Day 26, 27: 22nd, 23rd April 2011

The day started with us having to pack up the tent, and unpack again after 10 minutes... (we had to change the camp site number, remember?) so much for not planning the stay!

The adventure of the previous day left us wanting to do nothing but sleep... so this was the day of us relaxing.. and camping like it should be.. chilling, doing nothing, building fires, roasting marshmallows...

I was complaining about the cold, wrapped up in woolens AND a jacket, when I saw 2 girls walking down the lane.. in shorts and a T shirt!!!
"Aren't they feeling cold" I turned to V
"It isn't that cold actually. Guess age is catching up with you"

Smart Arse! ... Sure shot way to get me to stop complaining! Needless to say, I did not feel the cold all day!

The only eventful thing that we did all day was go to the national forest outside the park boundary, and collect the dead-and-down firewood to build a huge fire in the evening. Now, not that we couldn't have bought it at the camp store.. but that wouldn't be fun, would it? I wanted to do it for the thrill of it! Gathering firewood is not allowed at the Grand Canyon, but it is, in the national forest, just 2 miles outside the park!!.. So what the hell! It was fun! Cheap thrill, I agree. but thrill nonetheless :D

The next morning was adios to the Grand Canyon, and on our way to the next pit stop! We didn't know what it would be yet! We just knew that we were headed towards Texas, via the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.. We ride all day and stop by for the evening/night, wherever the sun sets!

The gentleman at the Grand Canyon (the one who put us to shame with his knowledge of India) had mentioned of a good Indian restaurant in Flagstaff, and I was craving for some Indian food, so we decided to stop by for lunch! Stuffed ourselves at "Delhi Plaza" at Flagstaff, AZ and hit the road... Unfortunately no pictures.. :( we were busy eating...

The winds were getting stronger and brutal, and before we realized, we lost the mirror housing to the winds... :(( .. we even went back 20 miles to see if we could find it roadside.. but no luck...

Having wasted enough time back and forth, it was getting dark and we needed a place to sleep. We stopped by a small town called Winslow.. and all I could think of was a motel room to sleep..
We looked around 2 motels (which had terrible rooms, and there was no way we were sleeping in those beds), when we spotted a small motel with a random name.
"Let's try this one last place, else we will just close our eyes and sleep in whatever bed they have" I was on verge of sleeping in the parking lot

As luck would have it, this one had an Indian woman at the reception... so I asked her in Hindi if they had a room. She replied in a heavily accented English. Now this was weird... She was traditionally dressed and there was no way it looked like she wouldn't speak the language. So I tried again.. But she insisted on speaking in English. I finally gave up... maybe she had been here long, and genuinely did not understand Hindi. U never know..

We completed the formalities and checked in the room. Just then, I heard a woman screaming on top of her lungs.. "JALDI KARO" (Hindi for 'hurry up').. I could have ignored it.. but the bitch in me did not.... So I opened the door and peeped out.. and smiled.... "So you do speak Hindi after all".. Well, I didn't need to say this.. the smile on my face, and the expression on her's.. said it all .. :D... I did sleep well... LOL...

Day 25: 21st April 2011

Today did not start early! Turned out that my still-young husband ALSO had his legs hurting after yesterday's trail! HA-HA! So much for calling me old... Thank You God!

And we both were less on enthusiasm today to start at 6 in the morning, as earlier planned!

Also we had to pack up from the Camper village and go to the Mather campground today. It was annoying to pack up and ride 5 miles and set it up again! So much for wanting to being INSIDE the national park! Stupid us!

So we spent the next hour packing up stuff, loading it on the bike, saying our byes to fellow campers... promising them to meet on the trails, and left the campground... when suddenly..... We fell... OMG! Too shocked to click a picture of  the fall, but in hind sight, I should have.. it was a funny sight!

Since we fell down a slope, we broke the right side rear view mirror, the mirror housing AND we were unable to get the bike back up! A guy came running to help, and it turns out that even the three of us couldn't get it up! So call for another one... it took 4 of us, every ounce of our strength and energy to get the bike back on the road! Phew! What a start to the day! The only snap we managed to click was later... of the damage!

So by the time we got to the Grand Canyon entrance it was post 1130 am! We decided that it was probably best to extend our stay by another day, and we reserved a site for 22nd as well. BUT, we didn't get the same site as 21st!!! SO it meant that we would have to pack our tent and stuff and move sites on 22nd morning!!! Too much unnecessary work! <Sad face>.. 

We did want to do at least a part of the South Kaibab trail, though not all of it (we had confessed to ourselves that there was absolutely no way we could have done all of it!) The fact that they had out posters all over, announcing how people had died attempting to complete this trail in one day, did not help at all. There was no way I was going to die over a stupid trail! I did not even mind admitting that maybe I really was getting old.... all for a noble cause of staying alive!

1st things 1st... we had to eat.. before we start our trail.... so lunch was at the Grand Canyon general store... We could go further if we were not hungry, we told ourselves.

No, that's NOT my food.. I am a vegetarian..... Still!

I am eating the tiny Salad, that's hardly there! (I felt the same after eating it.. hardly there) ...

