Divide!

Today ended our Grand Circle trip and we traveled to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

On our way we stopped in a turn off on 550 South to have lunch and serendipity stuck again.

As this sign indicates (if you could actually read it) rain that falls to the west of this point drains to the Pacific watershed; while rain to the east drains to the Atlantic watershed.

For more information see the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_of_the_Americas

Unexpected Surprise

When we least expected it!

As we arrived in Mancos Valley on Friday to visit Mesa Verde National Park, we discovered that there was a local balloon festival. So, we went to see it. What a pleasant surprise to see several balloon perform a Balloon Glow. It just made us want to get to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta even more!!

Lowell Observatory

This post is a bit late!

While in Flagstaff, we were able to visit the Lowell Observatory. It was founded by Percival Lowell, whose passion for astronomy was all-consuming.

Two aspects of the observatory were most amazing to me. First is the fact that it is still a functioning observatory, working on many NASA and other projects.

The other item of interest to me has nothing to do with the science of the observatory. But, with it's founder. I lived the first 22 or so years of my life in Lowell, MA. Apparently, there is much about the local history that I missed along the way!

Percival Lowell was the grandson of Francis Cabot Lowell, who was a member of the Boston Corporation. It was this group, along with Mr. Appleton and others that was responsible for founding the textile mill town that was named Lowell, in honor of Percival's grandfather. I do remember the Cabot Mill and the Appleton Mill complexes and had relatives that worked in both, but not necessarily when they operated as textile mills.

I was aware of the textile mill history of my hometown and the great difficulty that many of the young women overcame as workers in these same mills. I was unaware of Percival and his life, the creation of the Lowell Observatory and the sighting of Pluto, whose symbol of a P and L also represents his initials! There is even a tree named after Percival - the Lowell Ash, which only grows at altitudes between 3200 and 600 fett (approx). Most interesting. I think I will have to do more research!

Antiquities

yesterday, we visited Mesa Verde National Park. It is the home of the remains of many cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans.

During a snack break, we got to talking of visiting France. It was many years ago that my daughter and I visited Paris and Northern France. One thing I remember vividly is how awed we felt when we saw their "old" castles, monuments and sites. They were 800 and 1,000 years old. In our experience, the only "old" sites we had experience were at most 300 or so years old. In New England, there are some pre-revolutionary artifacts. But, the "oldest" American antiquities that we had experienced were far younger than their European counterparts.

Until yesterday, that is.

As I stood in Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House, I realized that I was experiencing American antiquities to rival the European ones that so awed me. This knowledge awed me even more. Here I stood on American soil, in dwellings and ceremonial centers, that were more than 800 years old. The last known inhabitants left in 1209 AD! Some of the walls were probably even older than that. It was remarkable.

Monument Valley

We are back in Utah for a few days - just over the Arizona-Utah border.

As in all other places we have visited, the views and vistas in Monument Valley are spectacular! We can see some wonderful scenery without even leaving the campground.

A Musical Day

This afternoon we had a bit of a musical day. First,

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six. …
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona.

We are in Flagstaff and we drove to Winona on Route 66! While, we did not forget Winona, I am not sure that we saw more than the old bridge that was part of Route 66. We also stopped in Two Guns and Twin Arrows. While we didn’t forget these towns, it seems that time did, in fact, forget them both. Just yesterday we were witness to same wonderfully preserved ancient Puebloan ruins. Today, we were witness to ruins of a different era – Route 66 ruins: gas stations and signs and walls that are just lying in ruin. It is sad to see time past by a few small towns.

Then it was on to Winslow:

Well, I'm running down the road
tryin' to loosen my load…
Take It easy, take it easy
Just find a place to make your stand
and take it easy
Well, I'm a standing on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona

We stood on the same corner and listened to the Eagle song! We also had lunch in a local diner. We sat at the bar and had one of their burger specials. According to the Chamber of Commerce literature: Winslow today is timeless... very much in touch with its past, in tune with the present, and right on target for its future.

Today was a change of pace for all the natural wonder that we have seen for the last few weeks – a step back into the past, musically!

We Got Our Kicks

Need we say more!

Each Day

Since we left home, each day has had a new adventure,a new experience, or a special moment. And each day, I have thought that this day would be the one to remember, the one that would define the vacation.

