A Southwest Adventure -Part 1-

[Barbossa]

(unfortunately, no nuclear fridges)

Welcome to my multi-part Southwest Adventure trip report! This trip report will showcase some of the photos I took on a recent roadtrip with my dad to the western states. In all, I took over 3200 photos, and my dad shot over 20 GB , and no, I will not be posting them all . I will however, try and show you some of the best ones I took.


The roadtrip started out as just a few days trip to go to the 2009 Triennial meet at Train Mountain in Chiloquin, Oregon, but it evolved into much more than that. As an early surprise for my 30th birthday (Aug 17), my dad decided to turn it into a trains and canyons tour. It turned into an 18-day trek through 10 states with visits to such places as:

• Crater Lake
• Train Mountain
• Reno
• Carson City
• Virginia City
• Ely and the Northern Nevada Railway
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Zion National Park
• Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
• Pipe Springs National Monument
• The Grand Canyon (both the north and south rims)
• Monument Valley
• Mesa Verde
• Durango
• Canyonlands National Park
• Arches National Park
• Salt Lake City
• The Golden Spike National Monument.

So without further ado, hop into the family truckster and lets begin our trip…

On June 22, 2009, after venturing over from Vancouver Island, my dad picked me up in Kelowna. We headed down Highway 97 to the border. We didn’t wait long at the border crossing; and an observance I made on the trip: we hardly saw any Canadian license plates. This was probably due to the fact that starting June 2, new border crossing rules came into effect: to cross, you now need a passport or enhanced driver’s license. I guess not many people made the deadline.

Down in Washington State, still on Highway 97, I took the first photo of the trip, alongside the highway was this giant shoe tree:



Late in the afternoon we arrived in Bend, Oregon and decided to make a quick trip off Highway 97 up to Mt. Bachelor. My dad has skied there and wanted to show me the ski area. Still quite a bit of snow there:



We spent the night at a small cabin-style motel in Beaver Marsh. It wasn’t in our plans, but the next day, since we were very close, we decided to take the short drive up to Crater Lake. The drive up to the lake through the north entrance of the park is only about 20-30 minutes from Highway 97. Here I am at the first viewpoint overlooking Wizard Island. This is looking in a southwest direction:



Crater Lake has been on my to-do list for a number of years, so I was grateful that I finally got to see it. There is a road that goes around the perimeter of the caldera, but the eastern portion was still closed for the off season.

From the caldera rim, you can actually see Mt Shasta in the distance (sorry for the grainy photo, my cheapo little camera’s zoom isn’t that great):



Another viewpoint overlooking Wizard Island. This is looking in a southeast direction. I didn’t realize it, but Crater Lake is the deepest lake in America at 1,949 feet (594 meters):



It’s interesting how Crater Lake formed. At first I thought the mountain blew-up like Mt. St. Helens did, but instead it sort of imploded in on itself, then the cone that is Wizard Island formed. There is another cone but it's underwater. An info sign at the site said it took approximately 800 years to fill with water, all from precipitation. If you are there during the full summer season, they have boat tours available that take you to Wizard Island. There’s a trail that goes up to it’s peak.

Here’s a photo of the Crater Lake Lodge:



And this photo is looking north. Notice the viewpoint on the leftside of the photo (there's also an interpretive center there):



My dad and I then made our way to Chiloquin and we visited the Collier State Park Logging Museum.


It’s a neat place with lots of historic logging equipment on display.

Some of the equipment is operational, such as this steam donkey:



They have an annual steam-up day that takes place on the third Sunday of June.

Also on display is this steam-powered McGiffert Log Loader. A string of empty rail cars would go underneath it and it would load logs onto the cars. If the loggers needed to relocate, a set of wheels would be lowered and it could be moved under its own power:



This small standard gauge Baldwin 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive is also on display. It was built in 1884. It could haul 70 gross tons up a 4% grade. It originally worked in the Mt. Shasta area:



We then headed over to Train Mountain to see the 2009 Triennial meet. Train Mountain is the world’s largest hobby railway (it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records). Train Mountain features 25.25 miles of 7.5 inch gauge track! Here’s their website for those of you that want to check it out:
http://www.trainmountain.org/

Some of the many steam locomotives visiting for the event:



If Walt Disney were still alive he’d love this place.



