Day 92 (Thursday 9/20/12)- Grand Staircase-Escalante & Bryce Canyon Parks, UT

Perhaps the Grand Staircase is more than a steep drive. Perhaps the detour was a worthwhile excursion, but the unwinding mountainside of the main road was sufficiently hard on our already tenuous brakes and we had a full schedule planned, so we kept on to Bryce Canyon.

We had heard the Canyon is something to see but knew little beyond that. Now having seen it Isaiah and I are in agreement that Bryce Canyon is the most amazing landscape we have ever seen. Since we have spent the last 92 days seeing amazing things daily you can take this assertion with some seriousness (though we expect and hope that this claim will be quickly dethroned).

The park is like a creamsicle and grapefruit Disney castle, with jagged, spiraling hoodoo rock points competing with each other for heaven. We accepted our bus driver's recommendation to take the Navajo/Queens hiking trail. The signs claiming it as the worlds best 3 mile hike was a reassuring validation. While we haven't the credentials to make that claim, we can say without qualms it was spectacular. But with a brewing head cold, suffocating heat and a serious steepness, the return was not as enjoyable as the descent. At times both literally and figuratively taking our breath away. We submit pictures as inadequate proof of the park's beauty.

Know this about this canyon- when they say it is a wonder of the world it is no lie. Bryce Canyon is an absolute do not miss. We will be back someday to canvas the part of the park the shuttle bus didn't cover. This might explain the excess of photos.

                       *All pictures of amazing Bryce Canyon*

                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 91 (Wednesday 9/19/12)- Natural Bridges & Capitol Reef Parks, UT

After carefully escaping the sinking clutches of the Canyonlands campground and avoiding a permanent parking spot we were undeserving cocky, enough that we tried racing a tour bus to our next destination. We were beat to the stop, but the elderly travelers had another stop in mind. We, with our robust bladders, scurried first to the petrogylphs at Newspaper Rock and got off a few pictures before the hoard of tourists, light and free and reeking of national park hand sanitizer, descended.

Natural Bridges park fittingly holds the world's largest collection of natural bridges. Though that entails a grand total of three. We saw two-the oldest and newest. The newest wasn't as impressive and the middle bridge required a hike that time did not allow for. The park Rangers here were excessively friendly but the total experience was a bit of a disappointment, perhaps only because it was bookended by Canyonlands and Capitol Reef. As was the first, the latter is also certainly worth seeing. Get enough sleep though. I was lacking in it and my body kept trying to fall asleep on me, so Isaiah took the wheel.

A highlight of the park was its pick able fruit orchards. Since every other park has strict rules about removing things from the landscape the u-pick was surprising. Sadly we came out of season so our tour of the orchard was fruitless.

In the shadows of the colored buttes lie remnants of the region's early inhabitants. Petrogylphs adorn a rock near the park's entrance and depict scenes of the Native experience who lived in between the rock cliffs. Also remaining are several buildings from Mormon settlers, including a quaint house that now functions as a museum. The rooms are furnished in the style of the period and make for a cheap if modest time machine, only to be jolted back to the present by the hungry cash register from the attached gift store.

After sucking down some of the Good Stuff (Our magic tonic, Mt. Dew. You might be surprised how few coffee options there are in middle of nowhere Utah) I was back in action and we were back on the road, on the way to Walmart for the night.

Capitol Reef Park

 

Newspaper Rock

 

Natural Bridges Park

Day 90 (Tuesday 9/18/12)- Arches & Canyonlands National Parks, UT

Before you actually see it, it would be easy to dismiss Utah all together. Don't.

Our drive began through the Southeastern part of the state and we can say in all seriousness that every inch of the area is covered with amazing incredible rock formations. So much so that you may as well consider what amounts to several days of driving, one epic park. Instead the beautiful land is broken up into several different ones.

Canyonlands itself is so large we drove two different sections of it, separated by hours. The park is actually divided into four different divisions but with no road that connects them. We spent most of the morning on the eastern edge, driving through the vast canyons and enjoying some incredible views as we went.

In between the tours of Canyonlands was Arches park which features arch formations so magnificent they are featured on Utah license plates.

Some were visible from the road, many others required hikes. There were plenty of hikes with pleasant sounding names but we chose Devil's Garden. In the garden we found two arches, formations galore and many hikers, which I didn't mind as this meant a panoply of langauges, including a domestic dispute between two angry Germans (Though don't all German sound angry? It's OK for me to say that, I spent some time in Germany. And I may or may not have pissed some off. They don't look kindly on vegetarians). We didn't spot Satan. But the heat was severe.

