Claresholm – Hope

1 June – 4 June

Wednesday:

Our drive today is taking us past Calgary and as it’s consistently voted right up there on the best places to live list we figure we’d best go and take a look.  It’s all right, but we can’t really see what the fuss is about.  It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere and it’s just a fairly ordinary city. 

I guess after the splendour of Montana anything’s a bit of an anti-climax.  Still, it’s the biggest city we’ve been in since San Diego and we could do with some shopping.  We call in at the mall where we discover that any shopping we need to do best wait till we back in the US where things are a bit cheaper.

We decide to skip out of Calgary early and head up to Banff National Park.  When we get there we find out that the town of Banff is included in the national park and so we’re going to have to pay an extra $20 entrance fee just for the pleasure of staying in over-priced accommodation, and then another $20 to cover tomorrow.  Things aren’t really looking up for us – Banff is awash with tacky souvenir shops, busloads of tourists and hideously overpriced grocery shops.  We put ourselves to bed early hoping we’ll be in better moods tomorrow.

Janet adds:  OK, I think it’s pretty obvious.  We’re struggling to warm to Canada.  I know we haven’t given it much of a chance but it’s a lot more expensive than the US and just not as cool.  Sorry Canada.

Thursday:

And we are in better moods.  Dispute all its flaws you can’t fault the setting of Banff. We’ve left the dull prairies behind and we’re back in the glorious Rocky Mountains.  It’s also a novelty not to have to drive somewhere to do a hike: we simply pack up our rucksacks and walk out of the hotel.  The snow that is still about on higher ground restricts what we’re able to do, but we find a lovely walk through the forest on the banks of the Bow River.  The walk ends at some hoodoos and a car park. 

And again that’s the problem with Banff: it’s set up for drive by tourism so you really don’t need to get out of your car to see any of the major sights.  It kind of takes the fun out hiking. 

But, if you can’t beat them join them.  We head back to the hotel to grab some sandwiches and then hop in the car.  Our first stop is at Johnston Canyon.  Here a boardwalk winds along the walls of the canyon to some powerful waterfalls.  A tunnel carved through the rocks gets us close enough to get soaked by the spray.  

Next we drive to Lake Louise to find it still frozen.  The grand Fairmont Chateau stands proudly at the foot of the lake.  There’s a good crowd of people lining up to get their pictures taken against the magnificent backdrop, including a bride and groom.  We’re hoping to get tea and cake but alas, none is to be found. 

Then it’s back to lake Minnewanka (which the Canadians, against all logic, insist is pronounced Minnie-wonka.  Yeah right).  Pronunciation aside it is of course beautiful, but somewhat upstaged by the group of bighorn ship licking the road to get minerals. 

Janet adds: maybe Canada isn’t so bad after all.

Friday:

Today we’re tackling the promising sounding Icefields Parkway.  This road cuts up through the Rocky Mountains with plenty of opportunities to stop off and take in the sights. 

As beautiful as they may be, there are only so many alpine lakes you can take in on one day so we’ve got to be a bit selective.  Our first stop involves a fifteen-minute slide over hard-packed snow to views of brilliant blue (and still mostly frozen) Peyto Lake.  It is definitely well worth the effort. 

We’re driving past the Columbia Icefield, which covers about 325km².  We can’t get any sense of the scale of it from the road, but we can stop for a closer look at the Athabasca glacier.

It’s cold with all that ice around and we’re happy to move on to the powerful Athabasca Falls. 

We turn off the main road for a brief detour hoping to see some wildlife.  We’ve already spotted one bear on the way up and here we’re rewarded with another 2 bears calmly going about their business.  We watch them for a little while and then leave them to it.

We’ve reached Jasper.   We thought about staying here for a night or two and exploring some more, but as everything is so expensive and most of the good hikes are still snowbound we decide to head out of the national park instead.  We point ourselves in the direction of Vancouver and find a convenient place to stop for the night in the quaint Valemount.

Saturday:

It’s a lovely sunny day as we set off this morning and for the first time in a few weeks it gets properly warm: we have to stop after a couple of hours to change into shorts.  What bliss.  

