May 9, 2009
It all started when Dek’s consulting contract ended and he finally had time to take some time off before his next contract starts on May 11. It was too late to make arrangements for a cruise and air travel. So after some research, I stumbled upon the Grand Circle of National Parks tour offered by Elderhostel. The tour was fully booked, of course, so I simply copied the tour itinerary and booked the hotels myself.
Because we did the driving, we had the luxury of making any detour that interested us, took as much time as possible in some places, planned for shorter driving stretches, and allowed for some down time.
For 14 days (from April 25- May 8), we traveled 1,972 miles with our 2008 Sienna XLE. We crossed 3 states - Nevada, Arizona, Utah, visited national and state parks and monuments, and took time to visit museums. We discovered the jaw-dropping beauty of the national parks in the Grand Circle tour, including the very impressive highways and sceneries leading to these parks. I got interested in geology and brought books about each of the parks.
In hindsight we prepared well for the trip:
• Packed our food/snack/water/drinks supply. We didn’t have to worry for ‘I’m hungry, where do we eat’ or ‘we have to bring food/drink for hiking’. At times, we ate breakfast at our hotel room.
• Packed car emergency kits and medical/health kits for us. Fortunately, we didn’t have to use them.
• We had a day-to-day schedule. We knew what to expect from the places we visited.
• I brought 3 jackets: for rain, a down jacket for really cold weather, and a light dressier jacket. I used all of them during the trip. Dek brought 2 jackets and used both of them. We also brought an umbrella, which we also used.
• We brought along hiking poles, backpacks and hats.
• We brought an ice chest with wheels. It was so much easier to transport this from car to hotel room.
• We kept ourselves organized day to day. It was easy to be overwhelmed by all the stuff we had in the car. Other things we brought along: gallon plastic bags, sandwich bags, trash bags, toilet paper, paper towel, wet ones, knife, scissors, paper plates, forks/spoons. Seems like a lot, but they helped us organize day to day.
We were surprised to find out that road food wasn’t great. I was expecting local restaurants to serve good homemade food. That actually was a rarity. Bad food, we found out, was just as expensive as great food. I didn’t research the ‘where to eat’ part of the vacation. I would certainly do that next time around.
We mostly stayed at budget hotels like Best Western and Ramada, but it was great to intersperse these with more luxurious ones. After several days on the road, a more luxurious accommodation did wonders to body and soul.
I’d do the same trip again, hiking a different trail, joining jeep tours to go to the interiors of the parks, stopping at other parks we didn’t visit but were tempted to. I really encourage everyone to take a similar trip, while you’re still active and can hike the more challenging trails.
It is a beautiful country out there.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Heading Back Home
May 8
We had breakfast in our hotel room at MGM Grand…Hawaiian bread, peanut butter, banana, Starbucks coffee which Dek bought downstairs as the room does not come with a coffee maker…must be a contract with Starbucks… there was a long line for coffee.
We checked out at around 9:30 am and shopped around before heading back to home-sweet-home. We went to M&M’s store, the chocolate company. Dek bought a couple of chocolate dispensers for himself and Jared. For lunch we had Nathan’s hotdog, which was really good.
We left at around 11:45. Stopped at Baker for gas and decided to stop at the Alien Jerky store. Its signs are all over the freeway billboards. The store is alien-themed…Dek bought 3 different kinds of beef jerkey made from cows that were abducted by aliens.
We had another lunch in Barstow…Popeye’s fried chicken. Next time around, we’d probably stop at the Outlet area of Barstow vs the Barstow Station. The outlet area is a much cleaner and quieter place.
We arrived in La Mirada at 4:30 pm.
We had breakfast in our hotel room at MGM Grand…Hawaiian bread, peanut butter, banana, Starbucks coffee which Dek bought downstairs as the room does not come with a coffee maker…must be a contract with Starbucks… there was a long line for coffee.
We checked out at around 9:30 am and shopped around before heading back to home-sweet-home. We went to M&M’s store, the chocolate company. Dek bought a couple of chocolate dispensers for himself and Jared. For lunch we had Nathan’s hotdog, which was really good.
We left at around 11:45. Stopped at Baker for gas and decided to stop at the Alien Jerky store. Its signs are all over the freeway billboards. The store is alien-themed…Dek bought 3 different kinds of beef jerkey made from cows that were abducted by aliens.
We had another lunch in Barstow…Popeye’s fried chicken. Next time around, we’d probably stop at the Outlet area of Barstow vs the Barstow Station. The outlet area is a much cleaner and quieter place.
We arrived in La Mirada at 4:30 pm.
From St. George to Las Vegas
May 7, 2009
Best Western, our hotel in St. George, had a great free full breakfast this morning. I had pork chops, scrambled eggs, etc.
We planned to go shopping at Pioneer Square this morning for more pasalubongs but were disappointed. The shops were more for locals’ needs than tourists. While driving to get on Highway 15, we noticed a Mormon handicraft store and decided to stop. Dek bought some Mormon sarsaparilla and root beer drinks.
About an hour from St. George, on the way to Las Vegas, is the town of Mesquite. We decided to eat the lunch buffet at the Eureka casino. No, we did not play the slots. The buffet was okay, not great.
We reached Las Vegas at around 2:30 pm and checked in at the MGM Grand hotel. We agreed to upgrade our accommodation for an additional $35…this gave us a hotel room that was almost 1000 sq ft. Bigger than our first house in Long Beach. It had a huge bathroom…separate tub and shower, 2 sinks, a living room and dining, and a bedroom. It felt good after 13 days of being on the road.
MGM comes with its own shops and restaurants without stepping out of the complex…and we exactly did that…not step out. We watched Cirque du Soleil’s KA...a technologically impressive production. The hotel gave us 40% discount on the show plus an additional $35 discount. We got really good seats. We also ate at the Grand Buffet for dinner which had really good choices.
