They Ain’t Lyin’ about Zion & The Very Grand Canyon

(Sorry –Dave has actually been coming up these corny titles.)

Next on the canyon tour was Zion National Park for just a brief 2 night one full day adventure.  But, wouldn’t you know it – dogs were not allowed on the park paths.  This did not exclude me from jumping into the Virgin River near our campsite.  We also would meet Lou, Janet, Luke and Caroline from New York State.  They’re practically neighbors back home.  And they were neighbors here in Zion and at our next stop at the Grand Canyon.  Most importantly, they were dog lovers.  Lou had a dog Pablo that he showed us pictures of, that could have been my twin!

Caleb and his new friend Luke found a log to jump off over and over and over again. 

Anika and her swimming buddy Caroline were like two peas in a pod.

Caleb and Anika were really missing having a pool at the campsite.  I think they had been a bit spoiled to this point in our trip.

The Virgin River which carved the canyon would be the very trail my family would hike during their stay here.  After a one mile hike on a trail alongside the river, the trail just ends and then the canyon is so narrow that you hike up through the river in what is appropriately called The Narrows.  Anika would discover that the water would be over her head in spots, but she didn’t let this stop her. 

And Caleb seemed to prefer the return trip as he would take every opportunity to simply float down the river in the deeper and stronger currents.

I think that Anika and Caleb probably exhibited more advanced skill in wading against the current taking this hike as Caleb has been hiking up water falls in our neighborhood in Vermont since he was three years old.  And both Anika and Caleb have gained further skill wading rivers as they fly fished with Dave.

As we exited Zion, I learned that Big Horn Sheep greet each other much as I do with my canine friends. 

The Grand Canyon is Really…Well…Grand

When we first arrived at the Grand Canyon there was quite a malaise over the campsite.  Dave had to prod, poke and lure us all to the edge of the canyon to view the thing that we had come to see.  The problem was, I believe, that we were all a little road weary and to be honest – a little tired of canyons.  It’s not like they don’t all offer something different – it’s just that the desert climate and the colored rocks do tend to be a little overwhelming, perhaps even emotionally draining, and then to experience as many as we have in just about 10 days gets a little overwhelming.  So, while I do recommend coming to see all of these canyons – maybe do it over a longer period of time – or better yet do 2 at a time (per trip). 

Having said all that, the Grand Canyon IS truly grand.  There really is no better word for it.  We can try by calling it the “mack-daddy”, the big Kahoona, the biggest baddest canyon this side of anywhere. 

And we figured this out upon our first stare in to the big chasm.  We all hiked out to the start of the Bright Angel Point Trail.  From there the family took shifts out to what would be one of the best vantage points to see the canyon.  I was not allowed to travel any further than this point.

So, Anika and Dave would take the first hike out on the point.  What they found was a storm on either side of them.  They said it was truly amazing.

But, it was Anika that would point out to her father that the storm on the West side of them was moving east towards them rather quickly.  So, they snapped a few of these photos and began boogying back up the trail. 

The rain started upon which time Caleb, Kirsten and I would seek cover at the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge.  We would see Dave and Anika approach as small hail would start to fall.  As soon as they dove for cover, this larger hail would fall.

After that bit of adventure, the skies would clear for the rest of our stay around the Grand Canyon.  We would be treated to some of the most perfect weather we could hope for coming from northern climes.  Low 70’s during the day and 50’s at night was just perfect for us all.

The family would also be treated to amazing sunsets which we could enjoy perched on rocks just on the outskirts of the campground.  They didn’t trust me to sit quietly on these rocks that were perched thousands of feet above the canyon floor.

I would just hang out back at camp.

The family took other hikes around the canyon rim.  On this one they had a close encounter with a pair of mule deer.

Boy I would have loved to chase them!

And finally, the family splurged for one of their dinners and had what sounds like an amazing meal at the Grand Canyon Lodge.  They had the best seats in the house, right next to the windows over looking one of the best views of the Grand Canyon.  And you guessed it…again, no doggie bag.

So, now that we are a bit canyoned out, now it’s time to hit Vegas baby!  I let you know about my winnings when I post next.

Big Wet Kisses, Mookie, “The Bloggin’ Dog”

Canyon Country

Well it’s been a while since I last barked at ya.  The truth is I have been writing all along – I just haven’t been able to post to your/my blog because we haven’t had any internet connection for quite some time.  Since I last posted we have stayed in one state park and two national parks.  We have seen some amazing places as the pictures below will try to depict.  But, the reality is what we have seen and what we have experienced can never be captured in pictures.  So, I will try to fill in the blanks a bit with my words.

