Dec. 29: Random Thoughts

Dec. 29
   Today is our last day at the Zane Grey RV Park.  It has been a beautiful week here.  Sunny and warm everyday with chilly frosty nights. We  will be heading to Rancho Sedona Park in the morning.  We have been trying to buy an electric water hose to avoid the water from freezing every night.  So far, no such luck.  We’ll just keep checking out places as we travel along.
   January 1, will mark our two month travel adventure.  So far, we have not had one drop of rain, or fog.  In fact, the west is experiencing a 10 year drought which is quite noticeable in the land and the plants.  We have learned a lot on this trip.

 The RV experience:

•  Mark can hook up the RV at a campsite in about 10 minutes or less.  (This is down from the original 30 minute hookup)
• He can park the van in a regular parking space without me getting out to direct him. (Most of the time) 
• We have learned to pack things away every time we are finished using them.  Things are packed tightly in the cabinets to prevent rolling around or falling out when driving. 
• We keep the inside of the RV wiped down with disinfectant daily.  (There are three bodies living in this space, one is a dog) 
• We have chosen nice RV parks to date.  I choose them based on their ratings on their bathrooms and shower facilities.  Only one cold shower so far!  
• People in the RV parks are very nice, but not overly social.  They are a quiet group who stay to themselves.  We have always been the smallest van in the park so it is interesting to see how these big rig people live.  I am still trying to figure out why people in these huge vans stay in one place for such long periods of time.  
• Nothing major has broken yet.  A minor problem with our rear view mirror in the beginning but that is it so far.  Hopefully, nothing will happen in the next few months. 
• We cook our meals outside on a Gladiator Grill most of the time.  Mark has perfected sautéed veggies with chicken or steak and fajitas.  
• While we have been traveling through mostly desert territory with towns far apart, we keep a full tank of gas in the car. 
• We only drive about 2-3 hours at the most when we are traveling.  We learned this lesson early on- not to arrive at a park after dark.  
• We are traveling with a minimal amount of clothing.  Just enough to stay warm. 
• We need to drink a lot of water!! 

The Places: 

• Our travels through the south, south west and the west have been extraordinarily beautiful.  We are so fortunate to have been able to experience  the National Parks, Monuments, and sacred sites that are, for now, protected.  
• When we started out on this trip, we wanted to see as many of the National parks as we could.  We have seen many and have not been disappointed.  They all exhibit a strong history of our American cultures with landscapes impossible to see with one view. 
• We have learned to take our time sight seeing. We never need to be in a hurry.  We can spend the day at a site and read all about it.  We can climb steep staircases without rushing. (Thank goodness) 
• We have seen wide open spaces as far as the eye could see with nothing but sagebrush and mesquite.  Space is an interesting concept to think about.  We tend to fill up empty spaces in our lives with things. Things that are not terribly necessary. Things that will make us momentarily happy or satisfied.   I have been particularly aware of how little I need to be comfortable and happy.  I think we carry around too much in our emotional space, as well. We have been overwhelmed over the past year with a barrage of lies and news feeds that clutter our inner-mind space.  Because we have not been able to see the news everyday, the lies, controversies, the political arguments are not weighing so heavily in our daily thoughts. Our minds are filled with questions about the people we meet, the people of the past who occupied this land centuries ago  and. the geological structures that have created the most beautiful natural monuments on earth. 
• We are certainly learning about the concept of conservation.  So many times, we are reminded that water is life.  I have learned to brush my teeth in 2oz of water, wash dishes in one cup of water and rinse out a dirty rag in less than 3 oz. In New England we are used seeing water all around us in the ocean, the rain, the fog, the snow, sleet and all the other forms of water, that it is easy to not see that there is a severe drought (10 years) in the west.  California is burning and the desert is dusty and dry, with flowing rivers that we saw 20 years ago are now totally gone. We have seen Navajo communities that do not have a single blade of grass or a tree and the people need to go to town and carry all of their water home.  
• I have talked with people that have shared their ideas on religion and politics.  I have tried to be respectful and listen with an open mind but most conversations just ended cordially without either of us changing our viewpoints.  
• Simplify, conserve, and respect are perhaps the resolutions that I might focus on for the coming year. 

December 28: Verde Canyon Train Ride

Dec. 28,
   In the town of Clarksdale, there is a 4 hour train ride that takes tours through the Verde Canyon.  We decided to take the ride yesterday and it was a beautiful ride.  Personally, I love train travel.  Kate and I took a 3 day journey from Boston to Seattle when she left for college.  We then rented a car and drove to Eugene, Oregon.
   On this particular day, the weather was sunny, warm and dry. It got up to about 65 by mid-afternoon.  The train left around 1:00 and took us through the Verde Canyon.  The train was originally used to transport copper when the mines were still open in the early 1900’s.  Now, it is just a tourist excursion that took us through more of the gorgeous scenery that only deep canyons can provide.  We followed the winding Verde River shaded by Cottonwoods, Sycamores, Junipers, Mesquite, and sage brush.  The Cottonwood trees, although leafless,  had large clumps of bright green leaves high in their branches.  It turns out this is mistletoe, a parasite that appears this time of the year.  As the train continued through the valley and ascended into the narrower portion of canyon the vegetation gives way to rock formations.  The white basalt and red iron oxide form colorful layers on the sandstone.  On several occasions, we could see evidence of the sinaqua people who lived in the cave formed by the rock outcropping.  The sinaqua people lived in this area around 1100-1300AD and are thought to be ancestors of the Hopi Indians.  They were farmers who grew corn and a variety of vegetables.  It is thought they disappeared due to drought.  All through this area of Arizona, there is evidence of the sinaqua people and their petroglyphs.  What a hardy group of people who lived in these remote areas and climbed in and out of these canyons with ease!
  Rock formations through the canyon are stunning.  The afternoon light was constantly changing as the train moved through the canyon.  It was a brilliant light show of red rocks and deep shadows.
   The people on the train were tourists from all over the country, Massachusetts, Indiana, Michigan.  A woman sitting behind me was anxious to tell  me about the book she had just finished about a man who had died for 9 minutes, met Jesus who guided him through various rooms of hell.  She explained, for example, if one was an alcoholic when they died they would go to a room where alcohol was served constantly but they couln’t get any.  Whatever, your sins were on earth if you didn’t find redemption you would suffer that same way in hell.  This book describes his tour with Jesus through the various rooms of hell. She asked me what I thought of this idea.  A trick question!  I responded that I have read and listened to many Buddhist teachings and like what they have to say. That ended our conversation.
 
