We love to visit our friends all along the way, so when a good friend asked us to brave high altitude in snow season to soak in sacred waters with her for her 60th Birthday, we said YES! We were honored to hold space for her during this sacred time and to spend some time in natural hot springs. She had a favorite place and invited us for a few days just before the American holiday, Thanksgiving. It seemed Mother Nature was willing to cooperate. After a stopover in Flagstaff, AZ we were grateful for Pleasant Journey Alpacas to stay with our Harvest Hosts Membership. We enjoyed a quiet night, a bit of electricity for our little space heater and fantastic neighbors. The next morning we were excited to experiment with the handpan and alpacas. Here’s is what happened, we captured it on video for you!
Fun to see what the Alpacas would do for the handpan!
Since Mother Nature was creating an opening for us to drive up in altitude we took advantage of the opening. We know that roads are well plowed but our van on the edge of roads with slippery frozen melted snow can be very scary, especially with no side rails. We planned to drive in the midday, up through Ouray, CO to Orvis Hot Springs near Telluride, CO. We checked the road conditions cameras and we were confident about our climb in altitude. We were mesmerized by the beauty of long slow drive up the mountain with a gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountains. As we wound up the mountain we began to notice that the snow was getting deeper and more prevalent. As we climbed even further it was clear that some areas where what we call ‘black ice’. Mountain people like us know that ‘black ice’ can be dangerous because it looks like its just damp, but actually it’s a sheet of ice. We proceed slowly, pulling over to let little front wheel drive cars with skis on their roof, go ahead. As we climbed in altitude Bright Hawk found herself gripping the wheel as if that would make her more accurate in her driving. She paid close attention to the road, watching for black ice, going slow and steady. That was Bright Hawk’s superpower when we were climbing, slow and steady. Often in a slow and steady pace you can find contentment and stability through an otherwise stressful situation. Hollis appreciated this calm strong approach and joined Bright Hawk in holding the energy of our end result: Landing at the Hot Spring, soaking in sacred waters, and chatting with our friend.
These Guys where super cute!
After a stressful drive we were grateful to have overcome with determination and stability. We finally landed at Orvis Hot Springs. Living in a van offers many benefits and challenges, it seems to call some of us on a deep level, and often people don’t fully comprehend this is our 3rd winter in our van. We often take a couple of months away from the van by house sitting for others but it takes a bit to fully comprehend a couple that lives full time in an RV Van. As a result we don’t always pack in the same way for things, because we always have a kitchen with us or we always have a variety of clothes stashed in our van. Our work can be done everywhere and when running your own business, every opportunity to get some work done is a potential step in progress. Progress is the reward when working for yourself! As we empty out into the room with our friend we are reminded of just how different we pack. Thank goodness our friend is flexible. In the hot springs we use quiet time in the sacred waters to more deeply develop our brands and make plans for our future. Our planning often inspires our friends to harvest their own potentiality, and since our friend is about to retire, she loves to think about it. We love to support anyone dreaming of their future and working to overcome whatever holds us back. We all enjoy the waters, discuss our potentiality and our future. After several days, we all receive the rewards of deep relaxation and we are faced with only a small window to leave this mountain town without large accumulation of snow on the roads for the next many days.
We make our plans to go our separate ways after great times in sacred water. We use all our resources about weather and road conditions to plan on landing in a little donut hole between all the storms set to reach this area in the coming day. We plan our road trip in the middle of the day this time with just one challenging area. The roads in Norwood, CO could be dangerous if the temperature drops, although we notice it’s not supposed to be too cold. It is the warm spot just before a big snow storm and we are grateful to have found a place to safely hunker down in between storms. Our biggest concern was road conditions heading out, sometimes mountains can have unexpected weather.
Fun Farm to camp at overnight, great people!
As we headed out we were grateful to have a mostly easy drive, yet with a few spots of black ice. When a mountain shadows a part of the road, yet the snow is melting on the other side of the hill down into the shadow area. Often that can become black ice and we are quickly approaching the one high altitude pass that could be a potential problem, Norwood, CO. We are grateful when the road is mostly clear and we are aware that our choice to leave during the height of the sun was a good choice. We come around a blind corner to slowed traffic, “Oh No, I hope it’s not an accident!” As we both look ahead and wind around and up the mountain we begin to realize what will become the biggest challenge off this mountain top.
We are in a line of traffic just like the cows, being led up the hill by a herd of cattle, literally. The handlers on their horses working hard to keep the cows from cutting us off. As we drive right next to cows working so hard to get up the hill through snow and right on the edge of a pretty large cliff. We are inspired by their trust for each other as they follow blindly behind each other. Occasionally one would get spooked and step out of the line and we would feel connection to this amazingly strong animal. We have all had those moments, where we step out – challenge the status quo and either change the whole group as a result or realize it was not the right time and jump back in. Fascinating to watch the handlers on their horses driving these cows to another place for reasons we didn’t comprehend. We found ourselves grateful that these cows get to walk and graze on grass and although we had no idea what their destiny was, we knew it was better than in some places in our country. Witnessing farming has influenced how we see our food.
