camping – Page 2 – Lois and Clark Explorers

We had an early morning planned to go kayaking on Lake Powell for 2.5 miles, then hike for 2 miles then kayak back 2.5 miles. This was one of the best things we did. John and I would not have done it had the kids not planned. Our tour guide was a Biology major and told us so many interesting things about the rocks, the lake, the sand. As you know, when it comes to science I don’t remember it all. But, one of the interesting things he told us about the sand was why it doesn’t absorb water. I can’t tell you the science but the fact that the sand doesn’t absorb water explains why they have these flash floods out in the desert. Also, the water has been receding so much the ramp down to the water has been extended several times since 1985. I don’t think I got a picture of the ramp. Also, on our hike there is a marker that says 2020 on the wall in the canyon that shows where the water was just 5 years ago. It was about 20-30 feet over our heads. And we were walking in that canyon. Crazy!

After our kayak/hiking trip we headed out for Arches National Park in Utah. On the way we stopped in Monument Valley and at Forrest Gump Point. Here is a link to John playing Forrest Gump https://youtu.be/o8umeb7t73g

Five hours became six or seven. We all agreed we needed to chill in the morning. We were all exhausted. Well, maybe Melissa wasn’t. She is the energizer bunny. We were about to lose Mike, to work and Melissa really wanted to do a hike in the morning. She was going to do one with or without anyone. At 6:00 am, John text Melissa to see if he could go with her. I slept in. I am really trying to get caught up. Blame the kids, they keep us going non-stop.

We made it! We met up at a Walmart just before entering Utah–which was a really good idea because Utah doesn’t approve all alcohol. That would have been a shame. At least for some adults. Anyway after everyone stocked up on food we headed out. We had booked a trip down the Virgin river in tubes first. So we parked our campers and headed down the road to our river adventure. And what an adventure it was. Not your typical tubing. It was more like a combination of white water rafting and tubing. Floating along and all of a sudden fast water. Getting hung up on rocks and breaking loose, then running into the brush on the side. Super fun.

Next we went back to camp to make a quick dinner before heading to Zion for a sunset picture. What magnificent views. We had a bit of a hike and naturally, I couldn’t make it all the way to the top. Which worked out fine because this big anvil shaped cloud blocked the view. The next morning Melissa, Mike and John got up early to do a hike and Christy and I had coffee outside the campers. I am really liking this. We packed up the kids and headed into Zion for our smaller hike. Needless to say it was so crowded we would have to park outside the park, wait for the shuttle and take that in, then get the shuttle back. We did not have enough time because we had to check out by 11:00. So we went into the park and parked in a “safety” zone and ran into the visitor center to get our stamp–it was the first time for the kids. We decided we would hit Zion up on the way back.

Christy and I had already gotten the camper ready for John to load up so we met them up the road before we headed to Page AZ. On the way we made a stop at the Sand Caves. Another hike I couldn’t complete. You had to climb ropes to get to the top. I walked with Chanel and Melissa stayed with me because she had already been up and down. This was really cool.

We made it to our campground Page Lake Powell Campground and set up before we headed to the Shell Gas Station Caves. OMG there are so many places to go and see.

That wasn’t the end of the day. We went to Horseshoe Bend for a sunset and that is where I will start tomorrow. Whew it is so hard to keep up. We hit the ground running in the morning and don’t stop til late at night.

Taking it easy. We just passed through to get our picture here and then headed to Sedona, AZ. We needed some hook ups and showers.

We spent one night at Mund’s RV Park. We made reservations but, we arrived late so we didn’t get the code to access the bathrooms. We used the shower in our camper–which is fine– just a little confining. Munds is huge. We were in their “oversized” campsites which had no shade. Originally we thought we might stay longer but really didn’t like it there. We found some available sights at Dead Horse Ranch and booked 3 nights. Absolute heaven here.

You can see the difference.

We just spent 3 days at Dead Horse and traveled to Sedona and Camp Verde and even just hung around camp. This place is so pretty and there is so much to do. We saw a Roadrunner but I did not have my camera. I have been shooting with my phone most of this trip as it is too hot to carry any equipment. The pictures below are all from John at Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

Sedona is absolutely beautiful. We went to the Church of the Holy Cross, we wanted to hike to Devils Bridge but we realized it was a 10 mile hike. This old lady is not up for that. Whew! I like the shorter treks. We started the Brins Mesa trail and hiked about 1 mile in and had to turn around because I was getting sick. Ugh! I just can’t seem to drink enough water. We went back to camp and I took a nap. Me, the one who doesn’t believe in napping. I slept for about an hour. We went to Tuzigoot National Monument and hiked the 1/3 mile loop (that’s my speed) and then we went to the airport mesa to get sunset pictures. We got there early. Really early. Clouds came in and we took some pictures and thought we would not get much better since the clouds were so low. On the way back to camp the sky was spectacular. We should have waited. Although, we were on the other side of those mountains so maybe they didn’t get all that color.