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!
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!