We spent about a couple of hours in the casino…played with the free $25 that the hotel gave us and stopped $15 ahead. The casino smoke though really irritated my throat. I started this vacation with a cough and unfortunately was not able to get rid of it during vacation.
Best Western, our hotel in St. George, had a great free full breakfast this morning. I had pork chops, scrambled eggs, etc.
We planned to go shopping at Pioneer Square this morning for more pasalubongs but were disappointed. The shops were more for locals’ needs than tourists. While driving to get on Highway 15, we noticed a Mormon handicraft store and decided to stop. Dek bought some Mormon sarsaparilla and root beer drinks.
About an hour from St. George, on the way to Las Vegas, is the town of Mesquite. We decided to eat the lunch buffet at the Eureka casino. No, we did not play the slots. The buffet was okay, not great.
We reached Las Vegas at around 2:30 pm and checked in at the MGM Grand hotel. We agreed to upgrade our accommodation for an additional $35…this gave us a hotel room that was almost 1000 sq ft. Bigger than our first house in Long Beach. It had a huge bathroom…separate tub and shower, 2 sinks, a living room and dining, and a bedroom. It felt good after 13 days of being on the road.
MGM comes with its own shops and restaurants without stepping out of the complex…and we exactly did that…not step out. We watched Cirque du Soleil’s KA...a technologically impressive production. The hotel gave us 40% discount on the show plus an additional $35 discount. We got really good seats. We also ate at the Grand Buffet for dinner which had really good choices.
We spent about a couple of hours in the casino…played with the free $25 that the hotel gave us and stopped $15 ahead. The casino smoke though really irritated my throat. I started this vacation with a cough and unfortunately was not able to get rid of it during vacation.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Antelope Slot Canyon
May 6, 2009
Today is a fitting day to end our Grand Circle vacation because our tour of the Upper Antelope Slot Canyon was just as I anticipated. I’ve read a lot about the place and was excited to visit it. It is a photographer’s dream (there are actually photographers’ tours) and with the help of our tour guide I was able to get really good pictures.
Our tour guide helped me set up my digital camera (she seems to know all the digital cameras as she helped others too) and so I just ‘shot away’. I sometimes gave the camera to the guide so she took some of the shots. From experience, she knew which angle would get the best shots.
A slot canyon is a narrow fissure among the rocks. The walls are high and the openings on top allow for the shaft of light to come in. It is dangerous to go into these canyons during thunderstorms as a flash flood could happen. Back in 1991, 11 tourists, with their out-of-town guide, ignored the advice of the local Navajos not to go into the canyons as a thunderstorm was developing miles away. Thunderstorms miles away can cause flash floods here. They all died except for the guide.
The tour to the slot canyon was bumpy and dusty (much like our Underground River trip in Palawan but this was much shorter). Inside the slot canyon, it would sometimes ‘rain’ sand. At one point, I was looking up to take a shot and suddenly sand rained on my face. Ugh. The best time of day to visit the slot canyon is at 10:30 - 12 noon. Also visit during the off season so there is less crowd and you can take your time taking pictures. This place is definitely a must-see.
For lunch, we went back to Ranch Grill House. I ordered the same thing (BLT with avocado) because I wanted to make sure I'd have a good lunch.. Dek ordered chile verde breakfast plate. After lunch, we proceeded on our way back to St. George, Utah, the starting point of our Grand Circle tour. But, as usual, we made a detour… a 10-mile detour to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It was very difficult to hike the sand dunes so we had a good hike today. If one has time, this is a good park to visit.
We reached St. George at around 7 p.m., Utah time. We had dinner at Lefty’s, again the same place we had dinner when we started this tour 11 days ago. We plan to sleep in tomorrow and do some shopping at St. George’s Pioneer Square before heading to Las Vegas.
Today is a fitting day to end our Grand Circle vacation because our tour of the Upper Antelope Slot Canyon was just as I anticipated. I’ve read a lot about the place and was excited to visit it. It is a photographer’s dream (there are actually photographers’ tours) and with the help of our tour guide I was able to get really good pictures.
Our tour guide helped me set up my digital camera (she seems to know all the digital cameras as she helped others too) and so I just ‘shot away’. I sometimes gave the camera to the guide so she took some of the shots. From experience, she knew which angle would get the best shots.
A slot canyon is a narrow fissure among the rocks. The walls are high and the openings on top allow for the shaft of light to come in. It is dangerous to go into these canyons during thunderstorms as a flash flood could happen. Back in 1991, 11 tourists, with their out-of-town guide, ignored the advice of the local Navajos not to go into the canyons as a thunderstorm was developing miles away. Thunderstorms miles away can cause flash floods here. They all died except for the guide.
The tour to the slot canyon was bumpy and dusty (much like our Underground River trip in Palawan but this was much shorter). Inside the slot canyon, it would sometimes ‘rain’ sand. At one point, I was looking up to take a shot and suddenly sand rained on my face. Ugh. The best time of day to visit the slot canyon is at 10:30 - 12 noon. Also visit during the off season so there is less crowd and you can take your time taking pictures. This place is definitely a must-see.
For lunch, we went back to Ranch Grill House. I ordered the same thing (BLT with avocado) because I wanted to make sure I'd have a good lunch.. Dek ordered chile verde breakfast plate. After lunch, we proceeded on our way back to St. George, Utah, the starting point of our Grand Circle tour. But, as usual, we made a detour… a 10-mile detour to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It was very difficult to hike the sand dunes so we had a good hike today. If one has time, this is a good park to visit.
We reached St. George at around 7 p.m., Utah time. We had dinner at Lefty’s, again the same place we had dinner when we started this tour 11 days ago. We plan to sleep in tomorrow and do some shopping at St. George’s Pioneer Square before heading to Las Vegas.
Lake Powell Day 2
May 5, 2009
We had the buffet breakfast today at the hotel’s restaurant at $15 per person. Then we boarded our boat for the tour of Rainbow Bridge. This is a whole day tour...it takes 3 hours one way to go to the bridge, and then a 1 ½ mile hike round trip. Lake Powell is spectacular from the water. Once the boat enters the canyon that leads to the bridge, the canyon walls seem to hug the boat…the canyon was that narrow. Lunch was provided as well as water, tea, and lemonade all day. Half day tours to the bridge starts mid-May.
