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Day 7 National Park 2010

Kaibab National Forest was covered in snow.

I packed early and rolled off for Bryce Canyon National Park at 6:30am.  My tent is wet form yesterday’s rain.  I knew I had a lot of miles to drive so I left early.  I drove through Kaibab Forest and snow covered the ground by North Rim Grand Canyon entrance just from yesterday afternoon.  A part of the road had tire marks through the snow, enough clearance for me to drive on.  It was all very beautiful.  I am not great about paying attention to the road when it’s all very beautiful scenically.  Super dangerous I’d say, glad it was early and no traffic. 

I made it to Bryce a little after 11 am Utah Mountain time.  Ranger Rebecca gave me a run down for the camp site. 
1.  Pick any open camping site.
2. Get to the billboard posting at the entrance of the gate and fill out the payment envelope.

3. Put money in and rip off the tag.
4. Post the tag on the site post.
5. Set up tent.

She also told me I didn’t need to backpack, all the trails can be hiked in a day, that they are not long to begin with.  The all inter connect but can be broken up to be hiked in different days.  Plus there is a bear issue.  I think this is where the heart of the matter is.  She is trying to keep me safe and to discourage me from bear encounter.  She pretty much helped me line out an itinerary for my stay here. 

So I did as she advised.  I set up tent and ate a pack of instant noodles just to put something hot into my body without cooking.  I drove all 17 miles to the end and went backwards and stopped at every vista point and hiked here and there.  This way is in alignment to all the vista pull out parking lots. 

The rain gave amazing clouds and interesting dramatic spot lighting.  The Hoodoo are beautiful to see.  I had fun with my eyes and they were wow’d. 

I met lots of nice people who took care of me and chatted with me and took my photos.  A couple with matching Harley’s from Phoenix, Az and another couple from Portland Or.  They were all wonderful in taking care of me and just treating me with decent kindness and with class and dignity very stately. 

I had plans to backpack this area but was advised to stay out that a bear had been sighted and it was not recommended by the rangers that I backpack at this time.  And after looking at the trails I noticed it was mostly sandy trails of which I am not fond of hiking in or backpacking in. 

To the right of my tent was a Japanese family with 2 bright eyes sons with healthy proper chi.  They

didn’t speak English. 

To the left of me was a man from Canada partially blind. 

And higher above my site was a Korean family from LA with 2 bright eyed sons.  One is named “HeeChen” He was getting ready for his SATs.  He was fun to chat with. 

It was so cold that my food wasn’t boiling in the 30’s temperature with a gas stove.  I so drove my car to the restroom and plugged my stove in the restroom and cooked outside the restroom with an extension chord.  I ate out of my car so I didn’t have to haul all my things back to camp just to eat it and haul it back to the restroom area just to wash it. 

Here at Bryce, I feel my back getting stronger and expansive, I feel wonderfully healthy.  I am having a lot of fun.  I am grateful for all the protection in staying safe and healthy and coming across nice people. 

Tonight I went to the lodge and met with ranger Kassandra who helped me map out more areas to hike.  I met the Portland couple who are professors and we chatted by the fire place.  It was a lovely evening with them.  I just enjoyed their company so much.  I was there charging me electronics until 11pm.  I missed my shower this evening.  The showers closed.  That’s okay, the conversations and company was worth it.  I’ll have to do it tomorrow instead.

Feels really good to sit by a blazing fire

The staff had to physically walk into the fire place to get it all set up for fire

Awesome beautiful ranger who loves what she does and is drawing a map for me.

Here is the spiffy on the showers here:

1.       It is at the laundry by the store

2.       Two dollar bills gets you an arcade coin/tokin

3.       Toss coin in like arcade machine

4.       Shower shuts off on time

5.       No hair dryer or hand dryer, so showering at night is a bad idea in the cold

The info on the Lodge, no heater in the rooms, it is only open March through October of each year.

 

Horse Shoe Vista Navajo Bridge Vermillion Cliff Kaibab National Forest

Con't Day 4 National Park 2010
I headed for Kaibab National Forest.  I passed by the Horse Shoe vista point where the Colorado River bends in horse shoe shape.  I passed the Navajo Bridge and looked for Condors that hover over the bridge and river.  I tried to pass a truck for some foolish reason and was not successful, my engine rev’d hard and did not move out of 45mph, I had to move back to the single lane before the on coming vehicle meets me.  Foolish for the risk in car crash and death of me and others.  Foolish for putting my engine at the risk of burning it.  I apologized to my car for reckless handling and promised to not ever do that again, ever.  I must have been tired to have made such poor judgment and execution.  Who made that decision to do that and who allowed it to be carried out?

The drive to Kaibab was just beautiful.  I passed by Vermillion Cliff and wide prairies that looked like an oil painting from the pioneer era, expansive and beautiful.  This long stretch of the drive going from east to west was all landscape with one little place to eat.  It was totally without human civilization to obstruct the views.   

 

 
 
It was almost 7pm when I finally picked out a dirt pull out into the forest and looked for my first disperse camp site camping experience at Kaibab National Forest.  I pulled over at 600 mile mark with a pond next to it. 

 
 
 

It was a bit further away from the road so you have the wall of trees to block off sounds of cars.  The site was very close to the official paid campground.  The area not visible to the open road was vast and full of campsites and stone camp fire built and left for others to use.  Some had unused wood for others to use.  Each site is divided by logs from fallen trees.  In this area was a truck towing a RV camper.  The residents were a pair of grandparents and two grandsons 6 years old and 9. 

I set up camp and was excited about this place and rushed to set up camp with the remaining sunlight.  I got cooking and began to open another can of Spaghetti O and saw it had meatballs in it,….what the…?  First the beans with beef now with meatballs?  So I politely walked to my neighbor and introduced myself and asked if they would be up for eating this.  Grandma politely accepted after asking the kids if they would like it.  Grandpa kindly asked me if I needed anything and looked out for my safety for the duration of my stay as their neighbor.  I have to say that was very unexpected, his kind regard for me, a total stranger.  Maybe this spaghetti o meatball was the way for me to have this experience and it wasn’t about eating spaghetti o, it was just a catalyst. 

I entertained the idea of building a fire but I really didn’t know how to and it’s too much work and resource for one person in my opinion.  Plus this site is next to a pond and that means lots of mosquitoes nearby.  I got bit all over.  I didn’t mind because I knew I had cedar oil as ointment for the swells.  I need to know how to build a fire.  For dinner I tried the fava beans in secrete spice and I wasn’t a big fan of this.  

 

I walked around and noticed how amazing this dispersed campsites were.  It looked self organized.  People have made popular use of the place, there were lots of self made site with fallen logs as dividers and rocks set up for fire rings.  It's beautiful here!  Totally comfortable and convenient access and plenty to choose from and still you wouldn't feel crowded in.  I need to come across something like this closer to home.