California Blog

Carefree Resort and Villas review

2008-08-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Leaving my last national park, the Grand Canyon behind I am continuing to Phoenix and then to San Diego. The place where I am staying in Phoenix is named Carefree and located 20 miles north of Phoenix city center. The area is very beautiful with cactus gardens and many big big villas. I am sleeping in the Carefree Resort & Villas for which I would like to provide you a short review.

The rooms of the Carefree Resort and Villas seem a little over-sized what however makes it very pleasant in the hotel's rooms. The rooms' interior is all in a sort of Mexican style and looks very nice and friendly. The air condition is very silent. My room does not have a fridge, what is however compensated by a nearby ice-machine. The pool area is very big with a swimming-pool and a jacuzzi. The pool area looks wonderful and the ambient of the Carefree resort and Villas is amazing. I am sitting at the pool right now, watching the sunset. It is still 100F with low humidity, so very nice and refreshing with the pool.

I am now back in my hotel room. The rates are more than okay with a total cost of 120$ a night. I had a nice all you can eat buffet. Seriously, spend that 20$ on the hotel buffet. You can see the staff putting different sort of meat and sausages on the grill. You can either eat outside or inside the restaurant. Both is nice. Everything was very well prepared and good looking. If you read this part of my review, really, take the buffet in the Carefree Resort and Villas, you will love it.

Afterward I went to an open fire place. A member of the staff team joined me and we had an interesting discussion about different aspects. He has native American background and knew a lot about the national parks, agriculture and problems of Arizona. His name was Lance. If you meet him, make sure to greet him from Hendrik :-).

The hotel was not good, Carefree resort and Villas was very good and I rate it with 10/10 points. Hope you enjoyed my Carefree Resort and Villas review.

I attached a map of the area around the Carefree resort and Villas hotel. Check out the location and how fast you are in Phoenix.

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Williams review

2008-08-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Leaving Tusayan and Grand Canyon behind my next stop is the Route 66 town Wiliams. I wanted to check out the historic remains of the Route 66 in Wiliams. I am providing you a short review of Williams.

When entering the town you will see a lot of Route 66 road signs on the left and right side of the street. Tourists usually take a picture in front of one of those 66 signs in Williams. When you are traveling to Flagstaff I recommend you to stop in Williams to fuel up, as the gas is relatively cheap there. Perhaps because of the historic 66 background of the town.

The rest of Williams is only route 66 merchandise and not really worth checking out. You will encounter a lot of bikers or old timers, as a lot of people want to check the route 66 with their cars :-). There is a visitor center dedicated to the Route 66. There are restrooms inside and a lot of good information on 66.

I did not find it that interesting, perhaps because I am no biker. Anyways, hope you enjoyed my Route 66 and Williams review. I attached a short map of Williams:

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Here a video of the Route 66:

My next stop is going to be Phoenix. The farer you go south, the warmer it will get. It is 90 F here in Wiliams, at least that's what my car says. Ok, leaving route 66 behind now. Thanks for reading my 66 article. Let me know if you enjoyed Wiliams and what you did in the town,

Best Western Squire Inn review

2008-08-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

The hotel I booked around Grand Canyon was the Best Western Squire Inn. It is in the town of Tusayan. I would like to provide you a short review of the Best Western Squire Inn.

I payed 150$ per night for my room. Breakfast was included and quite okay. I mainly liked the large diversity of fruits and cups made of 100% corn syrup. That was something special for a Best Western breakfast.

The Squire Inn's rooms are okay and clean. The Air condition is very silent. All in all the Best Western Squire Inn is a good hotel. Half a mile from start the Grand Canyon helicopter tours. You can book them right in the hotel. The rates are okay and I must really say that it was one of my best hotels on my national park route.

Hope you enjoyed my Best Western Squire Inn hotel review. Below is a map of its location in Tusayan.

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Grand Canyon Helicopter tour review

2008-08-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

A friend recommended me to check out the rims of Grand Canyon in an helicopter. So I booked an Helicopter Tour starting in Tusayan taking you through the Grand Canyon. The name of the company is Papillon helicopter tours. I would like to provide you a short review of my Grand Canyon Helicopter tour.

They offer 2 main helicopter tours through Grand Canyon, the North rim tour for 130$ and the Imperial tour for 190$. The North rim tour takes you with the helicopter to the north rim of Grand Canyon and then back to Papillon Airport. The north rim tour is around 25-30 minutes. The Imperial tour is 50-60 minutes and is basically the same with the difference that the helicopter flies slower so that you can take better pictures.

The Imperial Grand Canyon helicopter tour was booked out in my. case so I took the North Rim tour. Heavy Thunderstorms made Papillon Helicopters cancel almost all tours. I was lucky to be in one of only three choppers that started. It was a bit scary because of violent lightnings on the left and right of the helicopter. Reaching Grand Canyon the view on the Colorado and the million year old cliffs was awesome. I really recommend you to book an helicopter tour through Grand Canyon. It is a much more breathtaking experience than just standing on the south rim of Grand Canyon. 30 minutes were enough for me to experience Grand Canyon from above. I think I would have gotten bored fast without the thunder storms if I had booked the longer tour. I think the rates for the longer Grand Canyon heliopter tour were a bit too long.

Here a video of the Papillon Helicopter tours:

And a map of the Papillon Helicopter start area:

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Thanks a lot for reading my short Grand Canyon Papillon helicopter tours review :-).

Grand Canyon review

2008-08-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

Leaving Lake Powell and Page behind I am traveling to my final national park – the Grand Canyon. I would like to give you a review of Grand Canyon and will write down all experiences I have on my way through Grand Canyon.