   We are still at the same RV park.  I take a twenty minute walk everyday down to Clear Creek.  It is a lovely spot to spend a few quiet moments.  Mark is getting much better at preparing our meals outside.  We need to cook in the middle afternoon around 2:30 when it is the warmest time of the day.  Once the sun goes behind the mountains, the temperature drops quickly.  Our water line still freezes every night which creates a minor problem for our toilet.  The electric heater we bought is working out great.  So far the nights have been toasty warm in the van.  Susan Ingalls had given me a long list of recipes for outside cooking and they have been great.  We had fajitas tonight which Mark was able to prepare perfectly.
   Jack is still on his best behavior.  He was due for some inoculations so we visited a local veterinarian who was I might add considerably cheaper than Maine.
  We have two more days at this Park then we are off to Rancho Sedona for 5 days.

Christmas Day: People of the Park

Dec. 25,
   We talked with the Gordon Family this morning and it was great fun to hear Sophie list off all of her presents.  Alexander was especially happy with his LEGO Boat that really floats.  They were having a snow storm which looked absolutely magical in the photos.  Truly a white Christmas in Maine. I loved watching Alexander ice-skate on their backyard pond that Gabe had cleared off for them
   I do miss being with them during the winter season.  It was always a special time for us to celebrate Christmas and the winter season at Sunday River.  I loved being out on the slopes early Christmas morning to ski first tracks.  There was a time when the Gordon’s, Cohens and Al and Maggie all skied together every weekend.  That was a magical time for us, watching our kids grow up skiing in a pack, shredding the Black Diamond trails.
  This year we are in Camp Verde, AZ and will be here until Dec. 30.  We will then move to an RV park a little farther north and closer to Sedona.  We have a time-share exchange that we will use in Sedona from January 6-13.  So we will be in Arizona for another couple of weeks.  Arizona is a beautiful state and we are happy to be here for awhile. Today is a warm 60 degrees and full sunshine. The dry air is pleasant but our skin is drying out.  Even Jack is itchy!
   This afternoon the RV park hosted a pot-luck and Yankee swap for the residents.  It started at 1:00 and finished around 3:00. There was an incredible variety of foods that were prepared in the very large RV’s that are here. Since I do not have an oven, we bought a cheese cake from the local grocery store as our contribution.
   Having participated in many Saturday night suppers and pot-lucks at the island, I was interested to see how this one compared.  It was well organized.  Several of the men in blue-jeans and cowboy hats set up the tables and kept the fire pit going.  The women dressed in red Christmas sweaters set up the serving table.  I could hear  several familiar voices in this crowd.  “Please put your casseroles here.”  “Desserts over there.”    “The line is formed over there. Use both sides of the table,”  We are not that far from home!
  The people in this park are long time residents.  Some have been coming here for 10 years or more.  A California woman was  asked when she got here she replied, “In May” then added “ Twelve years ago”
    Several others are from the mid-west who come for the winters and stay here until springtime.  There is a communal feeling here among the residents.  People are polite and cordial but not particularly interested in meeting new people, namely us.  We are clearly the transient ones.  We are simply passing through.  We are also younger than many of the RVer’s here..  It would not be my choice to live in one RV park for a long time. Travel is the lure for me.  It is a way to move around and see the variety in landscapes, ancient cultures, monuments, foods and not be confined to a time table. It is a way to see things we want to see in slow motion.  There  is no rush in our travel plans.  It is relaxing and purposeful.
  Christmas is a special time and I do miss our family very much.  It was a very different day having a pot-luck in an RV park in Arizona but all in all our day was pleasant.

 

