We flew back in to Phoenix airport on Tuesday evening passing through immigration without issue. Our passports were stamped up for a six month stay, we collected our bags and hire car and headed out to our hotel for the night. It should have been a 4 mile drive but when you are very tired, its dark and you are in a strange location four mile somehow becomes eight as you miss turns and take the wrong route!

Eventually we fell into bed for some much needed sleep.

Next morning we were awake far too early to cross town to Buckeye where haRVey was waiting for us. We wanted to pick up some shopping for the day so decided it would be a good idea to do that first then the rush hour traffic would be passed by. Not having had a proper breakfast the bakery close by the supermarket looked inviting. We don’t eat out often but remembering the very enjoyable breakfasts we have had after ballooning we thought we would have a treat! The Wildflower Bakery provided us with frittata and fries for me and a scrambled egg, feta and tomato sandwich for Robert all with lovely bread and endless coffee. Just what we needed!

Getting haRVey out of storage is not as straight forward as turning the key and opening the curtains. Just as leaving him is not about walking out the door and locking up. We like to leave him in storage with empty tanks, this time the water system was filled with ‘anti freeze’, just in case, the batteries have to be disconnected, we cover all external holes like the exhaust pipe to stop vermin from climbing in and lots of other bits and pieces. All this has to be reversed when we come back. The biggest issue is getting the water tanks and lines flushed and waiting for the fridge to be cold enough to use (about 4 or 5 hours). So by Wednesday night we were once more tired and in bed by 8.30 jet lag and a busy day taking over.

Thursday was shopping day, stocking the cupboards and the fridge. Finding all the nice things we like to buy and the everyday essentials. Now its feeling more like we are ‘home’. There is food in the cupboard, the clothes are all put away, haRVey is clean and we can sit down… then jet lag sets in and we fall asleep again!

By Saturday we were feeling much more like ourselves, the weather has been brilliant since we got back lovely sunny days with a gentle breeze, temperatures in the low 70’s (20’s Centigrade) and overnight in the mid 40’s (14 Centigrade). Ideal for a hike.

Phoenix is surrounded by several mountain ranges which are also County Parks. We had not visited  Esterella Mountain Park which has several trails, some longer than others but sections can be joined together to make a nice mid range hike. We felt we could manage around 4 miles and chose a route to suit.

There is a very good reason for this picture being small size. You get a feel for the landscape without seeing me too clearly!

This is desert country and the Esterella Park we felt was much more barren than either Usery or White Tank, far less cactus or trees and the ones which were there were very scrubby. Never the less we had gone for the exercise and after about 2 miles we were feeling good and congratulating ourselves we were not perhaps as out of condition as we had thought. Then Robert noticed where the path was going to take us!

I have to say this photo does not do justice to the steep scramble that lay ahead of us.

The path was rough loose and steep, quite a challenge after a pleasant easy hike up to that point. The view from the top looked out over the west side of the greater Phoenix area where we could  easily see the green irrigated farm fields, the extent of the modern housing developments and the older more traditional properties.

But then looking in the other direction all you can see for miles is desert!

It was a good hike, we felt exercised afterwards, sore feet and weary but a good feeling.

In the next few days we will be visiting two other of the County parks, Cave Creek and Usery, then on to Lost Dutchman State Park, unusually for us we have all this booked but that is because this is busy season in AZ, the Snow birds are here and who can blame them for migrating to this lovely climate?

From the North East we drove south to spend New years Eve with Elizabeth Alistair and Mellissa in Plymouth. Another round of gift exchange and much excitement for Mellissa on our arrival unfortunately was replaced by a nasty cold and our second day I spent most of the time cuddling a poorly little girl and reading her stories.

The weather was pretty wet and windy too, so staying in was not too much hardship but by Monday we all felt like a bit of fresh air. We drove a few miles to Bovisand but the wind was blowing so hard we got out of the car, walked a short distance and back again to the car, well this is England and winter, what more can we expect?

Devon and Cornwall are renown destinations for surfers and some hardy souls were in the water, rather them than me.

Tuesday morning we set off from Plymouth in horizontal rain and gale force winds to drive further south to Penzance for a few days visit with friends Linda and Derek in their home overlooking Newlyn harbour.

We always enjoy catching up and as Linda and Derek enjoy walking too, we decided to make the most of our first day walking part of the coastal path from Lelant to St Ives.

(Cornwall map at the end of blog)

Cornwall is beautiful at this time of year as the Spring arrives here first. We were amazed at the number of flowers already in bloom and the commercial fields of daffodils were golden already.

This historical building made a good rest stop along our route.It was a ‘Huers’ lookout. The Huers would take up position high on the cliffs watching for the pilchard shoals, the boats could then be signalled too, directing them towards a good catch.

The weather was a little damp but we did not notice that or the mud too much as we walked and talked. Even in the grey January weather St Ives shone out as we approached it.

It was a welcome sight and we were looking forward to a snack and a drink in one of the local pubs, unfortunately the kitchen had closed so we made do with beer and Rattler (local hard cider) then went in search of a chip shop. It was now getting dusk and we were grateful there was a train to take us on our return journey, the muddy coastal path would not have been good in the dark.