Here a Grand Canyon picture (click to enlarge):

To get more information about historic and geographic aspects of Grand Canyon national park, please check this and this link. I am just writing a review and will not focus on the park background.

My hotel is located in Tusayan and named Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn. I am heading there right now. To get there I have to drive through Grand Canyon. I am giving you a review of everything I checked out here in Grand Canyon.

Desert view point was my first stop. It is a relatively large viewpoint with shops and rest rooms. I parked my car and followed other people to a tower from where you have a good view over Grand Canyon. You should stop at Desert View point and check out the amazing view over Grand Canyon.

My next stop is the Lipan point. You have a pretty good view over Grand Canyon, as you are on 2300 meters. You can see the Hance rapid. It is around a mile long and Major and was terrific for early Grand Canyon expeditions.

Moran point is the next point on the way to Tusayan. It's named after a spanish expedition who were the first Europeans to see Grand Canyon. I saw several tourists next to me, climbing on rocks with the Canyon going a mile down right next to them. A biker with several Harley Davidson tattoos stood right next to me and told me with Texanian accent: „Mister, tellin' you somethin' – some people aint no' havin' a god damn brain in there head.“ Really, if you do not suicide in Grand Canyon, don't climb on the cliffs.

Leaving Moran point behind I am stopping at Buggeln point. It's a nice looking picnick area in Grand Canyon where I will now take some minutes off and eat something. Probably a good idea for you too :). Here are only a few benches and I had to choose another location and am now sitting on a tree. Be careful, I was just bitten by an ant. I have never see that large ants before. It hurts a little.

Next point is Grand view point. As the name says it offers a wide view over Grand Canyon. As a reason an hotel as once been there. If you are interested in walking you can take a 2 day trail from here down to Colorado river.

I am exiting Grand Canyon now and heading to my Best Western. Hope you enjoyed my Grand Canyon review. My rating is 10/10 points. You will be amazed. I will be writing a short conclusion tomorrow of all my national park experiences. Anyways, I am a bit fed up with national parks now and happy to see something different very soon. I am going over Flagstaff to Phoenix in two days, to then head back to San Diego and Los Angeles. Anyways, thanks for reading my recommendations, tips and review of Grand Canyon national park.

Antelope Canyon review

2008-08-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

When you are in Page you will probably want to check out Antelope Canyon. Lake Powell is directly attached to Antelope Canyon. This is a short Antelope Canyon review.

Here an Antelope Canyon picture (click to enlarge):

Check this link to read more about Antelope Canyon.

I got a coupon for Antelope Canyon but enjoying my day around Lake Powell I did not make any use of it. I drove to the park by car. Entrance fee is 20$ unless you have a national park pass.

Antelope Canyon dissappointed me as I saw no real Canyon. Only some ciffs around Lake Powell, but really, you can already see them from Page. I recommend you not to check out Antelope Canyon. However, I have to say, I have only been at Antelope very short.

Hope you enjoyed my Antelope Canyon review. My rating for Antelope Canyon is 3/10.

Glen Canyon Dam review

2008-08-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell is nearby the town of Page. What you will want to see when hanging around lake Powell is the Glen Canyon Dam. This is a short review of Glen Canyon.

Here a Glen Canyon Dam picture (click to enlarge):

For more information about facts of the Dam, please see this link.

There is a bridge going over Glen Canyon Dam which everyone can drive on. You will have a fascinating view on the Colorado river and the Dam. There is a Glen Canyon Dam visitor center which everyone can check out for free. You may however take no guns, knives, bags and soft drinks inside. The security is very strict.... The visitor center itself has a lot of information about Glen Canyon Dam. That was very interesting.

Hope you enjoyed my short Glen Canyon Dam review. My rating 10/10 points. It is a must for every engineer. It is human intelligence on its best.

Lake Powell resorts review

2008-08-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

With Grand Canyon as my final national park destination I slept one night around Page at Lake Powell. The hotel I was in was the Lake Powell resorts & marinas. This is a short review of my Lake Powell resorts.

Arriving at the hotel I had to wait almost an hour at the front desk to check in. Lake Powell resorts has an own beach which you can access whenever you like. It is only around 50 feet away from the hotel depending on your location in Lake Powell resorts. Lake Powell resorts has a gym and two pools. I have not been in the gym, but both pools are relatively good. You can also book Lake Powell resorts ship tours. In my case they were full and I was required to book them via Internet. Nonetheless, 120$ per person for an 8 hour ship tour is too much if you ask me.

Lake Powell resorts has two integrated restaurants which are relatively expensive (15 $ for a pizza). There are also several open Lake Powell resorts WiFi networks of which none worked for me... The front desk said they were working on it, it seems with no luck because 48 hours later it was still not working. The rooms in the Lake Powell resorts were okay.

My rating of Lake Powell resorts: 8/10. Hope you enjoyed my Lake Powell resorts review. My next hotel is going to be a Best Western at Grand Canyon.

Here a map of the Lake Powell resorts:

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Lake Powell review

2008-08-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

The hotel I am sleeping in is named Lake Powell resorts and is 100 yards away from Lake Powell. From my room I have a wonderful view on Lake Powell. I would like to provide you a short review of Lake Powell.

Here a Lake Powell picture (click to enlarge):

Check out this link for more information about historic and geographic aspects of Lake Powell.

The temperature of Lake Powell today was 82° degrees which is perfect for cooling off and swimming. The water color is brown-muddy because of Colorado river erosion. Nonetheless Lake Powell's water is very clean.