Check out the air pumps on the front-end of this locomotive:



This is an expensive hobby; some of these engines sell for over $100,000.



The guys in the foreground are members from my dad’s club (VIME) in Saanich on Vancouver Island:



The next bunch of photos were taken along the track. We went out for a ride. The ride lasted 2 hrs! Somewhat longer than the loop going around Disneyland.









All along the track, they have all sorts of scaled-down buildings and villages:



Some of the bridges. I believe these bridges were newly installed as they had track on them, but not past them:



Nearing the tunnel that goes under the service yard:



Inside the tunnel. They even have ventilation installed:



One of the trains nearing the turntable area:



We left Train Mountain around 2:00 in the afternoon and headed on south thru Klamath Falls and arrived in Reno at around 8:30. We did have a room booked at the Peppermill, but we arrived a day early and they didn’t have any rooms available, so we stayed at the Motel 6 just a few blocks down from Peppermill. And what do you do in Reno! Lose money! We went downtown and played some slots. We’re high-rollers, we play the penny machines . We got back to the motel at 5:00 am.

Being the Indiana Jones fan that I am, I tried out some of the Indiana Jones slots. But the Ark of the Covenant sucked the money right out of my wallet, never to be seen again. Ya, I had my eyes shut.

After we woke up that day we went over to the National Automobile Museum which was started by William Harrah, the founder of Harrah’s casinos. They got lots of cool cars on display. I was there before, however, they switch cars around from time-to-time. Last time I was there they had one of the original Batmobiles on display. This time they had some other movie cars.

Grease Lightning was there:




I can’t remember what movie this one was in but the sign said it was also driven by the Joker in the original Batman TV show:



James Bond fans will recognize this one, Zao’s Jaguar from Die Another Day:




One of the cars from 2 Fast 2 Furious:



And… Austin Powers’ Shagmobile! Groovy Baby!



Also in the museum’s collection is this gem, the 1907 Thomas Flyer:



The Thomas Flyer won the 1908 New York to Paris Automobile Race. It was one of 6 cars that took part in the race. One of the other cars, the Italian Zust, is actually here in British Columbia and is owned by a couple of brothers that my dad knows. They recently restored it. Who knows, maybe one day the Thomas Flyer and the Zust will be reunited. The other cars that took part in the New York to Paris race were the German Protos, the French De Dion, the French Motobloc, and the French Sizaire Naudin.

And, if you’re going to travel thru time, might as well go back in style. Better yet, a gold-plated Delorean:


For the rest of the day, we hung around Reno. At night I ended up getting food poisoning , probably something I had at the buffet. Luckily it lasted just 30 mins and I felt a lot better afterward.

The next day, June 26, we went to Carson City to visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Whenever we are in the area we always stop by there. What was on our agenda to see was the progress they made on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad McKeen Car restoration. The restoration has been ongoing now for a number of years and I was lucky to see it during various stages. It’s very close to nearing completion now:





I didn’t take many photos at the museum as I’ve taken lots there on previous trips.

After Carson City, we headed up to Virginia City to ride the Virginia and Truckee Railroad:



After sitting in the shop for a number of years undergoing repairs, I finally got to see locomotive #29 operating. #29 is a Baldwin 2-8-0 built in 1916.

My dad and I got to go for a cab ride. Here’s the engineer:



#29 at Gold Hill. There was a train robbery going on on the coaches so my dad and I hopped out of the cab to take some photos while the passengers were getting robbed by bandits:



Heading up-grade back to Virginia City, nearing the tunnel:



The V&T’s shop and railyard:



A side shot of #29 parked at the station in Virginia City:



#29 stopped on the mainline while the crew did some lubrication:



Normally the general public isn’t allowed to wonder around the yard. However, the manager visited my dad about 9 years ago when my dad was involved with a steam locomotive rebuild in Port Alberni, so we met with him and had permission to wander around the yard. I also served as a fireman for two seasons on one of our provincially owned steam locomotives here in BC so I know my way around such facilities.

