August 8. This was another day of immense diversity in experiences from great art to majestic landscapes to surreal and uncertain travel conditions. We drove through bits of three states on this day: Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. How could we forget the good hash and Ho-made pie! It was also Blake’s 45th birthday.
What better way to begin a birthday than with a big, tasty breakfast? Mary’s Hash House in Las Vegas was perfect. Good hash scramble and best waffles ever! Photo by Blake.
Before leaving Las Vegas, we went in search of good art. There’s a superb collection integrated into the grounds, hotels, and casinos at City Center. We use the term “integrated” loosely, as many of the works seem ill-placed; works by artists doing serious work are, in many instances, sited in places where they become trivialized or simply decorative. Still, better to have good art around than not. Here are some of the works that really stood out (photos by Blake):
This sculpture called “Big Edge” by Nancy Rubins is made of small boats of various sorts secured together with steel cable and beautifully cantilevered over the road. These are the kinds of recreational and utilitarian watercraft one might readily see on the nearby Colorado River. It’s a magnificent feat of engineering and aesthetic balance.
Maya Lin’s “Silver River” is cast of reclaimed silver. This sensuous shining line representing the Colorado River’s course from its source in the mountains of Colorado to Baja, California (see map at right) floats above the Aria hotel’s registration desk. This sculpture really needs a better site, where it is the focal point of attention and reflection. It was cool to see as we would be seeing the actual Colorado River the next day. Photos by Blake.
If you look closely, you can see the figure at the center of Antony Gormley’s “Feeling Material XXVIII.” The swirling lines seem to either converge into the figure or disintegrate it, as with much of Gormley’s work. Photo by Blake.
Architectural composition at Las Vegas City Center. Photo by Blake.
We were eager to get out of Las Vegas, and by late morning we were on our way to Zion National Park in Utah. After a short drive, we arrived at Zion in the early afternoon. Zion has implemented a bus shuttle system to provide visitors access to the canyon in the summer. The busses alleviate private car traffic congestion and we found it easy to use, quite pleasant, and welcome. Photo by Blake.
Once in Zion Canyon, the bus stops at various trailheads. We disembarked at the end of the line, the Temple of Sinawava and made our way up the canyon for a short walk. Photo by Sarah.
The boys. Photo by Sarah.
The trail we followed along the Virgin River leads to The Narrows, one of the most popular and photographed slot canyons in the American southwest. Having not been able to explore Little Wild Horse Canyon due to impending rain on the first day of our trip, we would have liked more time in Zion to venture into The Narrows. Alas, there was not adequate time as we already anticipated arriving at the Grand Canyon campsite after dark and felt that we should be on our way. Photos by Blake.
The late afternoon light as we left Zion was quite beautiful and, as with many of the places we visited on this trip, we would love to return and spend some more time in the place. Photos by Blake.
Blake’s birthday dinner (chicken-fried steak, a bottle of Polygamy Porter, and Ho-Made apple pie!) was at the Thunderbird restaurant in Mt. Carmel, Utah. Apparently, during World War II, the restaurant owners saved materials by eliminating two letters from their sign and have reasonably capitalized on recent changes in cultural vernacular. We enjoyed watching hummingbirds while we waited for dinner. Photos by Blake.
Then things got weird as we neared Grand Canyon. As a point of history, in Colorado Springs, we have endured two significant wildfires ravaging communities bordering forests during the past two summers. The fires and resulting devastation continue to weigh heavily throughout the region, and with continuing drought and dubious stewardship of the land, these forest fires may become a more persistent part of life in the west.
We reserved our campsite at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim five months in advance of the trip. A couple weeks before the trip we received an email from the National Park Service stating that, due to dry conditions and forest fires in the region, campfires were prohibited and camp stove use was mandated at Grand Canyon campgrounds. We didn’t think much of it, as were taking a camp stove anyway.
We’d been checking for further notifications from the NPS all along the trip and had not received any new information, but as the sun set on August 8 and as we got closer to Grand Canyon, we could see the dim glow of fires in the distance. As we weren’t terribly familiar with the area, it was difficult to tell where the fires were in relation to our route and destination, but we assumed that since we hadn’t heard from the NPS, the fires must be quite distant from the park. The region around the North Rim is beautifully forested, and the road leading in is quite hilly, winding, and dark at night. We also encountered only a few other vehicles on the road. As we rounded a bend and neared the turnoff for the North Rim, this was the scene right by the roadside:
Even though our family was not adversely affected by the fires near Colorado Springs (the nearest evacuation zones for the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire never got closer than a half-mile from our house and the fire itself was halted a couple miles away), we are accustomed to wide evacuation zones around the fires, into which only emergency vehicles are permitted.
So this hellish sight mere feet from the car was tremendously unsettling. We wondered why there was no roadblock and thought we should turn back to the town of Kanab, through which we had passed about a half hour before. As we were stopped, contemplating our next actions, a pickup truck with flashing lights emerged out of the smoke ahead of us and drove on by without stopping - now we were confused. We decided that, since we weren’t warned-off, we’d just drive on. These fires can be quite natural and productive in the western landscape and it’s possible that the Forest Service was, consistent with sound practice, monitoring this fire but letting it run its course. After a short while we passed the fire and smoke and turned onto the only paved road leading to-and-from the North Rim of Grand Canyon, which was about another half-hour onward. At one point on the quiet, remote-feeling road, Sarah requested that we pull-over and get out of the car (it was a demand really, knowing that I, Blake, was anxious about the fires, tired, and intensely focused on getting to the campsite in an unfamiliar environment). It was amazingly dark and the starry sky was truly breathtaking. The spontaneous moment was much-needed and appreciated. Everything seemed normal at the campground; we found our campsite in the dark, set up for the night, and crawled into bed exhausted from a long, eventful day. Photo by Blake.
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