In Search of Warmth in California, Utah, and Arizona in February (page 8 of 13)

Hello! It’s so fun to read your post. ...we’re grandparents and took our grandsons during the February break for "almost" the same trip as yours. Actually, I say "almost" because even though we were in the same places, our trips were completely different 😂😂. It was our first trip to the USA, and it was truly magical. Our kids want to go back—they must’ve caught the travel bug.

I want to congratulate you on what you did with your kids. I’m sending them your trip report; they’ll love it.

Here’s mine, much shorter... http://www.patetnat-envoyage.com/de-death-valley-a-bryce-canion-en-hiver/ .



Well done again—your kids are so lucky because they have both the dream... and the discipline. Nathalie

Hey Olivier,

I can’t even tell you how bad I’ve got that ball in my stomach now! I’ve got to go back! Yeah, I know, it’s only been 10 days since I got back, but West Blues can only be cured that way, right...

You’re the last one back, and you already can’t wait anymore!! If you get the chance to go again in March, it’s clear that DV and VOF should be on your list... Later, Guillaume

Hey Guillaume, Sooner or later, you had to foot the bill! As a quick-to-worry mom, I’d happily give Laetitia a halo! But at the same time, these are such wild adventures you’re giving your kids! Still, we’re glad to see it all ended well 🙂 Vinciane

Hi Nathalie, I just read through your blog—so many similarities in the route between Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Highway 1, VOF (in theory...), Kanab-Page. I wasn’t familiar with Chamberlain’s house. Too bad, because we were looking for something to do indoors on the afternoon it rained... Good thing we skipped Route 66 to head to the far south! I can’t imagine missing our flight ... And for VOF, you really didn’t have luck—it’s such a small park with so much to offer! Anyway, it’s amazing to experience all this with three generations together 🙂 !! Have a great evening, Guillaume

Yeah, it's true we didn't have much luck with VOF, especially since I'd prepared it so thoroughly thanks to VF, and we wanted to surprise the kids. But the trip was still amazing, and all they can think about is... going back! 😊😍

On the bright side, we made a lovely discovery at Nauthylus Canyon—we had the place all to ourselves. The kids felt like they were right in the middle of a Western movie!

Can't wait to read the rest...

Friday, 02/15 - Toadstool Hoodoos - Stud Horse Point - Wild Ere Land

This morning was the big Coyote Buttes North lottery at the Kanab BLM office. Since the BLM closes on weekends during the winter, permits for CBN and CBS are handed out on Friday mornings for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—30 permits instead of the usual 10.

After the heavy thunderstorms the day before, we showed up at 8:30 AM at the office without much hope. There was a risk the road, House Rock Valley Road, would be impassable, not to mention the river crossing via the North access (the most direct route). The lottery wasn’t until 9 AM, yet the lobby was already packed 🤪!! The worst part? The weather forecast was mediocre for Saturday and downright bad for Sunday and Monday. Snow was even in the forecast… 🏴‍☠️

Anyway, we did what everyone else did and signed up without really knowing what would happen if we won. There were so many people that only group leaders were allowed to stay in the room!! And of course, the room was packed—57 groups, 142 people, all trying our luck!!! With three times as many people for three times as many permits, the odds weren’t great...

For Saturday, the draw was settled in three rounds. After the first draw, 10 people left the room and withdrew from the lottery, probably because of the bad weather forecast for Sunday and Monday. I caught a glimpse of the three kids who had quietly slipped into the room. But our number wasn’t drawn for Sunday or Monday… By 9:20 AM, it was all over. 🏴‍☠️

For Coyote Buttes South, since we’d have to wait another hour and with the expected access difficulties, we decided to skip it and enjoy the day on our Plan Bs instead.

So, what was left? We ruled out Red Slot Canyon, CBS, and White Pocket, but I really hoped to visit Yellow Rock via Paria Movie Set, Sidestep Canyon, Spencer Trail, and a few other small spots.

We headed toward Paria Movie Set, on the way to Page. But unfortunately, as soon as we turned onto the road, we saw huge ruts in the distance that would be impossible to cross with a standard 4x4. Goodbye, Yellow Rock—Red Top…

We got back on US-89 and stopped at Toadstool Hoodoos, which we’d already visited in 2015—but in the rain. The hike is short and easy, at least in dry weather. This time, with the ground soaked, we had to be careful not to end up with 3 cm of mud on our soles…





We loved the setting, the different rock colors, and the few hoodoos, including this one—the most famous.





After reaching this hoodoo, we turned west and quickly arrived at an area that looked a lot like the Goblins in the park of the same name.







A few hoodoos





A little farther on, a stunning panorama opened up before us (thanks, Nealmorse, for the tip in your latest travel journal)!



On the way back, we ran into another family who had seen us exploring this slightly out-of-the-way area.

