Places Visited:

Arizona: Flagstaff & the North Rim of Grand Canyon
Utah: Kanab, Zion NP, Bryce NP, Pipe Springs NP, St. George, Snow Canyon SP

Friday, June 15, 2001
Woody Mountain Campground, Flagstaff, AZ (7,300')

The temperature only got down to 36 degrees last night. The high was
76 today with no humidity. We have decided to move the motorhome to
the north rim of the Grand Canyon where we will spend a day or so
before heading to Zion and Brice National Parks in Utah. We have been
in Flagstaff for three weeks. We could keep busy experiencing new and
exciting things in this area for another three weeks.

We needed to do laundry, clean the motorhome, put away literature that
we have been using for the past three weeks and do grocery shopping
prior to our trip north.

A pro-rodeo and dance from 7:00pm to 1:00am was the big thing in town
this weekend. Let it be said we got our moneys worth. Sneaking back
to the RV reminded us of the old Percy Sledge song "In the Midnight
Hour". What a way to spend our last night in Flagstaff. The rodeo
announcer and clown need to keep their day jobs. Both were so bad
they may have been stand-ins. The band at the dance was top notch. We
danced Friday away and got a good start on Saturday.

The temperature dropped into the 30s again. This is great!

Saturday, June 16, 2001
Kaibab Camper Village, Jacob Lake, AZ at the North Rim of the Grand
Canyon 8,000'

Despite not getting home until the wee hours we hopped up, connected
the Saturn to the motorhome and headed to the North Rim of the Grand
Canyon. The GPS and Street Atlas say it is 168-miles.

We traveled 89 north out of Flagstaff through the Painted Desert then
turned west on 89A to transverse Marble Canyon's bridge across the
Colorado River. After turning onto 89A the road runs along Vermillion
Cliffs for miles and miles as we descend to 5,000' in elevation as we
cross the river. This section of our drive is spectacular to say the
least. Vermilion Cliffs towering above us on one side and the desert
floor sweeping away from us on the other as it slowly descends to the
Grand Canyon and Colorado River was the view we experienced for an
hour or so. Now we must ascend to 8,000' at the North Rim. After a
10-mile drive along the base of more Vermilion Cliffs on the North
Side of the Colorado River the highway suddenly tackles the turning,
twisting climb into the cool Kaibab Forrest. The drive on 89A to us
was much more scenic than other publicized scenic drives. The view
from the bridge over the Colorado River is one not to be missed.

After crossing the Colorado the fun part, for us, began. The fun part
I am referring to is the climb to 8'000 feet. We are not
disappointed. The first part of the climb is at the base of
spectacular cliffs overlooking the Colorado River. For 10-miles or so
we thread our way between the cliffs to our right and the river to our
left. The road is constantly climbing as we inch our way up the face
of that cliff. After that the road heads up into the Ponderosa
Forrest. Surprisingly, there are not many hair raising switchbacks
just LONG steep grades. On the steepest grades I had to reduce our
speed to 20mph in order to control engine temperature. Just like
ascending up to Flagstaff from Phoenix the limiting factor on my rig
was engine cooling. Any upgrade or modification I make to the
motorhome will be to increase the radiator size.

The Campground we have chosen is actually located about 45-miles north
of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at a spot on most maps called
Jacob Lake. Jacob Lake is located next to the RV-Park on a piece of
private property located within the boundary of the Kaibab National
Forrest. To call it a lake is stretching the term. It may be an acre
in size after the spring thaw. In mid-June it might possibly be a
quarter of an acre. It is surrounded by a lush fenced pasture/meadow
with several horses. I expected to view some wildlife as the sun goes
down but none appeared.

The temperature, as we arrive, is divine and keeps getting better as
the afternoon slips by.

The biggest surprise of the day is that our cell phone works up here
and they have a courtesy phone line where we can connect to download
e-mail. Many people utilized that phone line but I was never able to
connect with my ISP on that line.

The RV-Park advertisement says they are a full hook-up campground.
Full hook-up is technically true but practically very inaccurate. They
have 30amp hook-ups but it only has 100 volts, if you turn anything on
it drops to 95 volts. What good is a hook-up with only 95 to 100
volts? Oh well! I suppose it will suffice to keep the batteries
charged and run a few lights. Like our previous RV-Park in Flagstaff
they also have to haul their water. However, their water supply is in
Kabab, Utah about 40-miles up the road. This place has water police
that are ever present to make sure you do not use a damp rag to clean
your window shield. This is water rationing on a serious note.

