This week Charlie and I are enjoying some time with our son Jeff and daughter-in-law Carol. They’ve come to Mesquite to see us (from So Cal), and we did a couple of day “stay-cation” in our home, then hit the road in the RV to spend four nights in Hurricane, Utah.
Jeff and I took the opportunity to hit the 18-hole putting course at the Pioneer Center. On our first official score go-around, I had a 47 and Jeff had a 53. The next time out, we both scored personal bests of 46, which would be 10 over par (if par can be considered 2). It is a tough course, with lots of ups and down and sidehill lies. None of us had a Hole in One on the second go-round, but we each had a 4!
The four of us spent some time playing Golf (the card game). We learned from Mac and Sue (our neighbors), and like it because it is easy to play without holding cards in your hand and because we use an automatic device to shuffle the two decks. Anyway, Carol and Jeff like the game a lot, especially since Carol won.
On Saturday, we packed up the RV and headed up to Hurricane, which is about one hour up I-15 in Utah. We’ve stayed there before and like it because Zion National Park is just another 30 minutes up the hill.
Of course, since this is an RV trip, something had to go wrong when we set up at Willow Wind RV Park. The friggin’ water line, which we had replaced after last year’s trip (including a new auto wind hose reel), leaked like a sieve when we hooked up to park water. It appears that someone torqued a plastic coupling, and the pressurized water sprays through the coupling.
As the Marines say, “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!”, so we are semi-boondocking here in this full hook-up park. We are using gallon plastic containers for fresh water to wash in the sink and to flush the toilet. No problem, really, but it sure pisses Charlie and I off, because we spent mucho dinero upgrading our water service, only to find that we have NO water service. Sonofabitch!
To compound our pique, we also noticed that the coach was dirty and that our carpets were not cleaned, even though we paid for that service.
So, I will have to call our Temecula Valley RV service lady “Diana” on Monday and read her the riot act. We are probably going to have to get the water issue resolved up here (Mesquite or St. George), and hopefully Temecula Valley RV will reimburse us.
Other than those issues, we are now ensconced at Space 116 here at Willow Wind in a super pull-through site with lots of tree cover. It’s a beautiful spot, the best we’ve ever had here.
Today, Sunday (Mother’s Day), Jeff and Carol and I drove up to Zion to reconnoiter the joint. They’ve never been, so today was the opportunity to show them the beauty, get a feel for how the park shuttle works, and do a little hiking.
The Virgin River is roaring in the park right now, so hiking The Narrows, which was our goal when we set up this trip, is out of the question: too dangerous. Instead, we hiked the Riverside Trail, which takes one from the last shuttle stop about 1 mile right up to the spot where hikers embark into The Narrows itself. Hiking is not allowed in that slot canyon when river volume is over 150 cubic feet per second. I would guess that it is five times that volume right now. Nasty!
We also disembarked the shuttle on the way back down the canyon at Pa’rus Trail, and walked the final mile or so back to Zion Visitor Center. It’s a very wide and gentle trail, right along the river, with nice views of the canyon, the rushing river, and flora and fauna (we did see a small group of deer this morning).
Our plan is to return to Zion tomorrow and do some further hiking. I might do Angels’ Landing, and Jeff and Carol might do part of it and then head for Lower Emerald Pools. We will have to see how everyone feels; my left hip, Jeff’s knees, and Carol’s stamina might determine how much hiking we attempt.
Monday:
Jeff, Carol and I left Hurricane early this morning for our repeat drive to Zion. Our goal was to hike a bit up the Angel’s Landing trail (i.e. as far as the kids felt comfortable), do a Lower Emerald Pool hike (note: the middle and upper pools are closed due to landslide), and maybe hit the Canyon Overlook trail near the east entrance to the Park.
Jeff and Carol, who had been very apprehensive about Angel’s Landing, had steeled themselves for the big adventure and were ready to tackle that trail, so up we went.
It is a ball buster of a cardiovascular nature, and those two (the kids) are smokers, so I figured that they’d crap out. But, no, they did not: we huffed and puffed our way all the way up the “ramp”, the pre-Wiggles, and the actual Walter’s Wiggles switchbacks to arrive at Scout Lookout (sometimes known as Chicken Out Point).
