The Craft Beer Brewers of US Route 89

If given a choice at the end of a day on the road, I prefer to visit a local brew pub to sample whatever is on tap and enjoy a meal. Fortunately, there are ample opportunities on US Route 89 for such simple pleasures. By my count, there are at least twenty-eight microbreweries and brew pubs along the way.

My quest for a better beer began at about the same time as my travels on 89. My enjoyment of mass produced American lagers had wained. Then on a trip to Flagstaff we had dinner with friends at Beaver Street Brewery where I had my first pint of R&R Oatmeal Stout. What a revelation that was. I didn’t know that beer could have such flavor and add so much to a meal.

Since then I have made a point of finding the local craft beer brewers during our trips on highway 89. Craft beer brewing in the United States has been on a steady growth curve for the last decade as the graphic from the Brewers Association shows. The blossoming of brewers on 89 is testament to that fact. Each one has there special brews, many of which have been awarded metals at craft beer competitions.

I have compiled a list of microbreweries and brew pubs along US Route 89. Having visited many of them, I can attest to the goodness of their beers. In future blog posts, I will provide details about the individual craft brewers and review my favorite ales and lagers. In the meantime, add any brewers that I have overlooked to the comments and let me know about your favorite brew.

89 or 89A: That is the Question

Of all of the questions I am asked about traveling on US Route 89, one of the most frequent is about the two possible drives between Bitter Springs, Arizona and Kanab, Utah. Since both US 89 and 89A are about the same length and take the same time to drive, neither one has a clear advantage over the other. However, each road has unique features and possibilities for exploring this corner of the Colorado Plateau. I’ll describe what you can expect along each road so you can answer the question for yourself. For a map and more information, check out the road trip guides here Flagstaff to Page, here Page to Kanab and here Bitter Springs to Kanab.

 

 

Bitter Springs to Kanab on US 89A

US Route 89A is the original alignment of the highway when it came into existence along with the rest of the federal highway system in 1926. It became an alternative when 89 was rerouted to Page to facilitate the construction of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. From Bitter Springs it is 14 miles to the low point on this route at the crossing of the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. Navajo Bridge was completed in 1929 as the final connecting link in the border to border highway. A new vehicle bridge was built in 1992. Stop at the visitors’ center and take a walk out on the old bridge to view Marble Canyon and the Colorado River 470 feet below.

The road to Lee’s Ferry is on the west side of the river. River trips downstream through the Grand Canyon start here and some of the best trout fishing in Arizona is upstream toward Glen Canyon Dam. You can also visit Lonely Dell Ranch, the home of John D. Lee, now lovingly maintained by the Park Service.

For 28 miles through the House Rock Valley, 89A parallels the Vermillion Cliffs. California condors have been reintroduced to make their home here and can be seen along the cliffs and near Navajo Bridge. Stop at the Donimgues-Escalante Interpretive Site to learn about the history of Spanish exploration across the Colorado Plateau. At the west end of the valley, a dirt road goes north along Coyote Wash and eventually connects to US 89 in Utah.

Straight ahead is the Kaibab Plateau. For the next twelve miles the road climbs 2,500 feet to the top at Jacob Lake. From here, Arizona Route 67 runs south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This road is only open from the middle of May until the end of October depending on snow conditions. If you are traveling 89A in the off season, be sure to check ahead for current driving conditions.

From Jacob Lake, highway 89A descends the west side of the Kaibab Plateau to Fredonia. Pipe Springs National Monument is 13.5 miles west of Fredonia on highway 389. Continue on 89A for 7 miles to Kanab.

Bitter Springs to Kanab via Page on 89

From Bitter Springs, US 89 climbs 1,000 feet in 3 miles hugging the face of the Echo Cliffs through Antelope Pass onto the Kaibito Plateau. Near the top, there is a small parking area where Navajos set up tables to display and sell jewelry and other craft items.

The road slowly descends for 20 miles to Page. Three miles south of Page is short road on the west that leads to an overlook of the Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend. US 89 reaches its low point as it crosses the Colorado at Glen Canyon Dam. The visitors’ centers offers tours of the dam including descending inside the dam almost to river level to view the giant turbines that produce electricity for distant cities.

