AirstreamTour: Dixie Forest to Grand Junction, CO

My apologies to all, the wifi has been pitiful for the past week or so. But, on with our saga! The past few weeks flew by. Heinz and I spent another few days in the Dixie National Forest kicking back with some easy hikes and good fishing.

We finally took that ¾-mile hike from the parking lot down to the Cascade Falls. The falls come from water leaving Navajo Lake via a lava tube and tumble down to the head of the Virgin River. It was a hot day and the trail was crowded, but we persevered and made it all the way to the end. What a shocker when we got there and the falls were dry – zip… zilch… nada! We were kind of happy that we'd never reached them the day of the 7-mile hike; that would have been a real disappointment! But the views were great and the exercise felt good after almost two weeks of lying around being sickly.

The trail runs just below the Markagunt Plateau rim, but is a fairly level, easy hike.

Seth Canyon from the Cascade Falls trail.

The Falls… Ummm...where's the water?

Only evidence of water at the falls – I think somebody spit there.

While we didn't go, MammothCave is a popular spot to explore in the Dixie Forest. It is a lava tube that is located just a few feet underground and extends approximately a ¼-mile. The cave is dark, so bring your flashlight. It is frequented by seven species of bats; including two endangered species - the Townsend's Big-eared Bat and Fringed Myotis. The cave is closed in winter to protect the bats, as disturbing their hibernation can lead to their death.

While staying in the forest we took a day and drove over to Cedar Breaks National Monument. The Monument is located just down the road between the edge of the Dixie Forest and Cedar City, Utah. It was created in 1933 to protect the Cedar Breaks Amphitheater, a vast expanse of colorful rock formations. Shaped like a huge coliseum, the amphitheater is over 2,000 feet deep and over three miles in diameter. Stone spires stand like statues in a gallery alongside columns, arches, and canyons. These formations are the result of persistent erosion by rain, ice, and wind. Varying combinations of iron and manganese give the rock its different colors of red, yellow, and purple.

Panorama shot of the Amphitheater from Point Supreme at 10, 350 feet elevation.

We also drove up to Brian Head Peak Overlook. At 11, 307 feet, the overlook provides views from which you can see parts of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona.

Looking south.

Northern view from the overlook.

Amazingly, even at this altitude tiny wildflowers were blooming; the yellow ones are called Chamber’s Twinpod.

Heinz got in more fishing during our last week in the forest. He went down to the lakeshore every morning and evening, stocking our freezer with plenty of trout, 39 total. Of course, that doesn’t count the eight we cooked and enjoyed along the way…yep, that’s 47 trout in two weeks time. He had a blast, and I loved the fresh fish, especially since he also cleaned them! What a man!

But I’m too young to go! Pick somebody else!

Not bad for a couple of hours spent enjoying the outdoors.

After leaving the Dixie National Forest we traveled the huge distance to Bryce Canyon National Park - a whole 80 miles. On our first night there we drove back outside the park to Red Canyon and hiked the Pink Ledges Trail at sunset. The trail is short (one mile), but winds along the canyon through a shady pine forest and past several hoodoos. A Paiute Indian myth says that people who lived in Bryce Canyon long ago teased the god Coyote, who in turn became angry and turned the people to rock.

Hiking along the Pink Ledges Trail.

Red Canyon hoodoos.

Red Canyon at sunset.

Moonrise on the way home.

However, as nice as the tale is, geology tells us another story. Hoodoos are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and “broken lands”. They are most commonly found in the high plateaus of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands region of the Northern Great Plains. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness or “totem pole shaped body”. A spire has a smoother profile that tapers from the ground upward.