We spent the early evening exploring the southern portion of Canyonlands trying to find a bathroom. Well, we saw many glorious sites, but the persistant call for the bathroom dominated. It was after 6 and the visitor's center had closed for the night. We finally found an outhouse amongst all the beauty at the camp grounds, but without parking. Desperation led to a critical miscalculation. I pulled off to the side of the road. The shoulder turned out to be sand. As was worried, trying to drive our way out turned out to be a bad idea. Isaiah turned his white shirt brown underneath the van shoveling away sand, but digging our way out turned out to be impossible. A man, a small 4x4 and a towing rope helped only a little. A ranger and two other passerbys, me on the gas, Isaiah pushing and we were finally free.

Then on to our campground for the night, the free and unofficial one, only to find the road there looking not much more substantial than the previous sand trap. We managed to make it down the road and collapsed in gratitude and sand bailing exhaustion.


              
                                    Canyonlands Park

                      
                                  Canyonlands Park

Day 89 (Monday 9/17/12)- Colorado Monument, CO

Our last full day in Colorado had us at first regretting our departure. After three weeks in this terrific state it has started to feel a little like home. We found a final example of the state's beauty in the Colorado Monument, which featured fantastic views of colored rock formations. The park has a fairly even and well maintained road which was a surprise given the inclusion of a section called "Deadman's curve."

With such beauty surrounding it you would think that the town next to the monument would be compatably scenic. This was not the case. In our experience it was the worst of Colorado and helped prod us into the next state.

At the town's thrift store I had the misfortune of meeting locals. I would reccomend, if interaction is unavoidable, finding one who is currently radiating with, rather than coming down off of their prefered illicit substance. I heard slurred yelling. I heard romance. I heard the poetry of love in "my first wife didn't want me to buy her so many clothes. What's your problem?"

On the up side the thrift store was a good one and those at the library had more teeth.

 

Colorado Monument

 

Colorado Monument

 

Colorado Monument

 

Colorado Monument

Day 85 (Thursday 9/13/12)- Farmington, NM

　

Today was exceptional for several reasons. Waking earlier than the previous day and waking to sunshine reinvigorated us and we set out to conquer the highest sand dunes in North America. Sand Dunes Park begins at 7,520 feet above sea level and rises in the surrounding mountain range as high as 13,604 feet. Our own climb (in the highest eastern section) seemed only slightly less dramatic. We weren't able to find out exactly how high we were, we think about 9,000 feet. What was readily confirmable was the height almost killed us.

The crests of some of the dunes were so steep the best strategy seemed to be to try and hurry up them before sinking or sliding. Regrettably we crashed into altitude sickness instead. Balloon headed and concrete breathed we needed constant rest breaks. Somehow Isaiah and I managed to encourage one another, by way of competitive taunting, to the top. The view was absolutely phenomenal but the peak of the journey was the descent. Using our rain jackets as sleds we slid our way back.  We did the entire trek, up and back, in an hour.

Near death having energized us, we next drove to Colorado's oldest town. San Luis was officially established by Spanish settlers in 1851, who built upon its hill an old and beautiful church. We climbed to it on a gravel trail that is its only access point. Along the path are bronze sculptures depicting cruxifiction scenes.

After a long, gorgeous and sparse drive we were in New Mexico. We perhaps made NW New Mexico even sparser.  We felt the van spasm as it potentially hit some unidentifiable something along the road.

We made it to the town of Farmington in good time. Now it took 6 hours, but it was good time because we made it just as the van began to die, producing a strange clicking noise as we re-entered civilization. The clicking grew to an unbearable screeching. It was clear we wouldn't be going any further. Thank god for AAA. Our second tow in just short of three months on the road. We can only hope this won't be a recurring pattern.

Initially luck was not on our side. As we attempted to diagnose the extent of our problems a car slowed, but only to mock our immobility and point out that "no one drives vans anymore." This point was sadly and all too obviously accurate. Is there no good in Farmington?

Why was I surprised by the lack of helpfulness? In Oregon I have broken down in many places, including my own driveway. A church, a parking lot, a grocery store too, and someone has always stopped to assist. The epitome of good samaritanship came in Montana where someone actually invited us to her house for her phone and her mechanic husband.

Other than AAA the only positive was our tow truck driver, who was not only nice, but helpful, showing us how badly intertwined our fan belts were and explained that what we hit earlier on the road likely caused the belts to snap and coil. (He was, however, from Bloomfield, so our wholesale damnation of Farmington continues). Though his opinion should have allowed us to sleep much better, having originally feared our engine had exploded, the anxiety of whether we would wake before the Sear's auto center staff arrived in the morning made sleep difficult. 