Views of Lake Powell and access to the lake at Wahweap are available along the highway to the west of Page. The road crosses the Paria River 29 miles from Page. A hike into the Narrows of the Paria is one of the highlights of this section of US 89. Check in at the BLM Ranger Station for a permit and for information on current weather conditions. Flash floods are common on the Paria in the summer rainy season, so proceed with caution.

Five miles west of the Paria is the intersection with House Rock Road. Take the road south to access the Coyote Buttes and eventually connect to US 89A. Permits are required to hike to the Wave and other spectacular rock features along this road and are available at the BLM Ranger Station.

US 89 continues west for 40 miles to Kanab.

What about recreational vehicles?
Several people who have asked this question have been driving larger RV’s and are concerned about steep grades. Be assured that both roads can be driven in larger vehicles. They are federal highways and conform to the national standards of construction. Since both roads connect Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks, they are heavily traveled by tourists in all kinds of vehicles, especially in the summer months.

When we travel through this area on a round trip from our home near Tucson, we drive 89 in one direction and 89A the other. That way we can enjoy both roads and avoid having to choose one over the other. If you can only choose one, both are beautiful drives so you can’t go wrong either way.

The Perfect Photograph-Who Decides?

Every photographer knows the feeling. You are sorting through your images after a trip looking for that one shot that had you excited when you tripped the shutter. And there it is and it still excites you. The color is right. The composition is the way you wanted it. You’re sure you have a winner.

That is the way I felt about this photograph I made in Logan Canyon last spring. We had spent the night in Bridger Campground in the lower canyon. It had rained off and on all night and was still overcast in the morning. As I sat drinking my first cup of coffee, I started looking around to see if there was a photograph to be made. I noticed the light sparkling on the wet trees and the subtle changes in color in the layers of leaves receding into the distance. I took my time, put the camera on the tripod and shot five different compositions.

When I selected a portfolio of images from the trip, I included one of the Logan Canyon trees. In fact, it was the first image that I printed and I was sure it fit with the rest of the portfolio.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I was preparing for the portfolio reviews at the Palm Springs Photo Fest. I asked Barbara to give me her honest opinion and she suggested that I might think again about including that photograph. Being stubborn, I left it in.

Sure enough, the first reviewer (a magazine editor) picked out the Logan Canyon photo and set it aside with the comment that it didn’t fit with the rest of the work. So I left it out for the next three reviews, also with magazine editors.

My last review was with a museum director and I decided to put the print back in for his review. To my surprise and delight, he picked it out as one of his favorites.

What I have come to understand from this experience is that the context and background of the viewer influences his or her reaction to a photograph in unpredictable ways. That is why we value the opinions of photo editors and museum curators. But in the end, it is up to us as artists to define and defend our unique vision.

Five Outstanding Scenic Drives on US Route 89

National Geographic selected US Route 89 as the #1 Drivers’ Drive in the world in its recently published book, Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Most Spectacular Trips. Having driven over 20,000 miles on Highway 89, I couldn’t agree more. I have my favorite sections that I look forward to on our road trips and here is my list of the top five. I selected these places not only because they are fun to drive but also because they are outstanding examples of the variety of landscapes along US 89.

1) Pinal Pioneer Parkway, Arizona

From Oracle Junction north of Tucson to Florence, this 42-mile section of historic US 89 (now AZ 79) is known as the Pinal Pioneer Parkway. Crossing the high Sonoran desert, the road is lined with ancient many-armed saguaro cactus and forests of chain fruit cholla. Black Mountain dominates the view to the east and in the distance are the the Tortilla Mountains. To the south, the peaks of the Santa Catalina Mountains rise to over 9000 feet. Spring and fall are the best times for this drive when wildflowers and cactuses are in bloom. At the mid-point of the drive is a memorial to the cowboy actor, Tom Mix, who died in a car crash nearby in 1940.

