Jackson, WY & Grand Tetons: Meadows to Mountains, Whitewater to Waffles

The journey continues.  From Zion in Utah, we proceed to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.  "Grand Teton" apparently means "large teat" in French (and really, who doesn't love a great boob pun?) but Philip swears that it means "we didn't pack warm enough clothes" in English.  Dorothy, we're not in Arizona anymore! Clouds -- rain -- driving hail -- YES PLEASE!!!

On the road

One of our favorite locations was Jenny Lake, where we hiked with the doggies and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of the National Park.  You can take a boat across the lake and then hike up a glacier, but us Phoenicians were not adequately outfitted for such cold-weather activities -- but we're figuring it out quickly!

Downtown Jackson was delightful in every way, with a town square and iconic elk antlers arches at each of the four corners.  I tried very hard not to think about the furry friends that used to be attached to these antlers.  Everything about Jackson just screams "old west," but not in a corny way -- just good clean Western fun!

Philip bought me some new cowgirl lingerie!  Kidding.

But our favorite find was a local bar called the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, which was the first bar in the state of Wyoming to receive its liquor license after the end of prohibition in 1937.  Check out the great artwork over the bar, and the saddle barstools.  Yee-haw!!!  Totally fun and the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night in Jackson.

When planning this trip, I asked Philip what he really wanted to do while in Jackson.  "Why, I think we should go up 10,000 feet and see if we can find any waffles up there!" he answered.  So, never wanting to disappoint my man, we took the tram to the top of Jackson Hole Ski Resort, to indulge in the Brown Sugar Butter Waffles for which the restaurant (shack) "Corbets Cabin" at the top is world-famous.  The tram rises 4,139 vertical feet, with temps dropping from the mid-60's to low-30's, in 12 short minutes.  The 360-degree views from up above are spectacular, but the waffles were even more amazing!

Another "must-do" on our list was a rafting trip down the Snake River, which twists and turns for over 1,000 miles from Yellowstone through Grand Teton and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean.  See it there?

We rafted eight miles down the Snake in water that was cold, cold, cold.  Even with wetsuits, it was cold! .... Philip:  "I haven't been this small since I was ten years old."  LOL!  Besides unbelievable beauty, we encountered eight different rapids, the biggest of which were Class 3 and in which we got VERY wet.  On the last rapid, we spun in circles (intentionally) (I think) by the left 3 paddling forward and the right 3 paddling backwards all through the rapid.  Again ... yeeeee - hawwwww!

 

Because our home in Phoenix is in a beloved community called "Spur Circle," I have made it a passion to collect spur-related photographs!  Check out the additions to my collection during the first week of this vacation!

Next, we sally forth to Yellowstone National Park, approximately 100 miles north of Jackson, where we will meet up with Phoenix friends who are also RV'ing it.  Before we pull out of this delightful little town, let it be noted that the fine citizens of Jackson have a terrific sense of humor!

JAZZ HANDS!!!

NOW THAT'S A BIG WAFFLE!!!

UMMMM ....... YAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Zion National Park, UT: 85% Wilderness, 100% Awesome

Leaving Page, AZ, our next destination was Zion National Park on the southern edge of Utah.  Steep cliffs, narrow canyons, and a park that has remained over 85% wilderness (according to our expert source: the front of a t-shirt in the gift shop) had us excited to get to see this park up close and personal!

Sheer cliff drops of 3000 feet or more!  People die while  rappelling and hiking these mountains ALL THE TIME!

To enter the Park, one must go through the Zion - Mt. Carmel Tunnel, which having been built in the 1920's when everything (dinner portions, Americans' waistlines, sports stars' egos) were smaller, cannot accommodate single lanes of larger vehicles.  So, RV's require a special "ESCORT SERVICE."  Philip was very excited to employ an escort service, until I explained it wasn't that kind of an escort service.  Rather, we would pay a $15 fee that would cause the rangers to stop oncoming traffic so that we could drive right smack dab down the center of the road in the 1.1 mile long tunnel, ostensibly while humming the 1964's classic Roger Miller song, "King of the Road."