This is V, stuffing himself... (remember the keep-him-well-fed rule?)

So, there we were, being well-fed.. and feeling so!

By the time we actually started walking down the trail, it was almost 3 in the afternoon (I am not sure if the delay was genuine or I was trying to delay it, hoping that I wouldn't need to do it at all)

We carried 2 bottles of water with us - one for each, and a few cereal bars. Hoping that the lunch we ate almost an hour-and-a-half ago would last us till the end of the trail, we didn't carry any food.  The trail started at the rim of the canyon and going down, descending into the canyon. I did carry my trail stick with me, in spite of the name calling, and turned out it was a good idea! Going down the trail was the easy and fun part.

This is a snap that I clicked of V going down the trail, and I swear V is in the snap.. you just have to look hard enough to spot him :-|. (I have had enough bashing from V for clicking snaps that don't serve the purpose and hence are useless. This one for example was supposed to show V walking down the trail.. BUT :D)

I kept wondering why people would die on this trail, it seemed to be a sweet one. The sun won't set till 830-900 pm and thus we had more than 6 hours for the trail, so we decided that wherever we were around 6, would be the point from where we should turn back and start the return. We wanted to play it as it came, and not stretch ourselves. The view was breathtaking and we took our time clicking pictures, soaking in the naked beauty of nature. Just looking at the landscape lying in front of you, calm as hell (or heaven is it?).. speechless!

We did manage to reach 'Caesar's ridge', 4 miles down the trail, into the canyon.
A look back at what we had achieved.. and common sense dawned upon us. It was easy to walk down, but the tougher part was the return - walking up! So no point going any further and time to turn back.

We were standing at the Caesar's ridge, camera with V (as usual, given how good a photographer I am) and looking around if we could find someone to click a picture of both of us together. We spotted an elderly gentleman (OK, middle aged as per US standards), and I was framing in my head how I should approach him and request him, when he said "Photo Khichna hai?" (Hindi for 'you want me to click a snap?"). I almost fainted. Recovering from the shock, I smiled and thanked him as he took the camera from us.

We learnt that he was a professional Tabla player (an Indian instrument), and had played with the likes of Zakir Hussein and Ravi Shankar. He was in Arizona for a concert and was taking some time off in the Grand Canyon. He had spent a few years in Nepal .. (aaahhh.. that's how the knowledge of Hindi, makes sense) and was very well-read on Indian mythology. He even went to the extent of explaining V the meaning of his name and where it figures in the mythology (which we didn't know of course, before he mentioned)..And he practiced Yoga religiously every day and believed in it's powers.


That's him, the white-guy who put two Indians to shame, by his knowledge about India.

Time to head back. And boy! the way up, was TOUGH! I had to stop every 10 min and take a sip of water and wait for 5 minutes to catch my breath!... NOW, I knew how you could die on this trail if you are lost or if you try to rush it and finish it at one shot.... you would probably die of exhaustion.. I knew I could!

It was a long long way up and it took us more than double the time it took to go down! No point rushing it, so we took our time, enjoying the views ... It was getting cold and the sun was losing the warmth, trying to hide behind the rocks.

Made it to the campground by 800... in time to build a fire, fix a quick meal and have a beer :D 

Day 24: 20th April 2011

The Grand Canyon: the Rim trail 


It was an early and excited start to the day, all ready to walk around. There are few days when I wake up early, and fewer days when an early start has me excited. We were ready to head out by 930, and I was all set for the trail, with sun block generously applied all over.

"Let's go" I chirped. 

"haven't you forgotten something?" V was in a mood for puzzle games. 

"Breakfast? I cooked and we ate, remember"

"No, not that. Something important"

"What?"

"The rest of your jeans! Where is it?"

"VERY FUNNY! I am wearing shorts"

"Is that all you will wear?"

"YES. get used to it" conversation over.  

We reached the Grand Canyon visitor centre by 1030 and parked the motorcycle, determined to use the shuttle bus and walk. We picked up the "map & guide" and quickly scanned to identify the 'easy' and 'moderate' trails. I truely believe in 'know your own limitations' and nothing could motivate me to attempt a 'strenuous' trail. We identified two trails that we wanted to accomplish. The "Rim Trail" which was an easy listed, walking around the rim of the canyon as the name suggested, and the 'South Kabab trail", going down the canyon.  

We were to do the rim trail today, and the south Kaibab one, the next day, since that required us to carry some food and water. We had intended to start around 6 am, the next morning, so that we would cover maximum distance before it got too hot. Today was already too late to attempt this one, so we stuck to the rim trail.  

We walked around the entire rim, reading materials, knowing about the Grand Canyon was formed, how old the rocks are, and how it changed over a period of time. It is truly nature's wonder, and mother nature makes you feel insignificant, standing at the rim looking across what lies ahead of you. It is a masterpiece, beyond words. 

The Colorado rover cut through layers of rocks to form the Grand Canyon. It took the mighty Colorado a total of 6 million years to make the Canyon what it is now. And it still carves the canyon, the thickness of an A4 sheet of paper, every year! This Canyon has some of the earth's oldest rocks. And the rocks in the canyon are named according to their age. The lower most layer is the oldest, formed almost a billion years ago. They say that this layer is almost as old as the earth itself. 