As we mentioned, #Vanlife, will change you forever. Vanlife is challenging with unique blessings and lessons. Applying compassion, love, understanding, excellent communication, and vulnerability we are uplifted with an experience that teaches us a lot about human relationships with nature, animals and each other. Simple witnessing the entire herd being moved by the handlers on horses, with the ancient art of being a cowgirl/cowboy, we could sense the deep love and respect they had for the animals. Also, we sensed that the animals, for the most part, trusted their handlers. Although, just like with humans, there are always outliers and sometimes they would change the entire line of cattle for the better. Such as getting them away from a steep cliff, we would notice that the handlers would see what spooked them, and then let it be changed. Is this an example of living in harmony with cattle, we weren’t convinced, but we had a deeper understanding of the history of cattle raising.
Video of our COW encounters
This was our biggest challenge leaving the area. We were happy to arrive at the Hovenweep Campground, pretty much all to ourselves as the holiday was upon us. We hope you will keep reading as we continue to harvest stories from our adventures on the road of life. Stories are developed by Hollis Taylor (Author of Divine Androgyne) & Bright Hawk your Storyteller here at BrightHawkProductions.com
A Beautiful Journey
We are working hard to develop more products for you this winter, so stay tuned for upcoming big announcements. Need something positive and unique for your event? Bright Hawk offers performances for 60-90 mins of live storytelling with the handpan that will leave your community feeling connected, loved, and inspired. A modern rendition of the ancient art of storytelling with a very modern instrument. Bright Hawk’s messages are sincere, inspiring and engaging to audiences that desire positive thinking, lifelong learning, and love for all people. Bright Hawk offers real-life travel stories, original and traditional fictional stories to intrigue even grown up imaginations. Bright Hawk is planning her 2020 schedule now and welcomes invitations to visit your community in 2020!
After a great time celebrating our friend’s birthday at Orvis Hot Springs, we had to fly out in between big snowstorms. As we defrosted Pegasus, our Ford Transit Van, and got on the road we were excited about where the weather was pointing us this holiday. We were excited to land just outside the Canyon of the Ancients, in Utah. It made sense because many storms wherein the 4 corners area and this spot would be spared. It might get a little cold but we really needed to avoid any kind of snow accumulation.
Intense skies validate the upcoming winter storm over the Holiday
After our experience on the “Forgiving” Holiday at Standing Rock a few years ago we were inspired to celebrate the holiday in a different way. We work at giving Gratitude all day and every day but on “Thanksgiving” aka “Forgiving” we learn about the history of the Indigenous peoples of North America. We honor their tribes, all they have been through. We where deeply honored this year to learn about the ancient culture that live at “Hovenweep” on the west side of the Canyon of the Ancients, teeny little place that is likely part of the ancient Pueblo People. It even has its own inexpensive boondocking campsite! Our biggest challenge in this space would be wind, considering what we were surrounded by, we were grateful on this holiday to be on such sacred land.
We took the 2-mile hike around the canyon, carefully visiting and learning about each ruin. We noticed everything was on the edge of the canyon or in the canyon. The sky was cloudy, a little threatening but the weather prediction just showed cloudiness. We embraced the moment to tune into this ancient civilization and appreciated all the anthropologists that had studied here. What they unfolded was the truth about the first people of this land, that in fact maybe they weren’t so ‘primitive’. As we walked the edge and stared at the ruins we imagined them not much different than us now, except they of course didn’t have the technology. At least they didn’t have cell phones and computers but we are sure they communicated, maybe through scouts or drumming from one mountain top to another? We wondered about the food they ate, farmed, and stored! Truly they were enlightened with the wisdom to live in harmony with nature – seemed many ancient civilizations understood this. We wondered how humanity had lost this connection, so many theories and opinions on that for sure. Most of us agree we must figure out how to live in harmony. After all, these ancient people lived here 800yrs ago and many other civilizations lived on earth for way longer. They didn’t deplete the land as we do in just a couple hundred years!
The day got windier and windier and we were grateful for the break from the winds as we descended into the canyon on the trail. We were grateful to understand even deeper just how smart these folks where, how they knew this desert would be very windy. We stood there in the center of the canyon, looking up at the threatening sky in wonderment at how these people learned to live in this canyon. As we deeply benefited in those moments to be completely protected from the 25mph winds up on the edge of the canyon, we smiled and KNEW deeply that these people where in harmony with nature. We began to grow hungry so we decided to finish the hike and go back to our van for lunch. We began to harvest the wisdom of these ancient people’s and honor their intelligence, connection, and mystery.
