Stayin' in da Hood

Day Off #2
July 12, 2013

Having driven more than a hundred miles yesterday, Fred wanted to stay close to home for today's outing.  We traveled about a mile north to explore a tributary of Kanab Creek based on our Indian artifacts guru's information that there are petroglyphs on a cliff-face along the wash.  However, we had no idea of their distance from the confluence or even which side of the wash on which they are located.  We found a track and followed it until it disappeared into dense brush and scrubby trees.   A consolation  discovery was a few petroglyphs and some pottery shards at a boulder near the highway north of Kanab Creek.

We continued on to Best Friends and climbed to a cave we'd spotted on an earlier visit.  Scrambling up the sandstone was hot and challenging in places but the view that rewarded us justified the effort.  From debris around the site, we speculated that the cave was man-made, or at least enhanced, for an extraction activity, possibly to obtain the fine, pure white sand inside.  The cave didn't exist or was only a fraction of its current size when Native Americans inhabited the area so the etchings covering the walls are relatively recent.

How does that rock stay there?

 

 

 

Looking south from inside sandy cave at Best Friends



Water Fall

Day Off #1
July 11, 2013

Today's destination was Pine Creek Falls in Zion.  We wedged the Jeep into the last bit of pavement at the trailhead, noticing dark clouds scudding overhead.  Walking parallel to the creek but unable to see it until we to had to descend from the bank to the water, we began to hear whoops and hollers.  Rounding a bend, we saw a large family group enjoying the deep pool at the base of a high jump-off rock.  A bit beyond the swimmers, we reached the falls--a lovely little stream that cascades into a deep circular pool.  We would have liked to stay longer but rumbles of thunder made a compelling case for immediate departure.  Rain began to fall right before we got back to the Jeep and increased as we drove toward the southern gate.

Threatening clouds over Zion's Temple of Sacrifice

 

  Whee!

 

Pine Creek Falls

 



In order to avoid the dangerous switchback ascent to the tunnel--and to have lunch in Hurricane--we took the long route home, through Arizona.  There was evidence of hard rain all along the way even though it had stopped by the time we got to Fredonia.  When we arrived home, Settlers Cove looked very wet and had that wonderful desert-after-the-rain smell.

Below is a picture of a beautiful arrowhead that Fred found near our RV after the hard rain.

 

and another found today 7/14

 

 

Catching Up

July 4th-11th


July Fourth was a red-letter day not only because of the celebratory events but also because we had rain!  For the first time in at least six weeks.  It broke the heat wave and, while it's been hot since, we haven't had the sustained high temperatures of late June and early July.

Last Sunday, Parry Lodge was a-buzz about a wedding reception held the previous evening at Angel's Landing on the Best Friends property.  Since it sounded so lovely and is only two miles north of our RV site, we drove there after dinner on Sunday.  What a magical place!  A tall sandstone cliff curves around an oval lawn to create a natural amphitheater looking out to the Kanab Creek watershed and red rock mesas in the distance.

Driving through Angel Canyon, we saw lots of places which deserve further investigation but we didn't know if Best Friends permits hiking on their land.  I called on Monday and learned that they not only allow access but provide a map to Hidden Lake and some Indian ruins.  We picked up a map and searched for a set of petroglyphs (hard to find, hard to see and difficult to photograph) near the Visitor Center.

Yesterday evening, we made the trip to Hidden Lake, a pleasant mile-long walk on a dirt road ending at the mouth of a huge opening in a rock wall.  To see the 'lake', which is actually a pond, you must step ten or twelve feet into the cave where it's cool and dark and rather creepy.  Going back to the car, we took the spur to the Indian ruins:  slabs of flat rock set vertically in the dirt to create square and rectangular spaces under the protection of  a huge rock alcove;  a pictogram of a human (?) figure on the wall; and pottery shards in the sandy floor.

Business at the Lodge has been slow--typical for July, when hot weather and afternoon monsoons keep tourists away.  Management decided that we aren't needed on Friday so we'll have two days off this week instead of one.

