Red Rocks, Coral Sand Dunes and Snow

In which Fred and Carolyn rent a Sprinter camper van for a cold weather getaway.

We’ve been wanting to try out a camper or possibly motorhome for a while to decide on our ideal travel vehicle. Our plan was to do a couple of days skiing in Utah and other touring. After looking at the seriously frigid temperatures (high temp. of 14!), we decided to play it by ear.

We had dinner at the Crossroads Cafe just outside Joshua Tree. We’d had some really good meals there in past times. But it looks like they changed their menu to include less of the interesting dishes. It was just OK. Joshua Tree campground was full. So we learned that casinos welcome overnighters. We were well guarded all night.

Next we went to Red Rock Canyon just outside Vegas. Really beautiful and popular, too.

From there, we followed a tip about a place called Snow Canyon, just outside St. George, Utah. What a spectacular hidden treasure! Like a miniature Grand Canyon. The campground was very private and had nice showers.

In the morning, we took a long walk along the floor of the canyon. The snow on the ground set off the beautiful shades of red earth.

After a restful night, we set out to Zion National Park. We were amazed at the big changes since our last visit – the park had expanded into the town and campgrounds were being expanded greatly. We did some hiking with Lava, had a nice dinner in town, and settled into our van.

After two or three nights we were starting to get the hang of the various systems – the window insulation and propane space heater, the stove etc.

Next, we drove to Kanab, a small and somewhat charming town. It’s usually bustling in the summer months, but in winter it seems a little forlorn. We chose a new restaurant there, called Sego and had a wonderful ‘elevated American’ dinner. That night, we drove to the local reservoir and settled in for the night.

The next morning, we set out for one of our favorite places on earth! The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Soft reddish sand in huge dunes. Good for a big dog run, for the first time in days. Years ago, we camped out there in its wilderness state and ‘skiied‘ down the dunes with great abandon. There have been some ‘improvements’ made, but I liked it better when it was unspoiled and empty.

As we made for Arizona, we saw signs for the Meteor Crater and decided to check it out. (We’re both suckers for any kind of potent forces – volcanoes, earthquakes. This was our first meteorite strike!) It’s a huge mile long crater in the earth, looking much like a volcano. Apparently, it was assumed to be a volcano for many years until scientists proved that it could only be a meteorite impact site. The visitor center there has some very interesting exhibits about the science and history of the crater. The best part was talking with volunteers there, who were extremely knowledgeable and could answer questions in great detail.

It was very windy that day (my hair was doubly bad after my marmot hat and high winds!) and the outdoor tours were canceled. Darn. We drove to Flagstaff then through the Coconino and Tonto National Forests with heavy rains following us. Finally through Phoenix and back home.