A more traditional Cornish snack in a local bakers store, Cornish Pasty along with scones and jam all they need is the clotted cream!

Next day Robert and I went out to explore a different part of the coastal route slightly north from St Ives. The day was brighter but a strong wind had a distinct chill in it. We parked up near to Godrevy lighthouse which sits on a small island just off the coast.

As we walked along I saw some people looking over a fence at the edge of the cliff, of course you have to peer over too don’t you? I was pleased I did as about 40 feet below us in a sheltered bay where only the tide could reach lay a multi coloured carpet of seals!

We stood and watched them for a while, some hauling themselves along the sand and into the water, playing in the foaming white breakers. They are so much more graceful in the water than on land. What a privilege to be able to observe these lovely creatures without disturbing them.

For lunch we found a small cafe at Peraneuthnoe (just north of Penzance) within a craft barn complex. The sign which read Cornish Wool had to be investigated too resulting in a nice souvenir of our trip for me to take ‘home’. Well how could I resist the lovely colour and the fact that the sheep were grazing in fields about 10 miles away. I always like to support local industry!

Our last evening with Linda and Derek we spent at The Coastguard in the lovely village of Mousehole, enjoying a lovely meal in the same surroundings where they celebrated after their wedding earlier in the year. As we had been unable to join them on that occasion it was fitting to toast the happy couple before our meal.

We spent the week end back in Plymouth with Elizabeth Alistair and Melissa before returning to Nuneaton for 5 days with Mum and Dad. This passed over too quickly too with visits to see my sister and a night out with good friends Gloria and Colin, also joined at precisely the right moment to enjoy pudding, by their daughter Yvonne!

And so we wended our way north, we are once more in the apartment at Riding farm where the weather is a fraction more seasonal.

Heavy frost and very cold overnight temperatures have bought us back to the realisation of what winter in the UK is all about.

Next week we fly back to Phoenix so are now trying to tie up all the bits and pieces we have left to do and see as many people as we can who are still to be ticked off the list. As always we wont get to do everything we would like but – summers coming!

In fact our flight from Heathrow to Newcastle was brilliant, we rose through thick cloud above Heathrow airport to a golden sunset but then as the daylight faded the lights below shone crystal clear not another cloud obscured our view. A broad ribbon of headlights snaked below us as Friday night commuters headed out of London on the M25. I could pick out twinkling  Christmas lights and was able to see clearly the extent of the major cities we flew over.  I can’t remember having such a clear view all the way home. We were met at Newcastle by our son Christopher and were surprised and delighted that Kai was with him, Grandma was able to get in some much needed cuddles!

Our base for this Christmas is Riding Farm at Kibblesworth, beautifully converted farm buildings around the old farm yard and farm house, all very comfortable and convenient for us to get to either Christopher’s or Jennie’s house.

The week end passed swiftly with visits from Jennie and Ebony and many more cuddles then it was time to get on with some serious Christmas shopping. A quick trip to Nuneaton to see Mum and Dad and deliver parcels also included a catch up with our niece Rachel with Rich and great nephew James, now walking…actually more like running, around and keeping everyone on their toes!

By now school was out but as Jennie was still working we spent most of the week with Ebony. The highlight was probably our trip to The Baltic Arts Centre for their Christmas craft session for children. The big event for Ebony was face painting. She really wanted to be a penguin and got her wish.

Granddad went off to view the Turner exhibition while Ebony and I  made a dancing dolly which we cut out and decorated together before covering it with glitter at the special table just for glittering. Brilliant to be able to get glitter everywhere and have someone else clear it up!

The run up to Christmas is made extra exciting with Jennie’s birthday falling on the 22nd and Ebony was super excited for the event. We picked up Kai to spend the day with us too, birthday cake and making Christmas decorations took up a good chunk of our day.

Before we knew it Christmas Eve was with us, what was not done it was now too late for, the Christmas cards I had bought lay unwritten (sorry to all those who did not receive one!) but the parcels eventually all got wrapped and sent on their way to Santa!

We spent Christmas Eve with Christopher and Helen and became the first guests to sleep over in their new home. It was fun to enjoy the Christmas Eve ritual with them and when all the parcels were in place beneath the tree I was transported back several years to when our children were small.

Back at the farm Christmas lunchtime, Jennie and Ebony arrived and the second round of unwrapping began. Christmas when you are 5 and a bit is very exciting!

Its always good to get some fresh air on Boxing Day and a walk to the park allowed Ebony to make good use of her new Hello Kitty folding scooter. This was probably the brightest day we had had for a while but whilst unusually mild the wind was still cold.

Boxing Day evening Helen, Christopher and Jennie came over to the farm. With the grand children being cared for elsewhere we were able to enjoy some adult only time and relaxed conversation.

We are now having a brief quiet spell before we drive south to spend the New Year in Plymouth. We expect another exciting few days with  Elizabeth Alistair and Melissa and some much needed catching up with them.

This is a Maricopa County Park and the camp ground is in a lovely spot high over the reservoir. All around we had a view of the mountains near Black Canyon City to the north . We managed a short hike around the lake and the small trail from the campground to the visitor centre but mainly just enjoyed the view and the sunsets. How lazy are we getting?

