Travelogue

Day 7 - Check out of the Sheraton and drive to the north shore north to stay at the Cliffs at Princeville

The Cliffs at PrincevilleIt had been a lovely stay at the Sheraton, but we had pretty much seen and done everything we had wanted, so we were excited to head to the northern shore of Kauai where we had more fun things planned.

Against Herb’s wishes, we made a stop at Costco as we passed through Lihue to stock up on more breakfast and lunch items. This time rather than having to confine ourselves to a mini fridge, we had a full kitchen.

I had reserved a one-bedroom suite with an ocean view on Bookiong.com at the Cliffs at Princeville, a timeshare community perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific, however, when we got there, there was a bit of confusion, and they sent us instead to a first-floor suite with a view of a hedge.

The Cliffs at PrincevilleThis just wouldn’t do, so we marched back to the Reception Area and informed them that there had been some kind of a mistake, as our reservation specifically said ocean view. After some apologetic mumbling and fiddling on the computers, they switched us to a second story suite in a building near the cliff with an ocean view. Herb was very proud of my feistiness in dealing with the reception clerk.

The suite was beautiful - full kitchen, dining area, living room, and bedroom, with a balcony off the living room with an ocean view and another balcony off the bedroom with a garden (and parking lot) view. We were very happy with our situation.

Once we were settled in, we took a bottle of wine and walked out to the cliff’s edge where there were about a dozen adirondack chairs to sit in and watch the sun set.

Beside the lovely view, there were two interesting birds wandering around: roosters and nene geese.

Feral RoosterFirst the rooster, which was outsmarting me in my attempt to photograph it. These birds are everywhere on the island, acting like they own the place - wandering through restaurants, crossing the streets (without looking both ways), and any expanse of grass they can find.

According to local lore, the reason there are so many roosters wandering around freely on the island is that two hurricanes (Iwa in 1982 and Iniki in 1992) destroyed domestic chicken coops, thereby setting them free. These domesticated birds then mated with the wild red junglefowl, resulting in the feral chickens that are everywhere today.

They are actually quite beautiful, especially when the sun shines on their colorful feathers.

The endangered Nene GooseThe other bird that was joining us for sunset cocktail hours was the Nene, an endangered goose that looks similar to the Canadian Goose except for its coloring and its diagonal black and white stripes. These stripes are caused by diagonal rows of white feathers with black skin showing through.

When Captain Cook arrived in the Hawaiian islands in1778, the nene was quite common. But hunting and predators like mongooses, pigs, dogs, and cats reduced the population to just 30 birds by 1952. Today, after much effort, they have been brought back from the brink of extinction and re-introduced into the wild. Today, there are 2,500 nenes in the wild, but it is still the 6th-most endangered waterfowl species in the world.

Then it was back to our lovely suite for a dinner of salad and sandwiches ala Costco.

Before going to bed, we decided to walk over to the lovely pool, right across the way from our building and take a soak in the hot tub. We asked the other couple that was already in the hot tub and they replied Santa Rosa, California, which just so happens to be where we are from. Small world.

Day 8 - Hanalei Bread Company, stroll on Hanalei Beach, and muddy hike from Ke’e Beach to Hanakapi’ai Beach

Hanalei BeachOne of the major things we wanted to do on the north shore was to hike a section of the Kalalau Trail in Hāʻena State Park, the most famous backpacking trail in all of Hawaii. This trail is the only way visitors can visit the Na Pali Coast via land, because there is no road.

To do the whole trail requires a backpacking permit as it will take several days to complete the very strenuous 20-miles (out-and-back) along miles of switchbacks, precarious narrow trails, precarious drop-offs, and usually muddy conditions.

Stroll along Hanalei BayThe only part of the Kalalau Trail open for day visitors is the first 2 miles from Ke’e Beach, where we parked, to Hanakapi’ai Beach. From Hanakapi’ai Beach there is an additional 1.8 mile side trail upstream to Hanakapi’ai Falls, one of the more spectacular falls on the north shore.

Because it has become so popular, you now need reservations to enter Hāʻena State Park and to access the Kalalau Trail. Anyone that wants to enter the park must make online reservations to either drive in and park or ride a shuttle.

The muddy Kalalau trailThe parking spots, which we very much preferred, are extremely difficult to get and you must reserve one of three time slots: 6:30 am – 12:30 pm, 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm, or 4:30 pm – sunset.

Before leaving for Hawaii, I was only to get a 4:30 pm slot, which wouldn’t allow much time for hiking. When we were in Hawaii, I kept looking at the website, and was eventually able to grab a cancellation for the 12:30 pm slot on the same day, which was great, because it would allow us to do the hike to Hanakapi’ai Beach.

We still had all morning, so we drove to the Hanalei, stopping first at the Hanalei Bread Company to pick up some sandwiches for our hike. It was an extremely popular place, so we had to wait quite a while on line. Then we drove over to take a stroll on lovely Hanalei Beach, which we had seen from above during our helicopter ride.

Ke'e Beach from the Kalalau trailIt was a very pretty beach, great for families because of the calmer waters of the bay.

Herb became fascinated with photographing two coconuts bobbing in the surf, which I found quite amusing. We named one of his little coconut friends Wilson.

Further down the beach, we came to a large "ALOHA" structure made with tree branches that had washed ashore.

View of Napali CoastIt was almost time for our 12:30 parking reservation in Hāʻena State Park, so we drove the narrow road to the park, crossing several bridges, that often get flooded and impassable, to the end of the road. This is as far as you can drive on the north shore.

As I mentioned in my description of our drives through Waimea Canyon, we had gone as far north as we could go from the south shore when we drove all the way to the end and parked at the Pu’u O Kila Lookout. Only about 7 miles separates the ends of the two roads.

Stream crossing near Hanakapi’ai BeachThe plan a while back was to connect these two road ends allowing for a complete circumnavigation of the island by car, but the ground in between was just too swampy. So the road around Kauai was like a clock with one hour blocked off (the one before midnight), and we had driven every possible bit of it - some of it multiple times.

When we got to Hāʻena, we realized we would only have time to do the 4-mile, out-and-back hike to Hanakapi’ai Beach. Going all the way to the Hanakapi’aiFalls and back would be about 6 hours in the muddy conditions, bringing us back after dark. Not a very good idea considering how rocky and slippery the trails were with many hazardous stream crossings along the way.

After parking the car, we walked on a boardwalk over taro fields, which were growing in pond water. Taro is a very important Hawaiian crop and a staple in the native Hawaiian diet. It is believed that the plant was brought to Hawaii by ancient Polynesians.

Finally! Hanakapi’ai BeachThe Kalalau Trailhead was located right near beautiful Ke’e Beach. Rather than stop to enjoy the beach now, we wanted to get the hike done first, because we didn’t know how long it would take.

For some reason I thought a beach (Ke’e) to beach (Hanakapi’ai) hike would be flat, but it was far from it.

The trail, which was very rocky and muddy, immediately began to climb and kept on climbing for the entire first mile.

Hanakapi’ai BeachAbout a half mile from the start of the trail, we came to a pretty view below of Ke’e Beach.

Then at about a mile into the hike, near the top of the ridge in an opening in the brush, we got our first view of the Napali Coast. As I mentioned earlier, this trail is the only place where you can see the Napali Coast by land.

Back to Ke'e BeachFrom there the trail descended down towards Hanakapi’ai Beach just as steeply as it had risen. Downhill is always tougher than uphill, especially when you have to worry about slipping on muddy rocks.

We could see glimpses of the beach as we descended so we knew we were closer. Back down at sea level, we came to a rapidly moving river (stream?) that we had to cross. Rather than try to delicately balance on a series of rocks to get across, I gave up and just got my boots (and my butt) wet. It wasn’t the most dignified crossing, but I didn’t care.

Back on Ke'e BeachIn the winter, Hanakapi’ai Beach is not much of a beach, as the powerful waves and high tides of winter wash away the sandy shore line, leaving just a narrow stretch of sand with lots of boulders, draped by emerald green moss - very pretty. Definitely not a place to lounge and swim at this time of year.

From the beach we headed back from whence we came - across the fast-moving stream, up the muddy, rocky trail to the summit, and slipping and sliding back down again to Ke’e Beach.

Originally I thought we would take some time to relax and maybe even swim on Ke’e Beach, but we were muddy and tired, so after a short time we headed back to the Cliffs at Princeville, where we soaked in the hot tub.

Day 9 - Larsen’s Beach and enjoying the Cliffs at Princeville Pool

Trail to Larsen's BeachToday the forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so we figured we would get out early while it was still sunny and explore some potential beaches to enjoy tomorrow.

The beach we were particularly interested in seeing was Larsen’s Beach, a secluded and isolated beach on the northeastern shore that just happens to border what the locals call “Zuckerland,” Mark Zuckerberg’s 1,400-acre compound. He calls it Ko'olau Ranch.

His massive construction project includes two mansions (totally over 57,000 square feet), guest houses, a gym and sauna, multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, a tennis court, 11 treehouses with rope bridges and, of course, an underground bunker (in case of societal collapse). And so much more.

Larsen's BeachIt’s a very controversial and highly secretive project. No one is quite sure exactly what is going on behind the walls.

The good news is, although Zuckerberg can own all the land above the beach, he can’t own the beach itself.

To get to it we took a dirt road marked “Beach Access,” just west of Moloaa Road. In less than a mile, we came to a small parking lot.

Larsen's BeachFrom there, there were several choices leading to the beach. The one straight ahead was steeper and rougher, so we took the middle one towards the left, which was quite easy and gentle. We weren’t sure if we were actually on Zuckerberg’s property (and he was allowing beach access), or whether we were just skirting it.

The beach was lovely - totally void of people, with lovely shade trees to sit under while watching the very large waves breaking over the reef.

We walked along the beach until we came to an impassable outcrop of lava rocks that essentially divided Larsen’s beach in half. I think there is a rough path that goes over the lava rocks to the other sides, but we were perfectly content to stay where we were.

