Zabrieski Point, 20 Mule Team Canyon, Mustard Canyon, Harmony Borax Works, Salt Creek Interpretive Trail

Thinking of my Mother all day. She would have been 86. 

I was on the road to a trailhead called Natural Bridge. I headed up the dirt road as it steadily climbed higher and higher. I saw a car in front of me turn around is if they were about to leave back down the hill. I didn't think twice about it until I got just past that car, and realized that it got even steeper. I had to stop after hearing a clunk, a rock, and fortunately no damage. Unfortunately, once I resumed, I started spinning my wheels to try and get up this hill. This would not be the first (or last) time I've been in this situation, and I will tell you that it was stressful. I immediately committed to turning around and heading back out using the most ridiculous multi facetted K turn ever, in this very narrow road.

This particular trail was listed as easy, however getting there should have been a category to consider as well, even though the road was straight and not winding, it was literally uphill in very loose gravel. My cross-climate tires didn't like it. I made a multi point K turn, and left.

Since the Artists Drive was literally a couple miles away, I decided to go back into this loop as I did yesterday. It is a fun little drive, and I wanted to stop at the overlook just to take another view in this morning light. It was so different from what I saw yesterday afternoon.There were a few other spots that had some brilliant colors, with this angle of the sun. I was one of the very few visitors this morning.

I headed towards Zabrieski Point, for an unexpected view of unusual peaks and striped mounds. They say this view is best in the morning, so I fit that bill perfectly. From there I went on to the 20 Mule Team Canyon Drive, which was also a lot of fun in this narrow one-lane road. There were just two spots that went down into a ravine and then steeply uphill that made me a little apprehensive. I also did a one-way drive similar to this called Mustard Canyon where, yes indeed, the canyons were the yummy color of mustard. I stopped at the Harmony Borax Works, where this exhibit showcased a large mule pulled wagon, with 7 foot tall wheels. This is an original wagon that the mules would have pulled hauling borax out of these flats. Mules by the dozens, would pull the borax to the processing area to extract borax from the mud and sand. Borax was considered more valuable than gold for a time. My last stop of the day was Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, a half-mile boardwalk along running salty brine waters, and home of the resilient, and playful Pupfish. The only place in the world where you can find them in these waters. Its fascinating to see life in the desert that has adapted so well.































Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Montana to Blackfoot, Idaho

Image
​ Well, other than spending the day driving I didn’t do much else. Unless you consider the excitement of filling up my gas tank for $80.00. It’s the first time in a long time when I looked down I saw my gauge in the red and the yellow warning light came on indicating low fuel. I never do these things, but I must’ve been in “the zone” while driving. Either way, I made it to the next gas station and I also have 2 gallons as a spare mounted to my ladder. I wound up staying in the same place that I stopped in May, as I was traveling up north. It’s Rose Pond Park near the town of Blackfoot, Idaho. I even recall exactly where I stayed and it was open and available. However, there was a radio concert going on right around the corner. I wasn’t into listening to the “boom boom.” I found another spot just as a truck came with three ATV, mini bikes and kids who spent the next two hours driving around, mostly in the parking lot. I was actually concerned that they would come by too closely or lose ...
Read more