With the Thanksgiving holiday week end approaching we booked a site at Dead Horse Ranch State Park…doesn’t sound promising but the reviews were OK! We took interstate 17 north on the afternoon before Thanksgiving joining many others getting away from the city.

The State Park is close to the town of Cottonwood, as we drove through I noticed an Enterprise Car Rental. We recently had a good week end deal from them and as soon as we were settled in the camp ground Robert checked out the rates and booked us a car from Friday until Monday this would give us a great chance to get around the immediate area.

Not too far distant from the State Park, we thought within walking distance, is Tuzigoot National Monument, the remains of houses occupied between 1100 and 1300 by the Sinagua people. Having enquired directions we set off to walk the Marsh Trail from the State Park which would lead us to the National Monument.

We could see the remains, almost like a hill fort, and followed the trail towards it. We came to a viewing platform on the wrong side of the marsh before we realised we had missed a turning, back tracked, crossed through some woodland and came to a barbed wire fence and a gate. The monument was tantalisingly right above us but no proper trail seemed to lead to it. We carefully picked our way through the thorny desert plants and climbed an incline (to the left of the above picture) arriving at the ‘back entrance’ to the park. We quickly made our way to the office and showed our park pass before they thought we were trying to get in for free. The Ranger was able to point out a better way for our return which was easily visible from the vantage point of the visitor centre high above the marsh.

The museum within the visitor centre had some remarkable artefacts found during the excavation of Tuzigoot in the 1930’s, these included fragments of cloth, pottery, beads and jewellery and the tools used to make them. Objects from the daily life of these people, hunter gatherers and farmers, found after archaeologists painstakingly removed many tons of earth from the ruins which had been completely hidden from view.

We walked around the hill top buildings. We had read in the museum that the higher rooms were used by the elders of the tribe and around 50 people would have lived in this settlement. This was one of around 40 similar settlements in the region and we found it fascinating enough to find out more about the others.

Looking down the individual rooms from the very top over the walls which have been reconstructed.

After we had collected our car Friday we took a ride out towards Prescott on the 89A, we had considered (pre hire car) driving haRVey this way and were thankful we had not. The road twists and turns up a steep hill to the old town of Jerome (more of this later)before winding down an equally steep slope the other side. haRVey would have been fine I am not so sure about the drivers coming towards us, plenty of them hogging the mid line on the road to avoid the edge and drop, I think we may have given them a scare, 36ft x 8ft coming towards them!

Our main reason to drive this way was because I had discovered Peaceful Prairie Alpaca Ranch had an open day….

 Around 100 alpaca are presently living on the farm, we were able to wander between  the pens observing these lovely creatures. They have such interested expressions…. and are so gentle.

This Mum and month old baby took my eye they are a very dark brown but the shorn fleece is deepest black! We chatted for some time with Wendy their owner who took me into one of the pens so I could get my cuddles. After an afternoon of visitors the alpaca were totally disinterested in me and apart from Luna the shoe lace nibbler, who not only nibbled my laces but my trouser bottoms before starting on my T shirt, I struggled to get a stroke of their beautiful thick fleece. Eventually we departed after buying some lovely fibre for me to spin!

The sun was going down and Jerome was in shadow by the time we got back there, the visitors were thinning so we decided to take a quick stroll to see if we should make a longer visit another day. A chill wind was blowing up the valley but the setting sun illuminated the distant red rock making a warm glow, the far distant snow capped peaks again reminding us it is almost December.

The ranger at Tuzigoot had given us a map and directions to two other ancient sites, one a world heritage site, she felt we would enjoy. 11 miles of bumpy dirt road covered we arrived at Honanki to view the ruins. From a distance the red cliff looks much the same as all the others around, below an overhang of rock however are the ruins of the ancient dwellings of another pueblo village.

Unlike Tuzigoot which has been reconstructed the walls here have had little done to them, the present day Hopi Tribe believes the remains should decay as nature would intend. Many pictographs are visible on the walls along with blackened areas from the cooking fires. As the true meaning of these pictures is unknown it is fun to draw your own conclusion, in one area near a very blackened bit of rock were lots of small animal pictures, I decided this was the menu or a reminder for the cook of what to order from the hunters!

We bumped back along the road and took another dirt road to Polatki, here we had to view the main ruins from a safe distance as recently a crack has formed in the overhanging rock above the dwellings. When, and it could be soon, this rock falls it will destroy the remains, we felt privileged to be able to view them before this happened.

In the grotto area at Palatki we were able to get closer to the pictographs, the more you looked at the rocks the more pictures you could spot. The ranger on duty explained what they thought ‘possibly’ some of the pictures might mean.

Primitive calendars, messages, doodles? who knows? fascinating to observe however.

Sunday morning we drove back up to Jerome, now bathed in sunshine it was much more inviting to wander the streets and small stores of this old copper mining town. Many of its houses are perched precariously on the rock with alarming drop offs for back garden.

In the 1920’s a population of almost 1500 lived in the town which now makes much of the more unseemly aspects of its boom years. Tourism thrives on the stories of haunted houses and bordello. We were amused by one sign which included our daughters name, even spelled correctly!