Larsen's BeachThe forecasted rain never came that day, so we spent an enjoyable few house on this lovely beach, me happily reading my book under a shade tree and Herb photographing the giant waves.

The winter Hawaiian surf season, which runs from approximately November through March, is where you can expect to see the largest waves, particularly along the north-facing shores where the waves can get up to 30 feet and even 70 feet during the largest swells. I think these waves were about 30 feet high.

Giant waves at Larsen's BeachWe watched a young Hawaiian boy tossing a net over and over again into the sea and then retrieving it to see if he had trapped any fish. He was practicing an ancient Hawaiian fishing style.

It involves a lot of patience. Most of the time is spent just quietly staring at the water until you see a school of fish. Then the net is thrown out, forming a circle that drops down to the water, and finally it is pulled in and hopefully emptied of its catch. Unfortunately, the boy caught nothing, at least as long as we were watching.

Traditional Hawaiian net fishingLater that day, an older man holding a net stood silently by the lava rocks and then just stared at the water for almost an hour, never throwing his net once as knew there were no fish in reach. Later he wandered along the beach and stopped again. I took my eyes off of him for a while, but when I did look up, I saw him emptying his catch of about 5 small fish from his net onto the beach.

Curious as to what he caught, I strolled down the beach to see. He told me that the fish he caught were “manini” and that they were good to eat.

Manini caught in a netI asked if I could take a picture, and he said of the fish, but not him. I’m not sure if Hawaiians were just tired of tourists taking photos of them doing everyday Hawaiian things or whether his catch was legal or not. I later saw that the minimum allowable size to keep a manini is 5 inches and this one might be a little shy of that.

Cliffs at Princeville poolWhen I researched this fish a little more, I found out that it is also called the convict tang, I guess because its stripes make it look like it is wearing a cute little prison outfit.

I was wondering why this fish looked sort of familiar, but then remembered that Herb’s dad had a saltwater fish tank for years with lots of tropical fish, including tangs just like this one.

Still blue skies and no sign of rain, so we managed to get a full beach day out of today. I was so glad, because now rather than making tomorrow (our last day on Kauai) our beach day, we could spend it visiting two places I really wanted to see that were closed today: the Kalalau Lighthouse and the Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park, both of which were closed today but open tomorrow.

Then it was back to the Cliffs and Princeville for some pool and hot tub time! It was a very lovely pool with warm water and even a small waterfall to refresh yourself.

Day 10 - Fitness Center and Pool, Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park, Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge, and Shave Ice

Na ‘Aina Kai GardensBig day for our last day of vacation: a 1:00 tour at the Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park followed by a 3:00 reservation to enter the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge.

That gave us the entire morning to relax at our resort. We started off with a visit to the fitness center where I did 40 minutes on a stationary bike followed by 20 minutes of lifting. Visiting fitness centers while on vacation is kind of a new thing for us, but we both just finished reading “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity,” so we were doing our best to live to be healthy centenarians.

Then it was on to the pool to read and relax for a bit before setting out on our busy day.

"Valentine"Our first activity of the day was a visit to the Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park, which combines art and nature in a lovely setting. I confess to not knowing much about plants, but I do love art within nature.

The gardens were started by Joyce and Ed Doty, a couple that moved to Kauai in 1982 from Santa Rosa, California, our home town. Joyce was actually the ex-wife of Charles Schulz of Peanuts comics fame.

Over the next decades they expanded what was a simple landscape project in the front yard into 240 acres of diverse gardens, complete with one of the largest collections of bronze sculpture in the United States.

Bismark nobilis palmIn 1999 the Dotys created Na ‘Āina Kai Botanical Gardens, a private foundation, to which they donated the entire gardens. The foundation maintains the gardens and offers a variety of guided tours.

We would have preferred to do a self-guided walk so we could spend time photographing, but they are only offered on Thursdays, which didn’t work for us.

Instead, we signed up for the “The Stroll” tour, where a guide led us through various parts of the garden, explaining the history of the gardens and the plant life along the way.

"Hearts on a Swing"Our guide was a naturalist that lived in Alaska during the summer and Kauai in winter. In between, she traveled the world, mostly to tropical places like Tahiti. She was very knowledgeable and interesting.

She took us through the Formal Gardens and Poinciana Maze, past a Lagoon with a lovely cascading waterfall and tropical island with fountain, a Japanese teahouse, and a Desert and Palm Garden.

My favorite part of exploring the Gardens was being surprised by a bronze sculpture around every turn in the trail.

TOne of the 200 bronze statueshere are 200 life-size, bronze sculptures in the gardens, each done by a Coloradan artist name George Lundeen. I wish I could have seen them all.

Joyce never bought a piece until she knew exactly where she wanted to place it in the garden, where it would be integrated into the horticultural setting without competing for attention with other sculptural pieces.

Bark of a Rainbow Eucalyptus TreeI found myself losing the tour group because I was admiring and photographing the sculptures rather than learning about the plants.

My absolute favorite was a sculpture of an elderly couple sitting on a bench, leaning lovingly towards each other.

The piece, which is very appropriately called “Valentine,” was an anniversary gift from Joyce to Ed. It was their first sculpture in what would become a very extensive collection, many of which from the same artist, George Lundeen of Colorado.

"Hearts on a Swing"As I mentioned above, Joyce never purchased a sculpture until she knew exactly where she was going to place it in the garden. She chose wisely, placing Valentine beneath the big banyan tree in the Main Garden.

I found myself far behind the group, wistfully looking at it, thinking, if we were lucky, that that would be Herb and me someday.

The next sculpture we encountered was of a beautiful young lady sitting casually on a swing, called "Hearts on a Swing." She was lovely.

There were so many more. The subjects reminded me of Norman Rockwell paintings in their quaintness, idealism, and sentimentality.

“Flight of the Tropic Birds"The only sculpture we saw that wasn’t by George Lundeen was a beautiful fountain sculpture in the middle of the lagoon called “Flight of the Tropic Birds,” done by artist Panco Vining. Rather than bronze, it was a brilliant white flock of birds.

Besides the lovely banyan tree under which “Valentine” was placed, we did see many different varieties of palm trees, one of which was the Bismark nobilis palm. A native of Madagascar, this rather unusual palm tree, which grows 30 to 60 feet high has silver green leaves.

"Follow the Leader"However, my absolutely favorite tree was the rainbow eucalyptus, whose bark was so brightly colored that I couldn’t believe it was natural. But it was!

This time I did pay attention to our guide as she explained why the bark of this tree looks the way it does. As the tree sheds its bark, it reveals a neon green inner layer. Over time, as this layer is exposed to air, it ages into different colors—bright reds, oranges, blues, pinks and purples. The different colors appear as different layers fall off, while other exposed areas begin aging.

The last sculpture we encountered was another favorite of mine. It was called "Follow the Leader" for obvious reasons. It consisted of five adorable children (and one old lady trying to join them) balancing their way across a log.

Kilauea LighthouseThe Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park had been a very worthwhile educational and aesthetically- pleasing stop.

From the Gardens we continued on to the nearby Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge where we had a 3:00 entry reservation.

The Kilauea Lighthouse stands atop a 180-foot-high bluff above the ocean at the very northernmost point of the Hawaiian Islands.

Here come the wavesIn the early 1900s, the U.S. government studied alternatives for placing a lighthouse on Kauaʻi, as it is the first landfall for ships coming from the west. After much study, Kīlauea Point was selected, in part due to its 180-foot elevation, making it less expensive since the tower structure did not have to be taller to be effective. Construction started on July 8, 1912.

Already important to marine navigation, the lighthouse also aided aviation since its beam could be seen from 90 miles away from an airplane.

Just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the light station went dark until the end of the war.

Crashing waves off Kilauea LighthouseIn 1976, the massive beam of Kīlauea Point Lighthouse was replaced by an unmanned automated beacon. Large ships and planes no longer relied on the light for navigation.

Today visitors such as us come to view and photograph this beautiful lighthouse.

A wildlife refuge was established on the bluff in 1985 to preserve seabird nesting colonies. It is a wonderful place to see seabirds rarely seen from land, such as the red-footed booby, the great frigate bird, the Laysan albatross, and the endangered nēnē.

Jojo's Shave IceAlthough we unfortunately did not see much bird activity, we did have a lot of fun watching the giant waves crash on the promontory across the way.

Since it was our last night, and we had run out of Costco food, we decided to drive into Hanalei for a bite to eat. Plus, the last thing we had on our list to accomplish was having a Shave Ice, and there was a Jojo’s Shave Ice in town.

Our original intent was to have a poke bowl at Hanalei Poke, but despite their website saying they were open, they weren’t, so we had a Hanalei Pizza instead. We figured that we should try something Hawaiian, so we had a BBQ pizza with pork, pineapple, and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Not exactly my favorite, but we thought it needed to be done.

Then it was on to Jojo’s Shave Ice where we managed to gain back all the calories we worked off in our multiple visits to the fitness centers in our hotels. It was decadent. A mound of ice with pina colada and other colada flavored syrup over Macadamia Nut ice cream. It was tasty, but the portion was ridiculously large.

Okay, well we knocked the pineapples on a pizza and shave ice off our list, so I guess it was time to go home.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival on Kauai, stocking up at Costco, and checking into the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Koloa

Our arrival at the Sheraton KauaiA trip to Hawaii definitely made more sense now that we had moved to the West Coast. The flight from San Francisco is about 5 hours and you even gain 2 along the way, so we landed around 12:30 pm with plenty of the day left to settle in.

After picking up our rental car, we stopped at a Costco on our way to our hotel. We only had a mini-fridge in our room, so we had to be really disciplined as to what we purchased. However, we did go a bit too crazy on the non-perishables. I thought Herb was kidding when he placed one of those barrels of pretzels in the cart. Unfortunately not. We also stopped in a Safeway to get some more reasonably sized items.

Fully-stocked, we headed to the Sheraton Kauai Resort located on the beach in Koloa, Hawaii. It was even better than expected. We knew we had an ocean view, but not “the” ocean view - 4th floor balcony with a balcony overlooking the sunset gathering spot for the resort - adirondack chairs on a grassy knoll beneath a line of beautiful palm trees.