It’s a day begging to be spent hiking, swimming or lazing about in the great outdoors.  Unfortunately it’s a driving day for us so we can’t take advantage of it.  On the plus side, what we’d expected to be a dull blast down the highway is in fact a beautiful road that follow the course of a river (or various rivers?) down through the mountains. 

We’re not making it all the way to Vancouver today so in the late afternoon we pull into the town of Hope.  We’re expecting a bit of a small town backwater but again we’re pleasantly surprised to find a charming town in a gorgeous location: on the banks of the Fraser River, surrounded by mountains and forest.

A quick flick through the town guide in our motel room reveals a very unexpected surprise: Hope was the location for the filming of Rambo: First Blood.  Nick thinks it’s Christmas.  It’s a good excuse to take advantage of the warm evening and so we head out on a walking ‘Rambo’ tour of town.  Our walk takes us through the green town square lined with chainsaw sculpture, along the banks of the swift and full Fraser river and finally across the bridge.  (Nick tells me that this is the bridge Rambo walks back across into town after the sheriff drops him off at the start of the film, before they 'pushed him'.)

Back at the motel we catch the last few minutes of the ice hockey.  The Stanley Cup final is on and the Vancouver Canucks are playing the Boston Bruins.  Confusingly enough the final is played over 7 games and this is game 2.  The Canucks slip in a last minute goal to claim their second victory. 

Bozeman to Clareholm

27 May – 31 May

Friday:

We’re heading north today and I’m expecting it to get even colder and snowier, but we’re also dropping in altitude so instead it’s getting warmer.  We’re driving along the banks of the swollen Gallatin River in beautiful Big Sky country. 

We stop for some sandwiches at the Hungry Moose in the town of Big Sky which is overlooked by Lone Peak.  Snow-capped mountains always make a good backdrop whilst having your lunch. 

We’re told that moose had been spotted that morning on the town golf course (good grazing) so we detour round there but if they’re still about they’re hiding well. 

We continue on to Bozeman.  It’s not much more than one main street with a few bars, restaurants and western gear shops, but it’s instantly likeable.  We spend a couple of hours window-shopping and then get checked into our motel.  In the evening we get delicious pizzas and even more delicious beer at the MacKenzie River Pizza Company.  I fall in love with out waitress Mikala, who chats away as if we’ve been best friends for years – it seems the people of Montana are just like that. 

Janet adds: must resist urges to buy ridiculous cowgirl gear…

Saturday:

We’re driving northwest through Montana and for most of the drive we seem to be ringed in by mountains.  We detour into Helena for a quick look around.  The only thing I really noticed about Helena was a distinct lack of public toilets.  The rest passed me by in a haze of watering eyes and clenched knees.  Er, it did have quite an attractive historic town centre and there was a famers market going on.  

Continuing up the road we get to Missoula where we’re spending the night.  We have high hopes for it, but it lacks the charm of Bozeman and is a little rough around the edges.  After a wander round the streets and along the river we don’t find anywhere that catches our fancy enough to keep us out and so call it a day.

Sunday:

We’ve got a fun drive ahead of us today.  First detour is the National Bison Reserve.  I am of course imagining millions of bison roaming in enormous herds surrounding our car.  The reality is a bit less dramatic but still well worth the trip.  We take the loop drive that climbs Red Sleep Mountain for some fantastic views.  It’s quite warm today and the wildflowers are in bloom, so it feels like spring. 

Dropping back down the mountain we enter the ‘prairie’ section of the reserve.  This is where all the bison are hanging out.

Satisfied, we move on.  The next stretch of our drive takes us along the shoreline of Flathead Lake – the largest natural lake in western USA.  We’re driving through blossoming cherry orchards, with the lake on one side of us and mountains on the other. 

We drive straight to Glacier National Park.  We’ve not got time to explore today, but we’ve come to find out what we will and won’t be able to do.  We already know that the Going to the Sun Road, which goes east/west across the park, is still snowbound in the middle (boo!), but we’re relived to find that there is still plenty to do and a helpful ranger recommends some hikes which are relatively snow-free.  With a plan sorted for tomorrow we head for the town of Whitefish, which we’ll be using as our base.

Janet adds: I think Montana might be contagious.

Monday:

We start the morning with a quick look at Whitefish Lake.  It’s nowhere near as big as Flathead, but it is pretty. 

