Back Bay View: Utah

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Christmas vacation in Utah and the Eastern Sierras

A few years ago we first traveled through Utah on our way back from the Rocky Mountains trip with my extended family. We admired the breathtaking scenery the whole drive. A stop at Arches National Park just whet our appetite to plan a visit back to Utah to see Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. A number of factors prevented us from going until we finally committed this winter break right after Christmas. This was one of those years when the kids didn't get anything very special for Christmas; instead, we set out on a family vacation to a real winter wonderland. We departed the day after Christmas and didn't return until the first of the new year. Leaving right after Christmas prevented the inevitable post-party depression doldrums that set in after everything is unwrapped and played with, and the good chocolates are all gone.

Another advantage of leaving so soon after Christmas was that we didn't really have time to fret about winter garments and potential disasters. I had wanted to leave on the 27th so that I could run to the after Christmas sales and buy up boots and coats and gloves, but because my husband wanted to be somewhere where he could watch college football on the 29th, we left a day early. Fortunately, we were able to cobble together enough hats and gloves and layers to stay warm. As a Christmas present, I had bought a pair of fashion boots (fake "Tims," as the kids were calling them) for the 12-year-old who has been growing exponentially the past couple of months and needed new shoes anyway. I wore my hiking boots, the 16-year-old wore the duck boots I used in college and still have in a winter box, and the boys wore various pairs of my husband's work boots. Fortunately, a friend had just handed down snowpants, boots, coat, and gloves for the 4-year-old - the only one, besides the 14-year-old, who was really rolling in the snow. The girls accepted my advice to bring tights to wear under their jeans, and I, who shiver when the temps dip below 65, stayed warm and cozy because I wore an undershirt, a tee shirt, a long sleeved shirt, a polar fleece, and my raincoat every time we ventured outdoors because I didn't have a winter coat. Five layers proved sufficient. And fortuitously, our 18-year-old who likes to knit was just finishing a pair of mittens for a Christmas present for his aunt, which I commandeered and told him to start another pair. He figured out how to do Fair Isle patterns last summer using a book he got as a graduation present as a gag gift - sometimes those turn out to be the best presents! This is all just to say that we made do instead of getting any special equipment or gear, and no one froze to death.

Once bags were stuffed with warm clothes, extra blankets were stashed in the car, and plenty of snacks shoved into reusable grocery bags (food for the apocalypse), we were ready for our early morning departure. Leaving at 6:30 got us to Zion in time to make a quick stop at the visitor center (open because of kindly volunteers working despite the government shutdown - and the generosity of the state of Utah) and then to drive through the park to the Valley Overlook hike on the other side of the mile long tunnel. Our hike was perfectly timed for prime sunset viewing at the overlook, but cloudy skies muted the sunset's maximum glory. We did get a beautiful glimpse of the canyon's version of alpenglow as the sun broke through the clouds as it descended. The timing couldn't have worked out better.

From that point we continued east out of the park to our cabin at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. This place has all kinds of options for lodging - a hotel, smaller one room cabins (we splurged on the two room cabin, which was plenty spacious for our two nights), large vacation homes that sleep family reunion sized groups, tent sites, RV sites, and yurt sites. Something for everyone. In the summers they offer horseback rides, ATV rentals, a swimming pool, a reception site for weddings, zip lines, and lots of other activities, but they all are an additional cost. The welcome center had a coffee bar and a restaurant that served a free buffet breakfast that included, to our children's delight, a belgian waffle maker and sugary toppings. I had spent a number of hours on the internet looking at lodging options of various sorts, and this place worked out perfectly - rustic but cozy lodgings, a convenient yet removed location not right in the middle of town, but not out of the way.

Although a winter trip is much different than a summer one, there were a number of advantages to making this trip in December. The lack of crowds is the biggest advantage to me. It was not uncrowded - plenty of people were doing exactly what we were doing. I would guess that going sometime in February - or at least not during a school vacation schedule - would be the least crowded, but I could be wrong. And my husband pointed out that not everyone cares as much about avoiding crowds as me. You don't go to the National Parks for unadulterated wilderness experiences anymore - I need to think of them more like museums of natural wonders to be enjoyed with 50000 other people a day. A part of me still wants to seek out the undiscovered spot, the quiet campground, the trail that no one else takes, but I also accept, albeit with some wistful reluctance, that our outdoors experiences are not that of the early explorers.

That being said, I am continually amazed at the stamina and courage the early pioneers must have had to have traversed this country into the unknown across mountains and through canyons. I'm grateful we had the option to stay in a cabin instead of canvas tent when we woke up to 14 degree temperatures.

