May 19, 2001

2001-05-12 -- 2001-05-19

2001-05-12 - Cameron, Arizona - It took me four hours to arrive here at the junction of Highway 89 and Highway 64 which is the east entrance to the Grand Canyon. I try very hard to keep the speed at 55 mph as Tiny gets the best gasoline mileage at that speed. With the price of gasoline increasing as rapidly as it has been, every little bit helps.

It is very interesting to me that in towns of reasonably the same size gasoline can vary from $1.54 to $1.93. I realize that state and federal taxes account for roughly $.50 a gallon but what it does mean is that the price is doubled based on location or what is thought that can be obtained. I am talking about the same brand of course.

How do you control greed? I wish I knew. Is the energy crisis actually increasing the basic costs which I hear is decreasing or are some people using this as a mask to cover their greed, I suspect some of it is the latter.

Cruise control acted up again which probably indicates the vacuum tube is loose. I get lazy after a while and cruise control is easy on the foot if one is driving for a long time. I can remember my father preaching against cruise control in addition to power steering, power brakes and automatic transmissions for years. I noticed however that he eventually made the switch although he maintained for years that it was for the sake of my mother.

I enjoy cruise control, as a gasoline saver it is great as my foot tends to get heavier the longer I drive and I find myself pushing the limits of the law and of Tiny if I am not careful. I can relax more knowing I can pay more attention to the road or sneak more looks at the scenery. Since the primary reason to be here is to look at the scenery, it makes sense. Of course on steep hills of both directions it requires manual override frequently. I understand the more modern cruise controls take more of that into consideration by measuring the slope, the newer computers are something else.

It started sprinkling shortly after leaving the park and I got hit with a few rain drops as I came out of Safeway in Holbrook. As I got closer to Flagstaff I could see and thunderstorm over the city and I was hit with a deluge that cleaned the windshield nicely even before I headed north on Highway 89. Visibility closed down to 100 meters for a while and then it let up and no more rain fall. I haven't looked at the front of Tiny to see if any of the bugs were washed off which I hope happened. There are so many wings baked on that I almost fear taking off in a stiff breeze.

If car manufactures really want to revolutionize the industry, they should develop a paint that bugs will not stick to. The auto accessories business will squawk of course but then again their bug remover still requires significant elbow grease. I have a high pressure washer at home that does a fair job but I know that if I am not careful I can either strip the paint or damage the caulking.

It is quiet here in the RV park but I feel there are some strange happenings in the area. Cars will drive up behind the market, I hear voices, one of which is female, the car departs only to return in thirty minutes and then there is either a delay or another conversation starts over again. If I were not pure minded, I would think there is a red light district nearby. I fear I am so jaded that it really doesn't bother me. I remember when my brother inadvertently booked me into a hot sheet hotel and everybody but me was shook up./P>

2001-05-13 - Springdale Utah - Bryce Canyon National Park is quite an operation. I am very glad that I opted to visit Bryce prior to going to Zion as I think it would have been a let down had I reversed it. While Bryce Canyon is spectacular, it doesn't have the visual impact that Zion has. I wonder if that could be caused by looking down rather than looking up? We humans often have extremely weird perceptions

The drive up was over mostly familiar roads. I had driven through Kanab on the way to Pipe Springs National Monument and again while going to Lake Powell Recreation area. I had spotted a Chinese restaurant that wanted to check out when I returned this direction. I will see what happens.

The drive to Bryce Canyon took me up more than 8000 feet but didn't suffer any problems. It was a gradual climb so Tiny didn't have any trouble either. I do not think the generator would have started at that altitude and if I had stalled for any reason, Tiny would have been quite reluctant to start again but that is a problem I do not worry about that much. I know the newer automobiles have a computer chip that takes this into consideration, and I suppose the newer generators probably do also, but I am happy with Tiny most of the time despite her perverse quirks. I feel like sometimes that Tiny is a female and one has to work around rather than with.

Prices just outside the park are ridiculous but expected. I had gassed up in Kanab which was bad enough but not the $1.96 at the park. Bryce is in the process of going to a shuttle system as have many of the more popular parks that have parking problems. Actually it is not a bad idea as I will talk about later.

Bryce Canyon is about 30 miles long and generally is above 8000 feet with portions that exceed 9000 feet and that is getting high folks. I visited all the lookout points that I was allowed to visit with Tiny and while I didn't have problems parking, it was only because there was space reserved for RVs. Cars were crowded in with many not in spaces at all. There are signs every twenty feet stating that cars will be towed but I didn't see much concern about this. Using the shuttle will alleviate this problem and actually help those individuals who walk the rim trails and than have to walk back to their vehicles.