Then we head back to Glacier National Park to tackle some trails.  First up is the stiff 6-mile round trip climb to Apgar lookout.  The trail starts off gently through woodland and it’s warmed up enough to be in t-shirts.  We’re warned that we’re now in grizzly country.  Rule number 1 is to make a lot of noise.  Grizzlies don’t like surprises so you don’t want to sneak up on one.  We talk, clap and stomp.  Although we don’t see any bears this time, tracks warn that they’re around. 

Once we’re eased in the trail climbs steadily, giving us beautiful views of the valley below.  About two thirds of the way up we start getting patchy snow, but not enough to get our feet wet.  At the top of the mountain we pop over the other side for our first glorious view of Lake McDonald. 

After catching our breath and drinking in the scenery we head back done.  Again, no bears, but other hikers on the trail have spotted one.   Back at the car we eat our sandwiches (we’re avoiding hiking with food while there are hungry bears about!). 

About 16 miles of the Going to the Sun road is open at this end, so we drive as far as we can get.  At the end of the road is the start of our second walk.  This one winds through cedar forest surrounded by mountains dripping with waterfalls.  The path is deliciously muddy and we get to do fun things like balance on logs.  After 2 miles we arrive at Avalanche Lake.  It’s named for the mountains behind it, which are known for dumping their snow.  We get lucky: while we’re there we get to witness two mini-avalanches.  Just as we’re leaving we hear a rumble like distant thunder and dash back just in time to see a bigger avalanche. 

With the excitement over we make our way back to the car and start the drive back. We’re in huckleberry country and signs are offering huckleberry flavoured everything.  After all the walking we’ve done I reckon we’ve earned a treat and I manage to persuade Nick to stop for ice-cream.  If only there was space for pie as well…

Janet adds: blissed out on beauty (and ice-cream).

Tuesday:

As we can’t take the Going to the Sun road to the east end of the park we’ve got to drive round the outside of the park.  We’re guessing this is the less scenic route but I’m constantly snapping pics through the windscreen.  Just when you thought Montana couldn’t get any more beautiful it ups the stakes and each bend in the road reveals more mountains, rivers, forest. 

We find another road in to Glacier and drive to Two Medicine Lake.  We take the brief walk to Running Eagle Falls – named after a female warrior.  There’s a lot of snow around but luckily is packed down pretty hard so we can slide along the top of it. 

Back out of the park we drive round to the next entrance.  This drive takes us along the banks of St Mary’s Lake.  The water is so calm that it gives a perfect mirror image of the mountains and clouds. 

On the hills behind the road some bighorn sheep have gathered to admire the view as well. 

Once we’ve managed to tear ourselves away we drive on a bit to the start of a hike.  Again we’re in bear country, but I’ve picked up a tip from some other hikers and carry two stones which I clack together as we walk.  The sound carries well and it stops us having to keep shouting and clapping.  We pass a waterfall and keep walking till we reach the lake.  Then we follow the banks of the lake through forest and small green meadows.  The trail takes us to two more waterfalls with clear blue-green water.  It looks very inviting, but is icy cold.  The trail doubles back on itself so we get to see it all again, which is no hardship. 

Back in the car we’ve got to get going: we’ve booked a room over the border in Canada.  We’d been planning to drive west across the top of the US but decided to be intrepid and travel through Canada instead.  We’re leaving the mountains behind and entering flat grasslands.  By the time we get to Canada the scenery is positively dull.  We negotiate the border crossing with little hassle and make the drive to Claresholm (aka dullsville) where we’re spending the night. 

Janet adds: we were warned that we were entering tick season, but thought nothing of it until a tick pounced on me and managed to sneak its way inside my fleece.  Luckily I found it before it became too attached (literally).  Yurck.

Jackson – West Yellowstone

22 May – 26 May

Sunday:

We’ve got a driving day today and it’s probably a good thing: the weather is miserable.  It’s cold and raining heavily.  Heading north we cross into Idaho, which as far as we can work out is famous for potatoes (as the number plates proclaim) and not much else.  At lunchtime we pull into an information centre to eat our sandwiches.  It’s a good thing we do as we find out that our planned route is closed due to mudslides.  Our detour takes us over the picturesque, snowy Teton pass and in the process takes us into Wyoming.  Jackson is in the valley on the far side and is a base for the surrounding ski areas.  It’s half alpine village and half wild west: log cabins with guns for door handles; elk, moose and bear themes everywhere.  Four arches made out of elk antlers frame the town square. 

