Grand Circle Part I, UT/AZ/CO

Driving from Las Vegas to begin our Grand Circle road trip, I was immediately amazed by the scenery. I was really expecting flat, dry desert and I was totally wrong. This post and those following about the Colorado Plateau (The Four Corners: Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, Southwest Colorado and Northeast New Mexico) are basically just going to be me gushing over how beautiful it is there.

Kanab provided a central base for our first three days of National Parking, and Quail Park Lodge was a great place to stay. There was something about the way it was run by the young couple that was just really sweet – superb hospitality.

Zion National Park: Visiting Zion is different to the other canyons in that you tour through the floor of the canyon rather than the rim. We didn’t arrive there until about 3 pm, so we didn’t attempt any serious hiking. Instead, we rode the shuttle bus along through the canyon, listening to the information provided about the geology and history of the canyon and stopping off for short walks to check out the features along the way. My favourite was the water that has been seeping through the rock walls of the canyon for two thousand years and trickles out as spring water from the canyon walls.

As we were leaving, the late afternoon sun (the Golden Hour, we love it) lit up the canyon walls and the colours were amazing. After some dinner in nearby Springdale we drove back through the park in order to get to Kanab. This was just at sunset and the views down into the valley as we wound our way up from the canyon floor were spectacular. We then drove through the 1.7km tunnel which was blasted through the rocky canyon wall in 1930 to link Zion with Grand Canyon and other parks in the area.

Grand Canyon: Well, you all know this one and what it looks like. Just as everyone says, the Grand Canyon is unimaginably big. Without any buildings or other structures as a point of reference, it is very difficult to comprehend the size, and even harder to photograph. We visited the north rim because it is closer to the rest of our road trip, and I was glad for it. The north rim is far less touristy than the south and pleasantly cooler at a slightly higher elevation. At times, we felt like we had the place to ourselves. To be fair, advantages of visiting the south rim from Las Vegas include being able to fly there and take in the amazing scenery from above and the additional amenities and accommodation available. There is also the West Rim, where a glass Skywalk extends out over the edge of the canyon.

In the morning, we went for a walk which we had planned to be a hike, but we were distracted along the way with climbing through some scrub and out onto some large, smooth limestone boulders over the rim. Sitting out there having a snack with my feet dangling precariously over the edge (Craig was more cautious, rightly so), I experienced a strange combination of emotions: fear, tranquility, appreciation of the earth and feeling very, very small.

After lunch we took a mule ride, which went along the rim for about five heart-stopping minutes (the mules are trained to walk right over on the canyon side of the track, and there’s no directing them otherwise), but was just a ride through the forest for the rest of the time. While we were on our ride a storm came over the canyon with fantastic thunder and thankfully little rain.

We also attended a ranger talk on the geology of the canyon, which was cheesy but interesting. I knew of course that the canyon has been carved by erosion from water and what is now the Colorado River, but I had never thought about how the rock was formed there in the first place, beginning almost two billion years ago, with all those beautiful layers reaching 8,000ft above sea level.

Bryce Canyon: Bryce was my favourite of the national parks for interesting scenery and a great walk of just the right length and exertion. This canyon is full of rock pillars of odd shapes carved by erosion, which they call hoodoos.

We walked for about three hours down into the canyon, along the floor and then up through a steep, narrow section back to the rim. The hoodoos were magnificent and provided an ever changing backdrop for the walk. Along the way we saw a rattle snake chilling out next to the track, very exciting.

After our big walk we stayed and had a picnic dinner at the rim before driving back to Kanab.

Next stop: Grand Circle Part II – Monument Valley/Mesa Verde

San Antionio & Hill Country, TX

We stayed one night in New Braunfels and two in San Antonio to explore the area, including the Hill Country. The heat in the middle of a Texan summer was just debilitating at times, especially in San Antonio, so we probably didn’t see as much as the city has to offer. We knew that visiting Texas in summer was going to be difficult, but we didn't anticipate that in 2011 the state would have its hottest summer on record!

New Braunfels: The claim to fame of this town, on the highway between Austin and San Antonio, is the Schlitterbahn Water Park. Being holiday season, the park was absolutely packed, so we opted instead for a relaxing swim in the spring-fed Comal River. The cool waters are a beautiful blue and were full of locals, floating along in inner tubes with spare tubes carrying coolers of beer and stereos boasting 80’s rock and hair metal. Aussies would love this. 

Driving in the US: New Braunfels was the site of my first attempt at driving on the right hand side - poor Craig, I think I took 10 years off his life! I must say though, the right hand side of the road was not the problem, it is sitting on the left hand side of the car to drive that I struggled with. But, I've got it down pat now.

Alamo: The Alamo holds a significant place in the history of Texas and the Texas Revolution, but to be honest, I don't completely understand! If you are interested, The Alamo website has some history. The site was originally a Spanish mission before it later became the location of the legendary battle. We had a bit of a look around, but some shave ice from a street vendor was the only thing keeping me going in the heat at that point.

San Antonio River Walk: The San Antonio River, the walkways on both sides, one level below the street, and the cute arched bridges across are a main attraction for the city, along with the Alamo. In the areas where many restaurants line the river, the walkways can become very crowded and uncomfortably hot, even at night. But you don't need to walk far to find a peaceful spot to sit and appreciate the fine public space. It is certainly a nicer stroll through the city than street level.

