When Jason and I first visited Escalante and stayed at
Escalante Yurts, I immediately thought it would be a perfect spot for some
family adventures and togetherness. Two years later, Jason and I made that
bonding outing happen as our birthday present to everyone in my clan.
The yurts at Escalante Yurts have all the perks of camping and none of the drawbacks.
Planning this trip was a bit complicated. We told the group
about our idea last November and managed to schedule a weekend this spring when
the yurts and almost all my family were available. Although we planned months
in advance, only 75% of the crew ended up attending. Still, it was the greatest
concentration of us in a remote location in over 20 years. Hallelujah for my preparation
inclinations!
The hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls passes many intriguing elements like beaver dams, a pictograph, and ancient granaries.
We all arrived at the yurts within an hour or two of each other. Then, eighteen of us ate pizza and Spanish anchovies at Escalante Outfitters. Escalante Outfitters is an unconventional but tasty consortium of lodgings, gear, and grub. After dinner, we wasted no time getting pungently smoky around a campfire. Encompassed in its crackling hospitality, we chatted until after midnight.
Although some family members were already on their way down from Lower Calf Creek Falls as others were heading up, with the help of some freshly-pulled taffy all were convinced to assemble at the falls for a group photo.
The next morning, we headed off on the 5.5-mile trek to
Lower Calf Creek Falls, one of Escalante’s most popular paths. Our group spread
out quickly between teenagers trying to impress each other with speed and
younger children not being entirely convinced they wanted to move. Jason and I stayed
with the slower faction and kept the kids distracted through entertaining
readings and dramatizations at each of the trail’s 14 interpretive stops. It
was an enjoyable ramble with plenty of meaningful conversations, merriment, and
views of marvelous wilderness.
The kids were eager for some cousin time. Many games of Fugitive were played around the yurts, even after dark.
We spent the evening hanging around the yurts and carrying
out an epic Easter egg hunt covering a significant portion of the yurt’s 20
acres. Usually, our Easter hunts are impressive only in terms of the number of
items hidden. Obviously, this one’s ambitiousness extended to terrain
complexity and size.
When you have access to 20 acres and plenty of crannies, choosing where to stash goodies becomes difficult in a different way.
On our return journey, we made lots of stops. The first was
to see the Freemont granaries along the Escalante River and hike to the 100 Hands
Pictograph. This short, and somewhat-adventurous, trek has lots of points of
interest that kept the kids attentive. I’ve heard rumors that it was the
favorite outing of the weekend for many.
The grounds at Escalante Yurts are well-appointed with everything needed for a memorable stay.This is what happens when you let your brother give you a push.
Next, we snacked and refreshed ourselves at Kiva Koffeehouse
amidst gorgeous views and agreeable sunshine. Then, at Anasazi State Park, the
kids and once-upon-a-time kids explored replica dwellings and viewed artifacts
dating back to 1050. The last stop on our way home was Hell’s Backbone Grill, an
appetizing diversion. The Jenchiladas were just as scrumptious as I remembered
them.
The trail to the 100 Hands Pictograph is short and packed with rock art.
This weekend excursion was basically a reunion sponsored by
the Sabins. I wish my entire family could have come, but it was still awesome
to have a significant portion present. We got to witness Ryan’s performing
skills, sample Andrew’s chili, watch the kids excavate muddy stumps in search
of golden eggs, eat anchovies like the aliens on V, and laugh about childhood
mishaps. It reminded me that my brother has a superb sense of humor, my sister
an infinite reserve of kindness, and that countless connections bind us to each
other. Happy birthday everyone!
We visited Moab again this spring like we do every year. This
time, instead of undertaking the most protracted hikes and activities possible,
we made this a trip of the minute. Little hikes, short stops, and quick
diversions added up to a busy but awesome weekend.
Moab is usually pleasant in March, but “pleasant” may have
been a stretch this time. The first night, temperatures dropped below freezing.
We encountered ice on our initial hike the following morning, which happened to
be through Moonflower Canyon. Moonflower Canyon’s one-mile-roundtrip path
doesn’t pass anything particularly interesting; I’m not sure I would recommend
it unless you want an easy trek for kids. The rock art at the mouth of the
canyon is cool though. It can be viewed by walking just south of the parking
lot.
