SUNDAY,
MAY 3
After returning the
converter box to the office – and getting my $40.00 deposit back – we left the
RV Park [in Sedona] around 10:30 a.m.
Soon we were on Rt. 89-A, going south to Cottonwood, AZ.
Arriving at the Dead
Horse Ranch State Park, where I’d already made online reservations for two
nights, I first asked where the grocery store was. Armed with the directions to Safeway I made
my way there.
Alrighty, I need about
30 minutes to track down the stuff I need.
Put Navidad in the camper for that brief a time? Nah.
Leave him in the truck? No way,
it’s a tad too hot for that! The third
option? Bring him inside with me! That I did – I placed him, still in his
carrier, in a shopping cart and we went everywhere in the store. I do wonder, did he know when we were in the
Cat Food aisle? I think kitty litter was
at his eye level. When all was done and
over with, I asked him what he thought about that adventure. He gave me his usual poker-face look, but I
have no doubt he found this whirlwind of a ride most fascinating!
Back at the State Park
I stopped at the dump station and dumped the Grey/Black tanks. Then I drove up to where the three lagoons
were located. Those lagoons, and the nearby Verde River, are why I kinda
figured this state park would be full this past weekend – plenty of boating and
fishing opportunities here. They also
have corrals for horses and many trails, most of which are “Shared Use” –
Hiking, Biking, & Equestrian.
Finally, by 3:30 p.m., the
camper was set up and we were settling down.
It was a long day for Navi, so he dozed while I put things away. I then went outside to sit near a pine tree, eat
a sandwich, and take stock of the day and think about the next two weeks. I've decided to return home on May 19th, so where do we go from here? While
mulling over the map outside, I observed some lizards scooting around here and
there.
Now for the burning
question – how did this State Park get its name? From the brochure, “The Ireys family came to Arizona from Minnesota looking to buy a ranch
in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches
they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys
asked the kids which ranch they liked the best.
The kids said, ‘the one with the dead horse, Dad!’ The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse
Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys
made retaining the name a condition of sale.”
 |
| Our site at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park. |
MONDAY,
MAY 4
Aw, it’s cloudy
today. My plan for today was to walk
over to the lagoons and take some pictures.
Maybe I will still do that, but the sky doesn't look too promising for a
nice hike. I did go outside for a little
bit this morning to look for a nearby trailhead. I found that trailhead and, at the same time,
spotted a Grey Heron just a few yards away.
It was walking from one camp site to the next and pecking at the
ground. A park worker, making his
rounds, stopped near me and said the heron was looking for gophers. Really?!
I always thought fish was the only thing they ate…and bugs…
 |
| Grey Heron at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. |
As is true for every RV
traveler, no camper adventure for me is without its share of “camper woes.” Just like at home, things break
and maintenance and/or replacements are necessary. I've had an assortment of minor incidents
with the camper in the past but I’m just not “Ms. Fix-It.” I’ll improvise, if I
can, a temporary fix and let David, my guy at Galaxy Campers [in Ontario, CA]
fix things up for me. So, what’s happened
now? The large pleated shades next to
the dining table have completely collapsed!
These shades have a
primary shade, which you pull down first, and a secondary shade that you can
then pull down if you want to further darken the space. On both ends of the shades are strings that
are wound around a plastic spool. As
long as those strings are taut, the shades can easily be raised and
lowered. Just before I began my camper
trip around the Great Lakes in summer 2013, I discovered that the shades wouldn't stay up. I’d raise them and as soon as I let go, the shades would ever so slowly slink back to the
bottom. I remembered David explaining to
me how to adjust the strings, but you really do need deft fingers… and a lot of
patience…to deal with the knots on the strings!
My temporary fix at
that time, which worked just fine during that trip, was to position a pre-cut
dowel between the shades and the dining table, keeping the shades propped
up. And then, when my friend Helena later
joined me for the last two weeks of that trip, she woke up early one morning,
studied the strings, and figured out how to tighten them around the
spools. Being that I’m not a morning
person, it took me a little while after I woke up to notice the grin on
Helena’s face and then notice that the shades were up and the dowel was gone!
This time, a piece from
one of the plastic spools broke off and that somehow loosened the strings on
that spool. I still had my dowel so I
simply started using it again. “Yo, Mapita, just tighten the dang strings,
why dontcha?” I tried, but I couldn't get the wounded up strings to stay on the chipped spool. And then, to my surprise (not to mention
dismay!), the whole thing, primary and secondary shades both, just
collapsed! To raise [those two] shades
now – and I must because I wanna look out that window! – I have
to manually tuck in the folded pleats as I go, like an accordion, and then
stick that dowel under there. Talk about
determination!