We noticed that the park has installed showers. When Dave and Helen
Damouth were through here in June of 1998 the campground did not have
showers. The facilities appear new so I am assuming they were
constructed since Dave and Helen were through here. There were
several signs stating that a 5-minute shower costs $1.50. The machine
took quarters.

Sunday, June 17, 2001
Kaibab Camper Village, Jacob Lake, AZ at the North Rim of the Grand
Canyon 8,000'

Sleeping in this weather is utterly divine. It was 54 in the
motorhome as we arose this morning. I ran our portable electric
heater to warm up the bathroom even though it pulled the voltage down
to 95 volts. I do not see how the park can advertise full hook-up
with such antique electrical service. By the time we fix hot
chocolate and oatmeal on the propane stove the temperature is up to
70-degrees.

We are seeing numerous rental motorhomes. The further west we travel
the more we see of these rigs. The owner of the RV-Park we stayed
with back in Flagstaff said that Europeans predominantly rented them.
If anyone is interested in traveling via this arrangement the number
is 1-800-RV4rent. The company is obviously doing a landmark business
because we see them everywhere. Even though there are as many Asians
as Americans and Europeans touring the area the Asians stay in Motels
and Hotels. The owner of Woody Mountain Campground told us that he
only had a few Asians visit in a motorhome all year long. He told us
the Germans and French travel extensively using a car and tent. Isn't
that difference in the two cultures amazing?

We got up and headed to the North Rim 40-miles south of us. The first
20 miles are through the Kaibab National Forest and area punctuated
with ponderosa pine forest and meadows. No wildlife was visible on
our trip in. The last 20 miles is in the National Park. In the
National Park there are less meadows and the forest turns more alpine
with an increase in quaking aspen, fir and spruce trees.

Many natives consider the North Rim to be more spectacular and
inviting than the hugely popular South Rim. The throngs that dash from
pull-out to pull-out along the South Rim are gone. The historic Grand
Canyon Lodge is the hub of everything happening on the North Rim.
There are a number of great views within walking distance of the
Lodge. After taking in many of these breathtaking vistas we dine in
the Lodge. Several of our friends have told us that dining in the
Lodge is a "must-do" and we agree. The view is "one-in-a-million".
Now we have been there and done that. The lodge at the North Rim is
much grander, in my opinion, than the Lodge on the South Rim. To us
everything is "better" at the North Rim. After our LATE lunch, we
drive to a number of other viewpoints where they have short trails out
to awesome vistas. The canyons become even more beautiful as the sun
starts to set and the light becomes very bright on one wall while
shadows are created on the other. It is this contrast that makes the
colors of the Grand Canyon so breathtaking.

As the sun started to set we headed home through the series of meadows
in the National Park and the National Forest. This time mule deer
were in every pasture. At times we could see up to 15-deer. The
groups of deer were all female. The males were almost always solitary
and standing at the edge of the forest. We even saw a porcupine. This
is the first time either of us has seen a porcupine in the wild.
Because both of us enjoy wildlife so much this was possibly the most
enjoyable part of our entire day. If we had camped in the National
Park we would not have made this trip in the late afternoon and would
have missed seeing the deer. The 40-mile drive for us was part of the
ambience of visiting the North Rim.

According to literature the North Rim opens for visitation on May 15th
and closes after the first snowfall of the winter, usually October 15.
Plan accordingly.

It is 9:00 by the time we get home from another awesome day.

Monday, June 18, 2001
Kanab RV Corral Kanab, UT 435-644-5330 elevation around 5,000'

We moved the motorhome 36 miles north to Kanab, Utah this morning. We
started at an elevation of over 8'000 feet and descended to less than
5,000' in short order. The decent from the Kainab Plateau is as awe
inspiring a drive as we have experienced. Highway 89A up to the North
Rim is an awesome drive and should be counted as one of the most
scenic drives in the country. The drive was uneventful except for a
dozen or so bicyclers on the narrow mountain road (89A). One
particular female drove so far out into the lane that we were not able
to go around her on the steep downgrade and I was having trouble
holding the motorhome back. She was oblivious to us being right
behind her. She was oblivious to everything but hanging on to that
bike as she descended. With that trying moment behind us the rest of
the journey was spent in awe of the sheer splendor of the changing
scenery. In the distance toward Zion and Bryce National Parks are
sheer red cliffs that line the valley we are headed for.