Other hoodoos in the central zone





Then we headed back to the car. Before moving on to the next spot, I wanted to test the access road to Sidestep-Colorful Canyon, which we’d need to take tomorrow. The only tricky part was this wash to cross.



Since it was passable on foot (no soft sand), I was confident we’d make it to the end of the access road.

The next stop on the agenda was Stud Horse Point, located not far from US-89. To get there, I had a track and the arrival waypoint (see ouestusa). But despite that, we had a hard time finding our way with several trails crossing each other.



For example, if you end up like we did on this trail following two power lines, not far from the arrival point, you’ve gone the wrong way—you should have turned right 100 meters earlier to climb the hill.

After crossing a sandy section and a cattle gate, we finally arrived at Stud Horse Point, which was well worth the detour—both for its hoodoos and the view of Lake Powell!



The star!





With the kids on top, you can really see how big some of these hoodoos are.





Lake Powell in the background.



We spent some time here having lunch.

With the whole afternoon ahead of us, we decide to head to Alstrom Point.



But we’re quickly brought back to reality by the wash, full of water after the previous day’s rain.



No way we’re risking crossing that “river.” All my Plan B and C options fall through one after another. From a potential 7-day itinerary, we’re down to 2 in just a few hours.

We’re not going to get discouraged, though, and we head to one last spot just before Page: Wild-ere-Land, also known as “The New Wave.” This site is really easy to access. We were supposed to visit it this summer, but the light was bad, and instead, we helped some Poles who’d gotten stuck in the sand. 😏

This time, the conditions are perfect. At first, we follow a “trail” marked by countless rocks.



We can’t resist taking a peek inside the rock formations, but we’re quickly stopped by some pretty steep drop-offs!



We continue our walk in the area of the hoodoo a bit off to the south, the one you usually see in photos.





The stream of cars ruins the view a bit...

Right next to it, there’s an area with striations, pompously called “The New Wave.” It’s nice, but nothing exceptional. The photos look better than the actual visual impression on-site.





Other rocks are fun to photograph.









It’s past 4 p.m. when we get back to the car—too late to consider anything else.



We head to our motel, Americas Best Value, prepaid for 3 nights for less than $100, breakfast included! Then, after a quick stop at Safeway, checking the weather sites confirms that tomorrow will be the last sunny day in Page. Two nights in Page is manageable, but we won’t know what to do with this third night. 😕 I spend the evening saving all the practical info on maps.me and the GPS for our second week offline.

Summary: It was a day of disappointments, with one planned outing after another getting canceled 🏴‍☠️!! Weather risks are part of winter travel. Toadstool hoodoos: 17/20, our best spot of the day. Excellent fun-to-effort ratio. Stud Horse Point: 15/20, one of Page’s iconic hoodoos, with a stunning view and almost guaranteed tranquility. Wild-ere-land: 13/20, great for wrapping up an afternoon or watching the sunrise over Lake Powell. Very close to the road and the dam—the atmosphere and crowds reflect that. 😕

Hey Guillaume,

This is weird—no kids with mud up to their knees, no falls, no hikes lasting hours... You didn’t even try crossing a little water-filled ford? Almost sounds like a normal family! Weird, how weird!!!

Still, some great spots to discover... yes!

Summary: It was the day of disillusionment, with most of the planned day trips abandoned one after another 🏴‍☠️!! Winter travel comes with weather risks.

I protest this statement. It rains way more in summer, with hailstorms (I’ve experienced this near Mount Rushmore), and washes and muddy trails are far more common in summer. Snow is a different story

This is my fourth winter trip between February and March, and I’ve only ever had good weather when I needed it and snow only when I wanted it (like at Bryce Canyon, for example). Alstrom Point is truly stunning... in good winter weather and completely doable... if you don’t anger the Gods!

It’s all about planning. If you hadn’t left your wife at home..... see... the voodoo wouldn’t have been so effective!

Thanks again for this madness.

Hey Swimmer,

And the worst part is they’ll never know the true identity of the E.T. family!

I’m Snow White from now on. 😉

My sister and I were woken from a long slumber when we heard, "All Quiet on the Western Front"!!

A contract’s a contract. I can’t name the client, but let’s just say some people seemed to think Diamina spent more time traveling the world than in her classroom. Jealousy? Maybe. I don’t judge, I just deliver.

Jealousy is a nasty thing... but like cats with 7 lives or the Phoenix, Diamina rises from the ashes.

Though it’d be nice if it were true... 9 months of vacation and 3 months of classes... the dream!

Thanks for your sense of humor—it’s a breath of fresh air. 😄 Hugs,

Hi Diamina,

I protest against that statement. It rains way more often in summer, with hailstorms (I experienced this near Mount Rushmore), and washes and muddy trails are much more common in summer. Snow is a different story

This is my 4th winter trip, between February and March—I’ve always had great weather when I needed it and snow only when I wanted it (like at Bryce Canyon, for example).

