdue cards…we
were carrying them along in my hand bag since Iceland!!! Yay!!
We choose a
scenic drive through Mormon Country in a drizzly late morning. Our mouths
started watering by the idea of some authentic German bakery, which was
advertised on the Highway on BIG billboards. Mmm, we pulled off in great anticipation.
Both Arno and I went to investigate, but returned back to the Suburban empty
handed. Nope, not really what we had in mind. The turkey dry wraps had to
perform their duty once again…. A few miles further our hope shot straight back
up: Thunderbird Authentic Pie Shop was advertised!!!! Again we pulled off the
highway…this time only I went in, a little less enthusiastic than our first
attempt. Well, I asked for the menu, in what looked like a sit-down diner…and I
could not even find the word: ‘pie’ in there. Needless to say, we gave up!!
From Mount Carmel Junction (disappointing pie country)…(for those of you who do
not know - this is also the name of our children’s former school in Scotland!!)
it was only 30min to the gate of Zion
National Park (Utah).
From the point of
entering this park, we were speechless about the grandiosity of these monuments
of rock. For once the kids were actually looking out the window and commenting
on the ‘mine craft’-rock faces and
towers!! Now ‘mine craft’ is an I-pad craze where you can create all sorts of
buildings or natural features by stacking up blogs on top of one another.
Bearing that in mind, you can start to get a little picture in your ‘mine’(!!!)
about the ‘craft’(!!) of these rock faces….and give your spiritual mind wings
about the Great Creator!!
Next up was a
dark tunnel (you really had to put your headlights on to see anything!!),
1.1mile long built in 1926!! It opens up in a total new landscape: hairpin
bendy road winding it’s way down to the valley floor with sheer drops to a tiny
river down there somewhere…. Looking up, flat vertical rock cathedrals
demanding awe and reference.
With only one
road into the canyon floor, it can get a bit congested, so the park has adopted
an awesome system of free shuttle busses to transport the yearly 2.5 million
visitors. No public vehicles are allowed on the side road into the most narrow
part of the canyon, but it was so much easier just to sit back on the shuttle,
listen to some information about the canyon and enjoying the scenery.
After an initial
wet start to our day, it dried up nicely, and we were over the moon to be
pitching our tent in hot blazing sunshine. Little did we know…..
We orientated
ourselves, got onto the shuttle and departed to conquer our first hiking route
in Zion. We decided to do a very short flat(wheelchair accessible) hike at the
very back of the canyon. This leads to the most photographed area of Zion,
called: ‘the narrows’ (very tight river canyon with marvelous light patterns in
reflection…or so the pictures are telling me it looks like!!!) Needless to say,
the dark clouds started gathering as we got onto the bus, and Thomas in
particular, started freaking out already…. (Golden eagles, rattle snakes and
now thunder storms…..that boy’s mind is taking him places…) Anyhow, we got out
of the bus, just to be driven back on the bus by the thundery rain. A bit
further down the valley we tried again..another flat children friendly
walk…started on it, just to be sent back by a noisy thunder clap!! Very
successful (not) afternoon in Zion!!!
Back at our tent-we
just made it inside- al heavens opened. The older kids were hiding in the
suburban and Arno and I were brewing a coffee in the waterproof tent (5pm).
Nina was hiding in my lap with her fingers stuck in her ears!! Now, I really
need to commend VANGO – this tent can withstand the wildest of thundery
persistent rainstorms imaginable!! By 6pm the nature orchestra took a tea
break…enough time for the kids to come and join us. Arno and Thomas felt very proud
at this stage…earlier the afternoon they lost a few tent pegs in their attempt
to secure our abode. They rolled in the help of some cast-away boulders to
perform the duty and stood back to admire their work. Come 6pm, we realized
that some other lazy campers had lost their tents to the trees and were
preparing to overnight in their cars!!!
With a few extra
lullabys we manage to settle the children for the night. By this time Nina had
her fingers glued into her ears.( I woke up a few times during the night and
found her sound asleep, still with those fingers stuck into her ears….I tried
to pulled them out, but even in her sleep she was unmovable in her resolution
to block out ALL thunder claps!!!)
Next morning we
attempt one of the ‘flat’ walks again and was rewarded with a waterfall-shower
we had to walk trough to get to the view point! Very welcoming in the soaring
temperatures.
Onwards into
Arizona..and the suspense in seeing the greatest of them all (!!!) was building
up. First a little detour to view Lake
Powell. Fantastic to see this lovely blue wonder, straight slap bang in the
middle of a dry brown dessert! We visited the Navajo (authentic Indians)
culture and art center at Cameron Lodge an aged old outpost. Our eyes nearly
popped out when we saw the sizes of our local Navajo Tacos plate. Served on a
fried bread, the size of a dinner plate…..we did finish it all!!!
