Day Twenty - Thursday, 10 July - Part I

Bill’s Road Book

Day 18, 10 July: 250 miles, 4.5 hours

Hwy 12: 15 miles to Hillsdale, turn left on US 89

US 89: 21 miles to Long Valley – turn right onto Hwy 14

Hwy 14: 42 miles to Junction, Cedar City – Enter on East Center Street, turn left onto South Main Street (Hwy 130) to join I-15 South

I-15: 60 miles to Arizona border; 30 miles to Nevada Border, 80 miles to LasVegas

Total estimated distance: 3,542 miles (actual, 3,585 miles, 15 miles inside the ‘free’ mileage limit)

So now the race really was on...Helen and Martin were off to get their marriage license (and shirt) in Vegas. This was our last day of the holiday in the US. Bill would be on the plane headed home when his daughter was getting married -- her choice -- but Auntie Jane would be available to help the bride get ready on the day. Helen had expressed some concern about still fitting into her wedding dress, yummy American food being what it is and Martin certainly not being diet-minded. Jane was a little nervous about having sole responsibility for shoe-horning Helen into the dress, but it turned out all their worries were unnecessary.

The rest of us who were not getting married the next day set about seeing Bryce Canyon. Chris dropped Bob, Bill and me at a starting point and we went for what we thought would be a leisurely stroll on the Queen's Garden trail.

But first, both the guys had to whip out their respective video cameras. Each had a witty, original narrative to accompany their films. Bob: "This is the last day and here we are at Bryce Canyon..." Bill: "This is the last day and here we are at Bryce Canyon..." My camera batteries were dead, but I had Bill's newly found still camera, and so I joined them in the ritual. Shelley: "This is the last day and here we are at Bryce Canyon..."

We had a time deadline as Chris was going to return for us in an hour. We also had 250 miles to drive and our aim was to return the RV that afternoon before the rental place shut at 5pm. However, thinking that we did have an hour, I was stopping to take pictures, even though I've seen Bryce several times and already have one or two (million) shots. Bill got annoyed with me, saying we'd never make it back around the loop at this pace. I'd thought we were doing an out-and-back route, but not wanting to be late when Chris arrived, I got serious about the walk, though I was wearing flip flop sandals. When Bob and I expressed concern about the route, Bill assured us that the signs indicated it was a loop and I stopped some other tourists -- turns out they were French -- and they also said it was a loop; we could make it longer if we wished by linking into another trail. We thought not...

Guess what? If you didn't do the longer route, it was NOT a loop and we had to hurry back to meet Chris. That was one of my two exercise periods in this holiday (the other was running for a train, which we missed). It was hot and arid and up hill. My lungs were unhappy with the dry air and I was really thirsty. I made it to the top 20 minutes late.

But Bryce Canyon is spectacularly beautiful. (Click pictures to enlarge).

Day Nineteen - Wednesday, 9 July - Part I

Bill’s Road Book

Day 17: July 9, 333 miles, 7 hours (cars). Note 7 – 411 miles, 8 hours (RV)

US 160: 10 miles to Cortez - Jct 491 turn left; 20 miles - fork right, keep on 160; 18 miles – turn rough onto Hwy 41
Hwy 41: 10 miles to Utah Border
Hwy 262: 17 miles to Montezuma Creek: After 90 right, turn left on Hwy 163 (Trading Post road)
Hwy 163: 12 miles to Bluff – straight on, keep on Hwy 163; 20 miles to Mexican Hat; 20 miles to Arizona Border; 24 miles to Kayenta (Monument Pass, 5,200 feet)
Hwy 160: 42 miles to Jct Hwy 98, turn right onto Hwy 160
Hwy 98: 66 miles to Page – turn right;
US 89: 11 miles to Utah Border – turn right onto US 89; 8 miles to Cottonwood; 40 miles to Canyon Road (Turn Right past Big Water)

***

Alternate route for RV:
Hwy 160: 64 miles to Kanab
Hwy 98: 18 miles to Mount Carmel – turn right.
US 89: 23 miles to Junction – turn right; 21 miles to Long Valley – 15 miles to Junction – turn right; Hillsdale – turn right

***

Hwy 12: 15 miles to Cannonville, Bryce Canyon National Park – turn left into Ruby’s Inn

Note 7 Cottonwood Canyon Road

No, this is not Shelley’s house in Salt Lake City. It is a road on the map but then so was a road to Rainbow Arch that we tried to go down from Page on our last trip. We ended up in the middle of the Navajo Reservation. If it’s a dirt road we can send the cars down it to tell the people at Ruby’s that we will be late and we will have to take the RV another 70 miles around by road. Might be fun though!!

We had a fairly uneventful journey through southern Utah and a corner of Arizona. As in Texas, there is a lot of nothing in that part of Utah,



but eventually you find yourself in a landscape that is truly bizarre; I always feel as though I must be on the moon or something.



There are all manner of ridges



and swirls



and then there is Mexican Hat rock.



Some of the formations remind me of hands and fingers



others look like breasts.



I was frustrated with not being able to capture the amazing colour of Lake Powell. The contrast between the blue green water and the red stone formations always gets me.


With a stop for spot of dueling cameras,




we finally pulled into Ruby's Inn and found our parking spot in no time. Since were were nearing the end of the vacation, I made an enormous rice casserole, trying to use up the groceries, but no one else showed up for dinner. We had just finished washing dishes and putting everything away when one contingent of The Tourists arrived. The other was still MIA.