And I was surprised to know that the rock layers have a lot of Hindu names. The lowermost layer is the Brahma Schist, then there are the the Vishnu Schist; there is also one Rama Schist! Wonder why they are named after the Hindu Gods! Beats me! Any explanations to this are welcome, as I am itching to know. 

The surprise wasn't over yet. They also have a formation called the SHIVA TEMPLE!!!! Please someone??

I wonder if they associate India being the oldest civilization on earth (which is probably true), and so the Hindu Gods automatically become the oldest known names??? Who knows what they were thinking!

I noticed something that caught my eye, and my mind! I couldn't get over the fact that even here in the US, people were so stupid as to do this --->

I always thought that this kind of stuff ONLY happened in the so called third-world-countries!!!

Felt sort of good to know that idiots exist everywhere, and bad to see this in Grand Canyon -- mixed emotions, you know!


The trail was much longer than I had thought. Finally managed to finish it, though I was more than huffing and puffing towards the end of it!

And with my-legs-are-hurting whine, looking for a stick that I could use as a trail-stick.
"You are not allowed to do that" as usual V had his two cents
"Why?"
"They have posted all over.. gathering firewood is prohibited"
"Excuse me! I am looking for a trail-stick, not firewood"
"What prevents you from burning it AFTER you have completed the trail?" V had his doubts
"Well, now that you say it.. it actually is a good idea" and I went back to my stick search.
"You are growing old" V wasn't done
"Now where did THAT come from?"
"You need a walking stick"
"No, I need a TRAILING stick"
"Same shit"
"SHUT UP"

We did manage to finish the trail, and I did not complain AT ALL post this conversation, fearing to be labeled as the growing-old-whining-woman! (Not that it helped... I did get called by that name a couple of times after all, till I threatened to divorce V if he didn't stop... it worked)

A quick trip to the Mather camp ground to reserve a site for tomorrow - 21st, (we were in luck and we did manage to get one on account of a last minute cancellation!) and we were all set to head to our Camper Village (in Tusayan) for a beer!

Nothing like a hard earned beer by the side a well built fire on a cold evening.... LOVELY, I say!

Day 23: 19th April 2011

To Grand Canyon


Finally left for Grand canyon at around 1 pm. We had been only around 40 miles when I spotted a Walmart.
"Stop, stop, stop"
"What happened?" I had nearly sent him in a state of shock
"There's a Walmart. let's throw the stove in their faces" I was excited
"What is wrong with you, you idiot? NEVER scream like that when we are riding." V didn't share my excitement.
"OK, Sorry" <puppy face> (always works :D)

Stove duly returned, $53 pocketed and spent in a matter of 1 hour. Good fun :D 

I always think of shopping as fun, V however begs to differ (yup, I do make him beg if he wants to differ :D). 

As we rode along, I couldn't help wondering about the vastness of the country, and about how blessed they are to have the natural resources they do. God DID bless America! It pains however to see that most of the Americans take a lot for granted. I guess, when the basics of life ARE granted, you would tend to believe that way. The wants then become needs, and the needs are given. There is a stark contrast between how WE (Indians) and THEY (Americans) perceive our lives. Our 'luxuries' are their 'must-haves' and somehow you cannot appreciate the gift of small mercies when you have so much given to you on a silver plate. You want more comfort and believe that that's what you need! You don't want to do your dishes, and so you NEED a dishwasher. (You of course wouldn't worry about how much electricity and water it consumes) You need your clothes washed and ready instantly, so you wouldn't wait to dry it in the sun, you would NEED a dryer. (Again, you won't bother about how much gas or electricity it consumes). Life is about BIGGER, and MORE. It's super-size and it's disposable. And i couldn't help wonder - America IS truly a nation of disposables. AND it is a nation of waste management, I must give due credit. For the amount of disposables they produce, they are extremely efficient in their waste management. 

They do believe in recycling (trust me, they recycle hell of a lot), BUT they don't believe in re-using or even reducing. It is ironical. 

But what the hell, I thought. They can afford it. Mother nature has truly blessed them with natural resources - Land, water, minerals, and money they made out of it!

V poked me with his elbow, bringing me back to the ride, "Stop sleeping"

"I am not sleeping" I really wasn't. I was deep in my demented thoughts 

"Stop lying too"

"What the hell, I said I wasn't sleeping" 

"Then why aren't you responding?"

"To what?"

"I told you thrice to keep clicking pictures"

"Oh, Ok..." and I looked around at the landscape. It was clear that we were nearing the Grand Canyon, and everything looked like it! 

Another hour's ride, and we saw the sign welcoming us to the Grand Canyon. WOW, made it! BUT the excitement was short-lived. Just when I thought we were there, we realized that Mather campground was the only operational one at that time of the year and it was on the South Rim';and we had entered from the East, so another 55miles (or so) to where we were supposed to be. 

