kcowyo
Senior Member
"Have fun getting lost on the way home!"
- Jerry Jeff Walker
Catching up on a recent 2.5 week trip over the Thanksgiving holiday and into December, that saw us travel from our home in Wyoming, through a blizzard-infested Utah, to a not-as-warm as expected Arizona, before capping it off for a week in Death Valley to soak in the hot springs in Saline Valley...
My plans to enjoy a 3 day weekend in southern Utah, were scuttled by a severe snow storm throughout much of the region. We spent two chilly but cozy nights just outside of Capitol Reef National Park, near the town of Loa. Huddled in the camper with the furnace on full blast, our evenings were spent playing cards, watching a DVD on the laptop and suffering in the wind at every call of nature. The next day wasn't much better as it took us 2.5 hours to drive the 35 miles from Torrey to Boulder, in a complete white-out on an unplowed road at 9,000+ ft in elevation. Utah... gotta love it.
Thinking that by heading south we would find warmer temps, we pushed on to the Grand Canyon. We by-passed the north rim at Jacobs Lake due to the road being closed and under significant snow. It was a sketchy drive in poor conditions off the plateau, but driving in white-outs, ice and blizzards is kinda my specialty. Soon enough we were crossing over the Colorado River into canyon country...
Along the south rim, we pulled into several overlooks for her first peek into the Grand Canyon. It was still cold but the sights were well worth it -
I caught the owner of this boss Landcruiser Troopy checking out my truck & camper and debated offering him to trade vehicles...
Not too many people out checking out the views due to temps in the teens -
The snow on the ground made the trails on the overlooks extra dicey -
Hoping for a better day to follow, we chose to stay in Mather Campground on the South Rim. Of the numerous loops and hundreds of campsites, only 1 loop was open with maybe 20 campsites available. Snow covered the entire area and the cold temps plunged along with the sunset. My heart went out to the tent campers we saw on our way in as I knew they were in store for a helluva cold night... We blasted the furnace again and made some comfort-food dinner of beef stew & bread. Throughout the night I could hear car engines firing up as the tent campers, of which surprisingly there were several, opted to spend the night cramped but warm in their vehicles. Sucked to be them as temps dropped down to 5*F overnight! With the heater off while we slept, we awoke to condensation icicles hanging from the ceiling... It was brutal and a lengthy process in the morning to warm up, dry out & wipe down the camper before moving on.
Saw this funky RV (obviously an import) on our way out of the campground -
That was my third trip to the Grand Canyon, and the third time I've frozen my posterior off. I can unequivocally state, it is the coldest place I've ever camped. Maybe I need to stop going in November...
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