We were sure that the weather would stay calm even though the sky looked a little confused. As we climbed up the other side of the cliff to walk along the edge of the canyon back to the campsite we found ourselves looking upwards. Half the sky, was very dark and threatening but thank goodness we were moving towards the more clear sky. The light fluffly clouds encouraged us to just keep walking and we thought. How could we possibly blog about our experience today, in a good way? Really it’s a simple hike, maybe we find a way to share the wisdom of these ancient people. We had began to contemplate this story as the wind picked up, more and more. Both of us looking up now it seemed the half of the sky that was dark had reached out for us and it was blowing harder, faster and more intensely. We walk a little faster and it seems that cloud reaches for us even more and now with hail and snow pouring down on us so fast we barely can comprehend where the sun ran off to. The hail and the snow blew so hard both of us where reminded of blizzard conditions. Putting our heads down and practically running for shelter we noticed that something so confusing was happening above us, that the snow appeared blue. We ducked into the public bathroom, panting from running, and both of us relieved to be out of the weather.
Minutes later we want to dart for our van, but now the weather has stopped. As if the ancients wanted us to share this with you, and they added just enough excitement to make it a story for YOU! We hope you are enjoying this Story Blog. All stories are developed by Bright Hawk – a professional long time storyteller that often plays music with her stories. AND Hollis Taylor, author and longtime blogger. We share these stories to inspire wanderers, open your heart and eyes, and to recommend some cool places to visit.
As a Queer couple we stand with the LGBTQ community in proving that, no matter who you love, we are all just human beings having a human experience on planet earth. With Diversity and harmony we know, just like in nature, we can all thrive as a human race together. Thank you for your support! If your interested in having us visit YOUR community, please be sure to contact us. We are happy and honored to visit you along our journeys. We are booking 2020, right now.
Bright Hawk’s CD offers her fun stories that inspire our best selves, we hope you take a moment to listen. She also has a few songs on the album that she drafted with the handpan, the instrument she often uses while storytelling. We hope you take a moment to order and download her CD, follow us on Facebook/Instagram/Youtube for future growth in 2020!
We felt positively confident about our stop at Granite Hot Springs, since we had been to this public land the year prior. This is our second year touring the northwest US in our Honda FIT and we are feeling more confident in our use of public lands, and how to find them — we even had a few favorites along the way. Granite Hot Springs was our favorite from last year, Hollis loves waterfalls almost as much as trees and Bright Hawk loves hot springs almost as much as the wilderness. We both agreed that this place was worth more exploration and time. We dreamed about our future home on wheels as we drove past RV, Vans, and truck campers staying out on the edge of the river as we arrived. We wondered if the cows would be on the road like the year prior. With experience, we were less nervous about the cattle we encounter grazing on a lot of public lands. Honestly, we prefer seeing them grazing on wild public lands overcrowded bins on industrial cattle farms, at least this way they got to live a fair life, comparatively. We loved it when the cows visit us along the way. This day we didn’t see the cows but it was getting dark when we arrived. We had spent a couple of days in Yellowstone followed by a visit to Grand Teton. After hikes and exploration of the National Parks we were ready for a cozy night under the stars and some therapeutic waters.
This time we knew better than to camp in unmarked land, we got away with it last time but this time there were less people and the campground had plenty of open sites. This time we took a campsite a bit close to the water and the waterfall was now something in the distance. Although knowing it was there somehow inspired the soul. As we set up camp we were careful and bear aware, many signs around camp included warnings about bears. We carefully washed our dishes away from our tent and locked up all our food stuff in the car. Bright Hawk was sure to set up the tent with no scented things that might tempt a bear. We were aware that we were visiting in the fall, a rather hungry time for bears. We tucked ourselves neatly into our beds with dreams of visiting the hot springs the next day and also we needed to figure out where people where going at the end of the road. We fell asleep dreaming of exploring the space the next day in the light of day.
Campsite Set Up
Welcome Back!