The sun played
peek-a-boo for the better part of the day and by 3:30 p.m., I decided the sky
was clear enough to take a walk on that nearby trail I’d found this
morning. So I set out on this 0.5-mile
easy loop trail that “circles around and
through a diversely forested area with river access.” I came upon streams first and then found
myself on a trail that was adjacent to the Verde River. At a fork I cut left and discovered that I
had arrived right at the spot of the first, and smallest, lagoon. By then it was 4:15 p.m. Not five minutes later, I felt raindrops on
my head. Tucking both my camera and
camcorder under my T-Shirt, I quickly circled the lagoon – Oh, there’s another
heron! Or maybe it’s the same one… -- to
the paved road and was back inside my camper by 4:30 p.m. I’m glad I did take that walk today!
 |
| The forest loop trail. |
 |
| A bridge in the woods, high above a small stream. |
 |
| Storm clouds along the trail. |
 |
| The smallest of the three lagoons at the state park. |
TUESDAY, MAY 5
We woke to another
cloudy morning and by 10:30 a.m. we were on our way back to Rt. 89-A, turning
north, back towards Sedona. The view of
the magnificent red rocks was much more spectacular from this northbound angle,
but all that striking red color was dulled by the heavy clouds and grey
sky. Regardless, it was all so
beautiful, and mesmerizing, the way the wispy mist and fog hovered at the top
of those ragged rocks.
Just past the Sedona
city limits, Rt. 89-A became Rt. 89 and this was a winding two-lane highway up
to the higher elevations of the Coconino National Forest. Even though it was wet, and I would have much
preferred a sunshiny day along this route, it was still a truly lovely
drive. Navidad missed it all…sigh…
Flagstaff, AZ was our destination
and we soon got a site at the J and H RV Park.
WiFi I have, but cable I do not, although that service is provided. I don’t know if the problem is their cable or
if my recent “converter box” situation screwed things up for me. If I still have a problem at the next RV
Park, I’m gonna be majorly pissed!
WEDNESDAY,
MAY 6
My first look at the
sky through the cabover window when I woke up this morning indicated to me that
the weather had cleared up overnight and things were drying out. By 10:30 a.m., Navidad and I were on our way
and, back on Rt. 89 N, heading for Lake Powell, near Page, AZ.
The San Francisco Peaks
were on my left as we left the Flagstaff city limits. Several of the higher peaks still sported quite
a bit of snow on top. The terrain
changed as we drove along – the short pine trees gradually fell back and we
were soon surrounded by an open prairie covered with a mix of golden grasses
and other vegetation, freshly green from the recent rains. Even that scenic backdrop was fleeting. Crossing into the Navajo Indian Reservation,
the landscape became more rocky, the soil red and brownish, the vegetation
scarce. As we got closer to the vicinity
of the Grand Canyon, cliffs and rock formations dominated the landscape. Such a great diversity in topography in the
space of 130 miles.
Shortly after 1:00
p.m., we arrived at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which includes
Lake Powell. Before I made my way to the
Wahweap Campground and RV Park, I stopped at a scenic overlook for a view of
[that section] of the lake. This is the third time I've seen Lake Powell and what I saw today was disheartening.
The first time I was
here was in summer 1997, when I took that six-week cross-country trip in my ’97
Honda CRV. I lived and slept in that car
and had myself a site back then at this very same Wahweap Campground. I took a Lake Powell boat tour that time and
I remember feeling awed by the sheer beauty of the area and the striking contrast
of colors – the red sandstone rocks sandwiched between the blue sky and the clear
blue water. It was also the first time I
had seen so many houseboats in one place.
The second time I visited was just a drive-through during a previous
camper trip.
And now I’m here
again. While this is still an incredibly
beautiful area, it is truly sad, and quite alarming, to see how much the lake’s
water level has dropped. I’d been aware
of the shrinking lake, but it was still a shock to see, everywhere I looked, a
white line along the shoreline. I
googled and found this description – “It's sometimes referred to as the 'bathtub ring' and
is caused by the calcium carbonate and other hard minerals in the water that
attach themselves to the sandstone leaving behind a white mark. The top of the
white mark is the high water mark.”
Lake Powell is a
man-made lake, created following the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. The disaster of climate change, also
man-made, is likely the reason for the drop in the water level. Man builds.
And man destroys.
 |
| A houseboat on Lake Powell, viewed from a scenic overlook. |
Getting a site was no
problem, mainly because the summer-time crowd isn't here yet. As it happens, my assigned back-in site is
the last one on the loop and, as such, it’s also the one closest to the
road. Not a problem, I told myself, I’m
just happy to be here. I didn't realize
until after I set up the camper what a great site this really is. With no “RV neighbor” on my slideout side I
have a clear and unobstructed view of Lake Powell and the cliffs just beyond!
 |
| View of Lake Powell from slideout window. |
 |
View of Lake Powell from camper site. Note the whitish “bathtub rings”on the rocks.
|
I sat outside for a
while, basking in my good fortune.
