Arturo Jr. got the travel bug after a couple of day trips with us and was looking for another road adventure, so we obliged him. Let’s go further; into Utah and Colorado, we’ll go.
Bryce to the Great Basin – Day 2
Caves: we love caves. Magical wonders of chemistry at work to create some of the greatest artworks. A human can make a piece of art in minutes, maybe even years, but it takes nature centuries to slowly and methodically alter reality, shaping it into a complexity that bends the mind and delights the eyes.
Lehman Caves were discovered more than a century ago by Absalom Lehman. It is being discovered all over again by John and Caroline Wise today.
This is one of those days that I wish I had a better camera and lens. Using a flash on our cheapo camera with relatively poor optics in a dark place without sunlight really shows how much room digital cameras have left to improve. I took this picture, which is a close-up view of the previous image, with the hopes you might have a better understanding of just how intricate and colorful these formations are.
These are the paintbrushes nature uses to build her artworks. Loaded in those drops of water are dissolved minerals whose molecular structure is able to adhere to other similar molecules as they wash over a surface, thus collecting to form the stalagmites, stalactites, ribbons, crusts, and other beautiful shapes that adorn this cave.
Met this couple up in the park; they were looking for a ride back down to town. Where was their car? Well, they didn’t have one as they were biking across America and hot gotten a ride up to the park earlier. It’s always a grand surprise and inspiration to run into people on the most extraordinary adventures.
Driving south because, ultimately, we’ll have to pull into home at some point today.
First though, we had to stop at Valley of Fire State Park north of Lake Mead due to the name sounding pretty intriguing. I present you with the worst photo ever taken of Elephant Rock in the park. Check on the internet, and you’ll be assured that this is seriously the worst ever.
Has anyone else ever heard of the place called Valley of Fire? It’s kind of like Valley of the Gods over in Utah in that a close neighbor overshadows the smaller cousin. Only 50 miles away is Las Vegas, and it seems that when visitors there have a bit of extra time, they head over for an excursion to the Grand Canyon. But what of people who live in the general area? I’ve never had anyone give us a tip about these lesser-known locations; we must stumble into them. So there is then this whole serendipitous aspect to our travels, and of course, that’s always a good thing.
I swear that those Native Americans who cruised through these environments leaving graffiti wherever they felt like should be held accountable. And if we can’t do this posthumously, then maybe we should take it up with their descendants. I hope you know that was meant tongue-in-cheek as I find these sites to be treasure troves of awe and mystery.
We’ve never been to the Wave over near Antelope Canyon, so for today, this will have to do as a surrogate. You say it doesn’t remotely compare? Well, come on, use your imagination: rock, stripes, desert, it kind of has all the elements. In a few hours, we’ll be home, and another great weekend will be in the bag.
Bryce to the Great Basin – Day 1
We’ve been by the Coral Pink Sand Dunes before when the bright sun of the middle of the day helps them live up to their name. Here in the early morning dawn, they may seem a bit lackluster, but don’t let that keep you away.
Just as the sun is about to creep over the mountains, we hit a patch of fog, making for some fairly nice god rays.
Today’s first major destination is Bryce Canyon National Park for a hike into a canyon.
The Queen’s Garden / Navajo Loop trail is a 2.9-mile round trip and offers some of the best views of Bryce Canyon, which looks totally different from below than from above.
Like all places we’ve been to the view changes dramatically when you change the location from which you are doing your gazing.
I cannot describe the depth, smell, and feel of the air and its temperature on my skin. I’ll never be able to adequately explain how the colors and contrast between blue and red challenged my eyes to find as much detail as I could. This photo is a weak reminder, albeit an important one, as it brings me back to the day, but I had to be here in person to create a sense of firsthand knowledge. While I would like to encourage everyone to get out and see the land where they live, I also have to be thankful that the majority are satisfied with the television view of our reality from the comfort of their own homes.
Our second national park of the day requires us to change states and make our way to Nevada. It’s only a few hours away, so it’s well worth the minor effort.
We are at Great Basin National Park, driving up into the mountains.
This is the reason we are here today: the bristlecone pine tree. These trees can live up to 5,000 years and survive the worst conditions in the worst soils. When a tree dies, it is often that only a part of it will fall dead while the other half continues growing for centuries. The part that has died can dry into a wood that is often harder than steel. To get to these incredible trees, you’ll have to head to the trailhead at 10,000 feet and then climb another 800 feet to the trees.
Just the idea that these trees were standing vigil high in the mountains watching countless generations of humans come and go while we entered the Bronze Age, built the pyramids, learned to sail across oceans, ushered in the Renaissance, learned to fly, and built weapons that could destroy most life on Earth. Prior to today, I don’t believe I ever thought that I’d reach out and touch a living thing that was thousands of years old.