You can rent Jet skis, speed boats or even house boats right here, which I did not do because of high costs... Nevertheless, when traveling to Grand Canyon, make a stop in Page and check out Lake Powell. The lake is very relaxing.

Hope you enjoyed my Lake Powell review. My rating of Lake Powell: 8/10 points.

Here a satellite-map of Lake Powell:

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Taco Bell in Page

2008-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

I went from my hotel just outside of Page to Page itself to get breakfast. The restaurant where I went was the Taco Bell Page. I really like Mexican food and would like to provide you with a short review of Taco Bell here in Page.

My Burrito Supreme was done within 5 minutes and tasted very good. Nothing bad about the service and my Taco Bell meal.

All in all, another good Taco Bell. Hope you enjoyed my short review of Taco Bell in Page. 10/10 points.

Here the map where you can find Taco Bell in Page:

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Supermarkets in Page

2008-08-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Page offers two major supermarkets. I went to SafeWay but another alternative would be Walmart here in Page. I would like to provide you a short review of SafeWay in Page.

First of all, SafeWay has two different prices, one for club members and one for normals customers. Go to the front desk in SafeWay and ask for a club membership. It does not cost you anything and you save almost 40%... SafeWay wants you to join their club for marketing purposes.... Just join it and you will save a lot. I really liked the SafeWay supermarket in Page, it was clean and had everything I wanted. I have not been at the Wallmart in Page, but it probably is a good alternative.

Although Page is small, the supermarkets are okay. As I already said, you only have the SafeWay supermarket, or Walmart. Not sure if there is another supermarket around Page... Hope you enjoyed my short review of supermarkets in Page, Arizona. I attached you a map of the supermarket where I have been in Page.

Here a map of my Safeway in Page:

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Page review

2008-08-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Leaving Monument Valley behind on my way to Grand Canyon, my stop inbetween is Page. The town of Page is located at lake Powell, north of Flagstaff. I would like to provide you a short review of Page.

Check this link for more information about Page itself.

My hotel is named Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, it's some miles outside of Page. I went to Page to get breakfast at Taco Bell and to buy some food at Safe way. On the way you will cross the Hayden dam. For all I provided short reviews, which you should check out as well.

All in all Page is a nice little town where you can buy/find everything you need for your daily life (except boutiques). Hope you enjoyed my Page review.

Here a Page map:

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Monument Valley review

2008-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

After Vesa Merde national park my next stop is Monument Valley. My final national park is Grand Canyon, that's why I am driving from Cortez over Monument Valley to Page, from where I will then continue to Flagstaff and then Grand Canyon. I planned 3-4 hours for Momument Valley and would like to provide you a short review of Monument Valley.

Here a Monument Valley picture (click to enlarge):

For more information about historic background of Monument Valley or geographic aspects, please check out this and this link.

When entering Monument Valley there were so many cars in front of me that it took me almost an hour to get to the fee station. I asked myself several times if I should really wait, or just continue to Page directly. From the outside Monument Valley did not look that special..... Anyways, be glad I entered, because I can now provide you with a review =].

The entrance fee was 5$ per person an no you can not enter with your national park pass. I was excited to see the Monument Valley visitor center, but guess what, it was closed... If you are looking for an Hotel around Monument Valley, consider an hotel directly in the park. I am not sure about the quality of the hotel and can unfortunately not provide a review of it.

Anyways, I drove on a 17 mile offroad tour. It took me 2 hours in total and I can only recommend you to do that. You will see special and unique rock formations. It's an amazing landscape and you ask yourself – huh? How is this possible?

You will need four wheel drive for that road, it has a lot of holes and will shake your car to the wheels.... Was very exciting and I can only recommend you to take that central road in Monument Valley. Oh, and if you like, do as I did and take a picture on a horse for 3$. Very good picture to show friends.

Hope you enjoyed my Monument valley review. If you like you can check out my following reviews of Page and Grand Canyon. My rating: 8/10

Taco Bell Cortez review

2008-08-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

For dining I wanted something with low calories. So I decided to check out Taco Bell in Cortez.I would like to provide you a short review of Taco Bell here.

I ordered a Burrito Supreme which I got within a minute. The diet coke was very tasty and consequently very good. The service was okay too.

The Taco Bell restaurant was very clean from the inside, not comparable to Mc Donald's where I had been in the morning. All in all I really liked this Taco Bell in Cortez. My rating: 10/10. 10 because you can not say anything against a 4$ evening meal, still very tasty and in a good facility.

Hope you enjoyed my Taco Bell cortez review. Check out my review of Lake Powell, which I will be writing tomorrow :).

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McDonald's Cortez review

2008-08-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Looking for breakfast in Cortez, Colorado - I chose McDonald's as I only wanted a McFlurry. This is a short review of McDonald's in cortez When I entered the restaurant I already encountered my first shock... The floor was dirty.

It took the waiter around 5 minutes to get me a single McFlurry. I ordered a Diet coke, as I suddenly got thirsty. It was quite okay and you have as many refills included as you like.

I seated at a window and what I saw was disgusting... All windows were covered with flies...

Hope you enjoyed my short McDonald's Cortez review. Don't enter that restaurant. My review, 1/10 points.

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Best Western Turquoise Inn review

2008-08-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

I chose Cortez as a place to sleep close to the Mesa Verde national park. I would like to provide you with a Best Western Turquoise Inn review, as that is the hotel I am in right now.

The rooms are not dirty and look very friendly. You have a very good television in your room and free WiFi. I don't like carpet floors, but really can not expect a lot more for 80 $ per night. The breakfast the next morning was inclusive and is okay. Nothing special, but okay.

