Porter's Party Place, Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Our friends, Paul and Sue Porter, spent the summer in hot, hot, hot (120+F or 50C) Lake Havasu City (LHC) building a house. They are "full-timers" (live 12 months/year in an RV traveling) now coming off the road for a few months of the year to enjoy boating, a beautiful home and to offer their friends full RV hookups in their massive yard. As we leave St. George, Utah with snow predicted, we expect to spend 2 or 3 days with the Porters on our way to warmer southern Arizona. Then they invite us for Christmas, and we end up staying just over 2 weeks!

Porters' Party Place

Sue taking the first plunge! The pool has just been filled and Sue is anxious to test it out; after all, she had designed this pool to her own specifications - the baja shelf, the swim-up bar and the hot tub. She is in and out pretty quickly on this maiden swim. I think the water temperature is barely 70F and the air maybe 60F!

Our rig outside the Porters' house in Lake Havasu City There are two full RV hookups on this side of the house, and when we first arrive we are at the front of the house because Paul and Sue's rig is hogging precious Site #1. Well, okay, it IS their house!

In coveted Site #1 After the first week, Paul has time to move their rig and we move into the back, with a beautiful view of the pool and Christmas lights. This is not the full Christmas moon, but just a couple of days before; still big and bright!

Iron Door Mine Hike

Overlooking LHC.  Mountains across the valley are in California During our first week, we feel the need to stretch our legs. While the Porters are busy with sub-contractors and finishing jobs on the house, Brad and I explore one of the trails in the mountains above Lake Havasu City, the Iron Door Mine. A 4-mile hike up a road too rough for us to drive leads to an old mine that can be entered due to its solid rock walls and ceiling. No interesting pictures of that, but here's a view of the city and Lake Havasu which is a dammed section of the Colorado River.

Good thing you carry a spare! As we make our way down the foot path from the mine to the 4x4 road, we meet a young man and his friendly dog Eva. He offers to give us a ride back down to our truck (2 miles away) in his "rock crawler", a jacked-up Toyota 4Runner. He's driven these roads all his life, having grown up here in LHC, and it's apparent by the speed he drives. Suddenly BAM! His front tire hits a large rock (and there are MANY on the road), but does he stop? Nope, he picks up speed. Have to get to flat ground closer to the paved road before the tire goes completely flat! Scariest ride of my life - so far. I'm not sure if I'm hanging on to the dog for my sake or hers. But we make it back safely to the top of the 20-foot dryfall, and he's quick to change the flat like this has happened before (it has). Always an exciting adventure.

London Bridge Lights

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City On a calmer excursion, Brad and I walk along the channel to the London Bridge to see the Christmas lights. I have photographed the London Bridge for previous blogs (Feb 2015 and Feb 2014), but these are the first at night and with decorations. It is a beautiful night, and many people are out.

Three sailboats with their masts fully lit.

The Resort and shops lit up like a roman candle. I don't think I've ever seen that many lights on a building before.

Christmas with Friends

Nancy, Dave, Julie, Mike, Sue, Paul, Dozer, me and Brad I must admit, I do miss being with my family at Christmas. Usually, we are in California with my uncle, but sadly he passed away this past year. So we find ourselves with no plans when Sue suggests we stay for Christmas with them and 2 other couples whom we know from our RV gatherings (almost) annually in Quartzsite. What better way to spend the holidays. I will need several weeks to recuperate from the constant eating and laughing.

Could Christmas Eve get any better than this? The group of us (minus photographer Sue) in the hot tub on Christmas Eve: me (front and centre), Dave, Nancy, Brad, Paul, Mike and Julie. The day was actually warm and winds calm enough so, with the pool heated to about 80F, the swim preceding the hot tubbing is extremely comfortable.

Finally, with some persuasion, the guitars come out. Dave and Mike put on a fabulous concert for us after Christmas dinner.

They do not practice beforehand. Dave plays a melody and Mike follows with the chords. The result is we are witnessing a creation. Such talent.

What?!! Sue plays the guitar too? Who knew? Well, she says she hasn't played in many years, but it sounds great to us.

And Brad too? Is there anyone here who doesn't play the guitar? Oh, right - the rest of us. We have such a great time with this group, and look forward to seeing them again in a couple of weeks at the annual gathering in Quartzsite. Thank you, Porters, for the Christmas invitation and hospitality.

Around St. George, Utah

Snow Canyon State Park

A few minutes outside of St. George in southwestern Utah, we spend a couple of days hiking in Snow Canyon State Park, named after Mr. Snow, not the wintery white stuff. Typical of southern Utah, the area is adorned in red sandstone layered with minerals giving these petrified dunes their colour and texture.

