In September 2025, Tibby and I travelled for 22 days and 2,300 miles in the United States from Las Vegas, principally through Utah and Arizona and back to Las Vegas in a motorhome.
This was such a busy trip that after ten days we were exhausted. We visited sixteen national and state parks, monuments and recreation areas. We did not visit some parks that we had scheduled and drove by many that we had not scheduled. We did not do full justice to most of the parks we visited and could have been to more viewpoints and tours. We did a small amount of hiking, but hundreds of hiking trails are located in the parks we visited. In the time we had, I believe that we saw the best that was on offer in each park which resulted in an incredible experience.
My initial research for the trip was done using the following guidebooks:
Lonely Planet Best Road Trips Southwest USA
Lonely Planet Utah’s National Parks
Fodors Arizona & The Grand Canyon
I followed several Facebook Travel pages including:
Utah’s Mighty Five Roadtrip
Zion National Park Utah
Monument Valley
The Arizona Bucket List
Explore Arizona
Grand Canyon Area Trip Planning
The American Southwest Group
Sedona Arizona – The People’s Suggestions
Sedona Information and Things To Do
Roger Naylor – the Arizona Travel Writer
I posted enquiries to some of these Facebook Groups and received very constructive suggestions in return.
Despite weeks of man effort in planning the trip I made a significant scheduling error in that instead of going from Monument Valley to Winslow to Grand Canyon South Rim to Williams we should have gone from Monument Valley to Antelope Canyon, to Grand Canyon South Rim, to Williams to Winslow. That would have saved about 150 miles and would have allowed us to experience the one major omission of this trip, Antelope Canyon. I would have also made the trip at least two days longer by adding in additional rest days, possibly in Torrey or Moab.
We are fans of travelling in a motorhome (known in the US as a RV or Recreation Vehicle) and this area is the natural home of these vehicles. Generally, viewpoints and supermarkets had specific parking space for RVs and in the big picture, we had little problem parking. At Bryce and Monument Valley there are prohibitions on using RVs on certain roads but the alternative of using a shuttle or guided tour respectively worked just fine. The advantages of using an RV far outweighed the disadvantages.
We travelled in the last three weeks of September which, weatherwise, seemed to be a very good time. The afternoon temperature was often 34°C which was bearable. In the summer months the temperatures are a lot higher. Some nights the temperature dropped to below 10°C. In the winter months those temperatures will be lower. We were fortunate to have both air conditioning (when connected to external power) and heating in the RV and on a few days used both in a twelve hour period.
The maps in this article were based on the trip as recorded in my Garmin satnav as we travelled. Trace Maps did an excellent job into converting them into the maps you see. See: https://tracemaps.com/
I have not converted the US$ costs quoted to sterling but the exchange rate at the beginning of the trip was $1.35 = £1.
Day 1 – Wednesday 10th September – Hoover Dam – 80 miles – Dam wall elevation 2,400 feet
We flew into Las Vegas late on Monday night and took it easy yesterday.
We were picked up at 08h00 from the Park MGM Hotel, where we were staying, by Robyn from Max Tours. There were eight other guests in the fourteen-seater minivan. Robyn explained that the larger Las Vegas area has a population of 2.3 million, receives 42 million visitors a year and hosts 22,000 conventions annually.
As we approached Hoover Dam, we passed through Boulder City which was built to accommodate 5,000 of the construction workers of the dam. The small houses suit retirees who are the principal residents today of this small and pleasant town. As we approached the vicinity of the dam we passed though light security checks.
Until 2010 all road traffic from Nevada to Arizona, passing near the dam, drove over the dam wall, creating traffic jams and representing a security risk. The Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge over the gorge, below the dam wall, was built between 2005 and 2010 and carries a double lane highway. A large parking area and walkway next to the highway allows visitors to walk over the bridge. We walked to the middle of the bridge and had good views of the dam wall.
The Hoover Dam Wall was built, principally to control the flooding of the Colorado River which had disturbed all who lived along the river. The incorporation of seventeen hydroelectric turbines has repaid the cost of the dam, many times over as power is produced for 1.3 million people.
The dam is principally filled by snow melting in the Rocky Mountains, upstream on the Colorado River. Lower snowmelt, drought, higher evaporation and greater number of people drawing water has resulted in the water levels being at very low levels. The high-water mark from 1983 when the dam last overflowed leaves a white ribbon on the gorge walls. The dam has a responsibility to keep releasing minimum flows from the dam for the downstream communities. Of course, the hydroelectric generation process continually drains water from the dam. Four diversion tunnels were originally built to divert water away from the temporary coffer dam built to protect the dam construction. These tunnels and two spillways now carry water to the turbines.
We drove over the wall into Arizona, to a high parking area where we took photos of the dam wall and Robyn took a photo of Tibby and me.
We returned over the dam wall to a multi storey car park and walked onto the dam wall where more photos were taken. The second photo shows the water level now and the third is a photo of when the dam was full.
At 11h00 the air temperature was 33⁰C, apparently a lot cooler than mid-summer. Tibby took some respite at one of the cooling stations pumping out cool air.
We passed through airport style security to enter the visitors centre and watched an informative six-minute film about the building of the dam. We were taken down in a lift to the core of the dam wall to look at and hear the sound of water cascading through a diversion tunnel. A fifty-foot return trip in the lift brought us to the turbine hall holding the eight turbines belonging to the State of Nevada. A further nine turbines are located on the Arizona side. Only three of the turbines were running to produce electricity when we were there.
We learnt more in the museum.
On the way home Robyn took us to a park in Boulder City where Bighorn Sheep come down daily from the mountains to eat the grass. They are funny animals.
Day 2 – Thursday 11th September – Las Vegas to Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – 54 miles – Campsite elevation 2,000 feet
We had arranged an early 10h30 pickup of our RV or motorhome from the Las Vegas depot of Indie Campers. Just as well we did because the depot was understaffed with bad processes. Our RV had largely been prepared whereas others going out later in the day had not been prepared. It took us a long ninety minutes before we could drive off.
We immediately stopped off at a Walmart for two hours and stocked up on food and equipment that we needed for our holiday.
We left Las Vegas on Interstate 15 heading towards Salt Lake City. After about thirty-five miles we turned off onto the Valley of Fire Highway which took us through beautiful countryside.
We checked into the Valley of Fire Nevada State Park and made our way to the Atlantl Campsite where we were surrounded by the most magnificent rocks.
We unpacked our suitcases and purchases and made the RV our home. The temperature on arrival was 34⁰C but as the sun set the temperature started dropping and it cooled considerably during the night. We sat outside enjoying the night air.
We followed the White Domes Road into the heart of the park. It was a wonder of beautiful vistas round each corner. The rock mountains were red and grey and white. Absolutely amazing.
There are three trail heads along the road with cars parked as people hiked. Most of these trails are closed for much of the summer. A notice of the park website says ‘These trails have a history of frequent medical calls, search and rescue missions, and fatalities during this time of year. Unfortunately, the demand is more than we are able to safely manage.’
The map showed us being on a loop road but halfway through the road was closed and we returned the way we came. We exited the park at the eastern gate and drove through the Moapa Valley through Overton. There is clearly a source of water in the valley because there were many green fields. This came to an abrupt stop, and we were back in desert.
We rejoined Interstate 15 and crossed the state line into Utah. Our watches went forward an hour.
We shopped in St George to buy the items we missed yesterday.
At Junction 40 we turned off to the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park. I bought an $80 America the Beautiful annual pass which gives access to me and three passengers in my car to all 390 National Parks – a bargain!
