Monument Valley is one of the scenic wonders of the world. Located in the northern Arizona and southern border of Utah, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park offers spectacular views of buttes, mesas, canyons and free standing rock formations that will take your breath away.
Created from materials eroded from the Rockey Mountains and deposited with earlier layers for the formation of stratified buttes, Monument Valley has withstood the test of time.
This is considered by movie fans as "hallowed ground" since John Wayne made several western movies here. Among them are "Wagon Train", "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon", "The Searchers" and the very first one "The Lady and The Bad Man".
Its hard to tour this area without taking a lot of pictures and I guess I'm not alone in doing this. Break out the pop corn and enjoy the pictures.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Driving In The Snow ???
Today, we took a drive from Cortez to Durango and Silverton, CO. The drive was nice but we didn't see as much snow on the mountains as we've seen in the past.
When we got to Durango a lot of the businesses were not open for the tourists yet, I guess we're a little early. The same thing was true for Silverton, all of the stores and restaurants had signs that read "Closed will open May 15".
We were going to take a drive to Animas Forks to show Michael and Terri an old silver mining ghost town but the road was not opened all the way so we had to turn around and head back to Durango.
On the was back to Silverton we ran into a snow shower that lasted about 30 minutes. It looked pretty but it was not fun to drive in. Thank goodness we didn't have any traffic on this road. About half way back to Durango we hit another snow shower and this one lasted about forty-five minutes.
The only good part of our trip was a stop at "Serious Texas Bar-B-Que for one of their great bar-b-ques with cherry chipolte salsa. Believe me they are well worth the trip. We like the salsa so much that Jerry bought three bottles so we could enjoy it on our trip to Alaska.
I have a few pictures of our little trip but not as many as I would like, sorry about that.
When we got to Durango a lot of the businesses were not open for the tourists yet, I guess we're a little early. The same thing was true for Silverton, all of the stores and restaurants had signs that read "Closed will open May 15".
We were going to take a drive to Animas Forks to show Michael and Terri an old silver mining ghost town but the road was not opened all the way so we had to turn around and head back to Durango.
On the was back to Silverton we ran into a snow shower that lasted about 30 minutes. It looked pretty but it was not fun to drive in. Thank goodness we didn't have any traffic on this road. About half way back to Durango we hit another snow shower and this one lasted about forty-five minutes.
The only good part of our trip was a stop at "Serious Texas Bar-B-Que for one of their great bar-b-ques with cherry chipolte salsa. Believe me they are well worth the trip. We like the salsa so much that Jerry bought three bottles so we could enjoy it on our trip to Alaska.
I have a few pictures of our little trip but not as many as I would like, sorry about that.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Arches National Park
Water and ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement are responsible for the sculptured rocky scenery of Arches National Park. On clear, blue-sky days it is difficult to imagine such violent forces, or the 100 million years of erosion, that created this land boasting of one of the world's greatest densities of natural arches. Over 2,000 cataloged arches range in size from a three-foot opening, the minimum to be considered an arch, to the longest, Landscape Arch, measuring 306 feet base to base.
Today new arches are being formed and old ones destroyed. Erosion and weathering work slowly but relentlessly,creating dynamic landforms that gradually change through time. Change sometimes occurs more dramatically. In 1992 a rock slab 50 feet long, 11 feet wide and four feet thick fell from the underside of Landscape Arch, leaving behind an even thinner ribbon of rock.
Delicate Arch, an isolated remnant of a bygone fin, stands on the brink of a canyon, with the dramatic La Sal Mountains as a backdrop. Towering spires, pinnacles and balanced rocks-perched atop seemingly inadequate bases-vie with the arches as scenic spectacles here.
I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Today new arches are being formed and old ones destroyed. Erosion and weathering work slowly but relentlessly,creating dynamic landforms that gradually change through time. Change sometimes occurs more dramatically. In 1992 a rock slab 50 feet long, 11 feet wide and four feet thick fell from the underside of Landscape Arch, leaving behind an even thinner ribbon of rock.
