Day Two: from Flagstaff to Hill AFB, UT

The cool morning air got me up before my 5:20am alarm went off.  It was 55F out, perfect temperature for a morning walk in the Cinder Hills.  The sun had not risen high enough for me to see much detail until an hour later.

The Cinder Hills OTV Rec Area goes on for quite a ways.  It's free camping. 13,000 acres of cinder soil, some of it six inches deep and quite soft surrounds the area.   The gravel road into the area made a nice contrast to the grey cinders around the Ponderosas, many of which had suffered wind damage. This area is just south of Sunset Crater.  There were several RVs dispersed camping like I was. Whenever Zeke took off running, he created a cloud of grey dust behind him.  Everyone was still quiet. Only one pickup passed me.

Once the sun was up on the return trip, I could see the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.  The peaks were still shrouded in snow.  We had walked 2.87 miles as a morning hike and the temperature had risen ten degrees in that short time. If Flagstaff had been my destination, I would have hiked farther, but time was against me.  I knew that it would be another hot day moving north into Utah on US89. Page, AZ was 108 miles away.

US89 from Flagstaff traverses a high plateau.  The Cinder Hills topped out at 7216' at US89, but then the elevation drops down to 6000' for most of the drive into Utah. The landscape changes from Ponderosa Pines to artfully weaved red sandstone. Temperatures also soar.  The road traverses the Navajo reservation, and its many abandoned hotels and trading posts that have seen better days.  The vendors weren't out yet as I drove through.  Many of the abandoned buildings included some nice art work. but it wasn't enough to hide the empty buildings.

Forty miles south of Page, the highway splits.  I took the left fork, 89A.  This spur then turns westward across the high mesa surrounded by more red rock and the Colorado  River.  It's called Marble Canyon.  It climbs back up in elevation to 7000' by Fredonia, Arizona's most northern town.  From there one can then turn back south to explore Grand Canyon's North Rim.

I, however, just wanted to get north.  As soon as I crossed into Utah at 10:30am I lost an hour, so it was really 11:30am. I gassed up in Kanab and ate a quick pizza buffet for lunch.  I had been here before a few years ago and hike the red hills north of town with Sadie.  This time I continued north on US89.  The highway bisects Utah and one sees quite a diverse terrain.  I was again gaining in elevation.

Some of the most spectacular landscape is in this part of Utah, making the road also very congested with visitors heading to Bryce and Zion National Park.  Tall red crags hug the road, warped sandstone and tall trees add flavor.  North of all this congestion is now a German Bakery, set in an alpine wood cabin.  It's quite a beautiful building, but when I stopped to look inside, I saw Berliners, Pigs Ears and a few baked goods, but no Sahnetorte, which is always my favorite.  The menu didn't list any prices but that didn't stop the line from forming.  Disappointed, I drove on.

Traffic eased up quite a bit once I got north of the Escalante Staircase turn-off.  The valleys widened and the mountains became less dramatic.  The one thing I noticed was the green grass. Then real towns started popping up.  Punguitch was my next destination, as there were supposed to be red arches nearby where the dogs could join me, but I didn't see signs and I didn't want to waste time going out of my way.

Utah took a more northern feel in the center of the state.  US89 now followed a rushing river. Here's where I took another hiking opportunity.  I parked the van and walked uphill on a forest road.  I had planned to do no more than four miles.  Private property lined either side of the road as it meandered past some stunning rock formations.  Utah is a geologist's wet dream that is for sure!  I kept looking up to study the rocks when what looked like a grey wolf jumped out of the trees toward us.  At first it scared the *bleep* out of me, but the dog turned out to be very friendly and playful.  Neither dog wanted to play.  This dog, whose tag said his name is Moose, kept us company the rest of the hike. Moose reminded me of Sammy in both demeanor and in his wolf-like traits.

Moose lives in a creek-side home farther up the road.  His owner yelled at him to come back to the yard, which he did, but Moose snuck back out to rejoin us.  He followed us all the way back to the parking lot.  Moose seemed fascinated by all the smells.  He seemed to know what he was doing so we drove off, but meeting Moose made me miss Sammy...

Would I still make Salina during daylight?  There wasn't much in that town.  Once I made it to Salina with two hours of daylight left, I decided to go a little farther, Provo perhaps.  I have a fondness for Provo because of repeated visits to BYU while in the army; my unit at Fort Hood would send me as a Russian linguist to
two-week refresher courses.  I'd hike around town and the nearby mountains after class.  But I hit the town during rush hour and that kept me going north.

I did not realize that Hill AFB is just south of Ogden off I-15.  What luck!  It was easy to get on the air base and easy to find the gym for my shower (with 20 minutes before closing time) and when I left the gym I was welcomed with a gorgeous sun set over the Great Salt Lake.  The base is not very large (nor very modern!) but it's a depot for weapons systems and aircraft maintenance. Its location between the Wasatch mountain range to the east and the Great Salt Lake to the west make this an ideal hub for outdoor activity.

I finished the day with a 3.5-mile loop around the base's fitness trail, which offered spectacular views of the setting sun and the silhouetted mountains.  The dark parts of the trail were nicely lighted.  I had the dogs off-leash and they stayed by my side.  I have been so proud of their behavior so far.  We hiked over nine miles today.

It was past 10pm before we finished the fitness trail.  What a great way to finish the day!  I parked by the base library to get online and was up past midnight.  My campsite for the night was a dark parking lot across from the BX.