Hope you enjoyed my short review of Best Western Turquoise Inn in Cortez. My rating 8/10. Only 8 because I find carpet hotel floors disgusting.

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Cortez review

2008-08-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

Leaving Moab my next stop is the town of Cortez. It is right after the Utah/Colorado border. I would like to provide you with a short Cortez review.

Cortez is a friendly, little town with a lot of shopping possibillities. You have Citymarket, Wallmart and several fast food restaurants here. The air is clean and the town in no way dirty.

If you need a hotel or stop in front of Mesa Verde National park, then Cortez is the town where you want to find a hotel. Hope you enjoyed my short Cortez review.

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Mesa Verde national park review

2008-08-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

Leaving Arches and Canyonlands national park behind I am leaving the town of Moab, heading towards Cortez. Cortez is my next stop as it is relatively close to the Mesa Verde national park. I would like to provide you a short review of Mesa Verde national park.

At first I felt relatively unexcited because I have seen so many national parks in the past weeks. But then when entering Mesa Verde I quickly noticed it would be another unique national park. Mesa Verde is not focused on the nature, but on the people that lived in there. You will encounter a lot of remains from native Americans.

Here a Mesa Verde national park picture (click to enlarge):

For more information about the park, please click this and this link.

And let me tell you, it is amazing, I took a ranger tour down to a small town that was build in an alcove. You will want to see this inside Meda Verda national park because there is no other place on earth that has 800 year old buildings from past peoples in a that good condition. The tour was relatively difficult but still a very extreme experience, we walked down the cliffs with several ladders to the Cliff palace. The cliff palace is a small cliff dwelling consisting of several spruce tree houses built by Ancient Puebloan Indians. I have never seen that before and you can only see that in Mesa Verde national park.

I rate the park with 10/10 points because of its landscape, the ranger tours and the historic background. Check out my next review of Lake Powell. Hope you enjoyed my short review of Mesa Verde national park.

Moab uranium

2008-08-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

What many people do not know when traveling to Moab is that Moab uranium was the most popular uranium in the USA for years. Atlas corp. placed an Uranium mill right outside of Moab. The Uranium was part of Project Manhattan, which was the first atomic bomb. In fact, there were no places on earth in that time that produced more Uranium than Moab.

The mill is named Atlas Uranium Mill and was abandoned in the 1980s. At first Atlas Uranium mill pumped they industrial radioactive waste directly into the Colorado river. Then soon after they placed the waste in huge ponds several miles south of the Mill. You can see the Mill when going to Arches national park from moab on your left side.

The local Indians that worked in the mine under really bad conditions very soon after encountered cancer and birth defects. They called Miners' coughing red dust. Red dust because some of them coughed blood.

I attached a satellite picture of the Atlas uranium mill where you can see how closely Moab is related to Uranium production:

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I am not really sure if the Moab uranium is so healthy for the town of Moab. I did not read any reports in my travel guides.

The US government now finances a 600 million $ project named UMTRA, which will start relocating the radioactive waste from Moab into other final deposits. I wonder, they got 60 million $ out of the mine and now it costs 600 million $ to relocate it?

Canyonlands national park review

2008-08-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

After visiting Arches National park yesterday the last national park close to Moab I have not visited yet is Canyon Lands national park. I woud like to provide you with a short review of Canyon Lands. so that you can decide whether it is worth your time to check it out or not.

Here a Canyonlands national park picture (click to enlarge):

Check this link for more information on geographic aspects and history of the park. Also check out this link.

Canyonlands national park is around 25 miles from Moab and I recommend you to get some gasoline before heading towards Canyonlands. There is no gas station in or in front of the park. Just get your gasoline in Moab and not on the highway because in my case Moab's gas prices were 20 cent cheaper per gallons.

When you enter Canyonlands national park you will encounter a Visitor center on your right side. You can not compare it with the visitor center in Arches and Bryce Canyon as it did not contain a lot of information as was not well made.

I took the road to the end of Canyonlands national park and then took the Grand View Point trail. It is around 1 mile and upon reaching the end you will encounter a beautiful view over the plateau, cliffs and valley below. I definitely recommend you to take the trail as it is a very extreme experience and you will see nature on its best.

On the way to back to Moab, I stopped at the Upheaval Dome. There are several benches and it is a quite good place to rest and eat something. The benches are all in shadows of trees so that the climate is relatively fresh compared to the rest of the park.

A short conclusion of my Canyonlands national park review, it is worth the money. My rating: 9/10 points. I will be heading back to Moab now for which I also provided a short review. Check out my Cortez review which I will write tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed reading my review of Canyonlands national park :).

Arches national park review

2008-08-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Leaving the bizarre Goblin Valley behind and heading on to Moab, my next park is Arches national park. Arches National park is known for many bizarre Arches all over the park. I would like to provide you a short review of Arches national park.

Here some Arches national park pictures (click to enlarge):

For more information about geographic aspects and history of the park, please click this link, or this link.

Arches Canyon entrance is only 3 miles outside of Moab. The fee for entering the park is 20$ per vehicle. I checked out the visitor center first because it is right at the entrance of Arches Canyon, I was amazed by the size of the visitor center. It has a lot of good information and reviews of Arches national park. The whole history of the park is written down there, you find information about Uranium mines in the park, or how development of the famous Arches was possible.

I continued driving and then saw the famous Moab fault. Million years ago the earth's surface cracked and the Moab valley was made possible. The first stop has all details. I recommend you to stop there as that is quite interesting if you ask me.