The Zion Canyon RV Campground is perfection, situated just outside the West entrance to the park.  This RV Park has a lot going for it, most notably its location right under the towering rocks of "The Watchman" mountain of Zion.

The other reason we learned to love this RV park was the huge, clean, bright laundry room.  Why oh why, you might ask, would we need a laundry room on the 3rd day of the trip?!!!  Well, if you must know, its importance was magnified when we discovered that a small dog (who shall remain nameless) had peed in our bed (Philip's side -- hmmm). WTH!

Lastly, our site is nestled up literally on the banks of the Virgin River, allowing lots of splashy play time with the puppy-girls.  See the Lucky Charm right there in the background on the right?

Zion is not particularly dog-friendly, and dogs are not generally allowed, well, anywhere, except for one sweet 3.5-mile paved trail with lots of beauty all around.  We imagined since it was the only pet- and bike-friendly trail in all of Zion, it would be a superhighway of activity.  Bikes zooming by!  Pets snarling and charging at each other! People sidestepping each other and glaring at those taking a slower pace!  Imagine our delight when we had practically the whole thing to ourselves.  We had just learned the most important lesson to avoiding crowds in national parks ... go early!  Easy to do when you forget to close the miniblinds on the RV and the dogs therefore wake you up by jumping on the bed at the-crack-of-early.

This interesting formation is called "Checkerboard Mesa" -- the horizontal lines were formed from wind and shifting sand, and the more vertical lines are caused by joint fracturing of the rock.  You have just learned 100% of our combined knowledge of geology.

Zion offers "Ride With A Ranger" Programs for a mere 30 people per day, but their Marketing Department must really suck, because literally nobody knows about this program so we were therefore able to secure a spot.  It was awesome to have a (very young) (very enthusiastic) ranger explain everything we could possibly want to know about Zion during a beautiful, private, two-hour ride through the Zion Canyon.  Free! Absolutely free!

There are tons of rental RV's all around, and the CruiseAmerica brand has photos of charming small children, adorable pets, and perky senior citizens looking out the door window.  We loved them!  So cute!  So clever!  UNTIL ...one of these rentals moved in to the site next door, and Sprinkles proceeded to growl and bark at the "intruder" until she grew hoarse and finally decided she had "won" since that other dog was obviously completely frozen in fear.

After Zion, we are headed to Jackson, WY and the Grand Tetons.  Check out Philip's awesome mobile office!  He can work while I drive, with the added benefit that I can spot a Dairy Queen from two miles away.  It's the perfect arrangement.  See you soon from Jackson Hole!

Page/Lake Powell, AZ: Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend

After months and months of planning for our 3,718-mile Summer 2014 Adventure Tour, the departure day finally arrived!  Packing an RV for a six-week trip is no easy task.  Here is the fridge/freezer -- not a square inch to spare!

Individually portioned/pre-marinated meats in the freezer make cooking easy.

Our first two days were spent in Page, AZ, 270 miles north of Phoenix, right on the Utah border, where the beauty of Lake Powell resides.  The huge Wahweap Marina RV Park overlooks the lake. We did not go far enough north, however, as it is still quite hot here, but you know what THAT means ... yay for daytime naps in the Lucky Charm!  

This time of year (or maybe always, I don't know), Page is full of boats, rental RV's, and foreigners.  English is spoken in Page by probably only 10% of the visitors -- everyone else seems to be from France, or Spain, or Japan, or wherever.  The campground store has U.S. coins taped to the countertop with their amounts labeled to help all the foreigners who are trying to figure out how to make change for their purchases.  

Many of them come to see Glen Canyon Dam, but to us, it seemed like Hoover Dam's bothersome little red-headed stepbrother ... bound to be a disappointment ... so we passed on the tour and opted for Mother Nature's grandeur instead.

Our first "must-see" was the oft-photographed beauty of Upper Antelope Canyon, a series of gorgeous slot canyons on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  These twisting tunnels of swirling sandstone benefit from the light above often spilling down into the canyons, which can be up to 130 feet deep, making for some unbelievable beauty.  The other unbelievable thing is how many people are jammed in there at any given time.  So much for serenity and spirituality in the face of God's handiwork ... hard to appreciate when you are being constantly elbowed by hordes of obnoxious Europeans!  But the sights were truly spectacular ... indescribably beautiful ... and (cheesy but true) our pictures do not do it justice!  Can you find the heart? (Of course it's our favorite!)

