Strike 3

Our Prescott, Arizona visit went very well, and it is a destination that we will likely re-visit on future U.S. trips with our camper van. With daytime temperatures in the mid-70's (F), it was ideal for golf and hiking, so we did plenty of both during our week-long stay. The challenging Stoneridge Golf Course was our favourite among the four courses in the area. The hilly terrain and numerous gulches called for accurate shots along with the use of a mandatory golf cart. We also enjoyed hiking the Watson Lake Loop (near our excellent Point of Rocks RV park and partially through the Granite Dells) and the Lynx Lake Loop which had two cold water crossings.

With rain in the forecast we decided it would be a good time to head further north towards Utah in search of some more hiking opportunities. It turned out to be a good decision. Another good decision was booking a hotel room in Flagstaff, Az. for the night since the overnight temperature was going to be around freezing. The evening rain turned into snow overnight and when we woke up there was 6 inches of snow covering our camper van! Driving further north to Kanab, Utah we dropped 600 metres in elevation so the snow disappeared and the daytime temperatures rose to comfortable levels. The main reason for returning to Kanab was to try our luck at the daily lottery for the 10 available Wave hiking permits. This did not go so well :-(  We struck out all 3 days that we entered the lottery, competing against 70-80 other hopeful hikers each day.......that would actually make 4 unsuccessful attempts if you count my attempt Feb. 1 on my drive south. We did find a couple other interesting hikes to do while hanging around Kanab. The Wire Pass trail, while unexciting at first as you walked for 2 km's in a dry wash, led to a beautiful slot canyon which had a very narrow walkway and very high walls. The much shorter and easy Detroit Rip Rap trail led us to two spots where old, crushed vehicles were piled one on top of another to prevent erosion in a small slot canyon.

Since none of the Major League Baseball teams conducting spring training in Phoenix seemed interested in the knuckleball skills of an aging pitcher willing to sign for the minimum salary of $535,000.........and not wanting to take the folklore place of the young lady from France who entered the Wave lottery for 30 consecutive days before finally getting her permit.......we decided that it was probably best to start the long drive home. I am happy to announce we were successful in achieving our goal on that task. The trip south was a nice break from the cold and snowy winter here at home. It was also a success from a hiking standpoint......29 different hikes during the two month trip, most of them on moderate to difficult trails.

So many more trails and places to discover and experience though, which always give us something to look forward to and more wonderful memories to add to our ever growing list. Our next adventure starts shortly.

Our Watson Lake Loop trail took us around the Granite Creek dam (they wouldn't let us walk across it to save time!) and through the amazing Granite Dells in Prescott, Az.

Still walking around and over the Granite Dells on the other side of Watson Lake.

Enjoying ourselves at the Stoneridge Golf Course in Prescott.

Enjoying a picnic lunch following our hike around Lynx Lake in Prescott.

The scene as we stepped outside our door in the morning after staying overnight in Flagstaff, Az.

The same day as the Flagstaff snowfall, we stopped for a picnic lunch beside the Navajo Bridge and the Colorado River.

Looking back at the entrance way into the slot canyon on the Wire Pass trail. Somewhat reminiscent of the colourful pictures we took while at Antelope Canyon in Page, Az. a few years ago.

An interesting sight while walking along the Detroit Rip Rap trail which obviously got its name from the Motor City sustaining wall. 

Spotted during the Rip Rap trail........the closest we came on this trip to seeing something that looked remotely like the spectacular Wave pictures that are advertised.

Painfully waiting for our bingo ball number to get called, which it never did........a challenge I have not given up on.