Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Letters from...Grand Canyon (2)

Toadstool Rock
   On the fourth day of our trip (after Monument Valley, Gooseneck Bend, Rainbow Bridge and Upper Antelope Canyon) after visiting Lower Antelope Canyon we left Page and went further to Kanab.

   To me, Lower Antelope Canyon seemed more interesting than Upper... not only it was cheaper, but longer and more fun. Although one group was of about 20 people (compared to 6 in Upper) it didn`t seem crowded because the canyon was big enough to spread out.
Our young guide was very euthanistic as well, showing us the photo spots, even setting up our cameras to take nice colored pictures. (The secret is to set up the camera for cloud AWB and a bit darker than usual. By that the brownish-orange sandstone walls come out beautiful, vivid orange on the pictures.)
   Usually it is said the lower is longer and more narrow than upper, which was true. However, Upper is usually preferred because at noon there are nice beams of sun entering the canyon. Well, we as well saw such sunbeams at several places in Lower Antelope Canyon... also, the good thing was that we didn`t have to care much about the timing, it is said that the light reaches the canyon at almost any time of the day (compared to the Upper Canyon where the best timing (around 11 and 12) is also the most expensive).
We went with the 10.45 tour, and after a short talk we arrived to the canyon`s entrance. Different from the Upper Antelope Canyon, it wasn`t like a cave entrance, rather we had to climb down some narrow and steep stairs to start our journey in this unique land.
going down to the canyon
   After about over an hour we came out on the other side of the canyon. It was really strange seeing how narrow the slot is where the exit is.
the exit
   Actually, that`s why they are called slot canyons... both the upper and lower canyon is created by the fierce force of water and wind. It was interesting to hear that the horizontal stripes in the sandstone are made of water, while the diagonal stipes show the force of the wind.
horizontal and diagonal stripes show different forces
   Anyway, around the Vermiliont Cliffs area (near Kanab) there were other slot canyons, but the Antelope is far the most popular.

   It was past noon when we left Page and headed to Kanab. Kanab is about 1 hour from Page, but as it is in Utah state, we lost an hour. (The time zones are a real mess around here, Arizona has summer time, Utah doesn`t, but even in Arizona the Navajo areas do manage daylight savings... so, just driving here and there it was really confusing - thanks to our GPS however we were always aware of the current time.)
at Vermillion Cliffs
   On the way to our lodge in Kanab we stopped by an interesting set of rocks, the Vermiliont Cliffs. There was a short trail to Toadstool. The trail was about 3 mile and although it was hot, on the plain rocks, it was a nice walk. The trail was amazing as it went through pinkish then white rocks and just at Toadstool rocks it was orange and white. The rock formations are called toadstool but it could be called mushrooms as well, as the harder rock is formed as the hat of a mushroom while the softer rock below it is narrower. By the way, these formations are called "hoodoos" and one can see many examples of it in Bryce Canyon.
   After this short stop at Toadstool Rock, we headed further to Kanab. After checking in we didn`t have much plans, so we just strolled around the town (cute little country town), window-shopping and checking out the place for the next day`s lottery to the Wave.

   Next morning we woke up early to join the lottery for the Wave, the amazing, wave-like rock formations at Coyote Buttes. On the lottery there were about 100 people and only 10 got it. Of course, we didn`t have that luck... however, it was interesting to get known that the area around Kanab is called "wilderness" which is a level above national parks. In the wilderness no parking lots, paved roads or trails are allowed, the wilderness is much more closer to the real "nature" than national parks. The Wave and other parts of Coyote Buttes are in such wilderness, that`s why the really limited number of people let inside per day.

   After the Wave, there was a lottery for the South Coyote Buttes as well (for that lottery the people were vanished), but unfortunately it required a 4WD vehicle due to the deep sand.
It is said that the South Coyote Buttes are more interesting than the North (where the Wave is), so it might worth the few buks to rent a 4WD as the lottery for the South Coyote Butte is much more probable than for the Wave.

   As we missed the lottery, we went with plan B: Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. (The lottery is always for the next day, so we had Zion as plan B in case of no luck.)

In my last letter, let me tell you about Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks.

For more pictures, click here! →(Half) Grand Circle



Thursday, May 15, 2014

Letters from... Grand Canyon (1)

Monument Valley
   In the end of April we visited Grand Canyon and the surrounding national parks in Arizona and Utah: Monument Valley National Park, Antelope Canyon, Rainbow Bridge National Park, Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Grand Canyon. It was a tight schedule for 8 days, but finally it was fun.
  Although the weather was not so much fun… even though I checked the weather beforehand, it took us by surprise that a cold wave came just on the same day as we left from Mexico and in a few kilometers on the way from Phoenix to Monument Valley it was snowing heavily. Unfortunately in the next few days the wind was still strong and cold, but thanks to that the clouds went away soon and by the last 2-3 days we finally had nice, warm weather.