Sunset from our balconyWe were exhausted, so we took a brief nap before heading out on an exploratory walk around the resort. It was perfect - great fitness center, beautiful pool, its own private beach, and two restaurants - one casual and one more fancy. Plus we were in easy walking distance to several highly-rated restaurants in the other resorts nearby.

We got back to the room in time to watch the sunset from our balcony. It definitely seemed like the place to be, as crowds gathered (as they would do every evening) on blankets and the Adirondack chairs below us.

Much too tired to go out for dinner, we had cheese and crackers, walnuts, a wonderful salad, and a turkey sandwich - all ala Costco. Oh, and of course I made Herb eat some pretzels

I slept like a baby that night, lulled to sleep by the pounding of the surf outside our window.

Day 2 - Hike the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail, drive up to Waimea Canyon after helicopter ride canceled, and dinner at Holoholo Grill

Maha'ulepu Heritage TrailToday was supposed to be our doors off helicopter ride over the Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast with Mauna Loa helicopter tours. It was quite windy with forecasted gusts over 30 mph, so I was a bit nervous. That wasn’t until 3:00 this afternoon though, so I decided to put it out of my mind for now and enjoy the morning (which hopefully wouldn’t be my last - just kidding). Herb said he wasn’t nervous, but I did see him checking the “Windy” app on his phone quite often.

So, as planned we drove the short distance to Shipwreck Beach to hike along the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail.

The trail departs from Shipwreck Beach, a beautiful stretch of sand surrounded by large rocky cliffs. We would definitely have to spend some time just relaxing on this beach some time this week.

Maha'ulepu Heritage TrailFrom the trailhead, we climbed up along sand dunes and then along the rocky coastline with several opportunities to step out onto the cliffs overlooking Shipwreck Beach and other beaches hidden between the surrounding coast cliffs.

As we continued on, the ground became a bit redder, with lots of volcanic rocks strewn about. From there, we followed a grassy trail at the edge of the Poipu Bay Golf Course towards beautiful red cliffs.

We had to get back soon for our helicopter ride, so at a mile and a half out, we turned around and retraced our steps back towards Shipwreck Beach.

Maha'ulepu Heritage TrailAfter a quick lunch in our room, we kept looking at the weather forecast to see if we should reschedule our helicopter ride. We had paid an extra $50 in insurance to allow us to do that in case we chickened out.

It was questionable, but we decided to go there and see what the pilot thought. We had only gotten about 10 minutes from our hotel when we received a phone call from Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours telling us that it was too windy and no more helicopters were going out that day. Whew! I’m glad they made the decision for us.

We looked at a long range weather forecast, which we knew wasn’t that accurate because of the volatility of the weather patterns here, and rescheduled for Saturday (4 days from now).

Waimea Canyon - Waipo'o FallsNow what? With nothing else planned for the day, we decided to take a drive to Waimea Canyon. If we couldn’t see it by air, we would attack it by car.

As I mentioned in the Trip Over, Waimea Canyon is pretty much what motivated us to come to Kauai. The colorful layers along the sides of the cliffs of this spectacular 10-mile canyon have earned it the nickname “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”

Waimea Canyon Waipo'o FallsIt is extremely wild and remote and only visible from the air or from lookouts along the 20-mile Waimea Canyon road that winds and twists its way up from sea level to over 4,000 feet at roads end.

As we started the drive up Waimea Canyon Road, the weather almost immediately shifted from sunny skies to atmospheric clouds drifting through the canyon. Well, at least it wasn’t raining.

We drove into the parking lot of the Waimea Canyon Overlook, which is supposed to have the most dramatic views. Unfortunately, it was completely socked in with clouds, and since we didn’t want to spend the $20 fee to park there to look at a wall of clouds, we continued up the road.

We had only driven a short distance when we saw a few cars pulled over to the side of the road, so we decided to join them and see what was up.

Oh, no wonder. There was some light on beautiful Waipo’o Falls creating a very atmospheric effect on it and the surrounding colorful cliffs.

Waimea CanyonWe had to act quickly though because the light was very fickle and if you hesitated, you could miss it. We just had to be patient and wait, because the light was constantly changing.

After capturing a few images, we continued up Waimea Canyon Road pulling over, if possible, whenever we saw some light.

We wound up driving all the way to the end to the Pihea Trailhead, but by then the lookout had nothing to look at except clouds, so we decided to head back.

Waimea CanyonThe drive had not been a total wash out though as I think we did capture some fairly dramatic photos. Blue skies can be boring.

That evening we walked about a quarter mile over to the next resort to the Holoholo Grill for dinner. We both had what became our go-to meal in Kauai - a Hawaiian Poke Bowl with raw ahi tuna, white onion, sesame oil, avocado, cucumber, edamame, ocean salad, crispy onion, sweet soy drizzle, wasabi aioli drizzle and furikake sushi rice.

It was delicious and very healthy too.

Day 3 - Relaxing on Shipwreck Beach and the Sheraton Aulii Luau

Shipwreck BeachToday we needed to be back at our hotel by 4:30 to get ready for our Luau, so we decided to spend the day where one should when on Kauai - at a beautiful sandy beach.

We returned to Shipwreck Beach, where we had started our hike on the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail yesterday. It was a lovely beach with water calm enough to swim in and there were shade trees if needed to get out of the sun.

There was a large group of college age kids on the beach who spent a good part of the day climbing up the cliff at the west end of the beach, called Makawehi Point, and jumping off it, over and over again. It was fun to watch and try to capture them in midair.

Jumpers at Shipwreck BeachAfter a few hours, we went back to our room for a light lunch, as we would be stuffing ourselves with an all-you-can-eat buffet later that night at the Aulii Luau, held on the grounds of the Sheraton.

We had never been to a luau before, so I started researching luaus on Kauai. To my delight, the one I selected was actually located on the grounds of the Sheraton Kauai Resort where we were staying, making it much safer to take advantage of the open bar with unlimited Mai Tais.

Aulii LuauThe Sheraton Aulii Luau is the only oceanfront Luau on Kauai, which I thought made it extra special. We booked the Aloha (standard seating) package which was $190 a person. I think the Premier seating was an extra $25 each.

It worked out great for us though, as our assigned “Standard” seating was right behind a Premier table, and we had equally good views of the stage where the dancing would be done.

Aulii LuauAfter a wonderful buffet dinner, the hula dancing began. It was phenomenal, far exceeding my wildest expectations.

The dancers belonged to a group called Urahutia Productions, started by a Kauain woman named Mi Nei, who spent many years in Tahiti studying Tahitian Dance. When she returned home to Kauai in 1998, she created Urahutia Productions and began offering Tahitian dance classes, which she has continued to do for the last 25 years.

Aulii LuauIn 2011, the Sheraton Kauai Resort partnered with Urahutia Productions to put on shows that entertained, as well as educated guests in the history, lifestyles, and culture of the Polynesian people.

Many of the extremely talented dancers we saw that night were multi-generational members of Mi Nei’s ‘ohana’ (family).

You could feel their energy, pride, and “aloha” (love and fellowship) as they put on quite a show for us. I was totally mesmerized.

My only regret is that Herb and I did not take advantage of the Hula Lessons offered each morning at our hotel.

Day 4 - Fitness Center Workout, Lunch at Kalaheo Cafe, Hanapepe Swinging Bridge, and another attempt at photographing Waimea Canyon

Too Old to ExerciseHerb and I were both reading a book called “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity,” so we decided to spend some time in the Sheraton Resort’s Fitness Center to add on a few quality years. When we are home, we are very active, exercising probably about 6 out of 7 days of the week. However, we usually slouch off when on vacation, but this time we were motivated.

The Fitness Center was quite nice - great equipment and a view of the ocean. I have always done a lot of cardio, but I just within the last year have added lifting weights to my regimen, as building muscle mass is very important at our age.

We did have a good laugh when we looked at the Aerobic Exercise Guide chart on the wall, which showed target heart rate zones by age category. What immediately came to our notice was that there was no age category over 65!!

Hanapepe Swinging BridgeApparently, we were now considered too old to exercise - despite the fact that I had just completed 40 minutes of cardio in the 35 - 40 age category range. I didn’t know whether to be proud or concerned.

After our workout, we decided to make another attempt at photographing the fickle Waimea Canyon.

On the way, we stopped at the Kalaheo Cafe, where I continued my new-found plan to live to 100 by ordering a delicious veggie sandwich, piled high with Guacamole, carrots, zucchini, squash, onion, mushroom, olives, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and clover sprouts. Herb had his standard go to - a club sandwich.

Hanapepe Swinging BridgeHawaii is known for its coffee, and in the town of Kalaheo there are over 4,000 acres of coffee farms. I had one of the best coffees of my life - Kahlua and Cream. My less adventurous husband had a regular drip coffee. I made him take a sip of mine and I could tell he was jealous.

Happily fed and caffeinated, we continued on, stopping first in the little town of Hanapepe to see and walk across its famous swinging bridge.

For over a 100 years there has been a suspension bridge spanning this part of the Hanapepe River, used by taro farmers and locals to cross the river. In 1992 Hurricane Iniki damaged the bridge and it was replaced with the one that is currently there. Built with reinforced cables and wooden planks, it is considered very safe.

Red Dirt FallsGood, because it really swayed a lot when we walked across it, especially because of the high winds we were experiencing today.

From there we continued on to Waimea Canyon Road. Right on queue, it began to rain and quite heavily too. The day was a bit of a bust. After stopping at several lookouts where we could barely see our hand in front of us, we decided to give up and head back to the resort.

On the way back along the Waimea Canyon Road, I asked Herb to let me out of the car to take a photo of Red Dirt Waterfall, which ran right alongside the road. It was pouring out, so I had to make it quick as water droplets were rapidly covering my lens.

Sheraton Kauai poolThe waterfall, which is relatively small, is carved into the canyon surrounded by bright red soil and lush vegetation.

Carved into the island’s iconic Waimea Canyon, this relatively small waterfall is surrounded by gorgeous red soil and the canyon’s lush vegetation.