This section of the park is just a five-mile one way drive – but what a drive! The road climbs 1,000 feet from the 5,000 ft altitude of the entrance gate with magnificent views of rock mountains. I fear that I am going to run out of adjectives to describe the sights we will see on this trip.
We headed back south on Interstate 15 but soon turned off to the town of Virgin where we stayed overnight at the Zion Bison RV and Glamping Resort.
Our portable BBQ was filled with charcoal and juicy steaks were enjoyed in the lovely evening air. The night was a lot colder than the previous night, and we quickly reached for our duvets. The lower nighttime temperature was probably partly accounted for by the fact that we were at an altitude of 3,600 feet.
We are travelling in a rented campervan that is 30 feet long and 12 feet tall. It is extremely comfortable with large beds at both the rear and above the cab. The kitchen is well equipped with a gas hob, microwave and large fridge/freezer. There is a fixed table with seating for four, a further 3 seat sofa, a toilet with washbasin, a separate shower and a large storage area accessible at the back of the vehicle. At campsites it hooks up to electricity and water supplies and to a sewer. When a hookup is not available a secondary battery provides power (but not for the microwave and air conditioning) and tanks provide water and accept sewerage. A gas supply fuels a boiler that heats water and provides room heating. The vehicle is an automatic with a strong 4.5 litre engine. We find it an ideal way to travel.
Day 4- Saturday 13th September – Via Kolob Terrace to Springdale, Utah – 68 miles – Campsite elevation 4,400 ft
In a distance of 25 miles, we climbed 4,500 feet as we journeyed from Virgin along the Kolob Terrace Road to the Kolob Reservoir. We started in a desert and arrived in a place of forests and grasslands with a large water reservoir. The mountains surrounded us and were still largely bare. For reasons that are not clear to me we entered and exited Zion National Park three times along the road.
At one point I stopped at a trailhead to take photos and noticed the strong rules for not leaving anything behind.
We took a side road to the Lava Point lookout with a view across to the mountains of the main area of Zion Park. This was a perfect place to stop for a picnic lunch.
We returned on the same road to Virgin and had a completely different perspective of the mountains.
We made our way to Springdale. Springdale is squeezed between mountains, so it is a long town of hotels, restaurants, adventure shops and souvenir shops stretched along the main road. We checked into the Zion Canyon Campground and RV Resort for two nights, where RVs were crammed bumper to bumper. If there is a small space next to a long RV, they will find a short campervan to fill the space. Nobody seems to mind because everyone is on an adventure and a mountain soars above us.
We used the camp laundry. The charge was $4 for the wash and $4 for drying. The rub was that it all had to be paid by inserting quarters into the machines. I needed 32 quarters – madness! The reception staff are well used to the frustration of the campers and point to a machine that exchanges notes for quarters.
We dropped pork ribs and baked potatoes onto the barbecue and marvelled at the mountain above us while they cooked. Everything was more pleasant because there were no moths or mosquitoes.
Day 5- Sunday 14th September – Zion National Park, Utah – used the park shuttle
On the previous two days we had visited western sections of Zion National Park i.e. Kolob Canyons and Kolob Terrace. Relatively few people visit these two sections. Today we entered the Zion Canyon part of the Park and joined the 4.5 million people who do this pilgrimage each year. An eight-mile road runs from the Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava along the canyon floor next to the Virgin River. The change in altitude from the 5,000 feet at the Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava is minimal but the canyon keeps narrowing. During the summer months one is not permitted to drive in a private car along this route. One moves by boarding free shuttle busses that run continually, dropping passengers at the nine bus stops on the route. These shuttle busses are complemented by another free shuttle bus line that runs through the three-mile length of Springdale Town with nine stops. Visitors are encouraged to stay overnight or park in Springdale and use the Springdale shuttle because the car park at the Park Visitor Center fills up early in the morning. One is not required to use the shuttle as many people rent bicycles (mainly electric), and some hardy people walk some or all of the distance.
We walked the half mile from our campground to the entrance of the Park and already had views of beautiful mountains.
At 09h15 about 200 people were in the shuttle queue but we were quickly on our way. On the bus ride we had a very interesting chat to Dakota, a 34-year-old hiking guide who was leading six people on a six-day hiking holiday in several National Parks. He had the grace to complement us on our planned itinerary over the next two weeks.
We exited the bus at Stop 9, the Temple of Sinawava, a nearby rock formation. We walked for a mile along the relatively flat concrete Riverside Walk, following the Virgin River with magnificent views of the encroaching canyon walls. At this stage the canyon walls are about 2,400 feet above us.
The Riverside Walk was busy with many people heading to the Narrows at the end of concrete walkway. The Narrows is a unique hike. It follows the course of the river upstream (but with very little change of altitude) and for much of the 4.3 miles to Big Springs there is no riverbank, and one is required to walk in the river. The water level is generally beneath knee level but when flows increase the water level can get up to chest level. At times the walk is closed because the river level is too high for safe hiking. The canyon walls get so close to each other that that part of the canyon is known as a slot canyon. The hiking is difficult with loose rocks underfoot, varying water levels and lots of other hikers. Fortunately, heat is not much of an issue because the walk is mainly in the shade of the canyon. The water suffers toxic cyanobacteria and is not safe to drink. Not many hikers complete the 4.3 miles to Big Springs where one is required to turn back, because the return hike can easily take eight hours. I cannot find a statistic of the number of people who start the Narrows Hike but, from my observation, it must be thousands each day in the summer. There is a whole industry in Springdale of rentals of appropriate boots and walking sticks for Narrows hikers.
Very confident and fit hikers can obtain a permit to do a through hike of the Narrows, downstream for sixteen miles from Chamberlain’s Ranch, at an altitude of 5,900 feet, to the normal entry point at the end of the Riverside Walk, at an altitude of about 5,600 feet. This hike is done by some in a day but most camp overnight.
When we lived in Hampstead both Tibby and I were trained by a personal trainer, Peter Smida. He and his wife, Martina, love the Utah parks and are also super fit. In June 2022 they did the through hike of the Narrows in twelve hours in one day. A few of their photos are below.
We had decided months ago that bad knees and poor fitness precluded us from hiking the Narrows. We enjoyed the walk there and seeing people start their Narrows walk.
We made our way back along the Riverside Walk with a never-ending procession of people carrying poles going the other way. Returning on the same route provides one with different views of the mountains.
We exited the shuttle at Stop 7, Weeping Rock, and hiked a steep half mile to a place where the canyon wall was weeping water. From this high point we had different views of the canyon.
At Stop 6, The Grotto, we took the decision not to walk two miles to Scout Lookout with a view of the start of the climb up to Angels Landing. The Park contains the number of people climbing to the Angels Landing by limiting the number of permits issued. The Park’s website has the following to say about the ascent up to the Angels Landing on top of the canyon wall:
You need to have a permit to hike the Angels Landing chains.
The most famous–or infamous–part of the hike is the 1,500 feet ascent up the chains. The single metal chain offers hikers something to hold during the last half mile of trail along a knife-edge ridge. Since 1930, the majority of deadly accidents have taken place on this section of trail.
Do not leave the path. It is easy to get hurt if you are irresponsible.
Take your time and be patient with slower hikers.
Allow faster hikers to pass you (when possible).
Where available, remain within reach of the chains.
Be considerate. There are many places that are only safe for one person to travel the two-way route. Communicate and take turns with others.
In winter, the metal chains are very cold. Gloves may be useful.
The photo below, obtained from the internet, shows the chain route.
