ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Landscape Arch, worth viewing after an up-and-down 1.6 mile trek

Yesterday we made a day trip to Arches National Park. The park entrance is only a couple of miles north of Moab, where we are staying at the Moab Rim Campark. What a beautiful park this is, full of so many different colors, textures and rock formations, including 'petrified' sand dunes.

There are numerous turnoffs and viewing areas throughout the park.

Landforms like the one at the left are sticking up all over the place. On one of them we saw a climber at the very top! Ellen jokingly said that that was something son Matt would do. Probably so, except that he would skydive or hanglide down!

The weather was perfect, but honestly, when we were done, we both felt pretty gritty and sandy. It was the best workout we've had in quite a while.

Throughout the park it was amazing to see so many different license plates from the US and Canada, and to hear so many foreign languages. This photo was taken by a guy from France.

Here is Ellen smiling in front of Tunnel Arch, and then me under Sandstone Arch. Some of these places are really hard to get to because of the fine and deep sand...it is much like trudging along a very sandy beach--without the water as a coolant!!!













Finally, what makes Moab look like a lot fun to be at are the inordinate number of 4x4's and ATVs and offroad bikes. There are scads of them. At our RV Park two out three RV's are toy haulers!Next time through we might just have one of our own to explore the natural beauty of this corner of the Beehive State!

Red Rock Park, Gallup NM

We left the Albuquerque area heading west on I-40, but didn't get too far, as the lure of the casino struck.

We pulled in to the Route 66 Casino, and enjoyed almost two hours at a blackjack table. Well, "enjoyed" included losing a modest amount of cash, but we did have fun with the dealers and a couple of young University of New Mexico students (who, by the way, were there 3 hours before our arrival, and still were there after an hour lunch at Johnny Rockets' ...mmmm, love those onion rings).

We knew we had a short trip, planning a stop in Gallup, some 150 miles from ABQ, so we were fine with the casino 'detour'. We stayed at a City Park, Red Rock Park, which used to be a NM State Park. The grounds included a lot of extra camping sites, as there is a large rodeo area, plus a balloon launch area, and as well, a Native American Museum.

It was a nice quiet stay at Red Rock Park, far enough from the busy east west route of the BNSF railroad, and not too many rv's. The park has hiking trails, and amazing gigantic red rocks, jutting up from the sandy soils and drifts. In the distance Church Rock towers above the small mountains. The park was pretty empty, until a group of 20+ students started pitching their tent. It was a field trip for an Anthropology class. Oh, and then with all the emptiness, a fifth wheel parked right next to us, squeezing between us and his utilities and picnic table! He seemed fine with it. At least he and his wife were quiet and they didn't light a campfire. They happened to be from Waukesha, WI, a city less than 20 miles from where I grew up.

These are our last nights in New Mexico as we are headed for Moab, UT!

Hippies and High Points

We made a day trip yesterday to a ghost town reclaimed by hippies some 40 years ago, and is now a curious, artistic haven for hippies, bikers and gawkers (us). Madrid NM is once dead ex-coal mining town on a curvy section of NM HWY 14 south of Santa Fe.

The town has umpteen galleries, shops and dining spots plus one large biker bar. Madrid is famous for its art, but also for having the movie Wild Hogs filmed there. Maggie's Diner is there as in the film. We got a magic glitter dusting in the shape of a star on our cheeks at one art gallery, administered by a flower child of the 20th century. Lots of creativity and incense and unique art...

We drove on to Sandia Peak, the highest point around these parts. There still is a lot of snow up the north side of the peak. We hit the summit at over 10,600 feet, to experience a view that was fantastic. The temperature dropped about 15 degrees on the way up! The photo is a view looking south, and unfortunately, the photo of us shows how hazy it was that day. We are indebted to our friend Don Sarver, who did the driving as we enjoyed the view.

Brrrrrr....and SNOW!

We were in Old Town in Albuquerque, NM, shopping and browsing galleries with friends and fellow full-timers Don and Connie Sarver. Just before we walked around the town square for dinner, it started raining. Not just a really light rain which we have experienced here in the southwest, but a fairly steady drizzle.

Well, as we ate Mexican (again...it is Ellen's favorite), it was SNOWING up in the Sandia Mountains where our Excel happens to be parked at Hidden Valley RV Resort. SNOW!!! As we drove up to the RV, the snow seemed to increase.