 

At the base of the dunes

Walking to the dunes

Dunes against a mountain backdrop

Isaiah hiking the dunes

Statue leading up to church in San Luis

Statute leading up to church in San Luis

Vandrea being towed (again)

Day 84 (Wednesday 9/12/12)- Sand Dunes National Park, CO

I picked a bad day to sleep in. We didn't get on the road until after 11 and the sky looked angry as we entered the Sand Dunes park . It only got worse. We had originally hoped the rain would hold off until later in the day,  as it descended we then hoped that it would blow over before long. By the end of the day we just hoped to not be taken away by a flood.

 

During our stay the park received one-sixth of its total annual rainfall! When white starting dusting the mountain tops we knew that had somehow bypassed fall altogether and had straightaway entered into winter.

In the late afternoon we left the shelter of the van to attend a ranger talk regarding the park's connection with Mars. The sand dunes are the closest match in North America to the dunes on Mars and  NASA and other scientists frequent the park. There is also a yearly robotics challenge to test if college students can build rovers that can conquer the treacherous terrain of the dunes.
　

During the talk we learned about the different rovers that have landed on Mars, including the most recent, Curiosity, which weighs a ton and is the size of a mini cooper. Then there's Opportunity which was expected to last only 90 days and is still roving after 8 years!
The sand dunes are both North America's highest and our nation's newest national park. The dunes are kept in place by strong winds that blow sand into a pair of creeks that run along the sides of the dunes. These creeks then carry the sand and deposit it at the opposite end of the dunes, so despite the sand's constant movement, the dunes hardly change in size or shape.

Beautiful day at the Sand Dunes

All this just to take a picture on the beach...

 

 

 

Day 83 (Tuesday 9/11/12)- Alamosa, CO

After an extended drive we turned off at the entrance to the Royal Gorge bridge and park, recommended by our retired history teacher and part time statute. Only upon arrival did we find the gorge is enclosed and cannot be viewed without paying an admission. Frugal by nature, we splurge when it is worth it, but the Gorge was $26 a person.   It is incredibly deep but not wide or long since it can be completely concealed with strategic fencing.  It is also unquestionably way too steep for us. 

The rest of the drive was beautiful and we ended up in the town of Alamosa, outside Sand Dunes National park. Since it was late in the day and since the sky looked foreboding we decided to wait until morning to explore the Park. As we settled in for the night, the light rain turned to torrents.  The van was pelted and soggy teens hung out for hours honking their horns and we tried to sleep.

Day 88 (Sunday 9/16/12)- Black Canyon Park, CO

Our objective in the town of Telluride was to travel on their free gondola system. The only one like it in the country, the public transit connects the cities of Telluride and Mountain Village, which are otherwise separated by mountains. It is open year round and supported solely by taxes and donations.
On this weekend Telluride was also hosting it's annual Blues and Brews festival which brings people from the literal Four Corners to get drunk and listen to music. The B-52's headlining a bill at $320 was well beyond our means (even if during "Rock Lobster" they served lobster, it would still be a rip off) A much more affordable option was enjoying the festival's after effects.

On the gondola ride we had the pleasurable misfortune of riding with several severely hung over concert goers, one in particular was especially concerned with the height and speed (about 8 mph) and jostling of the ride which led us all to regret not having arranged for her to have a window seat.

Riding a gondola satisfied one long held dream. To have another met in the same day was amazing. In Mountain Village, between overpriced shops, was a climbing rock in the middle of town. This rock I felt I could climb without Isaiah teasing me as there were no children around to smoke me with scaling speeds I am far from capable of. (We have come across several climbing opportunities but they were all designed for people with either skill or baby teeth and so would be, either way, embarrassing to attempt).

The road next led us to Black Canyon National Park which in combination of deepness, steepness and narrowness is North America's preeminent example. The first exploration of the canyon involved a group of over eager volunteers and two wooden boats, one of which didn't last the first day. The whole mission lasted little longer. Undaunted the adventurers regrouped and decided the problem was not the 95 mph river or the narrow and murderous canyon walls, but their boats. The proposed improvement to their already insane plan- inflatable mattresses. Somehow they worked. And great that they did as the Black Canyon is something to see.

Evening meant the town of Grand Junction which has a great consignment store and nothing else worth mentioning.