As the late
afternoon sun hit the little Colorado Plato, the carved up landscape slowly
came into view. What more can I say: awesome wonder!! Not one picture that we
took of the Grand Canyon can give
you a clear understanding of the immense beauty, vast expanse and unmentionable
debt of this valley!! What is really
interesting, is that the plato is covered in 2 to 3 meter high bushy trees…you
do not see the canyon until you are literally standing on the rim!!! The first
explores in 1864 could not cope with the illusive perspective of the debt of
it, they turned around and went to search for something a bit more
spectacular!!!
We spend two
nights in the Mather campground, went for a walk and picnic on the rim and then
took the shuttle bus to the most western look-out, since no public traffic is
allowed on that stretch of road.
We befriended the
most humble man: Mr Geroge Moreno. He served in the US airforce and was
stationed in Ghana, Germany and Korea. Once retired from the forces, he took up
a job as a park ranger, with retirement coming up in November. He has travelled
the world, raised four children with his wife (who travelled with him) and we
met him cleaning the toilets of the ablutions nearest to our tent! We are
looking forward in welcoming him on this next trip to South Africa.
I had my 3hours
out (remember Arno had his when he went mtb’ing!!) on our last morning at
‘Grandest’ of Canyons, by walking down the Bright Angle trail to the 3mile rest
house. I was on the trail for 6am and had the most peaceful and beautiful
morning as I watched the sun rises from within the canyon. Meanwhile, George
dove over to our tent and Arno was blessed with a beautiful morning coffee,
especially made for him by our new friend!!! Hey, the favor of God is upon
us!!!
With one last
view of the deepest canyon in the world, a few souvenirs (Navajo sand art and
earnings) later, we were on our way to the city-that’s-always-buzzing…Las Vegas, Nevada. We had so much to
do…the 4hour journey dragged on a bit…unfortunately for Arno, it was after
sunset when we eventually arrived at the Hoover dam. Although there were
other’s like us, all of us had to make up the scene of the second largest dam
in the world in our minds!! We thought it would be tourist friendly and lit
up…nope….
Back to the
journey from Grand Canyon Village to Las Vegas….We had a lunch stop in the
little surprise of a Route 66 town, Williams. Next up was Selligman…a very cute
little Interstate by-pass, also on the historically Route 66. Now, those of you
who had younger children 6 years ago, will be familiar with the blockbuster Cars. (Thomas must have seen that move
over a hundred times…) Now, the little town of Selligman, apparently, was the inspiration for Radiator Springs,
the little town in Cars. The
villiagers caught onto this opportunity to recreate the tourist business in
this formerly Route 66 hub….and we had the best root beer-float and pineapple
shake (Philippa’s choice!!) at the ‘silly’shop’.
Next stop, Kingman. We trusted our ‘Moon’ guide
book with their suggestion of a authentic diner, and Mr D’s, did not
disappoint!! With a juke-box in the corner, Marilyn and Elvis memorabilia,
furnished in pink and turquois ….just perrrrrfect!!
With all these
diversions…you can understand why we kinda missed out on a view of the Hoover
dam….And why it was 9pm already, before we got to our ‘fancy hotel’!!! (The
whole day Nina was excited about arriving at our ‘fancy hotel”…’with the
swimming pool’! Mind you, any old hotel would have been fine…since we were
desperado for a shower….4 days and counting since the last one…baby wipes are
amazing, but can just substitude water for SO LONG!!!) Well, our hotel was like
a dream come true…Vegas style. This include the free drinks and snacks every
evening, AMAZING cooked breakfast, swimming pool with hot tub…and do not forget
the real(yes I am not kidding) swans in the little pond in the foyer.
We had time to
clean up, do the washing, catch up with friends(free wifi…yes baby!!!) relax in
the pool, meet some South Africans/now Americans and visit the down
town-largest-in-the-world M&M store (4 stories high!!). Our late night trip
to watch the musical fountains in front of the Bellagio and the volcano
exploding in front of Cesar’s palace (together with every other tourist in
Vegas, was a bit overwhelming…..but hey ho, we were in Las Vegas!!!!
Thomas and Alana
will remember Las Vegas for the gym sessions they had with mum and dad at the
‘fancy hotel’.
Alana says she
will also remember Las Vegas for the loudness(I guess ‘loudness’ in colour is
included here) vs the quietness of the National Parks with their beautiful
bright stars.
I will remember
Vegas for the sore back I had after carrying a sleeping Nina for hours (or so
it felt) dodging people and taking in a showcase of fakeness!! I loved the
whole experience!!!
Only one more
week left to explore the US….aaaaaa time is passing so quickly! Especially if
you are having this amount of fun-filled experiences to digest!!!
Yosemite National
Park here we come……