Road Trip 2019: July 6th, 7th and 8th
I am embarrassed to be so behind, but truth be told, it has been an amazing, action packed, adventurous trip.
Upon our arrival to Salt Lake City, we found a pretty desolate city. It was a Saturday night in a large city with a lack of action and pulses. We checked in at The Peery Hotel. This is a five star hotel with old charm and a lot of history, perhaps too much. We scored this space for a mere $108 a night, which included all hotel taxes. We payed an additional $15 parking fee to park safely in a lot.
A hotel established in 1910, adorned with antique furniture and fixtures. Leaves you wondering what may have taken place within the walls of its structure.
The bones of room decor was legitimate, late 1800’s/early 1900s. I could not help but imagine the room in black and white, I could vision Al Capone at the sink shaving and plotting out his next hit; talking over his shoulder to his patsy. The bathroom was all original tile and shower stall, complimented with a glass swing door, but less the chain toilet. The entry door had a Transom window, a staple of the late 1800s. The overall architecture of the building, inside and out, was historical.
The Peery Hotel gave me bad vibes and made Tammy and I question, “Could it be haunted?” Needless to say, we asked the staff and they confirmed that there has been hauntings in the hotel. In fact, most hauntings occurring on the third floor, where our accommodations were. It was an unsettling stay. I did not sleep well, in fact was woken by the most unsettling feeling at 3AM, I was frightened, but not knowing why. Early rise and exit was not fast enough!
Daylight revealed just how seedy and sketchy Salt Lake City really was. A city lined with homeless, sleeping on the street; drug addicts, gathering in ally’s; bums, shuffling around on city scooters while panning for money. We held on securely to our belongings while walking to the Red Rock Brewery for dinner. Great place to eat, if you have to be in that area. “Bizarre,” is the best adjective describing the scene in “Seedy Lake City”. Certainly not what we expected from a city in Utah. Nevertheless, this did not put a damper on our road trip experience, it just gave me additional blog material.
On the road again, we continued down 15S and headed toward Kanaaraville. I lead our group to a hike to Kanaara Creek, and Todd led the hike. This canyon hike was brought about from a facebook photo of a gorgeous waterfall. You know the posts I am talking about, the post with the unbelievable image of a waterfall, the one that raises the questions, “Where is this? I want to get there, how do I get there?”
The answer is simple, you have to hike there. As a matter of fact, you have to hike into most of these hidden treasures. This is what makes them even more spectacular. So we did it, we hiked in 1.75 miles on land and through water. This was not an easy hike, but it was not too difficult. You need hiking sandals and poles. The waterfall is so beautiful and strong. Tom went under the waterfall and to his surprise ended up in a pocket and got pretty wet, thank God the car keys and the electronics survived. If you plan on adding this to your adventures, make online reservations. This hike sells out quickly, as only 150 people are permitted per day.
We made the hike back out, lots of laughs and a couple of falls, sometimes I am not so sure footed. We hit the road and made our journey toward Zion National Park. We headed straight to La Verkin, UT and checked into our hotel. We spent the night at the Best Western Plus. Great hotel with nice accommodations and a great breakfast. This space was a mere $89.00 for the night.
We hit the road early and ventured a few miles into the Zion National Park. It was a chilly 64 degree morning, none to fear though, as the temp rose to 97 by 10AM. They had a rough February out here, 16 inches of precipitation, creating some rock slides that left some trails closed. You park your car at the visitors center and rely on the speedy shuttles to navigate you through the park. The shuttle system is very easy to navigate, actually a no brainer and fast! Due to some rockslides we were unable to do the upper Emerald Pools, but did the lower pools hike. Angel’s Landing was alive and well, but the park was very crowded, so we accomplished most of Walter’s Wiggles. We did not make it to Scouts Landing, nor the Angel’s Landing.
The Narrows was an amazing hike, though the current very healthy and strong. It was difficult to plant our poles, and the rock bed very jagged. We accomplished what we set out to do. If you plan to do The Narrows, set out as early as you can. The park is open 24 hours a day, just keep an eye on the weather to avoid potential flash floods. They kill!
We wrapped up Zion and upon our exit caught a pack of rams spying on us as we left the canyon. Zion is an amazing space, one of my favorite spaces. God does exist, if you have any doubt, come out west. This did not happen on accident.
We had a 2.5 hour ride out to Page, AZ. We checked into another great space. The Red Rock Motel. This is a husband and wife operation and they are meticulous and make you feel at home. Each room has a sitting patio, some with grills. We rented an apartment and it was spacious. We checked in and visited Horseshoe Bend. Todd and I did this two years ago. It was a free entry with no guardrails, just common sense.
Unfortunately, ignorance does exist everywhere and we were sad to find a fee station. They now charge $10 per car and there is a railing which borders the lookout. Seriously pissed us off, once again stupid people create boundaries, where boundaries need not be.
We concluded a beautiful day with lots of steps and miles. It was topped off with a wonderful dinner at the Lake Powell Marina, in a beautiful floating restaurant named Antelope Marina, on the Navajo reservation. A marina graced with beautiful and massive house boats and a view of Lake Powell. You can also see Antelope Island, a sacred space to the Navajo tribe, where we are not allowed.
Thank you for following our road trip 2019. Get out there and travel America.
Peace xo
Somewhere in America 