Besides the Narrows and Angels Landing there are about eight other trails in the Canyon. We had seen several trail heads over the previous two days and there are other trails in the eastern part of the Park. The official warnings to hikers do not mince words:
Be Prepared, Plan Well, Live Long
- Plan your trip. Choose trails that are within your ability
- Falls cause most injuries and deaths at Zion
- Carry and drink one gallon of water per person per day
- Wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Avoid or get off high places when lightning threatens
- Know the weather before you go. Distant storms can cause flash floods. When in doubt stay out!
- A human body is no match for floodwaters that rampage through narrow canyons, pushing a raft of boulders and logs
- Cell phones don’t work in most areas and don’t make you invincible
- Your safety is your responsibility
At Stop 5, Zion Lodge we had an unsatisfying snack.
Stop 4, Court of the Patriarchs was our penultimate stop. At the top of a 75-metre steep concrete path we had to avoid a tarantula before viewing the mountains called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We returned to the Visitor Center. During the whole morning, we had waited for very short periods to catch the shuttle. There were probably 500 people waiting for the next shuttle into the canyon. We made a few purchases in the official store and caught the Springdale shuttle back to our campsite after a very special experience.
Late in the afternoon I went for a swim. There were plenty of instructions of what not to do. I was intrigued to see that sharks might appear!
Day 6 – Monday 15th September – Red Canyon, Utah – 99 miles – Campsite elevation 7,800 ft
After a slow start we headed east from Springdale on Highway 9. At the toll gate for Zion National Park, I was told that as our RV was an outsized vehicle we would need to pay a $15 toll to go through the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel. The scenery for the next five miles was out of this world. As the road climbed and climbed the mountains were all around us.
We joined a queue of traffic waiting to enter the tunnel. Between the hours of 08h00 and 16h30 the traffic through the tunnel is regulated with alternative one-way flows. This arrangement is in place to accommodate vehicles that are taller than 11’6” and wider than 7’10”. Cars can travel both ways at the same time, but outsize vehicles need to travel through the higher middle part of the tunnel, in the middle of the road. The maximum height of a vehicle that can go through the middle of the tunnel is 13 feet. Our RV is twelve feet tall. Out of these hours vehicles larger than those dimensions cannot go through the tunnel and must travel by a different route that is about 50 miles longer. The larger vehicles are almost exclusively tourist coaches and RVs. Large commercial traffic is not permitted through the tunnel. As we sat waiting in the queue 55 vehicles came through the tunnel in the opposite direction before we were permitted to move.
The tunnel was completed in 1930 and is 1.1 miles long. About every 200 yards there is a ten-yard opening which allows the tunnel to remain ventilated.
The scenery after the tunnel continued to be wonderful for a further few miles until we exited the park on a plateau of farming land.
We had lunch at the Thunderbird Restaurant – Home of the Ho Made Pies in Mount Carmel. The burger patties were thoroughly cooked and then left on the grill for another ten minutes. The apple pie appeared to made of one part sugar to one part apple. Not a success.
We headed north on the US89 passing through Glendale and other small villages. At the Dixie Forest Red Canyon Information Center, we were offered the choice of sixteen different hikes. We were directed to the trail head of the Arches Trail about three miles away. It took us an hour to follow the 0.7-mile trail with a 183-foot elevation gain. The going was loose gravel underfoot with several places where the fall away from the path made me very uncomfortable. We were, however, surrounded by the most unusual rock shapes, including many hoodoos. (A hoodoo is a column or pinnacle of weathered rock). There is one significant arch about twenty feet wide and ten feet high and lots of smaller openings in the rocks.
As we headed towards Bryce on Highway12 we passed through two rock arches over the road.
Shortly thereafter we pulled into the Bryce Canyon Pines RV Park for the night.
On Sunday afternoon we were battling in 34⁰C heat. This morning at dawn the temperature was 3⁰C! Thank goodness for heating in the van.
It was a short drive to Bryce Canyon National Park. I quickly realised the two significant differences between Zion and Bryce. In Zion one explores the base of the canyon and looks up at the huge sides of the canyon. In Bryce one views the canyon from above and looks at dramatic rock structures below. We drove the 18-mile scenic drive to Rainbow Point where we viewed the first of many rock shapes, sizes and colours in the canyon.
We then stopped at six more viewing areas to view different views and rock shapes.
We could not access the four viewing areas closest to the gate in our RV, so we caught the free shuttle to Bryce Point which eclipsed all that we have seen this morning.
We stopped, foolishly I thought, in Bryce Canyon City at Bryce Canyon Diner. To my amazement the pizza was fresh and delicious.
Here is a quiz question. The pizza that we enjoyed had a 7” diameter. The alternative was a 14” pizza at 2.5 times the price of a 7”. We wondered how much bigger the area of the big pizza was compared to the small? Based on the price it is at least 2.5 times the size. Mr Google told us that the surface area of a 14” diameter pizza is four times the surface area of a 7” pizza. We are now wiser!
We headed south and then east on Highway 12. We bought a few provisions in Tropic and enquired about buying wine, but were told that while beer was for sale, wine was not for sale in the town.
We entered Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, which is not an easy place to understand, firstly because federal cutbacks have resulted in the Information Center in Cannonville being closed down. The Monument is a huge 1.9-million-acre conservation area protecting the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante.
Wkipedia says: ‘The Grand Staircase is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretches south from Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, through Zion National Park, and into Grand Canyon National Park.
In the 1870s, geologist Clarence Dutton first conceptualized this region as a huge stairway ascending out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon northward with the cliff edge of each layer forming giant steps. Dutton divided this layer cake of Earth history into five steps from the youngest (uppermost) rocks:
Pink Cliffs
Grey Cliffs
White Cliffs
Vermilion Cliffs
Chocolate Cliffs
Since then, modern geologists have further divided Dutton’s steps into individual rock formations.’
Apparently one of the best ways to descend the staircase and see the different layers is to follow the Hole in the Rock Road which runs south from the town of Escalante to the shore of Lake Powell. Parts of the road require a four-wheel drive vehicle, so our RV is definitely not going down there.
Highway 12 through the Monument from Cannonville through Henrieville to Escalante was a delightful drive, mainly in valleys, rising a few times to provide magnificent views.
We arrived in Escalante and checked into Canyons of Escalante RV Park.
We read in the news that Robert Redford had died during the day at his home in Sundance near Salt Lake City in Utah. In the areas we are travelling there are several locations where Butch Cassidy was supposed to have frequented.
We started the day across the road at Waffles & Wildflowers where we had breakfast of a waffle with syrup and cream.
We asked where we could buy wine and were told that in Utah one could only buy wine in a state approved store and the only such store in town was Escalante Outfitters. The first reaction of Bob at the Outfitters was to check his watch. ‘Ah’ he said ‘10h03. We can open.’ Apparently approved liquor selling hours in Utah are from 10h00 to 21h00. He unlocked a small, caged area where the choice was limited to ten white wines, ten red wines and a selection of harder liquor. We made our choice of three wines and chatted to Bob who recommended that we try the first eleven miles of the Burr Trail from Boulder. He and his wife live in Escalante in the summer months and in San Diego in the winter months.
The mountains on the road out continued to amaze. At one point we were travelling on the Hogsback where the mountain falls away from the road on both sides with amazing views in all directions. Not that the driver can enjoy the views because one has to concentrate on a winding road with very little protection to stop a vehicle from going down the mountain.