Dec 22-Dec 30 Zane Grey RV Park Camp Verde, AZ

Camp Verde, Arizona

  We have found a beautiful RV Park in Camp Verde, AZ, south of Flagstaff.  It is a bit warmer here and not as high as Flagstaff.  There are wineries, small canyons, National Historic Sites and Monuments.  The area is filled with history of Native Americans and how they built their homes in the cliffs.  We visited Tuzigoot National Monument, Montezuma Castle and Jerome State Park all within a few miles of each other.  We plan to stay here until Dec. 30, then we will move north to the Sedona area.
   At the Tuzigoot National Monument we climbed into the 800 year old Pueblo that was home to the Native population about 800 years ago.  It has been restored so that we are able to see how the sinagua (without water) people used this land to their advantage. Montezuma Castle is another example of the cliff dwelling that dates back to 1150.  It is quite amazing to see how those people climbed into the sides of cliffs and built their homes within the walls of the sandstone.  Agility beyond words!
   We also visited Jerome an old copper mining town.  It is located on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet). This town was once known as the wickedest town in the west.  It was a classic western mining camp that housed miners, their families, and the red light district that serviced the miners on Husband Lane.  When the copper industry began to die out, Jerome became a ghost town and today the town is making a revival by restoring the old buildings and bringing upscale art and shops as well as good restaurants.
   We  decided to take a day to regroup and take care of needs rather than touring.  Jack was in desperate need of a bath and a haircut.  We found a great spa for him and he is now smelling and looking good again.  Happy dog! Our laundry was piling up so we took care of that as well.  We found a local food market to restock our supplies.
   We have also cleaned the camper and reorganized a few things.  The weather here is quite cold at night, in the 20’s.  Our water pipe froze so we did not have running water until the sun came up.  By 10:00 the water was running fine.
   A few days ago we were pulling into a parking spot when another car was backing out. The woman did not see us and she hit our van on the passeger side.  We have a dent but her entire rear bumper was damaged.  It could have been much worse.  All things considered, we can have the dent repaired when we return to Maine in the spring.
   We will be spending the week at this park and will use the time to celebrate Christmas with our new neighbors.  There are several parties and a pot luck with a Yankee Swap scheduled during the next few days.
     Jack and I took the loop walk this morning that winds its way through a Sycamore and Cottonwood forest to Clear Creek. The Arizon Sycamore is tall with a white bark that gives the appearance of a soft suede finish.  The smooth black river stones reminded me of Susan Ingalls and her love of sticks and stones.  I would have love to pick one up for her but was reminded: take only pictures leave only footprints.  Once the sun comes up the weather is a delightful 45 dry degrees.
   This is a relaxing place to be for the holiday, the sites are more private than others we have been in.  Each site is fenced in with a perfectly manicured river stone wall.   The owners are friendly and we are ready to relax and enjoy just being in one spot for a few days before moving on.
   It is a time for a quiet reflection of our adventures thus far and be grateful for the opportunity to experience the natural wonders of this country, the unbelievable landscapes, the Native cultures of the past and present and to meet other travelers along the way who too are enjoying their retirement as we are.

Dec. 20. South of Flagstaff

Dec. 20
   Arizona is a land of many landscapes and we have decided to see as many points of interest as possible.  The weather is warmer a little bit south of Flagstaff so we will be camping again in the RV.
We both enjoyed the city of Flagstaff.  There is a diverse population here with a comfortable friendly atmosphere.  The mountains that surround the city are beautiful and green with pine trees. Flagstaff itself is about 7000 feet above sea level which makes it high and dry.  The days were warm and sunny but the nights are very chilly.  Leaving Flagstaff, we drove south to see two particular sites, Meteor Crater and Walnut Canyon.
   I was not particularly interested in seeing the crater but Mark was and I am very glad that I went along. It was a massive hole in the earth that was caused by an object from outer space 50,000 years ago.  A meteorite hit this arid landscape and created a hole that is one mile across and 2.4 miles in circumference and 550 feet deep.  The magnitude of the meteor hitting earth at 26,000 miles per hour has left its mark.  This is the best preserved meteor hole on earth due to the dry climate here. Many scientists come here to study the impact site and examine fragments of the meteor.  It is because this site is so intact that scientists have proven that this is, in fact, a meteor crater and have used this to prove other meteor craters around the globe.  Prior to 1960, most scientists believed that all craters were volcanic.  Eugene Shoemaker confirmed that this crater was not volcanic but a meteor.  He had studied underground atomic test sites and compared his data to prove that this was an extraterrestrial impact on earth.
   Astronomy has come a long way in understanding space since 1960 with so much yet to learn.  We were privileged to visit the McDonald Observatory in Texas and now to see the evidence of objects hitting the earth with such magnitude has deepened our curiousity about what understandings lie ahead in the field of astronomical science.
 
   Our next visit was to Walnut Canyon. This was relatively close to the meteor crater so we were able to see both in one day.  The canyon was established in 1915 by President Wilson to preserve the natural ancient cliff dwellings that are clearly visible.  There is an “island loop walk” that is steep and strenuous route that decends deep into the canyon.  In the center of the canyon is an outcropping of a large land formation referred to as the “island”.  The loop trail took us around the island with clear evidence of the cliff dwellers living spaces.  The 250 steps that brought us to the island were straight down.  It is difficult to imagine how these people carved a living here in these steep cliffs. We were able to walk down steps; there were no steps for these ancient peoples.  Their’s was a culture that lived in tight family groups and farmed the land on the rim of the cliff.  I can’t imagine the fortitude of these native people who climbed up and down all the while carrying food supplies to their cave-like dwellings.  It took me a half an hour to climb back up the staircase.  I was glad to have done the trail inspite of its difficulty.
   We have spent a lot of time in the area of the southwest known as Indian territory.  The beauty of this land is in the quiet landscapes. The monochromatic colors paint a stark scene seemingly void of life. Today Native Americans live in small communities in mobile homes with no sign of greenery.  The air is dry and the land is brown and dusty.  We are reminded often that water is life; it is not a renewable resource.  It makes me appreciate how much I take water for granted.
   From viewing the meteor crater to the homes of the cliff dwellers, we have reached back in time to further understand our changing earth.  Impacts from space and ancient people have brought us closer to knowing ourselves.  How will we save our cultures and this planet?

Dec 18-19 Flagstaff AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

   We sadly left the Grand Canyon this morning.  There was a beautiful morning sunrise that ever so slowly would brighten another towering land formation within the canyon. The whispy layer of clouds lower within the canyon walls floated like a magic carpet within the canyon.  The view from the rim this morning was like looking at a delicate water-color painting coming to life before my eyes.  The soft morning blues, purples, pinks, yellows greens, and beiges all painted a three dimensional landscape.  But there is nothing delicate about this view, the rock formations are hard, solid and strong.  They seemingly hold the beginning of time here in this canyon.  Their strength has been forming for billions of years and continue to form one of natures most dramatic landscapes on earth.
   Our time at the Grand Canyon was spent hiking and admiring every view we could possibly capture.  The crowds were sparse so we could be alone many times throughout our rim hike.  Many of the tourists were Asian or Indian (India).  They all took in this incredible place in different ways.  Some would walk to the very edge and stand with their backs to the canyon and take a selfie showing their friends they were here.  One more step back and they wouldn’t be here!  Others face-timed their friends or relatives and carried on long conversation with people for all to hear.   Some carried on laughing and trying to take silly photos of themselves.  The canyon elicits different reactions from everyone.  Personally, I preferred the silence and the opportunity to listen to the landscape, the wind, the ravens, the clopping of the mules as they carried visitors down the canyon, and the echoes of sounds far away.  It took me some moments to appreciate that everyone is allowed to interpret and enjoy this canyon in their own way.  My wish for silence does not out weigh someone elses joy, laughter or silliness.
 