The Birthing Scene Rock seemed to function as a message board for the ancients.
The Birthing Scene, just a few minutes from Moonflower, was
our next stop. This is a large boulder that has petroglyphs on all four sides,
some of them quite singular. No hiking is required to reach this distinctive rock,
making it a worthy stop for even halfhearted sightseers.
Getting up this ravine, part of the hike to Funnel Arch, isn’t easy for the short and unskilled.Funnel Arch’s substantial curves don’t see many visitors.
Our last outing along Kane Creek Road that morning was a
hike to Funnel Arch. While this trail is only one mile in total, it requires a class
five climb up a small cliff without a rope. Isn’t the necessity of a rope what
makes a class five climb a class five climb? Luckily, Jason is a monkey when it
comes to scrambling, and he was able to help me, and my stubby limbs, navigate
this precipice. I wouldn’t recommend this trail to those with small children or
a strong sense of self-preservation. Admittedly, Funnel Arch is magnificent and
probably worth the bother.
We’ve visited Eye of the Whale Arch before, but the afternoon light was more flattering this time.This pool isn’t usually present next to Sand Flats Road.
These short activities gave us the flexibility to get to our
sunset photography tour with Tom Till on time, which was a Valentine’s Day
present from Jason. Tom Till has been photographing Moab for about four
decades. Although Jason and I are more familiar with Moab than its typical visitors,
Tom showed us some spots we had never been. We got shots of Eye of the Whale
Arch in pleasing afternoon light, took in the view from a secluded section of the
Pinyon Interpretive Loop, and stopped for some reflection pictures in a couple
fleeting ponds along Sand Flats Road. Normally, spare water is not part of Moab’s
landscape, but it had gotten some serious rain in the preceding weeks. Capturing
this atypical moisture was fun. Since I take portraits much more frequently
than landscapes, I found Tom’s tour informative and interesting. My biggest
lesson learned was noticing lighting changes; they are dependent not just on
time of day but also on time of year.
La Sal means “The Salt.” Someone is going to get serious hypertension from that serving.
The next day, we went down to the newly designated Shash Jaa
Unit of Bears Ears National Monument. I remain confused about whether this area
is still slated to be called Bears Ears. Whatever its official name, I’d call
it splendid.
You aren’t supposed to get up during vacations at 6:30, but we bucked habit to make it to House on Fire Ruins while light reflecting off canyon walls consumed it in daily flames. We trekked through Mule Canyon in time to photograph this midmorning phenomenon. Mule’s walls seemed to not only reflect the sun but a patient wisdom from watching civilizations spring up and disappear again over the eons. The stream flowing through it, probably much deeper and wider than normal, harmonized its tranquil chant to the hushed dignity of the vibrant hills.
For structures that burn every day, House on Fire Ruins are in pretty great shape.
After burning photos, we checked out Mule Canyon Ruins. These
remnants are easy to get to and make a nice brief stop. The partially-excavated
structures include a kiva, towers, and connecting tunnels.
Next, we hiked to Cave Tower Ruins. These ruins consist of seven
structures surrounding a spring at the mouth of a canyon, most of which have
crumbled to rubble over the last 700 years. Even though time’s tenacity has
removed some of the interest of this site, its peace and presence justify a
visit.
Remember, I said this was a trip of many short stops? Well,
we kept stopping. Butler Wash Ruins was the next in our long string of distractions.
This brief ramble leads to an overlook above a rock alcove filled with
structures from the 1200s. These buildings are reminiscent of Mesa Verde, probably
because the inhabitants of Mesa Verde heavily influenced the residents of
Butler.
Faux Falls does not look artificially constructed.
Somehow, after all those breaks, we made it back to Moab
just in time for a photography experiment at Faux Fall. Although made in the 1980s
by tinkering humans not God, this “fake” cascade looks anything but fake, and the
cottonwoods and desert shrubs surrounding it don’t seem to mind either way. We
wanted to make it to Faux Fall for sunset photos, and we did. As assumed, I took
a surplus number of pictures.
No, this isn’t normal for Moab in March.Castle Valley gets its name from its intense towers of Wingate sandstone.
