tincantravels – Tincan Travels

Of Parks and Monuments

We left Kanab, Utah and made our way north to Torrey, Utah to visit Capital Reef National Park. The park’s defining geological characteristic is a wrinkle in the Earth’s crust known as the Waterpocket Fold.

We set up camp on a sunny ridge overlooking a valley

That evening the temperature dropped, the wind howled and snow arrived

Capital Reef features some short hikes and an 8 mile scenic drive that seemed like a nice option on a cold and windy day.

The scenic drive let’s visitors easily access many of the parks natural wonders.

The paved scenic drive ends with a dirt road that takes you back into Capital Gorge.

From 600 to 1300 C. E., indigenous people of the Fremont culture occupied Capitol Reef. Evidence of their presence can be seen in the petroglyphs they left behind.

The next day the temperatures rose a bit and the wind calmed so we headed out for to hike the Cohab Canyon Trail.

A steep climb is rewarded with some great views

The trail winds along the top of a mesa to a view of the valley below.

We continued north to Vernal Utah which is a few miles from the entrance of Dinosaur National Monument. This park has been on our to do list for the past three years and we were finally able to work it into a trip.

The park includes one of the richest dinosaur fossil records on Earth. The Quarry Visitors Center is built around a wall of exposed dinosaur fossils.

In addition to fossils, the monument also offers some great hiking. We chose the three mile Sound of Silence trail. As advertised this trail offers one of the quietest hikes in the monument.

The trail snakes through the colorful Chinle Formation

Eventually the trail leads you to the top of a mesa

You have great views of Split Mountain from the top

Dry Creek Canyon is located near Vernal and is home to the McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs. The trail stretches for about 3/4 of a mile along the cliffs above the ranch.

On a cold windy day we drove up to the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area to checkout the views. We weren’t disappointed.

From Vernal we headed East into Colorado and Grand Junction, home to the Colorado National Monument. The monument features the 23 mile Rim Rock Drive that takes you to the top of the Colorado Plateau for stunning views of canyons and rock formations.

It’s been a great trip but it’s time to head East and home. Of course we’ll stop in Chicago for a visit with the grandkids before we end our travels. Thanks to those of you who’ve been following along and made the occasional comment (we enjoy hearing from you). This is our last post until we head out on the highway in the fall.

A Week in Kanab, Utah

We avidly read campground reviews and are always looking for new places to stay. Just as Covid struck we started hearing about a new park in Utah. We put it on the list for our next trip out west. Dark Sky RV is a relatively new park. It is a real gem and we would highly recommend it.

The park is just three miles outside of Kanab and close to the Grand Staircase-Escalate National Monument. After a long day of driving we picked a nearby hike to check out the Toadstool formations in the Monument.

The 1.6 mile round trip hike starts in a dry wash

The Toadstools greet you at the end of the hike

A short distance on the other side of town are some man made sand caves. The sand was being mined for glass production but have been abandoned for some time.

To access the caves you must first climb up to a sandstone ledge

Some of the graffiti that can be found in the caves

Besides hiking, the Monument offers a number of scenic drives. We chose the Paria Town Site Road.

The road offers expansive views of the Paria Box

The Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument has a number of unique geological features. They are often in remote and difficult to reach areas of the Monument. We hired a guide for the day to take us back along deep sandy roads to visit “The White Pocket “ formation. We spent over 3 hours exploring this 1 square mile area.

The black stones are Moqui Marbles (sandstone coated by a layer of iron oxide)

Our guide Mike from Dreamland Safaris did a great job explaining the geology and history of the indigenous people in the area. We visited the remains of an ancient Pueblo and an unusual panel of petroglyphs.

Pottery shards and napped stone littered the site

We also had time to visit the Maze Petroglyphs and it’s unusual two headed snake attempting to enter a maze.

We remember Bryce as a beautiful canyon all dressed up in shades of cream, orange and accessorized with deep green pines. Our location in Kanab put us in position for a day trip to hike one of the jaw dropping trails.

We chose to hike part of the “Fairy Land” trail to the “Tower Bridge” rock formation. This trail is less populated then many of the other trails.

It’s a 1.7 mile hike down to the Tower Bridge formation

The road to Bryce Canyon takes you by the Forest Service park Red Canyon. We’ve passed it a few times but have never stopped. That changed this trip. A short hike got us to “Salt and Pepper “, two of the park’s hoodoos.

