Author: Brandt Ziegler

Dead Horse Point State Park & Canyonlands National Park

dead horse state park

The name comes from the 1900’s when cowboys used the area as a natural corral for wild horses, some of which did not survive.
The road is is Open Range as you can see; I’m glad I invested in my Ranch Hand front bumper!
The view from the point is breathtaking. Cirled in this picture is a couple with their infant right on the edge! Foolish if you ask me!
The dirt road below is a remnant of the old trails. Yes that’s a Jeep and 2 mountain bikers down there.
A nice view of a horseshoe bend in the Colorado River; you can see that trail from the previous shot in the foreground.
Yes, another dead tree shot:-)

canyonlands national park

We grouped these two together only because they are directly adjacent to each other.
This park entry was also open range; look out cows!
Maybe not as deep or wide as the Grand Canyon but just as impressive.

The obligatory (not quite) dead tree!

This time a live tree; a Pinion tree.

This switchback trail went down 1000′ to the bottom of the canyon; just part of the many trails used by mountain bikers, ATV’s, 4 wheelers and hikers.

 

 

Bryce Canyon National Park

This and the following 4 photos are of the Amphitheater; a main focal point of Bryce Canyon NP. It’s so massive it’s impossible to get it all in one picture!

Is that ET?

This looks like cliff dwellings but it’s not; it’s all natural formations !

LOVE my dead trees!!!

Fairy Castles!

We had beautiful weather for our visit at Bryce, but the morning we left this is what we encountered! Snow and sleet from there until we reached I-70! FUN!!

 

 

Capitol Reef National Park, Kodachrome Utah State Park

Capitol reef national park

The first thing you see just inside the park is this aptly named formation; Twin Rocks!

Millions of years of sediment and sand, just amazing!
Amazing views in every direction!

These formations make our F350 look like a mini-truck!

 

We took this dirt road to Cassidy Arch Trail. Butch Cassidy purportedly used this place as a hideout.

More roadside Mother Nature “rock art”
There was also an abandoned Uranium mine from the 1950’s!

kodachrome state park

Chimney Rock is one of the first formations you see here. If you look closely at the photos from 1949 on this sign, it doesn’t look much different! (Unlike us humans from 1949!)
It seems strange that this monolith is out in the middle of the field away from the rest of the rock formations.
Some other formations seemed somehow familiar 🙂
These were everywhere! It’s no wonder the Mormons have so many kids!

The Yuccas were still blooming.

And, of course, they have dead trees too!
Even the dead trees have beautiful patterns and colors just like the rock formations.
And for my Gin loving friends (TOM!) Juniper berries were plentiful!

Zion National Park

 

 

The view out our back window to our “back yard” for the week here at Zion West RV Park just outside of Zion! I even got a shady spot to park Big Blue! When we arrived this Alfalfa field was not cut yet. He did it t late that afternoon and into the evening, finishing by headlights well after dark.
We watched a couple days later as they bailed the entire field of Alfalfa.
He’s about to pick up the last bail just before sunset. Hey, free entertainment watching other people work hard!
Our first day out we visited Kolob Canyons at the north entrance of Zion; an area most people don’t visit according to the rangers.

 

While visiting our first spot here we saw this camper. It had German/European plates on it; looks like it would go just about  anywhere!

This “cracked egg” rock was right by the parking lot, pretty interesting! From what we read and heard freezing water causes this.
And, of course, more spring flowers!
And brand new leaves on the trees.
We did this short hike to an overlook.
The trail up
Interesting idea to allow water to drain without flooding the walkway!

Wildlife!

At the top!
What can I say, I have a fascination with dead trees! Notice the snow capped mountain?

For the next 3 full days we visited Zion proper.
The Towers of the Virgin.
The Court of the Patriarchs.

 

The Virgin River was flowing very fast & full; so much so that The Narrows (pictures later in the post) were closed beyond the paved walkway.
We took the tram to the third stop in and walked the paved trail back to the Visitor’s center along the river.
The views along the way were incredible at times!
Among all the lush greenery were blooming Cacti!

We also did the river walk to The Narrows; which, I mentioned before, were closed beyond the paved walkway. Still a beautiful walk; 2 miles round trip.
Interesting ecosystem; there were even these swamps along the way!
Looking down towards the narrows.
Weeping walls!
Flowering plants growing out of the cracks in the rocks.

This little guy was very vocal; wanted us to feed him or go away I guess!
Rich should remember this picture ; his mom and I took the same one years ago!

