Wild Turkeys and Angels Landing- Zion

Prior to Bryce & Sedona we visited the Red Cliffs of Zion National Park. My first impression, other than awe at the beauty, was to compare it to Yosemite--in the aspect of the huge cliffs and views and a very compact valley (so much narrower than any of the valleys in the Canadian Rockies). The Paiute who lived in the valley until the Mormons settled there called it Mukuntuweap or something like "straight up land." This apparently was the name of the park originally but was changed to Zion, honouring the naming and settlement of the Mormons instead (I think it was briefly also the cumbersome Mukuntuweap-Zion).

However, what differs from Yosemite for Zion, other than the cliffs are red sandstone and not granite, is that for so many miles around and before the valley the land around it is the Sonoran Desert. Therefore a very sharp contrast to what we have driven in for 8 days. That morning we had left Las Vegas and driven through this stark landscape and stopped at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada (a very interesting place of red landscapes and ancient pictographs but so hot--35-38C?). Then we hit the land where the Virgin River flows and suddenly there were green shrubs and trees. The kids breathed out a sigh of relief and were so joyful at trees and water! (which reversed a few days later when we re-entered the desert and Corwyn declared "I can't be in the desert anymore--NO!"). It was lovely to see and the temperatures were much cooler. Grandma Eve had joined us in Vegas and Grandpa John arrived the next day in Zion by bus so we stayed outside the park up in the high Ponderosa Pine lands at a resort that had cabins and tenting so we had to drive 45mins in to the park each day. A sightseeing expedition not just a commute that involved seeing numbers of Bighorn sheep twice and getting to go through the 1.8km tunnel. Grandparents also meant the opportunity for the kids to play and do something a bit more low key while we went on a big hike! The first day with just Grandma we took our bikes and Grandma rented and we cycled the 2km pathway from the main visitor center and a portion of the closed off road. The great thing was that when the kids and Grandma got tired we put them on a shuttle (up to 3 bikes can go on front) and met them at our stops. That way Chris & I got to ride the whole 12 miles there and back (which was a fabulous downhill ride on the way back that included a thundershower and fork lightning!).

And yes, we saw a Wild Turkey that day. It is kind of mind boggling to see such a large mostly ground bird in North America. I wonder how common they are--the map shows them to be widespread across the central and eastern USA but such a large delicious looking bird (says the vegetarian) I can't imagine they are that common. Here are both kids with it as they would be jealous if I only posted the one pic.

The hike Chris & I summitted was to the peak of Angel's Landing. Named again by the Mormons, this peak was said to be so high and sheer that 'only angels could land on it.' It isn't really a super long hike--average strenous uphill hike that took us ~3hrs including lunch but it is a mental challenge especially. You first hike up to a nice viewpoint called Scouts landing and through a small canyon where Mexican Spotted Owls nest (there were signs telling us to be quiet there to avoid disturbing them). Then by permit only (Chris nabbed a $10 permit back in January) you hike a Angel's landing a ridge, most of it with a metal chain to hold on to for security. The parts that I had the most challenge with were right at the start where the rock sloped sidways for awhile and I clung in a tight grip to the chain. Chris had more difficulty with a section that was pretty narrow with extremely sheer drop offs on either side (right to the valley floor)--it is discombobulating being able to see down into the canyone on both sides in your peripheral view! But we managed it and there was enough space for a large number of us to sit at the top and enjoy lunch in a semi-relaxed state before heading down.

The interesting thing about hiking in the National Parks in the USA that we have encountered so far is the sheer number of people hiking with you. Even with the permit system that is limiting the # of hikers on this challenging precipice, there were still hundreds of others doing the hike with us. There were times we had to shrink into a side ledge and let 12 people pass us before we could proceed. And the unpermitted hike had a few hundred more--and this is a fairly strenuous hike! I've never encountered that kind of volume on a hike anywhere in Canada and usually if there is a crowd a few steps up a rocky trail and you're alone. Not here--here you realize that even if you are fit there are hundreds of others who are wanting to do exactly as you every day of the year in these parks. It's kind of awestrucking in its own way--beautiful parks and the human experience all in one.

If you were traveling and had to choose only one of Yosemite & Zion I'd say you could choose either--either will give you a similar sense of awe and wonder and opportunities to explore the park no matter how able you are. Zion has an even better road that is now blocked to traffic except shuttles and bicycles that goes up the valley for ~12 miles and Yosemite Valley is perhaps a bit wider with a few more opportunities (like big Redwood hikes) but overall either would be marvelous. Anyway we're in full swing into the 'canyons' part of our adventure with a few more big ones to explore next (The Grand...) and we're moving into a more human history aspect too with both ancient and current (Navajo Nation--the largest nation within the USA) up next. Can't wait!