However, I was wrong. Each new day has brought something better or more special than the last. In my memories of this vacation, there will be no one "thing" that stands out. It will be many, many "things" that made is vert, very special.

Last Grand Canyon Sunset

For this Trip!

We just experienced our last sunset at the Grand Canyon, South Rim. There will be more, just not during this trip. We took far too many photos. Here are 2 of our favorite!




More to come later!

Grand Circle - Arizona

We have made it to Arizona and have been to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. We are now at the Grand Canyon South Rim. This is certainly Carl Sagan country!

The lowest levels of the Grand Canyon are rock that is 2.5 Billion (yep with a "B") years old. The Colorado Plateau slopes down many thousands of feet. The rock layers at the bottom of Bryce is the top layer of Zion. The bottom layer at Zion is the top of the Grand Canyon North Rim. The South Rim is about 2000 feet lower then the North Rim and the river is 5000 feet down from here.

Here are some pictures that certainly do not do justice to actually being there and looking at it.

What is a Slot Canyon

According to Wikipedia:

A slot canyon is a narrow canyon, formed by the wear of water rushing through rock. A slot canyon is significantly deeper than it is wide. Some slot canyons can measure less than one metre (3 ft) across at the top but drop more than 30 m (100 ft) to the floor of the canyon. Most slot canyons are formed in sandstone and limestone rock.

Northern Arizona also has a high concentration of slot canyons including Antelope Canyon and Secret Canyon, two of the most famous slot canyons located near Page, on the Navajo Nation.

We visited one in particular. For a professional photo of Lower Antelope Canyon, follow the Wikipedia link.

Here are some of our pictures:

Some Pictures From Trip to the Grand Circle

We took many pictures on our way to Moab Utah, which was the start of the WIT Gand Circle caravan. You really don't want to know how many!

Here are some of the ones we think are interesting.

Grand Canyon Sunsets

On the North Rim are Spectacular!

Leaving Utah and into Arizona

feel that our trip has begun a new phase. We have left Utah and have arrived in Arizona. It seems like a good time to summarize some of the highlights of Utah.

• Jet boat ride on the Colorado
• Tasted Pinto Bean Pie and Bumbleberry Pie
• Walked in all 5 Utah National Parks: Arches, Canyonland, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion
• Watch a musical on a stage with the Mountains as a backdrop
• Watched Treasures of the God on an Imax screen
• Had lunch under the watchful eyes of the mountains in Zion
• Saw a raven, a squirrel, a mule deer and a lizard
• Enjoyed the pool and hot tub in St. George at 9 PM
• Had a wonderful time and enjoyed Utah

We will visit again.

National Park Rankings

Of a Personal and Biased Nature

We have visited the national Parks in Utah and are headed to Arizona. I thought it would be fitting to give our personal rankings of the parks. These rankings are based on our visit, what we chose to do, and how long we had for our visit. The following reviews are given in order of preference.

Arches
This was our favorite. It is a stark dessert environment. Although most of the park is at a high elevation, the best views are upward: Looking at the rocks and formations that rise from the high platform. There were also spectacular vistas looking down into the canyon below. Perhaps this one ranks highest because we found that the campground had great sites with great views of the canyon. We will definitely visit again, particularly in site 22!

Zion
In this park most of the views are up. The base of the park is in the river bed canyon. The views are up to the large rock formations. Because of the river, the walks were in lush, green areas of vegetation and hanging gardens; a pleasant respite from the desert. It seemed to be a very intimate and friendlier setting.

Bryce
At Bryce, we walked the rim and looked out and down to the hoodoos. These rock formations are unique and not found in other parks. The weather contributes to the character of these hoodoos. There are over 200 days when the temperature is below freezing. The constant freezing and thawing causes the rocks to create the strange and mystical formations called hoodoos.

Capitol Reef
The colors of the formations in this area were more subtle and soft – many greens and purples. The predominant view here is either down or outward. There were many areas to view the canyons that were formed many years ago. This park is quite small, but the vistas are spectacular.

Canyonlands
This national park was geared to the back-country traveler – not particularly RV friendly. There were many trails and areas that were not accessible by vehicle. Here our view was down – down to the canyon below. It was not as stark as Arches, although both are in the Moab area.

We Ate the Pies Today

Today was the day that we were going to share and eat both the Pinto Bean Pie and the Buttermilk Pie. What did they taste like?