Peaceful Campground
View from our Campsite
Granite Hot Springs Campground
Hollis is a fairly sound sleeper and can be caught sleeping with the loudest of music. They are rarely woken up by anything other than direct contact. This was a night that Hollis felt cozy, confident and very tired after days of hiking. Hollis found themselves woken in what could be defined as ‘the dead of night’ with no signs of the sun and not much noise. Except Hollis noticed something outside the tent, making the entire ground rumble beneath them. As Hollis’ eyes got larger and the part moon shined just enough shadow/light for Hollis to know there was a bear just outside the tent. Sniffing at the picnic table and walking around the camp looking for food. Hollis laid completely still, terrified that a bear was close enough and BIG ENOUGH to make the ground rumble. Hollis’ laid frozen beneath the sleeping bag, sweating but completely focused on what the bear was up to. Hollis hoped they didn’t have the toothbrush in the tent. Suddenly the worried mind took off with all sorts of worries like ‘can it break the windows of the car’ – ‘what if my clothes has food on it and he decides to try to get in here, what should I do’ – Soon Hollis’ storyteller had at least a dozen scenarios with only a half dozen solutions, Hollis’ heart rate increases. Hollis takes a deep breathe and says to themselves silently ‘you are still okay, in this moment everything is okay’ Hollis takes three slow full breaths, in and completely out as much as possible. Then, Hollis listened to the bear and begins to notice the bear was following a different scent, up the hill away from our campsite. Hollis exhales several sighs of relief, wondering if Bright Hawk slept through the whole thing. Hollis whispers, ‘are you awake.’ Bright Hawk says “What is it?” Hollis giggles in silence and whispers, “A bear was just outside the tent. Stay still I think it has left.”
Deep Wilderness
Misty Mountain Morning
Buffalo Road Blocks
Buffalo
We are sleeping on the ground in a truly WILD place
Now in unified listening we both validate that the bear has left our campsite and we both eventually settle back to sleep, ready for our next day. As the sun began to peak over the horizon we found ourselves packing up early so we can explore the rest of the day before we continue driving back to Colorado. As we get a quick breakfast, coffee and tea to go, and everything packed back up in the car. We noticed, while packing, that many cars are just going right by the waterfall/hotspring area. We are excited to see what is past the waterfall since we have never explored past the waterfalls and little soaking spring. We consider soaking before we head down the road because NOW it’s empty, but will it be empty after we explore down the road. We consider our choice for a moment and with the momentum of packing we keep going.
We drive past where we camped last year and the waterfall and hot spring. Here we could park, walk down the hill to the river, cross the river and soak in a little natural hot springs perfect for two people. We did this last year! From the waterfall parking area there was a hill that goes upwards. Last time we had noticed a lot of cars going up there, very carefully in a lot of cases. The road was rutted out and looked like we would need go slow in our little low lying Honda Fit. We wind around a corner and climb up a bit of a hill. As we come around the tree full area we see a building and as we approach we see signs. Signs giving instruction about parking to enter the hot springs, the prices and other various related information.
As we realize that the tiny spring from last time we visited was a teeny weeny reflection of the pools we are now looking at, large enough for 20+ people. For $10 we can soak all day if we want! We look at each other and start laughing at how we completely missed this the year before. Mostly because the road was challenging and we were grateful with what we found, a waterfall and a fun adventure across the river to a hot springs. This time though we decided to treat ourselves to a soaking for a nice long soak. It seems, that in most cases, there is more than one way to do things!
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Need something positive and unique for your event? Bright Hawk offers performances for 60-90 mins of live storytelling with the handpan that will leave your community feeling connected, loved, and inspired. A modern rendition of the ancient art of storytelling with a very modern instrument. Bright Hawk’s messages are sincere, inspiring and engaging to audiences that desire positive thinking, lifelong learning, and love for all people. Bright Hawk offers real-life travel stories, original and traditional fictional stories to intrigue even grown up imaginations. Bright Hawk is planning her 2020 schedule now and welcomes invitations to visit your community in 2020!
Before we got our van we traveled to Oregon in Hollis’ car, a Honda FIT. A small gas-friendly car that was fun to drive in the mountains, especially as roads wind around in the Rocky Mountains and then the Cascades in Oregon. Even in the desert the car offered great views and excellent gas mileage although its ability to hold the both of us was often best done by applying the lessons of puzzles like Tetris. We worked hard in our travels and we love to reward ourselves with fun things to do in nature, especially Hot Springs. We noticed a sign about a Hot Springs, although at 65mph it’s hard to read the whole thing. We decided to check out the dirt road indicating the way to the hot springs, noticing it was also part of the National Forest. Hollis was learning about camping for free in the National Forest. Public lands, ‘our lands’- supposably as American citizens we have the right to be on these lands, although that freedom is certainly subjective.