   We drove south  to Flagstaff by way of the Wupatki Monument.  It is a Pueblo village that has been mostly restored showing how the Native Americans lived around the 1200’s.  Their red rock homes reveled how about 1200 people could live in this desert environment.  The land here is very different from other desert areas that we had driven through.  A volcanic eruption had occurred here about 100 years ago creating black sandy soil.  We drove to the crater and could still see the black igneous rock of the lava flow.  The pine trees have grown up to be beautiful and tall over the years but the soil remains blackened ash.
   Arizona is a state of vastly diverse landscapes and we are excited to see it all.  The weather has been beautiful and now that we are a bit farther south it is even warmer.  There has not been any snow or rain since we left home.  This is pretty extraordinary for this time of year but we certainly appreciate it.  I makes living in the van much easier.

Dec. 19,

Dec. 16-17. Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon:
   It was just about 20 years ago that Mark and I went down the Grand Canyon in a raft with 14 other friends including the 2 guides, Art and Shelby.  We traveled 8 days down the river from Lake Powell to Lake Mead.  We hiked up through the narrow canyons, stood under water falls, ate fabulous meals, slept in the open air falling asleep to the brilliance of the night sky, being awaken at night by the smell of the night blooming Lilly,  and of course, experienced 240 white water rapids, ending with Lava Falls that drops 20 feet into the churning  water. That trip was an adventure both physically and spiritually.  I don’t think one can experience the grandness of the Grand Canyon without saying how it connects to one’s soul.  The power of being in this natural wonder is felt to my core.
   Twenty years later, we walk the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and see it again in all it’s majesty, this time from the top down,  The canyon brings to mind a sense of quiet peacefulness yet danger exits  with every step.  The paths down into the canyon are narrow, steep and this time of the year there can be ice.  It evokes a sense of quiet yet at any moment thunder could echo through the canyon walls creating flash floods with  extreme water falls.  The Canyon is extensive beyond words yet with a zen eye one can see into tiny crevices where small creatures live. It is a place that can only be described in extremes, peaceful and fierceful, humbling and bold, fluid yet unmoving.  It is a place of enormous contradictions.
   As we stand at the rim, an altitude of 7,000 feet, we see the mighty Colorado River winding its way through the canyon slicing and carving the bed  rock as it travels the 1450 miles to the Sea of Cortez (The Gulf of California).  It has been doing this amazing slow sliciing for over 4 1/2 billion years.  An interesting fact we learned is that when the Colorado River reaches sea level it will stop cutting through the rock.  In fact, that is true for all rivers.  This is something I never knew!
    The river is a dark green color and is miles down deep into the canyon.  We are in the home of giants and the river is like a beautiful jade necklace lying on the floor of this mansion.  Occasionally, we could see some of the white water rapids that we experienced years ago.  The rim hike is about a 10 mile hike with spectacular views from every point, purples, browns, beiges, and greens indicating the various rock formations embedded in the canyon walls.  The various land forms create a magnificent three dimensional display of color and depth.
  The mules that transport riders to the bottom take 7 hours for their trip.  It is a slow careful ride on the back of a mule over these narrow steep paths.  We are told that the mules are extremely sure footed and to date no one has fallen off or died on the mule ride.  (Another fact: a donkey and horse mate to create a mule)
  There has been a 10 year drought that has caused the water to be at a significantly low level.  This drought has caused a rippling effect in the neighboring farms as well as   implacting wildlife.  There is serious concern about the lack of water and the inability of the river to meets the demands of water usage throughout the Southern California and Nevada  areas in the near future.
   Mark and I have both noticed the effects of aging.  We are scared of heights, deep narrow rocky paths that fall off thousands of feet.  We could feel our knees shake and a sense of dizziness overwhelmed us as we approached the edge of a cliff. Twenty years ago there were moments on the hiking trails that I felt this same feeling, however, now it is much worse.  I don’t know how to deal with this fear. It is frustrating to acknowledge this and not know how to overcome it.  Stepping off the rim onto a descending  path made me quezzie and at the same time angry not to be able to calm my fears.  It truly is a humbling experience to walk the rim of this magnificent natural wonder.
 
   The weather is still very cold so we decided to spend the night at the El Tovar, the oldest hotel in the National Park.  It is a glorious hotel beautifully decorated for Christmas.  The restaurant was fabulous.  We celebrated with a Manhattan and a delicious dinner of duck and quail.  This will be our Christmas gift to each other!!!
 