I know there will be people who will bellyache about the park service depersonalizing the park but I do not see any other solution other than limiting the number of people per day. I would think there would be more objection to that solution. When one has a finite amount of room and an increasingly infinite number of people desiring to use these facilities something has to change. I know there a number of people upset with Yosemite when the park service went this route.

Bryce Canyon is best known for its "hoodoo" formations, a pillar of rock - or casts a spell as the National Park Lyricist maintains in the park literature. I do not object to the poetic license at all. Though I of course would never use this in my writings, I do understand the necessity of doing so. I always endeavor to keep factuality paramount in my writing.

Even the approach to the park through Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest is spectacular, and the multi-tiered bluffs overwhelm the road and the entire area. The entire region of the "Grand Staircase" where the land has shift and created steps leading down from Bryce to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is unique and that there are three national parks in that area testifies to this. Other states may have more parks but Utah certainly has the most colorful. In addition Utah has Arches, Canyonland and Capital Reef just northeast to keep people gawking.

The badlands of Bryce Canyon are spectacular with images of columns, temples, castles, arches, bridges and windows change colors during the day depending on the location of the sun. One can just allow one's fantasy just run away with itself in suggesting names for these Disney-like surrealist landscape.

The air was crystal clear when I was there and the view was wonderful with distances probably close to 100 miles. Snow was still visible on the mountains adjacent to the canyons and added to the beauty significantly. Cedar Breaks is probably still closed due to snow as it is still higher than Bryce. The collision of Teutonic plates certainly added zest to the area and what could happen again as the earth continues to shift. It wouldn't take much to really rearrange the face of earth and in reality there is little to contradict that it hasn't happened before.

Geological the area is interesting as well. The area to the south is known as the "Grand Staircase," and that falls away in a series of bluffs or cliffs at the land descends to the level of the Grand Canyon. Bryce Canyon and its Pink Cliffs are the top level, there are the Gray, White and Vermilion cliffs, all facing south, as one descends toward the Kaibab Plateau with the Grand Canyon in the center. I have read the Vermilion Cliffs is the northern limit of the Painted Desert.

The area has at various times during the eons a sea, a seashore, a coastal plain and a lake bottom. Like the Petrified Forest, the land was once located much further south at the present day latitude of Central America.

Fossils are found in abundance; these represent the various stages in the geological calendar of the canyon. Petrified wood, a form of fossil, is not found that I know of at Bryce Canyon as far as I know.

The area is thought to have been created as the North America slid over the eastern edge of the Pacific Oceanic plate. This is a gross simplification and all forms of expansion, contraction and volcanic activity have taken place that has added their touches to the current landscape, a landscape like no other in the world. Of course there is no such thing as preserving as Mother Nature must be allowed to have her way.

The first white man at least probably was not charmed by this vision of erosional beauty. He would have had to spend additional hours attempting to detour around the area or attempt the arduous climb up animal trails to reach the plateau above. I can vouch for the climb being a real bone breaker on just the few short trails I attempted to climb. At better than 9000 feet my lungs were gasping most of the climb.

After a stint in the visitor's center talking to the Interpretive Ranger on duty, I headed for Rainbow Point at the far end of the park. The ride is along the ridge with all the view points on the eastern side. Regrettably this was one of the few points that faced directly into the sun making photography problematic. I did my best however.

Of course I can make certain improvements on Mother Nature using the computer but again, being a purist, I do not do that very often

Aqua Canyon was a delight. The sun was in the best position to capture the contrasts of light and color that are some of the best in the park. To do any of these vistas justice, one would have to spend a full day from sunrise to sunset equipped with tons of film

The next vista was Ponderosa Canyon but this was crowded with no place to park Tiny so I headed back to Natural Bridge. I did find parking and spent much more time attempting to photograph the bridge and the hoodoos in the area. Everywhere one looks there is something new to attempt to capture on film.

Farview Point is at a paltry 8800 feet but provides a panorama including all the neighboring plateaus and mountains and if lucky, one can see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise Point all look into Bryce Canyon and the natural amphitheater there. This is filled with hoodoos. The walls of the canyon are filled with windows and there is a fantastic view of Tropic Valley to the East with Canyonland in the far distance.