Guadalupe River State Park: Only about an hour from San Antonio, this river made for a lovely day trip. Being the middle of summer the river was a bit low, so therefore not flowing as fast and a little grubby, but it was very relaxing none the less. I had bought a blow up plastic lilo for only $3 and was truly in my element lounging in the river, though still just achieving freckles instead of a tan. We stopped in Boerne for lunch, one of those cute little arty towns in the Hill Country to wander around.

Horse riding on a Dude Ranch: I just like the term Dude Ranch, I think it sounds humorous, but it just means a guest ranch. My ride at Silver Spur near Bandera was actually pretty disappointing. At some of the ranches, they will group you with other riders of a similar ability, however here I was with eight others who had basically never ridden before, including children. Add to this some dry, scrubby terrain and guides that just ride and don’t really talk or tell you about the ranch or Texas, and you have yourself a pretty boring ride. I am glad to have done it though, as I would have always been disappointed if I hadn't, the horses were good and we did get to trot a few times. I look forward to doing some more riding in Argentina later in my travels.

Hill Country drive: There are some really cute towns around the Hill Country area to the west of Austin and San Antonio, many with German heritage. I wanted to stop in a small town for a Texas BBQ lunch, which was difficult for vego Craig as even the peas had bacon mixed through! The countryside around the town of Medina was quite nice, and about as hilly as it got. I figure the rest of Texas must be pretty darn flat if they call this the Hill Country. Kerville had a lovely river which was nice to walk along and could have been a good swimming spot, and Fredericksburg looked like it had a very charming main street but I was so tired and unable to wake up to look around! We had originally planned to stay a night around here, but decided to continue on back to Austin in favour of more time there. Pedernales Falls is the other attraction in the area which we were interested in, but had been affected by the drought so that was off the list.

Next stop: Grand Circle road trip, UT/AZ/CO.

Austin, TX

After two weeks apart, I was excited to meet up with Craig in Austin for his two week holiday. We stayed in hotels not worth mentioning, for two nights at the start of our Texas stint and two nights at the end.

Austin was our favourite place in Texas by far. With a population of only 812,000 (1.2 million in the metro area) it is quite manageable, but with their offbeat slogan “Keep Austin Weird” it is by no means an average middle-American city. After writing that sentence, I thought 'Okay, I should describe in what way Austin is special'. But, I really can't put my finger on it. Austin is just a fucking cool city. Maybe this yelper can tell you more about it from a local's perspective.

Texas State Capitol: Visiting the inside of this building was something I should have done at the US Capitol, but this Texan version was still interesting. I liked seeing where the House of Representatives and Senate meet and the building is beautiful. Particularly interesting is the floor, which has the seals of the six nations that have governed Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, Texas (it was it's own nation for a short time!), Confederate States of America and United States of America.

Live music: With more live music venues per capita than any other US city, Austin dubs itself the “Live Music Capital of the World”. With so much on offer and not knowing the local bands, it was difficult to choose the right venue for my tastes. The first attempt landed us at Saxon Pub to see some blues. The band were from New York, and while they were undoubtedly talented and good at what they did, Saxon Pub was not really my scene. The next weekend I headed out to Mohawk, where they were holding a benefit gig for Jail Guitar Doors. Wayne Kramer of MC5 was hosting the night, and played with one of the bands, Salesmen. He then got up at the end with the last band, Lions, and played three MC5 songs including Ramblin’ Rose and Kick Out the Jams, the latter with all of the bands from the evening on stage, and some of the crowd as well. This really made my night - the energy on stage was that of pure fun and I was totally stoked to see Kramer rock out a few MC5 tunes.

Electric bicycles: We hired Stromer electric bikes to cruise around Austin for the day, and with the mercury nudging 40 degrees we were sure glad for the extra boost. These bikes are loads of fun, you can set them to Pedal Assist where the power kicks in with your pedaling, or to Power on Demand where you use the throttle on your handlebar and don’t have to pedal at all! Needless to say, you can get up a bit of speed on these bikes. They were a bit heavier than standard bikes and had a thicker crossbar where the battery goes, but other than that you couldn’t really tell they were electric, they were dead quiet. The bikes were retailing here for US$3,000, but were only $22 to hire for the whole day – bargain!

Town Lake and Barton Springs Pool: We rode the bikes on the shady tracks around Town Lake, a lovely spot in the middle of Austin. You can also paddle board, kayak, row, cruise or pedal boat on the lake. I don’t think you’re meant to swim in it, but we hopped in quickly to cool off. Barton Springs Pool is in parklands adjacent to the lake and maintains a lovely 21°C year round from the spring water of Barton Creek. There is also a bat colony of about the same population as human Austinites living under a bridge across Town Lake, and we happened to walk over it at sunset when all the bats took off for dinner. It was a good sight to see, but not uncommon in Australia either. 

Food: There’s a great variety of food in Austin, including vegetarian and, of course, Tex Mex. To me, Tex Mex was pretty much the same as Oz Mex. One food highlight was thai from a colourful roadside trailer. Austin is also the birthplace of the fantastic supermarket Wholefoods, which I just love. 

Next stop: Hill Country, TX.