2850 Red Rock Road

A QUICK INTRO

2007-06-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the blog is finished. It was a lot of work. It was slow work, especially since I don’t have internet access in my apartment. So the creation of the blog happened in little bits here and there and everywhere.It was an amazing trip. We saw only a fraction of what we could have seen, what we wanted to see, what we were able to see in our limited time frame. Ideas are flowing about going back to either revisit some places or get to places we missed this time. The Southwest is full of texture, color, depth, food, nature, rock, mountains, lakes, trees, grasses, snow, sun, etc. It’s packed full even when it appears there is nothing for miles.

I easily created over 600 shots between my film and digital cameras. I’ve paired it down a bit, don’t get nervous. Still, the blog has hundreds of photos. It’s a lot of info to see and read. That’s the beauty of a blog. Come and go as you please. You can click on any photo to enlarge it. Most browsers will support this function. Some browsers will simply open a new page with only the photo on it but not enlarged.

Let us thank Dave and Steph, Concetta, Brad & Nilufor, Katherine & Aiden, and Val for their generosity, hospitality and time. We hope we can do the same when any of you come to Seattle.

I don’t want to confuse you but let me just say that you needn’t pay any attention to the posting dates on these entries. Just use the title of each entry to guide you through chronologically. Blog entries are posted in chronological order, with the newest entry appearing last, at the “top” of the blog. So I had to first create 15 separate dates to use as my fake posting dates and then had to reverse them in order for the oldest stuff to appear first and vice versa. I hope you have a good time viewing the shots and reading the info. I’ve included plenty of links so you can cyber explore along the way.

Just click on the arrows next to "June" or "May" to access all the individual days.

Drop me a line: bodanzarama@gmail.com

DAY 1 FRIDAY MAY 18 SEATTLE TO LAS VEGAS

2007-06-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

AND SO IT BEGINS

On Friday we left work early, right before noon. It was a hectic morning. I had a second interview for a prospective job. It was casual and quick. About 11:15 a.m. the HR folks contacted me to offer me the position. Good timing! I accepted. A nice way to begin a vacation.

We grabbed our gear and headed a few blocks down to the Westin hotel to catch the Airporter shuttle through Gray Line of Seattle. For $10.25 you jump on a full-sized tour bus, plush seats, air-conditioned and a bathroom. Let someone else do the driving, right? The shuttle dropped us at the departing gates and you don't even load or unload your bags. Tip the driver, say, "Thanks!" and you're off. The best part was we purchased the online, printed them at work, and had them in our hands when we left the building.
Concetta picked us up in Las Vegas and patiently waited out the back-up at the baggage claim. Once we were back at the house we discovered that the casita was set up like a swank hotel, complete with luxury toiletries lifted from actual swank hotels. Thanks, Steph! Nothing like stealing stolen hotel toiletries. Nothing had been missed. There was music, incense, snacks, a coffee maker, and flattering photos of Steph’s teeth. Felt like home.

In the kitchen was a mega feast. Cheeses, crackers, fruit, drinks, and homemade rueben bread from Concetta. It’s basically a reuben sandwich, stuffed and rolled into pizza dough. With Dave working late, the four of us made quick work of this bonanza. This was followed by some well-deserved lying around, playing with the pooches and enjoying the warm evening air. It was a wonderful welcome.

I am not at all sure what is happening here, nor am I responsible for it.

DAY 2 SATURDAY MAY 19 ALL DAY IN VEGAS

2007-06-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Because we were on vacation, because we were in Vegas, and because it was 97 degrees, we spent a good deal of Day 2 in the pool. Coffee and breakfast (Cousin Patty’s nutroll – lord, that is tasty) in the courtyard was followed by a morning swim. Check out those underwater shots. Just like NOVA, huh?

This is Macy and she hates the pool.

Concetta can't help but work the cosmetics. Here she convinces Sally that she has found the perfect color lipstick.

Later we all took a ride through Redrock Canyon. Kind of like an appetizer for sights to come. S and I then had to do the food shopping for the trip.

But once back home we were back in the pool. This time with cold Coronas.

Once Dave was home we ordered dinner and ate outside.
Check out that offical NFL Cleveland Browns jersey. I found it at Goodwill for $3.99. It's in fabulous condition. Dave and Steph will have to fight over it. Or just let Lexi wear it. It matches her colors.
Well, this shot below of the moon and Venus was the best I could do from the courtyard, just before bed. It was a full day of vacationing. Tomorrow we hit the road early.

DAY 3 SUNDAY MAY 20 LAS VEGAS TO CHINLE

2007-05-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

BOULDER CITY

Boulder City, Nevada is a town built by the government to house the people who built Hoover Dam. It's elevation is listed all over the Internet as anywhere from 2200 ft. to 2501 ft. You get the idea. The older, main drag looks fun. The closer you get to Hoover Dam, however, the blander things get. Housing developments and really, really green lawns and too many golf courses. Not to mention this is where the money seems to be. Boulder City is also close to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area so, essentially, it can't be ALL bad but you won't catch me speding lots of time there.

We took Route 93 south to pick up Route 40, a state highway. The drive away from Hoover Dam was bleak. For that matter, the ride down 93 was bleak. It didn't get much better for a long time. There is very little change in landscape along 93. Little change in color or texture. It's dry, bland, and rocky. I wish I had taken pictures of the blandness but I think I was just overwhelmed.

Kingman, AZ and Flagstaff, AZ are not much to write home about. Granted, we only drove through but there was little to be seen from the highway to intice anyone to stay. And it's not like you can't see for miles on this kind of highway. This part of the trip also took us through part of The Painted Desert. We saw only a small part of this but it was pretty, especially compared to the rest of the landscape we'd seen that day. From Rte. 40 we caught 87 going north on our way to Chinle, Arizona. In a short while you are on Hopi Indian Reservation land. The Navajo Nation spreads and spreads for miles in many directions. Also, it's not just one big connected piece. The Navajo Nation lands spill into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. And the poverty is obvious. But it appears the the Hopi land looks even worse. But allow me to disclaim that we saw a small part of it, just on 87 north from I-40, to Rte. 264 East, to catch Rte. 191 North into Chinle, Arizona. And I'm not sure where border lines are for Hopi land and Navajo land. I realize that I've painted a grim picture. I also realize that the many characteristics of poverty we saw are just one part of a very complex system of culture, tradition, goverment and hope. Hope in the form of a brilliant rainbow we saw after a storm.

Below are a couple of shots along 87. This is not the bleakness I was talking about earlier. Though sparse, there is plenty of texture and color and the sky was very dramatic. The light was eerie.

I had never seen cars stuck in the side of an embankment before but here you go.

