Tips for travel

Uh oh.

An important tip when #vanlife-ing? Always check your weather. In fact, this is an important thing to keep tabs on when traveling, period. A quick check this morning revealed a rather large storm heading in the direction of our day's destination, and so we had to make some fast decisions on how to proceed. The original plan for the day was to get an early start and drive the 4 hours to the Petrified Forest National Park for some afternoon hiking and exploration. However, there was no chance of anything but grey, cloudy skies and probably lots of rain and wind. The weather seemed to be holding for the time being in Page, AZ, and as we exited the campervan this morning to survey the area, coffees in hand, the sun was even peaking through the clouds. So we changed our plans. We decided to spend the morning in Page instead, exploring the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area, where we had spent the night, taking advantage of its gorgeous canyon views and short but challenging hiking trail. Once the clouds began to roll in, we would pack up and hit the road, drive through the storm and hole up at a Love's Travel Centre nearby the Petrified Forest for the night. Not only did this allow us to avoid the inclement weather, but also enjoy the hiking here in Page, which we would have otherwise just missed out on, if we had just packed up and left this morning.

An important tip when hiking? Always sign out of the hiking log before leaving the area, lest the Rangers send a search party, thinking you are lost somewhere on a 1.5-mile loop trail! Right above the Beehive, a 6-site dry camping area inside the park, there is a fantastic little hike that winds its way up and around the buttes and hoodoos to amazing views of the canyon opening up beyond. And the rocky layers that are eroding slowly away are layered in such a way that it looks like the rocks are flowing over each other - there's no way to adequately describe it, you have to see it to believe how crazy this place is. So we took a little walk around the area this morning, enjoying all the beauty and strangeness, climbing on all the things, and then signing out of the logbook before packing up the van and heading out.

Snacks!

An important tip when traveling through inclement weather? Make provisions to not have to stop too often. Before heading out of Page, we decided it would be the perfect spot to empty and fill all the necessary tanks on the campervan, because they are not forever, and we've been using the facilities for the past week. Page is on Lake Powell, a body of water created by the construction of the Carl Hayden Dam for harnessing hydro-electric power. As a result, Page is a recreational boaters' paradise, and has all the services to support such a community, including lots of free dumping spots and places to fill up the fresh water tank. We take advantage of all of these wonderful services, available even in the off-season, and then begin the long drive back through the mountains. Near Tuba City(yes, you read that right), we wanted to stop at the gas station where we bought the hot & crispy freshly made fry bread, but the weather was too bad for the vendor to have set up her tent. Option B? While Mario fills the gas tank, I head to the back of the campervan and begin pulling things out of the fridge. I roll avocado, cucumber and surimi/crab stick together in flour tortillas and slice them up sushi-style. Voilà! I now have California rolls for us to snack on while driving, and bite-sized so I can feed Mario while he wrestles with the steering wheel to keep the campervan from blowing off the road. It's not pleasant weather out there.

Driving through Navajo lands

An important tip when beginning a long travel day? Always opt for the back roads. Coming out of Page, we took the highway until another option presented and then we turned off onto route 264. In doing so, we left 99% of the traffic behind, saw new vistas rather than return down the same roads we came in on, and got the change to drive through Navajo and Hopi lands. Still part of an area called the Painted Desert, the mesas are golden yellow with desert grasses, their sloped sides layers of reds and browns and sometimes greens. Single brown houses dot the landscape, and before us, the occasional tumbleweed crosses the road in the heavy winds while rain pelts the windshield. Yes, tumbleweeds are a real thing - I laugh at the clumps of them caught on the wire fences along the roadway, bouncing up on each each, trying to get free to roll on another day. On a side note, I applaud Mario for doing all the driving - I rarely noticed anything more than a gust hitting, but he must have been struggling with the wind slamming against the high side of the campervan. I did notice his stronger-than-usual grip on the steering wheel for most of the day. 

An important tip when visiting anything, be it a giant National Park or tiny museum? Always get your bearings first. We exit Navajo lands near the I-40, just after Winslow(this will become important later), and drive into the Petrified Forest National Park. It's getting late, so we won't be visiting too much of the park today, especially since the sun will be setting soon, and the painted vistas are far less impressive in the dusk. We do make a point of stopping at the Visitor's Centre, where I collect another "passport" stamp for my notebook, and we discuss with a very knowledgeable park Ranger about the best places to visit tomorrow. She tells about several small loops, where the "big trees" are, and which park exit would be best for us to us given our intended overlanding site for the night. We make a point to head into the park and check out a few of the Scenic Viewpoints off the road, opting to stay in the van and out of the bracing wind, then turn around and head back out.

An important tip when overlanding in winter? Have weather-appropriate stopping option for the night, and don't be disappointed with it - not all stops can be awe-inspiring, instagram-worthy camping, sometimes they are a gravel patch at the back of a truck stop. That storm we had been watching move in on the region all day, we ended up being one step ahead. The Love's Truck Stop in Joseph City was absolutely packed with rigs, so we managed to squeeze into a spot behind the service station for the night. We made good use of the hot showers again, which we are now considering our "camping fee", and stayed warm and cozy for the night. Outside, a wicked winter storm raged on, closing up all the roadways from Winslow west to Williams, including both directions of the I-40. There were big accidents. And lucky us, by taking the back roads and then parking here in Joseph City, we missed it all. And tomorrow, the roads will be cleared, the trucks will be gone, and we will be able to meander our way over to the National Park and enjoy some hiking.