We intended to get the motorhome connected up in a spot then head for
Zion National Park. It did not work out that way. A lazy bug hit us
as soon as we were connected up. Joyce put on her bathing suit and
headed to the pool with a book. I grabbed the laptop and downloaded
e-mail. We have not been able to make a connection since Flagstaff.
By 7:30pm Joyce was tiring of the pool and I was waking from my nap.

While lazing away the afternoon we met Chuck & Mary Ann Pippin from
Spring Hill, Florida. They were good Seminole fans and we struck up a
friendship immediately. Both of us have plans to visit Zion National
Park tomorrow.

Following our tradition of eating out every night day we dined at
Nedra's Café in Kanab, Utah last night. Nedra's is a 3rd generation
family restaurant that was started by a Mormon settler years ago.
Nedra's is another of those restaurants boasting about the long line
of movie stars that dined there. Barry Goldwater used to have gallons
of their salsa shipped to his Arizona Ranch. Barry had good taste in
salsa. I liked it also. In accordance with my goal of sampling local
dishes I had MACHACA. They say it is a "traditional" northern Mexico
dish with shredded lean roast beef cooked with tomatoes, onion green
chilies, cilantro and egg. As with ALL Mexican dishes it is served
with refried beans and Spanish rice with the scoop of shredded lettuce
and dop of guacamole and sour cream.

Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Kanab RV Corral Kanab, UT 435-644-5330 elevation around 5,000'

We drove to Zion National Park this morning. Zion is another
spectacular canyon. It is physically located about 80 miles north of
the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Zion is a bit hard to explain.
Highway 9 runs east and west through some of the best parts of Zion.
By the best parts I mean two tunnels and myriad sandstone cliffs in
countless shapes, colors and forms. One tunnel is just that a
nondescript tunnel through about 200 yards of sandstone. "THE TUNNEL"
we have heard so much about was a real kick in the pants. It is
different, much different than any other tunnel we have experienced.
This is the tunnel all RV'ers have heard about. Now Joyce and I know
why. The tunnel has low vertical clearance and virtually all RV's
need to travel down the middle of the tunnel so as not to hit the
arched ceiling. This tunnel has turns and corners as well as a pretty
good grade. Another unique thing about this tunnel is the 4 or 5
"windows/openings" that let light and air into the tunnel. The sign
said it was 1.5-miles long. The tunnel was drilled and blasted along
a horseshoe shaped canyon wall. The windows from the tunnel allow you
to see the opposite canyon wall. Totally awesome. Park rangers were
only allowing one-way traffic all day since there were so many
motorhomes. The eastbound traffic would run for 5-minutes then the
westbound traffic would transverse the tunnel for 5-minutes. That was
the way it worked all day. From the west approach to the tunnel you
can see some of the "windows" in the tunnel high on the cliff wall.
Another notable thing about the tunnel is the change in landscape that
takes place from one side of the tunnel to the other. On the west
side is Zion Canyon with its massive cliff walls. On the east side is
slickrock country where rocks are colored in white and pastels of
orange and red. The sandstone walls have eroded into hundreds of
fantastic shapes. Then almost as suddenly the slickrock gives way to
magnificent open rangeland where the buffalo roam.

There were numerous pullouts where you could stop and view each of the
magnificent formations along highway 9. In order to access the part
of the canyon where the lodge is and some of the other spectacular
cliff walls requires that you park at the visitors center and take a
park provided propane powered bus down that part. This was a
satisfactory arrangement. It was even more satisfactory when the
drivers told us that last summer they would have as many as 6,000
automobiles along the 6-mile road that went back to the throat of the
canyon and lodge with only 200 parking spaces. Everyone in his or her
individual automobile was just creating one huge traffic jam. The
busses were nice except for the windows. OSHA must have designed the
windows. We found them to be extremely difficult to see out of.

The small town of Springdale is on the western edge of Zion National
Park. Springdale has restaurants gas stations, motels and other
things necessary for tourist.

As luck would have it we met up with Chuck & Mary Ann just as we are
about to board the propane powered busses for that part of our Zion
experience. We ate lunch at the Lodge in Zion with them. Unlike most
of the Lodges we have visited this one was not constructed by the CCC.
This lodge was constructed by the Union Pacific railroad in 1929.
Zion lodge is not nearly as grand as the lodge at the North Rim. It
was nice but not nearly as spectacular. The view out the windows of
the lodge was of the sheer sandstone cliffs. We all got off the bus
at the end of the canyon and hiked a mile or so back into the canyon
until the path was reduced to river. We got pictures of us standing
at the point where there was no more dry rocks to walk on. Others
were wading even farther up the canyon to where it narrows to only a
few feet wide and the water was chest deep. At this point the sheer
walls of the cliff were still, several thousand feet high letting only
a sliver of the mid-day light into the canyon.

