Time Out!

After a month on the road, we both came to the conclusion that it was time for a break, so we decided to spend he day in Cedar City picking up the pieces and closing up some odds and ends.

Our first stop was Wet Willy's Car Wash to clean the dead bugs off our poor Ford Escape.  They did a great job!

Nest stop was the laundromat which is self explanitory.  Curiously, there were 31 machines out of order.  Go figure.

I went to Great Cllips and got my monthly military haircut.  My haircutter in SC had written down exactly how to cut my hair and the young lady here in Utah did a very good job.

Joan was so distressed over her grey/white "roots" showing (as she should have been - I thought she was going bald!) so we tried to find a salon to get her touched up.  Well, Monday is a popular day for salons to be closed.  So I took Joan to WalMart which had a salon and a nice young woman fixed her up........Kathleen, do not worry; Joan will be back to you as soon as we return home!

While Joan was getting attended to, I went to the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum.  I was the only patron at that time so I had the run of the place.  It was very interesting to see what the city looked like in the 1800's.  It was similar to Cow Town in Wichita, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  Here are a few random shots and a great headstone for your viewing pleasure:
 

Reflections From The Typist

To answer the two most popular questions:  We have driven 4273 miles so far!  Gas has averaged between $3.55 and $3.99 per gallon, most frequently being $3.70.  It went higher as we moved west.

We are "in the middle of nowhere" more than we are in any other place. We comment on this every day, state after state. 

Molly, the lightweight backpack handbag has been invaluable! 

We have achieved "Diamond Level" with Hilton Hhonors.  This means we have candy or treats and bottled waters waiting in our room with a letter from the Hotel Manager.  They make us feel special!

My grey roots are HORRID!!!!

Zion Zion Zion - What a Gem!

For a different perspective, we attended the Spanish Mass at Christ the King Church this morning.  Wow!  The priest gave the most passionate sermon either one of us has ever heard in a Catholic church; too bad we only understood a few words of it!  The music was beautiful and the church only about 1/3 full.

This afternoon we took a ride (for a change.)  Going back to Zion Park, we decided to take the western entrance into Kolob Canyons.  At the end of this road there was a Timber Creek Overlook Trail, which of course we had to take.  This is a mile-long trail over very rocky ground and follows a ridge up to a small peak.  See pictures below.  Outstanding views of Timber Creek, Kolob Terrace and Pine Vallley Mountains.  It was a gorgeous day!

Back in the car, we continued on to the south entrance to the park where we took the Kolob Terrace Road, a narrow winding road with steep grades.  Along this road, we encountered again SUPER scenery and following is a sample of what we enjoyed.

SURPRISES!

As we anticipated our 286 mile trip from Kayenta, Arizona to Cedar City, Utah, we were not expecting anything interesting along the way.  We were so wrong.

Surprise No. 1.

We came to the Glen Canyon Dam and behind it Lake Powell.  We stopped and looked around for awhile.  It was immense.  Only their broken elevator stopped us from touring the inside.  We were invited back for next week, but we will be elsewhere.  The  dam was quite impressive.





Surprise No. 2.

While driving along and crossing into Utah, we noticed a sign for Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park but continued driving along.  Thinking back to our experience on our last journey at Sleeping Bear Dunes which was so foggy we couldn't see a thing, we started to consider turning back.  But lo and behold, as we were debating this issue, there appeared another entryway to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  That was it.  Decision made.  We turned left and went off to explore the dunes. 

It was amazing to us that the dunes stretched from the first sign to the second, and in fact cover 1200 acres.  Who knew?  The sand was so fine and the dunes were huge.  We followed the trail through the dunes and got a good workout.

Surprise No. 3.

We had driven up Route 89 and made a left on Route 14 heading for Cedar City.  We were within 40 miles of our hotel.  Surprise!  A flashing sign advised us that the road was closed 11 miles ahead.  I was not going to let that stop me from completing my mission, so I continued on.  Joan, on the other hand, phoned the hotel only to learn there had been a landslide and the road was covered and impassable.

I reluctantly turned around and started back to Route 89 to retrace our route back to Route 9 which would take us over to the highway that goes to Cedar City.  We passed about a dozen beautiful deer on the side of the road.  So I slowed way down to be sure none of them would run in front of us.  Joan then took the wheel and we continued on.