Our favourite store had to be the kaleidoscope shop where the customers are encouraged to try out the various forms of kaleidoscope which range in price from $4 to $800 or more. Many are set up on stands for easy viewing of the extremely pretty colours and patterns. We could have spent all day in here but had promised ourselves after lunch we would drive over to Sedona.

We drove out from Cottonwood on the 89A north then headed off for Cornville to pick up the 179 this took us past a Forestry Service red rock park close to  the village of Oak Creek. We stopped to find out a little more. Reading the notice board we could see plenty of hiking trails – we would be back. We then managed to take the wrong turn and miss the centre of Sedona completely only finding the newer retail west side of  town. We were well on our way back to Cottonwood, it seemed Sedona would be a visit on another day!

There was still so much we wanted to do in this area that on Sunday night we decided to extend our car hire and stay an extra day. We drove back to Sedona, this time finding the very commercial centre of the old town, we drove straight through…. we have enough T shirts thank you! It was a few miles along the road, which eventually leads to Flagstaff, before we found a place to turn, here we got out to view Beaver Creek which the road crosses at a deep gorge in the red rocks.

The rest of our day we spent walking the red rocks we had previously found near Oakwood. Following first the Bell Rock loop then onto the Courthouse Trail, we skirted around the huge rocks out into the wilderness area where the noises of the town were hidden from our ears, how wonderful to be so close and yet so far away.

These huge rocks are impressive, not quite Utah but still dramatic.

We had one last place we wished to visit before we completely left the area. Montezuma’s Castle, just off Interstate 17, is reputed to be the best preserved of the villages in northern Arizona.

Unfortunately early settlers raided the artefacts here so the museum contains few of the fascinating objects that we had observed at Tuzigoot. An influx of visitors who arrived when the interstate was opened in the 1950s caused the Park service to close the dwelling fearing it would be destroyed. Now a walkway allows distant views of the spectacular cliff side building. A small diorama also gives an insight into how the village and its buildings were used.

Viewing the time line in the museum at Montezuma’s Castle I had a thought provoking moment. I had reflected on the dwellings and people we had been learning about  thought of them as living  in a very distant part of history. The time line showed things which were happening elsewhere in the world at the same time, Notre Dame Cathedral was built (as too would our own Durham Cathedral) around the same time as these primitive buildings.

Tuesday morning, after 6 nights at Cottonwood we left feeling we should certainly like to return. Maybe in the spring as we wait for the weather to improve further north. We had understood that Cottonwood does not get lots of snow however that evening when we watched the TV weather forecast we realised our understanding may be wrong. A storm system moving in for this week end is threatening to deliver around 12 inches of snow to the higher ground of the northern Arizona mountains…… more investigation required.

The system for moving a large crowd of people is very well organised at this event,  cars are parked away from the base, you are screened through security then loaded on to coaches to be driven the mile or so onto the base itself. Once arrived through the gates you are free to wander amongst the static aircraft in between looking skywards as the aircraft arrive and show off their capabilities.

I have to admit I was really looking forward to seeing the Patriots display team and the Thunderbirds too. George and Robert were excited by the fact that the B2 stealth bomber was due to fly and we could also view, from a secure distance a B2 on the ground.

We walked through the cargo bay of a huge transporter plane, despite the numbers inside, several dozen at least, it was not crowded, it is so huge. On the other hand I was amazed by how small the remote control drone aircraft, Predator and Reaper are.

These two unmanned aircraft are controlled from the US but have flown in important missions thousands of miles away supporting UN and US activities.

Whilst serving in the Air Force George had been involved for a good period of time with the B52, it is always far more interesting to view something with a knowledgeable guide, we listened with great interest to the technical details and anecdotes he was able to relate while we walked around the plane.

An announcement was made that the B2 was on its way… we looked skywards and like a miss shaped boomerang it appeared above us.

It passed over and back, then over again with the cargo doors open.

I was reminded of our afternoon in Sunderland watching the Vulcan bomber fly over head with our Grandson Kai, he would have loved this afternoon’s display.

And then came the Thunderbirds, first lined up on the ground, their red white and blue patriotic livery shows well against the back drop of blue sky and mountains.

The ground crew have a ritual performance to go through before the flight demonstrating their discipline and teamwork skills. Just like ballooning the ground crew has a big part to play in the success of the flight.

In the air the pilots fly in close formation

While we look on in awe!

The afternoon closed and so did our visit to Las Vegas. We said our good byes to George and Aggie and began the journey back to the camp ground. Las Vegas is certainly not all about ‘The Strip’ and gambling and we had visited for 3 days without seeing anything other than a distant view of the main area. That was until in our tired, end of day state, we took a wrong turn and drove on the interstate above the ‘strip’, past Bellagio, Caesars Palace and others, with their bright lights illuminating the sky.

The event was to raise funds for a deaf children’s charity and the flight launch was from the car park of a local hospital. Thankfully the weather was cooperating this week end and we were soon busy laying out the tarpaulins and the envelope.  The Friday crew consisted of George, Jan  with husband Joe, Lawrie and Monica and ourselves.