We were now passing signs pointing to places which included the terms wash, creek and gulch. As we approached Boulder, we turned off on to the tarred Burr Trail. A sign told us that the Lake Powell Ferry was 72 miles ahead. Bob had warned us that our 30-foot RV would not be able to safely travel on much of the Trail and recommended that we turn back after eleven miles. The scenery got better and better and at the eleven-mile mark we could see that the road was entering a narrow gorge for seven miles. We reluctantly turned back.
From Boulder, Highway 12 climbed and climbed through the Dixie Forest. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a view site just past the summit.
A few miles out of Torrey we entered Capitol Reef Park which is a range of tall red mountains. We travelled six miles down the dead-end scenic drive to be awed by yet more red mountains.
It was midafternoon and we still had seventy miles to Goblin Valley. The road made its way out of the mountains and on to a flat straight road where we could pick up speed.
Goblin Valley State Park is fourteen miles off Highway 24 . Here is a valley of rock shapes that look just like goblins. It was easy to walk amongst them and view them from different angles. Yet another unique viewing.
Bookings for the campsite opened about six months before and I had diarised the date which meant that I was able to book a site, It appears that the campsite quickly books up. Unlike many other parks there are no nearby alternative campsites. The campsite is a delight being in an amphitheatre of rocks fifty metres high. We were, however, plagued by flies.
The drive along Highway 24, Interstate 70 and US 191 was quick and easy. The landscape is very similar to the Karoo in South Africa. This is RV country and over the course of the day I estimate that I saw 300 RVs on the road. It is also motorbike country and for the remainder of our trip we will see over one hundred motorbikes each day, many in convoys of ten or more.
A few miles before Moab we turned on to Highway 313 being the access road to Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky Section (Three other sections, accessed differently, are called Needles, The Maze and Rivers.) The scenery was quickly different with large red mountains filling the landscape.
We had intended to drive to Grand View Point Overlook but this was closed as they build more parking. We stopped for lunch at Shafer Canyon Overlook. This was a large flat viewing area with magnificent canyons on either side.
We looked down on the White Rim Road. The Park website says: ‘The 100-mile White Rim Road loops around and below the Island in the Sky mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. Four-wheel-drive trips usually take two to three days. Under favourable weather conditions, the White Rim Road is moderately difficult for high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles.’ There are ten camping areas each with four sites on the Trail. The photos below of the trail were taken from the internet.
Since yesterday I have been seeing many 4×4 vehicles, principally Jeeps, often pulling an off-road trailer.
I was now faced with a dilemma of my own making. I had avoided filling up with petrol since Springdale in the hope that petrol would be cheaper in Moab. We had turned off to Canyonlands before getting to Moab and I had not focused properly on my fuel levels. The RV now told me that I had 28 miles to empty. My Satnav told me the nearest fuel station was 35 miles. I was aware that petrol was not available in the Park. I revealed my problem to a ranger at the Park Visitor Center. He apparently has this problem once a week. The Park solution is to provide such problem makers with two free gallons of petrol from the Park Supplies. I could have kissed the ranger.
We now discovered the joy that is Moab. This is an adventure town offering access to both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, many hiking trails, lots of 4×4 experiences, river-based adventures, zip lines and more. And of course, all the shops and services supporting those activities help adventurers spend their money. It is comparable to Queenstown in New Zealand and to a lesser extent to Maun in Botswana. It is my kind of town. We passed a propane supplier and grabbed the chance to fill our tank. We were disappointed in the meat on offer in a supermarket but then came across Ye Ol Geezer Meat Shop where eighty-year-old Pat helped me spend my money on her excellent rib eye steak, lamb chops and 100% pork sausages.
We checked into KOA Moab Campground which is the most expensive of the RV sites that we will use this trip at $156 per night. It is huge and well organised with about ten yards between each site. I was told that we were getting a patio which Is a paved area next to the RV with a table, four chairs, a fire pit and a Weber BBQ. Yes – a gas Weber BBQ.
We will use the BBQ tomorrow night because tonight we went to Bella Thai and had the best restaurant meal we have had so far on this trip in the USA.
Day 10 – Friday 19th September – to Arches National Park, Utah – 64 miles – Campsite elevation 4,500 ft
This was our first overcast day.
To avoid overcrowding Arches National Park limit the numbers during the summer by requiring visitors to prebook a time slot. I had booked our time slot as soon as booking opened for September and had booked 10h00 to 11h00 today. We had to enter in that time window. Interestingly we could leave the park and re-enter later in the same day.
Viewing of the park happens along a twenty-mile road with two side roads of 2.5 miles and 2.2 miles. There are 14 walking trails varying between 0.3 miles and 7.8 miles. There are fourteen major viewing sites with parking areas and many other places to pull off the road for one or two cars. We started at the impressive Park Avenue Viewpoint. Tibby fell in love with the 120-foot tall Three Gossips Rock Formation which we saw from Courthouse Towers Viewpoint. I enjoyed the Balanced Rock. We walked up to the North Window and finished with a slightly more strenuous walk up to Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Each viewpoint gave us a view of different, impressive rock formations. We have been so spoilt over the last week being surrounded by wonderful rock formations that we are driving past rocks and mountains that we would have been in awe of in normal life.
As we returned the short distance between the Park and Moab we crossed the Colorado River. At this point it has flowed about a third of its total distance. Last week we saw the river flowing through the Hoover Dam and next week we will see it flowing through the Grand Canyon.
Wikipedia says: ‘The Colorado River (Spanish: Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The 1,450-mile-long river, the 5th longest in the United States, drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. The name Colorado derives from the Spanish language for “colored reddish” due to its heavy silt load. Starting in the central Rocky Mountains of Colorado, it flows generally southwest across the Colorado Plateau and through the Grand Canyon before reaching Lake Mead on the Arizona–Nevada border, where it turns south toward the international border. After entering Mexico, the Colorado approaches the mostly dry Colorado River Delta at the tip of the Gulf of California between Baja California and Sonora.
Known for its dramatic canyons, whitewater rapids, and eleven U.S. National Parks, the Colorado River and its tributaries are a vital source of water for 40 million people. An extensive system of dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts divert almost its entire flow for agricultural irrigation and urban water supply. Its large flow and steep gradient are used to generate hydroelectricity, meeting peaking power demands in much of the Intermountain West. Intensive water consumption has dried up the lower 100 miles of the river, which has rarely reached the sea since the 1960s.’
We enjoyed nachos and Caesar salads at the Moab Brewery for lunch.
We are now seeing lots of ATV (All Terrain Vehicles) which are like beach buggies on steroids. They tend to carry two or four passengers with little or no space for luggage and are high clearance with no glass windows, for short off road trips.
We returned for a second night at our campsite and patio at KOA Moab Campground. The ribeye steak from Pat at Ye Ol Geezer Meat Shop was cooked perfectly on the gas Weber BBQ on our site.