We proceed down a well-traveled dirt road, going slow in our Honda FIT. Boon-dockers begin to appear on our right, placed out in the meadows with no one else around. About a half a mile apart we pass one, two, three and even FIVE campers pulled back into these beautiful spots well enough away from the road to not be bothered by our dust. With a cliff to our left, we forge forward with envy in our hearts to have a home on wheels. We notice something standing in the roadway ahead, where the flat land of the valley begins to fold into the pine forest ahead. Both of us look at each other with wonderment, anxiety, and curiosity as to what huge animal we are approaching ahead. We had just seen bison in the National Park, right up next to our vehicle and wondered if that’s what we see. We slow down a little, lean forward, squinting further down the road. Wow, they look as big as the car itself, maybe bigger. We slow down a bit more and we realize we are approaching a herd of cattle in the road ahead. As we draw closer we see that it could be hard to continue past these guys with the forest to the right and a steep uphill forest to the left. These cows were taking up the entire two-lane dirt road and moving very slowly. We are grateful they were moving slowly, some of them where bigger than the car! As we slow down we suddenly realize that we are all about the same size and we think we have been mistaken as one of them. A weird version of them, but one of them. Maybe it was Bright Hawk vocalizing towards the bovine, in their own language, that we come in peace and just want to move through. Assuring them that we are vegetarians! Slowly they part as if we are Mother Cow moving our way through the herd. As we slowly move through the herd in our car Bright Hawk begins taking pictures and we notice the BULL! Hollis is nervous as they know that bulls will sometimes decide to stampede all sorts of things. After a moment of moving past them, Hollis says, “Thank goodness this little car isn’t red!”
The love to be with Nature, too!
Slowly they part as if we are Mother Cow moving our way through the herd.
Lots of Cows on BLM land, Nationwide.
We continue on down the road looking for a campsite, maybe like the ones we had seen before. We notice a pay campsite tucked into the forest and it is completely full. The sun is setting and we need a place to sleep for the night, we need to set up camp, cook and eat our food and get tucked into a cozy bed for the night. We both knew that delaying this process often kept us up into the darkness cooking and setting up camp, which is not desirable. When you’re having to set up a tent and bed, set up a kitchen, cook, eat, clean up, pack up for bear aware and sleep – we just know it takes a while. We continue past the campsite, crossing our fingers and hoping to find something ahead.
We come around the bend and suddenly the forest opens back up to a wide open meadow. The meadow was gently littered with tall tall pine trees scattered around. At any moment you could imagine David Attenboro’s voice narrating the horizon and a huge grizzly bear emerging while the cameraman zoomed in. There where mountain peaks in the distance that reminded us of our visit to Grand Teton National Park earlier that day. Tucked back away from the road, opposite the meadow, is a huge waterfall! In all its beauty the water is flowing and as we roll down our window we can hear the water rumbling. The flow of the waterfall is unmistakable! Hollis’ absolute favorite is a waterfall!
A Spectacular Waterfall for us to sleep beside
The meadow is open and looks meant for us. We really need to set up camp and we have a nice pull in and spot to camp just close enough to the falls. With eagerness and intention, the two of us begin to set up camp, quickly as we are racing the sun. We can see and hear the waterfall from our spot and can almost feel the water droplets in the air. As we are setting up we notice that a truck parked at the circle on the edge of the waterfall has a beer on the bumper. It’s chilly outside and we wonder what could locals be doing down at a waterfall, with the chill in the air? Hot springs of course! We could hear occasional laughter coming from below and occasionally a truck would pass us from further on down the road. We decided that staying here seemed to be the best idea. As we enjoyed our camp dinner and could smell the minerals in the air, we where continuously validated that a Hot Springs was nearby. As we settled for the evening we knew it was just a matter of time till we could have the entire thing all to ourselves.
Pop-up tent + Honda = Wilderness Fun
The Falls into the River
Bright Hawk knew that Hollis would pop up with the sun, so it was easy to settle into our beds as the stars popped out of the darkness. We could look up through the top of the tent at the stars twinkling in the sky as we fell asleep in our cozy bed. As the sun peaked over the horizon Hollis was reliably out of bed, Bright Hawk rolled over and decided she would meet Hollis later. Hollis walks down to the waterfall to explore and look for the hot springs. A large deer with a full rack on his head stood at the edge of the river, on the other side, taking a break from his morning drink looks Hollis eye to eye. We stare at each other as if to say, “I see you, you see me. We can live peacefully beside each other.” Hollis projects to the deer “No problem my friend, this is your home, I come in peace and mean you no harm.” The deer returns to his morning drink and Hollis walks up the mountain a bit to the top of the waterfall. Hollis looks around from the climb upwards and sees no one, just our little yellow dome tent, and the car and Bright Hawk climbing out of the tent.
A Hike to the top of the Falls
Heading back towards the tent Hollis can hear Bright Hawk call. She had seen the deer in his morning drink and now was heading down towards the water. Hollis caught up and Bright Hawk explained “Look, see the steam coming up, smell the rotten eggs? That’s a hot spring, and we are getting closer.” Since Hollis had never done anything like this before they followed along, it was now time to follow Bright Hawk. We took turns leading because we knew we both had strengths and as a cooperative team, we are better together. Hollis began to follow Bright Hawk down to the river and we stood directly across the river from the steam billowing upwards.