Just outside the western end of the National Park on highway 9 is an
RV-park. There is also a herd of buffalo in a picturesque pasture a
couple of miles west of the western entrance to the National Park.

Now that we have done Zion I do not understand why anyone would drive
a motorhome into Zion. It is not necessary, unless of course you were
using highway 9 as your route east and west. Also the approach to the
west side of the tunnel is a hairy set of switchbacks transposed on an
awesome grade. My advice to anyone contemplating visiting Zion would
be to stay in an RV-Park in one of the towns along highway 89 about 25
miles east of Zion. There are any number of quality RV-Parks between
Bryce and Zion that would, in my opinion, better situate you to
visiting both of these National Parks.

On the way back from Zion we could see smoke from a forest fire on the
North Rim. The fire was the talk of the RV-Park when we got back.
Highway 89A was closed to traffic. The fire was about 3 miles north
of Jacobs Lake. There was enough smoke to be very concerned, as it
turned dark.

Once back at the park we sat outside and talked with Chuck and Mary
Ann until almost midnight. One of the things that I remember Chuck
commenting on was the number of class C motorhomes in the pull-outs as
we came out of the canyon, all with their hoods up. The heat was
obviously working on them as they came up the grade to that infamous
tunnel.

Wednesday, June 20, 2001
Kanab RV Corral Kanab, UT 435-644-5330 elevation around 5,000'

Good news, the fire at Jacob's Lake is either out or under control. We
cannot see smoke from where we are and we have a good view of the
North Rim.

We drove to Bryce Canyon National Park this morning, what a let down
after spending time at the North Rim and Zion. Bryce is ok if you
have not seen the other two but in comparison it is just a baby
brother. Actually I have given Bryce a bad wrap it has gigantic
spectacular horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters of towering spires, fins,
arches and labyrinths of limestone, sandstone, and mudstone, imbued
with shades of brown, orange, red, yellow, white and myriad more hues
two numerous to name. It is the smallest of Utah's National Parks,
yet it contains some of the most beautiful and bizarre geological
formations on this earth.

To access Bryce from highway 89 you have to drive through "Red Canyon"
with two small tunnels through red rock formations. Red Canyon and
Bryce have such drastically different rock formations yet they are
only a few miles apart. How many different rock shapes are there? We
had never heard of Red Rock Canyon and really enjoyed our 5-minute
ride through it.

The ride from Kanab to Bryce was up highway 89. Much of this ride was
in a valley following along the east fork of the Virgin River. The
river provides necessary water to the area. Around the towns of
Orderville and Glendale are irrigated farms growing hay. Neither of
these towns is large enough for a traffic light. On scenic Byway 12
the topography changes dramatically with each road cut and each turn
in the road. As you turn off 89 onto Scenic 12 you are in a green
valley. Several miles down the road you round a turn and zap you are
in the Red Canyon. The relatively lush valley disappears as if hit by
a meat cleaver. On the other side of a road cut pops out Red Canyon.
Then 5 minutes down the road another road cut and we pop out onto a
high plateau where we stay until entering the ponderosa pine and
spruce forest that sit atop the plateau above Bryce's Canyons.

Bryce is the land of the "hoodoo". A hoodoo is a pinnacle, or
odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion. Bryce Canyon
National Park must have the most hoodoos of any place on earth. There
are literally thousands of these fantastic shapes within the boundary
of the park. Hoodoos in Bryce National Park range from small only a
few feet high to monolithic spires towering over a thousand feet into
the air.

Inside the Visitors Center at Bryce was an excellent display. If
visiting Bryce do not overlook the visitor's center. The Lodge was
constructed in 1924 (pre CCC) and reflects the rustic style of that
period. It is nice but lacks an awesome view and is less grand than
the other Lodges we have visited.

For those of you interested in visiting Bryce it is a good way to
spend a day. Just outside the entrance are several places that
visitors may be interested in. For RV'ers there is gas and diesel as
well as a car wash and motorhome wash. There is an RV-Park at Ruby's.
In fact Ruby's is a restaurant, RV-Park, Motel & convention center,
gift shop, grocery store, etc., across the street you can hire
helicopter rides, rent horses and they advertise a nightly rodeo in
the arena across from Ruby's.