   Our plane arrived in the morning to Phoenix and after renting a car, we headed to Monument Valley. Although it is about 500kms on the convenient US highways it wasn´t as tiring as the distance would suggest. We passed Flagstaff (where we got into the snow storm) and took the road to the east which took us to Monument Valley (and the road goes further to Arches National Park, Natural Bridges etc.)      
   Although we arrived to Monument Valley in the afternoon, the weather was so cloudy and windy that we just passed through it towards our hotel. 
gloomy and windy Monument Valley
   We stayed in Hat Rock Inn, just a few kms from Monument Valley. As we still had time until sunset, we decided to see the Mexican Hat Rock and Gooseneck Bend which was a bit further away from our hotel on the other direction from Monument Valley. 
   Mexican Hat Rock is just a rock on the side of the road which really looks like a person with a wide-rim hat. There is a little road to drive the rock around and if the weather had been better we would also have gotten off the car, but in this cold weather we just drove around and went further to Gooseneck Bend.
Mexican Hat Rock
   I wasn´t expecting much of Gooseneck Bend, but indeed I preferred it to Horseshoe bend, which is much more popular.  The Gooseneck Bend lays in the Gooseneck State Park and as its name says, the San Juan River makes so steep curves into the soft rock that it looks like a goose´s neck. The wind was so strong that it would have thrown us from the cliff if it wouldn´t have come from the direction of the valley… even so, the view was so spectacular that we couldn´t resist not to get off the car and look (run) around. There are 3 big curves that can be well seen from the viewpoint so it would have been a great picnic area if the weather had been better…
Gooseneck Bend
   Our hotel as well was in a nice location – just on the bends of the San Juan River and although there was not much options for dining, it was a nice place to stay.
The next day we were glad to notice that the strong wind had flown away most of the clouds and we could see the sun finally.

   Before heading to Monument Valley we drove toward God´s Valley (on the opposite direction from Monument Valley), but as it would have been a half-day trip, we just admired the valley from the distance and turned back. (God´s Valley is a “miniature” Monument Valley, with different shaped monuments (rock formations) – just like in Monument Valley, but smaller in scale.)
   
   Monument Valley is great both from the distance and from nearby. As the monuments are 2-300 meters tall, it can be well seen from kilometers. Of course, we stopped to take photos from the distance with the straight road running towards the monuments. Although there were still some clouds on the sky, it was really a stunning view with the infinite plains below, the infinite blue sky above and those strange monuments in the narrow strip of land between those two.

Monument Valley from a distance
   As this land is of the Navajo Indians, the Monument Valley is also owned and managed by the Navajos. Once you pay the 10USD entrance fee, you arrive to the main building where there is a small museum, souvenir shops and dining (which is attached to the View Hotel where the rooms face the amazing view of the valley). We started here – the museum is small but tells you about the main (and from my opinion the most proud) activity of the Navajos in the modern history: the code talkers during the WWII. Apparently the Navajo Indians worked as code talkers in the WWII because their own language was not known by the Japanese and couldn´t break their “code” (language). So, in the museum there were many photos from Okinawa and Pearl Harbor. (We even found a small “Japanese WWII” exhibition in the nearby Burger King!) The souvenir shop is full with the area´s unique objects: photo frames and candle holders by sandstone; turquoise jewelry, dream catchers etc. One can buy almost anything here related to the Navajo Indians and the area, but I have to tell that this was the priciest shop we´ve found in our trip.) In this building you can find guides that take you into the valley – with a guide you not only hear interesting stories about the tribe and its customs, but you are also allowed to be taken around Thunderbird Monument, where some families are still living as the Navajos for centuries.

   But there is also a self-guided road (which excludes the Thunderbird Monument) – we took this road and even so it took us over an hour to drive around. Although I don´t know much about the Navajo culture, to me it seemed that their culture is a bit similar to the Japanese – at least in their religion. For the Navajos the whole Monument Valley is considered as sacred place where these tall monuments used to be (or still are) places for worship. In the Japanese Shinto as well, the people believe supernatural power to unique places, trees, rocks and consider them as places where gods would live or land on Earth. 
   
My favorite: The Cube
   Although up it was windy, inside the valley it was quite warm thanks to these huge monuments blocking the cold wind. Although big part of the road is dirt road, the road is easy to follow and if the souvenir sellers aren`t enough to spot the main attractions, there are also signs for each stops with the name of the rocks, like Elephant Butte, Camel Butte, the Thumb, the Cube. But the most famous I guess is the Three Mittens and Merrick Butte.