Hollis Preparing to walk across
Steam from The Hot Spring
We watched the deer decide that WE could now have the river and beach to ourselves. He took off up the hill on the other side. Bright Hawk pointed across the flowing river and spoke loudly to get over the roar of the waterfall. “Right there beside the waterfall, see it? Steam!?” Hollis sees the steam and then realizes that now Bright Hawk had taken off her shoes and began to step into the river, with ice cold water flowing quickly in front of her from the waterfall. Hollis watches as Bright Hawk moves across the river with intense focus and Hollis begins to pray. “Bright Hawk will make it across the river I know, in a good way!”
View of Falls from the Top
Falls + Hot-springs = HAPPINESS
Hollis staying focused on Bright Hawk landing across the river in the hot springs having traversed this flow in a good way. Holding her phone and shoes above her head she only stumbles once. She makes it, with a sigh of relief and accomplishment Bright Hawk yells “I made it!”
Hollis Considering the Cross of the River
Hollis realizes it’s their turn and is willing to explore other options. Hollis can follow with a deep heart but Hollis knows what is good for them. Hollis takes off their boots and listens to their inner voices, ancestors, and trees inviting Hollis further downriver, just about 500ft. Hollis walks gently on the earth with bare feet and traverses the river at the sandbar where it has slowed down and is only about shin deep. Hollis smiles as they reach the other side and walk along the beach where the deer was towards the hot spring. Bright Hawk hugs Hollis as they reunite on the other side. As they both sigh in relief at their early morning adventure–a sunrise soak before they embark on their driving journey of the day.
After a beautiful and beyond our expectations visit to the Grand Canyon North Rim we had to find a place to sleep for the night. There are many campsites just outside the National Park in the National Forest but the cold temperatures overnight push us down the mountain to lesser altitude and higher temperatures. Plus, getting a little closer to Phoenix, AZ was a good idea, it was Sunday night and we needed to be outside Phoenix by Monday night. On our way out we stop into Jacobs River Inn and purchase of a few more postcards for the grandchildren and friends that love to get them. After a little cozy break in their comfy chairs next to their warm roaring fire, we carried on down the mountain to a free campsite.
Grand Canyon North Rim
While sitting beside the fire Hollis had scouted a place just a little over an hour down the mountain. Since its Fall it’s dark by 6 pm and we drove out of the park in dark. We pulled out at 7:30 in hopes to be in place by 9 pm. Sometimes Hollis just trusts, doesn’t think too much about it and in the end, they discover that their ancestors have usually guided them to something magnificent, yet at times we have found ourselves searching for a parking place much later than we want to be. Likely we learned something on those nights, but that’s a different story! Over the years we have gotten better, now in year 4, we are pretty confident. Hollis read the details the previous scout left online “This place is a real gem, the roads tough so you need good clearance and there is a broken gate at the entrance, it says to keep it closed. Be sure to visit the end campsites!”
Vermillion Cliffs – Northern Arizona – Near Page, AZ – View from Marble Canyons
This was another public land in Marble Canyons, just beside the Vermillion Cliffs in Northern Arizona. Hollis scouted out the site online and drove for the last 75 mins. We were grateful to see the temperature come up to the 40’s as we went down in altitude. It was dark when we left the Inn. So the view was limited but after about an hour of National Forest and BLM land in the distance, Hollis could see a Motel and the navigation was showing the gate was coming up on the right. As Hollis pulled off to the side to the gate we could see the sign on the front that said, “Please Close Gate”. Hollis looks at Bright Hawk and smiles. This place looks like just another ranch but it was obviously public lands with little markings, just this little sign that was barely legible on the gate. Bright Hawk jumps out to open the gate so we can pull in and is immediately challenged by the fence. The hinges had broken and it was hard to lift and carry, but she manages the gate opens and closes it up after Hollis pulls in the van.
As we continue down the road we are slowed to 1 and 2MPH to manage the tossing around of all our stuff behind us. Slowly creeping down a road that seems barely manageable except that this van has great clearance. Hollis traverses large rocks and huge ruts in the road slowly and with great patience. Both of us taking deep breathes, to release the stress, after each challenging piece of the road. The coordinates for the actual campsite were at least 1.5 miles down this dirt road, it was late and both of us are tired. We traveled several hours today, had a several hour hikes, plus the excitement of getting to see the North Rim Grand Canyon! We hoped it was not taken by other boon-dockers and that is was the gem that was promised, but really we didn’t know, we rarely do.
Hollis was nervous about how the road actually got worse with a huge deep sand bar in the center of the road and very sandy paths for our tires. In the past, Hollis and Bright Hawk got the van caught in deep sand in Louisiana, but we did manage to get it out. With that experience, we know our van does not handle well in deep sand, so we both hold our breath as we move through sand. Hollis can feel the tires losing traction beneath them and realizes that its essential they do not touch the center at all, not even a little as it could pull us out of the path. We wonder aloud, “Are you sure this is okay?”