Rainbow Bridge is the largest natural bridge in the world. It is 290 ft high, spans 275 feet across the river. The top of the arch is 42 feet thick and 33 feet wide. Twenty years ago, boats can drive up to the bridge; now people have to hike as the water has gone way down. So if you haven’t been to the bridge, go now or else you’ll have a longer hike to do years from now.
The boat stopped at the Dangling Rope Marina and we bought some ice cream for snack. Lake Powell land is owned by the Navajo Indians and any development has to done by them or approved by them. A brand new hotel is coming soon in one of the marinas. Many private houseboats are docked here…you can tell some people do have a lot of money. Navajo Indians own about 25,000 square miles of land around here…they have their own president and laws…they have their own Navajo Nation.
We had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant again…this time Dek ordered Buffalo Osso Buco and I ordered sole with avocado mousse. Again, they were delicious.
We had the buffet breakfast today at the hotel’s restaurant at $15 per person. Then we boarded our boat for the tour of Rainbow Bridge. This is a whole day tour...it takes 3 hours one way to go to the bridge, and then a 1 ½ mile hike round trip. Lake Powell is spectacular from the water. Once the boat enters the canyon that leads to the bridge, the canyon walls seem to hug the boat…the canyon was that narrow. Lunch was provided as well as water, tea, and lemonade all day. Half day tours to the bridge starts mid-May.
Rainbow Bridge is the largest natural bridge in the world. It is 290 ft high, spans 275 feet across the river. The top of the arch is 42 feet thick and 33 feet wide. Twenty years ago, boats can drive up to the bridge; now people have to hike as the water has gone way down. So if you haven’t been to the bridge, go now or else you’ll have a longer hike to do years from now.
The boat stopped at the Dangling Rope Marina and we bought some ice cream for snack. Lake Powell land is owned by the Navajo Indians and any development has to done by them or approved by them. A brand new hotel is coming soon in one of the marinas. Many private houseboats are docked here…you can tell some people do have a lot of money. Navajo Indians own about 25,000 square miles of land around here…they have their own president and laws…they have their own Navajo Nation.
We had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant again…this time Dek ordered Buffalo Osso Buco and I ordered sole with avocado mousse. Again, they were delicious.
Lake Powell Day 1
May 4, 2009
We had a buffet breakfast at The View restaurant for $11 per person. I think the price is okay considering that our pancake breakfast at Pancake Haus cost about the same thing. We then proceeded to Goulding’s Lodge, a historic hotel across the highway from Monument Valley. I originally booked our room here, but I’m awfully glad that I changed my mind and booked at The View instead. Goulding’s looked old and dilapidated.
We then left for Lake Powell or what is called the Glen Powell National Recreation Area. By the way, both Monument Valley and Lake Powell are in Arizona. We had to remember to adjust our time from Utah time. Utah is one hour ahead of California while Arizona is the same as California.
We toured the Glen Canyon Dam this afternoon. It is 16 feet shorter than Hoover Dam. Lake Powell’s main purpose is to store and ration water to several dams down the stream, including Hoover. It also sells electricity to hundreds of electric companies, but not to ones in California. It was a nice informative tour.
We then checked in at the Lake Powell Resort and Marina which is right on Lake Powell. It’s a really nice resort and we’re glad we booked here as we could just go outside and be right on the water. One of the first things we did was do our laundry. So we loaded the washer and sat at a picnic table overlooking the lake to wait for the washer to get done. After we placed our clothes in the dryer, we decided to go back to our room. When Dek went back to get our clothes, he found the dryer door open and our clothes still very wet. We suspected that somebody took our clothes out, dried his/her clothes, and then put our clothes back in. What people do to save 50 cents!
We were lucky today in terms of food. We had a good breakfast at The View. For lunch, we asked the person manning the Visitor Center at the dam for a recommendation. So we drove to Ranch House Grill. I ordered a BLTA (BLT and Avocado) and Dek ordered spicy chicken sandwich. Both were very good. For dinner we ate at the resort’s restaurant. I ordered Pasta Primavera and Dek ordered a hamburger. Since both were excellent, we supposed the dessert would also be great...so we ordered pear crème brulee for dessert.
We had a buffet breakfast at The View restaurant for $11 per person. I think the price is okay considering that our pancake breakfast at Pancake Haus cost about the same thing. We then proceeded to Goulding’s Lodge, a historic hotel across the highway from Monument Valley. I originally booked our room here, but I’m awfully glad that I changed my mind and booked at The View instead. Goulding’s looked old and dilapidated.
We then left for Lake Powell or what is called the Glen Powell National Recreation Area. By the way, both Monument Valley and Lake Powell are in Arizona. We had to remember to adjust our time from Utah time. Utah is one hour ahead of California while Arizona is the same as California.
We toured the Glen Canyon Dam this afternoon. It is 16 feet shorter than Hoover Dam. Lake Powell’s main purpose is to store and ration water to several dams down the stream, including Hoover. It also sells electricity to hundreds of electric companies, but not to ones in California. It was a nice informative tour.
We then checked in at the Lake Powell Resort and Marina which is right on Lake Powell. It’s a really nice resort and we’re glad we booked here as we could just go outside and be right on the water. One of the first things we did was do our laundry. So we loaded the washer and sat at a picnic table overlooking the lake to wait for the washer to get done. After we placed our clothes in the dryer, we decided to go back to our room. When Dek went back to get our clothes, he found the dryer door open and our clothes still very wet. We suspected that somebody took our clothes out, dried his/her clothes, and then put our clothes back in. What people do to save 50 cents!