Day 11 – Saturday 20th September – to Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado – 175 miles – Campsite elevation 7,800 ft
Since the beginning of the trip in the RV we have been bothered by the secondary battery not charging properly. As we were checking the RV on collection the mechanic was attempting to charge the battery by connecting an electrical cable to a socket on land. On both nights when we have not had had an electrical connection, an alarm has gone off during the night, and we have lost all power. In anticipation of another night without power tonight I had yesterday contacted Indie Campers (who appear to be based in Portugal). The chatline bot eventually offered to pass me to an agent who took a few hours to respond. After eleven hours of sporadic chats with different agents they approved the replacement of the battery and recommended an RV repair company with the curious name of Happy Tank RV. Their website had the ambiguous message that they were open both 24 hours and from 09h00 on Saturdays. I called at 07h30, 09h00 and 10h08 and never got an answer. I thought I might go directly to a battery company in Moab but needed to know where the battery was located in the vehicle. I checked under the bonnet, and it was not there. I asked the Indie Campers’ chatline who told me that it was normally located under the dining seats or under the rear bed. A quick check confirmed that it was in neither location. A discussion with the campsite reception resulted in one of their mechanics being dispatched to our site. He quickly located the battery under the step into the main living area from the outside and confirmed that the battery was dead. At O’ Reilly Auto Parts they confirmed that they had a replacement battery but only fitted primary batteries and did not fit secondary batteries in RVs. They suggested that the mobile mechanics Knuckle Down might be able to fit the battery. It took Knuckle Down forty-five minutes to conclude that they were too busy today to help us. Meanwhile I had noticed that another auto parts company was next door to O’ Reillys. Carquest Auto Parts had a replacement battery in stock and after a wrestle with rusted nuts, replaced the battery in ten minutes. Job done!
Tibby bought stamps for the postcards she is sending to our grandchildren, and another ribeye steak was bought from Pat at Ye Ol Geezer Meat Shop, and we were on our way at 11h15, far later than I had planned.
Twenty-four miles south of Moab on Highway 191 we came across Wilson Arch just off the road. It is 91 feet wide and 46 feet high and when we were there someone was abseiling from above.
We crossed into Colorado, passed through Cortez and arrived at Mesa Verde National Park. With more than 5,000 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it is the largest archaeological preserve in the United States. Starting around 7500 BC Mesa Verde was seasonally inhabited by a group of nomadic Paleo-Indians, followed from 1000 BC by the Basketmaker people and from 750 AD the Ancestral Puebloans. By the end of the 12th century, the Pueblo people began to construct the massive cliff dwellings for which the park is best known. By 1285, following a period of social and environmental instability driven by a series of severe and prolonged droughts, they migrated south. The major interest for uninformed visitors like us, are the cliff dwellings. One can only enter a few of the cliff dwellings on popular tours which are booked up far in advance and which we had not done. We were therefore limited to viewing the cliff dwellings from across valleys. We saw the introductory film in the Museum and saw Spruce Tree House across the small valley and then went on the Mesa Top Loop stopping at Pithouse, Square Tower House, Sun Point View, Sun Temple and Cliff Palace View. These structures are amazing although one wonders how the inhabitants got water to them, being so far up the cliff.
We camped at the Morefield Campground, inside the Park, four miles from the entrance gate. The lamb chops from Ye Ol Geezer Meat Shop were barbecued and enjoyed.
We are exhausted from the nonstop travel and viewing. I should have scheduled extra rest days. Thank fully tomorrow is a relaxed day.
It was another very cold night and the heating in the van was switched on at 02h00.
Day 12 – Sunday 21st September – to Bluff, Utah – 103 miles – Campsite elevation 4,300 ft
We had a relaxed start but had to make sure that we got to the campground diner before 10h00 when it closed. The object of our desire was an offer of breakfast pancakes. The photo of Tibby with a smile was before she had started eating because the pancakes were a disappointment.
The petrol price of $3.20 per American gallon in Cortez was the cheapest price I have seen so far so we filled up. We shopped for a few items at Walmart, and I made a beeline for the wine shelves, pleased that there were no restrictions on buying wine on a Sunday. (One cannot buy wine for off premises consumption on a Sunday in Utah.) I was surprised that in this huge Walmart the number of wines for sale was relatively small. I suppose it demonstrates that not a lot of wine is drunk in this area.
We headed to Four Corners Monument which is the point where the boundaries of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. Tibby bent over and had two feet in two states and two hands in two other states.
We had briefly entered New Mexico to enter the monument. In the course of a few miles we left New Mexico, entered and left Colorado and entered Utah.
An easy road brought us to the very small village of Bluff where we checked into Cadillac Ranch RV Park. We enjoyed our freshly bought bread for lunch and then both of us had long naps – we both needed it. Fortunately, we could sleep in comfort because the air conditioning kept us cool. So, we have used both the heating and air conditioning in the van in twelve hours.
There was a lovely sunset and as we sat outside enjoying a bottle of our newly purchased wine, we met our neighbours. They are Heather and David from Buckinghamshire in the UK. They are doing a similar trip to ours but in reverse. We chatted for a few delightful hours.
Day 13 – Monday 22nd September – to Monument Valley, Utah – 80 miles – Campsite elevation 5,200 ft
We said our goodbyes to Heather and David and headed to the Valley of the Gods, a seventeen-mile gravel road joining two highways. I don’t think many RVs go down this road. I had to be very careful how I drove to avoid damaging the vehicle. It took us two hours but that gave us plenty of time to enjoy the magnificence of the mountains around us.
We had been driving in a valley with an escarpment to the north. When we exited the Valley of the Gods there was a sign warning that RVs should not follow the road up the Moki Dugway Pass. The Moki Dugway was constructed in the 1950s by the Texas Zinc mining company, and it was initially used to transport uranium ore from the Fry Canyon mines to a processing mill near Mexican Hat. The three-mile road is famous for its steep, unpaved, but sharp switchbacks, which descend 1,200 feet from the top of Cedar Mesa. I will have to return with a more appropriate vehicle.
It was nine miles to Goosenecks State Park which consists entirely of a parking lot and a view. But what a view! One overlooks a deep meander of the San Juan River. The goosenecks of the San Juan are a rare and amazing geologic formation. Peer down 1,000 feet to the river below. The canyon walls are made from shale and limestone and are over 300 million years old. The river loops several times from the main vantage point. Over 1.5 miles as the crow flies, the river flows six miles due to the crooked bends in the San Juan.
Another twenty miles brought us Forrest Gump Point. At this location Forrest Gump suddenly finished his ultra-ultra marathon of more than 15,000 miles in the 1994 movie starring Tom Hanks. We joined many others in taking a photo of the road.
A further thirteen miles brought us to Monument Valley. There is a seventeen-mile scenic drive, but RVs may not use it. The alternative is to join a guided tour. The advantage of the guided tour is that they can do an extra loop, not available to the public, which includes three arches and several rock paintings. The guiding companies are set up at different places in the large parking lot. The Monument Valley Facebook page had recommended using Sean from Navajo Spirit Tours, but he was out, so I went with Joe from Dineh Bekeyah Tours. He proved to be an excellent guide over the 2.5 hours of the tour. The guide vehicle had three rows of seats fitted on the back of a pickup (like African game drive vehicles) and could have carried nine but there were only five of us. Tibby enjoyed the views from the Visitor Centre and decided not to join the tour.
Monument Valley is known for its buttes. In geomorphology, a butte is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. There are 23 identified buttes in the Valley. The most famous three buttes are those seen from the Visitor Center and which we got closer to on the tour are West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte.
We stopped at John Ford’s Point famous for having many horsemen in westerns be filmed on the overhanging rock. Visitors are no longer allowed on to the rock although a Navajo horseman often poses on the rock. He was not in attendance today, The location is named after the film director, John Ford, who introduced audiences to Monument Valley in his movies. These movies included: Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and The Searchers (1956). The second photo below shows the typical movie scene at this point with a man on a horse.
Other more recent movies, with other directors, were also filmed in Monument Valley, including Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger (2013).
I bought a Navajo fry bread from a store at John Ford Point. It was bigger than I expected and was dusted with cinnamon sugar. It wasn’t very exciting.
Joe stopped at different places to give us, sometimes quite different views of the buttes, sometimes pointing out shapes within the rock formations.
