Colorado National Monument – July 23, 2015

Thursday we drove to Grand Junction, CO, and spent a few hours driving through Colorado National Monument. The national monument consists of canyons, mesas, and beautifully sculpted rock.

Arches National Park – July 22, 2015

Wednesday we went into Arches National Park. It’s perhaps the least impressive of all the parks we’ve seen, but maybe we are just getting our fill of looking at red rocks. The park was really crowded, and it was tough getting pictures of the arches without tons of people in them. We did quite a bit of hiking. Most of the trails we took were short (1/2 to 1 mile long), but they added up. I had 20,000 + steps on my pedometer at the end of the day (approximately 9 to 10 miles).

We started the day hiking down the Park Place trail. The trail goes down between monuments that resemble a city skyline. The park got hit by the same storm that hit Canyonlands National Park, and there was standing water in some of the depressions in the sandstone. The deeper pools contained tadpoles and snails.

At the North and South Window, we took the formal hiking trail to the both arches and to Turret Arch. Then we took the “rustic” trail around the back of North and South Windows. It was a nice hike, as there were few people on the trail.

Double Arch is two arches that are joined at one end.

Delicate Arch is probably the most recognizable arch in the park. We didn’t take the 3 mile trail to the base of the arch. Instead, we just hiked to the upper and lower viewpoints.  

At Sand Dune Arch was an easy hike over sandy terrain.

 
On our way to Skyline Arch, two mule deer crossed the trail in front of us. They didn’t seem afraid of us at all. They looked up at us a few times and then continued about their business.

 

At Tunnel Arch, we spent more time looking at a collared lizard than the arch. The lizard was stalking a huge fly sitting on a rock. Mike and I stood there watching for about 10 minutes, along with two guys trying to photograph the lizard in action. I didn’t realize exactly how quick a lizard could move. It leaped up to the rock, captured the fly, and swallowed it in the blink of an eye. After its lunch, it kept moving into our shadows to get some relief from the heat, and even let me reach down and stroke it.

At Pine Tree Arch we met a nice couple from the San Francisco Bay area. They had just completed the Devils Garden Trail, and said it was the most beautiful hike they had ever been on. It was a 7.2 mile hike that includes several arches. We were already hiked out. Maybe next time.

We missed the turn for Balanced Rock on our way into the park, but caught it on our way out.

Canyonlands National Park – July 21, 2015

Tuesday, we drove from Cortez to Moab, AZ. We went into Canyonlands National Park after lunch. It’s reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, but not as deep. We ran into a thunderstorm on the way out of the park (lightning, thunder, and torrential rains), but it cleared up as we headed back to camp in Moab.

There is controversy as to whether Upheaval Dome is really a salt dome or whether it was caused by a meteor strike.

Mesa Verde National Park – July 20, 2015

Sunday morning we headed north to Cortez, CO. Cortez is a quaint little town. It’s a little touristy, as it’s so close to Mesa Verde National Park, but I think maybe it deserves to be on our list for possible places to retire. We drove into Durango in the afternoon, very touristy. Not really our cup of tea. We looked at some new housing there, but the houses were too close together. I think we need a little breathing space.

Monday we went into Mesa Verde National Park. We did the whirlwind tour of the park, driving all the park roads and stopping at the highlights. First, we hiked the 0.5 mile trail to Spruce Tree House. Spruce Tree House is the third largest cliff dwelling, and possibly the most well preserved. It was constructed between 1211 and 1278 AD. There was a park ranger there that was training a new ranger, and it was interesting to hear her point out features we may have missed if she wasn’t there (the baby’s footprint in one of the rooms, the impressions of the corn cobs in some of the architecture, and so forth).

We then took the tour to the Cliff Palace ($4.00 per person, tours fill up quickly in the summer). The Cliff Palace is probably the most famous dwelling, and is the largest cliff dwelling. It’s an hour tour, and although it’s only ¼ mile, you descend many steps and climb four ladders (what goes down, must come up). Cliff Palace was constructed in the 1200s.