First...a bit about a couple of stops on our way to the canyons...

On the way to our first stop in canyon country we made two stops.  First, the Natural Bridges National Monument. 

Next, as we drove along Rt.95 in Utah we had an unexpected encounter with the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; an expansive canyon area carved by the Colorado River (shown here) before it gets to the Grand Canyon.  This river can do some damage!

Kodachrome Basin State Park

Our first stay in the canyons was in a little known jewel of a place called Kodachrome Basin State Park.  This turned out to be my personal favorite as they were dog friendly!  That’s really me hiking on some amazing trails. 

I will admit that the first trail we attempted here, while beautiful, was HOT!  And for a furry black haired creature like me this desert environment was enough to make a dog melt.  That's me and my boy Caleb hiking and sweating along the trail.

But, later in the evening we hiked an amazing trail that included extremely narrow paths that if I misplaced on one of my four paws – I was sure to meet that kennel in the sky. 

The girls demonstrated their acumen with heights by walking out on these extremely narrow paths that simply lead to nowhere – just a shear drop off hundreds of feet below.  They are either the bravest or craziest girls I have ever met!

Filled with spires that reached for the sky carved by ancient winds and water, the colors were spectacular – even for someone like me that is only supposed to see in black and white.  Later some of my family would rank Kodachrome Basin right up there with Bryce and Zion National Parks.

Bryce is Nice

Speaking of Bryce – that would be our next stop on this canyon tour.  It was within about ½ hour drive from Kodachrome.  Unfortunately, they weren’t quite as dog friendly in Bryce Canyon National Park.  So, my family visited there leaving me behind in the air conditioned comfort of the camper.  This was cool with me.  Although the family did report that Bryce was consistently 20 degrees cooler than Kodachrome. 

My family tells me that this was an amazing place to hike.  Chased by threatening skies they walked narrow canyon trails, some of which had been carved right through the rock. 

It sounds like the kids were extremely strong as they worked their way through thin air from elevations of close to 9,000 feet above sea level.  This is the highest any of my family has ever been while still on the ground.

They dropped into the canyon and back out with a change in elevation of over 500 feet.  In the canyons what goes down – must come back up.  They tell me that pictures here of the switchback trails just don’t do the climb justice.

I am sure you will hear my echo when I bark at you again soon from the next canyon.  

Big wet kisses, Mookie, "The Bloggin' Dog"

The Green Table

As you can see behind my very photogenic image here, our campsite is in the shadow of the initial mesa of Mesa Verde National Park.  Wow, what an amazing place.  The park experience starts with a somewhat harrowing drive.  In some places if you run off the road on either side you will plunge hundreds of feet to your rather messy end.  Switchbacks and hairpin turns abound, with nary a guard rail in site.

Once you arrive at the sites of ruins from  ancient Native American cliff dwellers (the reason for even daring the drive), you often find that you have to climb or descend ladders, (one of which was 32 feet high – pictured here), climb on your hands and knees through narrow tunnels, and squeeze through narrow cliff wall passages.   

If all the adventure of getting to and around the ruins wasn’t exciting enough, on their first guided tour through what is called the Balcony House site, once they got into the cliff ruins, torrential rain was followed by a tremendous crash of lightening that struck some 40 feet from where they were standing.  They actually got to see a park ranger jump about the same distance.  How do they know for sure it was that close?  After the excitement had settled and the ranger had collected herself, Dave smelled smoke.  A tree just over the “balcony” of the cliff dwelling had been struck by lightening and was now in flames.  Evidently the occurrence was not that uncommon as the whole park had been scarred by multiple forest fires caused by lightening.  It was however, quite an unusual event for my family.  They got to experience, in a very real way, what terrific shelter these Pueblo people had built for themselves.  Here is the ranger trying to decide whether to proceed on what had already become an extended tour in this pueblo.  You can see it was quite wet. 

So wet in fact, that this waterfall developed right near the 32 foot ladder they had climbed to get into the pueblo.  The ranger had never seen nor heard of this happening in this spot in her 15 years of guiding there.

In addition to being very functional and protective, these ruins, which you see me and the rest of the family pictured amongst, are engineering marvels, and well preserved works of art too.

Caleb said it best when he said, the Pueblo people certainly picked spots with great views to build their villages.  These hidden valleys are beautiful.  You can get the panoramic view of Long House Pueblo from Caleb’s video.

