The post Las Vegas appeared first on Meerkat Travels.

Of course, our first night started with sundowners on our porch and bubbles all round – champagne for “moi” and beer for Glenn. Then a BBQ – a lovely fillet steak with salad and a cab from Nalle estate in Sonoma County, picked this up when we visited the estate with Amy and Pat.  Thanks for the introduction, love their wine!!! When we got back to our tent we noticed the campfire closest to our tent had been lit and there was a basket filled with all the ingredients for smores. Of course, had to have one, reminded me of my “girl guide” days!!!

Our first full day in Zion was a big hiking day with a very early start – we went all out and explored the canyon based on excellent advice from one of the staff – also an avid hiker.

Hike 1 – Observation Point an 8-mile hike, 4 up and 4 down. Observation point is on a canyon outcropping and provided a panoramic view of most of Zion Canyon. The hike to and from was amazing – pictures tell it all. Switch backs surrounded by sheer canyon walls, ever changing colors and shadows based on the light and the rock, varying terrain and views. If you are into hiking and fit, this is a must when you visit Zion. Took us about 4 hours…

Hike 2 – Weeping rock which was a gentle 1-mile ramble to see a rock weeping. The water takes 1200 years to filter through the mountain and emerge from the rock. Busy but worth a look.

Hike 3 – River walk a 2-mile round trip, another gentle walk that gives access to Narrows. Only way in and out if you want to do the river hike otherwise called Narrows. This is where you see the Temple of Sinawava. This is also the end of the road, last shuttle bus stop – the canyon becomes too narrow for anything but walking at this point.

Hike 4 – Narrows which is only accessed by river walk. Fun and different. You can walk for miles in the water and up through the canyons. At this point the canyon is so narrow it is only river – the river is your path and you walk through knee deep (occasionally can get waste deep) chilly water with the canyon walls looming several hundred feet above you on a rocky river bed. Tests your balance, agility and endurance – it is very very cold and by the time we turned around to make the journey back to the river walk, our feet were numb. We lasted about 1.5 hours – a couple of miles of river hiking was sufficient for us!!!

When we got back to camp, staff asked about our day, they were impressed that we did all 4 in one day, expected us to stagger the hikes…

Our second full day we decided to explore a different and less popular part of Zion Park, again thanks to a great recommendation. We chose to hike Wild Cat Canyon Trail– this trail was in stark contrast to the day before, meandering through pine forest, meadows, dessert vegetation and concluding at a viewing point overlooking Wild Cat Canyon, spectacular. All in all, about a 9-mile hike. Getting some mileage in!!! Then headed on a drive to see the reservoir where we tried to turn our BMW 2 series into a 4×4… needless to say we could not and had to turn back on our attempt to circle the reservoir after making it about 80% of the way round. Found the only place for lunch and had a delicious burger before heading back to camp for some rest.

Our stay at Zion Under Canvas did not disappoint – sundowners on our porch again(!) followed by dinner at the restaurant where we were entertained by a singer/guitar player. Wrapped up the evening with smores by the camp fire and chatting to our neighbors, sharing experiences.

The post Zion Canyon appeared first on Meerkat Travels.

Then it was off to Stone Canyon Inn. On our drive in we went into Bryce Canyon Park to take a look around from the rim and make decisions on what we would do in the coming two days. It seemed quite busy at the key viewing points and on arrival at Stone Canyon Inn asked for local advice on how to avoid the crowds. Got some excellent local advice, turns out we could hike the canyon from the bottom of the canyon, a short drive from our lodge. Key learning if you start a hike at the bottom, the return trip at the end of the day is downhill, very appealing!!!

We stayed one night in a cottage with a jacuzzi, very welcome after all the hikes. Second night was in a tree house, cool experience!!! Great sunset views from the treehouse deck – perfect spot for sundowners. Stone Canyon Inn was a lovely place to stay. Imagine our surprise when we discovered their restaurant, The Stone Canyon Grill, was a fine dining restaurant with outstanding service and great food. Had two wonderful meals there!!!

