Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks 2020- Day 23

Day 23

16810 mileage

8:30 A.M.

3418 steps

If you are driving from Santa Fe to Carlsbad you have to stop in Roswell, New Mexico. 

I mean come on! The heart of Alien Country is a must on anyone's To Do List. As you drive into town you start noticing almost every business has some form of alien outside,  or has incorporated little green people into their billboards, lamp posts have alien shaped lights, or even the McDonald's is shaped like a flying saucer. 

But that's pretty much it. We were expecting full on kitsch with people walking around dressed like aliens or at least alien antennae. We ate at Farley's hoping for some fun menu items, but other than the science fiction decor, they didn't take it very far. Where are the suspicious panel vans? Where are the men in science coats clustered around a creepy warehouse? 

The UFO International Museum was closed to the public, but the attached gift shop was open. We had to get temperature checked first, but were able to shop to our heart's content. 

Another round of hotel laundry and we were ready for bed. 

Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks 2020 - Day 22

Day 22

16319 mileage

5:49 A.M.

6735 steps

$25 All Access Card Savings

Tons of driving, long hours in the car, stretches of land that didn't seem to move as it stayed the same. It takes its toll on you. Being the driver on long treks can be exhausting. Sitting beside the driver with nothing to do but stare out the window has its own perils. We were both feeling the drag. So G suggested we stay at a resort and spa for three days at our next stop, Santa Fe.  

This was a long driving day, so we cut it up by stopping at the Petrified Forest National Park. We drove through checking out the fossilized trees and petroglyphs on display. Not too many people had our same idea. That  might explain why crews were out repairing the road. They had us stop a few times and drive slow through the construction zones. 

You have to look closely at this rock to see the ancient symbols carved into it. 

It was a quiet place with a few folks driving through. The pale landscape stretched out to the edge of the Painted Desert. Humbling in its history. Along with my magnet from the north entrance visitor's center we also took home a piece of petrified wood. With our purchase came a little information card that tells us all about the colors and how they develop from the minerals present. It made the rock all the more special. 

We pushed through and arrived in the artist community close to dinner time. We had planned to spend three days in Santa Fe at a beautiful resort resting and relaxing after all the driving, horses, bikes, and boats. However at reception we are told that none of their facilities were open to the public. Total bummer. We walked around the square downtown looking for a place to eat and discovered Cafe Mamou, a fun little restaurant that made you feel you were in the heart of Paris complete with French music and most excellent desserts. 

We are moving on tomorrow with sights on San Antonio for an extended stay instead. 

Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks 2020 - Day 21

Day 21

16257 mileage

8:46 A.M.

14177 steps

Surprise, Surprise. Today we ate breakfast in an actual restaurant in our hotel. They had a full menu complete with actual pancakes and bacon! Nothing that came shrink wrapped or required microwaving. It was awesome!

We booked a bicycle ride from Bright Angle Bikes right next to the South Rim Visitor's Center. We went over the three possible routes (red, orange, blue) and decided to start with the shortest, orange. Guided tours were on offer, but we decided to just head out on our own for five hours. The Orange Path took us off to the right of the Visitor's Center to Yaki Point. It was an easy ride on paved road with few hills. It takes you right along the South Rim where you feel like one wrong move and your bike would be sailing off the cliff. At least that's how us Clumsy Folk view things. 

We could look down into the canyon and see the Colorado River, the Bright Angel Trail, and stop to view the Mather Monument, set up to honor the man who saw the potential in the Grand Canyon as a national treasure. 

We rode past deer and elk who hardly gave us notice and made it out to the point in no time. We headed back to the bike shop and decided to see how far we could get on the Red Trail. The 7 mile trek up steep hills, but closed to traffic. The shuttle service wasn't available due to Covid-19, so we were on our own. 

We made it out to Hopi Point, which is about halfway. We had to ride past the village and the train depot that was still offering rides. I will admit there were a few times where we had to walk our bikes uphill. But there is something a little freeing about riding right in the road with no worries about cars getting in the way.

Coming back down into the Village seemed to be over in seconds since most of it was downhill. We finished the ride back at the bike shop with still an hour left on our time having riding about 17 miles. We drove back to the Yavapai Tavern for some lunch outside on their patio. 

Then we checked out the famous El Tovar hotel and the Hopi Museum before driving out on the other side of Hwy 64 to Navajo Point. It was here that the road was closed to traffic to protect the Reservation inhabitants. We could just see the Watchtower but weren't able to go up inside. 

Bucket List is getting pretty short over here!

Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks - Day 20

Day 20

15881 mileage

7:00 A.M.