Our day at Bryce Canyon and Red Canyon necessitated a day of rest before heading out to hike the southwest’s longest and deepest slot canyon, Buckskin Gulch. We approached it by way of Wire Pass another slot canyon.

A walk down a sandy wash takes you to the entrance of Wire Pass

Water in the canyon required careful navigation

After another day in the beauty that is Southern Utah we headed back to Dark Sky RV.

A Week Among the Rocks

We left Red Rock country and headed south and west to the central highlands of Arizona. We settled in at a private RV park, Point of Rocks RV, nestled in the granite Dells of Prescott AZ.

We arrived to overcast skies, some intermittent rain and colder temperatures. Watson Lake was a short hike from camp and we wasted little time before going exploring, the weather be damned.

The lake was created in 1916 when Granite Creek was dammed as part a Chino Valley irrigation project.

Scrambling among the granite boulders surrounding the lake offers endless possibilities for exploration.

The Dells owe their distinctive look to long term weathering of natural cracks in the granite. These granite boulders are estimated to be 1.4 billion years old.

Nearby is the Pea Vine/Iron Lion trail. This 11 mile trail system runs along the bed of the former Santa Fe & Prescott RR.

The Iron Lion Trail emerges from the granite boulders into an expansive view of the Prescott Valley.

The Pea Vine Trail also has great views along the shore of Watson Lake.

Also close to camp is the Constellation Trail system that meanders through the granite Dells. The trails are owned and maintained by the City of Prescott.

We spent a wonderful morning wandering through these magnificent granite boulders.

Thumb Butte is a distinctive feature in the Prescott National Forest on the westside of Prescott.

The steep two mile loop trail takes you to the “Thumb”. Whenever we’ve hiked the trail the final ascent to the top of the Butte has been closed because of Peregrine falcon nesting season. Regardless, the views are great.

It’s been a fun week but time to move on.

Back in Red Rock Country

The allure of Sedona and its stunning scenery continues to draw us to this part of Arizona. We are not the only people who are drawn here. As a result Sedona can become a continuous traffic jam. It’s spring break for many which just adds to the traffic. We like to set up camp out of the fray. Our choice this spring is a private RV park in Page Springs, AZ., just off 89A.

The campground is located in Oak Creek canyon which makes it difficult to watch the sun set. After we set up we drove toward Cottonwood in search of a sunset viewpoint. We headed to the Cliff Rose trails with high hopes.

The Cliff Rose trails are also used by mountain bikers. After hiking part of the trails we decided to give it a go on our bikes.

Everything was going great until we hit the backside of the outer loop. The cliff in Cliff Rose should have been the tip off.

A rocky trail runs next to the cliff drop off

We had a couple of close calls but we survived

We met fellow Airstreamers Noelle and Andy at Usery Mountain Park and realized we’d be in the Cottonwood area at the same time. We decided to meet up for a bike ride along Sycamore Canyon Rd..

We rode out toward the Sycamore Canyon trailhead until it was time for lunch. Using a rutted and cobbled Forest Service rode we headed for a lunch spot overlooking the Verde River. Shoutout to Noelle and Andy for braving this rutted road on their hybrid bikes.

For an extra treat, as we ate the excursion train from Clarkdale went by on the opposite side of the canyon. This is the same train we rode during our visit in the Fall.

The next day we drove to the end of Sycamore Canyon Road(11 miles) where the trail through Sycamore Canyon begins. The trail had been closed when we last visited. The closure was due to fires and flash flooding during the previous year.

The fire and flooding necessitated the rerouting of much of the trail making it difficult to follow at times. We hiked in about one mile and then decided to head back.

Watercress thrived along this section of the creek

The crowd visiting Sedona necessitates planning when going on a hike. The trailhead parking lots fill up quickly. You have to arrive early (7:30-8:00am) or mid afternoon after the early birds are leaving. We opted to arrive in the afternoon to hike a section of the Hiline Trail and watch the sun set from Yavapai Vista.

The trail offers iconic views of Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Rock and Bell Rock.

Bubbling Springs Preserve is located a mile down the road from our camp. The Preserve is a popular spot for bird watching and dog walking.

Along with wonderful scenery, Sedona also boasts a world class restaurant scene. If you want to eat at one of the more popular spots planning ahead is essential. Pat started looking for reservations a month before we arrived in town. She was able to find a coveted table on the patio of Mariposa.

As we dined clouds and rain rolled in. The patio is covered, screened and heated so we ate in comfort.

By the end of dinner the rain stopped and the clouds lifted.