Fourth of July

This has been an ideal holiday celebration--special events taking place in addition to business as usual; everything in town is open except the Post Office, banks and pharmacies.

We knew that the front lawn of Parry Lodge would be the best spot for viewing the parade so we went into town early for breakfast and got a good parking spot.  Wandering along the main street until the parade started, we met two friendly couples who retired to Kanab, one from California and the other from Jackson Hole, WY.

The parade was well-organized, started on time and lasted about 45 minutes. 

 'Anticipation'

(People reserve viewing spots by putting out their chairs on July 3.)

 

 The Bible School float

 

 A gaggle of Uncle Sams

 

 Honey's Supermarket's entry, a huge shopping cart

 

 

 

 

 

The wet finale, thanks to the Forest Service

 



The next event was a fair in the park.  Food vendors, crafters and various charities set up canopies along the sidewalk and kids scampered in the splash pad awaiting the start of games.  We made a quick circuit of the offerings and, not seeing anything we wanted to spend time on, headed for the grocery store.  Later there will be a dinner, music, fireworks and an outdoor movie.  But those of us who have to get up at 5 AM won't be able to attend...........

Heat Wave

July 1-3, 2013

Our days off for this week, Monday through Thursday, come during a heat wave scorching the Southwest.  Temperatures during the day are over 100* and in the high 60s at night; our air-conditioner runs constantly.

We tried a close-to-home hike on Monday to look for Indian ruins in one of Kanab Creek's side canyons.  Although we set out before 8 AM, the temperature shot up rapidly as the sun rose above the cliffs.  About two miles up the canyon, the faint intermittent track we followed disappeared.  Because continuing down into the wash looked as difficult and dangerous as scrambling to the rim, we turned around and trudged back in blazing sunlight.

A respite from the heat seemed in order for yesterday and we stuck to indoor destinations--the barber shop, the museum in Fredonia, the bookstore and Kanab's Heritage Museum. 

A few weeks ago Fred found handprints and sharpening grooves on the cliff above the RV park and he wanted to explore that area more thoroughly.  By 7:15 we were threading our way over rocks, around scrubby trees and along steep piles of scree, climbing about 150'.  The reward for our exertion was discovering many petroglyphs, a weathered date with initials and more sharpening grooves.

June 26th & June 27th

The remainder of Wednesday was spent in domestic chores--putting away the groceries, unpacking, washing clothes, cleaning out the Jeep, etc.  Thursday morning, while it was still cool, we hiked up the cliff sheltering our little cove, which we've nicknamed 'Morris Mesa.'  It doesn't look that high from the RV park but gazing down from almost-the-top, we realized how far we'd ascended.  No discoveries of dinosaur tracks, Indian artifacts or rare wildflowers but we did get stunning views of Kanab to the south and Zion's white sandstone cliffs to the north.  And it also satisfied our curiosity as to 'what's up there?'.

 

From Morris Mesa,  Kanab to the south

 

 



 

 and Zion to the north.

 

In the afternoon, Fred worked out at the fitness center and Jan explored some of the shops before we had to attend a meeting of front desk staff at the lodge.  When we returned to the RV, it was suffocatingly hot, well beyond the ability of the A/C unit to cool even slightly.   With no shade at our site and temps of over 100* forecast for the next four days, we had to do something.  So we retracted the dinette slide on the passenger side to reduce the square-footage and eliminate windows on the east and west ends of the extension as well as the sky-lights in the ceiling.  We used sunshades from the 'eliminated' windows to insulate the rear and side windows in the bedroom.   Extending the awning and turning on a small fan each helped a bit.