View from the gondola in Telluride

 

 

Scaling the climbing rock at Mountain Village

 

Black Canyon Overlook

 

Black Canyon Overlook

 

Dragon Point Overlook at Black Canyon

 

Dragon Point at Black Canyon

Day 87 (Saturday 9/15/12)- Mesa Verde, CO

There is no fair way to compare Aztec Ruins Park and Mesa Verde, though both were left by ancestral Puebloan people and are close enough to each other that we visited them in consecutive days. One obvious difference is that the Aztec Ruins are atop a plain, far from hills and cliffs, while Mesa Verde was built into them. As you can imagine Mesa Verde required more physical effort to appreciate.

The Pubeloan people of Mesa Verde began living in the area around 550 A.D. The majority of the time they resided on top of the cliffs, but in an effort to preserve space for crops and to protect themselves from other tribes they moved into cliff dwellings in the 1190's and stayed there until their exodus in the late 1200's. Like the Aztec Ruins the reason for the tribes leaving is unknown, but widely speculated to be due to multiple factors including a reduction of natural resources and a significant drought.

Several different Ranger led hikes are available at Mesa Verde. We chose two of the most popular, the Cliff Palace tour and the Balcony House tour. They are two completely different experiences. Balcony House is the better of the two.

The shy creature who was our first tour Ranger brought little personality with her or, for that matter, very interesting information. Thankfully the ruins spoke for themselves. Cliff Palace is not only the largest structure in Mesa Verde but of all cliff dwellings in North America and at one time housed up to an estimated 120 people. It has over 150 rooms and 21 Kivas (spiritual "living rooms"). In contrast the Balcony House has 40 rooms and is considered a medium sized structure.

To enter the Balcony House we followed the second much more knowledgeable and charismatic Ranger up a 32-foot ladder. My ascent might have set records as the man behind me was, with each step, trying to headbutt me and by that I mean his head was dangerously near my butt. His hands were also underneath my feet, but instead of say, not placing them there and slowing his pace, he instead shouted repeatedly "don't step on my hand." With this exception the tour group this time around was a much more likable cast.

When describing the possible circumstances behind the group leaving Mesa Verde the ranger asked us about how people historically interpreted misfortune. He anticipated an ensuing discussion about how people see God's involvement in their lives and when something bad happens they see it as a sign, in this case, when a drought comes God is telling the ancestral people to move. But when he asked "And who do we blame everything on?" the answer he got was "Bush." Seeing the Ranger at a loss, but trying to carry on, made us all laugh much harder.

Going off of bad information from the Internet we had hoped to spend the night at the Walmart in the neighboring town of Cortez. When this did not pan out we got away with camping on the street outside the Safeway, though this type of sleeping arrangement never lends itself well to a good night's sleep. You might think a Christian band playing in an adjacent park would help send us into sleep, but the band was more loud than boring. We were left to wonder, as the night grew long, whether the religious group was strangely angry or the aggressive techno rock was strangely religious. At any rate it was horrible.

Spruce Tree House

 

Climbing into underground room

 

 

Spruce Tree House

 

Spruce Tree House

 

Ancient "Legos" at Cliff Palace

Day 86 (Friday 9/14/12)- Aztec Ruins, NM

Our anxiety was stronger than our exhaustion and so we were up and dressed well before the Sear's automotive staff. Lucky for us no one noticed two people were asleep in a van in front of the shop's garage.
A tense couple of hours waiting for the estimate and another few for the repair meant five hours in a McDonalds. In the end all four of our fan belts had to be replaced and amounted to a desperate traveler mark up of $250. After all of that the van was still screeching, but this time in a furious effort to get the hell out of Farmington.

Not only were Farmingtons unhelpful, they seemed perpetually furious, at everything, but mostly at being stuck in Farmington. There was aggressive driving, angry honking and a marital screaming volley in the Sear's parking lot.

Right outside of town was, for several reasons, a world away and made for a fantastic afternoon.

The term "Aztec Ruins" is actually a misnomer as it contains the cultural remnants of not Aztecs, but ancestral Pueblo people who resided at the site from approximately 1110 A.D. to the late 1200's before mysteriously vanishing. Many theories have been proposed but why they left and where they went remains unknown.

The ruins are surprisingly accessible. The tour is self guided and permits visitors to walk through many of the rooms that once made up the community. Maybe we should use another word. Maybe open or available, for it wasn't so accessible. Based on the doorways I suspect the Puebloans were 3 feet tall. We had to literally crawl at points.

It was common practice for the ancestral Pueblo people to burn down their spiritual centers (called "Kivas") upon moving. The Kiva we toured was therefore a reconstruction.

The many bright green lizards crawling all around were another highlight. Actually getting one on camera was, even ignoring our dysfunctional camera, impossible.

Once we finished our tour we immediately left New Mexico and crossed back into CO.