Arches itself has a lot of bizarre and amazing rock formations. Almost all are out of the so called Entrada-sandstone. The arches can be seen at different locations inside Arches National park. I really liked the park and rate it with 9/10 points. Only 9 points because it was way too hot for me ... :P. Hope you enjoyed my short review of Arches national park,

Check out my review of Canyonlands national park which I will be writing tomorrow inside the park, I am heading back to moab now, for which I also provided a short review.

Ramada Inn moab review

2008-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

My hotel in Moab is the Ramada Inn. I am staying here for three nights. I looked out for something relatively cheap and found out about the Ramada Inn in Moab. I would like to provide you with a short review of Ramada Inn in moab.

Breakfast and dinner is not included, you will be required to get food and drinks yourself. The Ramada Inn in moab has a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. Both are relatively dirty. The WiFi is only available in the office and will not have enough range to your room. I am currently using a WiFi network from a nearby hotel (it is open and I can log in, Gonzo Inn I think).

The rooms are clean, however look a bit old fashioned with an old carpet and a very loud, old air condition. Nonetheless you have cable tv with a very new LCD tv. The Ramada Inn in moab is no place for a living, but very okay if you just want to sleep here. Hope you enjoyed my short review of Ramada Inn in Moab. Check out my reviews of Arches national park and Canyonlands national park, that's where I will be heading the next days. My rating: 6/10

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Fiesta Mexicana Moab review

2008-08-11T21:09:00.001-07:00

On my third night in Moab I went to a Mexican restaurant which is right next to my hotel, the Ramada inn in Moab. I would like to provide you with a short Fiesta Mexicana Moab review so that you can decide if you should go and have dinner there.

What I found relatively good in the Fiesta Mexicana were the bottomless Tacos with Salsa. The Salsa itself is very hot. Too hot for me :P. So be careful :-). The service in the Fiesta Mexicana was not that good. You get two diet cokes and then have too pay for more, so no refills. I ordered a Super Burito. It was very tasty and a lot more than I could eat in combination with the bottomless Tacos.

Hope you enjoyed my short review of Fiesta Mexicana here in Moab. I rate the restaurant with 9/10 points. I liked http://go-california.blogspot.com/2008/08/zax-moab-review.html more than Fiesta Mexicana. It was about the same level as Denny's in Moab.

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Denny's moab review

2008-08-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

After having dinner at Zax in moab I went to Denny's here in Moab on my second evening. I would like to provide you with a short review of Denny's here in Moab.

My Zesty nachos were okay but had a little bit too much cheese. I asked the Denny's waiter to bring me a milkshake. It took 10 minutes. He excused and gave me 2 milk shakes for free. I did not have to pay for them. Very excellent service if you ask me. Hope you enjoyed my short Denny's moab review. 9/10 points from me because the air condition made the Denny's restaurant interior too cold...

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Zax Moab review

2008-08-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

On my first evening in Moab I went to Zax. This is a short Zax Moab review. They advertise to be a good pizza restaurant. Upon opening the menu I was surprised All you can eat wood fired Pizza 12 $. Plus all you can eat salad inclusive.

That's what I ordered in Zax. The pizza was American Style and very good. I liked the diversity of the salad bar and the waiter was very friendly. 10/10 points for a low price restaurant. Hope you enjoyed my short review of Zax here in Moab.

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Moab review

2008-08-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Leaving Hanksville and Goblin Valley behind my next stop is Moab. I rest in Moab because of its close location to Arches National park and Canyonlans national park. I would like to provide you with a short review of Moab.

Moab is a relatively small town, nonetheless it has almost everything you need: restaurants, supermarkets and a large diversity of hotels. Moab even has walkways and you reach everything by foot. I stayed in the Moab Ramada Inn for 3 days. Check out my reviews of the restaurants where I have been, Zax Moab, Denny's Moab and Fiesta Mexicana Moab.

What I found relatively surprising, Moab was the Uranium town of the 60s. Most of the American Uranium came directly from Moab. If you like to read a bit more, please check Moab uranium.

All in all, Moab is a very friendly and tiny town :-).

Hanksville review

2008-08-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Leaving Capitol Reef national park behind I am heading towards Goblin Valley and the town of Moab. One short stop on my way to Goblin Valley is Hanksville, I am driving through the Hanksville and would like to provide you with a review of hanksville itself.

Check out this link for more information about the town of Hanksville itself.

The only reason for stopping here is if you have to get some gasoline. There is really nothing here.... Hanksville is even smaller than Torrey. There is no supermarket and nothing else except a gas station. The Gas station itself is relatively interesting because the shop is inside a big rock. I bought myself a huge coke for 1.2$ which is a very fair price.

Hanksville is relatively close to lake Powell, so don't wonder if you see a lot of boats. Really, don't set Hanksville as a priority destination, better continue to Goblin Valley and Moab directly. Check out my Goblin Valley review.

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Capitol Reef Café review

2008-08-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

I slept in the Best Western Capitol Reef resort and returned to Torrey for something to have dinner. There are no supermarkets, at least I found none. So you are required to use your provisions or find a restaurant. The Capitol reef Café is recommended by several tourist guides.

The food way okay, I took cheese Tortillas and it was more than I could eat. What was really bad, I had to wait almost 2 hours for my food to arrive... They seemed overtaxed. The whole restaurant was full. The waiters were also relatively inattentive as they forgot to refill my tap water.

I rate the Capitol Reef Café with 7/10 points because of the bad service I encountered. I went Back to my Best Western and fell a sleep almost instantly :). If you like, then check out my Best Western Capitol Reef resort review.

Goblin Valley review

2008-08-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Leaving the Capitol Reef and Hanksville behind with the destination Moab and Arches National Park, I made a quick trip to Goblin Valley. This is a short review of Goblin Valley.

