New photos

We finally are staying in a hostel with Internet access...
New photos are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/AnatGiora/MesaVerde and http://picasaweb.google.com/AnatGiora/Arches
Cheers,
Giora

Hello from Moab, Utah

Sorry for the prolonged silence, we've been without internet access for the last week or so. Thanks so much to everyone. it was great to hear all your news and goings on!

So since we last posted we passed through the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona, and then arrived in Mesa Verde National Park in the South-Western corner of Colorado. Mesa Verde is home to ancient Native American Pueblo remnants, which were abandoned in 1300. The most impressive are cliff dwellings - whole communities built in rock alcoves created by water springs. The park's focus is on the culture, archeology and history of these communities, and less on the surrounding nature, though the setting is also impressive with deep canyons and high cliffs. This was refreshing change, adding another dimension to our trip.

The way to explore the park is to join guided tours lead by park rangers. We explored three cliff dwellings this way and learned a lot about the ancient people, from their size (much smaller than today), their diet (corn, beans and squash mainly, from lands they farmed on top the mesa), and their spiritual practices. It was interesting for us the adults, but the girls absolutely had a ball. They asked the rangers endless questions, ranging from questions by Noga regarding the division of labor between the sexes and exactly how the dwellings were constructed, to inquiries by Hadas regarding whether the people engaged in war (they didn't) and exactly what they used to wipe after doing their business (the ranger speculated on oak leaves...). Maayan didn't ask questions, yet, but kept her parents busy and in constant vigilance to make sure she didn't dive head first off a cliff... Another aspect which led to great enjoyment was the fact that the dwellings are accessed through steep trails and the tours also involved climbing up some tall ladders (up to 30 feet / 10 meters) and crawling through tunnels in the rock.

Since leaving Mesa Verde we've come to Moab, Utah, which sits on the Colorado river and is the access town to Arches National Park, which we've been exploring for the last couple of days. The park is very very accessible, with numerous gracious stone arches just a short hike off the road. And surprisingly, so far we haven't ran into big crowds. There are also many adventure activities here in town - river rafting, extreme mountain biking and so on, but we'll be skipping these on the current trip, and focusing on the beautiful nature in Arches.

Hope to update more soon,
Anat

New pictures, and request

First and foremost, we've uploaded some new pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/AnatGiora/ZionGrandCanyonAndLakePowell

Second, we're curious to know how all of you are doing. Both of us have the feeling that communication has been fairly one-sided, because we've been posting in the blog and not corresponding individually. So we'd be really happy to hear from you all - you can either comment here in the blog (if you don't mind your comment being open for everyone to read), or send us email:

giora.unger@gmail.com
anat.prior@gmail.com
nogi.unger@gmail.com
hadas.unger@gmail.com

Love and hugs,
Anat

Boating in Lake Powell

Hi this is Noga.

I am writing from the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona. Yesterday Mommy, Hadas and I went on a boat ride. At first we were in Lake Powell which was not so cool but then we entered Antelope Canyon which was the most beautiful thing on the boat ride. By the way, the boat ride was an hour and a half. We saw the most amazing sandstone cliffs in the world. Mommy, Hadas and I took lots of pictures. I will never forget that boat ride.
Bye for now,
Noga!!

The too Grand Canyon and weird Lake Powell

Our trip took us to the less-visited North rim of the Grand Canyon. I know there will be those who will be surprised at what comes next, but I must admit that I was not blown away. Sure, the scenery was beautiful, but I think the scale was simply too big for me. Because the canyon itself is so large, wide at the top and then narrowing and becoming steep further down, we couldn’t even see its entire depth from our vantage point. And since we weren’t able to actually hike into it (way way too difficult for the girls) I found myself feeling somewhat removed and not taken in by the view. More generally, I think I enjoy places where you can actually “enter into” nature, and not only appreciate it from a convenient scenic viewing point by the road. That’s probably why we insist on taking hikes, even very short ones, at every opportunity. Even if you can actually see a wider angle from the view point I truly enjoy getting further involved.

From the Grand Canyon we headed towards Lake Powell, which is actually a man made lake created by a huge dam built on the Colorado River at Glen Canyon. Surprisingly (well, at least to us – because we didn’t do too much research…) the drive there was amazing. The road took us along the Vermillion Cliffs – that true to their names, are sandstone cliffs in various shades of brown and red, sculpted by the wind and river into interesting shapes. On the way we stopped in Lee’s ferry, which historically was one of the only points for crossing the river. We got out to dip our feet into the ice cold water – a real treat with the scorching heat outside - and saw a group of people with rafting boats and heaps of equipment. They were preparing for embarking on a 16 day trip down the river, through the Grand Canyon and beyond. The girls enjoyed playing in the water while Kim, one of the rafters from Flagstaff, told us about everything such an adventure entails. I love it when you stumble across something like this, and get to meet people and unexpectedly be exposed to something you really know nothing about!