If the fates are kind, I hope Mimi and I can revisit this park and spend time walking some if its many trails. I do not think one can adequately fully experience this park from seeing it from asphalt viewpoints. Certainly one can only develop a limited feel for the park by looking at National Geographic or watching slides.

I did see a number of chipmunks and a look-a-like ground squirrel who have learned to mooch from humans. Usually in pairs, they seem to put on a show of "tag" and then beg for something. Just watching their antics is hilarious, they seem to enjoy playing jokes on each other. It is apparent that people have been feeding them or either peanuts are indigenous to the park.

The meadows abound with prairie dogs, all very diligent in looking for predators. I missed the turn off for Fantasy Canyon, I have heard later that it is perhaps the most attractive in the park. Too late too smart.

I just found out that Cedar Breaks is not open and may not open as scheduled. I had hoped to visit Cedar Breaks which is on the same level as Bryce. Unfortunately snow keeps that park close until the 1st of June. I suspect I will just have to come back again.

Like elsewhere in the plateau region, first man to visit were the Paleo-Indians as early as 15 thousand years ago. These people adapted to seed-gathering and the capture of small game as the only subsistence available. It wasn't until sometime between 3,000 BC to A. D.1 until the society had progressed to simple tools and implements.

New technology and ideas slowly started to be received in the area from Mexico when farming became a reality and the production of more sophisticated implements and pottery started. However, by the 12th Century the Anasazi as they were called moved south into more hospital surroundings and were assimilated into the Hopi tribes.

The Paiute Indians have a later influence on Bryce Canyon, Paiutes, a member of the Shoshoni language grouping and speak the same language as the Utes.

Since Cedar Breaks (Badlands) was not available I opted to head for Zion to the Southwest.

Accessed from Highway 89 to the west, as Bryce is accessed to the East. It wasn't great distance. The highway into the park is all right but once in the park it becomes interesting. There are two tunnels, one of which is one way only to oversized vehicles which includes all RVs. It is both narrow and low and one must be very careful to stay solidly in the center. The larger RVs cannot be accommodated and must detour a significant distance to come in the east side, a detour of some seventy miles. I will confess that I didn't feel all that comfortable in the tunnel.

There is little doubt that Zion is the greatest collection of fantastic shapes and images I have ever seen. Every time one turns a corner there is a new feature that overwhelms the mind.

Zion is part of the geological area as is Bryce Canton and the Grand Canyon but it sure doesn't look the same. The first major landmark even before the tunnels, is Checkerboard Mesa which is well worth making a stop.

Even that section after the entrance road meets the canyon road proper is fascinating; by this time the canyon walls are several thousand feet high and it was frustrating to drive and not be able to sightsee at the same time. I spotted a small campground on the other side of the park in Springdale and set up there. It was a small place put the only other RV park I saw was luxury with golf carts and trails and no way will I pay that. Usually I do not mind staying in weird places but there just wasn't any parking lot that I saw.

No more that had I set up when we were hit by a thunderstorm which dropped so much rain the entire park was running water that emptied into the Virgin River at the edge of the park. The river swelled visibly in minutes but just as rapidly dropped back to normal after the rain stopped.

Even from the campground the view of both sides of the canyon was magnificent. The sun setting on the north canyon walls was like something out of a movie rather than real life.

I walked a little bit in town after dinner but it is a typical tourist town and there wasn't anything to interest me. I wound up returning to Tiny and working on last week's travelogue as I was far behind. It sometimes is difficult to keep up or ideally write a little bit every night.

It appears the Paleo Indians in and about this park was quite different than those of Bryce Canyon. It appears the "Basket Makers" did not appear until approximately A. D. 500 making their appearance several thousand years later. It appears they were not as advanced and were more primitive than others. The largest dwelling found contained only three dwelling rooms and a kiva. Further North were the Fremont people who at least visited seasonally and lived in small pit-house villages. There seems to have been very limited contact between the two societies.

Sometime well after this era, records of the Paiute Indians start to be found. The Paiutes may have descended from the Ferment. The Paiutes tended to be peaceful but caused little trouble for the white settlers. In fact, the Paiute accept employment by the whites and became skilled cattlemen. The two factions of the Paiute, upper and lower still exist and are found in reservations but as other tribes, are merging into society and losing their identity..

I was up early the next morning and at the shuttle stop before 0700. The shuttles run every ten minutes so one doesn't wait a long time. There were several groups of hard core rock climbers complete with full gear on board, and they were raring to go. One of the groups was German I noticed. I chatted with them for a while. They were students from the University of Heidelberg.