In case the steam locomotive needs work, here’s back-up:



The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is currently undergoing a major expansion. Rail tracks are being extended all the way from Gold Hill to Carson City. Recently a new engine arrived at the V&T to be put into service on the longer runs. I think they did a few test runs on the extended track this month. The Project is supposed to be complete in the next couple of years.

That concludes part 1 of my report and covered the first five days of our trip. Next up: canyons and more trains! Stay tuned...

[Goover]

OH my gosh those trains are so darn cute.

And so are those cars. Especially the pink one. My oh my. @_@

[Barbossa]

Part 2 will be up in a few days. I still have lots of photos to sort thru.

[elly]

i wish i'd known you were going to be in the Reno area! we could have had coffee or something...or i could have at least played some penny slots with ya

personally i think the auto museum is one of the cooler things to do in this dusty city, glad you visited it!

[Disney1978]

I think you went on my dad's dream vacation!

Great to see all the different types of trains in that scale.

[Barbossa]

Welcome to Part 2! If you haven’t seen Part 1 yet, it’s right here:
A Southwest Adventure -Part 1-

I’ll start this part still in Reno. On Saturday, Virginia Street was closed off and a big outdoor party was being held. There were two events happening that weekend; the Reno Rodeo and a women’s bowling competition at the National Bowling Stadium (where they filmed Kingpin with Woody Harrelson). It was quite a busy town that day. Here’s the view looking down the Virginia Street from the Silver Legacy:


Lots of vendors, food stands, and bands playing live music.

After enjoying a free Martini at the Silver Legacy, we hopped back into the van and headed east (no, I did not drive after having the Martini [the Martini was yummy by they way]). Our next destination was Ely, Nevada, home to the Nevada Northern Railway.
http://nevadanorthernrailway.net/

We headed east on Highway 80 and then turned-off on Highway 50, dubbed “The Loneliest Highway in the US” and yes it is lonely. Not much out there…

…but you got to keep an eye out for CGI groundhogs and flying nuclear fridges.

Next day we went to the Nevada Northern Railway. Here’s Engine #93 backing up to the coaling and water towers, in preparation for the days ride up to the open-pit mine:



#93 is a 2-8-0 Alco built in 1909. Back in 2002, it was trucked to Salt Lake City and provided shuttle service during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Here’s #93 switching tracks and backing up to couple onto the train, with the railway shops in the background:



We didn’t go for a ride, but rather explored the yard and chatted with the rail crews.

Here is Engine #40 sitting in the shop. It experienced some problem with an axle so it was awaiting a repair:



Engine #40 is Baldwin 4-6-0 built in 1910.

Engine #93 coupled onto the train and a crew meet with the big water tower in the back:



Here’s the back-head of Engine #93:



#93 with the train getting ready to leave the station:



While the train was out doing its ride, we explored the shop and yard more. I took this next photo in black and white to make it feel historic. Here’s Engine #81 beside the old crane. Engine #81 is a Baldwin 2-8-0 built in 1917. It is currently not operational, perhaps one day it will be restored:



Out in the yard they had this stubby little caboose on display:



There is much, much more in the yard than just this caboose.

Here’s a shot of the immense coal, sand, and water facilities:



A trackside shot of the railway station:



Engine #93 then returned from its roughly 90 minute long trip:



After chatting with management and exchanging some pamphlets (we distribute and exchange pamphlets for our heritage railways here in BC), we headed to Cedar City in Utah where we spent the night. For those of you that would like to head to this area, Cedar City has very good rates on motel rooms, and is a good place to make day trips from to Bryce Canyon and Zion. Speaking of Bryce, that’s where we were headed the next day…

From Cedar City, we drove east on Highway 14, then turned north on Highway 89, and then east on Highway 12. On the way to Bryce, you drive through Red Canyon which is pretty much a mini version of Bryce Canyon.