The company that took us into the slot canyons (for you are required to have an Indian tour guide, and take a bumpy 20-minute four-wheel drive ride through fine, deep sand to get there), had the added benefit of a Navajo dancer perform a traditional hoop dance.  It was deeply conflicting to try and enjoy the beauty and tradition of the dance, when the young man was wearing Adidas shorts and Air Jordans under his costume, and when it was performed under the cover an abandoned gas station.  But, it was crazy how he could get all those hoops going every which way and we were truly awestruck at his talent.

Our other "must-see" was Horseshoe Bend, where the Colorado river makes a sharp 180-degree turn, creating a huge protruding monolith in the middle of the curve.  We took a picnic dinner at sunset, hiked a sandy 3/4 mile trail, and were shocked that you could walk right up to the edge, with no guardrails, warning signs, security guards ... nothing!  How is it possible that lawyers and overreaching federal officials have not gotten involved in this yet?  We were more than 1000 feet above the river, just dangling our legs over the edge.  Crazy!  If you can spot a tiny blue tent on the shore in the picture below, that will give you some idea of the huge scale of Horseshoe Bend.

Everyone wants to see Horseshoe Bend ... even the "Sister Wives" of nearby polygamist Colorado City!

On the edge of Horseshoe Bend, Sprinkles "saw the light" but decided to return to us!

A few interesting footnotes on RV living.  One is that when we are in our 4 bedroom house, both Philip and I just get up and get whatever we need.  But for some reason, in 275 square feet, it is suddenly too far to go get something.  "Can you hand me my coffee?" -- which is 2 feet away.  "While you're up, would you turn on the light?" -- which could be done by literally standing straight up, raising an arm to the ceiling, and then sitting straight back down.  It is very curious, seriously funny, and will require some "spousal recalibration" ASAP.

We were sad to leave the red-sand beauty of Page, but excited for our next destination ... Zion National Park in Utah!

Flagstaff, AZ: Getting Extreme!

Our latest adventure in the Lucky Charm was to Flagstaff in Northern Arizona for the celebration of son Max's 15th birthday. Our family rocked the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course!

FlagX, as it is affectionately referred to by all the cool kids, is a series of aerial obstacles that is set in tall Ponderosa Pine trees at 15-60 feet off the ground!  Some of the features are suspended bridges, swings, nets, slides, rockwalls, ziplines, and even an aerial surfboard.  It was tons of fun!

We stayed at Fort Tuthill County Campground for it's perfect location ... right next to FlagX!  It was cheap and nice, although there was no electric service so we had to rely on our generator as needed.

Wildfire crews were at that time battling the so-called "Slide Fire" which originated in Sedona, just south of Flagstaff, and because of the wildfires, open fires were not permitted (even in the campground firepits), but we had brought along a propane-fueled firepit that WAS allowed, so we were the only campers able to roast marshmallows ... obviously the most important part of camping!  It also helped keep us warm during some surprisingly chilly evenings!

The birthday party was mostly for Max, because he will turn 15 while he is at summer camp in Indiana this summer.  We celebrated THREE important family birthdays all at once, however ... Sprinkles the Dog on July 7, Max on July 8, and Sarah's boyfriend Sean on July 9!

They each got their own themed cake!

Sean loves Star Wars ....

Max is into baseball, football, and the military ...

and Sprinkles is a dalmation-y looking mutt!

Our "FFF" (Flagstaff Family Fun) had all the elements of a great time ............. 

Football !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Food !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fido !!!!!!!!!!!!  (begging)

 And most importantly ............... FAMILY!

The Lucky Charm gets a short rest period before the most important journey of her young life so far -- our next trip will be for six weeks throughout the west, including Zion National Park, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, the coast of Oregon, Redwoods, Lake Shasta, and so much more, starting June 21!  More charming adventures await during the summer of 2014!