We entered the extra loop, only available to group tours, and saw three overhead arches and petroglyphs or rock engravings.
We camped at KOA Monument Valley.
Day 14 – Tuesday 23rd September – to Winslow, Arizona – 235 miles – Hotel elevation 4,900 ft
Our focus today was the long road trip south to Winslow. The going was easy. The scenery was reminiscent of the South African Karroo.
We stopped in Flagstaff for a disappointing lunch of pizza at the Beaver Street Brewery.
We arrived at the delight that is La Posada Hotel. I have been following an Arizona based journalist, Roger Naylor, who is a big fan of La Posada, so I booked a break away from the RV.
Wikipedia says: ‘The Santa Fe Railway station was built in 1929, and the adjacent La Posada Hotel and Gardens was completed in 1930. Both were designed by renowned architect Mary Jane Colter. She was the architect of various notable Fred Harvey Company buildings, including others at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and in New Mexico. She considered La Posada Hotel as her integrated interior/exterior masterpiece.
La Posada Hotel, and the depot, combine elements of the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture styles. Characteristic Colter designed features include shaded colonnades and arcades, restaurants, red clay tile roofs above massed stuccoed walls, courtyards and acres of gardens, custom furniture, and decorative wrought ironwork throughout. The hotel building had two main entrances, a southern one on the train platform and a northern one on the street for local people and U.S. Route 66 travelers. La Posada is one of the last of a series of hotel-depot complexes built across the Southwestern United States in a collaboration between Fred Harvey and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
The hotel was closed in 1957, turned into offices, and later abandoned. Bought in 1997 to save it, it was restored to reopen as a historic hotel and restaurant complex.’
The description above does not do justice to the beautiful building and contents. It is a true delight.
After settling into our comfortable room, we headed to the Martini Lounge for celebratory margaritas.
We had a pleasant, but not special dinner, in the hotel’s Turquoise Restaurant.
Day 15 – Wednesday 24th September – second day in Winslow, Arizona – Hotel elevation 4,900 ft
Early in the morning I walked through the gardens of the hotel and met a woman on her fourth stay at the hotel. Each time she meets up with a friend who lives locally. She lives in Pennsylvania and gets here by catching a train which routes through Chicago. She is on the train for two nights and three days and leaves the train at the station adjacent to the hotel.
We had a disappointing breakfast at the Brown Jug Café.
We were aware that we were on the route of the original Route 66. U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roadways in the United States, ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles. US 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985 after it was entirely replaced by segments of the Interstate Highway System. Parts of Route 66, like in Winslow, continue to celebrate the road and attract classic cars, large motorbikes and other memorabilia from the fifties and sixties.
Not knowing what we would find we walked a few blocks to the corner of Second Street & Kinsley Avenue and stumbled across a commemoration of the Eagles first single in 1972 of the song ‘Take It Easy’. The second verse of the song refers to a time when Jackson Browne’s automobile malfunctioned in Winslow. The lyrics are:
[Verse 2]
Well, I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me
[Chorus]
Come on, baby, don’t say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me
We may lose, and we may win
Though we will never be here again
So, open up, I’m climbin’ in
Wikipedia says: ‘In 1999, in responding to the lyrics that made it famous, the city of Winslow erected a life-size bronze statue and mural commemorating the song at the Standin’ on the Corner Park. The statue stands near a lamp post, the male figure securing an acoustic guitar between his right hand and the shoe of his right foot. Above his head, a metal sign, crafted in the style of U.S. Route shields, displays the words “Standin’ on the corner”. The trompe-l’œil mural on the wall behind the statue is that of a storefront and includes what would appear to be the reflection of a red flatbed Ford pickup truck driven by a blonde-haired woman. The second floor of the mural features an eagle perched in one window on the left and a man and woman (apparently the man on the corner and woman in the truck) embracing in another window on the right. The site has become a landmark that attracted many visitors to the town.’
The statue was unveiled on 11th September 1999, and the town has a festival on the last weekend of September (we are just missing it) celebrating that event. The statue was designed and cast by Ron Adamson from Libby, Montana. Ron was in town for the festival this weekend and was happy to be photographed with me next to the statue.
His experience before this statue was in woodwork models and he was both surprised and delighted to be commissioned to do this statue which remains the largest work he has done.
Two of the shops on the corner are dedicated to souvenirs and memorabilia related to Route 66 and Take it Easy. A busker kept us amused by signing Take it Easy and other songs and making comments about people in the area.
The corner attracts traffic including classic cars and large motorbikes. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to photograph them all.
Later in the afternoon I walked down to the rail line next to the hotel and the adjacent station. I met Barbara and her husband from Oregon. Barbara’s grandfather had worked on the railway, and she had grown up in Winslow. She was in town to celebrate a reunion of the 50th anniversary of her school class graduation.
We had a lovely dinner mozzarella sticks, chicken wings and burgers at RelicRoad Brewing Company.
Day 16 – Thursday 25th September – to Grand Canyon, Arizona – 173 Miles – Campsite elevation 7,000 ft
We had a fast, easy journey to Cameron. I made a mistake in the scheduling of this part of the trip. I had planned for us to travel via Canyon de Chelly when going from Monument Valley to Winslow. In the event we felt too tired to explore Canyon de Chelly. The fastest route from Monument Valley to Winslow was then through Cameron and Flagstaff. If I had thought through things properly, I would have scheduled us to visit the Grand Canyon before Winslow which would have saved 150 miles. More significantly we could have added in Antelope Canyon which is the major place that we are not visiting on this trip.
My guidebook advised approaching the South Rim of the Grand Canyon from Cameron. (There are also North and West Rim viewing points a long way from here.) That allowed us to visit five viewpoints of the Canyon in the Grand Canyon Park with views of increasing magnificence.
At the Visitor Centre we watched a 25-minute film extolling the wonders of the Canyon with wonderful drone footage.
When we got to the campsite there was heavy rain with thunder and lightning.
In the afternoon we drove eight miles south to participate in a 45-minute helicopter flight by Maverick helicopters over the canyon. We checked in at 15h45 which included being weighed. Previously when we have done similar flights the weighing of the passengers has been quite public. In this new terminal the weigh scales were beneath our feet when checking in but the weight result was only visible to the check in clerk. He made no comment so our actual weights must have been close to the weights that I had submitted when booking. Five minutes before boarding we were told that the weather was too bad to risk flying. We could have rebooked for 10h30 tomorrow but instead we took a full refund.
Back at the campsite we spent some of the savings from the cancelled helicopter flight on a booking for a Lionel Richie show when we get back to Las Vegas.
The night was cold and so the heating was activated at 04h00. There were also heavy rain showers.
In the morning, I went looking for the campsite showers. I found toilets but no showers. The fourth person I asked told me that they were near the General Store, a twenty-minute walk away. I used the shower in the RV instead.
We drove up to the Visitor Centre and walked a few minutes to Mather Point which is the principal viewing point for the Canyon. And what views! Absolutely spectacular! Photos will never do it justice. There are multiple viewing points along an 800-yard stretch along the rim of the Canyon. The weather was overcast. I am sure the view will be different in full sunshine.
We left the Park at 10h00 and for the next hour there was heavy rain including hail and lightning. There would have been no 10h30 helicopter flight.
We made our way to Williams whose principal claim to fame is that it was once on Route 66. We started our visit at Anna’s Place to have a late breakfast of pancakes. They were better than the pancakes we had at Mesa Verde but not as good as the pancakes that Tibby makes. But then few meals at restaurants are as good as Tibby makes!