Surprise No. 4.

After a short time on Route 9, Joan asked why the road had turned brown in color.  We noticed immediately that we were entering Zion National Park.  WOW!  This was a great surprise.  We planned to spend a day there during this visit and this 20 mile taste of it took our breath away.  We are now officially out of adjectives to describe the sheer beauty of Zion.

Surprise No. 5.

Joan, wearing her sunglasses, was startled to see the entrance to a tunnel looming ahead.  She had to make a quick change to clear glasses to proceed.  The tunnel was at least a mile long and quite high.  As soon as she exited and could do so, Joan pulled to an overlook spot and declared that her driving for the day was done.  (She does that a lot!)

Here's just a sample of our views in Zion:

Surprise No. 6.

Once we finally got to Interstate 15 heading north to Cedar City, we figured we were in the home stretch...........that is until we saw the "Road Work Ahead" sign.  Bummer.

Surprise No. 7.

Mercifully, there is a Japanese Steak House next to the hotel.  Yummy!

Monument Valley

We atarted the day at the Monument Valley Tribal Park which is owned and managed by the Navajos.  In fact, this whole area is part of the Navajo nation.  This scenery is not to be believed!  It is just mesmerizing.  After walking around and looking at the mesas and buttes which were visible from the Welcome Center patio, buying a T shirt and a few postcards, we decided to visit a place called Mexican Hat, which we had heard about from someone at dinner last night.

After driving about 20 miles and hiking some more, I got a perfect picture of this "thing."  Hope you appreciate it.

Following this, we went back to Monument Valley to see what we had missed.  As we found out, it was a lot.  We hired a Navajo guide named Richard, or Richard the Great as he called himself.  He took us and a couple from  California in his van with big windows on a 2.5 hour ride around the park.  This was on unpaved, bumpy and wild roads.  He stopped several times for us to walk around and get photos and have other experiences. 

On one stop, Richard led us into this huge cave in  the rocks where he had us lay back on the wall and just relax as we looked up at the ceiling at least 50 feet away.  The acoustics were incredible as he proceeded to read a poem in Navajo, followed by a mournful song played on a double pipe instrument.  AMAZING!  We could hardly move when he was done.

 

Another stop was at a place where some women sold jewelry and also offered a horse you could get on and get photographed.  You probably would not believe it unless you saw it on film, but check it out.  That really is my lovely bride, Joan, astride a horse in Monument Valley.  It's true!  But thet was only after the trainer assured her that the horse would not move.

My favorite actor, John Wayne, collaborated on several movies with the director, John Ford, filmed in the valley starting with "Stage Coach."  The scenery reminded me so much of the movies I've watched (over and over.)

Following are a few shots - including a sample of the breathtaking scenery of the day.  Enjoy!

Four Corners

Heading west from Mesa Verde to Arizona, we ran into some bad weather -- not normal bad weather, but BAD weather!  The wind gusted up to 60 miles per hour and was blowing so much sand across the road that it was hard to see.

I had to slow down quite a bit and finally did come out of it but not until after the Four Corners monument.  For the young followers of our blog, please look at a map of the USA and find the four states on the map that have straight boundaries; then see if you can figure out which state each of my arms and legs are in.

See me below in FOUR states at one time.  Notice the flags blowing!

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde

Leaving Durango and heading west, we had decided to check out Mesa Verde National Park which on the map is right next to Route 160.  While it is, we did not realize that once inside the park we had to drive another 25 miles on a winding road to reach where the action is.  Oh well, the views along the way were outstanding.

We did take a guided tour of the Pueblo cave/cliff dwellings which dated back to about 600 A.D.  It was challenging to follow our Navajo guide with all the stairs, ladders and narrow walkways that had to be navigated.  Joan was concerned about the warning to heart patients, but since I had completed the Iron Man Challenge last year at Carolina Lakes, that didn't bother me at all.  However, walking along a path about 3 feet wide and hugging the cliff face did cause me some concern, since I do have a fear of heights.  (I didn't mention this to Joan until we were back in the car.)  Nevertheless, we completed the tour unharmed and learned a lot about the way the Pueblos lived way back when.

Nightlife in Durango and our hotel

Above are pictures of our hotel and the view from our breakfast table.