A picture of Goblin Valley state park (click to enlarge):

For more information about geographic aspects and history of Goblin Valley, please check this link.

Goblin Valley is a state park and therefore you can not use your national park pass to enter it. You have to pay a free of 6$ to get the permission to enter. I can only advise you to enter Gobin Valley, as it is well worth the money. You will encounter bizarre rock formations which look like creatures. As a consequence the state park was named Goblin Valley. 9/10 points from me, 9 because it is relatively small and the fee of 7$,

My next stop is Moab. Check out my Moab review which will be written and added this evening. While driving I can give you a sneak preview of Arches National park which appeared on the left side of the road. It is amazing and I am excited to see the national park and the visitor center. Hope you enjoyed my Goblin Valley review.

Best Western Capitol Reef resort review

2008-08-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

I searched for a hotel very close to the Capitol Reef. I am a Best Western fan and was lucky to find the Best Western Capitol Reef resort, for which I would like to provide you a short review.

I did not expect it to be that good, but upon arriving I saw a tennis court, a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. My room was very clean and looking well, with WiFi and color cable television. The bathroom had a little surprise, a Jacuzzi bathtub. Dinner and breakfast can be purchased for a few dollars. I only purchased breakfast for 6 $ and it was quite good with bacon and pancakes.

All in all I would rate the Best Western Capitol Reef resort with 9/10 points, not 10 because a chair in my room was broken. I hope you liked my review and make sure to check out my Capitol Reef review.

Here a map of the hotel:

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Torrey review

2008-08-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

After leaving the town of Panguitch, passing through Escalante Canyon and Boulder my next stop is the town of Torrey which is the closest stop before Capitol reef. I would like to provide you a short review of Torrey.

After Panguitch I thought it would be impossible to find a lesser populated town, but Torrey and Boulder are probably the smallest towns I have seen. There is really nothing an the only reason why you want to go to Torrey is its location close to Capitol Reef. Fill up your food and drink bags, there is no supermarket in torrey. From Las Vegas to Torrey the last stop with acceptable supermarkets was St. George.

I stayed outside of Torrey in a hotel around 5 miles in front of the Capitol reef national park. If you are interested, check out my Best Western Capitol Reef resort review. For dining I went back to Torrey, to the Capitol Reef Café, for which you can also read a review written by me.

Here a map of Torrey:

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Capitol Reef review

2008-08-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Leaving Bryce and Escalante Canyon behind my next national park in Utah is the so called Capitol Reef. I am currently driving on the scenic highway through it and would like to let you know my Capitol Reef review so you an decide whether you think Capitol Reef is worth the money or not.

A Capitol reef national park picture (click to enlarge):

For more information about geographic aspects and history of the park, please check this link.

My hotel is just outside the town of Torrey, the Best Western Capitol Reef resort. It's ideal, because it is just outside of Capitol Reef with a beautiful view on multicolored Capitol Reef. The first people living here were Mormon settlers, they opened farms, that's why their village was named Fruita. The Mormons living here in Capitol Reef sold their property at around 1910. You can now visit Fruita with your car and see how the Mormons lived over here in Capitol Reef. As I am giving a short review, I can only recommend you to check out the small Oasis in the middle of Capitol Reef. Also make sure to check out the visitor center here in Capitol Reef as it gives you relatively good background about Capitol Reef. Also check out this link. to get more information on the web about Capitol Reef.

Right after Fruita I took the scenic drive it costs 5$ and is well worth the money. Beautiful cliffs and rocks can be seen on both sides of the street. The scenery is unique and amazing. I am amazed by this extreme experience. Every mile you see a shield warning you of flash floods here in Capitol Reef. Be careful and don't over estimate yourself when it rains. I am heading back to my hotel. Check out my Best Western Capitol Reef resort review and my Arches Canyon review, where I will be tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed my short review of Capitol Reef. My rating 10/10.

Escalante Canyon review

2008-08-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

I am currently driving through Escalante Canyon and woud like to provide you a short review of it, My travel guide recommended to take this scenic highway when travelling from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef. I will sleep in Torre, for which i will also provide a review. The scenic drive took me through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

A Escalante Canyon picture (Click to enlarge)

The Escalante Canyon is amazing with its unique rocky, colorful landscape consisting of beautiful cliffs. It is unique in Utah, in the USA and on the world. I can only recommend you to take the scenic highway number 12. It starts at Bryce Canyon and leads to Boulder and then Torrey. You will be amazed by Escalante Canyon's landscape. I just drove through Boulder and it is probably the smallest town I have ever seen. There are two buildings with some cows in front. If you need restrooms, gas, food, or drinks then I can only tell you, don't aim to find that in Boulder, as here is really nothing.

If you are interested, check out my Torrey review, which is my next stop and then my Capitol Reef review.

Bryce Canyon review

2008-08-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

Leaving the town of Panguitch I am now heading towards Bryce Canyon. This is a short review of experiences I encountered in Bryce Canyon. The review is also a short guide for you, so that you can decide whether you should visit Bryce Canyon or not.

A Bryce Canyon picture (Click to enlarge):

For more information about geographic aspects and history of the park, please click this link.

Stay in your car during lightning storms, watch dangerous cliffs, no pets or bicycles on trails, that's how you are welcomed in Bryce Canyon. The nature here is more than extreme and I can only recommend you to follow that advice. Several people die here every year because they do not watch out. Make sure to wear appropriate shoes because inappropriate shoes lead to injuries and even fatalities.