This red soil here, and in much of Waimea Canyon, is a natural byproduct of the dark, iron-rich basalt rock that surrounds the canyon. These rocks have oxidized over time, giving the soil various shades of red.

Enjoying the Sheraton hot tubIt is thought that the red soil is what gave Waimea Canyon its name, as the word “waimea” means “reddish water” in Hawaiian.

Well, only one Waimea Canyon photo today. We still had another day to try as well as our helicopter ride over the canyon in a few days.

Of course, when we got back to our hotel, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Who knows? It might have been like this all day and only the Canyon was covered with clouds and rain.

Since we had a big lunch out at the Kalaheo Cafe, we decided to have dinner (Costco salad and sandwiches) on our balcony and watch another beautiful sunset.

Afterwards, we headed down to the pool area to enjoy a soak in the hot tub.

Day 5 - Drive back to Waimea Canyon with thoughts of hiking, late lunch at the Kalaheo Cafe, hang out at hotel pool, work out in fitness center

Thwarted by cloudsHoping that three was the charm, we drove once again up the Waimea Canyon road with the hopes of getting some good light and being able to do at least one of three pretty long hikes we had researched.

• Awa’awapuhi Trail - a very strenuous 5.8-mile, out-and-back trail with over 1,800 feet of elevation gain, with a spectacular, but fairly dangerous ending
• Waipo’o Falls Trail - a strenuous 2.6-mile, out-and-back trail to the beautiful waterfalls we had photographed the other day.
• Pihea Vista Trail - a moderate 2.3-mile, out-and-back trail with good vistas along the way. This trail started at the very end of Waimea Canyon Road

Rainbow Waimea CanyonNormally, we would have left in the afternoon when the light on the canyon is much better, but since we wanted to get in a multi-hour hike first, we left in the morning, so we could get a hike in and then photograph from the lookouts later in the afternoon on the way back.

As we drove up the Canyon Road, we did get some good lighting, especially of the Waipo’o Falls, so we figured we would stop to photograph it now. Lesson we have learned: grab the light when you have it.

Light hits Waipo'o FallsWe stopped at the trailhead for the Awa’awapuhi Trail, but even the parking lot was deep in mud. The thought of slogging for over 4 hours along a muddy trail to get to a spectacular ridge ending that was probably scary enough when dry, convinced us to continue on and to the shorter Pihea Vista Trail, which started at the very end of the Waimea Canyon Road at the Pu’u O Kila Lookout.

Interesting story. They originally planned many years back to continue the road to Hā'ena State Park on the northern shore, about 7 miles further, as the crow flies. However, the ground was so swampy that construction trucks sunk in the muck and are supposedly still there. That didn’t bode well for any expectations of a dry trail.

Where Waimea Canyon meets the seaWhen we got to Pu’u O Kila Lookout, it started to rain. We decided to wait for 20 minutes for it to stop, but it didn’t.

We knew from people we had met at the Luau the other night, that the hike to Waipo’o Falls falls had been too muddy to get close to the falls.

That was three strikes against our hiking hopes, so we decided to cut our losses short and go back to the Resort where there was probably plenty of sun.

Another sunset from our balconySure enough, when we got back to the town of Waimea, the sun was shining brightly. We were half tempted to drive back up the Canyon road, but figured it could very likely just change to clouds and rain again.

We hadn’t eaten the peanut butter sandwiches I had packed for our hike, so we stopped again at the Kalaheo Cafe for another delightful lunch and great coffee.

Then it was back to our hotel, where the sun was shining, as it very likely had been all day. We hadn’t really spent much time yet at the lovely pool, so we got in our bathing suits, grabbed some towels, and spent a few relaxing hours poolside.

Afterwards, feeling guilty for not doing something physical today, I went to the fitness center to do 45 minutes of cardio on a stationary bike.
We finished the day with another beautiful sunset from our balcony.

Day 6 - Fitness Center, Sheraton Resort Pool, poolside lunch at Lava’s on Poipu Beach, Helicopter Ride, and dinner at Holoholo Grill

Poolside lunchToday was the big day, assuming that the weather cooperated - our doors off helicopter ride over the Waimea Canyon and along the Nāpali Coast. It was originally scheduled for a few days ago, but the high winds kept the helicopters grounded. Hopefully, today would be calm and clear.

If the pilots make the decision that it is unsafe to go up, they issue a full refund. We bought extra cancellation insurance though, just in case our opinion differed from the pilot’s. It might be safe to fly, but if the conditions were cloudy or rainy and still too windy (in our opinion), we wanted to be able to get our money back if we decided we didn’t want to go.

Our ride for todayFortunately, today looked perfect - clear skies and calm winds.

Our reservation wasn’t until 3:00 pm, so we had plenty of time to just relax around the resort, which was really quite lovely.

We started off with an hour of lifting and cardio in the fitness center. It was a really nice fitness center with lots of good equipment and big windows looking out at the ocean.

Happy HerbAfter that it was pool time. The pool was quite popular so it was always a bit challenging to get two lounge chairs together, but we managed to get the last two.

We spent a relaxing few hours reading and people watching. We ordered lunch from the poolside Lava’s on Poipu Beach restaurant and had it delivered to our lounge chairs.

This was definitely very different from our normal style of travel, but the contrast made it extra fun.

Lush valleysNo call from the helicopter tour company, so it looked like we were on for flying today. Herb had booked our tour with Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours because they were highly rated and offered private tours (just the 2 of us and the pilot) with the option of having the doors off to allow for unobstructed photography.

We drove to the Mauna Loa office near the airport to check in - sign forms, watch a safety video, etc., and then over to the heliport at Lihue Airport to meet our pilot Julien.

After greeting us, Julien gave us a headset, so we could speak back and forth during the flight, a strap to make sure our cell phones did not fly out the door opening, and the promise of an “Aloha” (barf) bag if we needed one. We had already taken 2 Bonines for motion sickness, and the winds were pretty calm, so hopefully those “Aloha bags” would not see the light of day.

Waipo'o Falls from the airI tried to hold back from asking Julien if he had ever flown one of these before, but we did eventually get around to asking him how many flying hours he had - 1,000, so I relaxed a bit.

Most importantly, we were instructed to keep all appendages inside the helicopter. Later, during the flight, I briefly learned how essential an instruction this was when my hand went slightly outside the door opening to take a photo, and the 100 mph wind force almost ripped my phone right out of my hand if it hadn’t been for the strap. That was the last time I got even close to that door opening.

Bank turn Napali CoastWe took off from the Lihue Heliport and started heading west towards Waimea Canyon, which had thwarted us with rain and clouds on three separate days that we had driven up Waimea Canyon Road. What a difference today, when the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the water in the falls was raging. And, most importantly of all, no clouds to obstruct our view.

This island is so lush and green with dozens of waterfalls cascading over cliffs on their way to the sea.

Napali CoastWe cruised right up close to beautiful Waipo’o Falls, which we had photographed from the Waimea Canyon Road, but nothing like this!

We then headed north towards the Nāpali Coast, one of the most recognizable and beautiful coastlines in the world. These views of the colorful, rugged cliffs and narrow valleys ending abruptly at the sea are the reason we came to Kauai in the first place.

They are extremely remote and inaccessible, except by sea, air, or a very long backpacking trip. During the winter the seas are too rough for a comfortable boat ride, so helicopters were the best option.

Colorful Napali cliffsI thought I would be afraid during this ride and counting down the minutes until it was over, but instead I was absolutely at peace, mesmerized by the beauty on display below us.

We cruised along the coastline for a while, occasionally dipping into and out of several valleys.

Many times I felt like we were headed right towards a canyon wall, before Julien either turned or went up over it. There were times I felt like I could reach out and touch the top of a ridge. Helicopters are a lot more maneuverable than I would have ever imagined.

Rough winter seasI have a tendency to have crooked horizons in my photos, but now I had the perfect excuse. Everytime Julien made a banked turn, the horizon went close to a 45 degree angle. I kind of like the effect.

As we headed east along the northern shore, we passed over beautiful, crescent-shaped Hanalei Bay, which we would visit in a few days.

I didn’t make the connection until Herb informed me that this idyllic Bay was the inspiration for the mythical “Honah Lee” in the 1960’s song “Puff the Magic Dragon.” That was one of my favorite songs as a kid, and now I couldn't stop humming it.

Hanalei BayThen Julien turned inland - oh no, our trip was almost over. The hour was going far too fast.

On the way back to the heliport, we passed over inland forests, hills, and agricultural land. There were even some cows down there.

Before I knew it, Julien had expertly landed us back on our helipad.

Our helicopter routeAll I can say is Wow! What a way to spend our last day on Kauai's southern shore.

Back at the Sheraton, we watched one last sunset from our balcony before walking to the nearby Holoholo Grill, where we had had a delicious dinner a few nights ago. We even ordered the same exact meal as before - the Hawaiian Poke Bowl.

Before leaving for the north shore the next morning, we tried had a late breakfast at the Keoki’s Paradise, another lovely restaurant in walking distance to our hotel. I took advantage of the all-day breakfast and had a veggie omelet, while Herb I think made the better choice with a poke bowl that had both ahi and pulled pork.

Travelogue

Sand Mountain Recreation AreaAfter leaving our amazing sunrise experience in Bryce, it was time to head home. Our goal today would be to get at least half of the 14 hour drive behind us, so we could be back home tomorrow night.

Our route would take us back pretty much the way we came here - across the entire width of Nevada on Highway 50, appropriately dubbed the “Loneliest Road in America.”

On our drive through in the beginning of the trip we had spotted a sign for the Sand Mountain Recreation Area and vowed to stop there on our way back.

Sand Mountain Recreation AreaIt was very cool - a 2-mile long, 600-foot-high sand dune that is an OHV area, meaning it allows dune buggies to drive all over it. Fortunately, there were no dune buggies there today and we could have it for ourselves.

I think Herb was a bit trip fatigued, because he just wanted to move on to find a place to stay for the night. I, however, wanted to climb it, so before he could stop me, I ran off and did - if even for just a little bit.