At first this didn't seem like the best thing, and we jokingly blamed Don and Connie, because we are here on their invitation. After a short while, the beauty of the snow on the Mountains and trees was pretty much breathtaking. We had not really seen snow up close since we flew to the Midwest for Christmas on early December.

We snuggled into our nice tight, insulated fifth wheel, and cranked up the furnace....and just knew life is good.

A day of Ruins

Yesterday we took an awesome trip to ancient Sinaguan ruins, starting at Walnut Canyon National Monument, just some 15 miles southeast of Flagstaff. The canyon was eerily and beautifully quiet, with just a haunting wind whistling through the junipers.

From the viewpoints at the visitor's center and the rim walk, we could see many remains of structures built into the overhangs of the canyon walls. The Island Trail which circles an "island" of rock in the middle of the canyon was closed due to a rockslide where a boulder about 10+ feet in diameter landed on the trail, squashing a railing and a viewing bench. The quiet and the winds whooshing through the canyon provided a humbling, spiritual experience, knowing that peoples eked out a life hundreds of years ago...making the most of the difficult environment.

We hooked back to the east side of Flagstaff and drove on to the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument where we saw lava flows, red fissure areas on mountainsides, and the Sunset Crater Volcano which erupted almost 1000 years ago. There were miles and miles of landforms coated with black volcanic cinders.

We continued our trip on to Wupatki National Monument, which had an astounding ruin on some large rock formations in a small canyon. There once was about 100 rooms in this structure. The National Park Service had a very informative guide handout which had 20 'stops' along the pathway, to decribe the various rooms' uses and building techniques. It also sadly told of the intrusion of excavating sacred areas and pothunters looting. This ruin was astounding in its presentation and information.

We also walked on and around Wukoki Ruins, a three story structure on a tall, huge rock a couple of miles east of Wupatki. It is believed the Sinaguans who built and inhabited these two ruin sites migrated to Walnut Canyon following the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano. We were just amazed how these early societies survived and actually flourished for hundreds of years.....

thought for the day....The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. (Einstein)

ROUTE 66, FLAGSTAFF and the GRAND CANYON

This week is going to be something else. We are spending it in a Wyndham Vacation Resort in Flagstaff Arizona. After several months in the RV, this place is huge...cavernous! I think the best part is having a bathtub, and I know Ellen agrees wholeheartedly. Nice to have a dishwasher too. Downside? No RV neighbors to shoot the bull with. To be honest, I kind of miss the Excel already, maybe because I can't put my hands on anything at any time, like scissors and paper clips. I also miss my coffeemaker.

Yesterday was a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Simply breathtaking. The vistas are amazing, so full of unique landforms and zillions of colors. Oh yeah, it is also very deep. I've seen many photos and paintings of this wonder, but seeing it in the flesh honestly choked me up with awe. We entered from the east, stopping at Desert View. We clambered up the tower to get a four-stories-higher-view. We drove on westward, stopping at several view points, ending this experience by checking out the modern campground. It was full, and for $30 a night you can have a full hookup and very little space. Next chance we get we plan on viewing the canyon from the north rim which is supposed to excellent and much less crowded.

During the south rim jaunt, it was interesting to note the many many foreign languages. These European and Asian vacationers are enjoying a great budget trip with the great exchange on the weak US Dollar.

Flagstaff is booming small city with the beautiful San Francisco Peaks just north of town. Route 66 is the main thoroughfare with remnants of motorists' stops from the 50's and 60's. We had a good dinner at Black Bart's Restaurant and Saloon, done up in the wild west fashion, with the wait staff singing during our dinner. Good fun Broadway musical numbers, performed by University of Northern Arizona students with aprons. The food was plenty and good too!

We have a few more things to do in the area, the Lowell Observatory and a couple of National Monuments. Speaking of National Monuments (and Parks), Ellen got her "Golden Age Pass" when we were in Casa Grande, and it has saved us a lot of $ in entrance fees. When one reaches the age of 62, you can pay $10 for this thing and it lets you and 3 others in your party into a National Park or Monument for free. A lot of others were paying $25 a car to get into the Grand Canyon National Park! I would guess we have saved well over $100 in about a month! Ellen claims this is one of the few perks to getting old.