The plan was to stay two nights at Spider Rock Campground in a traditional Native American hogan. This place has a great website. They have a crappy campground. The dude is real nice but the hogan is a dump. There was no way we were going to sleep on that "matress" pad in that cramped, dark, and cobwebby closet of a hogan. Plus, there was no running water. There was a Honey Bucket but it was rank. Neither of us could picture this place as home base for two days. Far more rustic than camping and Sally has been on some long, rustic backcountry camp trips. We told the dude that it was a bit too rough for us, to keep the money, thanks. Before this happened, we were told that a German woman, Gisella, was camped here and was renting a jeep for a canyon tour the next morning. We found Gisella and she agreed to let us share the jeep and the cost. We planned to be back at 9 am the next day. We then drove back to town and booked two nights at an overpriced Holiday Inn. This is where we met many of the stray dogs and cats of Chinle. Most were females, most had had plenty of litters. All knew that a hotel parking lots was a good place to score a snack but we refrained from contributing.

DAY 4 MONDAY MAY 21 CANYON DE CHELLY

2007-05-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

WHITE HOUSE RUIN

We arrived back at Spiderock Campground on time only to learn that the canyon tour had been rescheduled for noon. This gave us time to head back to White House Ruin and actually do the hike. It's the only hike in Canyon de Chelly you can take without a park ranger or an authorized Navajo guide. It's 2.5 miles round trip with some quick elevation drop. Not a problem going down but one must always go back up. At this elevation, we could feel the difference in our lungs, which are used to moist, Pacific Northwest air closer to sea level. Add to this the impending heat. It was a very good idea to hike in the morning.

The Navajo still live in Canyon de Chelly and you can see sheep, a farm and a field on the way down to White House (so named because of the once white-washed walls of the structures). You can also see a hogan, a traditional dwelling that you spot all over Navaho land. Some are more modern looking than others but you can always tell which land is Navajo-owned.

You can't get close to the ruin (thanks to a chain link fence to ward of moronic purveyors of vandalism) but you can easily get shots through the fence. At first I was excited to discover a vault toilet but it was NAS-TEE. I once used a vault toilet so nasty I had to hold my breath and leave the door open while Sally stood guard. Still, I ran out with eyes watering and the smell on my clothes for several minutes. At least while hiking you have the chance to duck somewhere to pop a squat. Not so at White House Ruin so you'd better hold it. Also at the bottom are Navajo craftspeople selling their wares. Bring cash. You also see the jeep tours arriving that bring folks down to the ruins and beyond.

On our way back up we crossed paths with a very old, very tiny Navajo sheperdess, decked out in a long skirt, velour long-sleeved shirt, backpack, lots and lots of jewelry, a huge walking stick and a head covering. Straight out of a book. I thought I was hallucinating. She stopped and began talking to me. Though she spoke only a handful of English words, it was easy to understand that she was a sheperdess and every single day she walked her sheep from one part of the canyon to another. I'm not at all sure how long of a walk this was but at her age it was impressive. My first instinct was ask her for a photo of the two of us, but I felt silly and touristy. Speaking of photography, no photos are permitted of Navajo people or their animals without permission. But you are allowed to photograph all the ruins you like.

Sally descends into the valley.
View from the top. It's about 600 ft. to the bottom.

I love lizards. I know a dude in Denver with one named Lizardo.

At the bottom we admire a Navajo farm.
You can see a traditional hogan in the foreground to the right of the tree.

White House Ruin. There are two levels. One on the ground and one in the cliff. The streaks in the rock are caused by iron.

Close-up of petroglyphs.

CANYON DE CHELLY

We met up with Gisella back at the hotel parking lot at noon and met our guide, Ben, with Canyon Jeep Tours. For $50 each we got a personalized, four-hour driving tour. A much better deal and situation than being one of about 15-20 on a giant "jeep" with the top cut off. Ben couldn't have been nicer. He had stories of growing up in the canyon, his family, his culture. He knew every nook and cranny, pointed out petroglyps and interesting natural rock formations.

Canyon De Chelly National Monument is actually several canyons that branch out from the visitor center: Canyon Del Muerto, Black Rock Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, Monument Canyon, and Bat Canyon. Our jeep tour took us into Canyon De Chelly' via the south rim.

Ben would stop to let us get pictures, water breaks, leg stretch breaks. He was a great driver too. It's a challenging ride. Lots of washes to cross, all dirt or sand. Down one side then up the other. It's not a ride for someone who can't take being bounced around. You might get wet. You definitely will get sandy in places. Ben also took us to his property to see the cliff dwellings that reside right in his backyard. Keep in mind that the entire canyon is a sacred place to the Navajo. No photos are allowed of people or animals without permission. Photos of the ruins and general scenery are permitted. Think of a group pf people touring your house. You'd probably say forget it. So travelling through Canyon de Chelly is a special arrangement. Be respectful.

Visiting the canyon was really important to Sally who spent two weeks helping a Navajo family herd sheep when she was 17. She recounts that it was the first time in her life she realized what it meant to live a life outside of a city (She grew up in Denver). Her time with the Navajo family introduced her to a life without car traffic, industrial noise, airplanes flying over, and lots pf people. In the remoteness of the Canyon there was quiet and land for miles and solitude and stars. It made a lasting impression.

The first ruin we came to is called, of course, First Ruin.
From a distance

Close up.

Driving along the canyon floor.
Far away.
Close up.

Plenty of petroglyphs in this canyon. We drove through only a fraction of it and saw only a fraction of the existing petroglyphs within that.
Way up in that crevise in the rock...
are ancient apartments surrounded by petroglyphs.
A sneak peak at a natural arch, days before we get to Arches National Park.

More cliff dwellings.

Spider Rock. The destination of the day. 800 feet high, this sacred rock, according to Native culture, is where Spider Woman lived. She taught the Navajo (Dineh) people how to weave on a loom. Spider Woman was also used to warn Navajo children against bad behavior, lest she lower her web to capture them and bring them back up to the top of the rock to devour them!

Gisella, Sally, and Ben, our guide.

I know it doesn't look like it, but we are having a great time. I can't really explain these sour faces.

Hopefully, you can see the different colors in this group of carvings. There is yellow on the left and far right. Even a purple color at the far right. There was alot going on in this collection. You get the shots you can, sometimes while sitting in the jeep while it's running. Better than nothing. If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can then pick out some shapes and colors.

You might have to click on this photo to enlarge it to see the four figures standing in about the center of this shot.

This is Ben's property. In his back yard, beyond his fruit trees, are centuries old cliff dewllings.

Ben explained that these panels on the rock were painted white to maximize reflected light into the apartments. So imagine an intact structre standing here. If you entered it, the back wall (the side of the cliff) would be painted white to reflect sunlight that might enter.

Back on top on our ride out of the Canyon. Here are shots of what we drove through earlier.

Two shots of the same distant cliff dwelling. In the above shot we can see the ruin in the bottom right corner and notice how far from the top of the cliff it sits. Below, in the upper left corner, we see how high off the ground it sits.

After hiking and touring we had a hearty dinner, including Navajo fry bread, at the Junction Resteraunt. Choices are extremely limited for Chinle dining. Leftovers made mid-morning breakfast the next day when we were rained out of Mesa Verde.

