Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

utah

Zion National Park or Bust

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(Zion Trip, Pt. 1)
In early March, I met Kathy, from Omaha, in Vegas. Our destination was Zion National Park.

I was looking for an adventurous getaway where I could capture some video for the MyZionPark.com website we’re working on while getting some great hiking and sightseeing in. It would be a short adventure vacation.

My husband, Jerry, and I and our sons had been to Zion a couple of times. We had done some serious hiking even with our kiddos, including the 8-mile, steep Observation Point hike. But that had been about 5 years ago and I was eager to do it again, and this time with a digital camera and Flip Video in tow.

Most exciting was our plan to hike Angel’s Landing. On my previous trips with our kiddos, Angels Landing had not been an option. But, since I first learned about it, it beckoned. It’s been like an itch that needs scratched.

Kathy is a chiropractor and is married to my cousin, Jody Kloewer. They have three kids. I was a bridesmaid in their wedding in 1990, and Jerry was a groomsman. That’s how Jerry and I met, so Jody and Kathy hold an extra-special place in our hearts.

Kathy, my partner in crime.
Kathy, my partner in crime.

Kathy is in great shape, is a real trooper, loves nature and photography as much as I do – and very important, she has an easygoing (great) personality. I knew if she accepted the invitation to join me, it would be a fantastic trip. Also, did I mention she’s a chiropractor? That can come in handy on a hard-charging hiking trip.

Getting our rental car.
Getting our rental car.

So, we met in Vegas, rented our yellow Corvette and off we went toward Zion.

In a few hours we were pulling into the Desert Pearl Inn, our home for the next four nights. Desert Pearl Inn has loads of raving reviews on the internet, and many people claimed it’s the best place to stay while visiting Zion. By the looks of it, I was sold and we booked our stay.

Desert Pearl Inn, near Zion National Park.
Desert Pearl Inn, near Zion National Park.

Normally I’m only interested in a clean roof over my head, especially on these hiking adventures where not much time is spent in the hotel and all I need is a bed to plop on and a shower to clean the grime off. But this time, since we’d be hiking hard, I figured we’d splurge a little. What the heck, we’d be deserving of nice accommodations.

Some people, including myself before this trip, would say that a hotel can’t really be a reason to visit a place. Until this trip, I agreed. But Desert Pearl Inn made me change my mind. Desert Pearl Inn is situated under the shadows of the towering Watchmen red rock cliff and its back yard is cut by the Virgin River. Our room had a balcony with deck and we had the luxury of the sounds of a babbling brook in the background thanks to slightly-opened windows during sleep after a long day on the trails. But that’s not all. We had a kitchen, a wide screen television, big comfy beds, wood floors, great earthy and rustic interior design, and even a – get this – bidet.

Beautiful, spacious rooms with comfy beds.
Beautiful, spacious rooms with comfy beds.

A bidet you ask? Well, being a small town girl from Wyoming, I definitely didn’t know what it was. It looked like a mini-me version of the toilet, but it had a faucet. Hhmm. But after Kathy told me how it’s pronounced (It’s French and it’s pronoucned bee-dey), I sensed whatever it was, it was special and it was a luxury to have one. Suffice it to say it’s not a small sink for your kids…

If you’re visiting Zion National Park or the other national park wonders accessed by southwestern Utah, Desert Pearl Inn offers truly a wonderful retreat after a day of exploring nature’s wonders.

Together but in 4 (5) different states

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Hahaha. This is a good one: Our family found out what it was like to be together but in 4 different states. In fact, my husband, Jerry, and I decided that if Delirious counts as a state, which we think it does, we stood in 5 states at one time. It was very cool.

This really happened as we descended on Four Corners on April 6 during our recent Spring Break road trip adventure.

Standing together but in 4 different states
Standing together but in 4 different states

After touring Mesa Verde National Park, we traveled through Cortez, CO, to experience Four Corners, the monument that marks the point at which four states come together: New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah.

It was sort of a hoky experience, but well worth it. We were glad we included it on our itinerary. You pay $3 per person to enter tribal land and then take turns waiting to stand briefly in all four states. Fortunately we arrived early in the morning and early in the tourist season and only had to wait about five minutes before a friendly bystander offered to take our photograph.

Losing Books, our Minds … and Time

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Day 3 of our Spring Break vacation found us on a road trip.