Dec. 14-15 Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon

   The drive to Antelope Canyon took us from Zion to Kanab, Utah then on to Page Arizona.  We had lunch in Kanab at a lovely little sandwich place and ate outside in the sunshine and warm weather.  We met a lovely couple from Australia who was on their way to visit Zion and Bryce.  Their travels were similar to ours only in reverse.  We shared travel stories of being in Australia and how much we loved their country.  Meeting people has been one of the wonderful benefits of this trip.  Traveling opens our eyes to the nuances of how people think. They willing share thoughts on travel, food, experiences, and if we talk long enough they share their deeper beliefs, including the love for their families, and desire for a better life for future generations.
   We drove the next hour and a half through desert land. The town of Page is located just over the border into Arizona.  Page is a small city of mostly Navajo people who work and live here in this remote area.  The Glen Canyon Dam is the reason this town even exists.  In the 1960’s the Glen Canyon Dam was built to control the waters from the Colorado River to provide water to the four corners area of the country.  It also provides hydroelectric power to the area.  Today, the city depends on this dam not only for water and energy but it enhances the tourist industry.  Lake Powell was formed as the result of the dam and creates a natural summer boating and swimming area.
Twenty years ago, Mark and I went down the Colorado River from Lake Powell to Lake Mead at Las Vegas.  It was an 8 day excursion in a raft through the white water of the Colorado River.  Today, Lake Powell is about 54% capacity.  There has been a serious drought for the past 10 years causing the lake to be so low.  Although low, the lake is a beautiful deep blue set against the brown desert land.
   We scheduled a tour of Antelope Canyon on the morning of Dec. 15, Mark’s birthday!  We needed to be guided through this canyon by a Navajo guide.  It is a protected area and once inside the canyon it is easy to see why this needs to be protected.  The area known as Antelope Canyon is a narrow crack in the land formed by rushing water over thousands of years.  The water has created the most amazing twists and turns within the canyon.  The sunlight shines through small peep holes at the top of the canyon. The light reflects on the canyon walls creating beautiful images. One doesn’t have to be a good photographer to capture an amazing picture of color, movement and light.  In the summer, known as the monsoon season, there can be flash floods through this canyon sometimes as deep as the canyon itself.  We are happy to be here in winter avoiding the possibility of a flood.  Our time spent walking through this narrow canyon was a never ending display of beautiful light formations on the canyon walls.  At the end of our tour our guide played a beautiful Navajo love song on his flute for us, a very touching moment.
  Today’s tour was a birthday gift for Mark and it was truly amazing.
 

December 12,13 ZION

Dec. 12 & 13,
Zion:
   We decided to take the longer route from Bryce to Zion because we had been warned that the shorter route was a very treacherous route including paying an extra fee at a tunnel.    
  Entering Zion National Park was simply the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen.  Unlike Bryce, Zion is a geological area located at the bottom of the canyon.  The Virgin River runs through the canyon creating spectacular cliffs and rock formations.  The river is the source of life for this canyon.  The water flow from this river has sliced through these massive rock formations for millenniums and continues to do so today.  At the river’s bank, there is a diversity of pants and animals that thrive in this canyon oasis.  John Wesley Powell, in 1895 said “All this is the music of waters.”
   Our first hike was at the Temple of Sinawava.  Walking along the banks of the river we could look up the canyon walls that are at least 800 feet high.  The layered colorations of the cliffs once again formed magnificent natural art work.  We came face to face with 3 mule deer who were not at all bothered by our presence.  They simply stared at us and continued eating the green grasses at the river’s edge.  The hike took us to an area known as The Narrows.  We were told we could not go into the Narrows this time of the year because the water temperature was 34 degrees and the water was too high to wade through.  We did however, stand on some rocks in the river and could get a glimpse of the most narrow part of the river between two enormous cliffs.  In the spring and summer, hikers could walk through the river and into the Narrows and on to a longer hike.  I would love to come back and do the rest of this hike.  It was beautiful.
   The next morning we hiked the Pa’rus Trail.  The map indicated it would take 2 house but we took 3 to complete it.  The views were just so stunning that we needed to stop and admire them often.  There is a sense of being part of the landscape as we traversed through the bottom of the canyon.  We had a quick lunch at the Lodge then hiked the Emerald Pool Trail.  This hike took us up a winding narrow path that led to a small green pool that was being filled by a water fall about 500 feet above it.  What an amazing view.  The weather was incredibly warm at 60 degrees and full sun shine.  The sky was intensely blue.  The only white in the sky were streaks of jet streams that soared 30,000 feet above.
   This was the most extraordinary day of hiking I have had in years.  Walking through these canyon walls is like walking through time centuries ago and yet being present in the moment of creating a new landscape as the river rushes by.  Being present at this moment is awe inspiring.  There are many hikes through this natural wonder some easy some very difficult.  I am grateful that I was able to experience up close and personal the beauty of this natural park. Zion means “promised land,” and this park is not just “promised” but has given a sense of a truly sacred place.
 