Time to turn around!
One of the big draws for thrill seekers (NOT us!) was Angels Landing. It’s a 5 1/2 mile round trip “hike”up 21 switchbacks followed by walking a narrow ridge (with a chain to hold on sometimes!) with huge drop-offs on both sides to reach the top. The name comes from the belief that only angels (and idiots?) could land there!
“The idiots  I mean hikers”

One of our 3 days in Zion, instead of taking the shuttle through the park we took the truck and drove Utah State Route 9 through the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel. Since there are size restrictions we needed to buy a special pass to take Big Blue through (any vehicle 7’10” wide or 11′ tall ). They stop oncoming traffic so you can go down the middle of the tunnel (for a fee of course)! Remember it was built before large vehicles and motor homes existed!
Here we go through! The tunnel is 1.1 miles long.
Beautiful scenery all along this road!

Don’t get a flat or break down here!
This mountain is called Checkerboard Mesa for obvious reasons.
Amazing; and all done by nature!

Coming back you can see one of the three windows cut into the tunnel wall.
The view from inside the tunnel through that window.
These flowers just growing out of cracks in the rock amazed us!

 

 

 

 

Final Post from Pahrump and surrounding area

red rock canyon national conservation area near las vegas

It’s pretty obvious why the name Red Rock Canyon!

 

Some of the spring flowers near the picnic area we were using

One of Jan’s favorite pictures; mine too!

china ranch date farm- another day trip from pahrump

There was this dirt(gravel) road for about 5-10 miles to get here

Nice cactus garden next to the main building that housed the equipment to process the dates.
Their original delivery truck.
We saw this on the way down to the creek; I think it’s either a little humor for the tourists or a play store that was for the kids. Just part of the charm!
It doesn’t look it, but this was actually kind of comfortable!
Blooming Ocotilla!

They even had a palapa where we sat while enjoying their delicious date shakes! We also took home some date bread, yum!!
Jan saw this rock formation on the way out and wanted me to take a picture for some reason. Hmmmm?!?

rhyolite ghost town

One of the buildings left of this old  gold mining community from the early 1900’s; if you Google it it’s a pretty interesting story!

This metal art depicts a miner; I’m not really sure how the Penguin fits in?!?
Another interesting building was this bottle house. Its built using hundreds of bottles. Since it was a mining town I’m sure there was no shortage of empty booze/beer bottles!

But the strangest thing was this still operating “Art” Museum; see for yourself!
This of course, was called “Ghost Rider”!
Ghost Painter?!?
And of course the Holy Ghost at the Last Supper!
Why not? A mosaic tiled cement couch!

the amargosa opera house and hotel

It almost looks abandoned from the outside but is an operating Hotel and Opera House used for artist to perform; not so much opera now. The woman who bought it in 1967 and started the Opera House/Hotel business, Marta Becket, just died this year at the age of 92. She performed there up until she was 87!
The hotel rooms; still operating, more like a 50’s motel I’d say!

 

A tribute to Marta

When audiences were sparse (which I’m sure was often out in the middle of nowhere!) Marta missed having an audience so she started painting these murals. That’s the king and queen of Spain of the time in this one!
Maybe too much time in the desert?!?

Their “Yard Art”!

we also did do a “tour” of the chicken ranch, but nothing photo worthy! i did buy a tshirt for my good friend tom though!

Goodbye to Pahrump, next stop Zion National Park.

 

 

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Just outside of Death Valley National Park is this refuge. A very interesting place as you’ll see by this post.
All the roads in the refuge are gravel, very dusty!
the Visitors Center.
Visitors Center greeter!

This little guy was hanging out on the railing overlooking the spring. He’s about an inch long.
Streams like this connect all the different springs. According to the signs we read the water is fairly warm and acidic and has bacteria, so if you’re not used to it, it is not drinkable.

An interesting formation on these nearby mountains!
This boardwalk leads to the Longstreet spring and cabin. The story is Mr. Longstreet apparently killed 5 men, only one of which he was sorry for.

The spring near the cabin.
You can see the sand inn the bottom being stored up by incoming water from the spring source.
This was another spring nearby

One of the spring residents. This is the only place in the world these tiny fish exist. The one here are fresh water veriety while in nearby Devils Hole they are saltwater!

A local resident; a Jackrabbit.
One of the local Mesquite trees.