We were lucky today in terms of food. We had a good breakfast at The View. For lunch, we asked the person manning the Visitor Center at the dam for a recommendation. So we drove to Ranch House Grill. I ordered a BLTA (BLT and Avocado) and Dek ordered spicy chicken sandwich. Both were very good. For dinner we ate at the resort’s restaurant. I ordered Pasta Primavera and Dek ordered a hamburger. Since both were excellent, we supposed the dessert would also be great...so we ordered pear crème brulee for dessert.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Monument Valley
May 3, 2009
After eating our breakfast of vienna sausage, bread, peanut butter, and jelly, we left for Monument Valley. Of course we made several stops along the way.
Our first stop was the Needles district of Canyonlands. Two days ago, we were in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. The detour to Needles was not worth the time…the drive to the park was about an hour from the main highway. What was worth the time was the stop at Newspaper Rock, a wall of petroglyphs. A petroglyph is an etching on a rock while a pictograph is a painting on a rock.
Lunch was in Monticello at a gas station’s Taco place. Ugh! Monticello is a small town and we didn't know where else to eat.
We then drove to the Edge of the Cedar Museum. Unfortunately, because of budget cuts, the museum decided to close on Sundays. Fortunately, we didn’t have to drive out of the way to visit it.
So we decided to go to Goosenecks State Park. Now this was worth going to. The area is primitive (no visitor center at all and pit toilets only), but the landscape is priceless. Goosenecks refers to the tight meandering of the San Juan River between cliffs that hug the river. The view from the top truly makes the river and the cliffs look like goose necks.
By the way, the pit toilets in all the parks we’ve visited were very clean and didn’t smell nasty at all.
After another hour, we arrived at Monument Valley at 5 pm. The Valley is a Navajo Nation park. We checked in at ‘The View’, the hotel inside the park. The hotel is beautiful…all the rooms have balconies that looked out the valley. We quickly booked a 2 ½ hour tour. The tour allowed us to visit places in the park that is not accessible unless guided by a Navajo guide. Because there was just Dek and me, we had the guide all to ourselves. The road was rough and at times we had to hold on tight so as not to be thrown out of the open tour van. It was a very informative tour (cold and dusty, too) and it was 8:10 pm by the time we returned back to the hotel. We immediately went to the hotel’s restaurant (as they close 9 pm) without washing up.
I ordered green chile stew and Dek ordered pozole. The pozole was tasteless… my chile stew was tasty BUT I could have drank that stew as there was very little meat and vegetables in it. Our orders came with fry bread which I like a lot ever since I tried it a few years ago during our New Mexico vacation.
After eating our breakfast of vienna sausage, bread, peanut butter, and jelly, we left for Monument Valley. Of course we made several stops along the way.
Our first stop was the Needles district of Canyonlands. Two days ago, we were in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. The detour to Needles was not worth the time…the drive to the park was about an hour from the main highway. What was worth the time was the stop at Newspaper Rock, a wall of petroglyphs. A petroglyph is an etching on a rock while a pictograph is a painting on a rock.
Lunch was in Monticello at a gas station’s Taco place. Ugh! Monticello is a small town and we didn't know where else to eat.
We then drove to the Edge of the Cedar Museum. Unfortunately, because of budget cuts, the museum decided to close on Sundays. Fortunately, we didn’t have to drive out of the way to visit it.
So we decided to go to Goosenecks State Park. Now this was worth going to. The area is primitive (no visitor center at all and pit toilets only), but the landscape is priceless. Goosenecks refers to the tight meandering of the San Juan River between cliffs that hug the river. The view from the top truly makes the river and the cliffs look like goose necks.
By the way, the pit toilets in all the parks we’ve visited were very clean and didn’t smell nasty at all.
After another hour, we arrived at Monument Valley at 5 pm. The Valley is a Navajo Nation park. We checked in at ‘The View’, the hotel inside the park. The hotel is beautiful…all the rooms have balconies that looked out the valley. We quickly booked a 2 ½ hour tour. The tour allowed us to visit places in the park that is not accessible unless guided by a Navajo guide. Because there was just Dek and me, we had the guide all to ourselves. The road was rough and at times we had to hold on tight so as not to be thrown out of the open tour van. It was a very informative tour (cold and dusty, too) and it was 8:10 pm by the time we returned back to the hotel. We immediately went to the hotel’s restaurant (as they close 9 pm) without washing up.
I ordered green chile stew and Dek ordered pozole. The pozole was tasteless… my chile stew was tasty BUT I could have drank that stew as there was very little meat and vegetables in it. Our orders came with fry bread which I like a lot ever since I tried it a few years ago during our New Mexico vacation.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Arches National Park
May 2, 2009
We had breakfast at the Pancake Haus near our hotel. The pancake was huge but chewy. This place is not a good pancake place.
We then proceeded to Arches National Park which was just 5 miles away. Since the weather report at the visitor center indicated 90% chance of rain, we decided to start going to the viewpoints and hiking right away. The rain started, light but steady. Fortunately I brought with me my 100% guaranteed waterproof rain jacket…and it passed the test! It kept me dry. Dek at first wore a water repellent jacket which got him wet. He had to change his shirt (fortunately we had a souvenir shirt in the car) and he wore another jacket after that. We even used our umbrella. We came prepared!
We hiked for an hour to the Landscape Arch, the second largest arch in the world (don’t know what the first is). It is bigger than a football field. Visitors used to be able to hike directly beneath the arch but in 1991, an 18 ton piece of the arch fell while some visitors were resting beneath it. Fortunately they were able to scramble to safety. The thinnest part of the arch is now just 6 feet thick. We were planning to continue hiking to 2 other arches from the Landscape arch, but I had to go really bad. Tumatayo ang balahibo ko dahil ihing-ihi na ako.
After seeing all the viewpoints, we went back to the visitor center. That was when a really huge thunderstorm struck. Lucky for us. It lasted about 20 minutes. So we spent the time browsing the gift shop, the museum, and watching a short film about Canyonlands and Arches. Bought a book on the southwest parks and another souvenir shirt.
