By Lola Ulvog
The Grand Canyon/Southwest trip was an experience like no other. No article could do it justice, however I will do my best to inform you of our wild adventures.
Our journey started at 11:15 on the morning of April 19th in the parking lot of Minnetonka High School. We drove straight through to a rest area in Colorado where we all rested for a few hours, with the exception of Pauline who disappeared. The overhead view of the tangled bodies trying to sleep was rather like a jigsaw puzzle. After breakfast, Bionic Man Doug drove us to Colorado Springs. We got settled in the Armory and even ran into some native Minnesotans there.
Garden of the Gods was our first chance to try out our new hiking boots. Some of us had more boots than others, though. Garden of the Gods looked like a fairy castle from atop the distant rocks. Pikes Peak was in the distance hovering over us, a great, snow covered giant. We discovered early on that the weather in the places we were travelling was unpredictable as a short rainstorm interrupted the sunny afternoon. Pauline nearly left us for motorcycle men several times on the trip, but the first time was at Garden of the Gods. There was quite a lot of difficulty involved in finding a grocery store that evening. This later proved to be the rule rather than the exception and there was near mutiny each time. Doug’s eyes proved to bigger than our stomachs throughout the trip.
We moved on to New Mexico and the Rio Grande Gorge. The hike down was nice and easy. We were able to see cacti in the wild for the first time on the trip. Storms were expected but never came. The Rio Grande was beautiful but ice cold. The river had sculpted plain basalt boulders into megalithic art forms. We spent a day and a half and two nights in the gorge. The hike in was much easier and much shorter than the hike out. The storms we had anticipated came during the hike out. By the time we all reached the top, most of us were doubting our ability to make it in and out of the Grand Canyon.
Our faithful drivers took us next to the Taos Pueblo. We learned the Garden Song along the way. I found the pueblo depressing. It seemed to be no longer a pueblo, but more a mall and a show put on for tourists. It was as though we were intruders. Our group did not stay long in Taos. We pressed on to Santa Fe.
As soon as we reached Santa Fe, we ate at this great restaurant called Tomasita’s, renowned for its chili. We all had authentic Mexican dishes except Sothik, who ordered steak. After lunch we went into the heart of Santa Fe. The Palace of the Governors was gorgeous. There were Native American Craftsmen everywhere in the plaza selling their handiwork- jewelry, blankets, clothing. There were also dancers doing what looked like traditional Spanish or Mexican dances in full costume. I ran into my childhood idol in a camping store there. It was really neat. That night at Hyde Campground, we found out that Tony is extremely paranoid. A bunch of drunken adolescents showed up at the site across from our camp and Tony thought they were the Ku Klux Klan. He got a lot of teasing after that night.
We ate breakfast in Albuquerque in a place called “The Kettle”. It was the worst food I’d ever eaten. However, Sothik seemed to like it because he kept shoveling away bacon. He did this every chance he got on the trip. Breakfast conversation consisted on the definition of crabs vs. cooties and which was worse. We delved deep into the subject. Patrick was our resident expert on this matter.
We were now headed towards the oldest graffiti wall in the U.S., El Morro. Travellers and early settlers often stopped at El Morro because it was a dependable water source year round. The people carved their names in the soft sandstone of El Morro. Some of these signatures were incredibly ornate. The oldest signature belonged to Juan de Onate, a Spanish explorer who visited El Morro in 1605. We were having sunny weather with a lot of wind. The moon was nearly full and on our first night we heard coyotes howling. We were planning on hiking up and around El Morro in the morning and driving to Zuni after lunch. Karen, Susie, Adrian, and I woke up to find our tent insulated and surrounded by inches of snow. Karen was convinced that we really had not left Minnesota and that Doug and Pauline had tricked us. No one was very happy that morning. No one thought that it would snow in the desert, so we had few warm clothes. Tony put on his radiation suit and Susie and Adrian wrapped themselves in blankets that had been bought on our journey. I myself doubled up on everything, including flannel boxers, pants, and about five shirts. After breakfast, we journeyed to the visitor center and hiked up El Morro with Josh as our tour guide.
We looked at the “graffiti” along the way up. At the top, we found a partially excavated Anasazi village. Sothik’s sharp eyes also spotted some pottery shards with decorations on them. It didn’t seem as cold to us anymore and the scenery looked really pretty with the snow.
Our next stop was Zuni, home to the best silversmiths and the St. Anthony mission. Something very special was waiting for us at the mission. A project to paint a mural with all the Zuni kachinas on the walls of the mission, thereby uniting the Catholic and Zuni religions. A father and his two sons have taken on the project. We were fortunate to meet one of the sons, Ken Seotowa, who extended us every courtesy and took time out to talk to our group about the project. After he was done speaking, he invited us to the rain dance that was to take place that evening. Our group spent some time shopping and then waited for the dances to begin. We ended up waiting for quite some time, but it was worth it. The costumes were the same as they had been for centuries, and we could even identity some of the kachinas depicted in the dance from what we had learned in the mission. It was a special and unique experience for all of us.