This is Devil’s Hole. Nothing exciting to see from the surface but if you Google it you’ll come up with some fascinating video of divers exploring the massive underground (and underwater) caves here.
They’re serious about keeping unwanted explorers out. The only personnel allowed are researchers and rangers.
Also in this refuge is this spring fed reservoir. looks strange to see the Carribean looking body of water in the otherwise desolate area.

Death Valley National Park

While we spend our first month back on the road in Pahrump, Nevada we spent most of the first week or two visiting Death Valley and the surrounding area.

 

On the way into the park we stopped by Furnace Creek Inn, the nicest hotel in the area.
They had a long tunnel from the lower parking lot to the elevator to take you up to the lobby.
We visited the Borax Museum too
“Old Dinah” was a steam engine that replaced the 20 mule team that pulled the wagons filled with Borax ore.

 

 

Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level.
I circled the “Sea Level” sign to illustrate what -282 feet is!

 

The vastness of this valley is hard to comprehend. It’s the largest salt flat in the country at 40 miles long by 5 miles wide!

Death Valley normally gets less than 1.9″ of rain a year; this year they got 1.3″ in one day! So the flowers were everywhere!

An interesting mesquite tree
Some of the many sand dunes

We did a short 1/2 mile hike up Natural Bridge Canyon to the bridge.
The view of the valley and salt flats as we were returning from the Arch Canyon hike.
Zabriskie Point where there’s a good view of the valley
Artists Palette, the focal point of Artist Drive, a 9 mile loop.
You can plainly see why they call it Artists Palette! Beautiful, pictures really don’t do it justice!

On the way back to Pahrump we decided to check out this 2.7 mile loop. It’s a dirt road called 20 Mule Team Canyon. It goes through borax hills but interestingly enough it wasn’t built until after the 20 mule teams were used, so it was never used except of course as a tourist attraction!

 

 

Back in California!

ancient redwoods in redwoods, ca.

The immortal tree was in front of our campground. It had survived lightning strikes, fire, partial chopping down (they gave up apparently because of it's size) and the flood of 1964!
The immortal tree was in front of our campground. It had survived lightning strikes, fire, partial chopping down (they gave up apparently because of it’s size) and the flood of 1964!
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You can see the marker (just below the green branches) for the flood of 1964 showing how high the water got.

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This log truck was at our campground too. It's used for parades and other celebrations.
This log truck was at our campground too. It’s used for parades and other celebrations.

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We did a drive down The Avenue of the Giants. Amazing trees!
We did a drive down The Avenue of the Giants. Amazing trees!
We did a day trip down the Avenue of the Giants
We did a day trip down the Avenue of the Giants

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They had these Tree Houses there too.
They had these Tree Houses there too. Very cool!

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More views of the Avenue of the Giants
More views of the Avenue of the Giants

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hammond family gathering in santa rosa

We attended the Hammond family gathering at Bruce and Susans house in santa Rosa. I didn't get any photos but here are some Bruce had taken by a professional photographer friend.
We attended the Hammond family gathering at Bruce and Susan’s house in Santa Rosa. I didn’t get any photos but here are some Bruce had taken by a professional photographer friend. from left to right; Asa, Aren, Mira, Denny, Holland (Bryce’s sister), Logan and Bryce.
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One lucky grandpa!

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while in Santa Rosa we visited the Jack London House and Museum with Lane, Ron and Denny
while in Santa Rosa we visited the Jack London Historical State Park with Lane, Ron and Denny.

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The house was full of interesting artifacts from their lives and travels throughout the South Seas and the world.
The house was full of interesting artifacts from their lives and travels throughout the South Seas and the world.

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What I found most interesting was his Cruise of the Snark, a sailing cruise in the South Sea
What I found most interesting was his Cruise of the Snark, a sailing cruise in the South Sea

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Also interest was the house they had built but unfortunately burned to the ground before they could ever move in.
Also interest was the house they had built but unfortunately burned to the ground before they could ever move in.

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Jack London's grave. His wife was also buried here on the property.
Jack London’s grave. His wife was also buried here on the property.

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sequoia national park

Our last stop in northern California was Sequoia National Park. Interesting to note the Sequoias here are not as tall as the coastal Redwoods but are larger in volumn.
Our last stop in northern California was Sequoia National Park. Interesting to note the Sequoias here are not as tall as the coastal Redwoods but are larger in volumn.

