Petroglyphs, Plants and a Play

Friday, July 12

Hot, sunny day capped by late afternoon rain which concluded with a vivid 180* double rainbow. 

 

Double rainbow over Settlers Cove

(second is on the left and very faint)



Thursday, July 18
Days Off #1-3

We fit a variety of fun and interesting activities into a mini-vacation in and around Cedar City.  On Tuesday we hiked to Cascade Falls, the outlet of Navajo Lake and source of the North Fork of the Virgin River.  When we saw Cascade Falls two summers ago, it was a substantial jet of water blasting from a cave in the limestone cliff creating a bold stream that tumbled down to Zion.  Even though the rain on Monday night was hard and prolonged enough to sweep away portions of the trail, the falls was more trickle than torrent.  Several years ago the earthen dam at the southern end of the lake was breached and in the time between our visits, the lake was drained to rebuild the dam. The lake is in the process of refilling but it will take longer than planned because of this winter's snowpack was much lower than normal.  Nevertheless, the hike to Cascade Falls was a great start for our trip.

 Cascade Falls
 

Fred has to walk carefully along the edge where the Cascade Falls trail used to be

 

Zion from Cascade Falls

(highest point is the Temple of Sacrifice)

 



New dam on Navajo Lake

(grassy area on the right flooded when the dam broke)

 



We had planned a short hike in Dixie National Forest between Cedar Breaks and Brian Head but ominous clouds and rumbles of thunder convinced us to leave the mountain ahead of the approaching storm.  That required descending 5200 feet from Cedar Breaks to Cedar City through steep, narrow, twisting Cedar Canyon, a beautiful route that can be dangerous even in dry weather.  In Cedar City, we found the clear skies and warm temps of a southern Utah summer afternoon.

 

 

Threatening skies over Cedar Breaks' visitor center

 



After dinner we drove less than a mile to the campus of Southern Utah University, site of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, for a performance of The Tempest.   Their Adams Theater is a replica of the Globe, where Shakespeare's plays were produced in the Elizabethan era.  Our seats on the highest level provided a good view of the stage but were so far to the right that it was difficult to hear the actors.  (Note to self:  spring for pricier tickets next time.)    Lovely setting, new experience, fun evening.

 

Adams Theater on the Southern Utah University Campus

Cedar City, UT

 



The stage is set for the first act which takes place on a ship

 



We went to Parowan Gap early Wednesday morning, hoping to photograph the petroglyphs before the sun made that problematic.   A BLM brochure mentioned dinosaur footprints 'in fallen boulders' at the site; our search for those was frustrating and fruitless.  However, we did encounter a long, laid-back garter snake who seemed as interested in us as we were in him.

 

 

The Zipper Glyph--an astral calendar?

 



More petroglyphs

 



Snake

 



From Parowan Gap we went up, up, up to Brian Head, elevation 11,300'.  Just west of the resort, we threaded along a dirt road through alpine forest to the Twisted Forest trailhead for the hike we'd postponed the previous day.  What a surprise awaited us!  From a lush grassy meadow surrounded by tall spruce and quaking aspens, the trail leads into another world:  a desert of white and pink-orange sand dunes punctuated by tortuously contorted trunks of ancient bristlecone pines.  The trail ends at the rim of a deep canyon, looking across the divide into the Cedar Breaks amphitheater, our next destination. 

 



Fred at the trailhead

 

Bristlecone forest in the desert

 



 

 

We arrived in time for a quick picnic in front of the visitor center before reporting for the 1 o'clock wildflower event.  The volunteer who conducted this year's talk was very informative, showed us many varieties in the hour's walk and was able to answer many of my questions.  We had hiked the Ramparts and Alpine Pond trails on our 2011 visit and didn't care to re-do either of them so we returned to Cedar City.

We stocked up on groceries at Walmart, filled the gas tank and reached the RV  about 90 minutes later.  We spent the afternoon stowing the supplies, doing laundry, washing the Jeep and other necessary chores.  Around 3:00, a ferocious gust of wind roared through Settlers Cove, ruining our awning.  It ripped half of the material from the attachment channel, bent the support arm, torqued the door hinges and dented the door.  The Jeep's heavy rubber floormats, left to dry on the concrete patio, were flung about 30' and the TV satellite dish was blown over, buckling one of its legs.  No television was bad enough but we also lost the internet connection. (Thank heaven for Netflix!) That gust was followed by rain, a few claps of thunder, a bit of lightning but no wind.

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.