DAY 5 TUESDAY MAY 22 CHINLE TO FARMINGTON

2007-05-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

With the weather getting worse, we decided to skip Mesa Verde, at least for this day. Decisions were made over the road map and breakfast in the car in a gas station parking lot in Mexican Water, AZ.

As it turned out, the day included alot of driving. But we did stop at Four Corners National Monument where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado all come together. We passed on the opportunity to stand on the platform that allows you to stick various body parts in all four states at one time. We headed for the Navajo arts and crafts booths for a quick run through. I was on the hunt for small pieces of pottery to be purchased directly from the artist. I didn't want to buy anything from a gift shop or "trading post" and pay the mark-up. I wanted to meet the folks who actually made the piece I would take home. One of the beautiful pieces I bought was created by Kimberly Nasha Benally, Diné artist. Diné (deh-NAY), sometimes seen written as Dineh, is what the Navajo traditionally call themselves.

At the very least, walking the booths provided shelter from the rain but not from the temperature or the wind. It was too wet and cold to be fooling around in four states at one time. Besdies, after we hit all the booths and used the porta-potty and went back to the car, we'd been in all four states - so there.

Also stretched our legs in Cortez, Colorado to find an ATM and coffee. Surprisingly, the latte stand inside the City Market (we have them in WA - part of the Kroger chain) makes a very tasty drink. On our way out of town we realized there was a locally owned coffee house. There might even be more but we had no time for exploration.

You know, I'm sure this giant formation has a name but we could never figure it out. Any ideas?

On our criss-cross adventure we saw Shiprock in the distance, standing 1,700 ft. It’s an eroded volcanic plume sacred to the Navajos as Tse Bi dahi, or “the Rock with Wings.” This name comes from a Navajo folk myth that tells that the rock was once a great bird that transported the Navajo ancestral people to their lands in what is now northwestern New Mexico. The great bird rose from the ground to carry the people to safety from a war-like tribe. Geology tells us the rock was formed 12 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch. Shiprock has been a pilgrimage site for people for a long time. Since 1970, the rock has been off limits to climbers out of respect for this Navajo sacred place. There is also a city called Shiprock. We were unable to gets closer to either but I managed to snap one less than mediocre shot form the moving car.

FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO

The more we considered the map, the more we realized that with just a bit of extra driving we could get back to see Mesa Verde in a couple days. In the meantime, we headed to Farmington, NM, our home base for our trek to Chaco Canyon. Farmington is sizeable, sporting all the modern shopping and services and even a small airport.

The first night we walked the old downtown window shopping and picking up souveniers. Postcards, smudge sticks, candy, carved stone ornaments and jewelry to name a few. Looking for grub, we were pointed in the direction of Los Hermanitos. Sally had the green chile stew. Chile is practically a religion in the Southwest. Each area has their preference for either green or red chile and then their preferences for how they eat either of those. The green chile stew at Los Hermanitos passed Sally’s muster. It was pretty damn tasty. And Los Hermanitos tortillas were very good.

Permit a digression on the culinary customs of the Southwest:

The big comfort food of the Southwest is posole (po- SO - lay). Every region has its recipe. Some people serve it as the Christmas Eve meal. Posole is also the name of the corn used in the dish. Soaked in powdered lime and water, the kernels expand. Then you remove the outer husk from each kernel. Sounds time consuming. It could be hard to find posole so hominy works very well too. Sally made this dish for me months ago and I immediately started scheming variations I’d like to try. Pososle has lots of flavors - garlic, cayenne, green chile, oregano, cloves, peppercorn and is traditionally made with pork. Like any regional comfort food, you can customize your posole. Use chicken or sausage or a meat substitute. Folks in southern New Mexico use red chile while those in northern New Mexico use green.

Here is a very good start to your posole future. I’ve also recently discovered a version with shrimp and scallops. I will try that recipe and then post it on cucina bodanza.

DAY 6 WEDNESDAY MAY 23 CHACO CANYON

2007-05-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

CHACO CANYON

We began the day by going to the Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington to pick up the truck we rented for the drive to Chaco Canyon. The drive to Chaco is rough and at some point the pavement ends and you drive for quite some time on a “dirt” road. It’s more like sand. Four-wheel drive is a great idea. We were driving my mom's Audi which has four-wheel drive but lacked the clearance of a truck. We got a big truck. Not on purpose, that’s just what they gave us. It was huge with a full-sized extended cab. We felt safe. The ride to Chaco was uneventful. The ride back, however, included a little bit of fishtailing during a storm. Even in a rugged vehicle, that damn sand they call dirt gave us trouble.

Chaco culture began in the mid 800's and lasted over 300 years. Over 400 miles of planned and engineered roads have been identified. Construction of the great buildings, such as Un Vida, Pueblo Bonito, and Penasco Blanco, began in the late 800's and continued in stages over the next 300 years or so.

From the visitor center it's a short walk to the Una Vida ruin which is in an almost near-natural state of preservation. Little excavation has been done on this site. In fact, there are no plans to excavate further. Allowing the site to remain in its natural state helps preserve it. If you remove the sand and clear the place, it becomes vulnerable to erosion, rain, wind, etc. Besides, the Navajo, the Hopi and the Pueblos believe the place should naturally return to the earth. Una Vida looks much like it did 1,000 years ago with the exception of the parts that nature has collapsed over time.

Again, all of Chaco is sacred to the Navajo, the Hopi and the Pueblos. People still make pilgrimages to these sites so visit with respect. If you pick up the brochure, you can do the Una Vida walk as a self-guided interpretive trail. There is a short but steep hike up to some petroglyphs. A petroglyph is an image created by removing the surface of a rock by carving or pecking or abrading. Not to be confused with pictograph which identifies an image painted or drawn onto the rock surface. Look but do not touch. Chaco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as of 1982.

It's a short drive to Pueblo Bonito, the center of Chaco. Pueblo Bonito is the ruin most often used in postcards and photos and is the focus of the movie The Mystery of Chaco Canyon featuring the narration of Robert Redford. Pueblo Bonito is just huge. We only explored a small part. This whole complex is said to have been constructed and oriented in relationship to the sun and moon. The whole place is like a huge celestial clock or calendar.

Walking through the ruins I was reminded of walking through the ruins in Ostia Antica about an hour’s drive outside of Rome at the mouth of the River Tiber. Like at Ostia, you get to (in many cases) literally walk where the ancient inhabitants walked. You can see the detail in the fitting of the stones. You can see the timbers still in the construction in some places. Keep in mind that these people had no pack animals, no wheel, and the closest forest was about 40 miles away.

There are more petroglyphs to see by taking a short walk along a well-marked trail. Once we began our hike to the petroglyphs at Una Vida the weather began its split personality antics. Our coats came off and on, the wind gusted at times, the sun would either bake us or leave us completely. We had originally planned from the beginning to do a real hike, to really explore all the way out to Pueblo Bonito. But we were soon cold and damp and realized that our plans were dashed. We’ll be back. In the meantime, we can all enjoy this really cool interactive site about Chaco.