We wandered the streets of Williams enjoying the Route 66 related buildings and memorabilia.
We found ourselves in an outfitters and we continued to spend the helicopter savings on a Stetson hat and cape for Tibby and a shirt for me. I fear that we have now spent more than the helicopter savings!
On the nearby rail track part of the Grand Canyon Train was in the station. It travels each morning to the Canyon taking 2h15 and allows passengers three hours at the Canyon before returning. On popular dates in April and June a second train runs as well. The train is pulled by a steam locomotive once a month.
The petrol at Circle K was priced at $2.96 per US gallon, which is the cheapest price we have seen this trip. We have paid as much as $4 per gallon. I filled up.
As we drove from Williams to Flagstaff the heavens opened again, and the rain hammered down.
I had been advised by a guest at La Posada to avoid travelling from Flagstaff to Sedona on Interstate 17 and travel through Oak Creek on Highway 89A. What a good recommendation. That 30-mile road was one of the most picturesque roads we have travelled on as we descended through the Oak Creek Canyon. The difference with other similar roads that we have travelled on in the last fortnight is that we were now travelling through beautiful forest that complemented the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, we took no photos because it was very difficult to pull off the road and there was always traffic behind us.
We stopped at a forest picnic place to have our lunch in the RV.
We made our way to Rancho Sedona RV Park for the night. We used the laundry to wash and dry our clothes. Curiously there was only one BBQ grill in the whole campsite and fortuitously it was close to our site. I was the only one grilling and we enjoyed our Rib Eye Steak from Ye Ol Geezer Meat Shop in Moab.
Day 18 – Saturday 27th September – Second day in Sedona, Arizona – Campsite elevation 4,200 ft
Sedona is largely built along Highway 89A which is the road from Flagstaff to Cottonwood, with some development along Highway 179 which provides access to Interstate 17. The magic of Sedona is that these two roads run in valleys with mountains, mesas and buttes on either side of the road. So, wherever you go in Sedona you have beautiful views.
At the junction of the two main roads is the exclusive shopping area in the town. And what shopping! The highest quality art, rugs, furniture, lighting, pottery and clothing at unbelievable prices! Our campsite was within walking distance of these shops, and we explored the Hillside Shopping Center and then moved through smaller collections of shops on to the curiously named Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village (www.talaq.com). The latter complex is built as a group of interleading low level courtyards with shops at both ground and upper floors. It is difficult to believe that there are enough buyers for the amount of art on sale. The Village was busy with lots of happy people. It was easy and happy for us to explore the Village for a few hours. We stopped for a pizza lunch at Oak Creek Brewery & Grill.
Months ago, I had made a dinner reservation for tonight at the Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill. The restaurant sits on a small hill and has the most incredible vista of mountains surrounding it which we enjoyed because we arrived before sunset. The building is modern and big with a large bar area, dining patio and two internal dining sections. The ambience was wonderful. The service was excellent. The margaritas were exciting. The food was delicious. The Malbec was special. And one member of the party even enjoyed a glass of Sauternes. A perfect evening.
It rained all night.
Day 18 – Sunday 28th September – Third day in Sedona, Arizona –Campsite elevation 4,200 ft
The day was a write off as it rained most of the time. We started on a walk in the morning and gave up when the rain came down. I did manage to get out for a walk around sunset.
We did not do justice to the delights of Sedona. Many people sign up for adventurous Pink Jeep trips that take them into the mountains. There are many hiking trails that are very popular. We tried this morning to visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which is built into the rock, but RVs are not permitted in the parking area. We should have caught the Sedona Shuttle.
We headed for the Verde Wine Valley which is off the main road to Cottonwood. The wine industry in Arizona only restarted in the 1980s and appears to be tightly regulated. I was told that wines that grow along the Rhone, prosper in Arizona although a lot of other different varietals are also grown. I did wine tastings at two very different wineries. Javelina Leap Winery is someone’s hobby, producing only 3,600 bottles a year and only available at very few places in the state. I tasted one white Viognier and four red wines. I liked their 2021 Monsoon Crush (50% Cabernet, 35% Merlot and 15% Petite Sirah) and their 2022 100% Tempranillo. I was tempted by the pottery of Annie Jones that was on sale in the tasting room and bought a serving dish with painted lavender flowers.
A mile down the road is the more professional Page Springs Cellars who produce 100,000 bottles a year. Andrew, a very competent sommelier, helped me understand the Arizona wine industry. I tasted five red wines and particularly enjoyed the 2023 El Serrano – 58% Mourvèdre, 30% Syrah and 12% Petite Sirah and the 2023 Dos Padres Syrah Clone – 100% Syrah. I was tempted to taste and then buy a bottle of Dos Padres Vineyard 2019 Barbera Port. I bought a bottle of 2023 Vino del Barrio Rojo – 32% Syrah, 23% Merlot, 17% Barbera, 28% Other (whatever that is?) for later consumption.
We shopped at Walmart in Cottonwood. Tibby bought a Thai Red Curry Mix earlier in the trip, which was delicious, so we cleared the shelves of the seven they had in stock to take back home with us.
We stayed in the Rio Verde RV Park.
Day 20 – Tuesday 30th September – Via Jerome to Prescott, Arizona – 54 Miles – Campsite elevation 5,200 ft
We made our way to Jerome, a mining town in the hills that was abandoned and then resurrected with interesting shops and restaurants. It was a delight to wander the three streets. Tibby particularly liked the Pura Vida Gallery where a few purchases of jewellery, art and clothing were bought.
The road climbed further above Jerome to a height of over 8,000 feet, past Mingus Mountain, before descending to Prescott. Prescott is described as one of the ten most significant cowboy towns but expect for cowboy and cow statues on roundabouts into town, the centre is now full of art galleries and expensive clothing stores. The upmarket nature of the town meant that the quality of the produce at Sprouts Farmers Market was the best that we have seen this trip. The best coffee we have had this trip was purchased at the Wild Iris Coffee House.
We camped at the idyllic Point of Rocks RV Campground.
Forty-nine years ago, I made the mistake of telling my mother that, while her food was absolutely wonderful, Tibby made better hamburger patties. My mother was horrified that my young wife could make anything better than her! Tonight, young Tibby continued the tradition and made hamburger patties which I cooked on the BBQ. A delicious meal was had, washed down with a bottle of 2023 Vino del Barrio Rojo wine from Page Springs Cellars.
Exciting news overnight! The winner of the annual Fat Bear Week was announced. The bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska have been gorging themselves in anticipation of their imminent hibernation. There has been a knockout competition over the last week decided by public vote. Bear 32 Chunk was crowned the 2025 champion of Fat Bear Week. Chunk defeated runner-up Bear 856 with over 96,000 votes.
Today was going to be the longest distance travelled in a day. We were on the road by 09h00 and it took us almost three hours to get to Kingman. We were no longer surrounded by trees, and the scenery reverted to being similar to the arid South African Karoo. The drive to Oatman was slower going for the ten miles over the beautiful Sitgreaves Pass.
Oatman used to be a cowboy town and was later on the historic Route 66. Every building plays to those themes. It is fun for ten minutes. Donkeys (known here as burros) wander between the buildings seeking grass pellets from tourists.
We returned over the pass and two hours later we crossed the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at the Hoover Dam, that we had walked on Day One. Immediately thereafter we turned down to Lake Mead and checked into our lakeside site at the Boulder Bay RV Park. As I stepped out of our air-conditioned vehicle the heat hit me. The temperature of 32⁰C was the hottest we had experienced for a week or more.