Delicate Arch, an isolated remnant of a bygone fin, stands on the brink of a canyon, with the dramatic La Sal Mountains as a backdrop. Towering spires, pinnacles and balanced rocks-perched atop seemingly inadequate bases-vie with the arches as scenic spectacles here.
I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Mesa Verde
About 1,400 years ago, long before Europeans explored North America, a group of people living in the Four Corners region chose Mesa Verde for their home. For more than 700 years they and their descendants lived and flourished here, eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of canyon walls. Then in the late 1200's, in the span of a generation or two, they left their homes and moved away.
Mesa Verde National Park preserves a spectacular reminder of this ancient culture. Archeologists have called these people Anasazi from a Navajo word sometimes translated as "The ancient foreigners". We now call them Ancestral Puebloans, reflecting their modern descendants.
We will never know the whole story, they left no written records and much that was important in their lives has perished.
I hope the pictures I took will give you some idea of what these people built and how impressive they are.
Mesa Verde National Park preserves a spectacular reminder of this ancient culture. Archeologists have called these people Anasazi from a Navajo word sometimes translated as "The ancient foreigners". We now call them Ancestral Puebloans, reflecting their modern descendants.
We will never know the whole story, they left no written records and much that was important in their lives has perished.
I hope the pictures I took will give you some idea of what these people built and how impressive they are.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Towers of Hovenweep and Four Corners
The canyon and mesa country north of the San Juan River holds many archeological sites where ancestors of today's Pueblo Indian tribes lived. Round, square and D-shaped towers grouped at canyon heads most visibly mark once thriving communities. No one has lived in them for over 700 years, but they are still inspiring.
By the 1200s the population had grown dramatically, and pollen studies show that much of the tree cover had been removed. Perhaps drought and depleted resources figured prominently in the ancestral Pueblo people's sudden departure in the late 1200s.
Next we went to "Four Corners". This is the only place in the United States where four states merge and form "Four Corners".
You can stand with one foot in Utah and the other in either Arizona, New Mexico or Colorado. The Monument is owned by the Navajo Indian Tribe and they charge a small fee to visit the sight. The drive to it is about 38 miles east of Cortez, CO and by the time you arrive you're in New Mexico.
Since this is the only location of this kind, it's well worth the drive to see and experience the uniqueness of it.
By the 1200s the population had grown dramatically, and pollen studies show that much of the tree cover had been removed. Perhaps drought and depleted resources figured prominently in the ancestral Pueblo people's sudden departure in the late 1200s.
Next we went to "Four Corners". This is the only place in the United States where four states merge and form "Four Corners".
You can stand with one foot in Utah and the other in either Arizona, New Mexico or Colorado. The Monument is owned by the Navajo Indian Tribe and they charge a small fee to visit the sight. The drive to it is about 38 miles east of Cortez, CO and by the time you arrive you're in New Mexico.
Since this is the only location of this kind, it's well worth the drive to see and experience the uniqueness of it.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Painted Desert and Petrified Forest
Today we took a pleasant drive from Holbrook, Arizona to see the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest.
The Painted Desert is some of the most beautiful hills and valleys I've ever seen. There are many various colors and they look as though some artist painted them. I'll let you be the judge of just how beautiful they are.
The Petrified Forest are stories of climate and culture told in stone. This high, dry grassland was once a vast floodplain crossed by many streams. Tall stately conifer trees grew along the banks. Crocodile-like reptiles, giant amphibians and small dinosaurs lived among a variety of ferns, Cycads and other plants.
The trees fell, and swollen streams washed them into adjacent floodplains. A mix of silt, mud, and volcanic ash buried the logs. This sediment cut off oxygen and slowed the logs decay. Silica-laden groundwater seeped through the logs and replaced the original wood tissues with silica deposits. Eventually the silica crystallized into quarts, and the logs were preserved as petrified wood.