11498 steps

$35 All Access Card Savings

Today we drive to the Grand Canyon. G has been here as a kid, but I have never been able to make it out to this National Park. We've gotten close, but it is rather out of the way and not easy to get to. Which we can attest to as our route was supposed to take us on Hwy. 64 through the park and then down into Tusayan where our hotel was. Turning on to 64 there was a road construction sign saying that the road had been closed 25 miles ahead. 

We figured out it was because the road ran through Havasupai Reservation land. The tribe was locking down this route to reduce exposure to Covoid-19. I completely understand their reasoning. We had to back out and take an hour detour down into Flagstaff and then over to Tusayan. 

We had intended to include the North Rim on our National Parks Tour 2020 but were denied that due to massive wildfires in that area. We could actually see the smoky haze blanketing the area starting in Kanab. 

Another stop on the way was outside of Page, Arizona. Here we crossed a cool bridge near the 700 foot tall Glen Canyon arch-gravity dam. We finally saw where all the folks with water crafts were headed. In all of the other bodies of water we've passed hardly any boats were present. 

After dropping stuff off at the hotel, we drove the thirty minutes into the park and stopped at the South Rim Visitor's Center. I practically ran to Mather's Point and got my first look at what a little water can do to a landscape. It was fascinating. We started walking the South Rim trail out towards the Geology Museum, which was closed by the way. G had to keep pulling me back from the edge. On the trail there are more spots to fall off from than there are with railings. 

They have this interesting feature on the path where they show you the passage of time with gold colored disks set into the ground. It goes back over 2 million years. 

There are several great promontories to go right out and feel like you're on top of the world. It wasn't the Golden Hour where the setting sun bathes the land with its glow and it was hazy from the smoke drifting over from the North Rim, so the colors were rather muted, but it didn't take away from the beauty of the land. 

       

Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks - Day 19

Day 19

15732 mileage

8:33 A.M.

21444 steps

This morning we drove through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel which was pretty cool. It's a mile long tunnel blasted out of the mountain. There are a few windows to let in a tiny bit of light and there didn't seem to be any internal structure holding up the rock from crashing down on our heads. Like I said, "Cool!"

On the other side we sighted another cool rock formation known as Checkerboard Mountain. 

The drive to Bryce Canyon was only an hour and a half so we scheduled another bout of horseback riding at 2 P.M with Canyon Trails. This was a much larger operation that had several realistic looking cowboys leading the tours. There was a huge corral of horses and burros just standing placidly around as the cowboys wrangled up your horse once the trail leader called out its name. We were given Patches and Patricia. Two rather ornery beasts that for some reason really loved hugging the edge of the trails. This was not a good idea because the edge of the trail plummets straight down into a dry dusty hole of death. Oh, and they loved to ride right into tree branches and rocky outcroppings that could easily knock you off your seat if you didn't pay close attention. I bet I looked quite humorous holding my camera up at random spots and trying to take a picture with one hand while jostling up and down on a mean horse. 

If you recall from the Hauer Ranch experience we were promised no trotting whatsoever. Now I understand why they made such a point of this. Trotting horses causes the rider to bounce up and slam back down into the saddle repeatedly. And after the day we had yesterday, this was not so exciting. I managed to avoid most of the pain by raising myself up a bit in the saddle so I didn't hit so hard. 

Our guide took us on an 8 mile loop of the most amazing vistas in the park. We saw so many beautiful views in this three hour trek that would have taken us all day to walk. Formations with names like Thor's Hammer, Queen Victoria, the Alligator, and Peek-A-Boo were some of the highlights. We even saw one that had the face of Mrs. Doubtfire. This was definitely the best way to see the park when you only have one day to get it all in. Not so sure my butt would agree, though. 

On this trail the horses have the right of way, so all hikers have to step off the path and let us pass. I felt bad for those folks waiting for ten horses to trot their way ahead of them. This ride definitely took more skill than others I've been on. The path dips down into the canyon which pitches the rider forward. We kept hearing the guide instruct us to lean back in the saddle. He forgot to mention to hold on for dear life. Then as we head back up the canyon you have to lean forward to give the horse a break from trying to move your weight. My horse was a slowpoke and kept lagging behind no matter how hard I kicked. The fun part was it would get a certain distance and then trot to catch up. Can you hear my sarcasm?

It was an excellent ride and I would definitely encourage you to see Bryce Canyon this way. Just be aware of what you are in for. 

BONUS: Horseback riding actually tracks as steps on your pedometer!

We finished the park by driving out to Rainbow Point and of course Fairyland Point.