Another advantage - snow. My kids asked the whole way if we would have snow. We get plenty of sun and sand out here, so they want to see something different. And happily, the ranch had a good covering of probably eight or ten inches. The younger kids jumped out of the car and into the snow to make snow angels and throw snow at each other. That moment of delight was worth the length of the drive.

And it was delightfully cozy to enter the cabin, pull off some layers, make cocoa and canned soups and eat snacks and play card games in the evening. Very hygge. More snow fell during our first night, so we awoke to the beauty of a silent, snow-covered field and pine forest. We dressed early to get breakfast before our day at Bryce Canyon. As we walked to the dining hall the sun was just rising, causing the ice crystals to shimmer and gleam like glitter across the fields.

Snow was still falling as we drove the hour and a half to Bryce. This drive was a little nervewracking. The roads were mostly clear, but we didn't know what we would get into as the elevation increased. By the time we arrived at Bryce, the temperature had dropped, and the roads were covered in snow and ice. The visitors' center was still open, but the road through the canyon was closed two miles in, as were most of the trails because no government workers were available to plow the roads and check the trails. I had intended to drive the 18 mile scenic view drive to the end of the park, do the two mile hike that starts there, and then come back and hike a three mile loop through what they call the amphitheater - a good amount of hiking, but achievable for our group of teens. It was disappointing to realize we had to scrap that plan and settle for a hike along the rim - about a mile was open - but we were still able to experience a spectacular view. The three mile loop was open, but the volunteer ranger strongly recommended ice spikes/yax trax and we didn't want to make that investment that day. It was only 19 degrees at this point, and the girls didn't wear pantyhose under their jeans, nor were their gloves really warm. They were freezing on the rim walk and spent most of it staring down at their boots during the rim walk to keep their noses warm and whining. The preschooler and fourteen year old loved it - they were sliding and sledding down each little incline, which was exactly why I didn't want to attempt the hike down the canyon without ice spikes, even though I kind of envied the well prepared or slightly foolish souls whom we watched head down the trail.

The volunteer at the visitors' center did fill us in on a good consolation hike which was just outside the park - Mossy Cave, an out and back hike just over two miles that led to a cave and a frozen waterfall. It was at a slightly lower elevation and in a canyon, so it was not as bitterly cold. And it was beautiful. Long enough to feel like we exerted some energy, short enough that no one whined. Perfect.

After a stop for coffee at Ruby's General Store, a local legend for souvenirs, we headed back to the Ranch with enough time to explore the grounds a little. We walked back to the barn and patted the mules and nearly patted some mule deer who were stealing hay. And we cooed over the tiny twin baby goats in the little goat shed. My husband and I traipsed through the pine woods a little ways to catch the sunset - through the campground and out onto the ATV trails which were easy to follow even in the snow. Our dinner was another budget meal of ramen and just add water prepared rice meals in packets. Not so healthy, but like an indoor camping trip.

On day three, we went back to Zion to explore the canyon. Visiting in winter prevented us from hiking the iconic Narrows, which follows the Virgin River for miles through the canyon. The hike is primarily in water, and although we saw a good number of inveterate hikers in rented full body waders and water tight shoes, I didn't feel any desire to investigate that option in the winter. We also opted not to try the vertigo inducing Angel's Landing hike, although it was open. After talking to a friend who did it and then watching some videos to see if she was exaggerating the precipitous nature of this trail, I decided I didn't want to do this hike with our daredevil teen, who would be the type to try to pretend to scare me and then really fall off the side of the cliff. (Link here if you are curious). Maybe someday we'll come back, but I did feel like our abbreviated trip was just the right amount of hiking and admiring the views for our group. The shuttle was still running here, so we took the shuttle to the end of the line and hike the mile or so to the river's edge where the Narrows hike begins. Then we walked back along the river's edge, jumped on the shuttle to ride a ways back to another trail head and from there we hiked the rest of the way to the last shuttle stop before the place where you have to park your car and get out and take the shuttle. So we hiked maybe six or seven miles all together, but with plenty of stops and diversions on the way - frozen waterfalls at Emerald Pools, nearly tame deer along the path where people usually take the shuttle, and a picnic/bathroom stop at the historic lodge in the middle of the canyon.

Back at the car, we ate more of our junk food, dipped our feet in the refreshingly frigid river water, and stashed our muddy boots and the winter gear we had slowly stripped off during the hike as the temperatures gradually warmed up with the sun's ascending. And then we bid adieu to Zion with hopes of heading back someday, but satisfied with our visit if that someday never comes.