Finally made it to the camp ground registration by 630 in the evening. Not bad, all we had to do was dump our stuff, set up the tent and relax for the night! IF only we found a camp site that was! Turned out that there wasn't a single site available for the next 2 days. What rotten luck! The spring holidays had started, and it was a national park week, so free entry... hence the rush. THANK YOU!

Luckily the gentleman at the registration desk was helpful enough to tell us that if we went another 5 miles to a town called Tusayan, we could try our luck at the Camper's village. "Have never known them to send anyone away" he said, that was a relief. 

Finally managed to find a sunny spot at the Camper's village. And we were just in time. At least 10 people arrived after us and we were lucky to be able to choose our tenting spot! Too tired to walk around, even to look at the town. So made a quick meal, and off to bed we went. Tomorrow was to be a long day, we wanted to go trailing. 

Day 22nd/23rd - 18th/19th April

Coral Sand dunes


I woke up with a single agenda in my head - throw away the stupid stove! But V disagreed. He reminded me that it would refund our $53 if we returned it (including the taxes that we paid), and I agreed to tolerate it's presence till the sight of the next Walmart.

No morning coffee, no breakfast, and hence a bad start of the day for both of us.

Stopped by a Subway for breakfast as soon as we exited Bryce - less than 2 miles :)

Slow ride, nothing eventful, till we reached the Sand Dunes. It wasn't much of a ride, 85 miles or so, and V wanted to move on after we have a look at the sand dunes. I, on the other hand, wanted to stop for the day, and was in no mood for the ride (the bad start of the day, remember?) It is amazing to know how much difference one (ok, two) cup of coffee can make. 

 The disagreement was sorted and middle ground reached, like it always is, between the two of us. Ending up in an argument, me refusing to move an inch, announcing that he could go alone if he wanted to, and V agreeing to stay after making a lot of faces. And of course, not talking to each other for the next 15 minutes. 

We managed to reach the registration desk just in time to get the last available tent site (the rush owing to the start of spring holidays for schools), and V was disappointed. As soon as we moved past the entrance (and the registration desk), I realized that maybe V was right. (I so hate to admit it when I am wrong). 

We were so out of place and people did give us funny glances. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, was either riding an OHV or had one (or more) parked in their campsites. And here we were, in a Honda ST1300, with luggage mounted on the bike, camping at the Sand Dunes!!!! 

I was sure they were wondering what were we planning to do. And it would be fun to disappoint them :D

What the hell, might as well enjoy. We tried walking around, but it was too hot and very difficult to walk around in the sand. So we sat at the Pavilion, looking at others riding their OHVs and clicking some snaps for a while. For now, this was the best we could do. It was late afternoon and we hadn't had lunch, so it was only fair that we exit the sand dunes, and save ourselves some misery, at least for a while. 

Tommy said that the nearst restaurant was in Kanab, around 23 miles. We had enough time at hand, and we did make it to Kanab by around 4 pm. Too late for lunch by local standards, and too early for dinner.... so no food <sad face>. So much for driving 23 miles!

I came up with a brilliant idea that if we go to a supermarket, we could get some food in their 'deli' section. (Smart me :d), so I dragged V to 'Honey Supermarket'. Well, no deli section, no food, and on-the-verge-of-getting-angry hungry V. I had to salvage the situation.  

"Let's go back, I can cook something for you"

I bit my tongue as soon as I said that. No stove, remember!!! 

"Ok, let's buy a camper's stove from here. Then I can cook you a good meal" just saved .

"hmmm"

So we ended up buying another camper's stove and a propane bottle, and some quick-fix meals that I could cook easily. The only problem now was to figure out how to pack up! 

Reached the campground when it was getting dark. Stopped by the roadside to click some pictures of the sunset. 

Fixed up a quick dinner, fed him well and put him to bed (which is the best thing to do when he is tired and hungry). We made it an early night, as V wanted to leave early morning, heading to the Grand Canyon. I did not dare argue, so I quitely agreed. We left our luggage on the picnic table, half unpacked, half messy, hoping to take care of it in the morning. 

I woke up at around 3 am to the sound of tip-tap on the tent. It took me a while to realize what was happening.   

"F%$k baby, it's raining" I shook V. 

"Ok, good" he was fast asleep. 

"What good? Wake up. We have a lot of luggage outside"

"Anything that the rain can ruin? Think and tell me names" and he turned over and slept. 

"I am not playing puzzle games with you right now. GET UP and let's get some stuff in the tent" 

"Too late. It's probably alerady all wet. Go back to sleep. We'll see what to do in the morning" V wouldn't budge at all. Lazy bum. 

"OK fine. Suits me." there was no way I was stepping out of the tent alone at that hour! (I doubt if I would step out even with V in that darkness) 

This was the 1st time that we had left our stuff outside so messily, and this was the time that it rained all night! 

We woke up at 8 in the morning to realize that there was no way we could leave without drying up our stuff, including our helmets which were soaked to the bone. Spent the next 4 hours laying everything down in the sun and waiting. 

By the time we finally managed to  leave, it was 1 pm. Too late. We only hoped that we would make to the Grand canyon in time. 