Evening primroses grow along the long road to Chaco. Above they bloom. Below they wait to bloom.

Ruins hidden in the cliffs. Look in the lower center of the above shot.

A view from Una Vida.
We hike up to see some petroglyphs at Una Vida.

Looking out over the Chacoan valley.

All of these shots are from Pueblo Bonito.

I really was intrigued by these groups of slash marks.

Love these petroglyphs. You can try clicking on the photo to enlarge it. Some web browsers will support this function. Sally walks along the trail.
Ancient creature carving.

I think I love petroglyphs. Notice the lumpy snake-like figure going across from left to right. And the big, bird-like foot in the upper right. I really like the long vertical one that looks like a shesh kebab.

Here I am cold but having a good time.

Look at the intricate work to get these larger stones to fit together.

Check out this spongy rock. The elements are in charge out here.

BACK IN FARMINGTON

Totah Theatre Productions. Not sure what goes on here but I dug the sign.

It really is a never-ending search for a good latte when one is on the road. Preferring locally owned places to anything resembling S*ar*u*ks, it's sometimes a challenge to get a good latte. But Farmington is pretty big and the night we arrived we spotted Andrea Kristina's Bokstore & Kafe and made a point go back after a long day of exploring Chaco. Coffee was great, items for sale really cool, and I scored a great t-shirt (one of ten I picked up on this trip).

DAY 7 THURSDAY MAY 24 MESA VERDE AND CHAMA

2007-05-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

MESA VERDE

Yippee! We make it to Mesa Verde National Park. What a perfect day for it. The ride from Farmington to Mesa Verde is just gorgeous. Valleys, hills, cows and horses, mountains, etc. These elevations get plenty of Spring and color is everywhere.

Not 30 minutes into our drive we spotted the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Really beautiful. We spotted them, drove toward them, drove right along side them, then saw them again from atop Mesa Verde. Also saw Shiprock from the Mesa.

Mesa Verde is amazing. There are over 600 cliff dwellings within the park. Here you can walk through ruins, like at Chaco, or view them from afar. Like Chaco, Mesa Verde is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Following the park map is easy and you can pick and choose which ruins you see. There is a picnic area by the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum center which is set up like a campground - each picnic site has a parking spot, picnic table, and grill. While we had lunch, we called my mom to thank her for the picnic tablecloth. Came in very handy.

At Mesa Verde you see cliff dwellings but also pithouses, the structures that pre-date both the pueblo and the kiva structures. We walked around the ruins of Spruce Tree House. Sally ventured down into a kiva, an underground, circular room used for ceremonies. With all my camera gear and a backpack on, I passed on the chance to squirm down a narrow ladder into a small dark room.

We didn't get to the hike we were considering. The description mentioned 8-10 ladder climbs. And we really didn't have time if we wanted to get to Chama before dark. We did get to view several of the most well-known cliff dwellings from Sun Point. My photos of this section are not so good. Viewing the dwellings from afar was a little more than either of my cameras could handle well. I limited the shots here to the close up stuff and a few far away shots. You get the idea.
We're headed down to Spruce Tree Ruins to walk around.

You can see the top of the ladder that leads down into the kiva. What did this ancient symbol mean? Someone's address? A personal note? A warning?
A look down into a kiva.

Before the cliff dwellings were the pithouses.

Looking out over the valley. We saw a red-tail hawk.
Step House Ruins. You can see a couple of park rangers working.
Following are some mediocre shots from Sun Point. The sun was in the completely wrong place and neither camera could handle it. I've got lots of postcards so I'm OK.

The beautiful San Juan Mountains as seen from Mesa Verde.

ON TO CHAMA, NEW MEXICO

Leaving Mesa Verde, our sights were on Chama, NM. Some of the towns we drove through were Mancos then Hesperus, then Durango. Must have coffee. How about Durango Joe's Coffee? It was OK. Plus, it was easy to exit and re-enter the highway from this place. After coffee we drove through Bayfield and Pagosa Springs. Soon we dipped back down into New Mexico and arrived in Chama, New Mexico, elevation 7,860 ft. Chama is home to the historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad which eats up 5-7 tons of coal to make the sixty-four mile trip from Chama, NM to Antonio, CO. We stayed at the Chama Station Inn run by a woman named, Beverly, a glass jeweler. Sally picked up really cool earrings from her collection. Beverly was pet sitting for a parakeet - Baby Jesus, no lie. After getting recommendations for food we chose dinner at the High Country Restaurant & Saloon. For my money, The High Country had the best tortillas of the whole trip. Perfect thickness, chewiness, and flavor. I had fajitas. I know, sounds cliche but these were not the fajitas you get at a chain restaurant. The chicken was tender and had lots of flavor. Plus, it was accompanied by green chile. Nice and spicy. And once you put any food inside a homemade tortilla, it's automatically better.

Coffee at Durango Joe's.

Our room at the Chama Station Inn.

DAY 8 TO ALBUQUERQUE VIA GHOST RANCH AND CHIMAYO

2007-05-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

LEAVE CHAMA

We began our trip to Albuquerque by strolling through some of the shops in Chama. The Mountaineer gift shop had been closed to move to a new location and we caught the owner while she was still setting up things in her new digs. She had a really nice place. Lots of cool stuff.

Hummingbirds get breakfast outside the Chama Station Inn.

Best tortillas of the whole trip at The High Country.

DRIVE TO ALBUQUERQUE

We then headed south on Rte. 84 and it was very pretty. So much of the trip was beautiful it was almost overwhelming. As we drove the scenery changed from rolling green hills to the red and orange strata of the rounded mountains of Georgia O'Keefe paintings. Probably because we were nearing the town of Abiquiu where she made her summer home.

OK, so my only shot of Cerro Pedernal is tiny and almost clouded over. Pedernal is the dark bump in the center of the shot. This is as close as we got before the clouds took over. O'Keefe has a painting of this Southwest landmark. It's peak is composed of several volcanic layers of different types of rock. The flows are almost 8 million years old.
A natural forming ampitheatre in the colorful rock.

We visited the Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Education & Visitor Center. This is not the Ghost Ranch conference center. It's an educational and interpretive center covering the geology, geography, cultural history and environment of this area and its people. It's a great place for kids. You can walk around a small look-out structure filled with O'Keefe artifacts. Lots of stuff she found on her many, many walks she took throughout the area. You can look through the telescope and see O'Keefe's house waaaaaaay across the way. And you can visit the Gateway Museum to learn about the multicultural traditions of this part of New Mexico. We ducked into the museum when another Southwest storm blew through. It didn't last long. We also were delighted by the variety of birds at the center. Birds we have never seen before in brilliant blues, greens and yellows.