Red Rock Country

I've wanted to go to Bryce Canyon since a friend told me about it back in 1997 (Thanks Matt!). I've seen pictures of it before but seeing it in person is something different. It's an incredibly beautiful landscape, with the densest concentration of hoodoos anywhere in the world. Hiking among the hoodoos is humbling and I wish we had more time here. Dad and Eve joined us recently for a couple weeks of adventuring and I'm thrilled that they get to experience Bryce Canyon with us. The US National Park system has figured out their shuttle system. Both here and Zion have fast and efficient shuttles, removingthe need for scrambling for parking spaces, spilling out of full parking lots, or walking long distances to the site you actually want to see. Canada has lessons to learn in this case.

Northern Arizona is known as Red Rock Country. I thought this was more metaphorical, a bit of exaggeration, but the rock (and the soil) is really red. Combined with the reds of a sunset (which we all known is just refraction of light!) and the landscape becomes a photographer's dream. For the past few days, we've had to drag the kids out to go hiking (they don't want to go hiking) and then drag them back to the car (they don't want to stop hiking). As long as our hike includes an awkward, vertical scramble across the red rock, they seem to be happy.

Today, we tried mountain biking ... with thin tires on bikes that are not mountain bikes. The trail was only a green circle but it definitely tested everyone's limits. Both kids struggled with rocks and took minor spills, but they bounced back quickly and improved quickly. They were happy at the end of the ride ... not because it was over but because they knew they'd pushed themselves and succeeded. I've never really been excited by mountain biking but I had a great time today, too.

The Desets of California in a changing climate: Highs and lows

We are dirty and tanned. Our feet have new callouses and pain from all the the hiking we've been doing. Corwyn we've decided needs a new pair of runners as his toes are pinching and Vera needs nightly foot and leg massages. But overall we have had an amazing time. Read Chris' post if you'd like to know more about the itinerary and details of our campsites & adventures from his perspective. What I want to talk about is about the life of the desert--the huge diversity we've experienced and the wonder and sadness that comes with it. A small bit of elevation change here makes a huge difference in what is here on the land due to temperature and moisture variations so I have divided this post into highs and lows. Highs There are two deserts that we have traversed in California- The Colorado (Which may be a subset of the Sonoran desert) and the Mojave Deserts. The Mojave desert is the higher altitude of the two deserts. The temperatures are cooler and there is snow in many areas in the winter. However, it is extremely varied. Some parts receive 2 inches of rain per year, others 6. Joshua Tree National Park has both deserts but the Mojave is where you find the Joshua trees. When we moved into this desert and started walking I was astounded. Even though we missed the early bloom of all the annual flowers there was still much blooming--cactus blooms of deep purple and reds, wildflowers of a wide variety and yuccas. My personal favourite was the Nolina. I spotted a number that just looked like another type of green yucca but in the Hidden Valley near where we camped our 3rd night it was this secluded little valley that was a bit cooler and I found a few in bloom. It had a huge flower stalk like a tall yucca but the whole stalk was glowing a golden glow in the setting sun. When I finally approached it it was just humming with bees and moths. A small flycatcher was also there nipping in and out catching moths then sitting on a nearby rock to eat them before heading in again. It was neat to see this ecocsystem stemming from one plant. Indigenous people from what I read also prized and ate/eat the flower stalk as well.

Parry's Nolina in bloom in Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park

My favourite cactus in bloom. Corwyn has a good eye for variety and for spotting wildlife. He was keen on cacti and could spot a new species and variations in chollas as well as others. Here he is next to a big barrel cactus as well as some of the beautiful blooms I adored of some of the beavertail prickly pears and my favourite the big red Mojave Mound Cactus.