Dec 10-11 Bryce Canyon

Sunday -Monday Dec 10-11

   The drive to Bryce Canyon took us through The Grand Escalante and the Dixie National Forest.  The Dixie National Forest is an area of intense green pine trees.  It was amazing to see so much green after driving for so long in desert brown territory.  These ponderosa pines are tall with copper colored thick heavy bark.  They stand tall and straight filling the landscape with lush greenery and the smell of pine.  It was a familiar scent,  the scent of home.
   Driving through the Grand Escalante was hair raisingly scary.  The road was winding and narrow.  There were no guard rails along the sides of steep cliffs. For about an 8 mile section we drove over the top of a canyon.  It was like driving on the knife’s edge of Kattadin.  Mark has a bit of vertigo and he was definitely having a white knuckle experience.  We were driving about 5 miles an hour and hoping that no one would come toward us as were situated in the middle of the two lane road.  Mark doesn’t usually keep his cell phone nearby, often forgetting where he put it.  However, on this most narrow frightening part of the road he received a message on his cell.  He forgot that his cell phone was in his breast pocket and it was vibrating.  “I think I am having a heart attack!”   Amazingly, he continued to drive carefully down the road without having a real heart attack.
   We slowly decended off the “edge” and wound our way through an Aspen forest.  Aspen trees are similar to birch only their bark is more of a cream color.  They grow in large clumps close together and I believe their root system is actually one tree system.
   There is such pleasure in the open road.  It is a classic American adventure.  It represents freedom to go wherever, whenever one wishes.  We are truly enjoying this open road freedom.  Where else can anyone drive almost 3000 miles from coast to coast with no roadblocks.  There is always a place to stay and eat, and meet friendly people along the way.
   We made a stop to admire another landscape and to give Jack a pee break.  There were 2 ravens hanging around our car.  They were not scared off by Jack’s bark; they just flew a few feet higher than he could reach.  They were beautiful birds, large with shiny black feathers.  They stared at us for quite some time.  They watched us get back into our van then, as if on cue they worked in tandem to stop us from driving on.  One flew right next to the drivers side sat down on the road and proceeded to “talk” to Mark.  He rolled down his window and responded in his version of Raven talk.  The other bird was on my side of the van talking to me.  Mark slowly started moving when the Raven on his side of the car flew right in front of us and sat in the middle of the road.  As we approached closer, he refused to move.  Slowly, we crept closer until the other bird joined him in the middle of the road.  We continued to move slowly toward the birds when all of a sudden one them took off seemingly heading off in the wooded area.  We laughed and thought how clever these birds were to try to stop us and perhaps provide a treat.  As we made the sharp turn down the road who was waiting for us right in the middle of the road.  That Raven cut us off by taking the short cut.  He knew we would be coming around the bend.  These birds are really clever.
   Since the nights are still well below freezing we booked a room at Ruby’s Hotel in Bryce Canyon.  The days are warm, reaching into the mid 50’s and full sunshine.  The weather couldn’t be better for hiking and viewing the canyons.  We scoped out the park and planned our day to experience the beauty of Bryce in the morning.
   We walked the rim and Mark walked the Queen Garden path down into the canyon.  I started down the path but got a feeling of vertigo and shakey knee syndrome.  I remember hiking in the Grand Canyon 20 years ago and having similar feelings.  Years later, these feelings don’t go away, they get worse.  I have had my share of panic attacks in my life, most notably one in Aruba with Joe and Anna while ATVing.  Not a pretty sight, except for being rescued by Carlos.  Anyway, I did not want to have one here. The area known as the amphitheater was an unimaginable outcropping of rock formations called Hoodoos.  The Native Americans thought that these were the remains of bad Indians that the coyotes had turned into stone.  The colors are spectacular, light orange, beige, white, greys and cream.  It is a most extraordinary geological landscape.  While Mark traversed the bottom of the canyon I had a very peaceful meditation on the illusion of permanence.  As much as I might wish for things to remain the same, change is constant even if every so slowly.  These monumental structures are a beautiful reminder of that.
  Bryce is a natural wonder!

Dec. 9 Capitol Reef

Dec. 9 Capitol Reef

We left Moab, Utah early this morning on our way to see Capitol Reef.  We have decided to stay as far north as possible and see as many of  the National Parks in Utah as possible before the snows arrive.  We have been incredibly lucky so far with absolutely no rain.  It has been quite cold so, full disclosure, we are staying in dog friendly motels along the way.  Trying to camp in the cold was difficult.  Mark did manage to cook a steak one  night  but the wind and the cold was too much.  It was mostly too much for the van.  We had water and heat so we were ok inside but we were really afraid that the water pipe on the van would freeze and then we would be in deep sh..t to say the least.  So, we drained the water in the van and decided to stay in motels until we could get to warmer areas.  The Utah parks are unbelievably beautiful and we are heading to Bryce then Zion before we go farther south.  So far the weather reports are not predicting any snow.

Capitol Reef National Park is about a 2 hour drive south west of Moab.  We hiked a trail that was too difficult for us.  I backed out earlier than Mark but he eventually turned around as well.  The hike trail was very narrow with cliffs on one side and canyon walls on the other.  Slippery loose rocks made walking difficult. There were warning signs of dangerous falling rocks overhead.  Anyway, we got the feel of walking through the steep part of a canyon.

We continued to  marvel at the colorations of the canyon walls.  The reds are deep and dark with layers of white sandstone. As each striated layer was formed, spectacular natural art work was painted on the canyon walls. The sun is low in the sky this time of year causing changing shadows to create moving tessellated art. There is an incredible silence here.  There are so few people traveling this time of year that we are able to walk alone and hear the quiet of the canyon.

Rows of Cottonwood trees are noticeable along shallow creeks or small water ways.  They have lost their leaves but they have many tiny branches that give the tree a smokey appearance, silvery and feathery. In the early morning sunshine the branches glisten with a bit of frost.  These trees are survivors in this arid land.  They seek out water and continue to mature and grow in spite of desperate dry conditions.  Water is life!

Our trip started out to be an adventure of seeing the beautiful sights of the National Parks in America.  It is turning out to be much more.  Mark and I have had many travel experiences and each one has been a wonderful trip in its own way.  This trip is not designed to go somewhere but to be someplace.  It is a slow and careful experience of seeing America and seeing ourselves in the process.  We are approaching 50 years of marriage and our paths have been colored like the layered striations in the canyon walls, the reds, the deep browns, the bright white all forming a picture of our time together.

Dec , 7 & 8 CanyonLands & Arches National Park

December 7CanyonLands

CanyonLands is a wide open space of natural geological structures.  Red clay giants fill the canyon for miles.  Driving through the canyon was another example of the vastness that was once an inland sea.  The walls of the caverns are amazingly beautiful.  The geology that created these canyons is an ongoing slow process of change.  Having the opportunity to see these beautiful canyons is a wonder that I treasure.