A very recent volcanic lava flow from about 25,000 years ago gives this park a unique look. Here the exposed ripples glimmer in the sun.

The park has a few lava tubes which are big enough to enter although we can't get far inside them before collapsed boulders block the path. Brad is in the sunshine, to the left of the mouth of the tube cave.

Zion National Park

The reward for hiking the Taylor Creek Trail: Double Arch Alcove. Really, the bottom alcove is more of a ledge with a cave under it, but these two formations together are a sight to behold. We are freezing cold during this hike in Kolob Canyon, the northern-most part of Zion National Park at about 5,000 feet of elevation. There is quite a layer of snow and some ice along the trail, and since the sun only briefly peaks into this canyon, the rocks remain ice cold. I am wearing four layers and gloves.

On the Watchman Trail which starts at the Visitor Center in Zion Canyon near the park's main entrance. This cactus is possibly a pancake or beavertail cactus, similar to a Prickly Pear only much bigger.

At the top of the Watchman Trail which climbs about 370 feet to an overlook of not only the formation known as the Watchman (not pictured), but here looking up Zion Canyon towards the Towers of the Virgin.

Ghost Town of Grafton

Just outside of Zion National Park is the ghost town of Grafton. Its remaining buildings are being restored by a heritage society. It is somewhat famous because part of this abandoned settlement was used during the filming of the bicycle scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Raindrops keep falling on my head ...

I'd have to watch the movie again, but this building looks familiar and might be the one used in the movie where Butch, the Kid and the teacher hide out.

Smithsonian Butte Scenic Backway

A crazy, jagged ridge along the Smithsonian Butte Scenic Backway road which travels from Highway 59 to the town of Rockville, just a couple of miles from the entrance to Zion National Park.

Almost at the end of the road, heading towards the ghost town of Grafton and Zion National Park.

Water Canyon

We find the off-the-beaten-track hike of Water Canyon behind the polygamous Mormon community of Hildale, which was ravaged in September of this year by a flash flood that killed 13 people. The hike is fairly difficult and we have to scramble over and around many boulders while continuously climbing up the canyon until we finally reach this beautiful little grotto. We wonder if the September flood changed the course of the hiking trail as we were unprepared for the exhausting climb. This waterfall (near the centre of the photo) is actually easy to climb up (I'm wearing a red sweater), the depth of the water being only a couple of inches deep.

A hidden alcove reached by walking through a crack in the rock. Brad is looking at what would be a waterfall during floods.

Once atop the waterfall, a ledge never much wider than the one pictured here allows us to climb above the canyon to almost the top of the canyon walls. The views of the canyon below are gorgeous.

Looking down above a slot in the canyon, which is full of water. We see ropes and climbing gear in the rocks on the opposite wall, so climbers must come here to rappel into the canyon. Overall, it's a beautiful hike surprising us with its views and serenity. A hike not to be missed if you are in the area.

Around Page, Arizona on the Utah Border

Lone Rock Beach and Dispersed Camping

Page is one of our favourite places in the southwest. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell are all here, as well as the now infamous tourist attractions Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend which draw tourists from all over the world (that it's only a few hours from the Grand Canyon is a bonus). We came here for our first time in 2008 - pre-retirement, pre-trailer. We keep coming back. We usually camp on Lone Rock Beach (got stuck here in 2013 with our son), and for the first 2 days of this year's trip, we set up home on the shores of Lake Powell again. But then we find a hidden, secret gem. Just across the highway and about 1 mile up a dirt road under the formation known as Wild Cat Tank, we find free camping. So for the first 2 months of our trip, we pay for camping for only 2 nights, and that only cost $24. We only expect to stay near Page for 2-3 days to replenish our supplies, but we find so darn much to do that we stay 2 weeks.

Stud Horse Point

The rock cliffs where we camp are called Stud Horse Point. I don't know why. These hoodoos or "toadstools" adorn part of the rim, and we spend hours hiking around them and down the rock ledges to Wild Cat Tank.

It always amazes me how these layers form. The ones that Brad is inspecting look like a painter's brush strokes swept off the canvas.

White Pocket

White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is another area we loved the first time we visited in 2013, but that day was uber-windy, so we planned to return, and that day is here.

The crazy swirling, undulating, cross-bedded shapes and colours are what draws us to this place. It's a long, sandy drive out here and last time we rented a jeep, but this year we make the drive in our own truck with the tires deflated to 25-30 PSI to give us better traction (the tires are usually at 80 PSI when we're pulling the trailer). None of the roads present a problem for us, but we always hear stories of folks getting stuck in the deep sand.

