2011 - Day 13: Thursday - Out of the Canyon

Once again we made an early start to try to make it to the top of trail before the heat of the day. When we reached the parking area there was a group of about 80 people preparing for the hike in. We spent the rest of the morning driving back to Kingman to get ready to fly home in the morning.

Leaving Supai

Looking to the finish

We made it out.

2011 - Day 12: Wednesday - Into the Canyon

After reading the weather forecast that temperatures in Supai Village in the Grand Canyon would be over 105 degrees by 11:00 am we made sure we started the 8 mile hike from Hualapai Hilltop early. With stops for pictures and to allow horses to pass, it took a little over 4 hours to reach the village. after checking in at the lodge, we hiked downstream to see the waterfalls for which the area is known. Tempertures by that time were about 107 degrees in the shade. Forunately, the water at Havasu Falls was quiet cool and refreshing. The uphill hike back the the lodge was not.

Supai is considered to be the most remote village in the lower 48 states. Most supplies are brought in by horses and mules. Many visitors to the village have their packs carried the same way.

Entering the village

The lodge

Rock Falls. We saw several idiots jumping from the top of these falls.

Havasu Falls

2011 - Day 11: Tuesday: Travel Day

We drove from Cortez, CO to Kingman, AZ in preparation for our hike into the Grand Canyon. we stopped at the Four Corners Monument where the Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet and visited the famous Snowcap Drive In on Historic Route 66.

2011 - Day 10: Mesa Verde National Park

We spent the day exploring the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde NP. Most of the morning the temperatures were in the 40s and it was VERY breezy.

A small herd of mule deer in a section of the park that suffered a wild fire recently.

2011 - Day 9: Sunday - Condors and Colorado

Early this morning we left Kanab and moved on to the next phase of our vacation. We drove through Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and stopped in Cortez, Colorado. Along the way we visited Monument Valley, drove through a sandstorm in Arizona and New Mexico and dodged a herd of tumbleweeds that rolled across the highway in front of us. The unexpected highlight of the day was seeing three California Condors at Navajo Bridge. The California Condor population was down to 22 birds in 1982 and now there are less than 400 birds with less than 200 of those in the wild.

Interesting structure beside the road in Arizona

View from Navaho Bridge

Monument Valley

In Monument Valley we thought we had made a wrong turn and ended up at the Auburn football field.

New Mexico sandstorm

2011 - Day 8: Saturday - Toadstools and Tinseltown

In our travels on previous days we drove past a couple of interesting looking locations, so today we decided to check them out. We hiked in to a location in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument called "The Toadstools" and them drove into the upper Paria Canyon which has been used as the filming location for several western movies. Afterward we took a tour of Bestfriends Animal Society and visited the free movie museum in downtown Kanab.

Some of the toadstool formations

Size reference

The Toadstools 

Paria Canyon

If you watch western movies or television shows, you have probably seen this mesa.

We saw a small herd of bighorn sheep off in the distance as we were leaving Paria Canyon.

Bestfriends visitor center

The movie museum is the home of several pieces of movie sets.

Our last day in Kanab. It's a place worth visiting.