Wandering to Zion, Day One: Princess Rosebud and her Tugboat Man
Part One and a Half…Wandering to Zion
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We were meandering; taking our sweet time getting to our ultimate destination of Zion National Park. Zion was so crowded that we figured it was the perfect excuse to explore lesser known parks.
That’s how we roll, me and my tugboat man. This was the most relaxed road trip we’ve embarked upon; no stress or pressure — no deadline.
Moving on, literally…we left Payson, Arizona and drove to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. We hiked to the largest travertine bridge in the world — 183 feet high with a tunnel width of 150 feet and length of 400 feet.
There was a bit of scary, slippery rock scrambling with a moderately steep drop; not one of my favorite things to do, but the view was worth it.
Our next stop was the nearly 700 year-old Salado cave dwellings at Tonto National Monument. To get to them, there’s a steep but paved one-mile round-trip trail that ascends 350 feet to the Lower Cave Dwelling.
Built in the early 14th century, this village was part of a vast multi-cultural network that extended from the Four Corners region to Northern Mexico. While remnants of thousands of similar villages dot the Southwest, this well-preserved building represents one of the last Salido cliff dwellings. Local springs provided water for Paleo-Indians who lived here over 10,500 years ago.
There was so much to see and be amazed by —
t am so in LOVE with Saguaro cactus — those arms that dot the landscape all over Arizona. We don’t have that variety of cactus in SoCal. I got a package of seeds and hope they sprout.
Along the road, whenever we saw something that looked cool, we’d stop and follow a trail or hike to a monument or a site.
It began to get late and we couldn’t find a campground again so we stayed at a Howard Johnson in Holbrook, Arizona. There was a quaint little Italian restaurant in walking distance with great pizza and decent chianti.
I’m not overly fond of hotels — I always make hub check for bugs and bring my own sanitizer — but it’s nice to take a shower and wash off the dust at the end of a long day. I don’t care if it’s a a five-star hotel, either. Have you seen those TV shows that expose the dirt and germs? So much ick, right?
Side note: Only in California do all public restrooms provide seat protectors. There needs to be a Federal law that make seat protectors mandatory. I HATE going all old school with toilet paper lining the seat — but I NEED that barrier between me and the rest of the world
Next time, Part Three of Wandering to Zion with Princess Rosebud and her Tugboat Man.
Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud 
looks like a desert to me !
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You’re right! But a different type of desert than what’s around here.
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Enjoyed seeing the pictures and looks like you had a good time and it’s good to relax!
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We need to relax after a vacay, isn’t that funny!
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🙂 I can understand that especially with all the walking that you did!
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After 8 loads of laundry I can finally take a rest!
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What was in that little hut of a house? Did you peek in? I HATE using public anything, so I hover over any toilet and always wear flip flops in any hotel I’m in while also refusing to touch the remote or cover up with the comforter….
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Ha ha, no, we didn’t peek in; that was a real quick stop, click the pic, and back on the road. I wear flip flops too, even in the shower. Those antibacterial wipes are very useful and kill 99% of the bad stuff.
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My jealousy continues unabated…
Though, you can keep the cactus. I’ve seen enough of them. 😛
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Saguaro’s happy arms don’t cheer you up?
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Just remind me of too much time spent in the desert… the melting heat, the flaying winds, the desolate isolation….
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And that is just what we were looking for! Isolation, solitude…in Zion we did get the winds, about 40 mph at night but it wasn’t hot hot yet.
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Gotta “love” those winds.
Every time the Queen and I start talking about moving some place more affordable for our little family the desert invariably comes up… and she just has to say that one little four letter word and any arguments for the move become invalid. … wind
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With the wind comes dust, and lots of it, and dirt and yes, it’s fun for a few nights of camping adventure but not on a daily basis. got to say that carlsbad is one of the dustiest places i’ve ever lived.
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Yep. Dust… everywhere. In places not acceptable to talk about on this blog. You know, like kitchen counters. 😉
My mom’s constant battle with the dust in our house growing up… lived that. I didn’t know that Carlsbad was all that bad, but could make sense considering it’s location.
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