I’m probably wrong to generalize based on our two-week experience since we didn’t have much luck with the weather for a nature-focused trip. But the number of days with overcast skies all day (or even rain) was still way higher than on our previous summer trips. During your trip, the photos you posted on Alain-Pierre’s thread were also often taken under gray skies 😕... I feel like we don’t get that impression as much in summer. Plus, my last few nights before the trip were lulled by a certain travel journal singing the praises of the Southwest in winter , so I was expecting 100% sunshine 😛.

During your trip, the photos you posted in Alain-Pierre’s thread were often taken under overcast skies too

The weather was cloudy at Ojito Wilderness and Tent Rocks. We still got some sun, though. The exception was Bisti Badlands, where we got hit by a sandstorm.

Plaza Blanca



Around Ghost Ranch



Echo Amphitheater



Bandelier National Monument



And then, my last nights before the trip were lulled by a certain travel journal singing the praises of the Southwest in winter , so I was expecting 100% sunshine 😛.

Yeah, but at the same time, when you mess with fate by messing with your wife, you’ve got to expect...

What won’t I do to get a few extra photos, and in the sun no less 😛.

but at the same time, when you mess with fate by upsetting your wife, what do you expect...

Promise, I won’t leave without her again...😉 I’m not that reckless...!

What won’t I do to get a few extra photos out of you, and in the sun no less 😛.

But then again, when you mess with fate by messing with your wife, what do you expect...

Promise, I won’t leave without her again...😉 I’m not that reckless...!

Mine was capable of lying in a cactus field for half an hour just to photograph a flower "she didn’t have yet"... and I won’t even mention the 2,000 selfies she brought back from our last trip.

Luckily, my girlfriend doesn’t care about photos and is allergic to selfies.

Less of a hassle

Mine could lie in a cactus field for half an hour to photograph a flower "she didn't have yet"... and I'm not even talking about the 2,000 selfies she brought back from our last trip

Until the day she wanted to take a nude selfie of you two in the cacti and that’s when you thought, "enough is enough"?

Seriously though, traveling is also a real eye-opener about what makes us tick—and it’s better when you’re on the same wavelength! Or at least know how to give each other plenty of space!

Or else make sure to give each other plenty of personal space!

That’s exactly what I did—well, except for the "mutuellement" part, which I don’t quite get in your sentence! Wait, I need to grab my dictionary... Darn, can’t find it...😛

it’s better when you’re on the same wavelength

Nicely put 😉

Or else make sure to give each other plenty of space!

That’s exactly what I did—well, except for the "mutually" part, which I don’t quite get in your sentence! Wait, I need to look it up in my dictionary... Darn, can’t find it...😛

it’s better when you’re on the same wavelength

Nicely put 😉

Oh, but nearly 30 years of tuning into each other’s wavelengths means we’ve gained some perspective... and a few dictionary whacks on the head to hammer in the right ideas 😉 (and he’d say: right back at you!)

Saturday, 02/16 – Colourful Canyon – Lake Powell

When we wake up, we’re surprised to see a bit of snow has fallen. After a good breakfast, we hit US-89 toward Kanab,



then turn due north just before the “hamlet” of Church Well.

What a view with just that thin layer of snow! We don’t even feel like stepping on it...



With the snow, it’s impossible to tell what the road conditions are like until we’re on it. I’m really glad I scouted it the day before.

As expected, with the cold hardening the ground, crossing the ford is a breeze,



and we quickly find ourselves parking near the reservoir. Just past that spot, a wash turned into a ravine is impassable.

The first few kilometers are boring. We start on the track, getting sticky mud all over our shoes despite the frost! 😮



This doesn’t bode well for the return trip… Then we follow a fence, but knowing where Colourful Canyon is, we realize we’ll have to cross a barbed-wire fence.

The landmark to follow is the rocky peak sticking out on the horizon.

After several failed attempts—risking losing a few body parts, and not the least useful ones 😛—we finally find the perfect spot to crawl under. Just to be safe, I record the point (N37.14082° W111.76395°). From there, the route is simple: we follow our landmark.



The path takes us back through a plain with sticky mud despite the cold and snow. Every now and then, we discover a trickle of water under our soles once we’ve already stepped in it 🤪!



So we’re thrilled to finally reach that rocky hill and quickly climb it.





We’re on the right track… we can follow these fresh footprints without being Native American!





After 3.5 km of walking, we reach Colourful Canyon—not as colorful as we’d hoped at first glance.





From a distance, it’s stunning, but we want to get a closer look. That’s when the trouble starts 😕... With the heavy rain the day before, we bitterly realize what we thought was rock is actually pretty soft sand 🤪.

