Comments on my visit to the 1996 SW USA


Comments from my diary to integrate with the above comments

May 3 9:50 am - car 2124 mi
9:10 pm - hotel in Williams, good shots that we could not stop for

May 4 - 3 hours driving - canyon busy, tour buses
May 5 -  Walnut canyon closed till 1 hour later, 1100 mi driving so far
 petrified was neat, expanses of pink, cold mornings
45 min. to drive across  Mesa Verde, switchbacks, narrow road, snow caped
  mountains in Colorado, 7 pm cold, mosquitoes

May 6 - Mesa Verde NP cliff tour (600 dwellings?), Cliff Palace in late 1800's
  tours by bashing and taking, varying quality, so many dwellings
  - shower $0.85

May 7 - 2 hour drive to Canyonlands (Needles) 7 mi hike 5 hours!? with desert
  and oasis
  - drove to Arches, campgrounds full, hotel full, Canyonlands campground full
    found hotel, Canyonlands at end of long road, hiking looked all similar

May 8 - 3667 mi, 7:40 pm camp on roadside, all parks full, quick tour of
Arches NP then 2 hikes in Northern Canyonlands + dead horse State Park
  Balanced Rock, Garden of Eden (no pics), Double Arch, North & South Window
  Turret Arch, Delicate Arch, zoomed at 200 mm
  Devil's Garden, Landscape arch, Partition Arch (great views of valley) and
  Navajo arch, northern Canyonlands - great view thru arch - 2 wide
  Colorado river at Dead Horse, 

May 9 - Valley of the Gods 3830 mi, 14 mi drive out - 30 min.
  6:30 - $55 Inn in Caineville - pool & hot tub - gray sandstone
  Parks full everywhere, , Glen Canyon crossing was amazing, white rock,
red walls with excellent canyons on drive to Hansville

May 10 - Thru Capitol Reef NP at 1 pm - hike upto Hickman Bridge then did
Scenic drive - storm clouds, ice rain, 
3:00 leaving Anasazi State Park & Museum, picture of ruin, smallish with
replica works
6:15 Bryce NP, 7000' high, getting cold (Jacket

May 11 - Queens Trail at 8:30 (1.5 hours), stunning,  Pinecone hike at end
of drive, shower $2, hiked rim trail for 2 hours

May 12 - Fairlnad trail - 90 min
Cedar brakes - snow, road closed
2:10 finished 40 min. hike at northern Zion NP
(Kolob Canyons), part of Taylor
Creek hike, very hot here, forest fires - smoke in canyon, biting bugs, no
showers, lots of hiking here 

May 12 - cold morning, hazy sky (smoke), Checkerboard Mesa picture, hiked
Canyon Overlook - smoky shot of canyon (6 forest fires)
3 hours hiking Hidden Canyon then visitor center, 4pm swim in stream (cold!)
no smoke at night - Canyon hike - never found end - but others coming back

May 13 - 12:00 Lehman Caves (4630 mi), 2 pm cave tour (1.5 hours in park)
30 min drive up 11 miles of scenic drive to 10,000' - road closed
7:30 pm 3.5 hours at 75 mph in Toponeh, $30 hotel with showers
houses/ranches easily 100 mi appart, tioga pass at Yosemite closed

May 14 - Yosemite NP was washed out in flood (Jan)
3:30 - 5:00 Mercer Grove hike, picture of big cedar
central campground is filled/pre-booked all summer, slow driving in park,
hilly and $15/night, no showers, 60+ min drive to other side of park (25 mph)
lots of biting bugs

May 17 - cool morning, Winona campground (2.5 hours to get campsite and into
Yosemite),  90 min. hike, 2 hour hike up waterfall, busy expensive and takes
a long time to get into park - but looks good, lots of police ticketing
"royal arches" are  rock cracking and falling, shuttle bus system, nice
walk-in campground, Falls hike was 3.7 mi at 1 mph listed, steep slipery

May 18 2:15 hike in redwook then Santa Barbara

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