We check into our motel, get some washing done and then walk out for something to eat.  We find ourselves in the Snake River Brewery, which does good beers and even better pizzas. 

Monday:

We’ve got big plans today to climb the mountains making up the Jackson Hole ski area and then catch a free tram ride down.  We’re suited and booted and our rucksacks are packed, but when we arrive we discover the mountain is still covered in snow and the tram is not running.  That idea gets scrapped.  We’re right near the gates of Grand Teton National Park, so we decide to take a look around there instead. 

Driving in we keep our eyes peeled for wildlife, but if there’s anything exciting about it’s staying well hidden.  There is patchy snow on the ground, but the deeper into the park we get the more snow we find.  We’ve heard that you can get boat shuttles across Jenny Lake, but when we arrive at the lake and see ducks strolling across the lake (rather than swimming in it) it’s soon clear that no boats will be running. 

We chat to a ranger who suggests a few walks that should be relatively free of snow. We decide to give one a go, but after wading through knee-deep snow for a couple of hundred metres we decide it’s a no go.  It’s probably a good shout as with that the weather turns and it starts to rain.

A bit later in the afternoon it brightens up a bit and we bravely (or stupidly) try another walk out to Phelps Lake.  It’s dry on the ground as we set off so we’re feeling confident.  As we go the snow get’s thicker and thicker, until the only way to tell the path is to follow the footprints of people who have gone before and hope like hell they knew where they were going. 

It appears that they didn’t, as we’re soon hopelessly lost.  We’re reduced to finding the stream and following it upstream until we eventually find the lake.  It is beautiful, but we’ve now got to find our way back to the car park.  By the time we make it back we’re soaked through from the knees down.

After warming up with hot showers we head out for the evening, saddling up in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a beer.

Tuesday:

It’s bitterly cold today as we once again drive through Grand Teton towards Yellowstone.  We’re taking a different road today, which keeps things interesting.  We don’t even entertain the idea of leaving the warmth of the car for any length of time, but there are plenty of beautiful, frozen landscapes to take in.

Our wildlife spotting goes slightly better today and we even spy a few bison from a distance.  Jackson is home to a big elk reserve, but they only hang about in the winter and they’ve moved on by now (although it feels like winter to us, this apparently is spring?!).

In the afternoon we cross over into Yellowstone.  I know I’ve got a bit excited about the snow we’ve seen so far, but the snow in Yellowstone blows everything away.  It’s as if it’s never heard of summer.  Walls of snow 6+ feet high line the road on both sides. 

It’s lovely, but we’re starting to wonder how much we’re going to be able to see and do here.  As we drop down further into the park the ground clears a bit, partly due to the decreased elevation, but I’m sure all the geothermal activity has got a big part to play too.  We’re not taking in any of the sights today – we’ve got plenty of time for that over the next couple of days – but we can’t resist stopping for a close-up look at some bison before continuing on to our motel in West Yellowstone.

Wednesday:

We were promised nasty weather all week, but it’s actually a bit brighter and warmer (although still cold!) today than the last couple of days.  We decide to take advantage of the respite and concentrate on hiking and wildlife viewing. 

The scenery in Yellowstone is bizarre.  One minute you’re driving through snow, the next minute there’s steam billowing out of hot springs with bison and elk taking advantage of the warmth and grazing on the lush grass growing alongside.  The driving is slow and eventful, with bison often stopping the traffic as they stroll up the road.  It’s a little like Kruger: you drive along until you see a cluster of cars stopped and then you stop too to try to figure out what everyone is looking at.  Sometimes it’s nothing interesting, but every now and then you get lucky.  One stop gives us a distant view of a moose. 

With the sun out and the ground clear we stretch our legs on a 5 mile loop past some beaver ponds.  It’s a beautiful walk through open countryside to the ponds where we see signs of beaver activity, but no signs of the beavers themselves.  On our way back we pass fellow walkers who promise us more action is ahead.  We stroll past some bison and then there it is: a bit ahead of us and not far off the path a black bear is going about it’s business. 