By the way, Mesa Verde means 'green table'.  And speaking of green tables, we met some nice folks from California whom we shared a potluck dinner with at our campsite around our green picnic table.  They shared a beef cut unknown to us Vermonters called tri-tip.  The family seemed to enjoy it – but you guessed it – I got none.  These two families sat near each other in Cortez, Colorado for what I am told was a spectacular firework display on the fourth of July.  Believe me, I chose to stay at home for this one – I don’t do fireworks…

Well, that’s all from Colorado.  We leave tomorrow for the canyons of Utah.

Big wet kisses, Mookie, “The Bloggin’ Dog”

A Bit About Responding to Our Blog

It struck me that some of you may want to write to me.  Yes, I am a dog - but I do converse quite effectively don't you think.  Friends and family have been having a bit of a problem posting comments because evidently you have to be on Facebook or Twitter or some other recognized social network.  Yes, I am tech savvy – I just choose not to reveal my entire life on these sites.  Kirsten and Dave feel the same.
I choose to blog.  After all I am “The Bloggin’ Dog”

So if you do want comment on my posts or Dave’s pics – just email me through Kirsten or Dave:

Kirsten:  OTMomma@Comcast.net

Or

Dave:  Huski@Comcast.net

Thanks and big wet kisses, Mookie, “The Bloggin’ Dog”

A Bit About Things Cute and Not So Cute

It seems at each place we stop there are creatures cute and…well…not so cute.  First, in Austin, TX at the McKinney Falls State park we did encounter these cute little deer which I would have been inclined to chase given the chance. 

But, then we encountered this creepy crawly thing crawling through our campsite. 

Dave says it is a walking stick – but this is no stick I want to retrieve.  It was about 7 or 8 inches long.  They just don’t grow them that big back in our Vermont residence.

Then in Carlsbad, New Mexico we found that our campsite was riddled with cute little furry bunnies.  I did try to chase these - but only as far as the length of my rope. 

But, then both nights we stayed in this campsite we had these even creepier crawly things crawl through the camp site.  One night, as we were sitting by our campsite’s picnic table working on this blog, I alerted Dave to this creatures approach. 

He says it is a tarantula.  He also said that they could kill me if they bite me.  So perhaps I will not try to bite them.

Dave has warned the kids that each night as they descend from the camper to do their business, that they would need to have their headlamps on so that they can look out for strange creatures that they could step on.  Did he really anticipate the possibility of tarantulas though?

Big wet kisses, Mookie, “The Bloggin’ Dog”

Carlsbad Ain’t Too Bad

In fact, the campground we stayed at while in New Mexico was our best yet.  This was our first KOA campground (I read the sign as we drove in.) and it was very well maintained and the people were very nice.  And there were all kinds of dogs and other creatures to sniff, stalk and encounter.  (More on that later.) 

The family wanted to stay here so that they could go crawl into some dark damp cave nearby.  I didn’t get to go there, but from the pictures it looks as though they had fun. 

Both kids told me (yes – they too talk to dogs) this was the coolest place they had ever been.  We’ll see if that holds up for the rest of the trip.

I bet my bark would have echoed quite nicely in there!

Off to Mesa Verde, CO tomorrow.  Until then…

Big wet kisses, Mookie, “The Bloggin’ Dog”

A Bit About Balance

Austin provides a bit of political balance in a very conservative state.  And while we love and respect our Texas relatives, I have a feeling Dave and Kirsten enjoyed being amongst the more liberal of the state while in Austin.  They saw many a bumper sticker and T-Shirt around this town that read, “Keep Austin Weird”.  I assume that Austinians feel a bit like a tiny liberal island surrounded by this gianormous state of conservatives.  (Hey, as I mentioned before I am very politically aware…)

Furthermore, Texas is indeed a lot about oil:  oil drilling, oil refining and shipping and piping oil across the country.  And we did see a fair amount of those classic little oil wells across the Western part of Texas as we drove towards New Mexico. 

And while they are burning their fair share of gas and oil as they travel even in their Hybrid Toyota Highlander the Eastman’s had a bit of peace and elation come over them on their travels.  As I am sure you know my family are about as environmentally sensitive as you can get.  So, the car was filled with joy as we suddenly came across miles of windmills across the desert landscape in Western Texas. 

There were thousands of windmills – windmills as far as the eye could see.  My family hopes that this picture is hope for the future.  Now it shows the windmills in the back ground and the oil well in the foreground.  We just hope that these positions will be flipped.  Frankly, it was nice for us all to see a bit of balance in Texas. 

Big wet kisses, Mookie, “The Bloggin’ Dog”