Water is the main force that has shaped all the parks we’ve visited. Its freezing, thawing, flowing has shaped the rocks and canyons for thousands of years.
We left the park and had a late lunch (2 pm) at Shingha, a Thai restaurant in Moab. We chose this place because according to the TripAdvisor reviews, this was a great Thai place. We ordered Tom Yum soup, pad see yew, and beef curry. The dishes were tasty but we’ve had better in L.A. The place also needed some cleaning and updating, I think.
We then went back to Ramada Inn to rest for the rest of the day. We’re planning to just have noodles tonight (part of my food supply) since we’re still full from the late lunch. Dek right now, at 5:50 pm, is snoring. All the walking and hiking is taking its toll.
I mentioned in a previous blog that Moab has a lot of young ‘local foreigners’. The waiter at Pancake Haus is Thai and he mentioned that he works with a 20 year old Filipino. I found out that a company recruits them from their countries as ‘exchange students’ and they work in the hotels and restaurants in the area. I wonder how legit this is…another type of slave labor? Would be interesting to research this.
On to Monument Valley tomorrow, stopping at several state parks along the way. I am looking forward to our stay at Monument Valley because our hotel is right in the park. I hope I won’t get disappointed with the accommodation…the hotel is new and the most expensive one during our vacation.
We had breakfast at the Pancake Haus near our hotel. The pancake was huge but chewy. This place is not a good pancake place.
We then proceeded to Arches National Park which was just 5 miles away. Since the weather report at the visitor center indicated 90% chance of rain, we decided to start going to the viewpoints and hiking right away. The rain started, light but steady. Fortunately I brought with me my 100% guaranteed waterproof rain jacket…and it passed the test! It kept me dry. Dek at first wore a water repellent jacket which got him wet. He had to change his shirt (fortunately we had a souvenir shirt in the car) and he wore another jacket after that. We even used our umbrella. We came prepared!
We hiked for an hour to the Landscape Arch, the second largest arch in the world (don’t know what the first is). It is bigger than a football field. Visitors used to be able to hike directly beneath the arch but in 1991, an 18 ton piece of the arch fell while some visitors were resting beneath it. Fortunately they were able to scramble to safety. The thinnest part of the arch is now just 6 feet thick. We were planning to continue hiking to 2 other arches from the Landscape arch, but I had to go really bad. Tumatayo ang balahibo ko dahil ihing-ihi na ako.
After seeing all the viewpoints, we went back to the visitor center. That was when a really huge thunderstorm struck. Lucky for us. It lasted about 20 minutes. So we spent the time browsing the gift shop, the museum, and watching a short film about Canyonlands and Arches. Bought a book on the southwest parks and another souvenir shirt.
Water is the main force that has shaped all the parks we’ve visited. Its freezing, thawing, flowing has shaped the rocks and canyons for thousands of years.
We left the park and had a late lunch (2 pm) at Shingha, a Thai restaurant in Moab. We chose this place because according to the TripAdvisor reviews, this was a great Thai place. We ordered Tom Yum soup, pad see yew, and beef curry. The dishes were tasty but we’ve had better in L.A. The place also needed some cleaning and updating, I think.
We then went back to Ramada Inn to rest for the rest of the day. We’re planning to just have noodles tonight (part of my food supply) since we’re still full from the late lunch. Dek right now, at 5:50 pm, is snoring. All the walking and hiking is taking its toll.
I mentioned in a previous blog that Moab has a lot of young ‘local foreigners’. The waiter at Pancake Haus is Thai and he mentioned that he works with a 20 year old Filipino. I found out that a company recruits them from their countries as ‘exchange students’ and they work in the hotels and restaurants in the area. I wonder how legit this is…another type of slave labor? Would be interesting to research this.
On to Monument Valley tomorrow, stopping at several state parks along the way. I am looking forward to our stay at Monument Valley because our hotel is right in the park. I hope I won’t get disappointed with the accommodation…the hotel is new and the most expensive one during our vacation.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Canyonlands
May 1, 2009
We left Capitol Reef at around 8:30 this morning, wearing a sweater and my down jacket. It’s been really cold in the parks for the past few days…and windy, too. I’m just bone-chilled that I haven’t showered for the past 2 days for fear that I might get sick ;).
The drive to the Canyonlands National Park was very scenic but quite different from the bright reds and oranges of the parks we’ve visited. The colors of the landscape were now gravel gray, with a few yellows and shades of purple. Really weird looking. It struck me that this is the perfect backdrop for an alien abduction movie. But it has its own stark beauty just the same.
We spent a couple of hours at the John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River. Powell was one of the most influential pioneers of the Colorado and Green River. This is a great, little museum worth visiting. It’s a great stop on the way to Canyonlands. We had a restful and pleasant lunch at the Tamarisk restaurant across the museum. The restaurant is located right along the Green River. No peanut butter sandwiches this time. To be safe, I ordered soup and salad. Dek ordered a Reuben sandwich.
We then proceeded to the Dead Horse Point State Park which, based on my research, was highly recommended. The place was named such because horses were left here to die. The view, again, was truly astounding. I wish we came driving a 4x4 so that we could travel the dirt trails in the parks. Would have been a more fascinating trip. I told Dek the next time we get a chance to be in this area again, we should either drive a 4x4 or join some of the jeep tours that really go to the interior of the parks.
From the Dead Horse park we went to Canyonlands, another fascinating park with its deep canyons thru which the Colorado River flows. The only hike we did was a half mile walk to the Mesa Arch, a natural bridge formed by water eons ago. We would have done other hikes had we had more time.
It was a busy day. We finally arrived in Moab, Utah at 6:30 pm. and checked in at the Ramada Inn. Moab is a destination city by the looks of the crowd here. People come here for all kinds of activity - river rafting, hiking, etc. Hotels are fully booked and downtown is full of restaurants, art stores, and tourist shops. This is the first town in Utah I’ve been to this vacation where there are Indians, Ukranians, Chinese, and Vietnamese as residents of the place. In other words, we were not the only non-whites.