After dinner we drove back to town for a talk at the BLM visitor center about the Spanish Trail.  In 1829 Armijo, attempting to establish a lucrative route between New Mexico and California, led 60 men and 100 mules across the seemingly impassable (and impossible) Cockscomb.  His plan was to trade New Mexican blankets and rugs for highly valued California mules and horses.  Recording only the briefest and sketchiest notes of his journey, Armijo's exact route is still to be determined.  A passage through the Cockscomb, perhaps near Armijo's, was used in the filming of the 1951 movie "Westward the Women."  The primary researcher mentioned that the actors and crew stayed at Parry Lodge and were bussed 65 miles to and from the shooting location each day.  The program was interesting and the presentation was effective and engaging.  It certainly deserved a larger audience than the seven us who attended.

Hurricane Hikes

Monday, June 25th
Day Off #1

In researching the area around Hurricane, UT we found references to Gould's Wash and Gould's Rim trails, both enthusiastically endorsed by mountain bikers.  We decided to hike part of the rim trail and evaluate it for ourselves.  Although the area was dry and desolate, the rim proved an interesting route with stunning vistas, unusual rock formations and little elevation change.  No shade and temps in the 90s led us to conclude this would definitely be more enjoyable in October than late June.  Getting back to the Jeep required battling a very strong headwind and took much longer than the out-bound trip.  Hot and dry and dusty, we headed for nice, long showers at the motel.

Gould's Rim Trailhead with

Pine Valley Mountains in background

 



Peaks of Zion peeking above the mesa

Tuesday, June 27th
Day Off #2

Back to Hurricane Hills to hike the Hurricane Canal trail that we had done in January, 2012.  In the past 18 months, some trail work and some new rockfalls had taken place but the long, steep descent from rim to river hadn't gotten any shorter or easier.  When we'd traveled about half way down, Fred realized he had left the GPS on the Jeep to acquire satellite signals.  He climbed to the top, retrieved the device, returned to me and we resumed.

 

Hurricane Canal Trailhead

 

Fred descending

 



When we reached the first rockfall, one we encountered in 2012, Fred was in the lead--until he stopped abruptly and stage-whispered, "Rattlesnake!"  Mr. Rattler, basking in the sun outside his den, had chosen a very narrow, no-other-options point in the trail for sunbathing. Our presence didn't inspire him to move so Fred tried tapping a on the ground with a long stick.  That must have irritated him because he rattled fiercely as he ducked under a rock uncomfortably close to the trail.  We gave him the widest berth possible and left the stick as a reminder to watch for snakes at that point on the way back.

Utah Midget Faded Rattlesnake

By-passing the next major rockfall requires descending from the canal, walking along a rudimentary road then scrambling over loose scree up to the canal.  We knew from prior experience that the collapsed tunnel which forces hikers to turn around  was only about 1/3 mile farther on.  So we opted to stay on the road, enjoy views of the Virgin River and look for a good spot for lunch.

 

 

Twin Falls

 



The hill down to the twin waterfalls was too steep but that shady place by the water a little further on was perfect.  Except it was on the far side of the river.  After twenty minutes trying to place enough rocks to hop across, we removed our shoes and waded.  We had left our shoes on the near bank so we weren't equipped to investigate the fossil-laden boulders nearby.



 

Fred on the trail, atop the outer wall of canal; canal is to his right

 



Walking back toward the trailhead was uneventful until we reached our rattlesnake-alert stick.  There he was--again!--smack-dab in the center of the space we had to cross.  He gave us a malicious rattle and slithered into his den, continuing the warning to keep our distance.

On the surface, back to the trailhead, Fred saw a lizard with unusual coloration standing on his rear legs with his front legs braced on a vertical rock.  He was nice enough to pose for several pictures, which let us identify him as a Black-Collared Lizard.

After cleaning up and cooling down, we went to the St. George BLM office to find out about some petroglyph sites we'd heard about.  Even though we didn't get the information we wanted, we enjoyed talking with the volunteer.  She and her husband had moved to SunRiver from Charlotte, NC in May, 2012 so we had lots of questions about their reasons, experiences and satisfaction. 

We finished the day with dinner salads and hot fudge sundaes at McDonald's and a little TV before lights-out at 10.  This morning was a stock-up trip at WalMart and back to Kanab.