There was also a group of college aged young men from Korea, also rock climbers or at least dressed as if they were rock climbers. All of their gear was brand new and had never been used whereas that gear the Germans had looked as if it had gone through several wars. Here lies a basic difference in societies. Germans tend to learn a sport and then acquire the equipment and clothing, Koreans tend to acquire the equipment and especially the clothing before they ever start. It looks silly I know.

I scouted the Visitor's Center, talked to an Interpretive Guide for a few minutes and then it was out to catch the shuttle to the end of the canyon. I enjoy getting a feel for the canyon staff just to see if I would be interested in working there as a volunteer. I always have copies of the application form with me, all I have to do is date it and turn it in. One can never tell what will happen. I think I would rather be further north next year so I can strike out for parks further north in Utah and of course Wyoming and Montana but I am not that choosy either.

The shuttle operates much like the tour buses in D.C., one gets off at any stop along the way to do anything feels like doing, sightseeing or hiking, then gets back on the next arriving shuttle and continues along the way. As long as the frequency of the buses is adequate this is a great way of doing things. Private vehicles are not allowed on this road without special permits so there is little traffic other than the buses.

On the way toward the end we passed the area of the landslide of 1995 when people were trapped for twenty-four hours until a new road was cleared. There was little danger but most people didn't get to eat anything for that time either.

My first departure from the bus was at Zion Lodge where I hiked up to the Upper Emerald Pool, going through the Middle and Lower Pool as well. It was a nice hour hike on a very good trail, not too steep but a good starter.

The scenery and the view were spectacular. All three waterfalls were a joy to look at. The water was crystal clear and at the Upper Pool, fell about 100 feet. There were a number of small rodents on the trail, most chipmunks and Green Squirrels who didn't seem too fearful around humans. It is not unusal for one to snatch food from your hands if you are not careful.

Once back on the bus I traveled to Grotto, a natural cave eroded from the side of a cliff. It was much cooler inside the cave but there were too many people for my tastes so I didn't spend that much time there. It appears those attractions which require any effort to reach are never very crowded. I also noticed that to go horse back riding, one could not weigh more than 225 pounds. I would think over 50% of the people would not qualify. This a sad commentary on Americans I sorry to say. The media reports that over half of all Americans can be declared obese.

I never had to wait more than five minutes, I was finding this a very convenient method of travel. The buses were never crowded and I could see much better then when I was driving. It was then up to Weeping Rock and the waterfalls above. This area is Navajo Sandstone which is very porous and water seeps into the rock and moves downward until it finds a layer that is impervious and then moves laterally until it emerges on the canyon wall and then falls like a mist to the valley floor below. In this area the weeping section is some fifty feet wide. One can get very wet if they stay under the shelve longer than required. One learns something new every day, one cannot let the old gray matter not keep on working full time.

I carried the camera under my hat so it wouldn't get wet but still managed to splash water drops on the lens making some interesting effects of the photos. Nothing that didn't come off with a tissue.

I then hiked up to the waterfall well above, a really rugged hike on trails that were narrow and nice drops off the sides. It made for some interesting passing when meeting people coming the opposite direction. This trail goes much further than I had time for as I knew I had to leave the RV park at twelve or pay for another day.

I managed to climb down, get on the park shuttle to the visitor's center, walk to the city shuttle and reach the RV park in time to get Tiny ready and clear the area by 1200 but not by much.

I retraced the road back to Highway 89, waiting fifteen minutes to get through the tunnel, and reached Kanab shortly after 1300. I saw a sign for a Chinese restaurant which I couldn't resist so drove the two blocks to reach it. It had more or less a typical menu but I did notice there were only locals working, no Orientals. The food was more than adequate and didn't pay much attention.

On leaving I noticed a large Korean flag displayed in front of a house down the street; there was a gentleman washing his car and I just couldn't resist asking the obvious. His wife ran the restaurant, she of course is Korean, and she came home after the lunch time rush was over. It seems that every Tuesday night is Korean night and just about every Korean in the states of Utah and Northern Arizona shows up. There is a busload that comes in from Nevada. I am sorry I didn't know this. I would have made a schedule change.

From there it was a direct drive to the Kaibab National Forest and then to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I noticed the gasoline prices jumped significantly when I crossed into Arizona.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is an area many people do not see. It is about 200 miles by road from the visitor's center of the South Rim but only ten miles if one is a raven and can fly over the canyon. There is a hiking trail that comes over but I do not think I am quite in shape for that, I understand that is not for the weak of heart or mind; I only qualify on one of those.. It is 45 miles from Highway 89a which I was traveling but I had the time so went on anyway. One travels through the Kaibab National Forest with its grand open prairies and wildlife for twenty-five miles and then into the National Park.