The Painted Desert is some of the most beautiful hills and valleys I've ever seen. There are many various colors and they look as though some artist painted them. I'll let you be the judge of just how beautiful they are.
The Petrified Forest are stories of climate and culture told in stone. This high, dry grassland was once a vast floodplain crossed by many streams. Tall stately conifer trees grew along the banks. Crocodile-like reptiles, giant amphibians and small dinosaurs lived among a variety of ferns, Cycads and other plants.
The trees fell, and swollen streams washed them into adjacent floodplains. A mix of silt, mud, and volcanic ash buried the logs. This sediment cut off oxygen and slowed the logs decay. Silica-laden groundwater seeped through the logs and replaced the original wood tissues with silica deposits. Eventually the silica crystallized into quarts, and the logs were preserved as petrified wood.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Meteor Crater
50,000 years ago, an unbroken plain stretched across the Arizona desert. Suddenly, out of the northeastern sky, a pinpoint of light grew rapidly into a brilliant meteor. Hurling at 26,000 miles per hour, it was on an intercept course with Earth. In seconds, it passed through our atmosphere with almost no loss of velocity or mass.
An iron-nickel meteorite estimated to have been about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, struck the rocky plain with an explosive force greater that 20 million tons of TNT.
The results of these violent conditions was an excavation of a giant bowl shaped cavity. In less than a few seconds, a crater of 700 feet deep and over 4000 feet across was carved into this once flat rocky plain. During its formation over 175 million tons of limestone and sandstone were abruptly thrown out to form a continuous blanket of debris surrounding the crater for a distance of a mile.
This is indeed one "big hole". I hope the pictures will give you some idea of its size.
An iron-nickel meteorite estimated to have been about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, struck the rocky plain with an explosive force greater that 20 million tons of TNT.
The results of these violent conditions was an excavation of a giant bowl shaped cavity. In less than a few seconds, a crater of 700 feet deep and over 4000 feet across was carved into this once flat rocky plain. During its formation over 175 million tons of limestone and sandstone were abruptly thrown out to form a continuous blanket of debris surrounding the crater for a distance of a mile.
This is indeed one "big hole". I hope the pictures will give you some idea of its size.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Montezuma Castle
It is not a Castle although there is a great magnificence to this prehostoric American Indian structure. The Aztec emperor Moctezuma II was never here, the Castle was abandonded at least a century before he was born.
Rising 100 feet above the Beaver Creek floodplain, Montezuma Castle is a testimony to the resilience and innovations of a people called Sinagua" named after the Spanish term for the San Francisco Peaks, the "Sierra Sin Agua", "the mountain without water"
The 19 rooms could have housed 34 to 50 people, conserving precious farmland near the creek. Entrance to most areas was usually from a hole in the roof, a ladder made access easier
There is not too much left of the Castle, but the drive from Flagstaff to it is worth it. The country side has a lot of mountains and beautiful valleys.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures I took of the Castle.
On our way back to Williams, AZ we ran into a snow storm and it snowed all the way back. Even after we got back to Williams the snow continued till early evening
Tomorrow we're heading to Winslow, AZ to see the Meteor Crater. Pictures to follow.
Rising 100 feet above the Beaver Creek floodplain, Montezuma Castle is a testimony to the resilience and innovations of a people called Sinagua" named after the Spanish term for the San Francisco Peaks, the "Sierra Sin Agua", "the mountain without water"
The 19 rooms could have housed 34 to 50 people, conserving precious farmland near the creek. Entrance to most areas was usually from a hole in the roof, a ladder made access easier
There is not too much left of the Castle, but the drive from Flagstaff to it is worth it. The country side has a lot of mountains and beautiful valleys.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures I took of the Castle.
On our way back to Williams, AZ we ran into a snow storm and it snowed all the way back. Even after we got back to Williams the snow continued till early evening
Tomorrow we're heading to Winslow, AZ to see the Meteor Crater. Pictures to follow.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tour Of Grand Canyon
Even though it was cloudy and there was a possibility of "snow", we decided to drive to the Grand Canyon and take our chances on bad weather. When we got there it was "cold" and windy and it was a little overcast.