During our Fall visit to the area we realized that we had not explored the West Sedona trails. We settled on the Thunder Mountain loop with a detour up to Chimney Rock.

The Thunder Mountain Loop Trail is located near the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park and is always worth a visit.

We decided to visit the Mogollon Rim which cuts through northern Arizona. These mountains can reach as high as 8000 feet and form the southern rim of the Colorado Plateau.

On our last day in Sedona we decided to continue our exploration of the West Sedona trails. We chose the Pyramid Mountain Loop. It was a good choice.

The trail offers great views of Cathedral Rock along the trail.

Tucson Redux

We secured a week at a favorite Pima County Park, Gilbert Ray Campground. It is located in the Tucson Mountain Park which has wonderful mountain biking trails (the same mountain biking trails that we accessed from Desert Trails RV in Nov and Dec). The park exists thanks to the work of C. B. Brown who was able to prevent mining interests from developing the Tucson Mountains. In 1929 Pima County established Tucson Mountain Park on 29,988 acres of the Sonoran Desert. It was the largest country park in the United States at that time.

Part of the joy of travel is discovering unique local restaurants. There are lots of Mexican restaurants in the Tucson area but La Indita offers an interesting twist. The family restaurant draws on its Tohono O’odham roots to influence the menu. One of the specialties is the Indian Taco. Think of a taco with the tortilla replaced with Indian fry bread.

We also found an excellent bread bakery that specializes in sourdough breads; Barrio Bread. If you find yourself in Tucson don’t pass up a visit.

Some of the Tucson Mountain Park trails require biking skill levels beyond what we are capable of. That’s not really a problem because those are the trails we hike. One of these is the 5 mile Brown Mountain Loop.

The trail offers great views of the park

While it’s only early March, spring has begun and this means wild flowers.

After seven days in Tucson Mountain Park it was time to move on. We hooked up the Tincan and headed northeast to Catalina State Park. The park is very popular and we were only able to secure a few days in their overflow campground. Basically a dirt parking lot with spots very close together. You also have access to a very nice modern bath and shower facility.

The upside is that the other campers are friendly and considerate of other peoples space and we had a spot in a favorite state park where we can continue to hike and bike.

Camping at Catalina SP also puts us within biking distance of the Steam Pump Farmers Market where we stocked up on coffee and greens.

On our last day in the park we decided to hike the Canyon Trail and check out some of the fire damage from the October 2020 fire that burned 47 acres of the park.

Tucson is our turn around point. From here we start heading north.

Lost Dutchman SP, Apache Junction AZ

The park gets its name from the legendary Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Jacob Waltz, a German immigrant, is purported to have found a rich gold mine in the late 1800’s. On his deathbed he gave a cryptic description of its location in the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction. Prospectors are still searching for it in the hope of “striking it rich”.

Site 106 at the base of the Superstition Mts

The park is a popular weekend destination for hikers. To avoid the crowds on the trail we did a scenic drive to the Salt River Canyon with a stop in Globe.

The Salt River divides the San Carlos Apache and Salt River Apache reservations. The Apache leader Geronimo once called this area home.

In 1875 silver was discovered on the San Carlos Reservation. The mining camp then relocated to what is now Globe Arizona which was incorporated in 1876. In 1880 copper mining took off and Globe grew along with it.

Besh-Ba-Gowan is an ancient 200 room pueblo of the Salado people who resided there between AD 1250 and 1450. It is located in a city park in Globe.

The site was excavated and reconstructed in the late 1930’s and was funded by the government Works Projects Administration.

The excavations uncovered a wealth of prehistoric artifacts. We particularly enjoyed seeing the Gila Polychrome pottery.

The mountain biking is limited so we spent more time hiking the trails leading up to the mountains.

Limited riding but some fabulous scenery

The Siphon Draw Trail is a magnet for hikers. This strenuous hike takes you up into the Superstitions with an option to go beyond the Draw to the top of the Flatiron.

We were able to work in another concert at the Musical Instrument Museum. The Kenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums provided an hour and half of inspired playing.

On our last day in camp we decided to make our way into town for a meal and a visit to the Phoenix Art Museum.

We primarily came to see an exhibit of post war Japanese photography

Mass (Colder Darker Matter) by Cornelia Parker

Wall Drawing #1146 c
A sphere lit from the top
by Sol LeWitt

“Become one with eternity. Obliterate your personality. Our earth is only one polka dot among the million stars in the cosmos.”-Yayoi Kusama

We stopped in to eat at Glai Baan which specializes in Thai street food. We highly recommend this restaurant, some of the best Thai food we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. We then wandered down 24th street to sample the offerings at Wren House Brewing. This brewery is highly rated for good reason.