When I mentioned the diversity to the park ranger on the walk we went on she said "Yes, Joshua Tree National Park has the greatest biodiversity in all of California." It certainly does. We saw many of the 40 different lizard types including the large Chuckwalla which Corwyn spotted first and exclaimed "There goes an iguana!" I enjoyed the kit fox I spotted and got up early (5am) to find it sitting on a rock in the same area the next morning as well. We had a coyote walk through our campsite. An amazing place but one a delicate position as so many species are endemic and only live in the Mojave. The Joshua trees need a specific moth to pollinate and a specific amount of moisture and elevation. Climate models indicate that if we continue on track for a 2C warming on average that 90% of the current Joshua trees will perish. A sad fate for the icon that has made it the 8th most popular National Park in the USA. I hope our society can pull off a shift that will keep the warming lower. Maybe in a best case at this point we can save half instead.... Lows The lowland areas around the Mojave are the Colorado desert are starkly different but still special. Most places are not barren but the hotter temperatures with periodic flooding in Summer makes it a land of smaller shrubs like the miles and miles of colonies of creosote bushes (which are apparently the longest lived species on earth? One colony was estimated at > 11 000 years. They aren't pretty and as we decended into them the temperatures climbed as the elevation dropped. My spirits generally dropped as well. The barrenness makes you realize how crucial water is to life and there are places with dead yuccas where you wonder if this is an effect of recent droughts or? There are some endemic species that only occur here as well though. One is the only native palm-- the California Fan Palm. You may think of California and think of palm trees but most of these are palms from other places like Morroco. The California fan palm only lives in the Colorado desert but ironically 'must have its feet in water.' It can only occur where there is flowing water or a high water table--a true Oasis. In Anzo-Borrego we hiked to one and it was a beauitiful spot of green. It had a river that flowed over it. At the edge of Joshua Tree NP we went to another that was a sadder tale. A beautiful oasis near the town of 29 palms--named so due to an Indigenous people, the Serrano were said to have originated here. In their first year 29 boys were born and the creator had instructed them that for every boy they were to plant a palm. Thus 29 palms. It was a major hub for different groups to come to and trade and stay. However, the growing town has tapped into the water table that no water has bubbled to the surface since the 1940s and now the park pipes water from town to supply some water to the oasis and the dying palms. It left me feeling sad as we headed out again through the hotter part of the desert wondering what will be the future for these lands in the next 50 or 100 years. As we gaze at all the fountains and water elements in Las Vegas the use of water and the how starkly different this built landscape is with its air conditioned indoor landscapes revive us from penetrating glare of the sun for a bit yet shield us from the reality of the desert climate I wonder. What is next?

A healthy fan palm oasis and one that is dying with town nearby in 29 palms

Into the Mojave Desert

This week, we started tne next phase of our adventure: crossing the Mojave desert. The towns outside San Diego end very suddenly and the, after being surrounded by the millions of people that live on the Southern California coast, we are alone. We arrived at a campsite in Anza Borrego park and chose a free campsite. Only a coouple were in use but I guess I chose one that was booked for the following night, so we had to carry our tent, sleeping bags, etc, to the next campsite. The booked party never showed up anyways, and we were still alone. The desert is a great place to look at rocks because they're not covered by bothersome things like dirt or life. I'm actually not that interested in rocks (bad Science teacher!) but there are lots of fascinating plants here. The desert may be low on biomass but its high on biodiversity (I did not previously know that). When we arrived in Joshua Tree National Park, I was thrilled to find "forests" of both Chollo Cactus and Joshua trees. They're like Dr. Seuss plants but real. We're carrying our own water now, since it's not available anywhere in the park. Our water jugs have a tiny but steady leak which causes minor stress and, once per day, I have to bail out a centimetre of water from the floor mates. I've never bailed a car before. The flip-side is that, because the chance of rain is practically nil, we haven't needed the tent fly for a week. It makes for great stargazing when you're far away from cities and can watch them through the tent mesh while you fall asleep. There are rocks for climbing everywhere. The kids alternate between running/hopping on the boulders (a ranger told us the term is "technical scrambling") and whining for their next meal. It's a simple life. During the middle of the day, we hide in whatever shades is available: a tarp, a cave, a hat. These parks are barely inhabitable (for humans) during July and August. We adjusted our scheduled to add an extra day in Joshua Tree park because we were so enchanted by it. We've found some great hikes: in steep slot canyons, in hidden valleys, to secluded palm groves, up steep hills using iron rings, dodging yuccas and cacti. When we moved to Mojave Preserve, the scenery got a little starker. The desert is big. Tomorrow, we'll have a strange break in Las Vegas where we will enjoy such services as electricity, running water, and fountains that erupt hourly coordinated to music. I'd struggle to call Las Vegas an oasis, since hardly anything on the Strip is necessary for survival, but it's definitely a desert oddity.

San Diego- A taste of American Culture

Full disclosure. I'm not a big city person and we're currently finishing up our week in the 8th largest city in the USA, staying about 40 minutes outside of the city in the 'suberbs?' of San Diego near Escondido. This has meant, for most of our sight-seeing, we needed to get on the freeway for awhile and barrel into town. I spend most of the time during these drives gripping my seat as the freeway is usually packed and mostly it is 12 lanes wide (6 in each direction). This boggles my mind...how much humanity is crazily being pumped down these highways each day. It makes me wonder at those that survive this as a daily commute and the reasons they choose to do it. I read on some sites that San Diego is the 'greenest' city in the USA by some environmental measurments. However, it sure isn't due to it's great emission free or public transportation as far as I can tell (though there are ridiculous #'s of Tesla's here). And we did sample the public transit both by bus and trolley (aka skytrain like). Those were prompt and pleasant experiences though there wasn't a tonne of usage.