Sensing a shift in the weather, I stepped back inside the camper. And then came the deluge! It was a really good downpour…for maybe 10
minutes or so. Looking to the south, the
sky was a clear blue. It didn't rain
again, but the dark clouds directly above the campground hung around in
spots. I wanted to take pictures so I
stepped outside during a calm moment. As
quickly as did the rain, that calm moment dissipated and I was hit by a strong
blast of wind! Shielding my eyes against
the frantic whirl of dirt and dead leaves, I had to laugh about it all! They do warn about unpredictable weather here
– take heed boaters, campers, hikers!
 |
| Storm clouds above Lake Powell. |
 |
| A great site for my camper at Lake Powell! |
THURSDAY,
MAY 7
Waking up to a
beautiful blue-sky morning, I made a snap decision and declared to Navidad, “We’re staying here today!” I didn't feel like doing any driving
today. I wanted to just gaze upon Lake
Powell and do my writing and stuff. And
give Navidad a break, too.
So, I took the
five-minute walk over to the Registration Office and paid for another day at
this incredibly serene place. That done,
I then went down to the water’s edge and decided to walk along the shoreline,
taking the long way back to the camper.
My walk took me to the Boat Rental marina where, noting the number of
houseboats docked there, I went for a closer look-see. One of them was open and I could see some
fellows inside, apparently getting instructions from one of the operators. Finally, as it had been about an hour and
half, I turned towards my camper. I soon
spotted a sign and realized that I was walking back to Arizona from Utah. Oh, gosh, that boat rental place is on the
Utah side of Lake Powell and I’d left Navidad in Arizona the whole time I was
in Utah!
FRIDAY,
MAY 8
Navidad woke me up
around 4:00 a.m., I think it was.
According to him, I have to be positioned just so when he wants to do
his kneading. I obliged, but then couldn't seem to go back to sleep. I
could feel Navi’s motorized purr and, dang, it IS definitely time to clip his
claws again. Still awake as the sky
started to lighten, I decided to get out of bed and see about some sunrise
photos. I went back to bed after that
and, watching the sun through the cabover window, managed to snatch about an
hour’s sleep.
 |
| Sunrise – Lake Powell. |
 |
| The rising morning sun, viewed through the cabover window. Pardon the bug splatter…it comes with the territory. |
 |
| Navidad...tranquility in the morning sun. |
Getting ready to go,
the clouds returned. “What’s it like up
in Utah?” I wondered, because that’s where we’re going today, via Rt. 89 N. I've always enjoyed my visits to Utah – this
is rugged country and the rocks, cliffs, and canyons, here in Utah’s southern
region, are absolutely breathtaking.
Unfortunately for me, it is cloudy, rainy, misty/foggy…and cold! The vivid colors of this landscape, which
truly do stand out on a clear sunshiny day, are not mine to savor today. At any rate, we arrived at the Bauer’s Canyon
Ranch RV Park, in Glendale, and I got a site here for today and tomorrow. This is a working ranch, the registration
office is rustic, and the fella who registered me wore a Cowboy hat. They have an apple orchard right behind my
site and there were two burros grazing on the other side of the fence as I backed
in. Did I mention it is rugged country
here? That said, it is amazing the technological
reach that they have here – their internet connection is outstanding!
But, Lordy, it IS
cold! I hope I have enough propane for
the heater…
SATURDAY,
MAY 9
I woke up during the night
and glanced up at the cabover window.
Awww, raindrops. Waking up again,
some few hours later, I looked up at the window and --- it’s snowing! Even Navidad was staring out the side
window. It was wet snow and since it didn't look like it was going to stick, I hurried outside to snap a couple of pictures.
 |
| Snowing in Glendale, Utah – May 9, 2015. |
A Golden Rule of Thumb
for all travelers – check the weather forecast wherever you are going. I don’t tend to do that and I should. It’s kinda difficult, though, when your
internet access is spotty, or nonexistent, and you can’t just turn on the
radio.
So why did I come up
here to Utah? Since Lake Powell was on
my itinerary, I decided to go a bit further into Utah and visit Zion National Park. I wanted to experience the drive through the
park on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (Rt. 9).
Completed in 1930, this
winding and scenic highway is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. There’s a tunnel, the 1.1- mile Zion-Mt.
Carmel Tunnel, and it was built to accommodate the vehicles of that time. For folks like me – “An escort fee is required for vehicles
7'10" wide and/or 11'4" tall or larger which usually includes all
RV's, buses, trailers, 5th wheels, dualie trucks, and some camper shells.
Escorts (rangers) are stationed at both sides of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel to direct traffic.”
In view of the weather,
this will have to be a trip for another time.
I’m going back south tomorrow to seek the warmer and drier climes of Arizona! Navidad agrees – it’s all about “Camper Adventures!”
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