December 8th Arches National Park

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah is another amazing National Park.  It was one of Mark’s wishes to see as many of the National Parks in the southwest as possible.  Arches did not dissappoint; we hiked all of the trails and saw as many of the arches that were open for the public to see. The hikes were exhausting but well worth the effort.  There were “windows” through massive rocks that took centuries to form.  The formations were spectacular.  Once again the geological formations were beautiful.  The red spires throughout the park tells a long story of geology, wind, water, pressure and time. All together these elements continue to create magnificent structures.  Arches National Park is our favorite probably because we hiked through the park and were part of the scenery.  It was so much more participatory than just driving through and looking at the structures through a car window.  Standing next to these amazing land forms makes us feel incredibly small and insignificant.  It is just another reminder of man’s responsibility to care for these parks and save these extraordinary landscapes.

Monument Valley December 6

December 6 Monument Valley, Utah

Monument Valley is a geological wonder.  It is part of the 130,000 square mile Colorado Plateau. The heights of the these monuments range from 100 feet to 1500 feet tall. What made this place famous was the filming of western movies with John Ford directing John Wayne in many classic western movies.  However, this landscape was known to inhabit a group of Navaho Indian people who have sustained a living here for hundreds of years.  There are families here today who eek out a living on the valley floor.  There homes are primitive and they have no running water.  They need to drive about 12 miles to get their water from a well in Goulding’s. The Goulding’s were a British family who settled here in the 40’s.  They dug a well, which is still supplying water to the Navaho people who live here, for free.

The monuments are deep red reflecting the iron oxide in the soil. Clay is the element within these rock formations that actually holds them together. Many of the monument have holes that appear through the structure, these holes are air bubbles that have escaped. I remember when Robin and I took a pottery class and we needed to work out the air from the clay so it wouldn’t explode in the kiln. This is a magnification of that process.

Many of the monuments have names of animals that are evident in their shape like elephants, or the three sisters.  I prefer to see the faces of the ancient people who lived here.  It is easy to see a face looking up at the sun or moon.  Sometimes the faces are smiling, some mouths are open wide as if singing.  I like to imagine these ancient faces are whispering secrets to the people who live here now.

Sage brush plants are prolific on the valley floor.  They are green grayish color mostly but on a closer look some are spring like green with tiny yellow flowers.  When looking out into the distance, they can give a blueish hue almost like a water scape.  These plants are not for human consumption but are a food source for the small animals that live here.  Sage plants grow right up to the base of the monuments brushing away the sand stone like tiny whisk brooms and ever so slowly and patiently changing the monument noticeable in a millennial time period.

The Navajo are a beautiful people and have a special connection to this land.  Our guide pointed out the Bears Ears Monument off in the distance. Sadly he commented, “They continue to take away our land.” Just a day or so ago, Trump took this land away for the right to mine minerals there.
We asked how the Navajo felt about Trump and all he would say is that most of the people did not vote for him.

It has been a beautiful adventure  to visit this extraordinary geographical site but it has been an honor to know that this land is loved and cared for by the Navajo people.  As Chief Seattle once said,” Man does not weave this web of life.  He is merely a strand of it.  Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”  Hopefully, their culture will live on for centuries to come.

I have been reminded throughout our time in Indian Territory to take a closer look at the small things, the gray sage plant is beautiful and colorful close up. The forces of nature are ever present, the sun is bright and warms the day, the moon is bright and lights the night.  But the most important is water.  Water is life in this desert terrain.  I appreciate the slow movement of geological time and know that small changes take place every moment.

Dec 4, 5th Chaco Canyon & Canyon De Chelly

Chaco Canyon:
We were excited to get to see Chaco Canyon which is a sacred area of the Navajos.  The drive was to be only a couple of hours so we left the campsite around 8:00 and headed out to the Canyon hoping to be there around noon or before.  We entered the Navaho Reservation territory only to find that the roads were horrible.  They were gravel, bumpy and quite scary considering there was no one in sight. the landscape is completely flat, no gas stations, no water, no electricity, nothing. We continued to drive thinking the canyon was just a short distance away.  It was not far according to the GPS, however, we could only go about 3 miles per hour.  The RV starts to rattle and bang around with things falling out of the cabinets.  Mark is getting a bit nervous!  Around 3:00 in the afternoon, we still had 30 miles to go on the rough road.  We were getting very worried that we would lose daylight and we could be in very serious trouble.  We decided to turn around and slowly make our way to Gallup, NM.  It was another 3 hours arriving there around 6:30.  The van seems to be in good shape all things considered.  Lesson learned, do not drive on reservation gravel roads, ever.

Cathy and Bill had told us about a great hotel in Gallup that used to house Hollywood actors and actresses back in the 40’s when they were filming cowboy movies.  We called ahead and booked a room.  We were tired, cranky, and dirty.  We hadn’t had a shower in 4 days.  The hotel was wonderful.  It was full of cowboy memorbelia and photos of the actors that had been there.  We stayed in Betty Grabel’s room.  The shower was hot and felt perfectly wonderful.  The restaurant was playing Christmas music, cowboy and Mexican style!

In the morning, we visited Window Rock.  It is located where the Navaho tribal members meet.  It is a large windswept hole appearing in an outcropping of red rocks.  Nature has done an extraordinary job of creating lovely landscapes.  As we strolled around we saw a statue in honor of the Code Talkers of World War II.  These men used their language and created a code system that was unrecognizable by the Japanese who were quite adept at decoding secret messages.  They are credited with saving thousands of lives.  We talked with a Navaho man on his way in to the meeting.  We told him what a lovely spot this was to honor those men.  He was wearing his Vietnam jacket and told us he proudly served in that war.

The 2 hour drive to Canyon De Chelly was well worth the drive.  We drove through the Navaho Forest, a protected area of forestry.  It was the first time in many days that we were in a forest of tall pine trees.  The elevation slowly increased to  a height of 7000 feet.  The air thinned out and was noticeable cooler.  The sun is still warm and we are thankful that the days are sunny.  The temperature is about 25 at night but climbs to about 40 in the sun during the day.