Our first days passengers were Tony & Brooke from the sponsors Marriot Hotel chain. They enjoyed their flight and we enjoyed their company, a great couple full of fun it was a pleasure to be able to help them achieve a new experience.

George found a nice easy landing spot for us to repack the balloon – a newly asphalted parking lot of a local church.

That afternoon we moved haRVey over to the Boulder Beach camp ground at Lake Mead south of the city. Lawrie and Monica were parked there too, we picked up a hire car en route to give us a little more flexibility for the coming week end. Saturday morning we set off around 5.15am to drive back into the city, we arrived at the hospital car park as the sun came up and were able to witness a lovely sun rise.

Once again we were unpacking Kaleidoscope, more hands today as we had been joined by several more of George and Aggie’s willing volunteers. It seems once you get bitten by the balloon bug its hard to resist getting involved.

Todays passengers were Scott and Aya the flight was in celebration of Ayas’ birthday the next day, and again it was a delight to have them around. Saturdays landing however was not such an easy one. We gave chase across town, towards a housing area, a nice vacant plot of land was available but it had a 6ft fence surrounding it. George landed the balloon inside the fence by about 20ft, there was no gate, even with so many helpers we still had to find a way to get Kaleidoscope over the fence.

Jon, probably the shortest amongst us, quickly volunteered to jump the fence. He grabbed the tether which was then thrown back over the fence for others in the crew to hold on to. George fired the burners to lift the balloon over the fence while its direction was guided with the tether – teamwork! I suppose that is one of the things I enjoy about the crewing experience, its so much about team work and we have been fortunate each time to help some great teams.

At some point over the week end in Page, probably post Margareta, a conversation took place about the upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations, between us it was decided we could have an early celebration this week end. Saturday evening Monica, Lawrie, Robert and myself drove over to George and Aggies house where Jan and Joe and Barry and Stacey were already gathered. Jan had cooked the traditional Turkey for the meat eaters but plenty of veggie options were on offer too. Conversation flowed all evening with good food and wine to accompany it. Our North American friends have all shown us wonderful hospitality and for that we are truly thankful.

Sunday morning we all felt that we had slept a short night as once more we gathered at 6am to begin the morning flight. Today our passenger was Stephanie another first time flier. Monica and Lawrie individually both took a ride with George and Stephanie flying over a completely different part of town to either of the previous days. There were only 15 balloons taking part in the charity week end events but still they put on a colourful display. Many local people came out to the parking lot to view the take off and others watched from their homes as the balloons floated past and over their roof tops.

Todays landing, although on rough ground, proved uneventful thankfully. As Kaleidoscope was packed away for the last time this week end I took great delight in my final tarp’ folding but did it with a heavy heart, not knowing when I may enjoy the privilege again.

Whilst Lawrie and Monica had flown before they had missed out on the ritual that first time fliers have to take part in at the end of their morning, so once we were all packed up they were lined up with Stephanie beside the trailer for George and Aggie to recite the prayer to the gods in thankfulness of the sunshine and good winds we had received for the flight. The ritual entails a little toast in champagne but not to spoil the surprise for others I will do no more than show pictures…….

After our morning playing with balloons, George, Robert and I drove over to Nellis Air Base for the Aviation Nation air display…. and that’s another story and another blog post I think!

PS. Thanks to Lawrie and Monica for the photos marked ‘grumpysplace’ 

We arrived at the camp ground on Tuesday and began settling in, Wednesday we were joined by from friends from BC, Lawrie and Monica with their travelling companions Cherry and Dave who had also come to see the balloons. Lawrie and Monica had volunteered to crew the balloon with us in 2009. Despite the energetic pace of the job we were all up for another busy week end doing whatever we could to help get the balloon in the air.

Unfortunately despite our early start to Friday and a blue sky above, the winds were too strong to fly, so after a breakfast get together we decided our exercise would come from a hike to the overlook of the Horseshoe Bend Canyon. The Colorado River snakes its way through Glen Canyon and Lake Powell near Page, blue sky reflecting in the water against the mostly red rock give some fairly spectacular views at any time of day. From our view point overlooking the rock we speculated how far down it was to the river at the bottom, our guesses ranged from 800ft to 1500ft, we had all missed the notice board at the beginning of the trail which would have told us it was 1000ft.

As we took in the views Jan’s dog Daisy became acquainted with the water and was most put out when the waves just would not obey her barks, continuing to splash around her feet and getting her thoroughly wet in the process.

Over lunch we discussed our chances of flying the next day, Saturday, it did not look promising. Not only high winds but rain was forecast as an early winter storm crossed the area. By tea time Friday it was certain we would get a lie in Saturday morning but we all hoped the day would improve in time for the evening glow, an event the towns people look forward to very much.

The weather predictions proved correct and through the night Friday we heard rain on our roof and the wind buffeted around us. To pass the day we visited the museum in town dedicated to John Wesley Powell the famous explorer of the Colorado River. Across the street we strolled the market where the vendors were struggling against the strong wind to keep their stalls intact. However as the afternoon passed the wind did drop and by sunset we were ready to gather for the glow.