See the Nogales to Tucson Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

2) Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona

Oak Creek flows south from the edge of the Colorado Plateau through Sedona to the Verde River. The 16-mile stretch of historic US 89A (now AZ 89A) from Sedona to the Oak Creek Vista Overlook takes the traveler through a wonderland of creek-side cottonwood and sycamore trees. Oak Creek has cut down through ancient layers of sandstone and limestone forming red and white cliffs that tower above the road. There are a number of parking areas and campgrounds that give access to the creek for hiking and picnicing. The switchbacks at the head of Oak Creek Canyon mark the transition from the lowland desert and the central mountains of Arizona on to the Colorado Plateau.

See the 89A-Prescott to Flagstaff Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

3) Logan Canyon National Scenic Byway, Utah

Logan Canyon is 40-mile stretch of US Route 89 between Logan in the Cache Valley and Garden City on the shore of Bear Lake. From the Wasatch-Cache National Forest boundary east of Logan, the road climbs steadily alongside the Logan River until it reaches the summit at the Bear Lake overlook. The forest-lined drive offers many places to stop for a picnic or to camp for an extended stay. The canyon is also renowned for its display of brightly colored fall foliage. From the summit, US 89 drops quickly to the shore of Bear Lake.

See the Brigham City to Montpelier Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

4) Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

For 45 miles US Route 89 lies inside Grand Teton National Park. Ten overlooks and picnic areas line the highway, providing spectacular views of the jagged eastern face of the Teton Range. Each is a photographer’s delight, with the Snake River in the foreground in the southern stretch, and Jackson Lake reflecting the mountains in the north. Although the road is open year-round, the most colorful time to drive it is in the fall when the leaves are turning and the air is crisp and clear.

See the Jackson to Gardiner Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

5) Kings Hill Scenic Byway, Montana

Passing through the Lewis and Clark National Forest, this 71-mile long section of US 89 winds its way along mountain streams through the Little Belt Mountains. Along the road are many outdoor recreation opportunities from fly fishing in the summer to snowmobiling in the winter. One of the highlights is a short hike to Memorial Falls located about a mile and a half south of the town of Neihart. Sluice Boxes State Park is near the northern end of the scenic byway. This primitive state park contains the remains of mines, a railroad and historic cabins lining Belt Creek through a beautiful canyon carved in limestone. A seven-mile long trail winds through the park giving access to its rich history and spectacular geologic features.

See the White Sulphur Springs to Great Falls Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

Do you have a favorite scenic drive on US Route 89? Tell your fellow travelers about in the comments section below.

Panoramic Photography

I have been making panoramic photographs for about 25 years. Until recently, I shot panoramas with a special camera that exposed a piece of film that is 2.25 inches by 6.75 inches and an angle of view of about 90 degrees. I love that format and the richness of detail that is capture on the large piece of film.

Now that I’ve made the switch to digital capture, I am taking a different approach to the panoramic image. Instead of a single exposure, I’m making a series of overlapping exposures and merging them together. This method gives me the freedom to determine how wide a view I make. I can also choose whether to shoot with a wide angle lens or to zoom in closer.

To maximize the effectiveness of the multiple exposure method of making panoramic photographs, it is important to keep the camera level and to rotate around the center of the lens. That is where the Nodal Ninja tripod head comes in. The Nodal Ninja positions the camera precisely and allows me to shoot quickly.

During the road trip, I kept the Nodal Ninja assembled next to my camera bag in the back of the car. That way I could set it up quickly when the scene was right for a panorama. Also, it is light weight enough that I could stash it my camera bag on hikes. Here are some examples of what is possible with multiple exposure panoramics.

A Face Lift for the Teardrop

Our teardrop trailer, fondly known as The Pod, had birch plywood sides. They were beautiful until two years in the hot and dry Arizona desert caused some unsightly wrinkles and cracks in her skin. We talked to her maker, Preston, in Logan, Utah, at  Teardrop 72 about the problem and he immediately offered to cover her sides in aluminum, to match her top. Friends had ordered a trailer from Teardrop 72 with aluminum sides and were very pleased with it.