A storm apporaches as we arrive at the visitor center.

Across the way is O'Keefe's home.
Inside the Gateway Museum.

SANTUARIO DE CHIMAYO

Just a few miles from Espanola, in Chimayo is El Santuario de Chimayo (the Lourdes of America). The sanctuary, a National Historic Landmark, was built between l8l4 and l8l6. The "miraculous" crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas was found around l8l0. The people of Potrero have passed on many traditions concerning the healing powers of El Santuario. Each year almost 300,000 people from all over the globe make a pilgrimage here to ask for help, or seek cures, or pray for loved ones.

The chain-link fence that borders one side of the grounds is adorned with homemade crucifixes crafted out of popsicle sticks, twigs, and plastic. Some have left commercially made momentos. At the various shrines some folks have left everything from photographs to stones to chewing gum to those glow sticks we used to use at the roller rink. And some have written personal notes to Jesus, to Saints or just to the universe at large and then tucked them into various nooks and crannies.

Unfortunately for the camera geeks out there and for people who love old churches, no photography is permitted in the church. But it is a feast for the eyes. Postcards do not do it justice (at least the postcards I found). The place is full of momentos, knick knacks, jewelry, articles of clothing, paintings, photos, folk art crafts, etc. Anything that a worshipper wanted blessed. Years and years of this has accumulated. There is also a small room where the faithful can collect sacred dirt from a hole in the ground. Some believe the dirt is blessed. Some believe it has healing powers, indicated by the dozens of physical aids hanging in the adjoining room like crutches and walkers and various braces.

I did get a shot of the exterior but with the plastic garbage can by the door, it’s simply a shot to remember the moment.

Potrero Trading Post (Vigil Store) where we indulged in bags of dried and ground chiles in various degrees of heat.

Outside the store we became friendly with a visiting feline. We asked inside about the cat’s name. I wish to hell I could remember it. I do remember, however, that when we asked for the English translation, we were told it meant, basically, “big balls.” Huh, I hadn’t noticed.

These are ristras, strings of dried red chiles. This tradition goes back centuries as a preservation method. All chiles first go green and this is when you pick them for green chile and green chile dishes. Let to fully ripen, they turn red. They are then strung and dried completely and can last a couple of years this way.

TESUQUE PUEBLO FLEA MARKET

On to the Pueblo of Tesuque Flea Market located right off of Highway 285, next to the Santa Fe Opera.

It's a huge area but it appeared that it wasn't completely set up. I could tell that only some of the vendors were present. And none of the food vendors were present so a snack was not an option. I think we hit it at a bad time. Still, there was plenty to explore. I kept one eye on an approaching storm. Sally wasn't bothered by the darkness making its way toward us. "This is what happens in the Southwest in the afternoon." But I told her that when I was a kid, if the sky looked like that, we ran across the street to hide in the neighbor's basement.

It didn't take too long for us to realize that the storm was going to interfere with whatever potential for shopping the day held. We headed back to the car but not without first obtaining the funkiest pair of earrings ever for S and an ocarina for me. An ocarina is an egg-shaped instrument with a mouthpiece and finger holes. Often made of terra cotta but can be made from wood, glass, metal, ceramic, etc. Mine is brightly adorned with a sun/moon face. The instrument has been around forever, possibly 12,000 years. And in Chinese and Mesoamerican cultures, they are often shaped like animals. In Western cultures, an Italian, Giuseppe Donati, is credited with the creation of the classical ocarina in the 19th century. The name ocarina is derived from the Italian for "little goose." And I bet no one, including me before researching this, knew that the instrumental break in the 1966 hit song Wild Thing by The Trogg's is an ocarina solo.
Air-guitar shmair-guitar. From now on it's air-ocarina, baby!

These oblong egg-shaped items on the floor (and dozens of smaller ones in the tubs on the table) are lingams. It's a symbol for the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. Yes, most people who know about lingams first think of the most popular respresentation, that of a phallus. There are, however, several other meanings such as means of proof, a stain, a mark of disease or the image of a god, to name a few.

HAIL STORM #1

We hit the road just in time. Just in time, that is, to miss being caught in a storm while at the market. And just in time to get caught in a hail storm. Traffic slowed to a crawl and then most of the cars, including us, simply pulled over and stopped. We were pummelled. The hail accumulated like snow.

WE MADE IT!

Brad and Nilufor warmly greeted us in their home. Sally and Brad go way back. After catching our breath for a while, we all took a great evening walk to the Nob Hill neighborhood to eat at La Provence. What delicious food and what great company.

DAY 9 SATURDAY MAY 26 ALBUQUERQUE

2007-05-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

ALBUQUERQUE FUN

The Frontier Restaurant is one of those institution places. Located directly across the street from University of New Mexico and open 24 hours, The Frontier must not be missed if you are in Albuqueque. It’s not all hype. The food is great. The place is the size of a whole block. Don’t be alarmed at the line when you first enter because the line moves thanks to six or seven cash registers and cashiers ready to take your order. The order boards are big and easy to read so there is no excuse for you to be unprepared when that green light indicates it's your turn to tell 'em how you want to chow down.

You don’t just order huevos rancheros, you need to indicate how you want your eggs and what kind of chile you want. Over-easy with green chile stew was my choice. After tasting Brad’s, it’s fresh green chile for me forever and ever. Chopped chunks of green chile. But who knew? Comes with beans and freshly made tortillas. The beans weren’t just refried beans. These actually had texture and flavor. My pics here are lame but that’s what I got. I didn’t bother to get shots of the John Wayne room. I was too full. Go there if you find yourself in Albuqueque. Just go.

B & N & Family were great tour guides through some of the funkier shops in this neighborhood. Peacecraft, a store that promotes fair trade in countries of the developing world, was another stop. Peacecraft also works to improve working and living conditions for the folks who create the goods. There was some really nice stuff here. I curbed my appetite and walked out with only dark chocolate and Tibetan incense.

Masks y Mas is one of those places I could spend money in. I love the Mexican folk art and the Day of the Dead motif items.

I’m loving the Day of the Dead Mariachi t-shirt I bought. This is a shot from their website, not an original photo.

ON SECOND THOUGHT

On our way out of Albuquerque we thought we’d head up the Sandia Mountains via the Sandia Peak Tramway. We didn’t have time to hike around once at the top but we thought it would be nice to see the view. I do, however, dream of going back for the hiking. This is a great Sandia hiking resource that has whetted my appetite.

The charge is $1 to enter the "grounds" on which the tramway is constructed. This area, Sandia Heights, I believe, is an exclusive housing development eating up any remaining mountain foothills. Nothing says development like a beautiful and accessible mountain range choked by a necklace of an oversized housing development.

