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All aboard, The Green Tortoise! (canyons of the west)
Shortly before 8pm on a Friday evening I was dropped off at the Bart Station in Plesanton where I was assured
I'd be picked up by a big green bus! Just before that I recieved a call that the bus had left Downtown San Francisco a little late as a couple of passengers hadn't shown up. No prob, I had a book to read. I sat down to await the bus. Shortly after eight I began to wonder if I was in the right spot when the unmistakable big green bus pulled in. I hopped aboard leaving my big pack on the floor near the driver I climbed onto a seat and peered into the gloomy interior. The main interior lights were off, and my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting so I could see all the people gathered towards the back of the bus. After nodding and saying hi to the people nearest to me I realized I couldn't hear much over the sound of the bus and the music being played so I pulled out my book again and began to read. Shortly afterwords though I was urged to join in the group as we began a game of trying to repeat everyone's name. Since I could barely hear what people were saying I was grateful when they let me off with just stating my own name. Soon we were all laughing and trying to remember everyone else s name. Not much longer after that and it was time to convert the bus to sleep mode.
Early morning on the bus
Normally this is referred to as the miracle as the driver has to miraculously find places for 30 people to sleep, but with only 17 of us on this trip we had more then enough space.
We woke up in a parking lot somewhere near the Nevada/Utah border and after a brief stop for coffee and supplies we were off to Zion! Here we located our campsite before heading out for a hike up to Angels Landing.
We're going up there???
At the top of the switch backs we stopped to eat lunch before tackling the really impressive part of the trail. It was here I spotted super chipmunk.
Super chipmunk!!
Obviously they've evolved to survive falls from these tremendous heights. Did I mention that on the next section of trail you had to hold on to sections of chain to keep from plummeting down sheer cliffs?
Yes those little teeny dots of color are people clinging to the chain as they make their way up to the top! Somehow we all survived and made it back down as well.
That night after a delicious vegetarian chili dinner we slept out under the stars.
Early morning in Zion
After our hike to Angels landing the previous day we took our time getting up to enjoy a beautiful morning in Zion, fix a hearty breakfast and then the short, scenery laden drive to Bryce canyon.
Early morning in Zion, good morning Holly!
We arrived at Bryce where we quickly realized we were at a much higher altitude as evidenced by the amount of snow still on the ground. It was still nice and warm though thanks to the wonderful sunshine we were getting so off we headed to hike down into the canyon. Several trails were closed due to ice but it didn't take long to locate an open loop that went down to the bottom and off we went. It was a very enjoyable hike and the snow made for some wonderful picturesque views.
Bryce Canyon
Horses on the trail
After climbing back up the trail though it was time to load back up in the bus in order to head for Mystic hot springs where a long soak in the hot mineral waters and a much needed shower awaited us.
We had one more stop along the way though- a surprise visit to "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" a spot named because of the candy colored hills after the song.
Big rock candy mountain
Mystic Hotsprings
We enjoyed the hot springs immensely and had a nice big spaghetti dinner fixed alongside the bus before loading up for the night and our drive to the next destination- Arches.
I'd be picked up by a big green bus! Just before that I recieved a call that the bus had left Downtown San Francisco a little late as a couple of passengers hadn't shown up. No prob, I had a book to read. I sat down to await the bus. Shortly after eight I began to wonder if I was in the right spot when the unmistakable big green bus pulled in. I hopped aboard leaving my big pack on the floor near the driver I climbed onto a seat and peered into the gloomy interior. The main interior lights were off, and my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting so I could see all the people gathered towards the back of the bus. After nodding and saying hi to the people nearest to me I realized I couldn't hear much over the sound of the bus and the music being played so I pulled out my book again and began to read. Shortly afterwords though I was urged to join in the group as we began a game of trying to repeat everyone's name. Since I could barely hear what people were saying I was grateful when they let me off with just stating my own name. Soon we were all laughing and trying to remember everyone else s name. Not much longer after that and it was time to convert the bus to sleep mode.
Early morning on the bus
Normally this is referred to as the miracle as the driver has to miraculously find places for 30 people to sleep, but with only 17 of us on this trip we had more then enough space.
We woke up in a parking lot somewhere near the Nevada/Utah border and after a brief stop for coffee and supplies we were off to Zion! Here we located our campsite before heading out for a hike up to Angels Landing.