Day 21st, 22nd - 17th, 18th April

Bryce National Park

The day started with packing as usual, (for V) and planning a quick breakfast (for me). Why do I bother cooking and waste time 1st thing in the morning on making a breakfast, you ask? Well, coz V is a strange man! He gets angry when he is hungry. He never says he is, though (I doubt if he realizes himself), but he sure does get angry. SO ... I prefer to have him well-fed before we hit the road :D. (Also coz I need my morning coffee, without which I refuse to board the bike :D)

The "map & guide" paper (which I preferred to call the newspaper, much to V's amuzement)  that we had received at the time of the entry said that there was a tunnel connecting Zion to Bryce and in my limited knowlodge of the geography of the land, this was the only way to reach Bryce. I read it over and over again, and there was one line that I kept getting stuck at - "vehicles requiring traffic control through the tunnel will need to pay a $15 fee in addition to the park entry fee". Now this was funny!

"We will have to pay $15 to cross the tunnel" I told V
"Why?"
"Coz it says so! Listen..." and I read it out to V aloud
 "This can't be true" he just wouldn't believe me
"But it's written here. I swear. You don't believe me?? .. have a look" and I handed it over to him
He glanced through the paper, and then looked up, "Come on now... really... this is simple English"
"Yeah, so?"
"What school did you go to?" now he was acting smart!
"What the hell, I just read to you what was in the paper!"
"Well, you forgot to read just one paragraph, right on top of what you have been reading"

And boy, he was right! What I had missed reading was fairly important. Vehicles OVER 25 feet would require traffic control through the tunnel, as the tunnel was built long ago (1920, I think, but i could be wrong) and they hadn't planned for such big vehicles then!

"Very funny" I never like to make a fool of myself (which I do more than often, though)
"No. Serious. What school did you go to?" with V you always a hard time telling when he is joking and when he is not.
"f%$k off"
"Ok, cool. Let's get in the tent"
"F%^K OFF"

That was an eventful start to the morning, and we did manage to cross the tunnel without paying anything extra.
"Oh, we forgot to pay them"
'Yeah, right smartarse. I was wrong. Happy now"
I was sure I could see him grinning though the helmet.

The tunnel was longer than I had expected and due credit to them, they did a fabulous job in 1920. I wonder what equipments they had at the time, but cutting through a solid rock mountain and carve out a tunnel that long must have been hell of a job.
The tunnel was dark (poor lighting) and I did try to click a few pictures but they turned out to be a waste.

As soon as we crossed the tunnel, the landscape seemed to have changed drastically! WOW! The mountains had a different shape all together, and the roks were flaky. I wonder HOW they eneded up like that!
The ride was beautiful! I was dying to tell V that he should stop for a picture, but I wasn't talking to him :-S ... What the hell, this landscape was too beautiful to be wasted. So, I poked him on his shoulder and asked him to stop.

He immediately took to clicking pictures. This is one thing I love about him. He will never hold a fight against me (very unlike me) and immediately forgets that we ever had a fight (poor memory but always works to my advantage *evil grin*).

"You think these mountains can fall off?"

"SHUT UP"

One milestone achieved on the way - our trip meter touched 2000 miles <Happy grin> BUT, we realized that it resets to zero at 2000 <Sad face>

The wind was getting cooler, and I had already started complaining of the cold (and NO, contrary to what V thinks, I DO NOT complain all the time). We stopped by a rest area, so that I could put on some warm clothes. 

A very pleasnt looking gentleman walked up to us, "Nice bike"
"Thanks" nothing pleases V more than someone appreciating his bike
"Hot day, huh?"
<Straight face> I didn't think I was in a postion to react to THAT comment!

"Where you headed to?" friendly-man asked.
"Bryce"
"Oh Boy! I was there 3 days ago, and it was 5 below zero..... Celcius. You understand Celcius?"
<We sure do!AND it's time to take a U-turn and run for our lives!>

We thanked the good man for the news, and since V refused to turn back, we continued to Bryce. THIS is how the other side of the road looked. I was surprised I hadn't noticed it earlier!  

Reached Bryce. Phew. And yes, it was cold. Though not below zero. It was a sunny day <Thank You God>.

This is what the camp-site looked like. AND they didn't have hot water in the restrooms .. brrrr.... 

Finding a site was easy, there were many people around anyways. The stove (replaced at Walmart earlier), did not work again, and so no dinner. Snuggled into bed cold and hungry, hoping that the morning would be better.  

The bright shining sun was a beautiful start to the next day, but the stove didn't think so. No morning coffee as well, and a grumpy me. Out of sheer desperation, I walked up to a woman crossing by, and asked her if she knew how to operate a camper's stove. She said that she didn't but he husband did, and told me to come over to her site with the stove. <Thank you>

So V and I walked up to their site with the stupid stove in our hand, feeling foolish, but needy. 

Marc (the husband) was an experience camper, and must have had a magic touch, coz he managed to get the stove working the 1st time he tried it! I could have sworn to God that we were doing everything EXACTLY as he did it, but ... We thanked him and carried the stove back to our site, still lighted. I couldn't risk extingushing the flame. I did get my coffee and V got a good breakfast. 