So, we dropped the Pod off with Preston in Logan for several days, while he operated on her. We stayed at our favorite bed and breakfast, Parrish Place, in Salt Lake, while the procedure was being done. Preston was kind enough to keep us updated daily on his progress. With heightened nerves, we arrived to pick up our face-lifted teardrop, worried that we wouldn’t like the new look. But, she looked just great, smooth and fresh. Now she can be exposed to hot sun and dry air and will remain unblemished. The nice thing is that she still sports a beautiful wood interior, a nice warm contrast to the more streamlined exterior look. With many thanks to Preston for his generous, beautifully crafted redo, we headed north.

Delivering The Book to Snell & Wilmer

Yesterday marked an important milestone for the US Route 89 project. Our Corporate Sponsor is the Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer. As part of their sponsorship, we created portfolios of photographs for each of their offices in Tucson, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Tucson and Phoenix elected to have large prints to hang in each office. The Salt Lake City office ask that we create an album of photographs instead of prints for the walls.

After searching unsuccessfully for a ready-made album, I volunteered Barbara’s skills as a fine art bookmaker to create a one of a kind book. The result is stunningly beautiful. Barbara crafted a unique work of art to display the twenty-four photographs from locations along US 89.

Thank you, Snell & Wilmer, for your support of the project and your help in bringing the magic of US Route 89 to greater public attention.

Road Trip Eating

What’s a road trip without food. I mean when we travel we enjoy discovering new places to eat as well as returning to places we know from previous trips. Take our meals from a couple of days ago in Salt Lake City for example.

Breakfast at Parrish Place, the B&B where we always stay in Salt Lake, arrives in a big wicker basket set outside the door at the time we request. Inside the basket is juice, cereal, yogurt, cups of fresh fruit and delicious muffins. There is also a big thermos of coffee to supply our morning caffeine needs. We can never eat it all but it is nice to have choices. It is also pleasant to eat breakfast in our jammies in our room.

For lunch we headed to Millie’s Burger in the Sugar House district. Millie’s is an unpretentious hamburger stand that serves up burgers and fries and shakes that are reliably good. I especially like the Millie’s secret sauce on my cheeseburger which is also supplied in a cup for dipping fries. We discovered Millie’s on one of our first trips to Salt Lake City a few years ago and always have at least one lunch there while we are in town.

For dinner we debated about going to one of our favorite brewpubs or trying someplace we hadn’t been before. In keeping with the spirit of this road trip, we opted to try someplace new. Several people had told us about a Mexican restaurant that is said to be the best in Salt Lake. Being from Arizona, we think the only good Mexican food has to be served within a couple of hundred miles of the border. Well, what a pleasant surprise the Red Iguana turned out to be.

Our first clue that this was going to be good was the line-up of people waiting to be seated on a Wednesday evening. It turned out to be a twenty minute wait; much better than the two hour wait that one of the guidebooks warned about. The second clue was the chips and salsa that arrived promptly at our table. The chips were crispy and the salsa was thick with a complex flavor and just the right amount of chili. No wimpy, watery stuff served here!

The menu at the Red Iguana is extensive and includes seven different mole sauces. Finding a Mexican restaurant that serves one mole dish is unusual. Having seven mole dishes to choose from is amazing. I had to go for the gusto so I choose the enmoladas served with mole negro. From the menu, here is the description of mole negro: dried chili mulato, negro pasilla, Mexican chocolate, raisins, peanuts, walnuts and bananas. The enmoladas which are like cheese enchiladas arrived smothered in the delicious sauce. I ate every bite.

Barbara opted for the enchiladas poblanas, cream cheese stuffed tortillas top with the Red Iguana’s own enchilada sauce. I had a bite to check out the sauce which was nearly as good as my mole—thick and rich with a hint of sweetness along with a nice chili bite.

The Red Iguana is now definitely on our list of favorites in Salt Lake City. I can’t wait to come back and try another of the mole sauces. I guess that means at least six more dinners to try them all. I know it is going to be tough, but someone has to do it.