The parks are becoming expensive, it is at least $10.00 a park and the Class A parks are $20.00. The Golden Age - or Golden Geezer - pass for $10.00 is well worth the investment. Even the annual pass at $50.00 is worthwhile and we sell quite a few here at Petrified Forest. Visit our park and both rims of the Grand Canyon and people have recouped their investment. There are people who never ask about passes and still complain about the costs. I also think some people do not want to admit they qualify for the "Golden Geezer."

I hear gripes that the park system is too expensive; I think there is some fat in the system as in any system but people do not realize the park does not get to keep money, it is sent to D. C. and appropriated from there. Portions are siphoned off to support headquarters and regional offices and then sent down along with funds appropriated by Congress. If Congress doesn't subsidize, it hurts deeply.

The North Rim is 2000 feet higher than the South Rim, consequently it is a lot further down to the Colorado River below. While there are several vista points open, not all overlook the South Rim or are considerable driving distance from the Visitor's Center. I spent most of my time at Bright Angel Point which has a magnificent view of the main canyon and of several smaller ones. I think I prefer the North Rim, if for no other reason, the fewer people up there. It seems much more peaceful.

There were scattered clouds so one had to time pictures carefully to maximize the lighting and contrast. The breeze wasn't pushing the clouds very fast so one had to wait for a while. Sometimes that clouds are moving so fast it is just fun to watch the shadows move across the landscape. It was interesting just to see how the cloud changed the colors and even depth perception.

I started a conversation with a young German couple from Miltonberg, only ten miles from where Mimi and I lived when we were living in Haibach by Aschaffenburg. We had a great time discussing the area and the stories about certain areas. I would suspect we probably knew some of the same people. They did know about the restaurant in the forest between Miltonberg and Haibach. Darn that place had good food.

It was getting late by the time I left but fortunately I was driving east and not into the setting sun. I drove by the Vermilion Cliffs which is both the north end of the Painted Desert and part of the "stepping stones" for the Kaibab Plateau. The sun was behind me casting long shadows making each little canyon stand out very clearly. Once I headed south the sun glare was dreadful and extremely hard on the eyes. I reached Cameron just before dark and crashed to sleep. I didn't even eat dinner.

2001-05-15 - I woke up early and was on the road by 0600. Traffic was light and I breezed right through Flagstaff and onto Winslow where I stopped to replenish my bottled water supply and food for the week. My route planned for next weekend doesn't go by any Safeway stores so I must think ahead.

I was disgusted and very annoyed when I returned to the park to find the water hose missing and that someone had ran over the telephone cable and smashed the connector. I found the water hose, maintenance was using it to clean out one of the buildings used for storage. No one will admit to backing their truck into my parking space however. Fortunately there are people living in town close to the Radio Shack that will pick up a cable for me. They are not that expensive, about $15, and I know that the park wouldn't replace it, in fact if someone told me that they done it I probably would ask them to replace it anyway.

2001-05-16 - I am still disgusted about the broken telephone cable and the inability to sit inside Tiny and do Internet. I have a shorter cable that I can hook up and I dragged a picnic table behind Tiny and was able to hook up but the sun obscured the screen. I waited until almost dark and romantically did my thing by candlelight. This was much to the amusement of my neighbors. I also made an appointment to have Tiny's brakes checked on the 25th as I am getting a vibration.

2001-05-16 - I roamed most of the day and did little else than talk with visitors and a little bit of photography in the park. I did goof off a little bit and took the time to do some arranging of my digital images so I could see what I haven't photographed. I had missed one area completely and some of the pictures I took of the petroglyphs need to be done over again.

2001-05-17 - Happiness is having a telephone cable and hooked up inside Tiny. What a day! I was scheduled to do a presentation in an area I had not done before and only had one evening to prepare. Thanks to the Internet and Encyclopedia Britannica I was ready to go. I had to chase down just what were fossils and the differences between the types of petrified wood and how to identify each. Of course all petrified wood are fossils but not all fossils are petrified wood. I still have much to learn and I still haven't even scratched the surface on botany. I am slowly recognizing many of the trees, a few shrubs but flowers, forget it.

Sometimes in the Interpretive Group the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing and gets confusing but we worked it out. By the time I was to give the talk the wind was up to thirty miles an hour - a really bad hair day - and I had to shout rather than talk. My throat was sore by the time I finished.