In anticipation of returning the RV and returning to the UK we had run our food stocks down and had no meat. That was a mistake. We should have ensured that we had enough for a last lakeside BBQ. Instead, we went searching for a restaurant in Boulder City. We were attracted by the Red Dragon Chinese Restaurant at the Hoover Dam Lodge and Casino, but it had been turned into a gambling bar with no food. As we searched the internet, we despaired of finding a decent restaurant in Boulder City. In desperation we took a chance on Vinny’s Italian Restaurant and lived to regret it.
Day 22 – Thursday 2nd October – To Las Vegas, Nevada – 35 Miles – Hotel elevation 2,200 ft
I woke to a beautiful view of Lake Mead. The lake has only been full twice since the dam wall was built. It is now very low. When full, the water must have come close to our campsite but now it was about 400 yards away.
We donated unused food stocks to our neighbours and packed the contents of the RV. We seemed to have bought a lot of clothes and souvenirs this trip, especially for the grandchildren. We had an easy run into Las Vegas and dropped the RV off at the Indie Campers depot. We were greeted with joy by other travellers, whose RV had mechanical problems soon after pickup yesterday, and they were now going to be given ours. They left forty-five minutes later. We had paid for a post drop off clean of the RV and although we had not returned the RV dirty, the RV definitely had not had a clean before it went out. Our Guatemalan taxi driver to the W Hotel tried to convert us to be Seventh Day Adventists.
The W Hotel is linked to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and shares facilities including the casino. There is a sporting betting area with 35 screens on one wall with betting happening on all sports. There is a beach area with a wave machine and channel of water with a current allowing people to float on tubes and be pushed along the channel. There are shops, restaurants of all descriptions, a food court and a Starbucks with the most expensive coffee known to man. There is easy access to Allegiant Stadium, home to the Las Vegas Raiders, a National Football League team. There are several arenas and theatres, an aquarium, a virtual reality underwater experience and of course, a wedding chapel. It is quite possible to come on holiday to this complex and never step out of it.
We left the complex in the evening to go to the Wynn Hotel. We had booked a show at the Wynn. I had thought that it might be more efficient to stay at the Wynn until I realised that the hotel price was three times what we are paying at the W. We arrived early and stepped into a different world of luxury and fantasy with shops of many luxury brands and people buying McLaren Motor cars. The sports betting area is an amphitheatre of screens.
We made our way to the BBar and ordered the most expensive margaritas we have ever drunk. Catherine and Doug from Delaware, joined us at our table and we instantly became lifelong friends. More margaritas were ordered. They were going to the same show that we were and had been misled as we had been.
The show was advertised as being a Lionel Richie show and it was reasonable to think that he was going to sing. Only after the tickets had been paid for did it become clear that there would be no music, and the experience was just Lionel Richie being interviewed about his life as recorded in his new biography. As we approached the venue, staff ensured that we understood that no music would be played. I do not know what would have happened if we had said no. When we had booked there were very few available seats, but the auditorium was half empty. More margaritas were bought to take into the show. The show was pleasant and interesting but not worth what we had paid.
The evening finished with us going to dinner with Catherine and Doug and cementing our lifelong friendship.
And so, after 22 days and 2,300 miles our wonderful trip came to an end.
Tomorrow, we fly home to London.
Campsites we stayed in
Atlantl Campsite in River of Fire State Park, Nevada – $53 for electricity and water. BBQ grill in place but as the fire risk was high no fires could be made. A comfortable distance between sites surrounded by wonderful rocks
Zion Bison RV and Glamping Resort in Virgin, Utah – $53 for full hookup and WIFI. No BBQ grill. This is a newly built campsite with concrete sites separated by grass and surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately, they do not appear to have planted any trees. There are two other RV campsites in Virgin, one of which appears to have lovely shade
Zion Canyon Campground and RV Resort in Springdale, Utah – $135 per night for full hookup and WIFI. BBQ grill in place. The big advantage for this well-established campsite is that it is only a half mile walk to Zion National Park. It also has a huge mountain next to it. But you are camping cheek to jowl, with your picnic table next to your neighbour’s sewer outlet and sometimes also another rig at right angles to you. And they do require you to use 32 quarters to get a load of laundry washed and dried!
Bryce Canyon Pines RV Park near Bryce, Utah – $68 for full hookup but WIFI only near the office. BBQ grill in place. Pleasant gravel sites nicely spaced between pine trees. Communal ablution block is bare minimum.
Canyons of Escalante RV Park in Escalante, Utah – $59 for full hookup and WIFI. No space for and no BBQ grill. Gravel sites packed tightly parallel to each other. Would be unpleasant to sit outside as you would have an RV a few feet on each side of you and definitely no view.
Goblin Valley State Park RV Camp, Utah – $53 for basic campsite with no hookup and no WIFI but a BBQ grid and shade cover over a picnic table. A mix of RV and tent sites all about 30 yards apart. The site is in an amphitheatre of rock formations fifty yards high. A real criticism is that even though there is no water available at the individual campsites there is no are for dishwashing. As a result, people wash dishes in the wash hand basins.
KOA Moab, Utah – $156 per night for full hookup and WIFI with a patio, fire pit and Weber BBQ. Sites are about ten yards wide. A well-run campsite with a pool and children’s play area. Close to Moab but on the main road with traffic all night.
Morefield Campground, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado – $40 for a basic site with no hookups. Fortunately, in the area allocated to us, we found a site with full hookup, so we grabbed it. This is a forest campground with sites in between trees. Pleasant. Unfortunately, the showers were located at a central car park, a long distance from our site. There was no WIFI. The advantage of this site is that if one wanted to leave early for the cliff dwellings it is possible, because the campsite is within the park.
Cadillac Ranch RV Park, Bluff, Utah – $54 for full hookup and WIFI. A completely soulless place. We arrived early afternoon and were very tempted to move on.
KOA Monument Valley, Utah – $99 for full hookup and WIFI at every site except that the WIFI only works near the office. The site is very convenient but in miles of open desert it has been crammed into a small space resulting in sites being very close together. A new site so no trees. Our very worst night for flies which I traced to huge bins of uncleared garbage. Avoid at all cost. Rather stay at Gouldings’ campsite.
Trailer Village RV Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona – $90 for full hookup and WIFI. Very convenient with a shuttle service to the main Canyon viewing site at Mather Point. WIFI was poor. Showers located a twenty minute walk away near the store. Sites close to each other. No real alternative in the Park although several sites in Tusayan, outside the Park, seven miles away.
Rancho Sedona Campsite, Sedona, Arizona – $128 per night for full hookup and WIFI.If you want to be close to the shopping action in Sedona you cannot beat this campsite. It is within walking distance of Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village and Hillside Shopping Center. Well developed site with lots of trees which were blamed for the poor WIFI. Only one BBQ grill place in the whole camp, which was fortunately close to us. All campsites have long lists of rules. This park beats them all with rules on arrival, in the ablution building and in the laundry.
Rio Verde RV Park, Cottonwood, Arizona – $80 for full hookup and WIFI
Booked a river site which was pleasant but close to each other. When I complained that the promised WIFI did not work they reimbursed me half the site cost.
Point of Rocks RV Campground, Prescott, Arizona – $62 for full hookup and WIFI
A delightful site with rocks all around us.
Lake Mead RV Village Boulder Beach near Boulder City, Nevada – $79 for full hookup and WIFI. A perfect place to end our trip with a view from our van of Lake Mead.
Average price of campsite per night over all the nights – $92
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