BUGS, BUGS, BUGS

We’ve been through and stayed in Salt Lake City many times. We’ve skirted the Great Salt Lake. But we’ve never spent any time camping around the lake, so we headed out to Antelope Island State Park. By the time we arrived at Antelope Island, it was getting close to dinner time and sunset.

As we pulled up to the entry to the park, we noticed an electronic sign flashing to the right side of the entrance. It said BUGS, BUGS, BUGS. I thought it sounded like it might be an interesting display to view at the visitor center, until the red blinking lights of the sign continued on to say BITING GNATS. Then I noticed the sign by the ranger window that said THE BUGS ARE BAD. Jim pulled out money to pay for the fee and the ranger asked us if we really wanted to stay there, pointing to the sign.

Well, I’m phobic about blood sucking bugs. But on we went to our designated campsite #13. By the time we got there, the windshield was covered with Biting Gnat bodies. They looked suspiciously like large mosquitoes to me. They were swarming outside. I felt that that quantity and size of Biting Gnat would get the best of my beloved BUZZ OFF hat, which repels mosquitoes. I opted to stay nice and safe in the car, while Jim proceeded to ignore the bugs and haul the camera equipment out of the car. We went for a drive, Jim shot some photos and we headed back to #13. At this point it was dark, and I quickly slipped from the car into the Pod (tear drop trailer). Once I eradicated some stray Biting Gnats, I was able to settle down to a peaceful sleep (with Buzz Off hat on), despite the raging wind that had kicked up outside. But it was all worth it, as you can see below. This is just one of the spectacular photographs that Jim took last night.

Kanab to Ephraim on US Route 89

We have been camped at Palisade State Park in Sanpete County, Utah, for the last three days. We will be moving on to the Salt Lake valley later today. Here is a summary in photographs of what we have been seen and done between Kanab and Ephraim.

We spent Thursday night at the Quail Park Lodge in Kanab. From the outside, this motel looks like so many we see that were built in 1940’s and 50’s. But on the inside Quail Park has been completely renovated and is as nice as any 4-star hotel—comfortable beds, choice of pillows in various firmnesses, fluffy bathrobes for lounging and luxury toiletries. We learned about the Quail Park Lodge from the blog of another traveling couple, Jill Richards and Scott Dunn.

Friday we headed north from Kanab. We had often passed the home of the great western artist, Maynard Dixon, in Mt. Carmel. This time we stopped and toured his restored home and studio. The property has been lovingly restored and is maintained by the Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts.

The Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim was our destination on Saturday. The festivities included a parade, food and crafts booths and demonstrations of traditional pioneer crafts. One of the highlights was meeting a young bookmaker, Karleigh Jae Heywood. Barbara choose one of her beautiful books for her next sketch book.

Spring City also held its annual Heritage Day on Saturday with a tour of historic homes. We stopped in the shop of Jock Jones who hand crafts the most comfortable Windsor chairs you’ll find anywhere. Someday I’m going to own one of his beautiful rockers.

Sunday we decided to backtrack to Panguitch to visit some places we had gone by in our rush to get a campsite on Friday. When we got to Gunnison, I had to stop to see the Sanpitch Dragoon. I shoot some video of this incredible mosaic and will post it when I have time to edit it.

South of Richfield is the Fremont Indian State Park. This park was created after excavation for Interstate 70 uncovered an extensive Fremont Indian village. The museum was one the best I’ve seen in terms of explaining what has been learned about Fremont culture and displays many artifacts found at the site. From the museum there are a number trails that lead to views of the many rock art sites in the nearby canyons.

One of the joys of this kind of road trip is seeing familiar places along the road in a new light, literally. We have past Piute Lake a number of times but this time the setting sun highlighted a row of trees with the lake and mountains in the background. I love it when this sort of thing happens and I have the time to stop and photograph.

Here’s a photo of our campsite at Palisade. What you can’t see our all of the RV’s parked nearby and their associated ATV’s. Well, nothings perfect and this was a wonderful base camp for exploring central Utah.

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