Here are some of the limestone rock formations beside the highway:



Interesting, where’s the FastPass machine?


There might be a bit of a copyright issue, or, did Disney copy this place? What’s embarrassing is that some one at the parks department doesn’t know how to spell mountain.

Some more of the roadside rock formations:



It really does look like Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland doesn’t it?



The parks department has a small visitor’s center there. I took this photo just behind the center:



I waited for a while for the flag to unfurl:



More roadside rock formations:



And our destination for the day:


This photo was actually taken in the evening on our way out from the park, so it’s a little out of order here.

Here’s my first photo from Bryce and this is what I first saw as I came out onto the rim. Both my dad and I, well, we were both speechless when we saw it for the first time:


The photo was taken on the rim just behind the Bryce Canyon Lodge.

This photo was taken at the same spot looking towards the Bryce Amphitheater:



And a few photos showing the terrain:





Look closely and you’ll see the horseback excursion coming back up the trail:


Horseback rides are $50 for 2 hours and $80 for a full day trip. Next time I’m there I want to go for a horseback trip into the canyon.

Here is the backside (canyon facing side) of the Bryce Canyon Lodge:



My dad and I then drove the canyon rim road all the way to Yovima Point. From there we slowly made our way back to the lodge, stopping at all the viewpoints. This first photo is from Yovima Point:





I took a shot of one of the walls. A number of these “partitions” have holes through them:



Ponderosa Point, check out the elevation:




Here you can see the road and one of the viewpoint parking lots:



I thought I’d include this tree in the shot to add a little contrast:



I thought these were really cool formations:



Here’s Natural Bridge:



Some of the wildlife hanging out beside one of the viewpoint parking lots, there were a couple of young bucks there:


We also saw some Pronghorn Antelope around the park.

Another interesting rock formation:



Here is the most majestic part of the park. This is the Bryce Canyon viewpoint overlooking the Bryce Amphitheater:




Our next stop was Inspiration Point:



Inspiration Point gives you a closer view of the Bryce Amphitheater:



It really, truly is inspirational. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere.




Evening was approaching, so we then headed over to Sunset Point where I took this photo:



Another shot from Sunset Point:



And the last photo of this part of the trip report, from Sunset Point, here is the well-known Thor’s Hammer rock formation:



Just a note about Bryce, when you are there, even if there are some clouds in the sky; cover up or make sure you have sunscreen on. I was so distracted by taking photos I didn't really pay attention to getting a sun burn. Even with clouds in the sky, you are at a high altitude and you burn more easily. So protect yourself. When we got back to Cedar City that evening I felt like a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken and had to go to Walmart the next day to buy some lotion. I learnt my lesson and wore a light long sleeved shirt and pants for the next few days.

That concludes Part 2. Coming up in Part 3 will be Zion National Park, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and Pipe Spring National Monument. Stay tuned…

[WheresMickey]

Wow! Great pictures!

[mycroft16]

I'm loving this TR. I was born and raised in Colorado and have lived in Utah for some time. I've been to a great number of these places and it's fun to read your comments on them. Bryce Canyon is one of the most visually stunning places on Earth. It is just so big and so open and yet so full of little tiny details. The colors are striking against the blue sky and green trees. It's very other worldly and beautiful in a very simple way. Looking forward to the rest of your photos!

[OC2Epcot]

Love the pictures. I grew up in AZ and we've traveled all over the western part of the U.S. on road trips. Midwest and East are fine ... but I love the Southwest.

[Barbossa]

Part 3 will finally be up later this evening. There was a bit of a delay as I was doing a bunch of job hunting stuff (sadly, no job yet). I got the photos sorted and uploaded to Photoucket, I just have to do the write-up, but first, I got some chores to do around the house. Stay tuned.