Driving very carefully we find ourselves returning to more huge rocks in the road and ruts along the way to be avoided. A one-lane dirt road in the desert, we cannot see any trees or much of anything in the distance. We carry on driving very slowly to avoid the tussle of the large rocks in the road. Hollis is grateful for technology telling us that we are getting closer and that it’s just a matter of time before campsites begin to pop up. Should we take the next one? A campsite on the right, fire ring and all, but the scout before us suggested taking the end campsites. We are both growing tired with this added stress of traveling such an intense road but with determination we move forward, trusting in a stranger’s comment online.
Soon the road turns and we pass a very large campsite with 2 fire rings and Hollis is aware that there is likely a body of water, nearby. It looks like this campsite might be up against running water. We carry on to see if we can get the very last campsite but as we approach we can see other boondockers. Hollis decides to drive in reverse back down the road, turn around in a small campsite and go take the other huge one, a bit of driving skill in this large Ford Transit Van. We wanted to work tomorrow and since we still had signal we may have found the perfect space. Only dropping into the 40’s overnight, we knew we would be okay. As we pulled in, set up our privacy curtains, and set up the bed for the night, Bright Hawk suggests we step out for a look at the stars.
Together we step out to see where we have landed and as we inspect the now very dark sky we see very little lights, including that Motel way off in the distance as now we were over a mile away. There were some other notable lights and as we looked up we see a clear beautiful star-filled sky. We both gasped in wonderment at the intensity of the Milky Way. As we stood beside each other we held hands staring up at the stars. Agreeing just how small we are and how the stars always remind us that we are just a speck of sand. Reminding us that we are just a tiny being on the planet earth among all the brilliance of our universe and beyond. A shooting star streaks the sky to our delight! As we hold hands and stare at the stars we are also reminded of how together makes us stronger. Reminding us that taking care of ourselves is the best we could do for the world. Our sleepy eyes take us off to bed while we dream of what our world might look like in the morning.
GOOD MORNING! Vermillion Cliffs from Marble Canyon, coffee with a view!
Hollis is up at dawn, peaking out the privacy curtains to see where we had landed. Bright Hawk steps out to catch the sun’s rise to power and we are in awe at the beauty all around us. The vermillion cliffs on one side of us in their brilliant shades of red and just next to our van were the marble canyons. Deep canyons that seemed impossible to get to the bottom, we both wondered out loud if someone had ever been down there. We decided that SOMEONE probably had. The river rushed through the center of the canyon and we heard nothing but the quiet of the wilderness and the rush of the water. We were surrounded by beauty and we realized we had the place to ourselves as the other boondockers made their very slow exit from the campsites. We set up our solar panel and set in to get a little more work done. Even in our adventures, we work hard to stay focused on sustaining our lifestyle. We are grateful to work among such beauty and we give thanks to such a beautifully preserved campsite. We could see ourselves returning here in the future as we had it to ourselves, had a great connection, and the views where marvelous. Trusting we were being guided we surrendered each time we took a deep breath along the road. Now we reaped the benefits of surrender and trusting the universe. Our gratitude grows as we manifest a life of our dreams.
We visit all kinds of communities, sometimes in nursing homes as well as spiritual and conscious communities. Often, regardless of what kind of community, they are intrigued at our travel and tend to ask where we are headed to next. Originally, we had thought after our work was done in Las Vegas, we would continue onto the south rim Grand Canyon to get some video footage and pictures for our current projects. We knew the North Rim was closed and heard it repeated several times in the community upon our announcement of our upcoming visit. We hadn’t been to the North Rim because often, in our tour, we are not in the area when it is scheduled to be open. As our time came to an end in Las Vegas, NV after some transformational experiences with the Vegas Vortex we began to investigate the weather in the Grand Canyon. Although it was within our limits we didn’t like hearing that there was a planned burn, which means smoke. Sounds like its not a good time to visit the Grand Canyon, even the South Rim. So instead we decide to visit Zion National Park and possibly stay in the area for some much-needed office work. We often work on public lands with our boon-docking office and its great if daytime temperatures are comfortable, dry, and still. We simply open all our doors, set up our solar panel on our windshield, and decide to either sit inside or outside the van. We even have a 10×10 to put up overtop our fold-out table. Often times we choose to sit on our bed with the backdoor open to a gorgeous view!
After a very grateful and fulfilling trip to Zion National Park it was time to dip down into Phoenix, AZ for a few planned programs with Nursing Homes, with LetsDanceActivities.org From where we were, we had two choices of travel, with only a 10minute difference if we decided to drive through the Grand Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs, places we had visited in the past. As Hollis scouted the drive they realized that there was an opportunity to visit or see parts of the North Rim, if it was all clear. Since we deal with National Forests, Parks, and public lands frequently, Hollis has learned a great deal about how different areas handle things.