Hoodoos don’t last very long in geologic terms. The same processes that create them, erosion of relatively soft rock by rain and frost wedging, also conspire to destroy them. The average rate of erosion is calculated at 2-4 feet every century. The primary weathering force is frost wedging. The hoodoos at Bryce Canyon experience over 200 freeze/thaw cycles each year. In the winter, melting snow seeps into the cracks and then freezes at night. When water freezes it expands by almost 10%, prying open the cracks bit by bit - widening them over time. Rain also sculpts the hoodoos. Rainwater is slightly acidic which allows the weak carbonic acid in the rain to slowly dissolve limestone grain by grain. It is this process that rounds the edges of hoodoos and gives them their lumpy profiles.

On our first full day in Bryce Canyon we headed out on a hike from our camping spot to the Rim Trail, down to Navajo Loop Trail, around the Queens Garden Trail and back to camp, a total of around 4 miles. The trails descend from the canyon rim 550 feet to the bottom of the canyon floor and back up again. Along the way are graveled switchbacks, impressive rock formations, bristlecone pines more than 1, 000 years old, and forests of pinyon pine and juniper.

Queen's Garden from the Rim Trail with Sinking Ship Mesa in the distance on the right.

Natural Bridge from the Rim Trail.

Navajo Trail hoodoos.

Panorama of Bryce Canyon from the Rim Trail.

Heading down the Navajo Loop switchbacks, 550 feet to the bottom.

Caught in the rain, we took shelter under a convenient overhang.

Checking the view between two hoodoos.

The Queen's Garden trail.

On our second day, we decided to see the canyon from a different angle, and to let someone or something else do the walking. So off we went to sign up for a canyon trail ride. We headed out on horseback with a group of 10 - one of 4 groups to head out that morning. It was a fun 2 hours, for which we paid over the next couple of days whenever we sat down.

Hmm, not sure this is really Heinz’s thing. It’s his second time ever on horseback.

On the other hand, all those years of riding as a kid came right back to me.

These guys were so familiar with the trail all you had to do was give them their head and let them go.

Bristlecone Pine along the trail, estimated to be 1, 500 years old. The pine grows about 1” in diameter every 100 years. The oldest known is approximately 5, 000-years old.

The cones of the Bristlecone Pine are 3-3½” in length and deep chocolate brown when mature. Immature cones are longer and drip a thick yellowish sap.

Dead trees in the canyon with twisted trunks were not killed by wildfire, but were struck by lightening.

After three nights at Bryce Canyon we packed up and headed for Grand Junction, CO. We were there to pick up my dad who has been visiting his girlfriend for the past 3 months. We celebrated his 92^nd birthday this week. I know…92 and a girlfriend…age is NOT slowing this man down. He met Miriam 73 years ago while working on the Colorado National Monument with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression. Both widowed, three years ago they re-contacted with each other and have been calling, writing, and visiting ever since.

He kept us busy from the time we hit town with dinners out, lunches at the retirement center, and trips about the area.

On Saturday, we took in the Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita, CO. The museum tells the story of dinosaur life in western Colorado with real fossils, cast skeletons and robotic reconstructions of dinosaurs. The museum is a hands-on, interactive museum and all the kids there seemed to be having a blast - while it’s still very interesting for adults. There is a working laboratory where dinosaur bones are prepared for display, a collections room where scientists conduct research on field finds, and a simulated earthquake ride among other displays.

Foot cast of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Velociraptor skeleton.

Flying trio of skeletons.

Daddy said he’d always wanted to ride a dinosaur, so we gave him the chance!

On Sunday there was a small birthday party for Daddy at the retirement home. We had a great lunch followed by cheesecake for dessert. Just after everyone had finished up the cheesecake, the chef brought out a five-layer, chocolate birthday cake. No problem, we just served up cake and dug in again.

Daddy and Miriam checking out his birthday greetings on Facebook.

Now that's a birthday cake!

Where is he going to put that?

We took two trips up to the Colorado National Monument with Daddy so he could show us his old stomping grounds from his days with the CCC. We had a blast wandering around the area where the camp had been located.