Not to be outdone the sun put on its own display

The organisers decided that it was still too windy for the envelopes to be inflated but the go ahead was given for a simplified display, where the burners are ignited above the baskets. This still makes for a spectacular show as the burners roar together or in sequence. As the visitors and town folk walked up and down the row of baskets many stopped to thank the balloon owners for visiting and putting on the display, one man I spoke with expressed his hope that Sunday would be good enough for us to fly as his small children had been excited all week looking forward to the event. I agreed with him not letting on how I too had been excited for many weeks waiting for the same thing!

SUNDAY

Just before dawn George picked us up from the camp ground. The forecast looked better but we would not know until after the briefing if we could begin our task  of setting out the tarps’ and unfurling the envelope ready for inflation. We all sat expectantly in the car awaiting instructions. Small balloons are sent up to allow the pilots and organisers to judge how the wind is blowing, we watched as they floated above us, slightly towards the airport but not towards the river and canyon where the balloons were not supposed to fly. George returned with a positive answer – we could fly!

After 2 years Robert and I needed a fair bit of guidance to remember the sequence of laying out the tarpaulins and the envelope, it was all hands together and we had been joined by Mike another veteran volunteer with his friend Hal and wife Pam (locals of Page).

Soon the envelope was ready to be filled with cool air to inflate it, when the pilot decides it is ready the burners are directed into the opening of the envelope and warm air replaces the cold. Slowly the balloon lifts up and its all weight on the basket to hold it in place until everything is ready for take off.

Personally I find the whole routine exciting. Laying out the envelope and seeing it unfurl, then, as it fills with air it comes to life the colours of the rainbow glowing in the morning sunshine.  George does his final checks of the balloon and radios, decides who will fly and then its off up into the sky!

First flight Sunday Robert and I were lucky enough to be asked to join George in the basket for a flight. Its a fantastic feeling up there above everyone, the basket feels very secure like standing in a lift (elevator) with glass sides except it does not go  straight up and down!

Looking down on other balloons getting ready to fly

Down on the ground the rest of the crew were packing up the trailer in preparation for the chase. Whilst the pilot has some control over the flight it is largely determined by the wind and a suitable landing spot. The chase crews job is to stay in touch with the pilot, watch the balloons flight path and try to get as close as possible to the landing spot ready to steady the basket as it lands. Our flight took us over the town where the local people called and waved as we passed. I wondered about the children from the previous evening and hoped they were out watching. It seemed just a few minutes but was probably much longer than it felt when we came to a halt and Robert and I got out to let Hal and Pam in to the basket. The balloon took off once more and we joined the chase.

It was a beautiful morning now and 55 balloons had taken off filling the sky with extra colour.

George had seen a possible landing site on the far side of the small airport on the north side of town, the chase car headed over in the direction indicated and we pulled over to watch and wait. It seemed the wind had stalled and Kaleidoscope was sitting over the mesa(a flat plateau with steep cliffs), between us and the airport,waiting for a change in conditions.

We were on the limit of the radio reception, not receiving word from the balloon, all we could do was watch. As we did the balloon rose a little moved back slightly then after a while just sat still. What we were unaware of was a steep drop just in front of the balloon and that the wind rising up from there was playing tricks with Kaleidoscope and a couple of other balloons holding them captive.

Eventually it became obvious we had to head back towards the airport, by this time many balloons had landed either in the outfields of the airport or on the rough desert land just beyond. Fortunately the airport is small and at this time of year not busy, the staff seemed happy to help and were escorting chase crew into the grounds to recover balloons. They were aware of the position of Kaleidoscope but also that it was outside the immediate airfield and not in an easy to reach spot!

Lawrie and Monica were also with us by now in their 4×4 pick up truck, this was very fortunate as when we finally got to the closest road access to the balloon we realised how rough the ground was. No place for a trailer and the chase car was not 4×4. It was decided we would get into the 4×4 and cross the rough ground getting as close to the balloon as we could, the rest would be on foot. All the equipment would then need to be man handled back to Lawries’ truck to be returned to the trailer.

Extra hands seemed to come from nowhere, the police captain, his partner, their friend, some hikers on a nearby trail and the chase crew…. we all carried out the balloon, basket and associated equipment. It was loaded into Lawries’ 4×4 and the police captains truck, people in the truck and on the back holding equipment in place, we bounced our way the half mile or so back over the rough ground.  Photos would have been good but we did not have time, we were too busy thinking how to get the balloon back! When we had there was much celebration, a difficult recovery successfully achieved.

The 2011 Page Balloon Regatta was a very different experience from the one we had had in 2009. The weather certainly did not cooperate, spending time with friends and meeting new ones however made up for the disappointment of two days without flying and the excitement of the flights and recovery will be remembered by all for a long while I think.

One slight disappointment was I did not get to fold one tarpaulin, my very favourite task – however – from Page we were intending to visit the Las Vegas area to attend the Aviation Nation air show at Nellis Air Force base the next week end. George informed us he was due to fly in a charity event on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday and was in need of crew…… I just could not pass over the chance to get my fix of tarp folding, he did not have to ask twice.