I am currently sitting on a fence at Yovimpa Point. You can access it by taking a short trail from Rainbow Point. Rainbow point is at the far end of Bryce Canyon, around 20 miles by car from the entrance. It is on around 9000 feet and currently relatively warm here at Yovimpa. It is known as one of the spots with best view. You can see mountains in more than 60 miles distance. Compared to LA, where you can only see 5 miles, that's quite a lot. I really recommend you to check out Yovimpa, as it is very beautiful here with all the sharp red cliffs. The trail leading here is only 500 feet, so that is not a big deal and can be done by couch potatoes as well. I took the Bristlecone loop trail which is around another mile from Yovimpa point. Although I am quite sporty I breathed heavily when I returned to my car.

I am driving to the Black Birch Canyon now which has an elevation of 8750 meters. The silence is impressive and you feel very well with the good air. Nonetheless a few steps are already hard because of the thin air. The view is amazing. You should definitely check out the Black Birch Canyon.

My next stop is the so called Agua Canyon. There is a raven sitting on the fence in front of me. They are very common in Bryce Canyon. Because they are adaptive they learn very fast and can do whatever is best for them. I will be attaching a picture of the raven. The Agua Canyon is very beautiful with the red, sharp cliffs and the wide view over Bryce and mountains 60 miles away. There are two persons trying to feed them. That is not allowed and punished with an high fee. Fed animals have little chance to survive in nature. So don't feed them.

Next view point is the Natural Bridge. It is a bridge formed by erosion and is worth to see. It was formed in thousands of years. You can park right next to it with your car. Then take some breathtaking pictures which you will never forget :-).

I continued to Sunset point and wanted to take the Navajo trail to check out Osiris and Thor's temple which are both described as impressive and beautiful. The guide describes them as the most beautiful peaks here in Bryce Canyon.
However I am now in a thunder storm and decided to follow the advice to stay in my car. Consequently I can unfortunately not review them but you should check them out.

All in all I must say that Bryce Canyon was very impressive and beautiful. I liked it a lot that you can take your car with you, so that you are free. I must say that I found Zion a little more impressive. Nonetheless, Bryce is completely different and I rate it with 10/10 points. What I like lot here is the visitor friendliness and the very good visitor center. Check out my next writing, a Capitol Reef review which I will write in the park again. I will also write a short review of my Capitol Reef hotel. So thanks a lot for reading my bryce canyon blog. Hope you enjoyed this review.

Zion National Park review

2008-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Zion National Park is one of the most popular National parks in western USA. I went from Firestone National park directly to Zion National Park and would like to give you a short review of Zion National park. It was quite late already around 8 pm. when I entered the park because my hotel, the Zion Mountain resort was located outside of the park at the other side. It was quite an extreme experience, seeing Zion national park in the dark with all the curvy roads and sharp cliffs. I can definitely recommend you to do that as well. If you are in the first tunnel when driving through the park, turn off the light for a scary, exciting feeling which you do not want to miss.

A picture of Zion National Park (click to enlarge):

For more information about the park, geographical and historical aspects, please see this link

On the next morning I went back to the entrance of Zion national park to the visitor center. It is located on the right when you enter the park and can not be missed. There are restrooms and a huge parking lot which however is easily full. You will have to be there before 10 am or you might not be able to park. You are required to park there because only from that parking lot you can directly access shuttle buses and only by using those buses you can access the most beautiful parts of Zion National Park. As an alternative to the every 6 minute departing shuttle buses you could also ride your bike to those places. Take the shuttle bus to the last stop and follow the trail following the river from there. It is very beautiful as you are walking next to the 1000 feet high cliffs. The landscape of Zion National park is unique and definitely worth a watch :). I went to the Emerald pools after and took a trail from there to the so called Grotto. Make sure to take a lot of water with you and be prepared for an experience you will never forget. I hope you enjoyed my short Zion National Park review.

If you like check out my next short post, a Cedar Breaks national monument review.

Zion Mountain resort review

2008-08-06T20:56:00.001-07:00

I was confident that I booked a good hotel close to Zion national park. I wanted to access the park quickly without having to drive very long. I found out about the Zion Mountain resort just at the east end of Zion national park. To get there from the west I had to drive through the little town of Springdale (they have good ice cream there close to a bus station, can't remember the name unfortunately :P) and through the whole Zion national park. The entrance fee was 25 $ but it's well worth it. This is a short review of the Zion mountain resort.

I drove through the park at night and it was a very extreme experience. I have never seen such cliffs before as a born European. Red cliffs and curvy roads with an impressive view from the roads. Anyways, cruising at night through the park is very interesting and beautiful.

The Zion Mountain resort looked a bit simple when I arrived with just a few houses and in the middle of nowhere. But after checking I got surprised. Those tiny beautiful little wood houses have an hightech equipment in mountaineer style. Everything is made of wood. Everything is well cleaned with no exceptions. What I found even more surprising, the Zion mountain resort has WiFi! You can take your notebook, log in and communicate with the world. Nonetheless, the speed was rather slow, but okay. I liked the mountain hotel a lot, I would even say it was better than my hotel in Las Vegas. Also interesting is the Buffalo meet which you can eat in the local restaurant. It is very tasty, however quite expensive with 27$ for a rib eye. The night did cost me 110$ and that is more than okay for the Zion Mountain resort. I liked it and rate it with 9/10 points.

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Cedar Breakes national monument review

2008-08-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

To get from Zion national park to the Bryce Canyon I can only recommend you to not take the 14 but to drive through the Cedar Breakes national monument. I will try to give you a short review so you can decide whether you think it's worth the time and gasoline. Make sure to fuel up before entering because you will not encounter gas stations for around hundred miles along the road. It took me around ¼ of the fuel tank to get to the next gas station.