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent riding around the park, going to various elevation points and clicking pictures. 

The 'Hoodoos', as they call them, are something that I believe everyone should see. It reinforces your belief in the super power who has architected the world. This looked like an old city that has been excavated from the ruins. I did learn from the reading materials, that the Hoodoos get their shape from erosion by ice, but it is difficult to bvelieve that someone didn't hadcarve them. And they get their name from the word "Woodoo" as they seem to cast a spell on everyone who visits them. TRUE!  

I had thought that Zion was the best, and now I stood corrected. This was something else. 

We would have loved to go for a trail down these rock, but this wasn't the time. Most of the trailheads looked like this and it was best avoided at the moment.

Lunch was at Bryce Lodge, a very elegant looking little restaurant, with a very fine old gentleman waiting our table. BUT, the menu did not have ANYTHING vegetarian. <Sad face>

Ended up going for the buffet as it would at least give me access to the salad bar. mmm... the food was lovely, and so was the ambiance. I just LOVED the place and the people. 

I noticed that most of the employees here were 50+. I love the way the senior citizens are involved in the workforce and still active and live their lives to the fullest (something that we don't get to see in India).   

OK, enough of the romantic lunch! Time for some reality check chores. LAUNDRY! 

Yeah, so we did end up spending rest of the afternoon at the general store of the park - taking paid showers and doing the laundry. Not to mention picking up beer for the evening :)and the most important thing - firewood - to cook dinner.

The evening was spent cooking on fire, something that I loved doing, especially as I got to be close to the fire in that cold, and could sip on chilled beer :D

We loved the place and wanted to extend the stay to another day, BUT a casual chat with Marc relevaled that the weather forecast said SNOW for the next night, and we thought it was best to get out of here before it got cold(er). Marc also mentioned the "Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park", and we immediately decided that this was our next stop. We hadn't even heard of this state park or planned for it, but then this entire trip was about doing what we wanted to do WITHOUT having to think or plan too much . 

P.S. to the last post - On way to Zion

Forgot to mention a very important event that happened on our way to Zion - V was pulled over by a cop for speeding! The sequence of events is as under:

1. V is riding at 55 mph, when we notice a sign that says "Reduced speed ahead".
2. V slows down to 45 mph.
3. Slows down further. I shout from the back, "what happened?"
4. V replies, "there is an idiot in front of me, who wouldn't let me pass", and V moves closer to the car.
5. The 'idiot' in front of us moves to the left lane and sticks a hand out of the drivers window.
6. V assumes that this is a pass signal and overtakes and even murmurs a thank you!
7. The 'idiot' starts flashing the lights on top of his car, and chasing us.

OK! The 'idiot' was a cop, and suddenly we felt like 'bigger idiots' not noticing that it was a cop car!

We pulled over to the shoulder, and the moment we stopped, we heard him shout, "Get off the road". (But we ARE off the road). V pulled the bike to the dirt off the road, and removed his helmet while walking towards the cop car.

"STAY RIGHT THERE" the cop shouted while whispering something in his walkie talkie, pretending to call for back up.
By now, I thought it was best to join V and I started walking towards the cop too. I called out to V to stay away from the cop, while he asked him to stand in front of the car.
After scanning the license inside out, he said, "Where are you from?"
"India"
I thought I heard him say 'shit' under his breath, but then again, I thought I heard, I wasn't sure.
"Do you speak English?"
<No you ******, we don't. We have just been following your hand signs!!!!> "`Yes, we do"
"Listen, I don't know how it happens in India, but here we don't follow"
<So how do you overtake?> "OK...??"
"You were following me"
"No, I wasn't. You signaled me to pass" poor V was so confused.
"I pulled over because I wanted you to pull over" V did a good job at confusing the cop too :D, "but you were speeding"
"No, I wasn't. I wasn't speeding at all. You just said I was following you, so I couldn't be faster than you were". <Sweetheart, you don't argue with a cop> I stared at V, like really stared, those 'shut up now' looks. being married for almost 7 years now, V can't miss reading my eyes, and he immediately shut up.


"I am sorry, we didn't realize that the speed limit was so low" Very unlike me to go ahead and say sorry, but what the hell - this was a cop, remember! "We thought it was still at 55"
"But I wasn't riding at 55" V again, followed by my 'drop dead' stare again!
"The limit here is 35 mph. There are children playing, what if I had braked?....... blah... blah..... 10 minutes of him talking and us nodding"
"Sorry about that, officer"

"SO, where are you guys riding to?".... and another 15 minute conversation where he told us about what to see in the USA and what to avoid. Nice guy :)

PHEW, saved .. and out of the situation without a ticket!
Lesson learnt: Logic doesn't always pay! Sometimes it does help to say sorry and smile a lot, even when you aren't at fault!

DAY 18, 19: 14th, 15th Apr/2011

Overton, Hurricane, Zion National Park

We left the camping space early in the morning (my definition of early is about 10: 7 am is still midnight!). 