In 1919 Congress established the Grand Canyon as a National Park and since then millions and millions of tourists from all over the world have visited it. There were people speaking about any foreign language you could imagine while we were there.
I hope the few pictures I took please you. I know we'll have to come back another time in order to see all of it. The weather was not in our favor this time.
In 1919 Congress established the Grand Canyon as a National Park and since then millions and millions of tourists from all over the world have visited it. There were people speaking about any foreign language you could imagine while we were there.
I hope the few pictures I took please you. I know we'll have to come back another time in order to see all of it. The weather was not in our favor this time.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Williams, Arizona
In 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain, thereby opening the Arizona Territory to trappers and mountain men.
Williams was named after one of those fabled mountain men, William Sherley Williams. Following the arrival of the railroad, Atlantic and Pacific in 1882, Williams quickly grew as a center for the railroad, ranching and lumber industries.
In 1901 a spur line was built to the Grand Canyon, Williams became known as the "Gateway To The Grand Canyon"
In 1926, U.S. Highway 66 was established through Williams, which served the touring public as part of "Main Street of America". Williams became the last "Route 66" town in America to be bypassed in 1984. Bill Williams Avenue, a section of "America's Main Street: won national Historic Register status in 1989.
We toured the town and found a lot of cafes and gift shops on Route 66. I took a couple of pictures and I hope you like them.
Williams was named after one of those fabled mountain men, William Sherley Williams. Following the arrival of the railroad, Atlantic and Pacific in 1882, Williams quickly grew as a center for the railroad, ranching and lumber industries.
In 1901 a spur line was built to the Grand Canyon, Williams became known as the "Gateway To The Grand Canyon"
In 1926, U.S. Highway 66 was established through Williams, which served the touring public as part of "Main Street of America". Williams became the last "Route 66" town in America to be bypassed in 1984. Bill Williams Avenue, a section of "America's Main Street: won national Historic Register status in 1989.
We toured the town and found a lot of cafes and gift shops on Route 66. I took a couple of pictures and I hope you like them.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Finally A Tour Of Old Prescott, AZ
We got to Prescott, AZ on Friday after a hard trip from Tucson. The wind was rough and the traffic through Phoenix was awful.
We had some real high mountains to climb on the way up to Prescott. On one of the ridges we went from about 2,000 feet to a little over 5,000 feet in about five miles. That was a high climb and it tested both of our motor homes.
The RV Park in which we stayed was real nice, the sites were large, level and the view was great.
If you plan to travel through the Prescott, AZ area you might want to check out http://www.fairgroundsrvpark.com/, it's really a nice RV Park.
It started raining Friday night and continued all day on Saturday. We had some snow on Saturday but it didn't stick. However some of the higher mountains have snow on them.
Today the sun is out and we drove into Prescott to see what the old town is all about. There wasn't as much as we thought it would be. We had lunch and then on the way back home we found it....."Wally World", Yea!!! Needless to say the ladies had to stop and shop a little.
I have a couple of pictures of Prescott which I hope you enjoy.
Tomorrow we leave for Williams which is a town outside of the Grand Canyon. We'll be there for four days and I guarantee I'll take some pictures there. Stay tuned.
We had some real high mountains to climb on the way up to Prescott. On one of the ridges we went from about 2,000 feet to a little over 5,000 feet in about five miles. That was a high climb and it tested both of our motor homes.
The RV Park in which we stayed was real nice, the sites were large, level and the view was great.
If you plan to travel through the Prescott, AZ area you might want to check out http://www.fairgroundsrvpark.com/, it's really a nice RV Park.
It started raining Friday night and continued all day on Saturday. We had some snow on Saturday but it didn't stick. However some of the higher mountains have snow on them.