The ticket line was long. The cost is $17.50. We had immediate second thoughts. Let's get a coffee, have a seat, and wait to see how fast the line moves. We approach the snack bar and ask for an iced coffee. No ice. We ask for a beer. Neither employee is old enough to serve it to us. We ask for chai and a big cup of ice and are successful. We sit outside on the patio which we have completely to ourselves. This is actually a good time for just sitting and enjoying the view of Albuqueque. We read, write postcards, call Stephanie, drink overly sweet chai. Another storm slowly moved in. Dark clouds and rain headed our way. But we sat. No rush. We're on vacation. And I'm completely pleased that we didn't pay $17.50 to be packed into a tram that we might ride in a storm.

As the storm approached it became harder to keep the postcards from blowing around. We got back in the car and hit the road, only to be packed into the traffic jam that held us to under 5 mph or a standstill for miles. Miles. OK, it was, I think, 7 miles but when you are not moving 7 miles takes forever.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN TO ESPANOLA

Luckily, we were only driving as far as Espanola this day. It was here where we had an incredibly delicious meal at El Paragua. This was the best overall dining out experience of the trip. At the risk of sounding like a tourist, I must admit that I ordered a sampler platter type entree. There were so many good things that I couldn't decide. This way I was able to taste their versions of things I was familiar with and try things I'd not heard of in the past. Good decision. What flavors! The little side cup of posole was less than mediocre but everything else was perfect. The carne adovada was tender and that sauce almost made me cry. A mix of red chile, cumin, oregano and who knows what else. That's a recipe I would love to get my hands on. And the beans didn't resemble baby food. They had texture, weren't waxy and just the right amount of heat. I can't wait to go back. The pictures were the best I could do considering I was basically taking pictures in a cave. It's too bad a punk-ass moron had to tag this cool tile piece at the entrance.

DAY 10 SUNDAY MAY 27 BACK ROAD TO ALMOST TAOS THEN TO DENVER

2007-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

THE ROAD TO ALMOST TAOS

We were up and in the car at a crazy early hour but we had may miles to cover to reach Denver at a decent time. I had plans to have dinner with Valerie and we were also thinking of rush hour traffic. Instead of a long day of highway driving, we opted to take a back road up to Toas. This was the best choice because it was one of the most beautiful rides I'd ever taken. If you ever get the chance, please drive north form Espanola to Taos. It follows the Rio Grande River and Rio Grande River Gorge. There are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to admire and you travel through part of the Carson National Forest. The only downside of leaving so early was that the many shops, wineries and cafes were not open. This stretch of highway, especially for the first 10 or so miles has a day's worth of tourist stop and shop fun. As we came out of the forest we could see hot air balloons floating over Taos in the distance.

We didn't actually go into Taos because it was a bit further north than we needed to travel. We did, however, stop in Ranchos de Taos for coffee at the brand new (only 4 days old) Milke Way Coffee and to snap a few shots outside the Ranchos de Taos Church.

After coffee we headed East on Rte. 64 and stopped in Angel Fire to snap one shot of a beautiful alpine lake but it turned out funky. Not sure if the film was old or the processing was bad. However, you can still get an idea of the pretty lake. Then it was on through Eagle Nest and Ute Park then up to I-25 to take us to Denver, Sally's hometown.

In the reflection of this way cool car you can see the church on the left and me right in the middle.

This is the shot of Angel Fire that came out freaky. I played with it as best I could so you can at least tell how scenic this place is. Basically a ski resort town because it's over 7,000 ft. in elevation.

WE MADE IT!

My mom and I met Val on our Rick Steves Barcelona tour in 2004. Concetta and Val hit it off immediately with their fondness for black clothes (in any weather), open sandals (in any weather), and hot flashes (you get the idea). They made quite a pair trying to share an umbrella on a rainy Barcelona day considering Val is about 6 inches taller than Concetta. Val and I ate at the Cherry Cricket. Great Cobb Salads. We caught up on family and friends and personal changes. Taking an after dinner walk while sipping a latte we walked right past North, the restaurant where Sally and Katherine were dining. We spotted them in the window and made silly faces at them. Fancy restaurants love that.

Katherine and Aiden added to kitties to their household. This is the younger one, Murray Mao. That collar is almost as big as his head. I hear that now he is plenty big and runs all over the house. When we visited, he and the older cat, Maeomi, were confined to Aiden's room because they were recovering from their spay and neutering procedures.

What's this fuzzy yellow thing?
Hey, someone left a fuzzy yellow thing over here!

DAY 11 MONDAY MAY 28 FULL DAY IN DENVER

2007-05-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

It was hot. But we grabbed the pooches and some water bottles and went for a long walk through Washington Park, one of Devner’s largest parks. It’s got a recreation center with indoor pool, bicycle/pedestrian pathway, boating, a crushed granite jogging path, fitness course, fishing, horseshoe pit, indoor pool, lawn bowling/croquet, soccer field, tennis courts, lighted tennis courts, two playgrounds, four picnic sites, boathouse pavilion, two lakes, 1/2 basketball court, two major flower gardens, and a youth fishing pond. Whew.

Sally loves this area because this is where she grew up at her grandparents' house. We walked over to the house and discovered it was for sale. 1200 sq. ft. for $525,000. The real estate flyer had plenty of color pictures and it was clear that this wasn't the same house of Sally's childhood. Gone was just about every original feature. The pretty stained glass window, however, has survived.

Once back home we realized that my mom's car had a flat tire. Sally's hunch was correct when we added air to the tire the previous day. Though it was Memorial Day, AAA was there in about 40 minutes to change the tire to the full-sized spare my mom had. The AAA guy had an attitude so it's a good thing he didn't say much. For example, I had mentioned that it was my mom's car. When he was finishing up, he commented that he wouldn't trust his kids take his car on a roadtrip. Now, I realize that I wasn't exactly dressed for the office in my cargo shorts, t-shirt and purple bandana tied into a head scarf. But, honestly, I hardly looked like a kid. I wanted to say, "Well, dude, if you still don't trust your kids when they're pushing 40 then it's probably a reflection of your parenting skills. So tighten those bolts and let's be done with this." But it was a holiday, I was on vacation, and I was at someone else's home - so I was nice.

Sally and I took a nice, long walk to meet Katherin, Aiden, and Claudia at Little Ollie's Asian Cafe. It took about 50 minutes and we walked through pretty neighborhoods. It's always good to walk. Ollie's, by the way, has great food. Highly recommended.

WALK BACK TO THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD

Sally's grandparents' house.

One of the few original features.
Sally and Katherine smoosh Aiden.
OK, dogs, the geese are in charge. The geese were very vocal in their protest of the pooches walking past. The dogs gave the geese plenty of room.
Mr. Tude from AAA.
This is Mac. He lives across the street.
Murray saw Maeomi as a mama figure. She had recently had a litter and I guess was still producing enough milk for a snack now and then. She didn't seem to mind if Murray had a sip or two.
Ahhhhh, that was good.
Extreme sports.