Hurricane Cliffs, near the JEM Trail, near Zion National Park
We stop in a local town for a water refill, gas, and any food staples we might need. After errands, we begin to travel southward towards the Grand Canyon. Stopping at a rest stop at an altitude of 8500 feet for lunch, views, and a little rest break. As we carry on Hollis notices a sign for Jacob Lake and advises Bright Hawk to stop there if we can, as we are not sure if anything is open up here. Hollis looks around and sees very little snow, just a dusting on the side of the road in some areas that see less sunshine than others.
We had planned to just drive through the area and head on down to Phoenix for a much-needed soak in some hot springs. We called ahead in the morning to see if they had a campsite to go along with our visit and were waiting for a return call. Hollis realized there was no signal and hoped to get something at Jacob Lake, even just a connection to their wifi to check voicemail. Jacob Lake is just north of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon off highway 89 in Northern Arizona. We were delighted to discover that our hot spot had good, full signal and we are able to check in about our campsite. We wondered about what to do if his answer was NO, there is no room? Hollis played the voicemail, sounds like this place is super busy and they have no campsites till next week! Now we had to figure out what we were going to do, no matter what we decided we knew we had the rest of our Sunday and our full Monday before we needed to be in Phoenix for an afternoon program.
Hollis decided to step inside the lodge and see what they could find out about the North Rim, there were signs that it was simply 60 miles forward. Hollis asked a very gently spoken man behind the counter, “Hey there friend, Is the North Rim open? or do they have the gate closed.” He smiled and I already knew the answer because he was excited to say YES to me, he answered “Ohhh yeah, there is no snow or anything so they keep the gates open. There are no bathrooms and the stores and lodges are all closed, but you can see the viewpoints and all that!” Hollis smiled, bought the postcards, and Thanked the man for his direction. Hollis was excited to tell Bright Hawk! After sharing the exciting news with Bright Hawk we take off down the road that leads to the North Rim, Grand Canyon. We are very excited that it’s still early in the day, early afternoon and we had several more hours of light. With just a 55 minute scenic drive into the North Rim, Grand Canyon.
As we traveled on we drove through the Kaibab National Forest with beautiful open meadows, sprinkled with trees and bushes and covered with light brown and yellow grasses. A grassy carpet spread out before us almost expecting David Attendboro to narrate our journey forward. We would drive through noticing that every half mile or so, another sign would advise “No Driving in Meadow” and we would remember those old pictures of people visiting Grand Canyon in the early 1900’s in their old Model T style cars, out in the meadow as if their impact was nill. We laughed it off as it seemed obvious to us to simply stay on the road. We pushed on to see what was at the end. We can feel the deep wilderness and the vibration of an American National Park, signs about what not to do, and pull off notifications for slower vehicles, yet there is no one behind us. We are grateful for a quiet drive into the wilderness. As we approach the end and enter the parking lot we are delighted to be one of about ten cars in the parking lot! Everything is certainly closed for the season but the views are still accessible. We park and take off to see the view with eagerness. Hollis’ instinct as a scout sparks them to grab a picture of the map since we didn’t get one on our way in. We decide to start with Bright Angel Point and we walk all the way out, enjoying the view.
North Rim, Grand Canyon, November 2019, smoke from a controlled burn
As we stare at these beautiful massive rock formations deep in the Grand Canyon we find ourselves grateful for not listening to the nay-sayers and instead just staying in the flow. When we are guided, we are guided to where we need to be, to be guided means surrendering control, as holding onto control drowns your flow. So we enjoy a hike, mostly to ourselves, and head on out on a beautiful nature trail around the rim that ends up being a few mile hike. Neither of us had started our day thinking about hiking the North Rim, we thought we would be landing in Phoenix sometime that evening. Instead, now we walked along the North Rim staring at the glorious beings before us. When you contemplate how long they have been here and all the mysteries these ancient rock beings held within them, you can’t help but find yourself in wonderment. Both of us taking quiet time to wander alone with these massive structures and then walking together in wonderment at this spectacular place.
The Wildlife reminds us that humans have impacted the earth
We enjoy a vegetarian high protein gluten-free dinner in our van in a practically empty parking lot and a direct view of part of the canyon. Enjoying the wildlife that is visiting us and feeling blessed to have this space to ourselves. With fewer people around and everything closed up, the space felt a little like a ghost town and your imagination could easily lead you to see this place when it was first built. Both of us have watched the Ken Burn’s National Parks Documentary that outlines the history of these protected places, we can even sense the vibration through the stone walkways and lookout from the lodge area. Bright Hawk was even inspired to play some music and send some love out to all of you!
We Send LOVE & Serenity to all our readers and followers!