Down in the valley it was relatively nice and warm so the 1-hour drive was delightful. It gives a totally different aspect to view these enormous rocks from close than from the distance. As our guidebook said, one needs to experience both in order to really enjoy Monument Valley. Being among these rocks that were/are often the stage of cowboy and western movies, I really felt like get up on a horse and just gallop towards the horizon. And you can do it! In the middle of the valley (about at the middle of the course you can park your car and rent horses. The price is not too high and negotiable. But the best is that this horse ride isn´t like the ones in other national parks – they gather together a group of people and go on a course in single file, where you don´t have to care about your horse, it would follow the one before him anyway. Here you have a guide and you can go by yourself or with the people you came with. The pace and route (more or less) can be decided by yourself, so I am sure it really would give you that cowboy feeling! It was a pity that around that area it was quite cold and windy… we were really thinking about it but finally gave up as we didn´t have much warm clothes to ride a horse in windy weather for an hour. 
The Thumb
   It was good that we entered the valley relatively early – although it was still chilly at places, the valley was still empty. By the time we came back there were already lines of trucks (amended so at the back dozens of tourists would be able to sit (and swallow the sand)) coming down the valley packed with tourists from tour buses.
   
   After Monument Valley we headed to Page. Page is the main town of the Navajo Indians and good spot for departures to horseshoe bend, Antelope Canyon or Lake Powell. As it was still early by the time we arrived (around 3pm) we decided to check out Antelope Canyon. There are 2 of these canyons: lower and upper. We decided to go to the upper as it was shorter (and more popular). We got tickets for the last tour (starting at 4pm). As we had time, we drove to the city, checked-in and went back to join the tour. 
We were taken to the entrance of the Canyon by a 4WD van as we drove the sandy riverbed for a few kilometers. 
on the way to Upper Antelope Canyon
As we got off the van, our feet sank into the sand ankle deep. It was a “petit” experience of driving in a desert. J 
The entrance of Upper Antelope Canyon
Wolf face - the bottom of the canyon was already dark
   Although our guide was not so much enthusiastic, he showed us the unique rock forms (mummy, wolf etc) and helped us to take the best photos from the best angle. It is said that the upper Antelope Canyon is best around 11-noon, it must be true. By 4pm it was already dark in the canyon, by this time the sunlight only reached the upper parts of the walls. Although it was interesting, seeing the lower Antelope Canyon in a few days after this, we found it much more beautiful, so finally it was better to see upper first, because if it had been the other way, it would have been only a big disappointment.




Upper Antelope Canyon
   The next day we had a reservation for a cruise on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge. Our guidebook said it is a tour worth the price (125USD per person) and the time (it´s a 6 hour tour). And it definitely was! Lake Powell is an artificial lake that stretches 300kms long in the states of Arizona and Utah. The lake was created by flooding the Glen Canyon. It took 7 years for the Colorado River to fill up the canyon. As it was originally a canyon, the boat took us among bendy curves and unique monuments, buttes, tables. (Apparently the difference between a butte and the table is that a table is a short monument with relatively wide, flat top while the butte is rather tall than wide.) 
Lake Powell
The characteristic of this lake (next to the monuments along the trip) is the unique color of it: below the orange-brownish sandstone a distinctive white stripe lies above the water level. This white stripe shows the highest water lever of the lake.

   Although the boat trip took 3 hours just one way, it was interesting to watch the strange rock formations and the unique view on the way. 

But the most interesting was the final 15-20 minutes before we arrived. In order to reach Rainbow Bridge (which by the way can be reached only from the lake), the boat had to enter a narrow branch from the main valley of the canyon. It was thrilling sailing among 30m tall walls that were just a few meters away… 
Entering the narrow branch
 Finally we stopped at a small port surrounded by tall walls. Indeed it was somehow sacred – the transparent, emerald green water, the tall walls around and the silence in this place purified our souls.
arrived to the port
   Getting off the boat, we walked about 15 minutes to reach the Rainbow Bridge on foot. Although you can see photos of this beautiful rock in CMs, photos and posters, just as Monument Valley, the atmosphere and the feeling around this place is worth to see Rainbow Bridge by your own eyes. Rainbow Bridge was composed by the erosion of the Colorado River along millions of years.

a familiar view
By now, it became a perfect arch, just like a rainbow turned into stone… no wonder that the Navajos consider it a sacred place. For that same reason, it is forbidden not only to climb the rock (which would be very difficult for its angle), but even walk under it or get close.

petrified rainbow
 We arrived back to the Marina of Page around 3pm. After resting a bit, we went to Horseshoe Bend to see the sunset. Horseshoe bend was about 5 min. drive from Page. It was about another 15 minute walk from the parking lot to the bend. Although we didn`t wait finally for the sunset (the wind was extremely strong!) it was a beautiful view. Just like the other scenery above, Horseshoe Bend is also amazing in live even though this view is well known worldwide. It is written both in the guidebooks and on site to be careful of the rocks. Being there I understood why; the rocks are sandstone and are layered like the mille-feuille cake. It really didn`t like sturdy...
mouthwatering mille-feuille like sandstone

dangerous edges
Even tough the bend itself looked beautiful: light blue sky in the background, orange colored sandstone and below the emerald green Colorado river. ("Colorado" means "colorful" and indeed it was - ranging from light green on the banks into dark emerald green in the middle)
Horseshoe Bend
For more pictures, click here! →(Half) Grand Circle