The caprock (the rock on the top) is white, giving White Pocket its name. Those white rocks remind me of pillows because of the way they are cut into rectangles and rounded on the edges. The low, eroded basins hold water when there is rain, and there's quite a bit this fall.

To many of you, it's just another picture of rocks. To me it's my favourite dessert with whipped cream, pecans and fudge on top.

A waterfall of colour. Here you can see the "pillow effect" nicely.

Wiregrass Canyon and Crosby Canyon

A sign on the way to the western shores of Lake Powell remind us there are no lifeguards here. Such a strange sign to see in this dry landscape. The lake is still many miles away.

Great camouflage Jack! We scare this jackrabbit out from under a bush, but then he freezes. We talk to him and take pictures and even move around him, but he stays still for a long time. Then he hops towards us! Weird. Hope he isn't a rabid rabbit.

More local wildlife. This is a Common Buckeye. Those spots really confuse predators. Beautiful, isn't it?

One of 2 natural bridges that have formed inside Wiregrass Canyon. Streams on both sides of the rock wall pounded at a central spot until cracks in the wall cause the rock to break free, forming a hole.

Wiregrass Canyon is a hiking trail, but we are able to drive down Crosby Canyon to Lake Powell where there are several dispersed campsites along the water's edge. Not a place we could bring our trailer, but great for car camping.

Kelly Grade and Burning Hills

Can you see the road that climbs this mesa? Me neither! Even as we are driving the Kelly Grade, part of Smoky Mountain Road that runs some 80 miles between Big Water and Escalante, we can't for the life of us figure out where Mr. Kelly built this road with his beloved grader. But it's there - heads off to the right for a bit then cuts back to the left climbing this 1,500 foot high cliff; it then winds around the back and up on top of the mesa. It's so steep in some sections that our wheels spin (not in 4WD), and it's long, several miles from bottom to top. But the view of Lake Powell and the surrounding benches is beautiful.

Just a few miles after reaching the top of Kelly Grade, we find these burning coal seams - these are called the "Burning Hills". Apparently, this area is rife with coal (would never have suspected that), but somehow a few spots in this area have lit, and the coal is smoldering underground.

The seams aren't very long nor are they deep, and the stench is so bad I cannot stand upwind of them. But to Brad they smell like money because it smells just like where he used to work - coal is used in steel-making and it's the sulphur and tar odours that are released when burning. Yuck!

Alstrom Point

Alstrom Point is about a one hour drive from Big Water, Utah on pretty good dirt roads, and Glen Canyon NRA signs point the way. The views of Lake Powell, Navajo Mountain and the surrounding red rock formations are spectacular.

Sunset from Alstrom Point.

Horseshoe Bend and Other Scenic Spots in Town

Page is a great town because there are so many scenic spots right IN TOWN. Here is the Glen Canyon Dam as seen from Scenic View Drive behind Denny's Restaurant. There is also the Rim Trail which circumnavigates Page supplying views of Lake Powell, Glen Canyon and the surrounding red rock desert.

Brad hanging over the Colorado River and Glen Canyon at Horseshoe Bend. When we first came here in October 2008, there were only a few other tourists. Now, there are at least one hundred - the parking lot is almost full. Page advertises as far away as Asia, and it's paying off - for them. We prefer hidden, unknown gems, but Horseshoe Bend is beautiful in its symmetry and well worth the visit.

Glen Canyon West Rim

Page is on the east side of the Colorado River and Glen Canyon. On the west side are hydro towers and power lines, dirt roads and open air. We spend a day hiking along the west rim opposite town. The walls are 700 feet high. The Colorado River is emerald green and a constant 48F. Tourists take raft trips down and back up the river, even this late in the season.

A local guy who walks his dogs near our trailer every morning tells us about the Cable Trail. We stumble across this trail during our hike along the rim towards the dam. Long abandoned by the Glen Canyon NRA, the cables that used to run through the top of these metal poles are gone, but we can still follow the poles.

Brad drops down the 8-foot crevice using the supplied rope, and walks along the fin to the end, where another 8-foot drop is but this one without a rope. We did not bring our own rope today, so this is as far as we go and we hike back up. We'll come prepared to do this trail from top to bottom next time.

Bucktank Draw and Birthday Arch

A lesser traveled trail about 20 miles north of Page, Bucktank Draw leads to Birthday Arch and a couple of short slot canyons. Brad manages to climb around and get on top of the arch.

Me goofing off in one of the slots.

Brad pretending he can climb vertical walls, and he gets pretty far.