Moving forward is tough—we try to step only on solid ground to avoid damaging the site. At one point, the only way to get closer is to cross this kind of rock formation.



One wrong step at the bottom, and it’s a disaster…



If we keep going, we risk permanently ruining this place we’d dreamed of exploring. No way we’re doing that, so we turn back and try another approach—but the problem’s the same.

With the water flowing, we better understand how some of these rock layers formed.

I’d planned to continue to Sidestep, maybe even push on to the Wahweap Hoodoos, but all these sites are way too fragile and sensitive to water for us to risk it.

So we settle for walking along the rim,



and I take a few photos with a telephoto lens.





Then we head back to the starting point. Another big disappointment… 🏴‍☠️



As we suspected, the ground thawed by late morning, and we’re each walking with 2–3 cm of mud stuck to our shoes. What a nightmare! We’d all love to shake it off, but the only thing that’d happen is our shoes flying away under the weight of the caked-on mud 😏!!

Back at the parking lot, I spend 20 minutes cleaning all the shoes with wipes, while a cow spends its time watching me.



Across the way, another curious one comes to see us with her calf.





We then head back to Page, taking the Scenic Road along Lake Powell. This area is part of the Glen Canyon Recreation Area, so the America the Beautiful Pass is required.

We hit up the different viewpoints.



The Marina, where there are rarely this many boats.

Some of the developed viewpoints are really nice.







Then, we head over to check out the dam.





And we go to the South viewpoint of the dam, located behind the "Wingate by Wyndham" and "Baymont by Windham" hotels.





Back at the motel, the Wi-Fi shows that the bad weather is even ahead of schedule. Starting tomorrow afternoon, snow is expected, and over 20 cm of snow is forecast for Monday morning 🤪. Since there’s no way we’re staying stuck here under gray skies with nothing to do, I decide to skip the third night in Page and head out tomorrow morning for Organ Pipe NM. Even though we’re reducing the three-night stay to two, we can’t complain...😉

The rest of the afternoon is spent doing laundry and shopping to get that chore out of the way for the second week.

Summary: These last two days in Page have clearly lacked energy. The announced snowstorm is a blessing in disguise, as it’ll let us recharge our trip and, hopefully, bring back some warmth.

Not much to remember from the Colourful – Sidestep Canyon hike, except that it’s another weather-related failure. We never could’ve gone further without causing irreversible damage, so it was wiser to turn back. At least we know the access route for next time.

Sunday 02/17 - On the road to Organ Pipe Cactus NM

This morning, we’ve got no less than 390 miles of driving ahead of us. We quickly grab breakfast as soon as the dining room opens, then hit the road from Page as fast as we can.

Construction at Horseshoe Bend is moving quickly. By this summer, expect three toll booths allowing access by car to a parking lot (seen under construction last summer) located just to the left of the famous Bend.



This will finally bring in some money and increase visitor turnover 🤪! I didn’t check if they were building moving walkways from the parking lot to the viewpoint, just so people don’t have to exert themselves too much 🏴‍☠️...

Too bad the weather’s already gloomy, otherwise I would’ve gone for the Spencer Trail this morning to warm up a bit 😏. So we keep driving without stopping until Phoenix.



A few snowflakes at Marvel Canyon, snow around Coconino National Forest, just south of Flagstaff.



Seeing how much snow has already fallen in Sedona, while the worst of the bad weather is expected to start this afternoon, we’re just like, *phew*!

Just before Phoenix, we spot our first saguaros! It’s a first for all of us, and I’m especially excited—I’ve got the complete Lucky Luke collection...





The detour around Phoenix feels endless. We take the opportunity to fill up the tank at a shopping center.

In Gila Bend, we’re drawn to this odd load on a freight train!





Just before Ajo, a blooming cactus.





We finally arrive in the small town of Ajo around 1:30 PM.





We love the vibe of this charming little town. 😇







The people are smiling, life seems to move at a slower pace. It feels like a great place to live. 🙂 We spend some time at the Plaza, surrounded by a beautiful church and a train station.











Next, we head to a spot I thought was a park because it was colored green on maps.me. But it’s actually the town’s cemetery—so colorful!

Hey Guillaume,

I’m still following you with pleasure. A little encouragement for what’s next... Wise decision regarding Colorful... it’s only postponed 😉. It’s an area that deserves plenty of exploration, like so many others. The approach hike isn’t thrilling, but the zone is rich. Really glad I got to enjoy Horseshoe Bend "before." It’s crazy how things are changing in that area... This winter, the weather was pretty rough in the Southwest (temperatures 15 to 20°F colder than usual, significant snowfall... ) and last-minute changes became a must.... We dealt with it too, 15 days after you. Organ Pipe NM was one of the backup plans (like plan E or F 😉) but we didn’t end up going that far! Thanks for sharing!

See you,