Our week went by quickly as it always seems to when your enjoying yourself. There is more to explore in the area so we will be back.

White Tank Mountain Regional Park, AZ

The foothills that surround Phoenix are home to a number Maracopia County parks. White Tank Mountain is one we’ve not explored before. It’s located in the west valley of Phoenix in Surprise nestled in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains.

As we drove through massive development throughout the west valley we wondered about our park choice. We came for the extensive mountain biking and hiking trails and we were not disappointed.

Hiking the Black Canyon Loop during the golden hour

The west valley had long been an agricultural area, where cotton and flowers were cultivated. This part of Phoenix is experiencing explosive growth with fields being replaced by new housing and massive warehouses.

A field of rose bushes and a warehouse six miles from the park entrance

A few of the graders and earth movers that are scraping the fields for development

As an antidote to the developing sprawl of the west valley we traveled 70 miles north of Phoenix to visit the experimental town of Arcosanti.

The architect Paolo Soleri proposed a concept based on the integration of architecture and ecology in the 1970’s. He named the concept arcology. He wanted to demonstrate that urban conditions could improve while minimizing the destructive impact of development.

The buildings are constructed of concrete made from materials found on site. The concrete panels were cast in a bed of silt acquired from the surrounding area and give the concrete a unique color and texture.

Beautiful architectural details can be found around every corner.

The community’s main source of income comes from the sale of bells, both ceramic and cast bronze.

One of the many ceramic bells on display

And bronze bells can be found throughout

White Tank Mountain Park provides a buffer to all the development. For the time being it is a natural oasis that provides a welcome respite. The picnic areas, hiking and biking trails are magnets for the people of Phoenix. We stuck close to camp to maximize our time on the trails during our stay.

The waterfall that the trail is named after is seasonal. We didn’t expect to see water so we were surprised to see a pool of water at the base of the falls.

The white granite rocks where water pools during the rainy season is how the mountains got their name, White Tank.

The trail also features numerous petroglyphs created by the Hohokam people who populated the mountains 1000 years ago.

The trails are rocky but still very doable with a mountain bike.

There’s even a competitive track to challenge your riding skills

The Technical Segment of the Competitive Track is recommended for Experts only

Most of the trails in the park are multipurpose, available to hikers, bikers and equestrians. Our preference is biking but some of the trails are beyond our skill level.

We decided to hike into the mountains to check out three canyons: the Mesquite, Ford and Willow. The eight mile hike took us into the backcountry. We took our time.

We were treated to some great canyon views.

Spring in Arizona is not far away. Wildflowers are beginning to make their presence known.

On our last day in the park we drove to the Musical Instrument Museum(MIM). This is one of our favorite museums. If you find yourself in the Phoenix area don’t pass this museum by. There are permanent exhibits and every country of the world has a display featuring its native instruments and music. In addition they have rotating special exhibits, Treasures: Legendary Musical Instruments is currently on display.

Our favorite treasure was Eric Dolphy’s 1949 Selmer Balanced Action

The permanent exhibits also feature some very unusual instruments.

The museum also has a wonderful 350 seat concert hall with amazing acoustics. We stuck around to hear Leo Kottke and Dave King. This unusual pairing was remarkable and a pleasant way to end our time at White Tank Mountain Park.

Anza-Borrego Desert Park, CA

We left Desert Hot Springs and went south along the west side of the Salton Sea to Borrego Springs. A mile and a half outside of town is the entrance to the Palm Canyon Campground in Anza-Borrego Desert Park. The park is located on the western side of the Colorado Desert and is California’s largest state park, about the size of Rhode Island.

Biking is limited but there is plenty of hiking to be had. We started by heading down Coyote Canyon to hike the Desert Garden. Be assured that there is no garden to tour along this trail.

We did get some nice views of Coyote Canyon

The Ranger at the Park Visitor Center suggested we try Little Surprise Canyon, a short ride from the Park.

The hike gave us a good view of the trail to Hell Hole Canyon

Whenever we travel we encourage friends and family to meet up with us. It is rare that anyone ever takes us up on the offer. This trip Shelly’s cousin Marlene and her husband Lee met up with us for a weekend of desert fun.