I was amazed that they made it this far, and very proud of their determination. We rested for five minutes or so, had a snack, and I figured they would want to call it a day. But, no, they were up to ascending the Hogback, which is a big sandstone rock face with cables.
So, we started to ascend the Hogback.
Unfortunately, we then encountered a whole bunch of folks going up and coming down. It was like Disneyland.
The problem was that two of the three major league hiking trails in Zion (including The Narrows and Observation Point were closed). The river volume is too high right now for access to The Narrows…which was our intended hike when we booked our visit to Zion. The other big hike, Observation Point, is currently closed because of a landslide. What this means is that all of the serious hikers visiting Zion on this Mothers’ Day Weekend are opting to do Angels’ Landing…because it is the only available option.
So, it’s a zoo up there, with two to three times as many people as normal.
Jeff, Carol, and I began the ascent of the Hogback, got about thirty feet up the sandstone slope (with courtesy cable supports), and then ran into about thirty people inching down the same narrow, slippery “trail”, if one could call it that. No place to hide; way too many people, dangerous, and time-consuming, dodging anxious hikers. We decided to call it quits, which really disappointed them.
I knew that the problem wasn’t so much the Hogback, but what lied beyond: the very narrow ledge connecting trail (with 1,000 ft drop off) from the Hogback to the Summit. With all of those people up there, it would be a scary and dangerous place for my kids.
I’d been to the top a couple of times in the past, so no big deal for me. But, this was their one big chance. What a shame!
Had we ascended the cables up the Hogback, we would have had this view, with the top of Angels’s Landing right in front of us. Bummer!
Anyway, we hiked several miles back down the hill, got on the shuttle bus, and headed over to the trail to Lower Emerald Pools. It was an easy half-mile or so, and a very picturesque sight. It could have been been much more rewarding had the upper pools been accessible, but it was not to be: a huge rockfall had blocked the trail.
By the time we were done with the Emerald Pools trail, and had returned to the shuttle, we were bushed, so we headed back to Hurricane for a nice lunch of fish tacos, compliments of my excellent chef son Jeff.
A nice, but tiring and somewhat disappointing day.
The kids are going to come back, maybe in the Fall, so that we can do The Narrows. They love Zion.
RV Update: I talked to the Temecula Valley RV service manager, Dianne, today about our “waterless” motorhome. She apologized and told me to take it to a nearby RV repair place to fix the leaking connection, they’d pay for it, and also to get the carpet shampooed properly, which they would also reimburse. So, I’ve got that to do this week.
Tuesday:
We decided to return to Mesquite today, to clean up the rig, put it away, and enjoy each other a bit. Jeff and I cooked up a Putting match for Wednesday with Lloyd, my hiking buddy, and his South African girlfriend, Juanita.
Later, we played Golf, a card game, with Jeff and Carol for a couple of hours.
Wednesday:
We left early this morning for Gunlock, Utah to hike “The Vortex”. It is a large formation of petrified sand dunes, with large sink holes near the top that are filled with water this time of the year.
There’s been a lot of rainfall over the past five months up in this area, and the Gunlock Reservoir is filled to overflowing. Here is some of the water that has spilled over the top, cascading through red rock sandstone cliffs. Very pretty.
We chugged up The Vortex trail in probably 45 minutes. Great views, Jeff and Carol loved it, nobody got hurt, and the weather was perfect. Here are some photos:
When we got back to Mesquite, Jeff and I cruised over to the putting course and put the wood to Lloyd and Juanita. We actually tied the first 18 holes, thanks to a lucky ass hole in one by Lloyd on the 17th hole. But, in the 18-hole playoff, Jeff and I kicked ass, beating them 3 and 2, and it was only that close because Lloyd had another luck-out hole-in-one. HaHa.
Hail to the Champions!
While we were putting, Charlie and Carol spent several hours at the Eureka Casino playing slot machines.
They had lots of fun, and Carol won $23.
Thursday:
Jeff and Carol are going home this morning.
Charlie and I have an appointment with the vet to investigate Jayjay’s gastrointestinal system. He’s normally the most regular guy, with firm, hard poops. But, ever since he began the special eye medicine for his eye ulcer, he has had loose stools…at best. Something is awry up his poop chute. We’re going to find out what it is!
Jeff and Carol’s excellent adventure has ended.