DAY 12 TUESDAY MAY 29 TO BOULDER AND BACK

2007-05-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sally and I took Aiden to school then hit the highway to Boulder. We had breakfast at The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. Beautiful decor and dozens of teas. Dushanbe is a village in Tajikistan and is a sister city of Boulder. More than 40 artisans in several Tajikistan cities created the elements of the Teahouse’s interior, including the hand-carved and hand-painted ceiling, tables, stools, columns, and exterior ceramic panels.

The view right above my head.
We then headed to Chautauqua Park to catch a trail that afforded a great view of the Flatirons (So named because pioneer women settlers though they looked like the flat irons used to pressed clothing.). Again, we felt the effects of altitude on this hike. The scenery is really pretty, so much greener than some of the landscape we had been seeing. Up, up, up we hiked. Sally had done this hike years ago. We wouldn't get as far as she had in the past because of, yes, another storm. Another hail storm to be exact. This time we didn't have the protection of the car. We donned our raingear but hail is still cold and wet on bare legs.
The Flatirons.

Um, another storm approaches.
Laugh now, Sally, but in five minutes the lightening will give us second thoughts about continuing. Three minutes after that the rain will force us to break out the rain gear. And one minute after that, we will be hiking quickly through a hail storm. Hail is cold. Hail stings when it pelts your legs. The ground around here must not be used to too much moisture because it did a horrible job of absorbing this storm. So we headed back to the car as quickly but as carefully as possible, dodging running water on the trail. We were well into this hike so it took us a while to reach the car. The rain and hail had ceased before we got back to the car but the chill in the air remained.

After the hike we wanted a warm place to explore and we wanted coffee. We headed over to the Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian shopping, dining, arts, park area. Check out the Pearl Street Mall Live Cam. Many of these buildings are old and historic. We stopped in to a couple of bookstores, including Boulder Book Store. The attached BookEnd Espresso Café makes really good coffee and the cookie we shared was heaven.

On the drive back to Denver we listened to 102.5 KCUV, a radio station Sally has been listening to for years. Luckily, she can hear it any time she likes via the Internet. Once back home, Sally and I made dinner for us all and we had a nice relaxing evening playing with the critters and wrapping our brains around Aiden's master riddles.

'

DAY 13 WEDNESDAY MAY 30 TO MOAB

2007-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

ON THE ROAD TO MOAB

We were up early again the next day to hit the road. Destination - Moab, Utah and Arches National Park.

Part of our journey this day would take us over the Continental Divide on Highway 6 over Loveland Pass, peaking at almost 12,000 ft. Plenty of snow still to be seen on the mountains. Did you know that every continent, except Antarctica, has a continental divide? On North America, it runs from northwestern Canada down along the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico. In Mexico it follows the Sierra Madre Occidental. For the most part, it separates the flow of water between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Then again, some water never makes it to either end but you get the idea.

We sped through the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel. At over 11,000 ft., this is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world. It’s built under the Continental Divide. The westbound lanes ride through the Eisenhower side and the eastbound lanes through the Edward C. Johnson side. Johnson was a former Governor of Colorado.

Drove through Vail. Little to report. Rich, white people who ski.

The town of Parachute, Colorado has a lovely rest stop.

To get to Moab we took another back road route. The Colorado River Scenic Byway winds for 44 miles along the Colorado River. The rock gets red again and you are privvy to great views of the The Fisher Towers and the La Sal Mountains. It was along this route that I got my first glimpse of the wild (or tame) pronghorn. It's a really beautiful animal. There were plenty to be seen along the way, mostly just hanging out in the grass. The other critter we saw plenty of, including the road kill version, was either the Gunnison Prairie Dog or the White-tailed Prairie Dog, based on habitat information I found on the Internet. We could plainly see plenty of them scurrying to and from their burroughs or just sitting up on their hind legs. However, many were seen dead in the road. In fact, I've never seen so many dead things in the road, let alone the same type of dead thing in the road. You'd count a dozen within a mile in some cases. I can't imagine they are very fast when compared to a car moving at 60-75 mph, especially at night.

We reached Moab and Sally went in to secure the hotel room. While I waited in the car I fiddled with the radio. Discovered KZMU 90.1, Moab Community Radio. What luck! A fabulous show called Odd Bins was airing. Hosted by Vicky and Pedis, two imports from Europe, the show covers a wide range of eclectic stuff. But I was lucky enough to land on the show when they were taking an hour to play really bad music. They said so. They were introducing a song, recorded in France, by San Antonio Spur's Tony Parker. The song is called "Balance-toi" I think? I'm pretty sleuth-like on the Internet and I was able to find the playlist for May 30th to confirm that, indeed, I had heard correctly. I know little of sports and I'd like to keep it that way. But I must admit, hearing this song made me laugh and shake my head and wonder why the guy just doesn't stick to what he does well. Not to mention, the French should stay away from hip-hop. The language is a mouth full of wet raisins as it is. The radio station, however, I really dig so it now has a place on my laptop.

Some shots of driving over the Continental Divide and Loveland Pass. Really big mountains.

Zooming through the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel.

We begin our drive along the Colorado River Scenic Byway and the red rock begins again.

Fisher Towers and the La Sal Mountains.

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
It's kind of like landing on another planet. The expanse is overwhelming and it's dotted with the oddest rock formations.

The La Sal Mountains are a vivd contrast to the red rock of Arches National Park.

You can see Window Arch in the distance, left of center. The hole in the arch appears dark.

A few shots of Delicate Arch, probably the most recognizable of the arches. You can hike all the way to this or take a shorter (but steep) hike to a viewing point. Again, not quite enough time for a long hike but from the view point I got nice shots. I played with the below shot to give it an other-worldly feel because much of Arches is like nothing you've seen before.

Approaching The Fiery Furnace.

This is a very errie formation that reminds me of a character in a scary movie. It's like a menacing figure that appears from the shadows.
Walking up to the Window Arches.
I believe this is one Window Arch (above).
And this is the other, larger one (above).
This is Turret Arch (above).
Here I am under the larger Window Arch.
This is Double Arch but it's hard to see. By the time we got to it, the sun we staring me right in the face. You can walk right up to it but then it would all be in the dark. You do what you can when the sun is in charge of your light.
This formation at Park Avenue remided me of the famous bust and profile of Nefertiti.

I thought this Shot of Park Avenue looked classier in a golden version of black and white.

Back in Moab and needing food we landed in the Slickrock Café. Here we discovered icy cold Evolution Amber.
Moon over Main Street in Moab.

DAY 14 THURSDAY MAY 31 MOAB TO BRYCE

2007-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

LEAVE MOAB ON THE ROAD TO PANGUITCH

Of course we went looking for coffee as soon as we left the motel. Had spotted Peace Tree Café the night before but figured we’d be on the road before they opened at 8 am. Well, we kind of were but by the time we got coffee at Red Rock Bakery & Net Café, we could have tried Peace Tree. Red Rock made good coffee but, man, it took way too long by the time ONE barista waited on everyone and chatted it up with the locals. Look, baristas of the world, when there is a line, ZIP-IT and start pulling shots. Talk to your friends later. While you’re at it, get a website, Red Rock Bakery & Net Café.