We were due to leave Tuesday morning and woke to find a different day had arrived, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Before we left Page we drove out to Wahweep Marina for one last look and to take a few more pictures.

Looking like a shadow behind the red rocks is Navajo Mountain completely covered in snow

As we drove west the sun was still shining but an inch or two of snow lay at the sides of the road on the higher portions, we were glad we had chosen to stay in Page the previous day and not travel.

Our destination of Snow Canyon was in the State of Utah (mountain time) we had been at Page which is in Arizona – most of Arizona does not change its clocks for daylight saving and in the summer is the same as Pacific Time in the winter it is the same as Mountain time. The past week end the clocks changed….. we were not exactly sure which time we were in and this was compounded as we drove through St George en route where 3 different times were displayed on roadside clocks. Our clock said 3.30 but it was getting dusk…. I eventually thought to check the phone clock which had thankfully updated…. it was a short day.

Due to the time confusion we did not see much of Snow Canyon in daylight after we arrived but did have time to look at the information and put together a hike route for the next day. We pieced together sections of several walks to make one of around 8km covering most aspects of the park. It would be a longish walk but we were ready for some exercise and next morning set out fairly early and properly equipped with our water and snack.

We took the Hidden Pinyon Trail from the camp ground area this is a short nature trail loop but would then link in to the West Canyon trail, it was along this, a service road we had our first real views of what the park is all about. In front of us we could see not only the white sandstone mountains in the distance but the petrified sand dunes to our left and black lava flows between.

In the bottom of the valley beside a dry wash area it was green with vegetation, contrary to what you may believe desert is not all sand or barren or scrubby it can be very green with a diverse selection of plants and trees which have adapted themselves for the variable and harsh climate they live in.

The petrified sand dunes and the strata on them fascinated us, the coating of lava which had flowed over them was now in many places a  crust. Weathering on the underlying sandstone had caused it to crumble and break away the tilted lump in the top right of this picture will soon join the jumble of lava rock below it as the wind and rain takes its toll.

We climbed higher on the overlook trail and soon were looking down on the rocks we had looked up to. As we climbed we came across a huge cider cone where the black lava had left a huge hole in the ground.

The rock looks brown in this picture but it was actually very black. Hopefully the size is apparent when you compare Robert standing on the top to the hole below!

We found at least two more of these cones along the trail before we took a side path to the West Canyon Overlook.

We decided this would be our half way stop and sat down to take in the view as we ate our snack.

Its a good thing we stopped to rest as the next part of our hike proved a challenge. The dunes we had been viewing all morning which were up to 2,500ft thick are now solid rock and the trail takes you over the top of them. At first it was easy and having recently walked on the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, real sand, to now walk across these petrified ones and compare the similar structures was extremely interesting. We found lots of Moki Marbles again and some still embedded in the sandstone looking like some sort of pox disease!

I found this way marker amusing until I realised what I thought was an illusion was true…

The trail on the other side went almost straight down, despite my frantic looking for an easier route I had to admit defeat, grit my teeth and just do it! You know its amazing what you can do when you put fear to one side…. and the achievement feeling after is good too.

I am not sure this picture gives a true sense of the scale but can you see the people on the top? They thought we were mad and watched us all the way down I am sure they thought we would need rescuing. It really was the correct way as the next way marker was right in front of us at the bottom.

So as our hike came to an end the shadows lengthened in the valley and another day began to close.

Making a slight change from rocks and hoodoos a visit to Coral Pink Sand Dunes seemed a good idea. The camp ground was very quiet enabling us to have a site with a great desert view back towards the mountains . A short walk took us to the dunes area and a raised platform amphitheatre where we sat the first evening to watch the sun fade across the dunes.

High winds and cooler temperatures were forecast for later the next day so we started out early to explore. We began on the nature trail reading about the various plants and animals which make the dune their home. We spotted many tracks from these mostly nocturnal creatures and had fun trying to decide who made which mark.

Soon we crossed toward the nearest of the dunes. The sand was soft and steep but great fun to climb. As we began to get to the crest we could feel the wind picking up and blowing sand at us.

Of course we could not be content with climbing the first dune – there we two more to conquer!

The dunes here have been created by wind blown sand from the Navajo sandstone cliffs being funnelled through a gap in the mountains, collecting on the valley rocks and piling up behind them. Today we could see exactly how this would occur with the wind increasing all the time we were out walking.

A draw back to all our fun was that our shoes became full of sand, heavy shoes make for hard walking and we had to stop and empty them more than once!

Along with climbing and jumping in the sand we spent some time inspecting the fragments of rocks and minerals lying around. Small coral coloured stones caught my attention first, probably washed down in the summer flash floods from the cliffs, then we began to find small round concretions, looking just like marbles (and also known as moki marbles) these are formed in the rocks where there are deposits of iron. Now had I thought of it at the time we could have had fun by taking some of these to the top of the dunes to roll them down… ah well next time!

We were due to move on to Page AZ and as I said the wind was picking up so we thought we would move out that afternoon before it got too strong. With the sky still blue we got some great views of the surrounding mountains as we travelled towards Arizona.