It’s exciting to see, but terrifying: I’m convinced that at any moment it’s going to charge towards us.  We detour far off the path (blundering into a herd of elk in the process) to get round it, only to be met by a man coming behind us who has brazenly strolled past the bear.  He tells us that as long as you make a lot of noise the black bears will generally get out of your way – he’s from upstate New York and often has them climbing on his car.  He then tells us that a coyote had been following us for some time along the ridge before it crossed behind us.  We didn’t see a thing, we obviously don’t have our wildlife eyes in yet.

We continue our safari by car and soon come across some big horn sheep.  Another cluster of stopped cars: this time it’s a grizzly. 

We get to follow it along the road edge for quite some time.  That’s the highlight of our day.  Not long after we turn around and head back, tackling another bison traffic jam along the way – there are a lot of cute babies in tow (one advantage of visiting in spring!) so I’m more than happy to sit and watch them pass.

Thursday:

We may have had a respite from the bad weather yesterday but it’s making up for it today.  We’re not really equipped to deal with these freezing (literally) temperatures.  We layer on as many clothes as we can but still have to stop off in town to pick up some thick socks and gloves to make the day bearable.  Today is less about wildlife and more about sights.  We head straight for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to admire the Upper and Lower Falls. 

We continue to follow the river until we come to Yellowstone Lake.  The snow is worst in the southern half of the park and the lake is predictably frozen.  It’s a pretty spot to have our lunch.  Afterwards we stop for a quick walk around the brightly coloured hot springs and bubbling mud pools of a thermal area right on the lakeshore. 

The steaming water flows straight into the frozen lake. 

Next stop is Old Faithful.  It’s snowing properly now, but Old Faithful doesn’t keep us waiting long and blows just about spot on the predicted time, shooting steam and water high above our heads. 

We’re feeling brave so we decide to take the scenic walk past the geysers and springs of this area.  It seems like a good idea, but as we set off the wind and snow pick up and we’re soon wet and frozen to the bone. 

There are some fascinating sights, but best of all is the sight of our warm car as it comes back into view 3 cold miles later.   We warm up enough in the car to brave a few quick walks around 2 other thermal areas, but in this cold the steam coming off the ground obscures the view, offering only the most elusive glimpses of what we’ve come to see.

The snow has created a winter wonderland: blanketing the fields and catching in the trees.  In the end it’s the wildlife that steal the show again. 

Monticello – Salt Lake City

15 May – 21 May

Sunday:

Park number 4 today: Canyonlands, which centres on the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers.  We’re spending the day in the section known as the Needles.  It’s one of the more remote and less-visited parks and it’s a walkers’ paradise.  We stop on the approach road to admire Newspaper Rock (and a very cute puppy).

We’ve come mentally prepared to tackle 7 or 8 miles, but somehow talk ourselves into an 11 mile walk.  There’s no denying that it’s hard work and the temperature is around 30 degrees, but it’s also one of the most beautiful walks I’ve ever done.  We start by climbing a short staircase walled by rock on both sides.  Next we find ourselves scrambling in and out of a number of canyons, some surrounded by sheer red walls, others filled with odd columns and mushrooms of rock. 

It’s wonderfully quiet too. We’re only sharing the trail with a few other walkers, the odd lizard and some super-fast rodents (possibly kangaroo rats?).  The views are opening up both in front and behind us.  After a couple of hours we find a flat stretch of rock for lunch.  A few miles on we reach the best bit of the trail: the next mile or so winds us through narrow, high-walled canyons with just a tiny strip of sky up above. 

When we finally emerge into the open we’re faced with the rock formations that gave the Needles its name.

It’s gorgeous, but the legs are getting tired and there are still 5 miles to go.   5 hours after we set off we’re finally reunited with our car.  There’s no rest for the wicked and we’ve got another hour or so to drive up to Moab where we’ve booked a motel.  It’s after 7 by the time we finally get to put our aching feet up.