 The goal of the week was to stop and refresh, do a lot of laundry and do some things that would be fun for the kids so they would be ok with going on more big hikes the following weeks. I think San Diego helped us meet those goals. We've been able to take in some real American culture-- the commuting, yes but also a big amusement park, a science museum, Cinco de Mayo festivities in old town which happened to be my birthday and a Padres professional baseball game (we've now checked off one of Chris' sports goals. I think horse racing and/or a rodeo are still on the list for other states). 

One place that took us a bit by surprise was the tour of the Midway Aircraft Carrier. It is worth a visit! The Midway Aircraft Carrier is in the main harbour as a floating museum. Built in 1945 it didn't serve in WWII but did in later wars (i.e Vietnam & Gulf War). I expected a quick tour and explore of the ship but we ended up there for more than 2hrs. There was a lot to do and a great audio tour that had a kids version for many of the locations (plus a scavenger hunt to earn a badge to be a "junior officer"). The kids loved the stories in the audio, making the place real, and all the stairs and climbing around--plus planes and a ship all in one! We enjoyed that the place was FULL of docents that were retired veterans ready with powerpoints on how to land on a carrier to answering questions about the engine room or the brig. The museum does a great job of telling the story as well from those who served on the ship. Hundreds and hundreds of people were there with us but because it was so big you could easily get lost 3 layers down in your own story. We also had some good outdoor adventures-- a bike ride around Mission Bay (Vera completed 20km), a hike in Torrey Pines State Park (so many blooming flowers!) & yesterday morning a kayak around caves and sea lions in the crystal waters off of La Jolla. But more of that to come again now that we're heading back into the wild--this time to the desert.

 Today we're heading now to the San Diego Safari Park on our way out of town and then continuing East towards Anzo Borrego State Park, Joshua Tree State Park and the Mohavi Desert. Cell signal will be spotty so stay tuned for an update in a week when we shock ourselves with the lights and sights of Vegas.

Owlets in a Palm Tree-the fauna & flora of California

As we are finishing up a week in San Diego I am reflecting on a couple of amazing times we had in between Pinnacles & the big city. Stay tuned for a post about where we are now in the coming day. After Pinnacles & before San Diego we had 2 campsites for 2 nights. The first was Cerro Alto in Los Padres National Forest near Morro Bay. This was also a last minute swap out when highway 1 & Big Sur failed to reopen. It turned out lovely relatively "remote" and peaceful. The National Forest extends quite far--past Santa Barbara & consists of some moister valley bottoms with many larger tree species and then quickly transitions to scrubby chapparel (see photo but basical scruby land with bushes and low trees but nothing big).

At Cerro alto we were treated to both--a campsite in a thicker oak & pine woodland with bubbling creeks and yet fields and open hilltops. The kids were in heaven hiding, climbing running to the fields. The campsites were so far apart we basically were a lone. We had to bring in our own water as the wastewater system was still down from last winter's storm but no worries...we were ready. And birds! Eager birders were coming to the campsite to bird for Spring migration and happy to stop and chat. I got my e-bird app out the next morning and enjoyed learning about all the different birds-- from different kinds of grosbeaks to mountain quail. We had a great horned that night calling all night and the kids and I spied ki up on a wire way up in the chapparel. I also got to to a great run up into the chapparal woodlands above the fog with amazing views and plants along the way.

We also had a stop to Morro Bay which was the coastal town near the campsite. We went to the big 'morro' or rock there and saw peregrines, many pelicans (I'm pretty sure I've seen more than 500 pelicans now), sea otters, seals and a sea lion in the bay. And then there were the ground squirrels. No we didn't feed them but it was pretty obvious someone was!

Then we headed to the palm-lined Refugio State Park for 2 nights of "town" camping-- very squished but only a few minutes from a beautiful sandy beach. If you hike or bike in as we did on our California bike trip #2 in 2013 then you get the best campsite at Refugio. We still had a lovely time...beach time, bike time (1 mile down a coastal trail until it tumbles into the sea). So many beautiful wildflowers are out this time of year too!

We were again treated to a Great Horned Owl at night. In the mist of the first morning I opened a tent flap and looked out as a few crows were cawing madly (usually a sign a raptor is nearby) and glimpsed the owl fly--right into a campground palm tree. The next evening I got out my binoculars and we got a treat! Not just an owl but a momma with 2 large owlets. We could stand right under their palm and look up and with binoculars see them very clearly. Sorry no photos! We just don't have good enough cameras. These wild things carry me though the city life until we can get to the next wild place (though Chris did have the fortune of having a striped skunk wander by him on our patio last night!) And PS- We did go through LA and stopped only to see the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits and marvel at all the paleozoic animals that fell into the tar there--1000's of dire wolves, extint bison, sabre-tool and scimitar cats & mastadons. Better than any fairytales? ;)