We're going up there???
At the top of the switch backs we stopped to eat lunch before tackling the really impressive part of the trail. It was here I spotted super chipmunk.
Super chipmunk!!
Obviously they've evolved to survive falls from these tremendous heights. Did I mention that on the next section of trail you had to hold on to sections of chain to keep from plummeting down sheer cliffs?
Yes those little teeny dots of color are people clinging to the chain as they make their way up to the top! Somehow we all survived and made it back down as well.
That night after a delicious vegetarian chili dinner we slept out under the stars.
Early morning in Zion
After our hike to Angels landing the previous day we took our time getting up to enjoy a beautiful morning in Zion, fix a hearty breakfast and then the short, scenery laden drive to Bryce canyon.
Early morning in Zion, good morning Holly!
We arrived at Bryce where we quickly realized we were at a much higher altitude as evidenced by the amount of snow still on the ground. It was still nice and warm though thanks to the wonderful sunshine we were getting so off we headed to hike down into the canyon. Several trails were closed due to ice but it didn't take long to locate an open loop that went down to the bottom and off we went. It was a very enjoyable hike and the snow made for some wonderful picturesque views.
Bryce Canyon
Horses on the trail
After climbing back up the trail though it was time to load back up in the bus in order to head for Mystic hot springs where a long soak in the hot mineral waters and a much needed shower awaited us.
We had one more stop along the way though- a surprise visit to "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" a spot named because of the candy colored hills after the song.
Big rock candy mountain
Mystic Hotsprings
We enjoyed the hot springs immensely and had a nice big spaghetti dinner fixed alongside the bus before loading up for the night and our drive to the next destination- Arches.
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I awoke somewhat groggily to the early morning light coming in the windows of the green tortoise. Soon our driver Jimmy announced that if we got up now we could climb the nearby rocks in time to greet the dawn and watch the sun rise. sleepily we all piled out of the bus and began scrambling up the rocks trying to find the best vantage point before the sun crested over the horizon.
It was in fact a very impressive sight, watching the sun rise over the smoothly rounded rock outcropings. It wasn't long though before the chilly breeze sent us scrambling back down to the bus in search of hot coffee and breakfast. After breakfast, before it got too hot we headed down the trail to see the arches.
We managed to see most of the major arches including the recently fallen one before returning to the bus and heading towards Goldbar along the Colorado river where we'd be setting up camp for the night. On the way though we made a stop to see a hugh wall of very interesting petroglyphs.
We arrived at the campground amidst a sudden windstorm and even a little rain, but by the time we decided to start fixing dinner it had cleared up enough to enjoy dinner and a sunset over the river. That night Jimmy led us on an excursion to the Ooooohmmm tube and a short hike up to a beautiful pool hidden in a small canyon. Then it was back to the campground to gather around the fire for more marshmallows.
After Arches we headed out to Monument valley, here the group would split up for the day, most people chose to do the jeep ride around the monuments while four of us opted to ride horses. We arrived at the meeting place amidst a howling windstorm that raised huge clouds of sand. From here we all rode in open trucks to the Navajo reservation, between the already raging wind, sand and the fast moving trucks it was almost impossible to see or hear anything. Of the four of us who chose to ride horses, Russel, Matt and Myself had done some riding before. For Kim it was a whole new experience and naturally enough she was a little nervous. They saddled up "Harry" for her, a gentle horse that we were assured often carried small children without incident. Soon we were all following our guide on a tour of the monuments. He told us about the over 300 movies that had been filmed in the area and his grandfathers role in one of those. He also told us about Navajo plant use such as digging up yucca root for making soap and shampoo, some farming techniques and showed us some of the traditional houses or Hogans and the significance of their different shapes and sizes.
Horse riding in Monument valley
Much too soon our time on the horses was over and it was time to load back up in the trucks for the ride back to the bus. Here we were able to browse some shops and I purchased delicious fry bread with Navajo tea as a snack while we waited for the jeep riders to return. Next we were headed for a quick swim at lake Powel before having dinner at Page and heading towards the Grand Canyon.
Monument Valley
Snow and Elk, are we in Alaska?
I awoke early and glanced up at the windows of the bus, strangely every thing was completely white. It took me a moment to realise that I was looking at snow. I levered myself up on my elbows and stared out the window, the trees, road and everything around us were covered in a blanket of snow which continued to fall as we drove into the Grand Canyon National park.