Our intention while at Bryce was another sunrise hike. We set out at 6:30am, only a 10-minute drive away we started our hike from the bottom of the canyon towards Peekaboo Trail. Unfortunately, it took a bit longer despite some jogging (much to Glenn’s dismay) to get out of the forest and to a suitable viewing point. At least we did catch the light emerging on the hoodoos – a column or pinnacle of weathered rock. An amazing sight looking across the canyon as the sun illuminated the formations.  The hike was beautiful, and we enjoyed the ever-changing scenery, formations and shadows, even eerie at times. Was about an 8-mile hike. We finished in good time and headed off for a coffee before, yet another hike recommended to us – the Waterfall and Mossy Cave trail. The mossy cave was underwhelming but the waterfall trail was spectacular. Given it was lunchtime, we found a lovely shady spot by the stream to enjoy our sandwich and crisps (earned these). Glenn dropped the lid of his water bottle on the rock we were sitting on and it rolled into the stream heading down towards the waterfall. A hilarious sight watching him running along the fast-flowing stream trying to catch the lid – of course he ended up stepping in the stream!!! Lucky for him, another tourist rescued the lid. The stream flowed from the reservoir above Bryce Canyon and we were able to walk for a couple of miles along the stream and encounter beautiful rock pools, small waterfalls and rapids. Very enjoyable and different to our other hikes, did 4 or 5 miles without even realizing it.

The story continues, as we did not quite make it for the sunrise photographic opportunity, went up Peekaboo Trailagain the next day. This time left an hour earlier and made it to a perfect viewing spot before sunrise. Great photography and incredible to see the hoodoos come alive as the morning light hits them.

Time to leave Bryce and head to our next destination.

The post Bryce Canyon appeared first on Meerkat Travels.

On our journey there we stopped for a short hike to take a look at horseshoe bend, beautiful but hot!!! We also popped in to various viewing points:-

• Dessert view
• Grandview Point
• The village

Our destination for sunset was The Village. Arrived just in time to enjoy the sunset and capture the light. It was cloudy so made for some beautiful photographic moments… Finished the day with sundowners at the El Tovar Hotel before heading to the Grand Hotel where we were staying for two nights. A bit of a strange place but well-equipped rooms and the only decent available accommodation we could find at South Rim. It was close to the Village and can recommend it, convenient.

Up at 5 am on day 2 to watch sunrise, enjoy a coffee at South Rim and then start hiking by 7:30am. We chose to do Bright Angel Trail. The trail starts at South Rim and takes you along countless switch backs into the canyon. The trail elevation is 6,850 feet. Rules – give way to uphill hikers and step to the inside of the trail for mules. 5 minutes in we had to step aside for a mule train, cool to see genuine “cowboys”. First rest stop for us was Indian Garden which was our reward after 5.5 miles of mostly downhill. Time for brunch, had a sandwich, water and a quick rest before doing the 3-mile round trip to Plateau Point Trail. The views of the Colorado River and the canyon were breath taking. Felt like you were standing at the bottom and surrounded by canyon walls and formations, inspired me to return and do the rim to rim hike!!! Once we got back to River Garden rest spot, had the rest of our sandwich and lots of water. Took a slightly longer break here before starting the ascent, straight uphill for 5.5 miles. The views on the way up were majestic and you saw the amphitheater as you hiked up. Must say, the rim was a long way away. We stopped at the 3-mile rest stop for water and a small snack and were off again. We were making very good time and passing hikers, feeling good and focused on reaching the rim until we turned a corner and realized we had about a mile of steep uphill to go. Decided another rest was in order and stopped at a shady spot on the trail for a snack – cheese, salami and crackers. We were the envy of all the other hikers struggling past us looking hungrily at our “fuel”. One hiker took a look and said, “what no wine”??? That was all the energy we needed and we off and up the last mile making the 13-mile hike in 7 hours including stops.  Exhausted we headed back to the hotel for a recovery nap and a shower.

Decided to finish our trip with a sunset back at South Rim and a light meal before heading to bed early to recover from a magnificent day at the Grand Canyon. Even saw elk roaming freely at the rim.

The post Grand Canyon appeared first on Meerkat Travels.

Along route 66 I was exposed to classic American folk wit – the Burma Shave jingle – this was their original advertising campaign in the 50’s.

Twould be more fun

To go by air

If you would have

This scenery there

Route 66 is barren, dotted with small towns every here and there. Stopped for lunch at Roadkill Grill and then for ice cream in a mining ghost town called Oatman in the Black Mountains, now a tourist destination where burrows roam free.

Eventually we arrived at the Fender River Resort in Needles – this is a Motel and RV Park on the banks of the Colorado River. We had the one and only suite!!! This was a classic American road trip experience. Reminded me of the days of traveling with my Dad, brothers and sister’s cross country in South Africa. My Dad loved exploring small towns with us collecting antiques along the way, he would have loved this road trip.

We headed to the Wagon Wheel Restaurant for dinner.  A hearty meal of steak, green beans, homemade mash potato and a biscuit!!! No room for dessert after that!!!

The Fender River Resort is a far cry from Amangiri, a trip of contrasts which makes it enjoyable and creates experiences.

Ready for the drive across the Mohave Desert home. We have traveled 1,400 miles, hiked 65 miles and took 1,824 photographs!!!

The post Needles appeared first on Meerkat Travels.