Canyon De Chelly is in Arizona just over the border from New Mexico.  Having left the Navaho Forest, the land once again flattens out to unbelievable scenery of nothing but scrub brush with mountains off in the distance.  Not a tree in sight for miles.  There was a moment we thought that we were not on the right road and there no sign of a canyon.  We did arrive at the visitors center and decided to take the south rim tour, about 2 hours.  The canyon was amazing. The windswept corridors of the canyon walls were red with shades of white. Swirls formed on the walls from the weather beating winds of the area.    It is the location of ancient canyon dwellers.  They farmed the land at the bottom of the canyon about 800 years ago.  There were remnants of their dwellings still there.  One particular area was called the White House due to the limestone remains of the building.  We hiked wherever we could to see deep into the canyon. At some places the drop off was 700 feet deep.  These native peoples were amazing architects, farmers, and family people creating communities of small groups.

We found a campsite near the canyon.  There is no one here.  We did come prepared with water and we have a generator for heat which we will need later tonight.  The temperature will drop into the 20’s tonight so I think we will be using our generator.  Mark cooked a steak on the grill with roasted veggies in tin foil.  It tasted great but eating outside was really chilly.

I have grown very fond of the lands known as Indian Territory.  It is a harsh, flat, brown, sandy, dry land.  The people here though do not reflect this harsh environment.  They are warm and wonderfully friendly.  How amazing to live in this desolation and yet remain so kind and thoughtful.  I do not want to ignore the fact that alcoholism is a major problem and poverty is evident everywhere.  There is a sadness here but a pride in their heritage and a love for their families and communities.

Santa Fe:

December 1,2 & 3
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is the beautiful capital city of New Mexico.  The elevation rose gently as we traveled north from Roswell.  The vegetation grew greener and the scrub pines were taller.  The distant Sangre de Cristo Mountains encircle the city with their soft peaks and tall pines.  The air is cool and dry with a copper colored sandy soil.  Cacti plants are the preferred landscaping around the adobe style one story level homes, reddish brown with soft rounded edges.

The central architectural building in the city of Santa Fe is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.  In 1598 Franciscan friars came to what is now New Mexico.  These priests joined the Spanish colonists who had migrated north from Mexico City.  No building in Santa Fe can be built taller than the Cathedral giving it a majestic appearance.

There is a central green space in the center of the city, reminiscent of downtown Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  We stopped at a local bakery  for coffee and sat in the park to watch the people walk and play on this early morning Saturday.  We had a sweet conversation with mother of a 7 year old blonde little girl named Sophie.

The shops of Santa Fe were filled with silver and copper  jewelry, native pottery, ponchos and sarape’s.  There is an area adjacent to the park where Native American’s were selling their jewelry.  They had extraordinarily beautiful pieces.  I bought I pair of earrings from a young man who indicated he had just finished making them the night before.  He was delighted to share his art work.
In contrast to the art of Donal Judd in Marfa, the native arts are colorful, reds, yellows and turquoise. The triangle and square shapes dominate many painted art works.  The pottery is equally colorful, however, I preferred the Acoma style.  It is incredibly detailed with a repetitive decign, mostly in black and white but some have brown images The Acoma is native to the Pueblo Indians and is among their most prized pottery styles.

The Georgia O’Keeffe museum is located downtown featuring her works.  Ghost Ranch is located about 60 miles north of Santa Fe, which is where she spent 40 summers doing her work.  “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment.  I want to give that world to someone else.”  Her role in the American art movement contributed to the development of American modernism.
“The power of Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork derives from her master of essential elements of art making: line, color, and composition.” A brilliant colorist, O’Keeffe created strong, vibrant works with colors that glow with energy and vitality.”  (The museum)

Evidence of the Pueblo culture is embedded in the city of Santa Fe, their homes, language, food, customs, hair styles, and clothing.  These native peoples are direct descendants of the Anasazi people that had lived in this area thousands of years ago.  The Pueblos are one of the oldest cultures in the nation.  Their name is Spanish for “stone masonry village dweller”.  Today there are 19 Pueblo tribes in New Mexico.  The Zia Pueblo regard the Sun as a sacred symbol “Their symbol, a red circle with groups of rays pointing in four directions, painted on ceremonial vases, drawn on the ground around campfires, and used to introduce newborns to the Sun.” This symbol is the design on the state’s flag and on their license plates.

On Sunday, we were invited to a lovely brunch at Cathy Ansheles and Bill Stanton’s home. Beth and Don along with their brother Buzz and his wife Gail were there.  Friends of Cathy and Bill’s, Connie and Robert were there as well.  We had met Connie and Robert on the island last summer.   It was a delicious feast and such fun catching up with the Ansheles family.

The  Rancheros De Santa Fe Campground just outside of the downtown area has been our home for 3 nights. It is typical of the area with cactus plants all around.  They do not have shower facilities so we improvised, a little bit chilly.  The weather here is delightful, sunny and warm in the daytime but a bit frosty at night.  We needed to use the heater in the van.

Santa Fe is absolutely lovely, very livable!!!

Roswell, NM

Friday December 1, 2017

Roswell New Mexico is a desert area in the south of New Mexico just a bit north of Carlsbad.  It is known as the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash.  The town is filled with tourist UFO attractions.
We found a small campsite located at Bottomless Lake.  The lake is a greenish-blue color created by aquatic plants giving the illusion of great depth. Mark and I had a bit of fun imagining that this a UFO abduction site.  Since we were pretty much alone at the park is was an easy jump to imagine a scene of spaceships landing here. No ambient light was evident  so  the the night sky was bright with billions of stars.  Who knows who is watching us?

We cleaned up the camper and drove 3 hours to Santa Fe.  We are here for three nights.  The campsite is lovely, however there are no shower facilities.  The weather is warm and sunny, a bit chilly at night, around 38 degrees.  There was a bit of frost on the picnic table in the morning.