Welcome to our Cross Country Blog! Todd and I are extremely excited to take this amazing trip, and as you know, excited to share it with you!
I will post our “day to day” trip intention, and then share how it actually went down.
We will be heading out on June 16th, and have lot’s of preparing to do. Booking some spots to stay, mapping out our route, new hiking gear, and familiarizing ourselves with hiking conditions and requirements in the southwest.
I have opened this blog up to comments and suggestions, so feel free to comment!
Happy Memorial Day, 2017. Todd and I have spent the entire morning
charting our course. We are 18 days away from our Southwest adventure; planning our destinations and points of interest.
Today we wrapped up our Sedona stay. It looks like this, not necessarily in order. We have decided NOT to micromanage our trip, but instead have a loose plan of what we want to see:
THREE DAYS IN SEDONA, AZ
- Cathedral Rock Hike (4 Miles)
- Bell Rock Vortex
- Red Rock State Park
- West Fork Hike (6 Miles)
Montezuma Castle- Alcantara Vineyards or maybe Javelina Vineyards
- Chapel of the Holy Cross
- Tlaquepaque Village
- Creekside Sedona our Restaurant Pick
Foot comfort is key! We are KEEN and Saucony fans. They keep our feet happy! Here are our new kicks for the adventure!
May 30, 2017: After speaking to a lovely Sedona local, Todd and I have made slight revisions to our two day stay in Sedona. We learned that Montezuma is 45 minutes, one way, from our hotel. We will eliminate that stop. We will get to hike some cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde. In addition, it appears that Javelina Vineyard is on our way to Page, AZ. Depending on what time we head out of Sedona, will determine if we sub Javelina for Alcantara, TBD.
June 4, 2017: Twelve days away, and lots of planning going on. Needless to say, I have to make sure that my pops, 98 years old, is going to be well taken care of while I am away! Todd and I have an aide that will be caring for dad in our absence. It is the prep work that is a little tricky. I have planned his menu for three weeks, now I have to cook, prepare and freeze. Many notes to be made for the caregivers, pill boxes set up, cigars purchased, yada yada yada.
After watching a bunch of videos of various hikes, Todd and I really wanted to purchase a GoPro. Nice to have, but too pricy for us. After lot’s of research and reviews, we decided to purchase AKASO EK7000. For $80, what a steal! The camera has all the bells and whistles necessary for us to shoot some serious shit! The camera weighs ounces, and comes with: (2) Batteries, a charger, remote control, waterproof case, additional back for the case, and a ton of mounts, brackets and straps. I will post footage from the little guy soon!
An added bonus, a friend of mine just got to the Grand Canyon and spent the day hiking Bright Angel trail. He sent me these spectacular shots. Turns out, the trail head for Bright Angel is right near our hotel! Here is our plan for GC.
TWO DAYS AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ
- Bright Angel Trail – Day One (3 Mile Max)
- South Kaibab Trail – Day Two (3 Mile Max)
- Dinner
- Sunset along the South Rim Away from others
- Sunrise along the South Rim Away from others
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/BrightAngelTrail.pdf https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/SouthKaibabTrail.pdf
June 11, 2017: Five days away, and finishing up last minute details of our trip. We have made a few hotel changes, due to plan changes. Our stay in Page will be action packed, not true hiking. Antelope Canyon is only approachable with a guide, so we will not be permitted to venture alone.
THREE DAY STAY IN PAGE, AZ
- Upper and Lower tour of Antelope Canyon
- Half Day White Water Rafting and Lunch on the Colorado River
- Panoramic Boat Tour on Lake Powell
TWO DAYS AT ZION NATIONAL PARK, UT
- 5 Mile Hike “Taylor Creek”
- Bottom UP Day Hike (weather permitting) “The Narrows”
The Narrows is a “bucket list” hike for me. It is the most beautiful slot canyon. In it’s entirety it is a 16 mile strenuous hike. This hike is mostly in water, chest high and swimming, at some points. Time will not permit us to do the entire hike, but we will conquer the most beautiful portion of it. This hike requires a couple of specialty gear items, which we will rent some FiveTens and Neoprene Socks, upon our arrival. The weather will dictate if we are able to hike the narrows. Flash flooding has taken many lives in this canyon, we will be cautious and check weather radar and speak to the park rangers, to assure our safety. Here is some info on “The Narrows”, along with a beautiful video!
https://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/zionnarrows.cfm
THREE DAYS AT BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, UT
- Queens Garden/Navajo Loop Hike
Bryce Canyon Ranger Kevin Poe calls this the best 3-mile hike in the world. I just chatted up a friend who did this hike a few days ago. I asked what he thought, his reply was simply, “speechless”
- Fairyland Loop
This is a less crowded trail, an 8 mile long trail that seduces you with a path of gnarled trees and sweeping skyline views of Boat Mesa and Sinking Ship Mesa.
This is what we have to date. We will leave the last days undetermined. We will either head out to Mesa Verde, CO or the Badlands, SD. Once this is determined we will chart out the rest of our journey!
Somewhere in America 