Depot Casino RestaurantThis dune is one of a rare group of “singing sand dunes.” There are only about 40 of them in the entire world, and we have been to two of them - Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Preserve and Eureka Dunes in Death Valley.

Basically, when you run down the steep part of a dune, the sand avalanches in rivulets and begins to “sing.” The singing is caused by the friction of the sand grains sliding against each other. It sounds a bit like the bass note of a pipe organ or the distant drone of an airplane.
I didn’t get up high enough to make it sing.

Oh My!We stopped for the night in Fallon, a relatively large town for Nevada with 7,000 residents and plenty of shopping malls and food chains. Fallon is home to the U.S. Navy-Fighter Weapons School and is where the film Top Gun: Maverick was filmed.

After checking into a Quality Inn on the main drag, we decided to look for a place to have dinner in walking distance, as we had been in the car long enough already today.

Herb chose the Depot Casino Restaurant right nearby. It served breakfast all day, as people in casinos don't usually know what time of day it is.

Stone Cabin Coffee ShopSo Herb ordered the scrambled eggs with hash browns and sausage, which came with I side of pancakes (???) and I ordered an omelette with potatoes O’Brian, which came with a side of biscuits and gravy. It was obscene. Even the waitress had to laugh when she (in multiple trips) delivered our ridiculously large entrees.

I will never let Herb select a restaurant again.

The next morning we stopped at the highly recommended Stone Cabin Coffee Shop and drove the remaining 6 hours home.
Awesome trip, but it was definitely good to be back home, where I plan to stay putt for a while..

Travelogue

Bryce AmphitheaterEveryone should see Bryce Canyon in their lifetime. We were fortunate enough to have been here two times prior to this visit, but its magic never fades.

There are lots of beautiful places in the west, but there is something special about Bryce--something unique and somewhat unreal. It's a lot smaller and less intimidating than places like the Grand Canyon and much easier to explore.

Hiking down into the AmphitheaterYou can stand at the edge of the plateau rim and gaze down into the maze of hoodoos below or descend the trails from the rim and wander around among them.
It is majestic yet intimate.

Ironically, Bryce Canyon is not really a canyon at all, but rather a series of amphitheaters cut into the Pink Cliffs of the Paunsaugunt Plateau by millions of years of erosion from flowing streams.

It’s a geological fairyland, and the centerpiece of the park is the 6-mile square Bryce Amphitheater with its intricate maze of whimsically-shaped pinnacles of rock called hoodoos.

Queen Victoria on her throneThese rock spires (hoodoos) are the result of erosion in rock layers that vary in hardness. When water flowed through the cracks in these rocks, the softer rock wore away leaving behind the harder, erosion-resistant caps. The ongoing cycle of freezing and thawing continues to dissolve the softer rock, constantly changing the shape of the hoodoos. This continuous erosion is also causing the plateau cliffs to recede at the rate of about one foot every 60 years.

Along the Queen's Garden TrailAnd the best part is the hoodoos put on a show twice a day - at sunrise and sunset, changing colors from warm yellows and oranges to more dramatic pinks and reds. During the golden hour they appear translucent, seeming to light up from within.

That was why we were here.

Along the Queen's Garden TrailWhen we made the last minute decision to add Bryce to our itinerary, there was no lodging or camping available in the park, so we booked a room at the nearby Ruby’s Inn, just 3 miles from the park visitor center. Fortunately, it had a very liberal cancellation policy - up to 4:00 on the day of your arrival.

So, when we entered the park and realized that Sunset Campground was first-come-first-serve, we immediately drove there and claimed a site. Then we made a quick call to Ruby’s Inn to Cancel. So, instead of $200 for the night, we were paying $10 (Good old Senior Lifetime National Park Pass) for something we like so much better. Now we had easy access to the hoodoos both for sunset and sunrise.

Along the Queen's Garden TrailIt was already around 1:00 when we arrived in Bryce, so we decided to have lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge. I love the National Park lodges, and although this one was not as majestic as the Ahwahnee in Yosemite or Old Faithful in Yellowstone, it was still cozy and warm and its rustic design fit well with its surroundings.

After lunch we returned to the campground for a while to take a well-needed nap. We had already done two hikes this morning - Angel’s Palace in Kodachrome and the Pink Ledges in Red Canyon State Park - so we wanted to rest up for our late afternoon Sunset Point to Sunrise Point hike into the Bryce Amphitheater.

Along the Queen's Garden TrailAround 3:30 we drove over to the Sunset Point parking lot, and it was a total zoo. There were even parking attendants to control the situation. What a difference from the last couple of times we were here 20 years ago. We mentioned that to the parking attendant and he said that ever since Utah’s “The Mighty 5” ad about Utah’s awesome national parks, attendance has increased exponentially, almost to the point where they wanted to dial it back a bit.

Selfishly, I wanted these places to remain undiscovered. Unfortunately, with social media and people posting Instagram of Facebook photos of themselves in incredible scenery, there are no secrets anymore.

Along the Queen's Garden TrailMany people don’t even hike down into the canyon, but just stay up top and enjoy the amphitheater from one of the benches along the Rim Trail.

We, however, joined the stream hiking down the steep switchbacks of the Navajo Trail down through the narrow walls of the canyon into the amphitheater.

Unfortunately, the Wall Street side of the Navajo Loop trail was closed because of a rockfall. Too bad, because I remember it being a real highlight.

Sunrise hitting the tips of the hoodoosOnce we connected to the Queen’s Garden Trail, the crowds began to think out a bit. When we got to the garden, we paid homage to Queen Victoria, sitting high above us on her throne.

As we continued along the Queen’s Garden Trail, the light was starting to get better and better, transitioning from to more dramatic pinks and reds. They looked translucent, as if lit up from within.

Sunrise from Inspiration PointFrom there we followed the Queen’s Garden trail up to Sunrise Point. Since our car was parked at Sunset Point, we walked the half mile back along the Rim Trail to the car.

When looking back down at the Amphitheater from the top, I couldn’t help but think of Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon pioneer who built a cabin here in the 1870s and grazed cattle and sheep in the canyon. After losing one too many of his cows in the labyrinth of rock formations, it is claimed that he said: “this is a hell of a place to lose a cow.” For that alone, he deserves having this incredible park named after him.

Sunrise from Inspiration PointBefore calling it a day, we decided to check out Inspiration Point. We could have just walked along the Rim Trail for 0.7 miles, but then we would miss sunset, so we drove instead.

We started first at Lower Inspiration Point, where there were less than a dozen people waiting for sunset. Already we liked it better than Sunrise and Sunset Points with its easy accessibility and therefore larger crowds.

Sunrise from Inspiration PointFrom there we hiked up to Upper Inspiration Point where there were even fewer people and better views. To one side was the veritable forest of hoodoos and on the other what looked like castle complexes.

This is definitely where we wanted to be for sunrise.

It was dark now and we really didn’t feel like cooking back at the campground, so we went back to the Bryce Canyon lodge and had a light dinner of quesadillas and wine.

Sunrise from Inspiration PointThen it was early to bed, so we could be very early to rise in order to get to Inspiration Point to watch the sunrise.

When we got there in the morning, we were the fourth car in a large parking lot. By the time we got our camera gear out, a dozen more cars had pulled in and more were coming.

We quickly hiked up to Upper Inspiration Point which we had scouted out last night, and found only 2 other people there. We knew more were coming, so Herb set his tripod up to claim his ground.

Sunrise from Inspiration PointTo the left of us was a forest of hundreds of hoodoos. To the right, you could really let your imagination run wild. There were fortresses and castles, complete with surrounding walls, towers and turrets, like the drip castles kids make on the beach.

Right on schedule, the sun rose and began lighting up the tips of the hoodoos.

As soon as the sun finished rising, most of the people left, but this was when it was just getting good. The morning golden hour only starts an hour after sunrise, when the deep reds and whites of the rock formations light up in pastel pinks, yellows and oranges, as if they were lit from the inside.

It was mesmerizing. And to think this goes on every morning.

This was the end of the trip for us, the last planned stop on our 11-day trip to Utah. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

Travelogue

Red Canyon State ParkSince our check in time at Ruby's Inn wasn’t until 4:00, we had some time to kill. So, rather than go directly to Bryce Canyon, we passed the turnoff and drove another 11 miles west on Highway 12 to visit Red Canyon State Park, Bryce’s lesser known neighbor, which has some spectacular orange-red sandstone pinnacles, spires and hoodoos of its own.

For most people it’s just a quick stop along the side of the road to take a few photos, which is too bad, because it has a personality of its own with red sandstone spires and formations an even intenser red than you’ll find at Bryce.

Red Canyon State ParkWe didn’t have that much time, so we chose to hike the one-mile long Pink Ledges Trail, which starts from the far side of the Visitor Center parking lot.

It has some moderately steep sections as it climbs through a ponderosa pine forest past red sandstone hoodoos, alcoves, and other formations along the cliff.
.
By far my favorite was what looked like an adorable snowman, but rather than the white kind made of snow we are all familiar with, this one was bright red and made of sandstone, Sitting atop of rock surrounded by ponderosa pines. I almost missed him. He was adorable.

There are several other trails in the park and a state campground as well.

Travelogue

Big Stoney in all its majestyKodachrome Basin is another one of Utah’s incredible state parks. As with Goblin Valley, and the Boulder Mountain Lodge, I was very lucky to have gotten a last-minute reservation, allowing us to set a framework for our travels through Utah.

Although best known for its beautiful red rock, Utah’s parks have much more, and each park has its own unique geological features.

Kodachrome’s unique feature is its 67 multicolored rock spires, known as sand pipes, which appear nowhere else in the world.

Heading out on the Panaorama TrailGeologists believe that these sand pipes are solidified sediment that filled ancient geysers and springs and were left standing after the softer sandstone surrounding it eroded away. They vary in size from 6 feet to nearly 170 feet high and their colors vary from soft whites and yellows to more dramatic pinks and reds.

The most prominent and by far the most interesting sand pipe is the very large, anatomically correct, phallus-shaped one that overlooks the campground. And as if that wasn't amusing enough, its name is "Big Stoney."

