Our Trip Out West, Day 6: Mittens, Vulcans, and the Two Towers

Anywho, on Monday we headed off toward Monument Valley. Unlike the day before, when the spectacular cliffs kind of shrank into the earth until they were just impressive bluffs, today the cliffs started breaking off, standing on their own—forming mesas and, eventually, buttes. (Alas, I had forgotten the difference and had to look it up.)

Before we got even that far, though, we had to pull over on a random turnout on the side of the road for…the eclipse! At first we were worried that we’d miss the whole thing because of cloud cover, but just as the eclipse was starting the clouds cleared right up for us. We whipped out the eclipse glasses we’d brought, leaned against the car and lay on the asphalt, and watched the wonder. The moon covered about 70-80% of the sun where we were, and we saw almost the whole thing.

Back on the road, we made it out to Monument Valley to eat our lunch while overlooking some of the most spectacular buttes in the west.

I couldn't bear to crop this one because of that beautiful sky.

Mittens! 

We’d have loved to get a tour of the back country, but had to press on across those wide open spaces. We saw a ton of “watch for cattle” signs but very few cattle, and land became flatter and flatter as we took turns onto smaller and smaller roads.

When we were keeping an eye out for Mexican Hat, 

I was expecting it to look like a right-side-up hat, 

not too different from the other buttes we'd seen. Instead...

And here's a close-up since it's a bit hard to see in that picture.

I also found a butte that looked like the Vulcan salute

(my thumb is pointing at it),

so I did the polite thing and gave it back. 

Live long and prosper, Monument Valley!

(Bonus: the oft-seen open-range cattle warning.)

Our destination required some light off-roading but was really in the middle of nowhere: Hovenweep National Monument. Amazingly, the site hasn’t had much archaeological investigation (perhaps because it’s so far out from anything), but that’s probably a good thing given how close you can get to the ruins—which was pretty darn cool.

These are "the two towers." It was a pretty geeky day, wasn't it?

Being so close to the buildings was awesome.

The ruins at Hovenweep were mesa-top pueblo structures, unlike the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, with one exception: A boulder fallen halfway down the shallow valley had eroded into a “C” shape, and some enterprising member(s) of the tribe had built a pueblo into the missing section. Hey, it’s totally what I would have done!

The boulder with the building in it is in the top middle third--

--though it's hard to see the stones in this picture, I'm afraid.

This is a view up one branch of the Y-shaped canyon. 

There are at least four in tact ruins in here--can you spot them all?

(You'll need to enlarge the picture, obviously!)

Finally we worked our way out of nowhere into a beautiful, winding river valley and to our stop for the night: Kelly Place.

Oh my gosh, you guys. If you’re looking for a place to stay near Mesa Verde, look no further! This awesome retreat was like summer camp for grown-ups—a bit rustic, but plenty of charm. It’s an active archaeological site that frequently hosts activities to teach people about the life of the Ancestral Puebloans who lived at Mesa Verde: blanket and basket weaving, pottery making. Areg and I stayed at the same time as a group of grandparents and grandchildren, and we got to sneak into a presentation about the geography of the area, which came in super handy the next day. The only thing missing was, well, actual American Indians to offer their perspectives and ensure that everything was handled with respect. That fact was a bit uncomfortable for me.

To my extreme regret, I was so busy being impressed by Kelly Place that I completely forgot to take pictures of the compound. Grr… At least you can check it out on their website, if you’re interested.

Take a look at Areg's Facebook page for even more photos. 

Our Week Out West, Day 4: Water, Water Everywhere

We started out with an easier hike to warm up: the Emerald Pools. I was honestly a bit surprised to find that after more than ten years, this is easier trail is still probably my favorite hike in Zion (of those I’ve done, obviously). It did show a little more wear and tear than others, since it was accessible to many more people, but it was possible to find quiet spots and actually hear a bit of nature around you. Plus the pools are just beautiful.

The waterfall at the lowest of the three pools

The view up from my favorite little clearing, 

which had a little 12"x6" channel cut into the rock 

where the water ran out of the second pool and, eventually, 

over the waterfall. Erosion in action!

This is, however, one place were the disadvantage of letting someone else take most of the pictures becomes obvious, because Areg apparently didn’t take many pictures at all here. Sigh. Well, that’s what I get, I guess. Still, there was one odd occurrence: the last time I was there, when I was maybe 11 or 12, there were gigantic icicles falling off the cliff wall onto the stones around the pool. This time, there was a huge crack and the sound of falling stone. I think that cliff has something against me, even though I love it.

