Hanging in Mesa and Pinnacle Peak

Rolled into the Phoenix area and spent 3 nights at our friend, Marle's vacation house in the Senior Summer Camp where she is snow birding.

Enjoyed our Pickleball lessons and some serious competition in the balmy 72 degree weather.  First time we have worn shorts in a long time!  Also enjoyed golf, swimming, biking, and an outdoor party!

"Cowgirls don't wear neckties."

Were distraught that the vintage ties we found in my brother's closet were snipped off when we went to dinner at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse with my mom and her friend, Desi.  But not very distraught!

Dixie, Maria, and Marle on our hike in Mesa at Usery State Park.  Not really in the middle of nowhere, but  looks like it!

Grooving on the rocks, sunshine, and vista.

Can you find the hiker?

Northern Arizona

Dirk took this picture along the historic Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ, site of the Teepee Hotel!

Had to stop at the "Standin on the Corner" park in Winslow, AZ---here it is.....but you can't here the Eagles music playing in the street.  The windows behind are painted and the wall behind is not real!

Dirk by the Flatbed Ford "slowing down to take a look at me...."

View of the corner and the park and the flatbed ford in Winslow, AZ.

I discovered this butterfly on Dirk's head while we were eating dinner in the RV!

Why was this skunk along beaver creek?  Identity problem?  Dirk was afraid it would come live under our RV!

Cute javalina sculptures at Red Rock Country Visitor Center.

Two brothers riding the javelinas!  The baby was a very small  horsey!

In Homolovi State Park in N. Arizona you could actually pick up and examine all these shards of pottery.  They were everywhere in the ruined pueblos.

Another lovely but lonely campground.  I -40 trucks are blowing by in the distant background.  We are happy any campgrounds are still open in the cold highlands!

This may not look like a calendar, but it is. The two protruding boulders at the top cast a light on various petroglyphs on the face below, indicating various solar times and events like planting time.

One of the cool petroglyphs from above.  These are not sickles but are two figures dancing (note feet at bottom.  Discovered at the V Bar V ranch in N. Arizona near Sedona.

The tiny white spot in the greenery is our RV as viewed from the Brins Mesa trail near Sedona, AZ and gives a hint as to the fabulous scenery

Hiking the Brins Mesa trail in the red rock district of Sedona before heading to the Phoenix area.

At Walnut Canyon near Flagstaff Arizona you get to walk along a level of the canyon wall where the cliff dwellings of the Sinagua people were built.

Colorado to Navajo Country

Well, we indeed were able to escape from Colorado and have been out of comunicado for over a week as we checked out the remote Four Corners Region.  In three days we are due back into civilization as we join friends Marle and Maria in Mesa, Arizona, so we have two more days of wandering left.  Heard the coyotes howling as we set up camp (plugged in to power and water) in our moonlit site above Winslow, Arizona. Tomorrow I insist on seeing the "Standin on the Corner" park, since I love the Eagles song regarding Winslow!

Read the sign.  Who let Dirk loose?

Close up of the amazing sandstone we climbed in Canyon de Chelly Natl Monument

Hired a Navajo Guide to take us into Canyon de Chelly.
Here is the trail down.  Amazing sandstone!
The valley floor was settled by his family and included
scattered minor cliff dwellings and pictographs.

Trail down into canyon to view Betatakin ruins at Navajo Natl Monument.

View of Betatkin Cliff Dwelling from
top of Canyon.

View of Betatkin Cliff Dwelling from bottom of Canyon.

Dirk playing Twister at Four Corners.  Right hand on Colorado!
 Left foot on Utah!
Watched a Navajo flint knapper here and bought an arrow from him.

Cool part of Navajo country....sheep.  Had a 5 minute delay to let this group pass by!

Drive into Monument Valley was better than the actual Park, which is run by Navajos and like going to Mexico.  Chose not to stay, but leaving at dusk gave us quite a show

Some of the ruins at Mesa Verde.  Only got to tour one Cliff Dwelling, but got to look at lots from the top of the canyon.  Note that the "green mesa" was all burned up and black.

The climb up the dune mountains.  Look for firm sand!!!  Crawl if you have to!

The Californians....dragged up their lawn chairs to catch some rays in the south facing dunes.  No margaritas though! Note Dixie in background catching her own rays (and breath).

Dirk running down the dunes after I showed him that
death was unlikely.

Dix running down the dunes.  Weeeeeee!

The Great Sand Dues Natl Park viewed from our nearby campsite.  Note the layers of  terrain, from the Juniper in the foreground, to the sage high desert, to the dues, the forested mountains, and the snowy peaks. The dunes are at 8,000 feet and our campsite was at 9000 feet.  No wonder the Zapata Falls were frozen!  We have really relied on our propane heater!

Viewed in the daytime, the San Juan river in Pagosa Springs with its Hot Springs Resort all along one bank. Note the volcano in the background that feeds out 140 degree water.  It looks way cooler at night....see below!

Pagosa Springs, Colorado, really has springs.....hot ones!  This volcano-seeming outflow of one of the springs fed into a set of about 12 hot tubs ranging from 96 to 11 degrees.  For a not-so-modest fee we enjoyed running through the cold air from one pool to another in our night here. Followed up by hanging out in a bar and listening to 3 hours nonstop guitar/folk music while watching the Stanford-Oregon football game.

Another artsy photo of sunset (and Venus) at Navajo National Monument from our campsite.  Note decal sticker count.  This was a beautiful isolated area where we had a private guided hike by Navajo, Jim Black, into a canyon to view Betatakin cliff dwelling up close and personal.

This was part of the 3 mile round-trip hike down to Betatakin. We are getting used to the 7000 foot elevation and it wasn't even that hard getting up!  Doug Fir in the canyon....what is with that?

To and from Denver

Freeeeeezing in Colorado!  Almost ran out of gas at 11,000+ feet in the snow going into Denver.  Very nerve-racking!  Now we are trying to figure out how to get out of here when every road out involves a pass over 9,000 feet!  Most of the campgrounds and attractions are shut down for the season as of Nov 1, so we are having to make plans A, B, C, and beyond!

Had a relatively warm stay in Denver so that we could enjoy cruising the zoo with Dirk's sister, Jeri, and her husband, Andy.  Besides seeing a Bongo, possibly the great grandchild of the Bongo my grandfather captured in Africa and delivered to the Cleveland Zoo, the highlight was watching Andy making a continuous stream of popcorn emerge from one pan into three large bowls, without stopping popping!  We appreciated the chance to visit and got help cleaning our RV, shopping, and laundering.

Heading south we have scoped out the cool little town of Manitou Springs and are camped above the town of Colorado Springs, looking out at the lights from the RV.

Bike Riding in Grand Junction while it was still  warm (as in maybe 50's)

The start of the Rockies!

Sunny Colorado day with Jeri and Andy at the Denver Zoo.

Halloween day celebration:  peach fried pies at the famous fruit stand and our  exotic squashes to grace the dash board!

Bongo.  Grandfather captured two for the Cleveland Zoo.  They are a surprise to find at a zoo.  Could this one be related?

Rusty the Snowman, one of the fun art pieces in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

We encountered this ostrich on our bike ride in Grand Junction.  The drumstick made me think of Thanksgiving!!!

Andy's amazing endless popcorn production process.  (yes, we ate all this while playing cards!)

Start of our hike to Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs, CO

Terminus of our hike to Hanging Lake:  note white stuff.