During the Great Depression, the 73^rd Congress, in March 1933, authorized the Emergency Conservation Work program. In 1937 the continuation of the program was approved and the name was officially changed to the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The CCC was one of several federal relief programs, which sought to alleviate distress caused by the massive unemployment of the 1930’s. The program achieved this through the establishment of camps where young men worked on forest and conservation projects throughout the country. The program was a cooperative effort between the Departments of War, Interior, Agriculture, and Labor. The War Department was responsible for the building of the camps and for providing food, clothing, medical care, and transportation for the enrollees. The Interior Department provided educational programming for enrollees, supervised work done in the National Parks and other federal lands, and cooperated with the states on work done in the state parks. The Agriculture Department supervised work in connection with soil conservation, reclamation, wildlife protection, and other conservation projects. The Labor Department was in charge of enrollee selection upon the recommendation of state relief agencies.

The CCC was open to young men between the ages of 17 and 23 whose families were in special need. The enrollees earned $30/month of which $25 was sent home to their families. The usual enrollment was for a six-month term while the maximum term of service was two years. My Dad signed up with the CCC in 1940 in Texas and was sent to the Colorado National Monument to help work on the building of the Rim Road. He spent 1½ years working in the kitchen, feeding 150 men three meals a day. According to him that was “sure better than being out on a work crew chiseling rock all day”.

Rim Road through Fruita Canyon, part of the road built by the CCC through the Colorado National Monument.

Erica and Sandi, friends of Daddy's. Erica is head ranger at the monument.

Heinz and Daddy looking around the old campsite. Among the rocks we found quite a few rusty nails, the main evidence of multiple buildings that were torn down in the mid-1940's.

Found! A 73-year-old water fountain.

We felt like archeologists, the remains of the old road through the campsite.

The Colorado National Monument was created in 1911. The Rim Road travels 23 miles through plateau and canyon country. It rises over 2,000 feet above the Colorado River and is part of the greater Colorado Plateau. It is semi-desert land of pinion pines, and junipers, desert bighorns and coyotes. It is an amazing place of beauty!

Parade of the monoliths.

Independence Monument, climbers go up this monument every July 4 to plant flags at the top.

Daddy and me checking out the scenery. (photo courtesy of Sandi)

Utah Juniper.

Looking down Ute Canyon toward the Grand Valley.

Our other major expedition out was to Dinosaur National Monument just outside of Vernal, Utah. The area has been known since the early 1900’s for dinosaur fossils found in the rock of the Morrison Formation. Laid down from 147-155 million years ago, outcroppings of this rock occur in eight western states. The Carnegie Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument has yielded a wealth of fossils. It has produced fossils from all four major Late-Jurassic dinosaur groups: plant-eating sauropods, stegosaurs, ornithopods, and flesh-eating theropods. Fossil pollen and spores now identify 250 species of plants from the Morrison ecosystem. Fossils show that dinosaurs lived at the same time as clams, snails, algae, crayfish, insects, salamanders, frogs, turtles, crocodiles, and small mammals.

The Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, PA began excavating fossils in this area in 1909. In 1915 the Carnegie Quarry’s world-class bones were protected as the 80-acre Dinosaur National Monument. In today’s 210,000-acre national monument you can explore the quarry and the canyons, mountains and archeological sites by the historic Green and Yampa Rivers.

Dinosaur fossils embedded in the stone at Carnegie Quarry.

This Allosaurus skull was found in the Carnegie Quarry. Skulls are very fragile and complete ones hard to find – this is the most complete skull ever discovered.

Daddy and Miriam by a femur.

Juvenile Allosaurus.

Desert big-horn sheep by the Green River.

Petroglyphs in Dinosaur National Monument. Scenes like these might make you think of aliens arriving.

More petroglyphs.

After a week in Grand Junction, it was time to pack Daddy up and start to head south. But we’re taking our time about it and on day one drove 118 miles southwest to Arches National Park. So stay tuned to read about our adventures – we’ve got two weeks and lots to see.

We don’t have any really good photos of any friends of the day, so I’ll leave you with some flower shots instead.