We had a good dinner at the Szechuan Restaurant. Then had Dreyers ice cream. A small scoop of ice cream is $1.99 which in Los Angeles would cost about $3 to $4.
On to the Arches National Park tomorrow. Hope it doesn’t rain though weather report says 80% chance of rain.
We left Capitol Reef at around 8:30 this morning, wearing a sweater and my down jacket. It’s been really cold in the parks for the past few days…and windy, too. I’m just bone-chilled that I haven’t showered for the past 2 days for fear that I might get sick ;).
The drive to the Canyonlands National Park was very scenic but quite different from the bright reds and oranges of the parks we’ve visited. The colors of the landscape were now gravel gray, with a few yellows and shades of purple. Really weird looking. It struck me that this is the perfect backdrop for an alien abduction movie. But it has its own stark beauty just the same.
We spent a couple of hours at the John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River. Powell was one of the most influential pioneers of the Colorado and Green River. This is a great, little museum worth visiting. It’s a great stop on the way to Canyonlands. We had a restful and pleasant lunch at the Tamarisk restaurant across the museum. The restaurant is located right along the Green River. No peanut butter sandwiches this time. To be safe, I ordered soup and salad. Dek ordered a Reuben sandwich.
We then proceeded to the Dead Horse Point State Park which, based on my research, was highly recommended. The place was named such because horses were left here to die. The view, again, was truly astounding. I wish we came driving a 4x4 so that we could travel the dirt trails in the parks. Would have been a more fascinating trip. I told Dek the next time we get a chance to be in this area again, we should either drive a 4x4 or join some of the jeep tours that really go to the interior of the parks.
From the Dead Horse park we went to Canyonlands, another fascinating park with its deep canyons thru which the Colorado River flows. The only hike we did was a half mile walk to the Mesa Arch, a natural bridge formed by water eons ago. We would have done other hikes had we had more time.
It was a busy day. We finally arrived in Moab, Utah at 6:30 pm. and checked in at the Ramada Inn. Moab is a destination city by the looks of the crowd here. People come here for all kinds of activity - river rafting, hiking, etc. Hotels are fully booked and downtown is full of restaurants, art stores, and tourist shops. This is the first town in Utah I’ve been to this vacation where there are Indians, Ukranians, Chinese, and Vietnamese as residents of the place. In other words, we were not the only non-whites.
We had a good dinner at the Szechuan Restaurant. Then had Dreyers ice cream. A small scoop of ice cream is $1.99 which in Los Angeles would cost about $3 to $4.
On to the Arches National Park tomorrow. Hope it doesn’t rain though weather report says 80% chance of rain.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Capitol Reef
April 30, 2009
Capitol Reef is one of the least visited of the national parks. The park is famous for its 100 mile waterpocket fold caused by the buckling of rock which produced ridges. Pioneers called these ridges ‘reefs’.
A section of the park used to be a Mormon pioneer community. The pioneers planted orchards of apples, peaches, cherries. The orchards still exist and visitors are welcome to pick fruits during the season (June to Sept).
We stopped at the Guiford house, a pioneer house inside the park. They sell pies, jams, ice cream. We had homemade strawberry rhubarb pie for our midmorning snack and vanilla ice cream for our afternoon snack. They were truly delicious. Bought some jams for pasalubong and their famous cheese bread to replenish our food supply.
The great thing about the park is that visitors can drive to the bottom of a gorge and hike onwards. The drive to the bottom of the gorge was via a scenic, maintained dirt road. We did an easy 2 mile hike in the Capitol Gorge which surrounded us with sheer canyon walls. Really impressive and made us feel small. After the hike we enjoyed our staple hiking food - peanut butter sandwiches and chips.
It’s funny how some natural structures in the parks are named - for example, Molly’s Nipple and Fern’s Nipple.
We went back to the hotel early, to rest. The next few days will be hectic.
Capitol Reef is one of the least visited of the national parks. The park is famous for its 100 mile waterpocket fold caused by the buckling of rock which produced ridges. Pioneers called these ridges ‘reefs’.
A section of the park used to be a Mormon pioneer community. The pioneers planted orchards of apples, peaches, cherries. The orchards still exist and visitors are welcome to pick fruits during the season (June to Sept).
We stopped at the Guiford house, a pioneer house inside the park. They sell pies, jams, ice cream. We had homemade strawberry rhubarb pie for our midmorning snack and vanilla ice cream for our afternoon snack. They were truly delicious. Bought some jams for pasalubong and their famous cheese bread to replenish our food supply.
The great thing about the park is that visitors can drive to the bottom of a gorge and hike onwards. The drive to the bottom of the gorge was via a scenic, maintained dirt road. We did an easy 2 mile hike in the Capitol Gorge which surrounded us with sheer canyon walls. Really impressive and made us feel small. After the hike we enjoyed our staple hiking food - peanut butter sandwiches and chips.
It’s funny how some natural structures in the parks are named - for example, Molly’s Nipple and Fern’s Nipple.
We went back to the hotel early, to rest. The next few days will be hectic.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
On our way to Capitol Reef national park
April 29, 2009
Our dinner at Ruby’s Inn last night was awful. We got the all you can eat dinner to be safe, but it was bad food.
We left for Capitol Reef National Park at around 9 am. We stopped at three state parks: Kodachrome Basin, Escalante Petrified Forest, and Anazasi State Park. We will tour the Capitol Reef park tomorrow.
What struck us most about Kodachrome is the number of phallic-like structures in the landscape - huge and tall. We did a nice, short hike and then drove to Escalante Petrified Forest. We did a one-mile moderate to strenuous hike which brought us to actual petrified specimens. This is the first time I’ve seen petrified forest specimens and they look and feel exactly like minerals. One of the best still had the tree rings and the barks of the tree. Next was the Anazasi State Park…this was a small museum with small displays of actual diggings. The ones we’ve seen in New Mexico were more impressive.