Indian CaveThere are six hiking trails in the park, most of them less than 1 mile in length, except for the Panorama Trail, a 3-mile loop through what is probably the best and most varied scenery in the park.

Back in 2003 when we were here with our then 11 and 13-year-old sons, we mountain biked this trail. It’s the only trail in the park where mountain bikes are allowed. Well, today, we would revisit it, this time on foot and without kids. Wow! Twenty years. I still can’t believe that.

The scenery was amazing right from the start. We weren’t more than 100 yards from the trailhead before he came to a beautiful red-orange Entrada Sandstone rock formation with a large white chimney-like sand pipe rising from it.

Handprints on Indian CaveGeologists think that this was once a geothermal area with hot springs and geysers. After they stopped flowing, they filled with sand. These are the white spires (sand pipes) we were looking at today. They are composed of coarse sand, which is far more resistant to erosion than the overlying orange Entrada Sandstone, so that is why so many of them remain. It was amazing to think that this is the only place in the world where they can be found.

Already the hike was worthwhile and we had only gone 0.1 miles. At 0.3 miles we came to a fork and took a right, going the recommended counter-clockwise direction around the loop.

Ballerina SlipperAt 0.7 miles we came to Indian Cave, a small rock overhang just a short distance off the path. It was thought to have been inhabited by Native Americans.

The interesting feature of this cave was a row of handprints adorning the outside wall of the cave. These were very different from the pictograph 100 Hands we had seen earlier in the day. These were deep grooves (handprints) carved into the wall, which makes them a petroglyph rather than a pictograph. Some are very deep while others are just shallow indentations.

Teepee rocks in the Secret PassageThere was no signage explaining the handprints, so they might not have been made by Native Americans. In either case, they were very interesting.

The next feature of note along the trail was the Ballerina Slipper, a tall, graceful sand pipe, resembling a ballerina en pointe (fancy word for on her toes).

Next came the Hat Shop, a collection of hoodoos, one of which looked like it was wearing a baseball cap - a bit of a stretch.

Morning visit to Big StoneyAt around 1.5 miles we came to the “Secret Passage,” a 0.3-mile spur loop over a small slickrock divide between the high cliffs. I’m so glad we took this little spur trail, because one of the highlights of the entire hike was a collection of teepee-like rocks, so smooth and perfectly cone-shaped that they seemed man-made.

We skipped the additional side trails to Cool Cave and Panorama Point, which would have added another 3 miles to our hike.

Sunrise start on the Angel's Palace TrailIt was already around 5:00, and we were anxious to get back to the campground and settle in. It had been a very full day already, with the hike to the 100 Hands Pictograph, the drive down Hole-in-the Rock road to the Devil’s Garden, and now this.

So, all in all, a 3.75-mile hike with lots of great and varied scenery along the way.

The campground was very nice, 27 sites set in a natural amphitheater right by “Big Stoney.” Like Goblin Valley State Park, the bathrooms had wonderful showers, nicer than the one I have at home.

Entrada Sandstone along the Angel's Palace TrailI slept very well that night, listening to the patter of rain on the roof of the 4Runner. By morning the rain was gone and we had clear blue skies.

Before leaving the campground for another hike in the park, we took a stroll around the campground. I tried to climb up and get as close to Big Stoney as I could. He’s even bigger up close.

Along the Angel's Palace TrailThis morning, before leaving the park, we decided to hike the Angel’s Palace Trail, probably the second most popular hike in the park, after the Panorama Trail, which we did yesterday. The two trailheads are right across the road from each other.

The beginning of the hike was along a mostly flat sandy path. After about a quarter of a mile, we entered a small canyon lined with beautiful orange Entrada sandstone and began to climb for about 150 feet up the left-side wall of the canyon, eventually switchbacking over to the right.

Promontory out to an awesome viewThe trail flattens out as the top of a ridge and becomes somewhat hard to follow, so we just wandered wherever it looked interesting. We knew we would get lost because we had enough technology (Gaia, Strava, Google Maps) to land on the moon.

We eventually came to a short spur trail that led out to a long promontory overlooking the entire basin below. The trail out along the promontory was at least a sidewalk's width, so it shouldn’t be a problem unless you have a real fear of heights.

From the end of the promontory there was a great view of the entire basin below - Entrada badlands to the north, a cluster of small buttes and sand pipes to the south, and an extensive outcrop of red sandstone to the west.

Views from the Angel's Palace TrailPlus the rising sun was now illuminating the tops of the jagged formations to the west.

A lot of bang for our buck on a 1.66 mile hike with just a 260-foot elevation gain. What a great way to start the day!!

Kodachrome was originally supposed to be our last stop before heading home, 14 hours away. That was until we realized Bryce Canyon National Park was only a half hour away and along our route home. How can anyone pass up such an easy visit to Bryce.

So we checked the Lodge and the Campground in Bryce, but they were totally booked. So, we did the next best thing - book a room at Ruby’s Inn, the closest lodging to the park just a 3-mile drive to the Visitor Center. This would allow us to get into the park for both sunset and sunrise.

So what if we got home a day later. That's the good part (one of many) of being retired.

Travelogue

Notom Bullfrog Road and the Burr Trail

Along the Notom Bullfrog RoadAfter Cathedral Valley, we left the San Rafael Swell area and headed south along the Notom Bullfrog Road towards the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area, another one of Utah’s many gems.

The Notom Bullfrog Road runs south from just west of Caineville through the lovely Strike Valley along the eastern boundary of Capitol Reef National Park, between the Henry Mountains and the Waterpocket Fold. It goes all the way to the Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell, but we only went as far as the turnoff for the Burr Trail switchbacks.

The scenery along the way was so unique and beautiful that we stopped several times along the way. The ranches set against the base of the Waterpocket Fold provided a lovely juxtaposition of man-made and natural beauty.

Burr Trail switchbacksAt 34 miles, we turned right towards Strike Valley and began our climb up the Burr Trail switchbacks, which although dirt, are doable in a 2WD car. However, they did climb 1,000 feet in a mile, so they were still pretty exciting. We stopped several times to gaze down at the tiny vehicles winding their way up the twists and turns of the switchbacks.

A short distance after the completion of the switchbacks, we came to the 3-mile spur road to the Strike Valley Overlook and the Upper Muley Twist trailhead. We did this hike in 2021 and it was absolutely incredible - probably one of the best hikes we have ever done. I highly recommend it. It is quite strenuous though - 10.7 miles with a 1,050 foot elevation gain, but the views along the way are worth every step of the way.

Atop the Burr Trail SwitchbacksBut we would pass on that today, as we had lots of stuff planned in the beautiful Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area.

It was getting late in the afternoon though, so before venturing onto the Burr Trail, we decided to camp in the same spot we camped in 2021. This would allow us to enjoy the very scenic Burr Trail in morning light.

Since dispersed camping is not allowed in Capitol Reef National Park (or any national park), we drove a few miles past the Strike Valley Overlook turnoff until we hit asphalt, which told us we were now outside the boundaries of the Park, and camping was allowed. It wasn’t long before we found a nice spot in a pinyon forest.

Along the Burr TrailIt was getting late in the afternoon though, so before venturing onto the Burr Trail, we decided to camp in the same spot we camped in 2021. This would allow us to enjoy the very scenic Burr Trail in morning light.

Since dispersed camping is not allowed in Capitol Reef National Park (or any national park), we drove a few miles past the Strike Valley Overlook turnoff until we hit asphalt, which told us we were now outside the boundaries of the Park and on BLM land where camping is allowed.

Along the Burr TrailThen we made a right turn into a lovely pinyon forest. The last time we were here, we could drive pretty far into the forest, but so many trees were down that we could get too far. However, we did find a nice spot to spend the night.

Herb cooked up his go-to camping meal - Bratwurst and powdered Idahoan potatoes. We counted the guacamole we had with our blue chips as our vegetable.

Along the Burr TrailThe next morning, we left the pinyon forest to start our drive along the Burr Trail. We had already done the most exciting part of it when we came up the Burr Trail Switchbacks yesterday, but there was still much great scenery to be had on the remaining 30 miles to the town of Boulder.

The Burr Trail used to be an old Mormon track used to bring livestock from the high-altitudes of Boulder to the warmer grazing areas of the Waterpocket Fold. The country is still wild and remote, but in the 1980s, the old trail was paved right up to the boundary of Capitol Reef. Today it is strictly used for recreational purposes, and there is nary a sign of a Mormon or a cattle herd to be seen.

Along the Burr TrailThe nicest section of the drive is the last 10 miles or so through Long Canyon, which passes through sheer red sandstone cliffs covered with desert varnish.

The Burr Trail ends at the intersection of Highway 12, one of the most scenic roads in America, especially the section between the towns of Boulder, where we were no, and Escalante, where we were headed.

At the intersection is the lovely Boulder Mountain Lodge where we would be staying tonight. I was so excited. We stayed here in 2021 and it was awesome. But first, a short drive down Scenic Byway 12 and a hike to the Lower Calf Creek Falls.

Lower Calf Creek Falls Hike

Heading out on the Lower Calf Creek Falls TrailHowever, we were too early to check in, so we drove 12 miles south on Highway 12 to the Lower Calf Creek Falls Trailhead, a hike I have wanted to do since we first came to Utah almost 20 years ago.

This is a very popular hike, so we were very lucky to get the last parking spot by the trailhead. In fact, it is considered by many to be the most rewarding short hike in Utah, which, if you’ve spent any time in Utah, is very high praise indeed.

We took one of the leaflets at the trailhead that had descriptions of various numbered stops along the way. We were most interested seeing the Rock Art at Stop #8.

I want my trekking poles!The trail begins at the Lower Calf Creek Falls Campground and crosses a sandy stretch, before going up a side drainage, before dropping down some sandstone ledges to a few feet of the creek.

We were so distracted by the beautiful red Navajo Sandstone canyon we were in, that we forgot to look up high above on the canyon ledges where there were several granaries built by the ancient Fremont Culture that inhabited Utah from AD 700 to AD 1300 (#5 if we had been paying attention to our pamphlet).