We’re gonna hang out in Baker, Nevada tonight as we didn’t have time to visit the caves up in the Great Basin and have decided to pay them their due in the morning.
For Alka’s Upcoming Wedding Reception
We received a special request from Sonal’s sister Anju, “Would we be willing to share our photos to make some inspirational images that could be hung at Alka’s upcoming reception following her wedding?”
I let them know that I’d be thrilled to share something and put them together, but I wasn’t sure my photos would give them the effect they were looking for. While Caroline and I love our travel photos, we can’t be sure that our bias is that we’ve been there and seen these places firsthand, thus making us more attracted to them.
So from the Oregon coast to Crater Lake also in Oregon, a trail in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, Santa Monica beach in California, Multnomah Falls off the Columbia River in Oregon, a trail in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, a Magnolia flower in Savanah, Georgia, and back to the Teton Range for a view over the Oxbow of the Snake River, I felt I had some passable photos for the messages they wanted to present.
We were still months away from them using the images, which was okay because they were going to India to be printed on wood.
When they were finished, I was impressed that these were, in fact taken by Caroline and me while out exploring places that had been new to our eyes and would soon be tied into the beginning of a marriage between two young adults.
Looking at these, I knew I’d like them all to hang in our house, but of course, they were part of Alka’s and Hitesh’s wedding, so instead, I asked if it were possible to have one of them as a keepsake after the events.
It’s quite the honor to have been asked to share something that Caroline and I share in love with the hope that love comes through not only the image but the beautiful texts that Anju had chosen.
This has given me an idea for Caroline’s upcoming birthday; let’s see if I can create something “relatively” similar for her.
Monument Valley Day Trip
You should try something like this one day. Jay Patel and I left Phoenix at about 7:30 a.m. and drove north. This field of bright yellow flowers on the last day of summer, a day before fall, was so striking, and in contrast to the rest of the drive, we just had to stop and take a photo.
Wow, it feels like I was just here; oh yeah I was two days ago with Caroline. It’s great to be sharing this stuff with someone else who can appreciate the beauty. We are at the Sunset Crater National Monument.
Of course, our next stop would then take us for a walk at Wupatki National Monument because that’s what’s at the northern end of the road that drives past Sunset Crater. The circle on the right is not the remnants of a kiva but is believed to have been a sports ring of some sort.
We have a destination in mind that requires us to pass through Kayenta, allowing for a stop at the Elephant Feet.
These day trips are not always easy, but they are always worthwhile. We made our way out to Monument Valley here in Utah for a drive under the formations. It’s only about 330 miles from home but as far away from routine as one can get.
This magical place allowed Jay to quantum teleport to superposition himself in five simultaneous locations for this snapshot overlooking Monument Valley.
The horseshoe bend at Goosenecks State Park was about our furthest north location. Truth is, I was hoping beyond hope that I might score a steak in Mexican Hat at the home of the swinging steak, but that dream fulfillment wasn’t in the cards.
We’re on the 191 heading south onto the Navajo Reservation; we have plans.
Those plans work out perfectly as we arrive for sunset at Canyon De Chelly National Monument.
By 9:00 p.m., we were standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, but not for long, as we had to make tracks back down to Phoenix. It would be close to midnight before we got home. Not a bad way to spend 16 hours if you ask me.
Flagstaff Area in Arizona
This was but one stop on a day trip that took us to Montezuma Well. Caroline had been curious about this place after I told her about it on one of my solo trips, and so here we are. This flow from the Well travels through a crack and down to an irrigation canal below.
On the left is a small cliff dwelling that was once occupied by the Sinagua people, who are likely also responsible for the dwellings in Wupatki and Walnut Canyon, where we’ve also been.
These petroglyphs at the V-Bar-V Ranch near Sedona are also artifacts left by the Sinagua. The site can only be visited Friday through Monday.
With some nice weather and no sign of latent monsoons on the horizon, we opted to travel a back-road dirt trail around Humphrey’s Peak instead of taking the more direct route to our next destination.
Will we ever tire of looking out over a landscape knowing that not very long ago, lava was flowing here? It was only about 1,000 years ago that this area was active along with a flow that entered the Grand Canyon north of here. We are at Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument.
It’s kind of strange that in these 1,000 years, the relentless pounding of time and weather hasn’t turned this lava rock to dust to allow the soil to develop that might support a field of wildflowers.
Seeing we appear to be following in the footsteps of the Sinagua, another visit to the ruins at Wupatki National Monument seems in order.
Caroline and I first visited Wupatki shortly after we moved to America on a visit with Ruby and Axel. Someday I’ll scan those old photos and negatives and will hopefully remember to link them here. Our first visit in the age of digital photographs was back in October of 1999 with some other friends; you can see that blog post by clicking here.