Monday:

We’re both tired, but our legs seem to be functioning normally for now.  It’s cooler today and overcast with strong winds.  We’ve not got long to drive to get in to Arches National Park.  It’s a beautiful park, but it’s also very accessible and easy to see mostly from the car.  While this is good for our complaining muscles it does mean that there’s a constant stream of traffic and parking spaces are in short supply. 

Our first stop is for a quick look at the improbable Balanced Rock. 

Next we walk up to Delicate Arch: possibly the most impressive of the arches with a picture-perfect backdrop. 

Another short walk takes us to Landscape Arch – the largest and thinnest of the arches.  In 1991 it dropped 180 tons of rock, so we don’t get too near to this one.  The canyons and rock formations of Arches are as fascinating as any we’ve seen, but the crowds are starting to get us down. 

We perk up a little after lunch and take a stroll around two arches known as the windows.  After one more stop to admire yet more crazy rock we decide to call it a day.  An hour or so gets us to Green River and after the long day yesterday we’re glad to check in early (and get our clothes washed!).

Janet adds: we purposefully avoided any serious walking today, but still managed to clock up about 6 miles.

Tuesday:

It’s about 6 degrees and overcast as we drive out of Green River this morning.  We’re driving towards Bryce Canyon and for the first while we’re travelling through the ‘badlands’ of Utah.  It looks like we’re driving through multi-hued mine dumps but they are in fact natural.  After about and hour and a half we reach Capital Reef National Park, named for the ‘reef’ of rock that runs through it.  We don’t have much time to spend here, but as we’ve got to pass through we turn off for the scenic drive.  Walls and domes of rock rise up all around us, drawing closer together the further into the park we get.  The paved road runs out and we drive another 2 miles or so on gravel.  Then that runs out too and we can only continue on foot. 

We walk another mile or so into the narrowing canyon.  We’re now following an old wagon trail.  The pioneers who passed this way carved their names into the canyon walls.  These days that kind of behaviour will land you a $200 fine.  A short side trail hauls us out of the canyon to some natural ‘water tanks’. 

That’s about as much of a detour as we’ve got time for.  Back in the car we’re soon driving through Dixie National Forest.  Endless vistas open up on one side as the trees get thicker on the other.  We’re climbing steeply and the temperature is dropping steadily.  Now there is snow on the ground. 

We peak at just under 3000 metres with the temperature hovering just above zero.  And then it’s back down again.  This is a fun road: at one point we’re driving on top of a high, narrow ridge with just enough space for the road, steep drop-offs on either side. 

Our next stop is Calf Creek Canyon.  This sheer, red-rock walled canyon has the gently bubbling Calf Creek running through the middle of it.  It’s a calm, green oasis and it’s warmed up enough to be pleasant.  We follow the creek and after 3 miles reach what we’ve come for: the beautiful Lower Calf Creek Falls. 

We retrace our steps and then drive the last hour or so to Tropic where we’ve got a motel booked.  Utah is firmly Mormon territory: around 60% of the population is Mormon.  So far we’ve not noticed this too much, apart from some slightly confusing alcohol laws.  As we check into our motel we notice piles of the ‘Book of Mormon’ in various different languages.  They’re in the convenience store too, and the pizza place where we call in for a takeaway pizza.  Ironically they’ve neglected to leave any English copies lying about, so I think we’ll escape unconverted.  To further the irony, there are none to be seen in our room – just the standard issue Gideon’s Bible.

Wednesday:

It’s cold today.  We barely get above freezing all day, but at an altitude over 2500m I guess it’s not that surprising.  It does make for some beautiful scenery with dustings of snow on the high ground.  We’ve got a short drive into Bryce Canyon today and we don’t waste any time in setting off on a hike.   The path plunges us over the rim of the canyon and winds its way to the bottom.  We’re on the Queen’s Garden trail, named for a particular fin of rock, which supposedly resembles Queen Victoria.  We’re expecting it to be a bit obscure, but have no problem picking out the rock in question.

Next we loop on to the Peekaboo trail that climbs up and down the canyon, giving us great views of the multi-coloured hoodoos Bryce is famous for. 

At lunchtime we find a scenic spot in the sun to eat our sandwiches.  As soon as we stop moving we feel the cold, but when the sun goes in and we find ourselves getting snowed on we decide to cut our lunch short and get moving again.  The last stretch of the hike takes us back up to the rim, through the narrow canyon known as Wall Street.  Safely reunited with our car we stop for one final look over the glorious canyon before setting off. 

