The Grand Canyon

It seems that by the time we finished our activities for the day and took a shower we were always looking for dinner very late at night.  Subway is inside a gas station but closes at 10 pm.  Just down the street we found Hogi/Yogi and Teriyaki Stix share the same building.  The sandwiches were very big for the price and seemed to be a good deal.  I opted for the Teriyaki chicken which was way too sweet for me and I ended up just throwing it out.

If you pass one of those brochure racks, pick up the Travelhost brochure.  It has coupons for food which can help anyone’s budget in Moab.  At McDonalds the $1 menu is $1.39

Pasta Jay’s Restaurant is right in front of the Best Western Canyonlands Inn.  We walked over one afternoon and had a wonderful meal.  You are able to select inside or outside seating.  The weather there was beautiful in July so we opted for outside seating.  We ordered 3 entrees and they were all wonderful.  The portions are very large, we had 3 teenagers and 2 adults and this feed all of us.  We didn’t even have room for dessert.  I would have to also rate them a 10 on service.  There were plenty of employees and each one is always asking if they could help.  Even the bus boy went out of his way to get us anything we needed.

Lake Powell is so large that it is hard to picture where all the canyons lead.  See it from the air and it all comes to life.  Departing from Lake Powell/Page area the ride takes approximately 2 hours and don’t forget your camera.  The flight ends with a champagne toast, fruit juices and french bread.  Make your reservation by calling 928 640 0144 or email basketcasehotair@yahoo.com

Driving north on 191 towards Moab I noticed on the side of a rock, white letters that said  Hole n’ The Rock.  I was not sure what this was but it didn’t look like much so I kept driving.  Well now that I’m home and I’m reviewing the material I picked up at the hotel, I should’ve stopped.  It is a long boring drive so if you are passing take a minute to stretch your legs and stop in.  This flyer says it is 5,000 sq foot home carved in the rock which is now turned into a gift shop.  Also says it is home to the largest exotic petting zoo.  Open 9 – 5, it might be worth checking out.  It is just 12 miles south of Moab.

Do you love riding your Harley but can’t take it on vacation with you?  Or always wish you owned one and want to splurge on your vacation.  Rent a Harley and enjoy the views of your vacation destination.  Eagleriders, www.eaglerider.com, rents Harleys at worldwide locations.  Sedona is full of beautiful red rock scenery and what other way to enjoy it then from your motorcycle – Eaglerider has a rental location in Sedona.  Call 1 866 392 0747 for a rental.

At the top of Bright Angel trail, located at the south entrance of the Grand Canyon, you will find the Bright Angel History room.  It focuses on two historical figures of the southwest, Fred Harvey and Mary Jane Colter.

Tourist experienced poor food and rude service when traveling to the southwest prior to Fred Harvey stepping in to change history.  An immigrant from London, he decided to take the opportunity to open restaurants along the Santa Fe Railway and give his clients good food at a good price and with great service.  As a result, he was responsible for giving thousands of women jobs in his restaurants.  The Fred Harvey Company also established Southwestern Indian Detours which hired educated women to give tours in the southwest.  I saw vans at the lookout sites of the Grand Canyon that said Detours so I assume this company is still running today.

Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was an architect with the industry was controlled by men.  For 50 years she designed buildings  throughout the southwest.  She started her designs at the Grand Canyon with Hopi House in 1905, Lookout Studio, Hermits Rest, Phantom Ranch, Desert View Watchtower and Bright Angel Lodge.  All of these buildings are currently on the National register of historic places.

The fireplace in the Bright Angle History Room mirrors the style of Mary Jane.  She believed the buildings should match their surroundings.  As a result the fireplace is made of Limestone at the top, just like the top layer of ground at the Grand Canyon down to the Vishnu Schist which can be located at the bottom of the gorge.  Even the outline of the fireplace represents the peaks and valleys of the Grand Canyon.

The Moab slickrock bike trail is well known as one of the nation’s superior mountain bike trails but the local riders know that it is but one of the many great trails in Canyon Country.

Essential Equipment:

Helmet, 1 gallon of water a day per person, high energy food, sunscreen, route map, tire pump, first aid kit, riding gloves and sturdy shoes.

Some trails:

Slickrock – Hardest, 12.7 miles, 1 day, loop

Klondike bluffs – more difficult, 15.6 miles, 1/2 day not a loop

Hurrah Pass – easy, 33 miles, 1 day, not a loop

Lower Monitor – easy, 7.4 miles, 1/2 day, loop

Bar M – easy, 7.9 miles, 3 – 4 hours, loop

I think Bar M is a great trail for families or friends of different abilities.  We decided to take this trail and it worked our great for us.  I rode Bar M with my 62 year old mom while the teenagers took 3 more advanced trails that looped off Bar M.  They started by riding Bar B which is a loop off Bar M and it took them about 25 minutes, we just waited and rested.  Then they took Rockin A which looped back to Bar M at a different location.  We continued on Bar M and meet with them at the end, where they began Circle O.  Again they came back to us on Bar M and we completed the trail together.

You can take a shuttle to Bar M for $10 per person and you can ride back to town, it is 4 miles but all downhill.

It was a great experience for all levels of riders and yet we all still got to ride together.

At the top of airport road, watch the bi-planes and helicopters take off for tours while you dine.  It was recommended that we go there for the Buffalo burgers and fried cactus which was very good.  However, we did not appreciate that they continually filled our drinks without asking  (not to mention they were only 1/2 empty) and then charged us for each time on our bill.  Our bill looked more like a dinner bill than a lunch bill. 

On the way to the top of airport road there  are 2 great look outs; the second one has a stand of flyers which include a 10% discount for the restaurant.  However it still does not make the meal reasonably priced.  We visited on a Saturday and there was also a farmer’s market across from the second look out.

On the phone and in person Tony (Manager) would not give us information about the trails until we paid for the bikes.  I found this very strange because I wanted to make my decision based on the difficulty levels of trails.  It is a great location on 179 Hwy across of the trail entrance.  The closest trail is an easy trail made for family riding and takes approximately 1 1/2 hours to complete.  The trail takes about 1 hour to get to the other parking lot and only about 15 minutes to get back to Bike and Bean.  We didn’t realize we were going up hill all the way, we thought it would take another hour to get back.  This makes it hard to judge your time that you have to return the bikes.  I was told by a local that you can take a nice 20 mile ride from there but we picked up our bikes at 1:00 in the afternoon and after riding 1 hour in that heat I decided that was enough.  The views are beautiful!!!!

www.bike-bean.com They are very relaxed about reservations and I don’t think you even need to reserve in advance.

Average Temperatures

Did you ever wonder what grows in the desert?  I always that a lot of nothing!  Well, it turns out the ground is covered with living organisms.  There is a veneer of life called biological soil crust.  This crust covers approximately 70% of the ground which is not occupied by living plants.  It helps reduce erosion, helps with water retention and increases soil fertility.  Immature crust is usually hard to detect because it is the color of the ground.  Mature crust are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of mosses, algae and other organisms.

Human activities can be very harmful.  A single footprint has long lasting effects on the desert: nitrogen fixation stops and underlying soil connections are broken.    Under good conditions, a thin layer may reappear after 5 years.  Recover can take up to 20 years in places of high rainfall and up to 250 years in the desert assuming the area is not disturbed again.

What can you do to preserve a healthy desert ecosystem?  Stay on established roads and trails.  When trails are not available, hike in washes or on rocks.