A Whirlwind Trip to Arizona/Utah and the National Parks - COMPLETED 4/1/15 - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
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We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Great pictures! I did do a double take on the one where Colin is looking through the telescope behind you. A first glance, with the way you had your backpack strap, I thought it looked like Colin was riding in a backpack carrier on your back!!
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I love all your pictures! We went out to the Grand Canyon in April a couple of years ago and it a fantastic vacation. I'd love to be able to stay on site like that. What incredible memories you are making!
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Monday, April 15, 2013 – Tumbleweeds, sandstorms, and beautiful sights!
Today we were packing up and heading to Monument Valley, UT. We were up early again since we had an early night. I believe we first went to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at Mather Point. I think it opened at either 7 or 8, so we some of the first ones there. We browsed around the center, and the gift shop on the other side, and took some last shots of Mather Point.
Then we went back to the lodge to pack up. Once the car was loaded and we checked out, we headed over to Bright Angel Lodge for breakfast. It was okay, certainly not like the breakfast the day before at El Tovar, but it worked. Next up we started to head east. We stopped at various overlooks along the way. Just a word on the weather at this point. It was cool (upper 30s to maybe low 40s) and the wind was probably blowing 30-40 mph. The car was shaking as we sat at some of the observations points, which made getting out of the car and looking over a thousand feet drop not all that appealing!
Matt’s Pictures:
Our last stop in the Grand Canyon was the Desert View Visitor Center, where there is a tower that you can climb to the top of. They also have a gas station and a general store, where we filled up and got some more snacks before heading to Utah.
Matt’s pictures:
It was fascinating to see the canyon pretty much disappear. Plus, the weather was getting warmer, and we were now approaching the mid 60s after a very cold start. We made a quick stop at the Cameron Trading Post to get some more snack, some ice, and to see all the Indian crafts. Alexa bought a bracelet and something else. http://www.camerontradingpost.com/ Then we continued on our drive. We ended up stopping at a McDonald’s in Kayenta to get a late lunch/early dinner, and that’s where we learned about the bombings at the Boston Marathon! We stopped to watch the news for a bit, and then continued on to Monument Valley, where the landscape changed dramatically. I was waiting for the UFOs to go flying overhead!
We finally made it to the Monument Valley Tribal Park, where we paid our entrance fee (maybe $15?) and made our way to our hotel, The View. http://monumentvalleyview.com/ It’s pretty much the only place to stay, and I’d highly recommend it, it was great! We checked in, got to our room on the top floor, and then set out to explore the sights. We were going to do a hike, but the wind was still blowing about 30 mph if not more, and to say that you got sandblasted would be an understatement. We made it about a quarter mile before we turned around and headed back. You can also take Jeep tours with Navajos, but we decided to skip that. There is a road that you can take your own car on, but it is not paved and full of potholes, and not recommended unless you have a 4WD (and pretty much off limits if you have a rental car per their policies). They have a visitor center with some history, and a gift shop. After that, we headed back to the room, and I had a drink of wine out on the balcony as I watched the sun set over the rock formations.
Matt’s pictures:
After the sun set, the kids and I went down to the lobby to get some wifi and catch up on things. We spent about an hour down there. It was quite peaceful and then had tribal music playing the background, plus it was pretty much deserted. Then we headed upstairs to bed.
Coming up Next: More wind, a Mexican Hat, and stepping back in time!
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Wow, you did suffer with the weather today! I don't blame you turning back - that track at Monument Valley is something I'd only do in good weather conditions and even then, it's hair raising!
I love your photos with the sun setting - what beautiful colours but the best is Colin's pose. Love it!
Amazing shots from the canyon and also Monument Valley. I don't think I'd want to be too close to the canyon on a windy day! That view at dusk was from your balcony? Spectacular!
Very interesting day weather-wise! You all got such great pictures of the Grand Canyon and the Watchtower at Desert view was fascinating. I love the view from your hotel with the rock formations in the background.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 – More Wind, a Mexican Hat, and stepping back in time!
I got up early to watch the sunrise from the balcony. Unfortunately, the winds were still blowing strong and creating quite a dust storm, which did affect the quality of the sunrise.
We went down to the restaurant for breakfast. They had given us vouchers in the room for either free kids meals or $5 off per person. Anyway, it was a buffet (not bad) and it probably cost us $10 for breakfast, which was a deal.
We debated on going on a jeep tour with a Navajo guide again, but the wind was just blowing so bad, we decided against it. There was some action on the property as we left, as it looked like there was some sort of filming going on. We headed north on our journey to Moab. Pictures are from the drive.
We stopped at Mexican Hat to take some pictures. I don’t know, it doesn’t look that much like a Mexican hat to me! Then we continued on to Moab.
We came upon our first arch. This was Wilson’s Arch, along the road to Moab. The kids and Matt got out to walk to the top.
We made it to Moab and were hungry for lunch, so we stopped right next to our hotel at Peace Tree Juice Café. (I don’t think we checked in at this point). Not bad. It had gotten mixed reviews on Trip Advisor but I thought it was good, although service was lacking. I think we next went up to Arches NP and started our adventures there. We made a quick stop at the Visitor Center to check in for our tour tomorrow with the rangers, and then continued on first to the Park Avenue trail.
Matt’s pictures:
Then we drove up the road to see what else awaited us. It was like stepping back in time, among the dinosaurs almost!
We made it to Balance Rock and walked the short trail.
Then we moved over to the Windows area (North Windows Arch, South Windows Arch, and Turret Arch).
Then we walked over to Double Arch, which was just on the other side of the Windows.
Matt is standing down near the bottom.
Then we continued on thru the park, taking pictures along the way.
Then we headed out and went back to the hotel and checked in. I don’t remember what I had for dinner, but I know that I walked with Colin (or was it Alexa) to the local sushi place to get Colin some California Rolls. We went to the Visitor Center in Moab that was next to the sushi place while they made it. The boys did go to a “rock” shop just down the road and purchased some rocks. It must have been an early night, between all the driving and then the hiking once we got here. I will note that the weather was very changeable. It would be nice and sunny one minute, and then cloudy and overcast the next, with temps mainly in the mid 40s (cloudy) to low 50s (sunny). All that would change tomorrow!
Coming up Next: I thought fiery meant “hot” and lots of hikes
Spectacular! The dust in the sunrise shots makes it all look so eerie, but still beautiful. I love all the shots of the arches, especially the windows series with the close-ups of the arch framing the sky. And the last series of the double arch with Matt at the bottom really shows the incredible scale of the formations. WOW!
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I don't blame you turning back - that track at Monument Valley is something I'd only do in good weather conditions and even then, it's hair raising! 
but the best is Colin's pose. Love it! 
Then we continued on to Moab.
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