We parked outside the permit office to wait for it to open so Russ and Mat who had decided to camp in the canyon could get a permit. I walked over to a nearby lodge to get a cup od coffee while we waited. By the time I came back. They were getting the permit and we drove over to the campground to find our camp site. Several of us headed out to the visitors center. We then went to catch the shuttle to view the canyon from the rim. We decided to ride out to Hermits rest, see the view and then walk back along the rim trail.
Grand Canyon - Clouds starting to clear
We arrived out at hermits rest amidst a complete white out! So much for the view. The weather was pretty chilly so we headed into the little gift shop for some hot drinks to warm up. Luck was on our side as by the time we finished our drinks there was a patch of clear sky opening up. Soon we were able to see almost completely across the canyon. The clouds and snow only making it appear even more beautiful and majestic. We began hiking along the rim trail and continued enjoying the view for quite a while before another snow storm came blowing in causing us to run for the shelter of the shuttle bus. We spent the remainder of the day enjoying the luxury of hot showers and laundry facilities at the campground before have another wonderful dinner alongside the bus. After dinner Phillip and I set out at a brisk pace and just managed to reach the rim in time to watch the sunset.
Grand Canyon sunset
That night we all opted to sleep in the bus since the snow everywhere was a pretty good sign we were in for a cold night. Will, Beth and Holly prepped themselves to get up extra early as they had decided to hike all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back the next day. They departed sometime around 4am at which time I rolled over in my nice warm sleeping bag and went back to sleep. After a nice breakfast we decided to also tackle the Angel bright trail going down into the canyon. We wouldn't be trying to go beyond Indian Garden though.
The most dangerous animal in the canyon
The trail was icy so the going was slow but we enjoyed fantastic views and it wasn't long till we stopped by the ranger station for lunch. On the way back up we were passed by Matt and Russell who had camped at the bottom, followed shortly after by Will, Beth and Holly who had hiked to the bottom and back again. After another wonderful dinner -who knew you could fix lasagna over a camp stove with a couple of cast iron skillets? Several of us hiked back to the rim to watch the sunset again then stopped by the ranger talk on endangered species in the grand canyon. Here we learned that the most dangerous animal in the Grand Canyon is - The squirrel, carrying rabies and possibly plague you sure don't want to get bit by one of these.
We returned to find that the drivers had planned to drive us to warmer climes that night but the bus had other ideas, due to the cold the diesel engines didn't want to start-up, so we spent another night at the grand canyon till the generator could be started up in the morning and with its help the bus was started. We were on our way out of the grand canyon. Hated to leave but we were definitely looking forward to warmer weather.
Grand Canyon sunset
Along route 66
Heading out from the Grand Canyon we made one more stop before heading to Las Vegas. We stopped to visit the famous Snow cap diner along route 66. After a brief exposure to such snow cap humor as the cheeseburger with cheese or dead chicken, we took some group photo's and then hit the road for Vegas.
Route 66
Group photo
Dave and Jimmy warned us about just how big Vegas is, and I'm glad they did. Starting out at the Excalibur we went south to Mandalay bay and the Luxor where we ate at the buffet. We then hiked along the strip going North as far as Caesars palace. By then it was getting near time to get back on the bus and we'd had more than enough walking for one day so we headed back to the Excalibur. We did stop to enjoy one more song as the fountain in front of the Bellagio danced. At the bus once more We discovered that Matt and Phillip were having so much fun they decided to stay in Vegas another night or two. We began to worry though when it was time for the bus to leave and Elsa still wasn't there, just then she came running up with a napkin clutched to her face and blood all over. Turned out the dry Arizona air had finally gotten to her and caused a spontaneous nose bleed. She explained that she'd called the Green tortoise office to let them know what had happened, just then Jimmy's phone rang and it was the office calling to make sure she made it alright. With that we were all loaded up and we headed out on the final leg of our journey.
Bright lights on the Vegas strip
I had already got my bags stowed separately as I was getting off the bus early in Bakersfield to visit Family that lived there. At 430 or so in the morning I left the big green bus that had been like home for the last week and headed into Denny's for some pancakes before calling for someone to pick me up. I was glad to have had such a great experience, though also sad to be leaving all these wonderful people. I look forward to riding the Green tortoise again.