Lower Calf Creek FallsSometimes the trail got pretty rocky and I wished I had my trekking poles.

When we got to signpost #9, we realized we missed Stop #8 - the Pictographs, so we vowed to not miss them on the way back.

As we got nearer to the falls, the canyon narrowed and there was some welcome shade. The desert varnish on the canyon walls became even more noticeable - a nice contrast with the green of the tall grasses and the cottonwood trees.

Lower Calf Creek FallsAnother thing that happened as we got closer to the falls were several people telling us that we were in for a real treat up ahead, which I assumed referred to the waterfall.

After crossing a small meadow, we arrived at the plunge pool where the 126-foot-high falls poured down the streaked, moss-covered wall. This was probably one of the prettiest falls I have ever seen, and we’ve seen a lot.

There were about a dozen or so people there hanging out on the nice sandy beach, politely taking their turns posing in front of the falls.

We must have stayed there enjoying the falls for over an hour before returning the way we came.

Fremont PictographDetermined to not miss the Pictographs again, we kept our eye out for Signpost #8. They were hard to find at first, but there they were, across the canyon at the base of a smooth cliff face streaked with desert varnish - three large, human-like figures painted with red pigment, wearing headdresses and holding hands.

Their trapezoidal shape and elaborate headdresses are typical of Fromont-style rock art. They were probably created by the Fremont people, who lived in this area from about 700 – 1300 AD.

The entire hike was about 6-miles round-trip, with about a 530-foot elevation gain. It was worth every sandy, rocky step of the way.

Boulder Mountain Lodge and the Hell’s Backbone Grill

Boulder Mountain LodgeWe were very excited about returning to the Boulder Mountain Lodge, which we had discovered two years ago on a road trip to Utah.

It is set in the middle of Utah’s red rock canyon country at the intersection of two of the most beautiful roads in Utah - the Burr Trail and Scenic Byway 12 - making it a perfect base camp for exploring the Grand Staircase-Escalante area.

Boulder Mountain Lodge is an unexpected oasis of tranquility and comfort, overlooking an 11-acre bird sanctuary. This nationally recognized luxury lodge provides everything for a fabulous getaway - spacious rooms, intimate ambiance, unparalleled views, fine dining, and an impressive array of services and amenities.

Our balcony at Boulder Mountain LodgeAfter so many nights of camping, it was like an oasis of comfort and tranquility. But first, I was very much looking forward to a shower.
We were very lucky to have been able to reserve a room, because the Lodge is extremely popular and often books up years in advance. When I was still waffling back and forth about going on this trip with Herb so soon after our return from Vancouver Island, I went onto the Boulder Mountain Lodge website and checked availability for every day that we could possibly be here. There was only one night, and it was surprisingly for a Saturday, so I immediately booked it and the decision was finalized - I would accompany Herb on this spur of the moment Utah trip.

Dinner Time!We had Room #12 on the second floor of the main building with a balcony looking out over an 11-acre bird sanctuary. The very first act, after a shower of course, was sitting in the adirondack chairs on the balcony with a glass of wine.

I also made dinner reservations for 7:15 at the award winning Hell’s Backbone Grill, located on the premises - a culinary experience not to be missed.

Lolo and her Hellfire MargaritaI was worried when I read that they had hired a new chef in March, because we really were impressed by the food the last time we were here. But no need to worry, as an award-winning chef named Tamara Stanger was taking over the kitchen, but still working with Jen Castle, and Blake Spalding, the two women that originally founded the restaurant over two decades ago.

Sanger plans to continue following their Buddhist principles of commitment to sustainability, environmental ethics, and community responsibility. Much of their produce is grown on their six acre farm and their meat comes from local ranchers.

It was very hard to believe that we were in Utah, in the town of Boulder (population of 226), one of the most remote towns in America.
I had the Steelhead trout with rice and organic vegetables and a fancy Hellfire Margarita. Herb had a very large pork chop with mashed potatoes and organic vegetables plus a Highway 12 Old Fashion.

Needless to say, the food was delicious, the service impeccable, and the ambience lovely.

Tonight was certainly a contrast to our nights camping out in some very remote and beautiful places. However, Life is full of contrasts, and it is those contrasts that make things special. The totally different experiences of those nights in the wild and our cushy night tonight of fine dining enhanced our experience of each of them.

100 Hands Pictograph Panel

100 Hands Pictograph is up there somewhereTonight we had camping reservations at Kodachrome Basin Campground - another lucky grab before heading out on this trip, so we had the whole day to explore while driving south on beautiful Scenic Byway 12.

Our first stop was to see the 100 Hands Pictographs, located just above the Escalante River Trailhead, right along Highway 12.

From the parking area, we crossed the road and picked up the well-used social trail on the other side, which parallels the north property line of a private property. The pictographs are known to be a bit difficult to find, but that’s half the fun.

We could see the 100 Hands pictograph on the flat face of the large rock formation above us. Now we just had to get there. It did involve some scrambling over rock ledges to get to the base of the cliff.

Bighorn Sheep panelThe first panel we came to was the Bighorn Sheep Panel. We were shocked to see that some vandals actually tried to saw the panels off the wall. No wonder some people frown upon disclosing the location of ancient pictographs and petroglyphs. There are too many idiots out there to do harm to these irreplaceable gems.

Actually, I think the Bighorn Sheep panel is a petroglyph, not a pictograph. The difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph is that a petroglyph is an image carved, incised or scratched into stone, while pictograph is a painting on stone, using natural pigments.

100 Hands PictographFrom there, we continued left along the cliff base constantly looking up for the 100 Hands Panel. It wasn’t too far before we found it, 30 feet above us on the cliff face. It was very cool. I wonder how the Fremont artists got up there to do this.

Unlike the Bighorn Sheep panel, this was a pictograph, because those hands were not carved but painted on using natural pigments, like the ones we saw on our hike to Lower Calf Creek falls yesterday.

After leaving, I realized I forgot to count them. I guess I could zoom in on the photo and count, but I’ll let it remain a mystery.

Devil's Garden along the Hole-in-the-Wall Road

Herb at Kiva KoffeehouseOnce we clambered back down to our car, we drove less than a mile down the road to the Kiva Koffeehouse, a favorite stop of ours in the past.

This is not just your ordinary coffee shop, but a work of art. This beautiful building was built in 1998 by Brasdshaw Bowman and his family. His vision was to create a beautiful building that blended harmoniously into the landscape of Southern Utah using natural building materials. Well, he succeeded and now people flock to this place, not just for the wonderful coffee and pastries, but to enjoy the incredible setting.

Devil's GardenWe sat there having our coffee overlooking the red and white striated sandstone rock formations that we had grown so accustomed to over the past week. Then we grabbed some sandwiches to go and headed back down Highway 12 for 9 miles, before turning right onto the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, a 106-mile (out-and-back) rough dirt road that starts near the town of Escalante and goes all the way to Lake Powell. Except for the last 7 miles, which gets very rough, it can usually be driven by high-clearance 2WD vehicles.

Devil's GardenIt's an historical trail that retraces the route taken in 1879 by a party of 230 Mormons, 83 wagons, and 1,000 cattle, who were sent out to build a settlement on the San Juan River.

53-miles into what was already a rough journey, they came to the top of a cliff, with a narrow and steep crevice leading at a 25 to 45 degree angle down to what is now the Escalante Arm of Lake Powell 2,000 feet below. It wasn’t a lake then, but part of the Colorado River.

Devil's GardenThat crevice became known as the Hole-in-the-Rock, and we have seen it from the water when boating in Lake Powell. Staring up at that steep crevice, I had a hard time imagining how they had accomplished this amazing feat. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to come down that, especially with wagons and cattle.

The pioneers spent the entire winter working on the crack, slowly enlarging the opening with only pick axes, shovels, and small supplies of blasting powder.

Finally, on January 26, 1880, the expedition slowly made its way down the precarious “road” where a ferry had been built to get them across to the eastern side of the Colorado River where there was a route for them to continue on.

Devil's GardenUnbelievable. Never again will I complain about road conditions of any kind.

This is a road we very much wanted to do in its entirety someday (not the river crossing part), but for today we would have to satisfy ourselves with just the first 12 miles to get to the Devil’s Garden.

I felt kind of wimpy in our comfortable 4Runner, with the air conditioning going and sandwiches from Kiva Koffeehouse in our frig, driving just the first 12.5 miles of the road.

Devil's GardenThe Devil’s Garden was pretty awesome, a wonderland of Navajo Sandstone hoodoos, domes, narrow passages and small arches, all in beige and brown, just ready to turn red in the golden hour. Instead we had to make due with the harsh late morning light, but it still was a delight to visit.

There are no marked trails, so we just wandered around as we pleased, sometimes passing the same hoodoo several times. My favorite was the ones that looked like ice cream cones, or maybe I just thought that because it was so hot.

Definitely a worthwhile stop, and there are so many other beautiful places to see further along on the Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Maybe next time.

Travelogue

Temple of the SunCathedral Valley is a separate district of Capitol Reef National Park, located just north of Highway 24 between Torrey and Hanksville.

It is a scarcely visited, remote, rugged region of eroded colorful buttes and pinnacles that rise high above a flat desert plain - similar to Monument Valley.

The lack of crowds is probably due to the fact that driving the loop requires a 4WD with high ground clearance, and the road conditions are constantly changing based on the weather.

Lolo climbing Glass MountainThe park recommends that you drive the 57.6-mile loop in a clockwise direction, starting with the Fremont River crossing, so that you get that done at the very beginning, rather than drive the whole way around from the other direction, only to find you can’t cross the river at the end. That is what we did in 2021,

However, because of yesterday's heavy rain storm that closed down Highway 24 for several hours after the Fremont River overflowed its banks, we didn't think it was a good idea to cross the Fremont River at all.

Selenite (Gypsum) crystals on Glass MountainPlus the section of the loop after the river crossing is the beautiful Bentonite Hills, but bentonite turns into a slippery, gooey mess when wet.