It started with a laugh. My husband, Jerry, turned 46 on April 6. So we prepared breakfast in bed for him like a good family should and then he opened a small batch of gifts we had packed for the occasion. Among the gifts he received was a book from me called Younger Next Year. It’s well known for its wisdom and use of humor to enlighten about how men can “grow old gracefully,” and uh, even improve their memory as they age.

Here, Jerry holds the book for the first/last time.
Here, Jerry holds the book for the first/last time.

Well too bad he didn’t read it before we left.

Jerry had set it on the roof of our car outside the yurt in Mancos State Park for a staged family photo. 10 miles later I asked for the book figuring I’d read some excerpts out loud for both of our benefits as we motored down what would be a long and open road that day.

It was then Jerry said some cuss words and lamented the fact he forgot he had set it on top of the car. At the same time we passed a Neighborhood Watch photo that featured a bandit on it. The boys started talking about how it was probably a bandit that stole the book.

Neighborhood Bandits?
Neighborhood Bandits?

After a few minutes of Jerry racking his brain and looking throughout the car, and around the car, we decided to back-track on a bit of a treasure hunt. Wolf, our 9-year-old, said, “This can be our geocaching adventure we talked about.”

And besides, so what, we weren’t in a hurry… we were on vacation, right?

We backtracked and got out looking in the weeds, and returned all the way to our yurt site, but to no avail. All we can hope is that someone –– other than Jerry –- will age gracefully as a result of my gift.

After lots of extra driving on what was already going to be a drive day, we turned our thoughts toward Four Corners.

As you can see from this video, the boys were less than thrilled to learn we’d be spending the bulk of another day motoring down the road.

Grand Canyon or Bust: 6 states in 7 days

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We are getting ready for quite a spring break adventure.
On April 4, our family will set out in our car, with tent and camping supplies in tow, to travel through parts of 6 states in 7 days.
It’s Grand Canyon or Bust. Or, perhaps The Wyoming Griswolds’ 6-State Roadtrip.

View Larger Map

Sure, Grand Canyon is our “destination”, but no question, the journey will be the trip.

We’re traveling south from our hometown of Lander, WY, to Baggs, WY, to Craig, Grand Junction and Montrose, CO, ending Day 1 in a yurt at Ridgway State Park in southwestern Colorado. Lovers of national parks, we’ll make a quick side trip to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Day 2 will be the Million Dollar Highway to Durango. For the record we were going to bring our camper, but after my husband, Jerry, researched the Million Dollar Highway, our plan to camp in comfort was swiftly tossed out. (The scenic byway better be worth it!) He had what we think was an anxiety attack when we traveled Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park last fall. Despite his experience at climbing to top of 13,000-foot-high mountain peaks, driving above treeline makes him uncomfortable.

Day 2 will be exploring the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. We’ll spend our second night in another yurt at Mancos State Park.

Day 3 will mark Jerry’s birthday, so as a present, we’ll find a shower hopefully in Cortez, NM, before we head to “Four Corners”, where we have to travel for purposes of standing where the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado connect.

Then, we’ll point our vehicle to Utah’s Goosenecks State Park, Monument Valley and to the South Rim of Grand Canyon where our true “camping” adventure starts.

We’ll meet up with my parents on our third evening, who are renting an RV for the first time.

On April 7, “mommom and poppop” will head to Flagstaff, etc., to explore and be tourists with our three sons while Jerry and I do the monster hike… down South Kaibab Trail starting at 6am, stop in at Phantom Ranch for brief Snickers indulgence, then return via Bright Angel Trail. Should be a 10- to 12-hour hike for us and we can’t wait. We did it once before in 1999 but that was before we had kids and I had all my media capture gadgets and a blog to post them to. This will be part of what we are calling our We Can Still Do This Tour.
funnycar
Day 5 will be a blast. We’ll go to Williams, AZ, and watch an Old West gun fight reenactment before boarding the Grand Canyon Railway to the South Rim. Living history, interpretation and great scenery are promised during the adventure. After 2 hours, we’ll be dropped off at the South Rim to spend 3 hours on our own touring and taking shuttles to all the “grand” overlooks before riding the train back “in higher style.”

On Day 6 we’ll head West with our sights on the Historic Route 66 and Hoover Dam, before surprising our young sons with a night at Trump Tower, complete with huge swimming pool and near the circus circus festivities. (This is where we change the name of the trip to “From Rock Towers to a Trump Tower”, or from many stars to (just) five stars.)

Day 7 we’ll head to Salt Lake City, one of our favorite cities in search of another great campsite, before heading home just in time for the traditional Easter Egg hunt at my parents.