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I hacked this trail that led down to General Sherman, the largest Redwood/Sequoia of them all.
I hiked this trail that led down to General Sherman, the largest Redwood/Sequoia of them all.

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joshua tree national park, our last sightseeing stop beforE heading down to san diego

We made or last stop here while staying at the Time Share at Welk's Resort in Palm Springs. Only a few pictures as it was threatening rain, thunder and lightning while we were there.
We made or last stop here while staying at the time share at Welk’s Resort in Palm Springs. Only a couple of pictures as it was threatening rain, thunder and lightning while we were there.

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that concludes our 10 month adventure!

Stay tuned for next years travels beginning April 2017!

10 Months, 43 campgrounds, 12 States, 7500 miles on the trailer, 24000 miles on the truck!

 

 

On to the Oregon Coast!

Sorry for the delay in getting these last posts out, we were without wifi for 6 weeks or more! Enjoy!

The bridge from Washington to Oregon on the 101
The bridge from Washington to Oregon on the 101….and NO Rain!
After a quick stop at Cannon Beach (no pictures) the next stop, South Beach State Park
We loved South Beach State Park. Very nice park within walking distance of the water. Different sounds here; no trains, planes or automobiles, all we heard was a fog horn and seals barking!

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We took a day trip and went up to the Tilamook Cheese Factory. Very interesting; they sure make a LOT of cheese in a day!
We took a day trip and went up to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Very interesting; they sure make a LOT of cheese in a day!
The factory floor from the observation area above.
The factory floor from the observation area above.

 

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The milk vats

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Moes at Newport Harbor
Lunch at Mo’s in Newport Harbor.
Fishermen on the pier catching crabs.
Fishermen on the pier catching crabs.

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The source of our barking seals; these were about 10 or 15 miles from our campground! I guess sound really carries over the water!
The source of our barking seals; these were about 10 or 15 miles from our campground! I guess sound really carries over the water!

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We visited with Roy and Vicki Warren while we were there at their home here in Newport.
We visited with Roy and Vicki Warren while we were there at their home here in Newport. They’re pros at this by now, they’ve been full timing for over 15 years!

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oregon coast day trip drive

Some shots of the beautiful Oregon Coast
Some shots of the beautiful Oregon Coast

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The Coast Guard Museum
The Port Orford Coast Guard Museum

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View point at the point
View point at the point

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Stopped at this cool little fresh seafood place for lunch.
Stopped at this cool little fresh seafood place for lunch.

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While we were there a few whales were swimming around this little bay. The locals say they're there a lot because it's very deep but protected.
While we were there a few whales were swimming around this little bay. The locals say they’re there a lot because it’s very deep but protected.

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Some more beautiful coast line on our drive.
Some more beautiful coast line on our drive.

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jerry’s rougue river jet boat tour

On the advice of a few including Rocky, we took Jerry's Rogue River Jet Boat Tour and were glad we did; it was awesome!
On the advice of a few including Rocky, we took Jerry’s Rogue River Jet Boat Tour and were glad we did; it was awesome!

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Our boat Captain Kevin and his sidekick Sadie. She loved the water!
Our boat Captain Kevin and his sidekick Sadie. She loved the water!
Retrieving her water bottle (again and again, as many times as anyone is willing to toss it)
Retrieving her water bottle (again and again, as many times as anyone is willing to toss it)
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Throw it AGAIN! Anybody!

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Eagle or Osprey nest; we saw so many its hard to keep track!
Eagle or Osprey nest; we saw so many its hard to keep track!
These birds fan their wings out to dry so they can fly; something we never knew!
These birds fan their wings out to dry so they can fly; something we never knew!

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The indian chiefs tent?
The indian chiefs tent?

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Bald Eagles everywhere!
Bald Eagles everywhere!

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Local Salmon fishermen
Local Salmon fishermen
Nice catch! YUM!!
Nice catch! YUM!!
Fisherman and his first mate!
Fisherman and his first mate (four legged)!

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Good old fashioned rope swing fun!
Good old fashioned rope swing fun!

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Doing a 360 on the river; the captain loved doing these to entertain his passengers!
Doing a 360 on the river; the captain loved doing these to entertain his passengers!
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What’s real; what’s reflection?!?

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Stopped for lunch at this great BBQ place.
Stopped for lunch at this great BBQ place.
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Our boat.

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And of course Sadie's in the water again!
And of course Sadie’s in the water again!

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Colors beginning to change up here!
Colors beginning to change up here!

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next stop, california……