We also bought tickets to the Long House tour (also $4.00), but there was a 2 ½ hour gap between the end of the Cliff Palace tour and the Long House tour. We stopped and looked at some of the ruins on the top of the mesa and had lunch at the Far View terrace.

The Long House tour is probably the most in-depth tour. Last year, it was a ¾ mile hike, as there was a shuttle that took people from the gathering place on Wetherill Mesa to the trailhead. However, there is no shuttle this year (we asked, but never got a good answer as to why). So, it’s now a 2.25 mile hike. During the hike, the guide talked about the different animals we may encounter: feral horses and mountain lions and bears, oh my! We didn’t see any mountain lions, but we saw the feral horses and there was bear scat just outside the ruins. It started to rain on our way to the ruins, and by the time we arrived, we had to seek shelter in the kiva of the ruins. It was a nice way to experience what the Indians did when a storm rolled in. Long House is the second largest ruin. It was constructed in 1200.

On the Road Again

We spent the 4^th of July in Las Vegas with my parents and watched all the neighbors set off the “safe and sane” (heh) fireworks. On the 8^th, the A/C was repaired again. Unfortunately, it stopped working two days later. The following Monday, we showed up on Johnnie Walker’s doorstep, hoping that the third time was the charm. In their defense, the leak was in a really difficult spot to repair. It’s where the copper tubes attach to the coils. If this doesn’t work, I think it’s time to replace the condenser coils, if available. Keep your fingers crossed.

It turns out it was a good thing for us to be in Las Vegas. Mom got sick and ended up in the hospital. I won’t go into all the details here, but she is at home and doing fine now. We were able to be there for both Mom and Dad. It also gave Mike some time to help his brother, Cliff, repair his car.

We got back on the road again on Friday, July 17. We had an easy drive to Kingman, AZ, where we looked at some houses and property, and spent the night.

On Saturday, July 18, we continued our journey towards Flagstaff. However, all the RV parks we called in Flagstaff were full, so we ended up in Holbrook, AZ. While there, we went to the Petrified Forest National Park, which encompasses part of the Painted Desert. Not really a whole lot to see, but there is some pretty scenery.

Overview from Pintado Point

Painted Desert Inn

This 1932 Studebaker marks the area where route 66 once cut through the park.

This petroglyph is from the Puerco Pueblo part of the park. The Puerco Pueblo was built approximately between 1250 and 1380.

Layers of sediment deposited by ancient rivers in the Triassic era give the distinctive colors to the Tepees in the Blue Mesa area of the park.

This photo was taken in the Jasper Forest area of the park. There were hundreds of petrified logs in the area. Unfortunately, most were off in the distance, and I do not have a telephoto lens (just a point and shoot camera). I thought this was a more interesting view. You can see some of the logs in the upper-right corner of the photo.

Petrified wood in the Giant Logs area of the park. Petrified wood was formed when ancient trees fell and were buried by layers of silt and volcanic ash, which slowed the wood’s decay. Ground water, laden with silica, seeped through the logs and replaced the wood’s tissues with silica. The colors come from minerals in the silica, such as iron, carbon, and manganese.

The largest specimen in this area is Old Faithful, which is about 10 feet in diameter. 

 

 

Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park – July 02, 2015

Today we went back into Zion National Park to hike the trail to Angel’s Landing. We got to the trailhead around 7:00 am, and there were already a bunch of people on the trail. It was overcast, so it was a little cooler than normal (thank goodness). The trail to Angel’s Landing is 5.4 miles long and considered strenuous, as there is an elevation change of 1488 feet. There are also parts where the trail is very narrow and on the edge of the cliffs. There are chains in place for you to grab ahold of in these sections. I made it through the first narrow section, but had a panic attack in one spot. I sat on top of one of the cliffs while Mike continued on to the top of Angel’s Landing.

Tomorrow we are heading back to Las Vegas, because our air conditioner stopped working again a few days ago. We have an appointment to have it fixed next week.