As we approached Bryce the weather looked anything but wintery, the red, pink and white rocks pretty against the blue sky.

We had previously taken a hike down a popular section of the canyon and this time hoped to see something different. We called into the visitor centre for advice on which trail would be good for a short afternoon hike to view some slightly different locations. The ranger directed us to a section of the Fairyland Loop, a strenuous 8 mile hike if you completed the whole trail but thought we would enjoy the first section, turning around when we felt we had gone far enough. A great idea!

The trail took us to views of some of the hoodoos in the eastern part of the canyon. Then as we walked further extensive views beyond the park boundary. There were some steep sections both up and down but largely the trail was well made and a pleasant hike. The sun was bright but there was not sufficient warmth to encourage me to take off the top layers. We timed our walk out to an hour and a half but actually managed the return much more quickly than anticipated. It was exactly as we wanted a nice afternoon walk to warm us up for the longer hike we hoped to do the following day.

That evening we attended a ranger talk in the visitor centre about the night sky, we were amazed that about 50 people attended the talk, and stayed on afterwards to use the telescopes set up by park staff in the very chilly car park. Through the scopes we had a great view of Jupiter with its 3 moons,also Andromeda Nebula which looked like a smudgy blob in the sky (think of the iris of an eye) .

The visitor centre was a short drive from the campground but our return in the dark was ‘interesting’. Its amazing how confusing roads and camping spaces can be in total darkness and after taking a couple of wrong turns, completing a three point turn and retracing our steps to the front entrance we settled in our site for the night.

Overnight the temperature dropped below freezing but next morning the sun was bright, so, wrapped up against the cold we set off to park at Sunset Point and begin our hike on the Peek a Boo trail. We knew it was classed as a strenuous trail but after the previous days hike hoped we were up to doing the full loop. We descended into the canyon via the Navajo trail, this part we knew as it was where we had walked before.

As the path continued the hoodoos grew larger above us, making use of the run off from above, trees grow in the washes and on the damper northern slopes of the canyon. We speculated why the trail was called Peek a Boo, could it be holes in rock to peek through? Maybe giving a view out to another area? At times the path climbed steeply, levelled off, then dropped again. It twisted and turned through the hoodoos eventually we passed through a gap  to find on the other side the path continued amongst another section of rocks in the amphitheatre of the canyon.

This repeated itself several times along the trail, sometimes we were low and the hoodoos high above us other times we crested a rise and found we were looking down to a view below us. At one point there was a short scramble up a bank at the side of the trail, well used it tempted you to follow and explore why others had climbed that way. I was brave and was rewarded with a breath taking sight below.

We had taken our lunch with us knowing we would be walking for several hours so began to look for a spot to sit and eat, we hoped for a nice log in the sunshine as the rocks were a little chilly for sitting on. By now we were a long way from either end of the trail and were surprised and relieved in more ways than one to discover a washroom!

Right in the bottom of the valley we found our resting place and settled down to enjoy the snacks we had bought with us. We soon attracted an audience, the local chipmunk population heard the rustle of our bags and came in search of a few crumbs. While we felt sorry for these little fellows who appeared to have little to sustain them in the surroundings we also are very aware that feeding the wild life is not good for them – and we were hungry too!

Continuing after our lunch we came to a small stream running down on the shady side of some rocks, in the nooks of the rocks ice and icicles had formed reminding us that despite this sunny day winter will soon cover the rocks with several feet of snow.

The next section of the trail is called the Wall of Windows, the hoodoos are formed once the cap rock is removed, the underlying softer stone is then quickly worn away by the action of wind and water. Initially fins are formed in the soft rock, then holes or windows appear eventually the top of these windows is removed and a pillar of rock stands on its own – a hoodoo.

Of course the weathering does not stop, the hoodoos continue to be eroded changing shape over the years until finally they collapse or are worn to sand and washed away in the storms. What we see today may still be there to view next year or may be completely different, who knows.

The trail was also a horse trail and we had seen evidence of their passage all morning, dodging it as best we could. We had not seen any horses though until late in the day when a small party of riders came towards us heading for the higher parts of the trail. What a nice way to see the canyon, it almost made me wish I could ride.

Having completed the 3 mile loop of Peek a Boo we enjoyed a brief rest in the sunshine before the final stretch of our hike which would be to exit via the Wall Street section of the Navajo trail. From the flat wash in the very bottom of the amphitheatre it is obvious the exit has to be either long or steep or maybe both.

The first view of the accent is amazing, the rock walls close in around you, tower above you, casting a shadow on the trail and blocking out the sun. The park service have made the very steep accent a little easier by developing a zig zag route supported by rock retaining walls but still the climb is one which needs many stops to catch your breath, ideal for taking in the view.

Eventually we emerged at the rim to look out over the amphitheatre and the hoodoos where we had been walking.

Its hard not to be in awe of this landscape, the world we live in laid bare, stripped back to reveal its barren beauty. I am sure some will look and see a pile of rocks, we don’t all see things with the same eyes I realise. For us it had again been a fantastic visit, we were delighted to have easily completed the 4.75 mile hike  in just less than 5 hours, including a stop for lunch, adding another memory to our bank.