Samomatic

Waking up at dawn we walked through the town of Goulding flanked on both sides by sandstone buttes.

These sandstone blocks could reach up to 1,000 ft (300 m) above the Colorado Plateau.


Walking back to the RV for breakfast.

The View Hotel in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

Amazing view from the souvenir shop!

We hiked along the Wildcat Trail, a 3.1mile trail that circles the base of the West Mitten Butte.

Mom and dad posing in front of the camera. :)

After leaving Monument Valley we followed Hwy191 North, passing Mexican Hat rock along the way.

We took a detour into an unpaved road called “Valley of the Gods”, signs warn against large or heavy vehicles from entering.

Of course that didn’t stop our 27′ Mighty RV. Carmen took the wheel while Horace and I snapped away.

It was an untouched landscape with sandstone pillars in every direction.

In this stretch of road we really wanted to have the Jeep Wrangler for some off-road driving.

On our way we before as the sky got dark.

Arriving by night fall in the town of Moab, right outside Arches National Park, for some delicious Chinese food. Crab rangoons.

Climbing back up the South Kaibab Trail and taking a last look of the Grand Canyon at Desert View look-out point, we said goodbye to the majestic sights and headed North.

Along the way we saw a few elks grazing in the forest.

Arriving at Page, Arizona at 10pm we stream into Fiesta Mexicana for some delicious Mexican food!

We attacked the salsa & chips as our dishes were being prepared. It was what we needed after 4hrs of driving.

Next day we set out to find the Antelope Canyons. In the distance are the tall smoke stacks of the Navajo Generating Station.

Even though the slot canyons are the biggest attractions in town, we could not find an address to punch into our GPS. Then we realized that they have done it on purpose so we would join their tours for extra costs. Photo taken from here.

We refused to give in and asked for directions from the locals. Turns out you need to join a tour for Upper Antelope Canyon but near Hwy 98 & 222 there is Lower Antelope Canyon where we can have direct access and less busy.

Antelope Canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone. A guide is required due to the danger of flash flooding through the channel. Visitors are given 2hrs to walk through the slot, climb up and loop back to the entrance.

Capturing the intrigue shapes in the canyon. Every step is a new perspective!

On the road again, heading North towards Utah.

Big sand rocks in the horizon.

By nightfall we have arrived at Goulding, Utah at the edge of Monument Valley.

We spent 3 days in Grand Canyon. There was plenty to do and we really enjoyed the hikes and clearly labelled routes.

Exploring on the South Rim of the Canyon.

Mules awaiting their tasks at the Historic Mule Barn. Mule rides along the rim or descent to the base are possible but need to be booked 13months in advance!

Jump!

Horace, Carmen, and I ventured out in the Bright Angle Trail.

For the first 3miles, we were staying in the shades and the trail was pretty slippery with hard packed snow/ice.

We each had our share of slips and falls, but it wasn’t too dangerous. Use of crampons are recommended.

View from Three Mile Resthouse with all the switchbacks ahead of us!

After 2000ft elevation drop and 4.9 miles (7.9km), we reach the Indian Garden, an oasis in all the sand and rocks.

We met some rangers that were maintaining the paths.

A few mule-deers foraging along the ravine in the Indian Garden .

After eating a quick lunch, we turned around and retraced our steps back to the South Rim. Every step is now uphill!

Made it back to the top and we drove West along Hermit Road.

Stopping to admire the sunset.

Armed with a stack of guidebooks, no sleep and zero knowledge of the place we were heading we began our journey.

3 days prior to the trip my parents decided to join and managed to find last minute flights out of Buffalo airport. However they would have to connect through Pittsburgh while we stop-over at Chicago.

Arriving in Vegas and greeted by a row of slot machines! It was quite a miracle that our planes arrived within 30min of each other and retrieved all our luggages.

This was our rental car, a convertible Jeep Wrangler (Photo borrowed from Net Car Show, because we never drove one).

Instead, to accommodate the larger group we rented a 27′ Mobile Home (also known as an RV) which we shall call home for the next 10 days!

Here is the floor plan for the RV, which includes a kitchen, bathroom with shower, a bedroom and 2 convertible beds at night.

After picking up the vehicle and loading up on supplies we started heading East into Arizona State.

Lake Mead, about 30miles out of Las Vegas, is the largest water reservoir in the United States.

The terrain is completely foreign to us, all around us is sand and rocks.

We started bright and early the next day, driving along Hwy 64.

We stopped for a quick visit at the Planes of Fame Air Museum near Williams, the nearest big town from the Grand Canyon.

One of the retired Blue Angles!



Finally we arrived at Grand Canyon! What a sight.
Stay tuned for next week as we go explore deeper in the canyons!