For lunch, the lady at the Escalante Visitor Center suggested Giorgie’s at the town’s center. She was right about the place having good food. This was the first decent meal we’ve had after 2 days. I had taco and Dek ordered burrito.
The drive from Escalante to Capitol Reef via Highway 12 is truly scenic with a lot of winding miles. Nangangatog ang tuhod ko. At one point, both sides of the road dropped hundreds of feet below.
We’ve checked in at the Best Western Capitol Reef hotel and ate dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Dek ordered pork chops (swine flu?) and that was good. My grilled trout was not good at all, so I gave that to Dek and ate half of his pork chops.
Why can't people offer good, simple food in these areas? Maybe some fast food competition would help. The only fast food I've seen so far is Subway. Maybe we'll eat there tomorrow.
Our dinner at Ruby’s Inn last night was awful. We got the all you can eat dinner to be safe, but it was bad food.
We left for Capitol Reef National Park at around 9 am. We stopped at three state parks: Kodachrome Basin, Escalante Petrified Forest, and Anazasi State Park. We will tour the Capitol Reef park tomorrow.
What struck us most about Kodachrome is the number of phallic-like structures in the landscape - huge and tall. We did a nice, short hike and then drove to Escalante Petrified Forest. We did a one-mile moderate to strenuous hike which brought us to actual petrified specimens. This is the first time I’ve seen petrified forest specimens and they look and feel exactly like minerals. One of the best still had the tree rings and the barks of the tree. Next was the Anazasi State Park…this was a small museum with small displays of actual diggings. The ones we’ve seen in New Mexico were more impressive.
For lunch, the lady at the Escalante Visitor Center suggested Giorgie’s at the town’s center. She was right about the place having good food. This was the first decent meal we’ve had after 2 days. I had taco and Dek ordered burrito.
The drive from Escalante to Capitol Reef via Highway 12 is truly scenic with a lot of winding miles. Nangangatog ang tuhod ko. At one point, both sides of the road dropped hundreds of feet below.
We’ve checked in at the Best Western Capitol Reef hotel and ate dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Dek ordered pork chops (swine flu?) and that was good. My grilled trout was not good at all, so I gave that to Dek and ate half of his pork chops.
Why can't people offer good, simple food in these areas? Maybe some fast food competition would help. The only fast food I've seen so far is Subway. Maybe we'll eat there tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Magnificent Bryce Canyon
April 28,2009
We left Zion at 8:30 this morning. The drive to Bryce was scenic and easy, except for a few miles of tight switchbacks. We went thru the Zion tunnel which is over a mile long and was built in the 1930s.
Bryce is unbelievably gorgeous and unique. You will not see anything like this in the world. This is my second trip to Bryce and I still say it is the most jaw-dropping beautiful park I’ve been to. If you haven’t been to Bryce, you just absolutely have to go…and do this when you’re young and able to hike the magnificent trails.
We explored all the view points. It was cold and windy and there were snow patches on the ground. We weren’t able to hike for lack of time, though Dek went partway down the Navajo trail…this trail brings you down the canyons. For lunch we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, vienna sausage, mandarin orange, Lindt chocolate, and chips. We were too late for the lunch hour at the lodge and the restaurant was closed.
We’re staying at Best Western Ruby’s Inn which seems to be the most well-known inn in this area. It has it’s own restaurant, grocery store, and gift shop. I hope we get some decent food for dinner tonight.
We took hundreds of pictures and video, but I’m having a hard time uploading the pictures. Internet connection is slooooowww.
It’s just the 4th day of our vacation and we’re TIRED but enjoying ourselves! I guess we’re not as young as we thought. We’ll sleep in tomorrow before leaving for Capitol Reef.
We left Zion at 8:30 this morning. The drive to Bryce was scenic and easy, except for a few miles of tight switchbacks. We went thru the Zion tunnel which is over a mile long and was built in the 1930s.
Bryce is unbelievably gorgeous and unique. You will not see anything like this in the world. This is my second trip to Bryce and I still say it is the most jaw-dropping beautiful park I’ve been to. If you haven’t been to Bryce, you just absolutely have to go…and do this when you’re young and able to hike the magnificent trails.
We explored all the view points. It was cold and windy and there were snow patches on the ground. We weren’t able to hike for lack of time, though Dek went partway down the Navajo trail…this trail brings you down the canyons. For lunch we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, vienna sausage, mandarin orange, Lindt chocolate, and chips. We were too late for the lunch hour at the lodge and the restaurant was closed.
We’re staying at Best Western Ruby’s Inn which seems to be the most well-known inn in this area. It has it’s own restaurant, grocery store, and gift shop. I hope we get some decent food for dinner tonight.
We took hundreds of pictures and video, but I’m having a hard time uploading the pictures. Internet connection is slooooowww.
It’s just the 4th day of our vacation and we’re TIRED but enjoying ourselves! I guess we’re not as young as we thought. We’ll sleep in tomorrow before leaving for Capitol Reef.
Monday, April 27, 2009
News from Zion
April 27, Monday
We arrived at Zion at 8:30 in the morning, driving right into the park. Zion suggests that visitors park in Springdale and take the shuttle to the park, but since we arrived early, we had no problem parking. Cars are not allowed inside the park; shuttles carry people from site to site. Zion was cold and windy in the morning, warm and sunny during the day, and cold and windy again in the afternoon.
We decided to hike the Emerald Pools, planning on taking the lower and middle pools only. But when we arrived at a junction that said that the upper pool was only .3 miles away, we decided to hike it. It was a steep climb, with narrow and slippery paths. It took us 4 hours to do the 3 pools (3 miles total). We took the paths slowly with the help of our hiking poles and took many rest stops. We ate our lunch of boiled eggs, ensaymada, and chips at the upper pool. It was 2 pm by the time we came back at Zion Lodge. We were tired…feet and bones aching. Fortunately, our late lunch of cheeseburger and salmon patty sandwiches at the Red Rock Grill in the lodge was truly delicious.