So, instead of doing a loop, we decided to go counter-clockwise, starting at Caineville Road, 12.7-miles east of the Fremont River crossing. Ironically, this was the road we came out on yesterday afternoon when fleeing from the thunderstorm that hit when we were climbing up on the west side of Factory Butte.

Upper Cathedral ValleyFrom the Whispering Sands Hotel, where we were staying, it was an 18-mile drive west on Highway 24 to Caineville Road and the start of the Cathedral Valley Loop.

Just when we turned onto Caineville Road, I realized we left a nice half bottle of Chardonnay and my yogurt in the hotel frig. Oh well, the cleaning person was going to be very happy.

We headed north for 2 miles before bearing left to continue on the Cathedral Valley loop. It was hard to not keep pulling over, because the scenery was beautiful.

Upper Cathedral Valley LookoutAt about 17 miles, we turned left into the short spur road to the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, probably Cathedral Valley’s most iconic monoliths.

Unlike the monoliths we would see in the rest of Cathedral Valley, these monoliths have lost their protective gray caps of Curtis Formation sandstone. This means that they are eroding pretty rapidly, in geological terms anyway. Up close, the face of them looks a bit like flowing mud. That’s because in some way, it actually is. When there is a heavy enough rainstorm, the surface actually turns into mud and oozes down, hardening again when things dry.

Upper Cathedral Valley OvelookBoth the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon consist of fine-grained sandstone and siltstone in shades of red to reddish-orange. The color is the result of tiny amounts of hematite (an iron oxide) and other iron-bearing minerals.

Before heading to the Glass Mountain parking lot, we stopped in the middle of the road to admire the Temple of the Sun up close. To really get a sense of their size, you need to get right up to their base. They are huge. The Temple of the Sun rises 422 feet and the Temple of the Moon 265 feet from the valley floor.

Upper Cathedral Valley OvelookWe continued on to the turnout for Glass Mountain, from which you can photograph all three mountains in a diagonal line.

The Glass Mountain is a bit of a geological curiosity composed of large selenite (gypsum) crystals forming a mound, or plug, about 15 feet high. I overheard a guide explain to his group that it goes deep underground - I think he said about 60 meters.

I’m no geologist, but I tried to research how it formed. About 165 million years ago, the gypsum was deposited here from evaporating seawater. As it got buried by subsequent layers of sediment, the lower-density gypsum moved slowly upward along fractures in the sediment, forming small domes like Glass Mountain.

Upper South Desert OverlookSince gypsum is a slightly soluble mineral, precipitation will eventually (over a very long time) dissolve Glass Mountain and create a sinkhole.

Pretty awesome. So I climbed to the top of it. It was really easy because the selenite crystals were easy to grab onto. I like to rock climb and I would grade this as a very easy climb. From the top, there was an awesome view of the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon with the selenite crystals in the foreground.

Upper South Desert OverlookWithin the bounds of Cathedral, camping is restricted to the one first-come, first-served primitive campground near Upper Cathedral Valley, which has only 6 campsites, so we needed to get there in time to secure one, so we could enjoy the valley lookouts during the golden hour, both in the evening and at sunrise. The Upper Cathedral Valley is considered one of the most beautiful spots in Utah, and that’s saying a lot.

When leaving the Temple of the Sun area, we pretty much drove the 15 miles to the campground without stopping much along the way, as tempting as it was.

Success! This time, for whatever reason, there was only one other person camping there, so we secured a site and just relaxed there for a while until the golden hour approached.

Sunrise over the Upper Cathedral ValleyAround 4:00, we drove the short distance to the Upper Cathedral Valley Lookout where from the edge of the plateau we could look out over the entire Upper Cathedral Valley in all its splendor.

The monoliths in the Valley looked like the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon in that they were a reddish-orange sandstone, but these still had their gray-green caps of Curtis Formation sandstone, slowing down their erosion.

There was a very cool outcrop to walk out onto. Looking out at Herb on it, I could see that he was standing on the gray-green cap rock with the softer reddish-orange sandstone below. I was beginning to feel like a geologist.

Sunrise at the Upper Cathedral Valley LookoutAfterwards we drove the short distance to the Upper South Desert Overlook for even more spectacular views, this time out over the Upper South Desert with its lovely greens and browns.

What a beautiful evening!

Back at the campsite, we had Thai food - Mountain House Pad Thai with chicken. It actually wasn’t bad.

The next morning, we arose before sunset and headed back out to the Upper Cathedral Valley Lookout for a spectacular sunrise that painted the surrounding cliffs a brilliant red.

Sunrise at the Upper Cathedral Valley OverlookI always complain to Herb that we never have photos of the both of us on our trips, so he went to the trouble of setting up a tripod to photograph both of us on an outcrop looking out over the valley. He had to run to get into the picture in time. There are some funny outtakes of the near misses.

It was pretty stunning.

From there we drove the 30 miles back from whence we came, stopping briefly at the Temple of the Sun and Moon, to Highway 24.

From there we would begin our journey south along the Notom Bullfrog Road to the Burr Trail.

Travelogue

Factory Butte in the morningOn our way to Moonscape Overlook yesterday, we had passed right by Factory Butte on our left, not because it is unworthy of a stop, but on the contrary, it is worth an entire day of exploration.

It is the most recognizable feature in the area, a cathedral-like sandstone hill, set on a wide, flat badlands plateau, surrounded by a sea of Mancos Shale. It is this shale that gives the area its unique appearance of colorful ripples, root-like combs, and crags that you see so often in the foreground of Factory Butte photos.

Factory ButteIt is best shot at sunrise, but we were too busy photographing the badlands from the Moonscape Overlook. Too bad you can only be at one place at a time for sunrise. Maybe tomorrow morning, as we planned to camp somewhere near the Butte.

Since we camped at the Moonscape Overlook last night, it was a short drive directly west. It’s very hard to miss as it pretty much dominates the landscape, rising to 6,302 feet above a lunar-like badlands.

Factory ButteIf you haven’t camped and are coming from Hanksville, just follow the same directions we described for the Moonscape Overlook. Drive 10.6 miles west on Utah 24, and then turn right onto Coal Mine Road (also called Factory Butte Road). From there drive about 5.5 miles on the dirt road for a turnoff.

We had missed the morning golden hour, but the Butte was still pretty amazing. Today, we would drive around the entire Butte, attacking it from every angle.

Lolo trying to find a way across the ravineThe southern end of Factory Butte is actually an OHV area, so there were lots of dune buggy tracks across the plateau, going in every direction. I was just glad there was none zipping about today, as it would have very much destroyed a very peaceful setting.

Up until then, we had been following what was an obviously established dirt road, but then we went off-off-road a bit and followed their tracks.

Continuing on along our circumnavigation of Factory Butte, going north along its eastern side, we turned left onto a dirt road that Gaia showed that would bring us very close to the Butte. We followed it, hoping we would get some interesting foreground, but the road that Gaia indicated led us to a deep ravine, uncrossable by any vehicle.

Factory ButteI got out of the car and crossed it on foot, looking for a possible way we could get across. Meanwhile, I saw Herb start driving the car alongside the ravine, looking for me, but I was pretty deep in there. Eventually, I found a shallower spot to climb out of, but had to report that there was no way to get the car across.

Oh well. Gaia is usually really good, but conditions do change, so back out to the main road we went.

Along the drive around Factory ButteWe continued our counter-clockwise drive around the Butte, starting to think about places to camp for the night. This would break our usual camp 2 nights, stay in a hotel 1 night rule, which Herb has implemented to keep me happy, but I was game, especially because the Goblin Valley Campground had a nice shower.

We rounded the northern end of the Butte and started heading south along its western side, looking for the spot that Herb had marked on Gaia as a possibly good vantage point of Factory Butte’s west side. When we got there, we couldn’t even see the Butte. Then we realized that the steep hill of dirt and shale to our left was blocking us, and the Butte was hiding on the other side.

West side of Factory ButteSo, we got out of the car and started scrambling up the hill. As we neared the top, the threatening-looking clouds behind us that had been building towards the west got even more ominous, and we saw our first lightning bolt and shortly (too shortly for my comfort) afterwards the thunder clap.

Let’s get out of here, Herb said as he started scrambling back down the hill. I was still on my way up, only about 20 yards from the top, so I somewhat foolishing continued up and took a photo. Ironically, the skies over the Butte were blue with nice puffy clouds, but when I turned around to start heading back down to the car, it was a very different situation.

Storm's comingI ran as fast as I could down the slippery shale, seeing two more lightning strikes on my way. I was so happy to finally reach the safety of the car before it started to rain pretty hard.

Although we were safe in the car, our problems weren’t over yet, because it’s not good to be driving in an area prone to flash floods, especially when you have to cross several washes. We looked at Gaia and figured we had about 8 miles to drive to get back to the safety of the asphalt of Highway 24. No time to waste, so we high-tailed it out of there as fast as we could.

Safe and sound at the Whispering Sands HotelSo much for camping tonight. That’s what happens for trying to break the 2 nights camping, 1 night hotel rule.

When we got out to Highway 24, we turned right (west) through Capitol Reef towards Torrey where we thought we would spend the night. Our plans, however, were thwarted when the Fremont River decided to flood the entire road, closing it for hours.

We had no choice but to head back east to Hanksville to hopefully find a place for the night. Luckily, we got the last room at the Whispering Sands Hotel, and who should be there but our good friends Kevin and Mark, sitting in front of their cabin? Didn’t we just see them this morning at the Moonscape sunrise? Obviously, we were traveling in the same circles.

Herb and the DukeThis would be the third time we crossed trails. They were going out later that night to do some night sky photography and asked us if we wanted to come along, but we declined, as we had already had a very long day, and we were looking forward to a shower and a nice glass of wine on our fancy porch.

Plus, we had a night out on the town planned at Duke’s Slickrock Grill. Fortunately, for being the only game in town the food was really good and the portions were very large (Kevin and Mark loved this place), but it was a bit heavy on the meat and light on the vegetable options to support a sustainable healthy lifestyle.

So as they say that Hanksville is a really, really nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here.