To get to know a bit more about the history and geographic aspects of the park please check this link.

The road will take you up to 10000 feet very slowly. On the right and left you do not see any civilization but beautiful yellow flowers and green pine trees. Some of them died and now look grey, resulting in colorful contrasts. Volcanoes formed the landscape and you very often see lava on the left and right side of the road.
There is a lot of vegetation around and you occasionally see some deers. Be very careful when you are driving. If you came from Las Vegas it will be refreshing for your eyes to see something non-desert and very green. It is also a good contrast to nearby Bryce, Archers and Grand Canyon. I can only recommend you to take the road through the Cedar breaks national monument.

A picture of Cedar Breakes I took some minutes ago:

I arrived at the Cedar breaks national monument visitor center, you can find restrooms right here here. The temperature here on 3000 feet is 60-70 degrees and with wind it feels quite cold in a shirt :P. To enter the park itself by foot you have to pay 6$. I did not enter but took the spectra Point trailhead, it can be accessed from the parking lot. At first I thought it would be nothing special because it looks like the landscape I described above. A warning shield tells you to not trespass during thunder storms and to stay away from cliffs. Once you pass the first forest (around 100 yards) you will see those cliffs. To review it, it looks amazing and is a very extreme experience. You are standing on top and look down the Bryce canyon like cliffs. I wanted to continue walking on the trail to get a better view but a sudden thunderstorm made me retreat and instead write this short review and report out of my Jeep Commander. Also make sure you clean your shoes before entering the cars as in my case they were quite muddy.

I will continue driving now to Bryce Canyon. All I can say, take the vista points as this somehow friendly and unexciting looking landscape is extreme and worth to see. If you like, drop me a short comment how you liked my Cedar breaks national monument review or just if you liked it too. I will be adding some pictures one I have WiFi and a mobile phone network again (haven't had mobile phone networks for more than 72 hours now).

I decided not to check out the Amphitheater for now because it is currently raining heavily. I passed the Chessman Ridge Overlook and now directly head to Bryce Canyon. Unfortunately I can not check out the Alpine pond and the Alpine pond because of the weather. Next national park I pass to get there is the Dixie national forest for. I will also be writing a little Dixie national forest review. My rating: 9/10

Here a satelite map of Cedar Breakes:

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Dixie national forrest review

2008-08-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Leaving Cedar Breakes national Monument with the target Bryce Canyon I am passing the Dixie national forest. To give you an idea of it I am writing this Dixie national forest review. After Cedars Breakes the landscape surrounding the roads did not change a lot. The landscape consists of forests, meadows and sometimes small beautiful looking wooden houses.

If you want to get to know a bit more about geographic aspects and history of the park please see this link.

The trees are not only pine trees but also birch trees making it a beautiful combination. I am currently in a thunder storm and it rains a lot, however the sun manages to shine every few minutes resuting in beautiful rainbows. The road descends steadily but is in good quality. Switch from ATG to manual shifts to prevent your breaks from overheating. Shift down and it should not be a problem, at least my Jeep Cherokee performs pretty well here in the Dixie national forest.

Very interesting are Buffalo farms which you sometimes see on the right and left of the road when driving through Dixie national forest. You will also encounter lava from ancient volcano explosions. Be careful as I experienced 2 deers crossing the street. Nonetheless, Cedar Breakes was a lot more interesting than Dixie national forest. My car used around 1 gallon to drive through the entire park because of steady descendings. For an European Dixie is nothing very special, the only thing would be the lava, forest and altitude combination.

A small but very interesting region of Dixie National park is the so called red canyon. It is around 15 miles in front of the entrance to Bryce but already gives a short preview of Bryce's landscape

To consider all points I think that if you saw other national parks such as Zion before then Dixie national forest will seem a little bit boring. My next writing will be a Bryce Canyon review. My rating: 7/10

Panguitch review

2008-08-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

I would like to give you a short review of the town Panguitch which is located in the Dixie National Forest. It is considered to be one of the towns where you overnight before entering Bryce Canyon. Another and probably the most popular alternative for a sleep would be Ruby's Inn. It is 500 feet away from Bryce Canyon's entrance.

I am staying in the town of Panguitch. Almost all motels seem to provide free WiFi, that's at least what they advertise. The town itself has nothing except a Subway and a super market where Mormons save 30 %. There are no special shops and nothing else very exciting. It is around 20 miles from here to Bryce Canyon, that's why I recommend you to go to Ruby's Inn directly. I do not like it here in Panguitch very much, and would not recommend you to overnight here. Only do that if you only need a place to sleep and nothing more.

I will head to Bryce Canyon tomorrow, if you like, have a look and read my Bryce Canyon review.

Here a map of Panguitch:

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Purple Sage Motel review

2008-08-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

After leaving the Dixie national forest I decided to find a hotel in Panguitch before going to Bryce Canyon. I found the Purple Sage Motel and would like to give you a short review of it. The outer shield says: high speed internet, cable television and hot tub. All of them is available except the WiFi. First of all you get a 20 digit key which you have to enter and then you are unable to connect, The women at the desk seemed not to be able to help me with my problem, so I am staying with no WiFi although that was promised on the advertisement at the entrance.

The balconies are a bit dirty and the rooms smell a little bit bad, except that the purple Sage Motel is okay. I am sitting on the bad here and must say I am a bit pissed because my promised internet access does not work as it should.

If you like read my Panguitch review, that's where the Purple Sage Motel is located.

Edit: The WiFi works now and I am watching CSI Las Vegas.

Here a map of the Purple Sage Motel in Panguitch:

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