Today's destination, Bryce Canyon National Park. Our jumping off point, the tiny town of Panguitch, Utah. Too bad but we were at least a week too early for the Quilt Walk but we saw many of the quilts being hung around town. We were a bit concerned that the quilts would be hanging outside for days before the festival began - considering how much work goes into a quilt. Then again, what do I know from quilts?

Needing lunch before we explored Bryce, we shopped for grub at the grocery store then carried it on over to the lawn of the courthouse for a picnic. We weren’t sure if it was allowed but we had seen a young family packing up their picnic when we arrived so we figured they were either finished with their meal or had been run off. Either way, we’d find out soon. But no one cared that we held our picnic on the courthouse lawn. People waved and were really friendly.

Cycling is really big in Moab. This mural took up the whole side of a building advertising Poison Spider Bicycle. I hope you can see that giant Black Widow coming after the cyclists. I hope she catches them. They never watch where they are going.
In a shop window on Main St. In Moab I spotted this eerie chimnea full of faces.

BRYCE NATIONAL MONUMENT

While in Bryce we had the chance to see the Utah Prairie Dog, the California Condor, or the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher , though all are listed under the Endangered Species Act. I saw enough prairie dogs along Rte. 128 to Moab. If we saw a Southwestern Willow Flycatcher we didn't know it. But, man, to see a California Condor - that would have made the day.

Bryce is a geologic playground. Three climatic zones span 2,000 ft. of elevation. This results in an amazing degree of biodiversity. It's vast. The air is clear and you can see for miles across the canyon from any one point.

You can barely comprehend the vastness.
We will soon be hiking through some of this.

You can get right up close to the hoodoos.

I pause to snap a shot before I join Sally on the other side of this archway. I'd like to point out and, yes, burst some bubbles out there, that the archways on this hike are not natural. If you look for more than 2 seconds, you can see where they have been created to blend into the existing geography. This didn't stop lots of people from gathering to shot pictures of loved-ones standing right next to the opening of the archway and marvelling at how they were formed right from the rock.

I rest.
I think this formation in the middle looks like a prehistoric turtle face.
I can see one huge eye and the tiny nostril in the bottom right of this shot. Looks like they had jet planes in prehistoric times.

Now, here are two naturally forming "bridges" that are indicated in the hiking info. Through some crazy work of the elements over tens of thousands of years, these two shirt bridges were formed.
We had to climb this series of switch-backs on our way back up from the bottom of the hike. Luckily, it was shaded. However, it was very hot that day, this climb was steep, and we were already at an elevation that made our lungs work harder than normal. We took our time and stopped for breaks. If you want to get back to the parking lot, you gotta climb. You can see other hikers at various points of their treks.

Getting closer to the top.
I love the clouds peeking through the hoodoos.

Back in town and hungry, we were faced with pickings almost as slim as in Chinle, AZ. But we decided to give Grandma Tina's Spaghetti House a chance. I was intrigued that there are or ever were Italians in Panguitch. The Italian part is legit, proven by family photos hanging on the walls and even Grandma Tina’s naturalization papers. The food was extremely mediocre and took a long time. Um, how long does it take to fry up two freakin’ veggie patties? The beer wasn’t cold enough and took a looooong time to arrive. The waitress wasn’t old enough to serve it and the two guys in back were old enough but not by much. Not old enough to know that people shouldn’t wait that long for two bottles of beer, especially when, counting me and Sally, there were THREE people in the whole place. If she's in one, Grandma Tina is shaking her fist in her grave.

DAY 15 JUNE 1ST TO ZION THEN BACK TO VEGAS

2007-05-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Rising early and packing the car for the last time was a pretty good feeling. As fun as vacation is, you reach a point where you miss your home. Knowing we were almost home (either Vegas or Seattle) gave us a relaxed feeling about the day ahead.

We were headed to Zion National Monument. The drive there was peaceful and beautiful. Alas, we were disappointed to discover that very little of the park can be accessed on your own. The bulk of the juicy stuff, all the stuff folks go there to see, is accessible only by shuttle. Shame on us for not checking in to that. We had planned all along to just cruise around and pick and choose a couple of really nice spots to explore before we headed to Vegas. But the shuttle would have delayed our plans. Yes, you can jump on and off the shuttle as you like. But once committed to the shuttle, you ran on its schedule. And we knew we didn't have time for that. As much as we wanted to see Zion, we knew getting back to Vegas at a decent time was important. We had plenty of work to do before we left for Seattle the next day. We did, however, enjoy the ride to the visitor center, about 13 miles. Very scenic, twisty, narrow road.

These are the only two shots of Zion.

Instead of exploring the park, we explored the gift shop which was pretty nice. We left the park and then got coffee - what else? This would be the last latte on the road. We chose Café Soleil just outside of the park in Springdale, UT. Springdale has everything you need if you are on your way into or out of Zion. After coffee we hit the road to Vegas. Leaving this early would put us into Vegas hours ahead of schedule.

On the way to Vegas we traveled through some really barren parts of Utah. Holy cannoli there is nothing but nothing in that part of the world. It's not so bad from Springdale to about the Washington and St. George area but then I-15 gets barren. We dipped into Arizona for a bit but then enter Nevada at Mesquite. Not sure why this town exists. Perhaps at one point there was a more practical reason but now it's simply a resort town and nothing more. Basically, a baby Vegas. They harnessed some of the power of the Virgin River and turned a sun-baked spot into a small oasis so people can drink and gamble and play golf. Just keep driving.

Once back in the metro Vegas area we hit traffic. Where was everyone going in the early afternoon? We still made it back early in the afternoon.

Once home we unpacked, did laundry, relaxed, ate, re-packed. Sally and I had my mom's car washed then did the detail work ourselves. That evening Stephanie and Sally got pedicures at Red Rock Nails while I hung out by the pool and drank beer. I also watched VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft Rock Songs and drank beer. I was, after all, still on vacation. My mom was in Cleveland visiting family.

DAY 16 JUNE 2ND BACK TO SEATTLE

2007-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, all good things must end. Then again, it doesn't really end - it's just put on hold. You need to travel with the point of view of one who will return. It helps you prioritize and helps you put in perspective the fact that you can't do it all on one vacation. This was a fabulous taste of the Southwest. Because of this jam-packed sampler, I saw enough to know for sure I'd like to return. Still, it's a bit sad to see it come to an end.

We had a relatively leisurely morning. Our flight didn't leave until 1 pm. Dave and Steph made sure to send me out in style by presenting me with a custom made sun visor. No respect.

It was good to be back in Seattle. From the airport we caught a cab home. We had an extra day to get things in order before returning to work. It's hard to go back to work after such a long time away. However, if we don't work, we can't play. Another trip is already in the works for my birthday next year, a milestone birthday. Stay tuned.