As we leave the park the weather worsens and we find ourselves driving through a heavy hailstorm. 

It brightens (and warms) up a bit as we drop in altitude.  After 2 hours or so we cross into Zion National Park.  For now we’re just driving through – we’ll leave the exploring for tomorrow.  It’s a great road that winds and blasts (in the form of 2 tunnels, one of which is a mile long) its way through the mountains.  We stretch our legs and get our bearings by hiking the quick mile roundtrip (along a fairly narrow, high ledge) to a canyon overlook. 

Once through the park we make our way to Hurricane where we’re spending the night.

Thursday:

It’s chilly today and threatening rain as we make our way back to Zion.  Zion is heavily visited (it’s easy to see why – it’s a gorgeous lush deep canyon) and in order to cut down on congestion the scenic drive can only be accessed by shuttle bus.  We park up, grab our rucksacks and transfer to the bus.  We’ve done our research and picked out a hike.  Disembarking at the trailhead we start to wonder if we’ve chosen well: half the bus seems to be coming along with us.  This is a steep, strenuous hike up the canyon walls.  Only thing is the path is paved all the way up and is as busy as a London pavement, so it’s hard to appreciate the beauty of the walk.  At the top are a lookout point and a handful of chipmunks hoping to get the scraps of picnics. 

The trail continues on to Angel’s Landing.   This is a hair-raising stretch, with 1000+ foot drops on either side of the path and only a metal chain to help you keep your footing.  We’re both up to the challenge, but again, so is everyone else.  This is where the problem comes in.  With the constant stream of people we’re forced to wait in precarious spots and keep getting jostled from behind.  After 10 minutes or so we’ve had enough and turn back.  It’s put a bit of a dampener on our spirits.   It doesn’t take long to get back down and we find a spot to eat our picnic while we decide what to do next. 

Lunch revives us slightly, but it’s now starting to rain.  Not wanting to give up yet we walk to Emerald Pools, with the path cutting onto a rock ledge taking us behind a waterfall.

Once we get back to the road we ride the bus all the way to the end and then let it bring us back to our car.

Friday:

We’re driving to Salt Lake City today but have been struggling to find somewhere reasonable to stay.  At the last minute lastminute.com comes through: we get a (relatively) plush room in a hotel in downtown for less than it would cost us to stay in a motel miles out of town.  Our drive takes us through patchy snow and torrential rain – we’re taking this as our winter for the year.

Our windscreen has developed a crack in it and we decide to get it sorted before it gives us any problems.  We call in at the car rental office on the way to the hotel.  Thankfully we’ve learnt our lesson from South Africa and have taken out extra insurance, so it’s not going to cost us anything.  They’re more than happy to exchange the car for us and Nick is in muscle car heaven when he realises that they’ve swapped our Chevrolet Impala for a Dodge Charger.

We check into our hotel, get settled and then head out for some food.

Janet adds: by my reckoning we clocked up over 40 walking miles in the last 8 days.  Today was meant to be a rest day, but our plush hotel has a plush gym and it’d be a shame not to take advantage of it…

Saturday:

We have a rather relaxed day today, taking in the sights of Salt Lake City.  It’s a pretty city: almost completely ringed by snow-capped mountains. 

Mormons sure know how to look after a city and we’re pleasantly surprised at the broad, clean streets, landscaped gardens and grand buildings.  There’s a very friendly, relaxed feel to the city.  The 32 acre Temple Square is the heart of the city and of the Church of Latter Day Saints in the USA.  At its centre is the Salt Lake Temple.  We’re not allowed inside, but amuse ourselves ‘bride-spotting’ in the grounds: there must be at least 10 wedding parties jostling for the best photos.

Our walking tour takes us to the Capitol Building and historic visitors’ centre, then to the open-air shopping mall.  Once we’ve seen all we want to see we head back to the hotel for a bit of a relax.

In the evening we walk down to the Red Iguana for some (more accurately a LOT of) food – officially it ties with Tuscon for the best Mexican ever – resulting in the need to lie down and clutch our stuffed bellies.