[Barbossa]

After a bit of a delay, I finally got around to posting part 3.

So after Bryce Canyon, we headed to the Kobol Canyons part of Zion National Park.










I don’t have a great camera and with the morning light, it was a little hard to take photos. After Kobol Canyons, we headed to the main part of Zion. Here’s a couple of pics along the way:




It’s Zion’s 100th anniversary this year and the town of Springdale had banners up marking the occasion:



I thought the cliffs in the back were neat with the Coke truck:



We parked our van in Springdale and took the shuttle bus to the main entrance of the park. Once inside the park, we boarded another shuttle and headed up to the Temple of Sinawava trailhead. We hiked about 2.5 kms of the trail, until…




… we encountered a section where was had to wade thru the creek. If anyone’s planning to go, I do recommend bringing a good pair of aqua shoes. I didn’t have any so had to go barefoot thru the creek. The water temperature wasn’t bad but what made crossing the creek a little difficult where all the round stones. A hiking stick made things easier at this point.




We made our way back to the shuttle stop…



…and I managed to get this photo:



A pick of the shuttles/trams at the parking lot:





We boarded the shuttle and stopped at each drop-off to take some photos. We stopped at the lodge and encountered some wildlife:





The Wild Turkeys were walking around like Peacocks in a zoo.

Another shot on the way back to the main gate:



At the Springdale parking lot, just outside the main gate, some more wildlife:



We got back to our van, and then drove into the park where tourists are allowed to drive; the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Here are a few photos of the sandstone formations:






I did see some big-horn sheep along side the road, maybe about a dozen, but it was already getting dark and I didn’t have a chance to get a photo of them.

That night we stayed in Kanab. The next day we made an unplanned side trip to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park;



There were some really nice flowers there:



Hmm, looks like ATV tracks…



…nope, a beetle:



Some more flowers…



A Yucca plane with fruit. The fruit is edible. If you look closely in the photo you can see the main entrance building


And some of the terrain:



Some people walking up the dune, gives a size reference:



Coral Pink Sand Dunes was the filming site for a number of movies, including a Disney production:



And one more shot of the terrain:



I took this shot on a back road just outside of Kanab just to show the color:



In Kanab we stopped by the Movie Set Museum:



A number of movies like The Outlaw Josey Wales were filmed in the Kanab area. A number of the sets were saved and relocated to the museum:




Around noon we drove south to Fredonia which is on the Arizona side of the state line. There we decided to take another unplanned side trip. We saw signs along the highway for Pipe Springs National Monument. We didn’t know what it was so we decided to check it out. The interesting thing is, when I saw it, I immediately recognized it, having seen it either on TV on the History channel or in a National Geographic article.



Pipe Spring is the site of a Mormon settlement built on a spring. It’s actually a small fort and a couple of ranch buildings:



In the past there was also a telegraph office there.

You can go into the main fort building, but by guided tour only. Here’s some photos from inside:




Our guide:






Indoor plumbing:



The water flows from the spring directly under the floor of one of the rooms, thru the pipe and into the trough. This trough is in the kitchen area. The water then flows outside into two small ponds. My dad tried the water and said it was good. I don't recommend city slickers to try it, because we've drank unfiltered lake water most of our lives and built up a little bit of immunity. The water must be fine though, because three months later, my dad is still alive.

A view from the kitchen:



Our guide explaining how they made cheese:



A wagon on display:



The ranch house:



Some of the local wildlife:



And some non-wild life:



The main fort:



This plaque was on the main fort building:



This was the first building on site:



This is one of the two ponds just outside the main fort:




It’s just like a little oasis out in the desert.

And some of the displays around the site:






It’s a neat place to explore. The interpretive center also has a museum and the obligatory gift shop.

We then headed back to Fredonia and on the corner of highways 389 and 89, I spotted this and got a good laugh:




If only more stuff was produced on this continent...

That afternoon we headed to the north rim of the Grand Canyon which will be covered in the next part. Stay tuned (and hopefully it won’t take as long to post).