Lee and Marlene with their tricked out Sprinter Van, designed and built by Lee

On their first day in camp we hiked the Outlook Trail.

From the top of the trail you get a fine view of the campground and surrounding desert

The Palm Canyon hike is very popular. You hike one and a half miles up the canyon to a palm oasis. In years past you were allowed into the Palm oasis but since it burned three years ago that is not allowed. The trail has been rerouted to a view point above the oasis.

Courtesy of Marlene, a rare photo of us in the same frame

It’s always amazing to see running water in the desert

After the fire all that was left of these palms were burnt trunks

The canyon is home to a herd of Peninsular Big Horn Sheep. Everyone hiking the canyon hopes to get a glimpse of them. As we hiked into the canyon we saw three sheep silhouetted high on a ridge. They were too far away to get a decent photo. Descending the trail we chose an alternate trail but soon lost our way. After scrambling over boulders we found ourselves in a small meadow face to face with this guy.

Marlene and Lee left for home after two days of camping with us. Before they left we checked out Galleta Meadows Estate. The Estate consists of privately owned plots of land with metal sculptures scattered throughout the properties. The sculptures were created but Ricardo Breceda. The work was commissioned by Dennis Avery, the owner of Galleta Meadows.

Tamarisk Campground is a small primitive camp just over Yaqui pass. We didn’t camp there but drove over one morning to hike the cactus loop trail.

The rocky trail offers numerous opportunities to checkout a variety of desert flora

Our drive home took us back through Yaqui Pass. As we neared the summit we stopped to hike the William Kenyon Overlook Trail for an expansive view of the San Filipe Wash.

On our last day in the park we connected with Paul and Susanne who were staying in a park near us. We arranged to meet at the entrance to Blair Valley for some hiking.

The trail meanders through the boulders to Smugglers Outlook

We finished the hike and decided to try one more short hike before parting ways.

Pat and Susanne along the Morteros Trail

The trail gets its name from the numerous morteros along the trail. Mortero is Spanish for mortar . These “bedrock holes” were created by the Kumeyaay people who lived here a thousand years ago. Think of the morteros as stone food processors.

The smaller depressions are called cupules

At the end of the trail we found one more pictograph

We’ve had a wonderful time here in Southern California but it’s time to move on. Arizona and the Sonoran Desert beckons. But one more look at Palm Canyon as you descend along the Alternative Trail.

Desert Hot Springs, CA/Sky Valley RV

Here we are staying in another private RV park. What gives? In Tucson staying in a private RV park gave us easy access to Tucson and great mountain biking. Here at Sky Valley it’s access to the mineral hot springs as well as its proximity to Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs. We scheduled our stay to coincide with the Palm Springs Film Festival which was sadly canceled due to the current Omicron surge.

The mountain biking here involves riding along dirt roads through the Colorado desert. It’s not a very scenic ride.

We booked two weeks to enjoy the park’s hot springs.

We get to the springs when they open and often have them to ourselves.

Our proximity to Palm Springs gave us the opportunity to hike the Indian Canyons located in the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

Plentiful water alows these California Palms to thrive

The Palm Canyon trail leads you to the dry ridge overlooking the canyon

We went hiking with Paul and Susanne whom we met in Tucson

No trip to Desert Hot Springs is complete without a visit to the Sam Cobb Date Farm whose motto is “We Grow Good Dates” and they do it without pesticides. The date blooms are pollenated by hand and placed in mesh bags to keep insects and animals at bay while the fruit matures.

If you can’t make it to the farm you can always order online

The nearby Whitewater Preserve offers excellent hiking opportunities. We chose the 4 mile Canyon View Loop.

The trail offers great views of the wash below as well as the surrounding mountains

As we ended our hike we had a wildlife sighting

Palm Springs has a very nice art museum, vaccinations are required as well as masking while inside. Robert Longo’s large charcoal drawings were featured.

Pat and Susanne checking out Longo’s drawing of the Capital Building

80” Great Rhombicosidodecahedron by Anthony Jones

The museum also has an eclectic mix of outdoor installations.

History of Suspended Time (A monument for the impossible) by Gonzalo Lebrija

East of Desert Hot Springs is one of our favorite National Parks- Joshua Tree. In spite of their name they are not actually trees they are succulents. Mormon immigrants named them as they were heading west.

Joshua Tree NP is very large, spreading across the Colorado and Mojave deserts. In addition to Joshua Trees there are wonderful piles of Granite boulders to explore.