dare2go

Revisiting Bryce Canyon and Cedar City


and through deserted Nevada to California


Continuation from < Page 1 < !

At last we came back into Bryce Canyon National Park, and the entrance from the east is so much more spectacular than from the west. So the route we took was really worth it in so many ways. We found a campsite in the North Campground this time. It is more elevated than the Sunset Campground that we stayed in last time. It is also walking distance to Sunrise Point - haven't done it yet, but maybe tomorrow! We marked our site and drove directly to the General Store that has showers and a laundry and should have WiFi internet access - we had planned to do an update of our website while washing and taking showers. Unfortunately we had no success with the internet, but the showers and washing were certainly appreciated.
This morning we drove down the 18 mile scenic drive that we hadn't been able to do last time. You drive right to the end and make the stops at the viewpoints on the way back as they are all on that side of the road. We walked the Bristlecone Loop Trail at Rainbow Point at the end of the road and then made our way back along the road. We stopped at all of the viewpoints and were wowed at almost all of them. But the most amazing views are really over the area called the amphitheater and this time we stopped at Bryce Point and the appropriately named Inspiration Point - and were just awestruck all over again by the sheer magnitude and beauty of this place. It is still my favourite of all the wonderful Parks we have visited here in the south-west of the United States, and particularly in Utah - and that doesn't diminish the enjoyment of all the other amazing places we have been. I always thought that Utah was just another state, but full of Mormons - I now know that it contains some of the most wonderful sights that this country, and even the world, has to offer. If you only came to the USA to visit Utah, you would go home well-satisfied with the trip.

Friday, 23 June 2006, Yosemite NP, CA
On Tuesday morning we did manage to get up just a bit after sunrise. We never set an alarm, unless we have an appointment to have the truck or camper fixed - and that happens often enough! But Juergen was up well before 6.00 and we walked together toward Sunrise Point. It turned out to be further than we had thought, so I went on alone - Juergen's foot is still giving him some trouble - and I was well rewarded for the effort. Sunrise Point overlooks the amphitheater and looks stunning as the light begins to dispel the shadows of night. I stood and looked for quite a time as the shadows moved down the hoodoos.
Having been up so early meant that we were also ready to leave relatively early. We took one last look at magnificent Bryce from Fairyland Point, which is just outside the entrance gate. This was also a Point that we hadn't visited last time and was also very impressive. I start to feel like I am running out of adjectives and often repeating myself - but these places are worth such descriptive words!!!
We were heading once again to Cedar City on our way to Nevada. This time we were late enough in the year to drive across Cedar Breaks National Monument. Both times we crossed these mountains last month the road through was still closed because of winter snow still lying. Cedar Breaks is every bit as breathtaking up close as it was at a distance - and the wind was almost as strong as last time, but marginally warmer. We were dressed for summer, but when we stopped at Chessman Ridge Overlook at 10460 feet, we hurried back to the car for sweatshirts, and wondered if we should take a jacket!
We drove on down the steep incline to Cedar City, along the road we experienced the snow storm on last time. On reaching Cedar City we went immediately to 'Royal Transmission and Auto' to get Chris to have a look at our steering, which has continued to be very sloppy, even though we had the tyres at the right pressure. Chris' comment when I told him we had been driving along sheer drops on windy roads, was that he was glad he wasn't in the car. We had to come back later in the day when his main mechanic would be there. So we went back to a nice little café where we had eaten lunch last time that also had free internet access, and had lunch and did our most recent update. We also went to Albertson's and filled up our very empty fridge and cupboards. The shopping in Utah until this point had been very sparse! But we will have to wait until we return to California to stock up on wine - this necessity of life is not often found in Utah, and definitely not on supermarket shelves.
Bubba's (the mechanic) diagnosis was that with a quarter-turn play in the steering, there was need for a new steering gearbox. And they no longer had time to do it on Tuesday. This meant going to an RV Park, setting the alarm and getting back to Royal Transmission by 8.00 in the morning. I don't think I need to reiterate our feelings about RV Parks - suffice it to say, that this one lived up to our expectations (minus a railway line). The job took the best part of the morning and we were finally on our way at midday. The new feel of the steering was definitely worth the time spent!
We had chosen the most direct route through Nevada that we could, to get us to Yosemite NP in California. Several people commented that it was a pretty lonely road. It turned out to be relatively free of traffic, but compared with isolation in Australia, I don't think they really have it here. In the course of our journey, we travelled on the state road 375, which has the title of Extraterrestrial Highway. They claim to see a lot of alien activity, particularly in the small town of Rachel, where we stopped at the 'Little Ale Inn' for a drink and to take a look at all the alien 'merchandise' for sale. They certainly want to make a living from the reputation they have gained. Whether or not the aliens are visiting this area is harder to ascertain - nobody in the inn seemed inclined to talk to us, except to eventually take our order, and judging by the collection of stickers to be seen behind the bar, we were in the presence of locals with necks of red...
Part of this myth has grown up from the fact that the settlement of Rachel is adjoining the top secret 'Area 51' [subject of dozens of books, novels, movies, and even computer games], where the US military is said to perform all sorts of mysterious tests in relation to extraterrestrial life forms - but since it's all 'Top Secret' nobody knows what's really going on there.
We spent the night well within 100 miles of the Californian border at a 'wayside stop', and tried to sleep to the lullaby of passing trucks. On Thursday we rose extra early - due mostly to the time change, which gained us an hour - and headed to California. On the way we were stunned to see snow-capped peaks in the distance. We had been driving constantly up, going through a pass of 6 or 7000 feet and then down again. But we had not expected there to be high enough mountains in Nevada to still have snow on the peaks. The range is called White Mountains and contains the highest mountain in Nevada - Boundary Peak at a height of 13140 feet. We weren't unhappy to leave the long straight roads and barren country of Nevada, but the experience of driving through this desolate landscape, past abandoned settlements, which are still marked on every map, will stay with us.