Packing is the morning is always a painful part for us. V does most of the packing (all right, all of the packing, while I stand clear of his way - that's my way of helping him). I do assist him by ensuring that he has a decent breakfast waiting for him, when he is 'almost' done with tearing the tent down and stuffing it in our bags. 

The plan was to reach Zion National Park by day end. But we also knew that it never sticks to the plan, so we were OK with whatever the day had in store for us. That’s the way we had been traveling, looking at the map, and deciding where to head and where to stop. The best trips are when there is no plan.

Just as we were crossing overton, I saw a sign that said ‘Lost City museum’ and I dragged V to it out of curiosity. In my mind i thought of some old big ruins of a civilization that we could never have imagined existed in the times it did. The kind of men and women, what they looked like. The hostile enviromnet they lived in, the monsters they fought for survival. Ok, cut the drama, back to the museum. It was tiny little building shaped like a pueblo (we learnt this word later in the museum), built over the remains of an original pueblo made by the people who inhabited this place some 10,000-12,000 years ago. Now, THAT's what I call history, and it started to interest me now. Finally i guess, I got some perspective to the history of this region, this land.

I have always been fascinated by history, (No that doesn't mean I scored better grades in that subject when I was in school). I loved to dream about how their life styles would have been, what they did, how they did, what their average day looked like, how were women and children places in the society. You can always tell a lot about the society by knowing how the women are treated. It may sound a little feminist as I say it, but I truly do believe in this theory. The progress and survival of any society depends on how well they keep their women. It is strange how humans have evolved over thousands of years, but the basics have remained the same. Women are still the home makers (even if they go out and make their careers). I would love to know how we evolve in another 10,000 years, I doubt if anything will change. I guess it comes from the fact that men cannot multi-task (now don't ask me why, God just didn't give them the ability, he knew they couldn't handle it).  

The riding was fun. I love moving my head around and looking at the sides. Sometimes I overdo it, and V has to remind me to sit straight. I pity him for doing all the riding, he misses all the fun :D 

COWS, I spotted some cows. As Indians, we are used to seeing cows and dogs and horses amongst us. No, not in the house, I meant the roads. They are all over the roads. Its nice having company :D

Here in the US, you don't see people for say 120 miles at a stretch - no car in sight, no shade by the road, no one to look at, just plain endless road. SO the cows got me so excited that I HAD to click a picture. (Just babbling an explanation here, so that you don't think I am losing my mind posting pictures of random animals, phew!) It seemed that my excitement was fairly verbal, 'coz I heard V shouting through his helmet, telling me to stay still on the bike. I guess he feared I would jump off and go hugging one of the animals. 

But then V and I are birds of the same feather. We can get excited an inane things, and get people to wonder what we are up to. Before I could understand what he was up to, he was screeching to a halt.

"What the F*&^ do you think you are doing stopping on the highway" 

<Random hand actions>

"Stop playing dumb charades with me, will you. What do you want?"

<Moving lips through the helmet, and hand action clicking>

"You want me to click a picture? Of what?" I clearly didn't see anything around me that was picture worthy at the moment. The cows were far behind us. 

V gave up by now. He pulled over on a road shoulder, removed his helmet, "Give me the camera" 

And here is what he clicked - This was on the OTHER side of the road. Funny! 

"But we are not entering Arizona, we are leaving Arizona to enter Utah" 

"Yeah but we didn't click one when we entered" it seemed logical to him, though I seemed to miss the point. He made a face that said 'girls are weird, they never understand' and put the camera back, happy with what he had accomplished. "I want to click that board for every state we visit"

"Well, you missed California and Nevada" 

He ignored the sarcasm in my voice and said, "we will make the full loop and go back, we will click it then"

"HUH"

After what seemed like endless riding (I am sure it wasn't that much, just that my bums were hurting), I was almost pleading V to stop for the day. We came across a beautiful town called Hurricane (what a lovely name!!), and it seemed to me like I couldn't miss the opportunity. We hadn't had a shower in two days (Lake Mead doesn't have even the paid showers), and therefore it was fitting that we stay in a motel today. 

We were standing across the Motel 8 reception, bewildered at what we are supposed to say -  greeted by a 8 year old at the reception chair, asking us in a perfect accent "How can I help you today". 

"Well, we were looking for a room for tonight" I tried to stay calm

"Two beds or one bed"

"One is fine, we are a couple" This was getting a little awkward now

"And how would you like to pay for this"

"Credit card" I said, while I wanted to REALLY ask him - can we PLEASE talk to an adult, maybe... if you don't mind that is. 

"That would be $50 plus tax"

I couldn't refrain myself by now. "Do you like, own this place?"

"My dad does" he was smooth like hell

"And do you run this"

"No, my dad is sleeping"

THANK YOU. I would have fainted if you hadn't said that.

After dumping the luggage and a quick shower we realized that we still had some time at hand for the day (<puppy face> it was only 230 in the afternoon). We stepped out to look at Zion. 

V had been telling me all morning how his ADV friends said it was a beauty, even when less popular than the bigger ones. It was only 20 miles from Hurricane and I was visibly much less tired after the bath, so what the hell. 