I no more than finished when I was approached by an Austrian six-some that asked if I could speak the same lecture in German. I did a thirty minute walking tour writing some words on the clipboard for them to write down to look up later. A good portion of my German ability has returned and they seemed happy that at least I tried. They had been to many parks and I was the first individual to attempt to communicate in their own language. Their dialect was quite different. They live very close to Trieste and the Yugoslavian border and only one person attempted to speak English at all although I could tell that several at least understood some English.

I can remember the tour I took to that region of the world and the trouble the tour guide experienced. I guess I do not feel so bad now. I guess there is sufficient Slovakian spoken in that region to change the dialect and with all the refugees, learning this has been almost mandatory.

2001-05-18 - The weather forecast was for high winds with the possibility for rain plus a schedule change that had me closing the visitor's center at 1900 changed my mind about leaving early. I did several more informal talks in addition to my normal question and answer periods at some of the view points.

The job description for a volunteer should contain more than it does. A volunteer is expected to know at least the following:

It would be nice to know the name of every book ever written on any of the subjects above.

While the above is somewhat facetious, it is more truth than fiction. The questions asked are sometimes unreal. However it does make it more interesting, after all just what use are volunteers for and how are they going to earn their salt if not besieged with questions..

It currently does not seem that it will rain more than the few drops that fell over an hour ago and the wind has dropped to next to nothing. However, now I am not in the mood to drive so will just take it easy this evening. I have two progress reports to finish and this seems like a great time to do it.

2001-05-19 - Moab, Utah - There are times when there is some much scenery that it is too much to absorb all at once Such as been the case today. The day started off with gloomy weather with an occasional sprinkle while headed east on I40 to Gallup and again on Highway 666 north toward Cortez.

There are some very interesting rock formations just before Shiprock. There are these massive chunks of red rock out in the middle of nowhere that can be with imagination called just about anything. I am quite sure that is where Shiprock originated.

I wanted to visit the Yucca House National Monument just south of Cortez but there is apparently some problem with local people not wanting it and there are signs to that effect displayed quite frequently. I will have to check what the scenario is on this one.

At least the rain had stopped by this time and gasoline is substantially cheaper in New Mexico than it is in Arizona. I still cannot figure this out, I am beginning to think there is just more greed in Arizona.

It is not that much farther into Utah and then to Canyonland National Park. The "Needles" area visitor's center is 35 miles off the main highway (55 miles to closest town)but at least it is paved. The sun was threatening to break out and by the time I arrived at the center is was beautiful. The fluffy clouds just added to it all.

The park is fantastic with all the shapes to content with, there is stress involved just to decide what to photograph. The only complaint I have is there are not enough places to pull off the road safely to take pictures. I can live with that if there is not much traffic and there wasn't that much at all.

I talked to the chief of the volunteers, interesting chap. It appears that management-employee relationships are much different, other than the remoteness, it would be a fun place work. Another is the distance to go shopping, it is well over a hundred mile round trip. Things would require very careful planning or a very drab diet, one or the other.

There is more wild animals in the park, mountains lions are there but rarely if ever seen. Bobcats are seen as are big horn sheep.

Actually there is a north entrance to the park and that is referred to as the "Island in the Sky" scenic section of the park. It is much higher, overlooks the Colorado River, the Green River and the southern section. I am looking forward to going there tomorrow morning before going on to Arches.

I stopped at the local "Newspaper Rock" to pick up the local graffiti, I do not know just how much of this is truly ancient and just how much is relatively recent but much looks all right. I will have a better look at it when I return to Petrified Forest and ask some of our experts. It is deplorable the damage that uncaring people have done to this. Boiling in oil is highly recommended but probably the ACLU would frown about this.

The scenery didn't let up after leaving the park, every turn brought something new to look at. It was interesting that there were many more pull offs on the main highway than within the park. I suspect one is more apt to have an accident on the main drag, however, attempting to pass a RV that has stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures can be interesting. There isn't much room to misjudge the distance. Shoulders are skimpy and generally look as if you use them, you could wind up with your rig on its side. That can ruin your entire day.

There is a man standing in the center of the arch which gives an idea just how high the arch is. Wilson Arch is the most impressive I have seen so far, I understand this is pale considering some to come.

I keep forgetting that in this area it is common for there to be 100 miles between gasoline stations. This can be puckering at times. However I made it to Moab and filled up so I am good for a while.

I am looking forward to tomorrow.