Maybe the cliff doesn't like us,

but now we don't like the cliff.

Beautiful view down Zion canyon.

Next we hopped the canyon shuttle to the very last stop for…the Narrows! Like Angel’s Landing, this is one of Zion park’s most famous hikes, and for good reason. It’s gorgeous the whole way, with surprisingly varied scenery, some greenery up overhead, and towering cliffs on either side. Again, it was busy but not so busy that we were annoyed, even though we arrived later in the morning when more people were headed out. In the early afternoon we found a lovely little side canyon to explore. It required a bit more athletic maneuvering, which we weren’t quite prepared for, so we found a lovely little dry spot for lunch before heading back downstream.

Toward the beginning of the hike. 

Everyone seemed to have rented long wooden walking poles/staffs 

and wet suit-type shoes, but we were fine without. 

I guess the staffs might have made slot canyon maneuvering a little easier.

A cool part of the canyon where the water had undercut the cliff.

If Sarah fits into small places, Areg fits into big places!

Getting narrower up the Narrows. 

This was about where we found the first side slot canyon.

I like our power poses here!

Up the slot canyon.

On our way back down, we found that someone 

had built these little stacks of stones.

Areg and I had opted to wear our sneakers instead of our hiking boots, and I also wore the brace I’d brought. My sneakers were toast by the end of the day—but then, I have had them since 2009. As for the ankle, since the water was nice and cool, it was like a day-long ice. The only problem with that, though, was that I probably went further than was wise. Ah well, it was totally worth it.

Fortunately, this was not my ankle by the end of the day.

I have no idea whose ankle/leg it is. Deer, probably?

Finally, we rounded out the day with a delicious, well-earned meal at the Whiptail Grill, which I think has been converted from an old gas station. Cool venue, awesome outdoor seating, and good food with the added spice of hunger—a good end to a good day.

My phone's not the best at pictures in the dark, 

but hopefully it gives you an idea of the setup.

Funnily enough, this was not the only gas station we saw

that had been converted into a restaurant!

For more pictures, check out Areg's Facebook.

Our Week Out West, Day 3: Above and Below

Wow, are we only on day three already? So much for “short”!

Right, so this was the day we hiked Angel’s Landing. It’s a pretty scary hike for most, with narrow paths and steep drop-offs. I chickened out when dad took me on the hike back in 2002 or so, and then conquered my fears and completed it on my own in 2012. Now it was Areg’s turn!

We try to convince ourselves we're not nervous to be going 

all the way up there--to the top of that cliff above our heads

A quick look back at the trail below

That rock ledge right up front is the edge of the cliff. 

Then nothing but air until you reach that valley floor.

The trail, as expected, was pretty crowded—but we got lucky and didn’t have to deal with the Disneyland-like crowds that Felicia had warned me against. Yeah, there was a bit of waiting for others to scramble in one direction or another on the narrowest section, the last half mile, but I think all of us were happy to have a moment’s break to collect ourselves.

Areg and I with just the last, most difficult half-mile to go

(one of my favorite photos from the whole trip)

Areg and I celebrate our victory

(Today, he's sitting next to me while I prep these pictures:

"I wonder which is higher--the cliff or your hair?")

I swore I wasn't going to post much person-less scenery,

since far better photographers have already been here, 

but I can't help it

We paddle our feet in the Virgin River and celebrate our complete survival.

The river makes a great "ice" bath for me.

Once that was over, we were done with hiking for the day. I haven’t mentioned yet that I’d actually hurt my left ankle earlier this summer—pretty badly, since it had been bothering me since July. The pain wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t hike, but going down steep hills did aggravate it quite a bit, so we decided to do some scenic driving instead of any more walking. I strapped a bag of ice to my ankle and we set off for the Mount Carmel Highway.

Folks, this part of Zion is less seen than the main but it is absolutely gorgeous. After passing through the Mount Carmel Tunnel (and dang but wouldn’t I like more information on how that particular feat of engineering was achieved!) we stopped at almost every single pull out to admire the gorgeous rocks…and compare them with tiramisu, among other treats. Yep, I was hungry.

A gorgeous blind arch on the way to the Mount Carmel tunnel

This may have been the tiramisu mountain, but it's 

properly known as Checkerboard Mesa

Oh, the many faces of Areg 8-)

Chillin' in Bruce* while Areg hops out for some pictures

We had a spot of adventure when we got back to Rockville that evening—the power was out! Fortunately by the time we finished our salad, it was back up and running, so that we could order our entrees.

*Why did I name the car Bruce? It's big and grey with a tiny fin on the top. 

What, can't you see the similarity?