Another coffee stop at a local coffee roasters just outside the park was our last contact with civilization for several hours. The next stage on our journey was a sevenish hour drive through the middle of nowhere Nevada directly west to the Eastern Sierras where we were meeting my brother-in-law and his family at a house they rented on Convict Lake, which is just a few minutes south of ski mecca Mammoth, CA, but much less crowded. He had wanted a snow and mountains experience instead of going to Utah, which he imagined would be more of a desert experience. I wasn't sure what to expect but now know that the area of Utah we were leaving definitely has a snow and mountains experience to offer, along with a desert rocks experience all within an hour's drive.

The drive through Nevada was an adventure in itself. My phone map directed us to make an inverse triangle trip down to Las Vegas and then back up the 395, a trip of eight plus hours. My son's map app sent us on a more direct and shorter route straight across. The roads were clear and fast, but for hours and hours we saw a whole lot of nothing. Signs would predict a town ahead and we'd get ready for a bathroom break only to discover that the town was a house and a garage advertising an Extraterrestial Life Research Institute. We finally pulled to the side of the road to take turns making a pit stop. No other cars had passed us for hours. The stars were incredible - perhaps their plenitude and brilliance were what drew the occasional desert dweller to this sparse territory. Or maybe they are searching for oil or diamonds, or developing drugs, or really don't like having neighbors.

It was with great relief that we found the house my brother-in-law had rented. A place with six bedrooms and beds for 32 people. It was in a little rental community, also, with other smaller places for rent and a little general store and a restaurant that appeared to cater to wedding parties. The lake was beautiful - about 3 and a half miles around surrounded by mountains - and home to a pair of bald eagles and some bold raccoons (plus a lot of other wildlife, I am sure). A grim marker told of 7 people who perished one winter in the ice - 3 boys and 4 men who tried to rescue them - and another one related the tale of how the lake took its name from a shoot out between some escaped convicts from Carson City Nevada and their pursuers. Some of the law enforcement lost their lives, but the convicts were eventually recaptured.

We spent a couple nights here - one day devoted mostly to watching Notre Dame's football team lose dreadfully to Clemson. That highlight for me - and I think the girls - that day was a hike to the hot springs down the road. One of the pools was occupied by a couple old guys enjoying nature's glory in their natural state, but they politely stayed submerged after they realized a group of preteens was making their way to a nearby pool. We felt very Scandanavian as we enjoyed the hot water in the middle of a snow covered plain. We also made a trip into Mammoth to see what was there and made the mistake of showing up at the grocery store at the same time in the late afternoon as all the hungry and thirsty skiers. I have never seen a more packed Vons, nor more carts filled with booze. Skiers must need a lot of internal warming after being outdoors all day on the slopes.

On the drive back to the cousin's house, we made a quick stop at Schatz's bakery in Bishop for famous cinnamon rolls and other vehicles for delivering a surplus of flour and sugar to the body. The yeasty smell and rows and rows of freshly baked bread had me salivating and giving thanks for not being gluten free, although they did have one or two options for those poor souls who are.

For our lunch picnic a couple hours later, we made another stop - this time to rock scramble at Red Rock State Park. Decidedly a desert climate, Red Rock has some interesting rock formations, but apparently is a destination for offroading more than anything else.

The final event of our vacation was a celebration of New Year's Eve at the cousin's house. Some of the older kids' friends stopped by, but it was mostly a quiet evening. I retired before midnight with the four year old, both of us exhausted. I had had a wonderful visit over coffee with a couple friends from our life in Ventura, which lifted my spirit and soul - they both have a great love for the church and are active in music ministry and a ministry for mothers that inspire me.

The next day we shoved the explosion of our stuff back in the car for the drive home. Everyone was ready to get back and reset. It had been a full week, one that left us tired but surfeited with memories. It was a welcome break from the busyness of December before the return to the busyness of back to school time.

The only downside to this trip is that our second oldest son was not with us, and I know he would have enjoyed it. As I look over the photos, I am sorry he is not in them, although I am happy for him to be creating his own story full of memories of traveling Europe. I think I mentioned in the last post that he spent Christmas with my brother in law and his family in Nuremberg, which is now on my wishlist of places to visit someday, also. Cross one item off, add another. We'll be seeing our son in a month when we pack our bags again, this time to Rome, when he can share more about his encounters with amazing creations - both human and divine - from his travels through Rome and beyond. But he was missed, and I would love for him to see these places, too. The world is so full of a number of things . . .