If the road from Hurricane to Zion was anything to go now, I could guess that the park would be beautiful. 

We checked at the camp site to see if there was anything available for us. As we had suspected, no luck. But we did realize that if we wanted a place, we should be there the next morning. 

This again was something that was in contrast to the pattern you would have in India. Back home, if we wanted to go anywhere, we would typically reach there in the evenings, when we had roamed around and it was time for us to relax. But here, we were learning the hard way that if you wanted a place to stay, you have to be there in the mornings, put up your camp and then head out for the day. It is always interesting to note the differences between two societies and how people behave/react. People-observing has always been my hobby, and I take pride in the fact that I read them very well. (My favorite pass-time is to sit by the camp site by the fire and look around at everyone who passes by and then try to imagine what (s)he would be like, but more on that later). 

Zion was every bit as beautiful (and cold) as I had imagined. We parked  the bike and took the shuttle to go around the park. This was the 1st park where I saw the shuttle (not that I had been to many.. but in my limited knowledge this was still the 1st). It was a much more convenient and less polluting way of getting people around the park. (+10 to the government for this one). We used the afternoon and evening getting on and off the shuttle bus. 

"Lt's go for a trail" this was V's brilliant idea. Wonder why he thought that I would want to go walking. But he is a baby, he always comes up with these sweet ideas thinking I would like it. Muah :D 

"OK, let's do it. Which one is the shortest?" I wanted to keep the exercise to the minimum :) 

"The weeping rock" We choose the shorted one, which said 1.4 miles round trip, and started off. 

contrary to what I had thought before we started, I actually liked this. Walking along the nature, with so much beauty around you. It was soothing. 

The read signs that said, when the water is half gone, its time to return. LOL, really? All these warnings for a 1.4 miles round trip? Not bad! 

We continued walking for a while, when I spotted a deer. WOW, never seen one in my life so close, and so fearless. It seemed oblivious to our existence, and even if he did see us, he didn't care.   

We clicked a few good shots and were pleased with ourselves. 

This trail thing was good, I was liking it. But 30 minutes down the trail, I was huffing and puffing. 

"Isn't it a mile already" It seemed like we had been walking for ages. 

"Don't know, guess not. It said this was an easy trail" V was his indifferent self. 

"But I am sure we have walked much more than a mile"

"Maybe we are nearing the end of it" tried to keep me going. 

"This is it. I quit. We have been walking for over an hour" I was exasperated by now. 

"Just a little more, I am sure it's towards the end of it" 

The trail was getting steeper and I felt like i was climbing a mountain.

"I refuse to go any further. I am dying, and this doesn't seem to end" I sat down. 

"OK, I will go and check how much more is it" V was also getting restless. 

Man, I was impressed. I couldn't finish the trail that was the easiest in the US. I didn't know what was I to derive out of it. Maybe the age was catching up with me, however much I denied the fact. <Sad face>

V went on to check while I stayed back looking at the world around me. It was beautiful and I loved to be here. It felt nice to be without my laptop and my blackberry and for once not worrying about a meeting or a presentation or a deadline. It just felt nice to look at something and not think about anything. Just nice, nothing else.

V came back and announced that he couldn't see the end of the trail, and without saying, I turned to go down.
"It's OK, we don't always have to finish the trail" he consoled me
"You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"No, I won't. You can always say you finished the trail."

We sprinted our way back. it's always easier coming down the hill, and I think the return is the best part of the trail.
Finally on the trail head, I went to the board to re-check if this was really only 1.4 miles. It sure felt much more than that. What I read put all the pieced together.
"Baby, do you know how much we walked?" I asked V as he came and stood next to me. "The trail we were on, was 12 miles, and it is listed as 'strenuous'"
"Really? how come? It said 'easy' on the guide"
"Well, the easy one is in the other direction" and we both giggled our hearts out. people gave us funny glances, I am sure no one else understood what was so funny, but we didn't have to tell anyone.

This was enough adventure for one day, and we had to head back now. Back to the motel and sleep like dead men!

The next day we reached the park with our luggage at 11, only to realize that the camp sites were sold out that morning by 10. Damn! What the hell. It's a Friday people, don't you have work to attend or what!

Let's go to the other campground and try our luck. I knew this was a crazy idea, but what the hell, it was worth a shot. A board greeted us at the entrance - "Pls do not enter without reservation, campground full".
THANK YOU.
But V wouldn't go back without talking to ranger. And I thank him for that! We did manage to get one last site, that had just become available due to a cancellation. <Wide Grin>

We set up our camp, and whiled away the morning lazily eating and relaxing. The trail from the previous day was still heavy on our legs.
By noon, I was so excited about the trail, that I wanted to do one again.

V claimed that he can never understand me, but then no one does, so why bother.

I wanted to do the 'river-side trail' which was listed as a moderate hike, and after the earlier one, it seemed easy.

we packed up our bag - a water bottle, some energy bars, some peanuts, an apple and one orange - and we were good to do. The river side trail lived up to its name, it was pretty and along with river. I would just leave that story telling to the pictures. Nothing better than that.