We ate at the Rocking Café/Bistro on Main Street in Kanab. Joyce's
mother used to tell her not to say anything if she couldn't say
something good. Following her mothers advice that is all we will say.

Chuck & Mary Ann, our friends from Tampa, went to the North Rim today.
They said the fire was out but there was still a lot of fire fighters
and their equipment in the area and traffic was slowed considerably in
the area of the fire. They did not see any deer in the meadows. The
moral to that story is the deer do not come out until it is almost
dark. Keep that in mind if you want to view deer.

Thursday, June 21, 2001
Kanab RV Corral Kanab, UT 435-644-5330 elevation around 5,000'

After two very long days touring two National Parks we decided to slow
down. Mike spent some of the morning talking with a diesel shop about
our diesel getting hot on steep grades. They looked at our radiator
and told me that it was a 6.5-liter GM diesel. It seems that they are
notorious for getting hot when pulling a load up steep grades.

Oh well, I can live with that. It sure would be nice to be able to
utilize available horsepower when ascending some of the steeper
grades.

Joyce did laundry in the morning then spent the rest of the day at the
pool. I joined Joyce at the pool in the afternoon. Cool off in the
pool, read for a while, then cool off again. It is a tough life but
someone has to do it.

Friday, June 22, 2001
Kanab RV Corral Kanab, UT 435-644-5330 elevation around 5,000'

This was another sleep late day. Then we got up and headed west on
Arizona 389. Our first stop is Pipe Springs National Monument about
15 miles down the road. Pipe Springs has a lot of history in the
early settlement of the region. The spring is on the Arizona Strip, a
vast, isolated landscape that lies between the Grand Canyon and the
Vermilion Cliffs of extreme northern Arizona. It is an arid and
seemingly uninhabitable region. This spring is one of few in the
area. The water comes from rain and snowmelt that has percolated down
to a hard shale layer of rock then flows southward to the base of the
Vermilion Cliffs where it appears at the surface.

The ranch at Pipe Spring was part of Brigham Young's vision for the
growing Mormon population. Back in those days Mormons often tithed to
the church in the form of cattle, and the growing "tithing" herds of
southern Utah needed more space. Young also needed a source of beef
and dairy product to feed hundreds of laborers working on the Mormon
temple and other projects in St. George, Utah. Noting the presence of
water at Pipe Spring and the expanse of free grazing land on the
Arizona Strip, Brigham Young decided to create a tithing ranch and
business venture at the Spring. In 1870 Young purchased the land and
started building the ranches main structure. It was a "fort & house".
The walls are 2 feet thick sandstone and mortar. It was constructed
over the spring. The spring actually ran through the living room,
courtyard and finally out the "spring house" down to some holding
ponds. During the Mormons ownership of the spring they were supplying
cattle, butter and cheese to the town of St. George. The "house/fort
is in surprisingly good shape. According to our docent it was lived
in continuously until taken over by the National Park.

>From Pipe Springs we continued west through Colorado City, and
Hurricane, before stopping in St. George, Utah where we headed to the
Saturn dealer for an oil change and replacement of our transmitter
key.

After getting that chore behind us we drove through Snow Canyon, State
Park just outside of St. George. The canyon is a drive of about
6-miles through a variety of geologic features. Much of the drive is
adjacent to an ancient lava flow. The canyon floor has an elevation
of 3,100' while the cliff walls rise to over 5,000'.

As we enter the canyon the temperature is in excess of 106-degrees. It
is so hot outside we are watching the Saturn's temperature each time
we climb a steep grade. We were forced to shut off the
air-conditioner on significant grades.

In addition to the magma field the park contained an area of red sand
dunes. Then a little farther down the sand dunes had been petrified
and were solid rock. The road then leads to the gigantic crater where
the volcanic ash cone towers in a semi-circle where you can view where
the lava flowed out the southern end of the canyon. It is easy to see
how the lava encased the sandstone cliffs as it flowed southward down
the canyon. On it's southward journey the lava flow formed several
"tubes". These tubes were formed when the outside of the lava
solidified and the liquid lava kept flowing out the end. The result
is deep caves for the adventurous to explore when the temperature is
not 106-degrees.

For those traveling through St. George Snow Canyon State Park has a
nice RV-Park.

Joyce cooked tonight. Miracles are still occurring in southern Utah
to this day!

Mike & Joyce Hendrix