Onward and upward towards Arizona. We drove along listening to the wise words of Simon & Garfunkel, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and of course, The Dead. Once over the border, we stopped at a Navajo Museum and Hubbell Trading Post. The visitor center at the trading post offered the chance to learn the art of Navajo weaving. Josh bought a roping rope after he and the other boys failed at catching cows by hand.
We were all looking forward to staying in Chinle. We were able to do laundry, take showers, and cook in a kitchen. Under Karen’s instruction, the boys learned how to rope and Pauline was successfully roped.
The group hiked into Canyon de Chelley and viewed the White House ruins. We found some pottery shards in the sand, but we threw them into the river. We were also able to see a traditional Navajo hogan and farm complete with sheep. After spending the night in the church, we thanked the pastor and left for Grand Canyon National Park.
We started the hike down Tanner Trail around 10:00 am. We were all together at first, singing, and our spirits were high. Early on, we met three hikers on their way out after spending twelve days in the canyon. One of them was kind enough to give me her spare knee brace. It was not long before we had lunch. After lunch, I did not see many of the group (except from a distance) until the end of the hike. Hiking alone was difficult at times; the landscape was beautiful but barren. Sometimes the only thing that moved was the lizards. I think the plant life down there would kill you if it could, but since they can’t, they scratch you up really well. When Karen and I reached the end of the trail, we saw Adrian and could have cried. It took eight hours for all of us to make it down.
In the morning after breakfast, Pauline and I were the first group to venture into the Mighty Colorado River. It was so cold that my lungs stopped working. The group left Tanner for the Palisades. It was sunny again, and after the hike in, hiking to Palisades was a stroll in the park. We ended up walking past Palisades because there had been a lot of growth since Doug had last been there, but we found it. Palisades had lovely beaches and lots of little hideaways to sleep in. We stayed for two days and nights. The group had a special night together there and we were also fortunate enough to see a 3 inch scorpion during our stay. It was at the Palisades that Tony discovered he was injured. Karen pointed out the bruises on his back and he was limping pretty badly. Once home, Tony saw a doctor who told him that he had bruised his spinal cord. Sothik and Josh ran a “Lord of the Flies” preschool at Palisades, running around the beach with handmade spears.
On the third morning we left for Cardenas Creek. We backtracked to Tanner and then hiked downriver. I think it was the hottest day we had experienced so far on the trip. Everyone loaded on the sunblock and once at Cardenas, spent the day on the beach or in the mud. That evening after supper Josh was commissioned to make a squirrel and chipmunk-proof place to store the food. Josh started by digging a large pit. He then put the nylon bags which contained our food supply into the hole . Next a tarp was laid down and dirt, rocks, and dead branches piled on top. it worked pretty well only one rodent managed to get past Stinson Security.
The decision regarding which way we were going to hike out of the canyon was left up to how Tony was feeling. The choice was between the New Hance Trail or hiking out Tanner, the way we had hiked in. The New Hance was a much more difficult trail than Tanner. We ended up choosing Tanner and having a layover day at Cardenas. Towards the end of the layover, we were to hike to Tanner, camp there, and hike out in the morning. Doug left first, with Karen and Tony, and Adrian and Pauline left soon after. Susie, Sothik, Josh, Patrick, and I left last.
Because we left so late, we ended up hiking in the dark with one small flashlight between us. It was scary. Adrian and Pauline came across a rattlesnake just before reaching camp. We all tried to go to bed early but found it difficult because Tony kept talking about “chickmunk measles”. Some of us were slightly apprehensive about the long day ahead of us. It was hard to believe the trip was nearly over.
We began hiking as soon as we had light. Sothik, Josh, and Tony practically ran out of the Canyon. Karen and I stuck together and made an excellent day of it. Adrian, Susie, and Doug brought up the rear, leaving Pauline and Patrick in the middle. Karen and I ended up hiking the last part of the trail during the heat of the day. It was rough and I don’t think I have ever drunk so much water in my life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Karen because I couldn’t have made it without her. It took the group nine hours to hike out. It was strange to see and hear cars and other people again. People stayed pretty clear of us. After all, we were all dirty, tired, hungry, and had a certain odor.
The small pleasures we enjoyed when we reached the campground were innumerable. There were showers, toilets, running water, and all sorts of other technological wonders. That night, after eating a dinner without noodles in it, we all slept well. We had really accomplished something. Now if we could survive the ride home, it would really be something.
In the morning, we jumped in the van and prepared for 33 hour drive home. It wasn’t easy for any of us to sleep in the van, except for Tony. He slept more than any of us. We stopped at truck stops for breakfast and ate lunch in the van. There times when we got on each other’s nerves, but all things considered we were incredibly decent to each other. I could not have asked for a better family to spend one of the greatest experiences of my life with. The memories and friendships made on this trip will last a lifetime.
The crazy characters on this long strange trip were:
Tony Bernatz: the vegetarian gimp
Sothik Prak: the grumpy, old, coffee drinking chef
Adrian Dolentz: Ow!
Patrick Cooper: the contrary garbage boy
Susie Warner: our wonderful weather girl
Josh “Stimpy” Stinson: fartpants
Karen Kenefick: Sunshine
Pauline: the lobster girl who gives good piggybacks
Doug: the friend and father who guides us
And me, Lola: the caretaker