The Buttermilk Pie was lemony, sweet and soft. Not as soft as a custard, a bit more cake-like, but very good.

The Pinto Bean Pie was the most surprising! It tasted very, very good. As one man said, this was the best use of pinto beans that he could think of. I can’t quite describe what it tasted like; but, it sure didn’t taste like pinto beans!

The survey of those that ate the pies: I got the most “that was good” about the Buttermilk Pie. And everyone was surprised at the Pinto Bean Pie - it tasted good! I would absolutely eat both again. And next time I will definitely try to get a Pickle Pie.

Favorite National Park - To Date

On this vacation to date, we have visited, in order of visit: Arches, Canyondland, Capitol Reef, and Bryce Canyon National Parks. They were all spectacular and different. The colors, the formations, the topology are all very similar, but with unique distinctions. Which is our favorite (drum roll here)? All of them. They really are so different that it is not possible to pick one as the best. They are all best in their own right. I guess that’s why they are National Parks.

What Happens to Cats at High Altitudes

We travel with two cats. And when we left, I never considered the effect high altitudes may have on them. In fact, even though we live at sea level, I never really thought about high altitudes for us!

I have done a bit of research and have not come up with much. I suspect that their ears could bother them as we go up and down the mountains. And they could be prone to dehydration – as we are. But, they are shielded from the excess heat – the RV is air conditioned and they are indoor cats, spoiled indoor cats. To date, we have seen no indication that either of these are a problem.

They seem fine, but for one peculiar problem. I am not sure when it started, but we probably first began to notice it in Colorado. They were hungry at the wrong time. I decided that, as intelligent as we think they are, they cannot read a clock and don’t understand the concept of changing time zones! So, I simple thought they were hungry a bit early. When we crossed into the Mountain time zone, it seemed to get worse. We have been at this “time” for a long time now. And it continues. But, now we realize that they are always asking for food. They are insistent and persuasive – as only cats can be. We are not feeding them extra and they are not happy.

Will this end when we get back to sea level? Or is this a new behavior that they have acquired for the long term? We will have to wait for the answer!

From Moab to Torrey to Bryce Canyon

We left Moab 2 days ago and travelled to Torrey, UT. The drive was very scenic. There was a planned stop in Green River to visit the John Wesley Powell Museum and to get their famous melons. The melons were delicious!

The last part of the trip was through Capitol Reef National Park. The views were very different from Arches and Canyonland – the colors were softer, the rocks more detailed. The views necessitated that we drive back after we got settled into the campground. It was well worth the drive back.

While in Torrey, we were able to buy a Pinto Bean Pie. Haven’t eaten it yet, but I will let you know. I was a bit disappointed that they were all out of their special – Pickle Pie. We will never know what that tastes like.

From Torrey, we travelled to Bryce Canyon to stay at Ruby’s Inn and Campground. The drive was very nice, but a few more down grades and twists and turns than I would have liked. But, we all made it to Ruby’s! We spent the evening in the pool and hot tub. Despite the wonderful weather we have had – high temperatures and little rain (just a bit today) – it will get to freezing while we are here! Good thing we brought our winter clothes.

2,500 Miles and 1,271 Photos Down and More To Go

We have arrived in Moab, UT. In many ways, this is the starting point of our trip. But, it took us 12 days to get here. Those days were the "pre-trip". We were travelling alone from stop to stop. Now we are one of 22 RVs that are travelling from place to place. This next phase of the trip should be fascinating, exciting and most interesting with many new friends and experiences just around the next corner.

But, the pre-trip was interesting, too! We got to:

o Visit the Lake Erie Area
o Go to a State Fair
o Walk along the top of Pike’s Peak
o Buy premium gasoline that is cheaper than regular
o Sleep on the side of mountain and have a spectacular panorama below us
o Drive the RV up to 11,110 feet, through 6 and 7% grades
o Find and visit the National Balloon Museum
o Visit 10 states: CT, NY, PA, OH, IL, IN, IA, NE, CO, and UT
o Walk among some of the most interesting rock formations at Garden of the Gods (CO) and Arches National Park UT
o Take a cog rail ride and have to return to base because there was a rock on the rails
o Meet many, many new friends

We are off to the first of many activities over the next month - a boat trip down the Colorado River.

Be well and have fun - we will!