Regarding nightlife in Durango, before you get too excited, it's not like Broadway or the Sunset Strip.  We did enjoy the Diamond Belle Saloon so much Tuesday night that we returned last night for more good food and entertainment....this time by a country singer.

The following shots show how neat the place was.  It reflected the period of the 1890's.....from the bullet hole in the cabinet (they had some rough crowds then) to the bar itself.

DSNGR

In case you are not aware of these initials, they stand for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad on which we spent most of the day.

The single track hugs the canyon walls overlooking the Animas River.  Because of snow covering the tracks, we could not go all the way to Silverton; but were limited only to a 5-hour, 52 mile round trip to Cascade Canyon.

The train is powered by a vintage coal-fired steam locomotive and the line has been in continuous operation since 1881.  The railcars we rode in dated back to that time period giving us a feeling we were living in the past.  A nice touch that Joan liked was a map of the entire route on the ceiling of the railcar.

When we arrived at Cascade Canyon, we of course had to turn around.  Since it was only a single track, I was wondering how they would pull it off.  Our railcar "flight attendant" explained that they use what is called a "wye" system....very simple.  Draw a Y on a piece of paper and trace yourself coming up the stem proceeding up the right hand side and then back down and up the left hand side.  Then back down again and voila! you are heading down the stem in the opposite direction.  Brilliant, right?  And we witnessed it in action.  Joan was as taken by this as she was when we went through the locks on the rivers in France.

Once we got turned around, we had about 40 minutes to get off the train and explore.  You will see us standing on a footbridge over the Animas River, a close look at the river itself and me standing in front of the engine.  Other pictures try to give you an idea of what we saw from the moving train, hugging the wall and looking down at the river.  AWESOME!

Crossing the Continental Divide

Traveling from Santa Fe to Durango, it was mostlly flat and straight with the occasional mesa  or ridge in the distance.  On the side of the road were endless fields of sagebrush.  The U.S. continues to be wide open no matter which way we look.

When we finally arrived in Durango, we found it to be a very charming throwback to the railroad and mining days of the 1880's.  It has one main street with many different stores, restaurants and a ton of bars.

I visited the Railroad Museum which had a small collecion of old railroad cars and locomotives.  Then we walked around town for a long time and ended up on a Trolley Car that looped around the town and out a little to the suburbs.







We enjoyed dinner at Diamond Belle Saloon which had a good guitar playing folk singer for entertainment.  He was good and we knew all the songs!

The City Different -- Santa Fe

Think of it -- Santa Fe was a city before the United States was a country.  In 1610, it became the provincial capital of what was then a Spanish colony...and just celebrated its 400th anniversary.  Santa Fe has never changed its look.  All buildings must maintain the "Santa Fe style" of flat roofed brown adobe.

While walking around the Plaza in downtown, we noticed a few tour groups.  We joined the smallest group and went on our way.  Highlights were the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, the Loretto Chapel and the oldest house in town.

The photo below shows a the Loretto Chapel's circular staircase which apparently has no support.  The nuns looked to hire someone to build a circular staircase that wouldn't take up much room so they could get up to the choir loft.  A carpenter built just what they wanted and when they tried to find him to thank him and pay him, he was no where to be found.  Legend has it that it was actually St. Joseph who built the stairway.



And here is Joan in front of the chapel next to a fragrant lilac bush.



After the tour ended, we walked over to the State Capitol which was also a 4-story, flat roofed, brown adobe building.  It was totally different from other State Capitols with tall domed roofs that we have seen on this trip.

We enjoyed a self-guided tour of the building and even got to the Office of the Governor who was not there.  Being a Republican governor, if she had been there we are confident she would have met with us.

Every wall featured some of the most outstanding artwork imaginable.  The collection is valued in the millions of dollars, and we were amazed at the lack of security......unlike the other capitols where we met officers on our arrival.

Below is a photo of the Governor's office, followed by a shot of the front of the building.

We came upon a beautiful property -- The Inn and Spa at Loretto -- again, all adobe.

We then visited the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and first watched two films about the artist's life and work.  Both were very interesting.  The paintings were thought provoking and beautiful.


In the middle of town is a large plaza where people can gather, relax, shop, eat or drink.  Here is Joan relaxing under a tree in the 80 degree heat.