I almost ruined our vacation when I seriously slipped. Fortunately, no broken bones. Dek and I took Advil to counter the aching bones and muscles. I forgot to bring Salonpas and Ben-gay.
We’re staying at the Majestic View Lodge…pretty with logs for the bed and chairs. We have a balcony that looks at the magnificent views of Zion. We had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, but it was awful. We should just have eaten the Cup-of-Noodles that I brought with us.
We arrived at Zion at 8:30 in the morning, driving right into the park. Zion suggests that visitors park in Springdale and take the shuttle to the park, but since we arrived early, we had no problem parking. Cars are not allowed inside the park; shuttles carry people from site to site. Zion was cold and windy in the morning, warm and sunny during the day, and cold and windy again in the afternoon.
We decided to hike the Emerald Pools, planning on taking the lower and middle pools only. But when we arrived at a junction that said that the upper pool was only .3 miles away, we decided to hike it. It was a steep climb, with narrow and slippery paths. It took us 4 hours to do the 3 pools (3 miles total). We took the paths slowly with the help of our hiking poles and took many rest stops. We ate our lunch of boiled eggs, ensaymada, and chips at the upper pool. It was 2 pm by the time we came back at Zion Lodge. We were tired…feet and bones aching. Fortunately, our late lunch of cheeseburger and salmon patty sandwiches at the Red Rock Grill in the lodge was truly delicious.
I almost ruined our vacation when I seriously slipped. Fortunately, no broken bones. Dek and I took Advil to counter the aching bones and muscles. I forgot to bring Salonpas and Ben-gay.
We’re staying at the Majestic View Lodge…pretty with logs for the bed and chairs. We have a balcony that looks at the magnificent views of Zion. We had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, but it was awful. We should just have eaten the Cup-of-Noodles that I brought with us.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
St. George, Utah
April 26, Sunday
We arrived at St. George, Utah at around 2 pm after a leisurely drive from Las Vegas. Checked in at Best Western Abbey Inn…nice, new hotel.
Drove to Snow Canyon State Park…beautiful and gorgeous. Worth visiting. I thought the park was named snow canyon because of the huge white mountain in the park…found out it was named after the pioneering Utah Snow family. Hiked on sand dunes and had Mexican food for dinner at Pancho and Lefty's which is just across the street from the hotel. They actually have good food and service was friendly and fast.
We arrived at St. George, Utah at around 2 pm after a leisurely drive from Las Vegas. Checked in at Best Western Abbey Inn…nice, new hotel.
Drove to Snow Canyon State Park…beautiful and gorgeous. Worth visiting. I thought the park was named snow canyon because of the huge white mountain in the park…found out it was named after the pioneering Utah Snow family. Hiked on sand dunes and had Mexican food for dinner at Pancho and Lefty's which is just across the street from the hotel. They actually have good food and service was friendly and fast.
Mesquite, Nevada
Stopped at Mesquite for lunch...was expecting a dusty old town...was totally surprised. There are many retirement developments here, like Sun City. We managed to find free wifi at McDonalds. So I uploaded the Vegas blog.
Garmin GPS is great...looked for a Starbucks, called the place, and was told they don't have wifi but that McDonalds has it.
Will try to blog tonight from the hotel..
Garmin GPS is great...looked for a Starbucks, called the place, and was told they don't have wifi but that McDonalds has it.
Will try to blog tonight from the hotel..
viva las vegas
Day 1, April 25
The drive to Vegas from La Mirada was pleasant and uneventful. Stopped in Barstow for lunch at Panda Express and Baker for a restroom break. Dek and I took turns driving.
I haven’t been to Vegas for a vacation for at least 10 years, and I don’t think I’ll be back again for another 10. Traffic was terrible and the streets were very crowded. Everything was artificially over the top.
It took us 40 minutes to reach Polo Towers once we exited the 15. We initially had a problem checking in as my cousin was the one who reserved the room for us but that was quite readily resolved. Our room is a big one bedroom suite with a living room and a fully-equipped kitchen.
After unpacking and resting, Dek and I walked to Ceasar’s Palace to explore ‘The Forum’, a shopping and restaurant complex. Ate Maryland crab cakes and lamb chorizo pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. The food was good not really outstanding. And expensive. I thought my crab cake was $12 (I ordered from the appetizer menu) but turned out to be $20.
We then met Carlo for dessert. We had frozen hot chocolate and banana split at Serendipity. This is the same Serendipity as in New York, but does not taste the same, as per Carlo.
Looking forward to the real start of our vacation tomorrow….
The drive to Vegas from La Mirada was pleasant and uneventful. Stopped in Barstow for lunch at Panda Express and Baker for a restroom break. Dek and I took turns driving.
I haven’t been to Vegas for a vacation for at least 10 years, and I don’t think I’ll be back again for another 10. Traffic was terrible and the streets were very crowded. Everything was artificially over the top.
It took us 40 minutes to reach Polo Towers once we exited the 15. We initially had a problem checking in as my cousin was the one who reserved the room for us but that was quite readily resolved. Our room is a big one bedroom suite with a living room and a fully-equipped kitchen.
After unpacking and resting, Dek and I walked to Ceasar’s Palace to explore ‘The Forum’, a shopping and restaurant complex. Ate Maryland crab cakes and lamb chorizo pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. The food was good not really outstanding. And expensive. I thought my crab cake was $12 (I ordered from the appetizer menu) but turned out to be $20.
We then met Carlo for dessert. We had frozen hot chocolate and banana split at Serendipity. This is the same Serendipity as in New York, but does not taste the same, as per Carlo.
Looking forward to the real start of our vacation tomorrow….
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Start of Vacation
Dek and I will be starting our grand circle tour on Saturday April 25. Will be leaving for Las Vegas and staying at Polo Towers.
Am currently sick and really trying to get better for the trip...
Am currently sick and really trying to get better for the trip...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