Our last day in Moab, we hiked a portion of the Porcupine
Rim Trail to a few viewpoints overlooking Castle Valley. We found this trail in
an unusual state due to the odd combination of precipitation and chilliness
that Moab had been experiencing. Snow covered large sections of the first
portion. Slick mud bogged and streams of water flowed over the rest of the path
making us glad we weren’t dragging our bikes that day. We didn’t see many jeepers,
bikers, or dirt bikers, probably for the afore mentioned reasons. Muck made the
going slow, but viewpoints made it meaningful. The whitewashed La Sals provided
a stark contrast to the scarlets of sandstone and the jades of juniper and
pinyon. The consensus? Both Jason and I were glad we trekked this trail, but we
would pick other hikes to repeat before this one.
The panoramas of Castle Valley are the best thing about Porcupine Rim.We accumulated layers of brightly-colored mud on our shoes on Porcupine Rim. It was slippery, so I’m surprised we didn’t accumulate it on our butts.
We may not have embarked on any grandiose explorations
during this visit to Moab, but we took in a lot of beautiful, and often-overlooked,
components of an exceptional section of the planet.
I’ve already shared the wonders of our African adventures now let me share some wonderful logistical tips. I had a lot of concerns regarding our safari since I wasn’t sure what to expect or what precautions needed to be taken. It was way out of my comfort zone and sphere of knowledge. Now, I have a gumball-sized sphere of knowledge on the subject to share. Don’t worry, it hasn’t already been chewed.
I should point out that these tips may not all be relevant for
safaris in all parts of Africa; Africa is a large and diverse continent. They
should be useful for South Africa, particularly the Sabi Sand Reserve. And if
you happen to be headed to Ulusaba in February, this information might be just
about perfect.
Elephants were my favorite beasts we encountered.
Malaria
When I first discovered malaria is endemic in Sabi Sand, I freaked out a bit. Since malaria pills make about a third of users sick in one way or another, I wasn’t super excited about taking them. I wasn’t keen on experiencing Africa while also experiencing diarrhea, delusions, or frank psychosis. After doing some research, Jason and I decided to have malaria pills on hand but not take them until we could determine if we would find any mosquitos in Ulusaba. This was a prudent choice because neither Jason nor I got bitten even once. We only encountered mosquitos briefly while driving in areas near water, and a thick layer of repellant was enough to keep them from snacking. We didn’t see any at the lodge.
There are several malaria prophylaxes available. The best one to use varies based on the region you are visiting. For South Africa, the most-commonly recommended is Malarone. The CDC provides information on their website about country-specific malaria risks and medications.
While only you can decide if a malaria prescription makes
sense for you when heading into the bush, remember that malaria pills aren’t
100% effective in preventing the disease. So, regardless of whether you take medication,
you’ll want to thwart bites. Here are some safeguards you can take to keep from
being a mosquito’s meal:
Wear Insect Shield clothing. It’s permeated with a permanent and odorless insect repellant.
Wear pants. This will also keep your legs from getting burned while you are sitting in a vehicle for hours.
Treat your attire with permethrin before you leave on vacation. Permethrin spray stays on clothing for about six washes. As an added bonus, both Insect Shield and permethrin keep ticks away too, and you will likely encounter plenty of those.
Wear a hefty dose of insect repellant. This one should be obvious.
Sleep with mosquito netting around your bed. Many safari lodges, like Ulusaba, already have netting in place.
Vaccines
It is likely you will need to get some vaccines before
traveling to Africa. What vaccines are necessary depends on where you are
going. Our health department recommended Jason and I get MMR (measles, mumps,
and rubella) boosters and hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines. The CDC link above provides
vaccination suggestions for different travel destinations, along with its
information on malaria. Keep in mind, you will need to get your vaccines about
a month before your trip to guarantee full protection. Don’t be thinking you
can stop by the doctor’s office on the way to the airport.
There are countless fascinating creatures to see on safari beyond the Big Five.
Attire
Never before has what to wear on vacation preoccupied so
much thought as when we were planning our safari. If you don’t already have a
significant amount of greens and khakis in your wardrobe, you may want to
purchase some. Why khaki and green? You will blend into the background, and the
animals will think you are just another tree or termite hill, I guess. If you
don’t want to purchase foliage-colored frocks, don’t wear bright colors at the
very least. And a word of caution on blacks and dark blues, it is not a myth
that the flies in Africa are attracted to these hues. The flies are annoying.
