Arches to Mesa Verde – Day 3

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Southeastern Colorado

The car’s windows were iced over, not just a little, but a good thick coating of ice had to be scraped off of them. We are in the San Juan Mountains, and finally, we are seeing heartfelt emotions from our travel guest. Arturo lights up with enthusiasm feeling like he’s discovering a place he could call home.

Southwestern Colorado

Do wild waters also turn the colors of fall?

Southwestern Colorado

This mountain range never fails to impress us and begs the question, “Why couldn’t your parents have left you a huge inheritance so you could live here not worrying about making money?” The simple answer would be that most of them are still alive.

Southwestern Colorado

The changing of the seasons is certainly appreciated. I don’t know how many times I’ve lamented in my writing how Arizona has two seasons: hot and not so hot, while everything else remains the same.

Southwestern Colorado

I can’t tell you which stream Caroline is standing in. We never noted it, nor did I note which roads we were traveling so this is a mystery river for now.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

Good thing we take these selfies in front of all these signs, or we never know where we’ve been.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

The drive up to the cliff dwellings high in the mountains at Mesa Verde National Park is a spectacular one.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

Also spectacular is Cliff Palace. These ancestral Puebloan dwellings are well preserved and worth every effort to get out into another remote corner of America.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

Some may marvel at the pyramids of Egypt, but I think these are just as worthy of our admiration. I’d imagine that some of these kivas had to be dug out of rock and that with primitive non-metal tools, it wasn’t the easiest of tasks, yet they persevered so they could bring order to their lives and evolve their cultures.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona

Out of Mesa Verde, we aimed for the Navajo Nation; it’s almost impossible not to pass through it. In this case, we were looking to take a quick look into Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Turns out that there are Jeep tours down there. I put it on the list of things to do in the future.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona

This is Mummy Cave and is off-limits to visitors. We can only look from afar. Even down on the canyon floor, you are restricted from getting too close.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona

The one good photo I was able to take of Mr. Camera-shy Arturo. We had a lot more driving ahead of us today as we were going to be driving down to Tucson to drop the kid after we all stopped at La Parrilla Suiza for some dinner before trekking north again so Caroline and I could go home.

Arches to Mesa Verde – Day 2

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Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

Today’s adventure starts in Moab, Utah, at Arches National Park.

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

From the moment we first saw Delicate Arch in someone else’s photo, we knew we had to come see it for ourselves. It’s a lot bigger than I thought. I have another photo with Caroline standing below it, where you’d see that she’s tiny in comparison, but this is the better photo. I intended to take a selfie of us out there, but my vertigo got the best of me, and it turned out that Arturo also has a wicked fear of heights, so he was staying even further away from the edge than I was.

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

Horses among the pictographs tell us that these etchings in the rock are relatively modern as pre-Columbian contact Native Americans didn’t have horses in North America.

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

Landscape Arch was another big draw as it is razor-thin and feels like it could tumble to earth at any time.

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

Balanced Rock requires no effort in the world to see it other than getting yourself to the park, as it is right next to the road. How about another park?

Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah

Dead Horse Point State Park, which looks a lot like Canyonlands National Park if you ask me, was the next park.

Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah

That’s the Colorado River out there; someday, we should raft that thing.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah

We peeked into Canyonlands National Park rather quickly but will save it for another visit as 10 minutes here won’t do it justice.

Bedrock Store in Bedrock, Colorado

Welcome to Bedrock, Colorado, where the Flintstones were filmed back in the early 1960s. Fred once bagged groceries here at the Bedrock Store while he was in high school and a couple of years before he met Wilma.

Bryce to the Great Basin – Day 2

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Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Caroline Wise and John Wise with a couple of bikers that needed a lift down from Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Nevada

Driving south because, ultimately, we’ll have to pull into home at some point today.

Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

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.

Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

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.

Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

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.

Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

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

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Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Utah

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.

Southern Utah

Just as the sun is about to creep over the mountains, we hit a patch of fog, making for some fairly nice god rays.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Bryce National Park in Utah

Today’s first major destination is Bryce Canyon National Park for a hike into a canyon.

Bryce National Park in Utah

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.

Bryce National Park in Utah

Like all places we’ve been to the view changes dramatically when you change the location from which you are doing your gazing.

Bryce National Park in Utah

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.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Nevada State Sign

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.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

We are at Great Basin National Park, driving up into the mountains.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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.

Caroline Wise at Silver Jack Motel in Baker, Nevada

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.

Monument Valley Day Trip

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Jay Patel in Flagstaff, Arizona

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.

Jay Patel at Sunset Crater National Monument in Northern Arizona

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.

Wupatki National Monument in Northern Arizona

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.

Jay Patel standing amongst the Elephant Feet on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona

We have a destination in mind that requires us to pass through Kayenta, allowing for a stop at the Elephant Feet.

Monument Valley in Southern Utah

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.

Jay Patel at Monument Valley in Southern Utah

This magical place allowed Jay to quantum teleport to superposition himself in five simultaneous locations for this snapshot overlooking Monument Valley.

Gooseneck State Park in Southern Utah

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.

Jay Patel in Northern Arizona

We’re on the 191 heading south onto the Navajo Reservation; we have plans.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Northern Arizona

Those plans work out perfectly as we arrive for sunset at Canyon De Chelly National Monument.

Sunset in Northern Arizona

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

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Montezuma Well National Monument in Rimrock, 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.

Montezuma Well National Monument in Rimrock, Arizona

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.

A petroglyph panel near Sedona, Arizona

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.

Near Flagstaff, Arizona

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.

Sunset Crater National Monument in Northern Arizona

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.

Sunset Crater National Monument in Northern Arizona

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.

Wupatki National Monument in Northern Arizona

Seeing we appear to be following in the footsteps of the Sinagua, another visit to the ruins at Wupatki National Monument seems in order.

Wupatki National Monument in Northern Arizona

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.