Lake Powell, as I said, is man made. And it really does look very weird and out of place – a huge body of sparkling blue water, plunked smack dab in the middle of desert canyons. Indeed, from what we were told the dam project was highly controversial due to the huge environmental impact. I found myself pondering this as well. On the one hand, hydro-electric energy is fairly clean and preferable to other options. On the other hand, a lake with a marina in the middle of the desert just looks very very wrong. We had hoped we would be able to enjoy some swimming and cooling off in the lake, but there are actually no real beaches, both because the water level is highly variable depending on rainfall, and because the lake’s status as a National Recreation areas prevents and development along the shore, i.e. no shade. It was too hot for hiking, so we mostly hung out by the pool and the girls and I also joined a short boat tour of Antelope canyon, one of the tributary canyons (see the post by Noga). Again, sailing down the canyon and the juxtaposition of the dry sandstone cliffs and the clear water was beautiful in a way, it just didn’t feel right. Not the way it was intended by nature. I hope this doesn’t come out pretentious, but I found myself mentally comparing the Native American stance of honoring the land (which I know very little about beyond that statement) with the more modern practice of molding nature to serve our needs. I know there are many advantages to the latter, but I found myself wishing we would find a way to practice a little more humility and try to refrain from actions that have such large-scale impact.

Anat

Zion National Park

Magnificent! Awe-inspiring!

In general, National Parks in the US encapsulate unbelievable nature attractions. But even with that reference, I found Zion National Park to be exceptionally beautiful.

We started from the eastern entrance, and a relatively steep hike (Canyon Overlook trail) that provided overwhelming views of the park.

Then, we settled in the fantastic Watchman Campground, inside the park, near its southern entrance. While somewhat rustic (no showers), this is exactly the kind of campground that makes me prefer camping over other accommodation options. It’s situated in a valley between two majestic mountain chains, hanging high above. It is also crossed by the swift Virgin River, allowing for chilly and very enjoyable bathing. Hadas coined the name “Yam” (beach in Hebrew) for it.

I find it hard to convey the exhilaration of gazing into the surrounding cliffs, so close that you can feel part of them. One specific cliff, visible directly from our tent, was my favorite. I could spend long minutes gazing at it, with a large V shape carved in its topmost portion, filled with sharp blue sky in the background. Each early morning stroll with Maayan, to get milk for her mandatory bottle, was filled with fantastic scenery.

And that’s only the campground, not to mention the Zion Canyon itself. The sheer size and steepness of the canyon walls is mind-boggling. This is the sort of nature you gaze at speechless, again and again and again. The canyon caters for short hikes, longer hikes and boasts the second most popular rock-climbing site in the US (after Yosemite). But that’s for professionals only, as was made clear by the tiny dot of a climber on the extraordinary cliff, starting his 2-days climbing journey upwards (a night while hanging in the air included!).

Interestingly, due to a very wise (and atypical in America) decision, one can’t drive into the Zion Canyon. A free shuttle takes you into the canyon and back. These propane-fueled shuttles, aside from consuming way less energy than comparable buses, are very effective and convenient, departing every several minutes. And as advertised in the park, 5000 vehicles per day with 450 parking spots would make for a lousy experience.

The park does have a few weak points. For one, it’s too crowded to my liking, which is to be expected in light of the above. It’s very hot in the summer, making longer hikes too strenuous. And at least in our campground, you get very strong winds every night, leading to a less than perfect night’s sleep, when in a tent.

Recommendations:

I guess it’s clear by now – visit Zion National Park if you have the chance! We spent 3 nights, but adding a night and visiting Kolob Canyons could also work well.

Riverside Walk, at the end of the Zion Canyon a.k.a. Temple of Sinawava, is beautiful, but extremely crowded. In the summer, starting early in the day will give you more privacy.

As mentioned above, the eastern entrance is highly recommended, including driving through the long tunnel.

The lawn in front of the Zion Lodge (inside the Zion Canyon) is shaded and kid friendly. With ice-cream it’s a good ending to a hiking day.

Giora

Traveling with Kids

Traveling with kids is not a vacation. It is rewarding, enlightening and develops deeper family relationships, but it is by no means relaxing. And at times it isn’t easy, especially if the previous night’s sleep suffered all sorts of interruptions.
With the current combination of ages and personalities in our family, Maayan (17 months old) requires constant attention, or else she’ll either hurt herself or demolish her surroundings. That typically leaves one parent to divide attention between Hadas and Noga, as well as fixing meals, washing dishes, doing laundry every now and then, packing, loading the car, building the tent etc. etc.
Both parents have very little time to relax and recharge. Not to mention things like a brief Yoga practice (Anat, not me…) or reading a few pages in a book. So, the fact that I write less than I would have liked stems not only from sporadic internet access…

One thing we had a reminder of is the importance of music on long drives with kids. The audio system in our tired mini-van ceased to work, which left us musicless. And storyless. Phew, that made the drives so much more difficult! Luckily, our unplanned stop in Kanab allowed us to have a mechanic replace a naughty fuse, and we were back to normal. I must admit that enjoying the dramatic eastern entrance to Zion National Park with the soundtrack of High School Musical 1 felt somewhat weird. But this soundtrack was infinitely better than a whining baby…
All in all, don’t get me wrong – traveling with kids is fantastic, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. As long as you don’t expect it to be a relaxing vacation.

Giora