Don’t wear blacks and deep blues.
We were at Ulusaba for three days, and I only used a portion
of the clothes I brought. You too will probably require less apparel than you
think. What would I recommend packing in way of safari attire?
Two pairs of pants, one of these should zip off into shorts
A pair of sandals, you will wear these more than tennis shoes
Two t-shirts or other short-sleeved shirts
A long-sleeved shirt, it can get cold on early and late drives even if it is blistering in the middle of the day
A jacket
A wide-brimmed hat
A pair of lightweight tennis shoes
Most lodges, including Ulusaba, provide free laundry
services. You don’t have to be stuck smelling like safari funk.
Unless you are going to be spending significant time walking around in the bush, hiking shoes are probably not a good use of luggage space or weight. For our hour-long bush walk, I just wore tennis shoes, and they worked fine.
While you could get rained on, you may or may not need to
pack a poncho. Ulusaba had the nicest ponchos I’ve ever used available for
guests. Check with your lodge before bringing a poncho or other potentially unnecessary
items.
Hyenas are interesting animals that don’t deserve their negative reputation.
Packing
I am an overly-prepared person. Being overly prepared for our safari while only carting limited pounds of luggage was difficult but obligatory. Flights into remote lodges are not aboard Boeing 707s or anything with more than one propeller usually. We lucked out with our Federal Airlines’ flight. Our 10-seat plane was fairly comfortable and had air conditioning. Apparently, this is about as posh as these little aircrafts get. Still, we had a weight limit on our bags. So, leave the bricks at home, or put them in your carryon.
Also note, on some of these flights, hard-sided and/or roller
luggage may not fit or even be allowed. Some charter flights only permit duffel
bags. We thought it better to just pack in duffel bags in case, a precaution
that wasn’t necessary for our particular flight. Still, better safe than
bagless. Make sure you know the weight and size restrictions of your flights.
Duffel bags are mostly fine to travel with. The main problem
with them is that they are too flexible to protect anything from getting
smashed. To remedy this, we bought plastic crayon boxes and used them to keep
sunscreen tubes from squirting everywhere and souvenirs from being crushed, a
solution that worked well.
Photography
I am a professional photographer, so these tips may not apply to selfie takers. I took over 2,600 pictures while in South Africa. The vast majority of these I shot on our drives with a telephoto lens (100-400mm). This is the lens you will likely use for 90% of drive pictures. If you don’t have one, they can be rented from many lodges with advance notice.
Dust is not a friend of camera equipment. I kept it out of
mine by covering my camera with a microfiber yoga towel while holding the SLR
on my lap for easy access. I also took two camera bodies and had my regular (24-105mm)
lens on the other body; I didn’t want to have to change lenses while out on a
drive.
Our vehicle had plenty of room for a smaller backpack to be
kept at our feet. We used it to carry a few extra things like a tripod. My tripod
didn’t get used much, but it proved handy for taking shots of our vehicle and
all its passengers.
Leopards can be hard to find, but we found them frequently.
Friends
If you have adventurous friends, take them on safari with
you. A group of chums is a highly useful item to pack on your expedition. Our
vehicle was filled with buddies, and it made the drives even more satisfying. Of
course, your safari could be an opportunity to make new friends.
Insects
The wilds of Africa are full of life, including bugs. You
will most likely consume fancy meals outside while on your safari. Beetles will
be sharing your table with you. Just accept that and things will go a lot
smoother for you.
Bathrooms
I feel this bears mentioning for the picky poopers out there.
You need not fear when traveling to South Africa. The bathrooms in that country
are tidier than the ones in the United States on average. Many of them even have
attendants who are engaged in constant cleaning.
What about bathrooms in the bush? The bad news is that there
are no bathrooms on the game drives. The good news is that you probably won’t
be eaten by an animal if you have to relieve yourself during a drive. The
tinklers in our group all urinated in safety, but I’d bring your own toilet
paper if I were you.
That concludes my safari advice. With a little preparation, your
expedition will likely be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.
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