Today the sun is out and we drove into Prescott to see what the old town is all about. There wasn't as much as we thought it would be. We had lunch and then on the way back home we found it....."Wally World", Yea!!! Needless to say the ladies had to stop and shop a little.
I have a couple of pictures of Prescott which I hope you enjoy.
Tomorrow we leave for Williams which is a town outside of the Grand Canyon. We'll be there for four days and I guarantee I'll take some pictures there. Stay tuned.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Mission San Xavier Del Bac With Our Friends
Today we took our friends Michael and Terri to see the historic Mission San Del Bac. This Mission is one which has to be seen if you come to Tucson.
The Mission dates back to the early 1600's and is a beautiful building inside. The walls and ceilings are decorated with gold and silver. The statues and paintings look as though they were just installed recently. I'm sure you'll like the few pictures I took of the Mission and some of the cactus around it.
Tomorrow we leave for Prescott, AZ and will be there for three days, then we'll leave for Williams, AZ and be there for four days touring the Grand Canyon. Story and pictures to follow.
The Mission dates back to the early 1600's and is a beautiful building inside. The walls and ceilings are decorated with gold and silver. The statues and paintings look as though they were just installed recently. I'm sure you'll like the few pictures I took of the Mission and some of the cactus around it.
Tomorrow we leave for Prescott, AZ and will be there for three days, then we'll leave for Williams, AZ and be there for four days touring the Grand Canyon. Story and pictures to follow.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Trip To Picture Rocks Road
Today we took a pleasant drive through the Saguaro National Park to find the petrographs. The road is well marked but there are no signs to let you know where the petrographs are located. We drove around and around till we finally found a couple of Park Rangers and asked for directions.
The drive was well worth it. The drawings in the rocks have been there for thousands of years and no one is really sure which Indian Tribe did them.
As always I took a couple of pictures which I hope you'll enjoy. If you're ever in the Tucson area this is a trip well worth the taking.
The drive was well worth it. The drawings in the rocks have been there for thousands of years and no one is really sure which Indian Tribe did them.
As always I took a couple of pictures which I hope you'll enjoy. If you're ever in the Tucson area this is a trip well worth the taking.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Mother Has A New Toy
Mother has a new Blackberry no, not the fruit but a cell phone that can take pictures. She has been playing around with it trying to learn how to take pictures with it.
She has high hopes that she'll be able to do a good job with it before we get into Canada on our way to Alaska.
I have included a couple of the pictures she has taken and I hope you like them. Please let her know how well she did with the "New Toy".
She has high hopes that she'll be able to do a good job with it before we get into Canada on our way to Alaska.
I have included a couple of the pictures she has taken and I hope you like them. Please let her know how well she did with the "New Toy".
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sight Seeing With Our Friends
Michael and Terri were still a little tired so all we did Saturday was to show them where "Wally World" was located. No true RVer can get along without a Wal-Mart.
We also went to Golden Corral and had a good lunch. They have one of the best buffets we've been to in a long time.
Today we took them to Old Tucson Movie Studio where John Wayne made four movies. There you walk on "hallowed ground". We also went to the Saguaro National Park to show them some beautiful cactus plants.
As usual I took a couple of pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
We also went to Golden Corral and had a good lunch. They have one of the best buffets we've been to in a long time.
Today we took them to Old Tucson Movie Studio where John Wayne made four movies. There you walk on "hallowed ground". We also went to the Saguaro National Park to show them some beautiful cactus plants.
As usual I took a couple of pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Our Friends Have Arrived
Our friends, Michael and Terri Brown, from LA (lower Alabama) arrived today and it was a big surprise. We didn't expect them until sometime Saturday.
They drove from San Antonio, Texas to Lordsburg, New Mexico in one day. That was a long hard drive and one I would not have done. The next day they drove from Lordsburg, NM to Tucson, Arizona.
Needless to say they were tired and wanted to rest before doing anything. I don't blame them.
Jerry and I are happy they are here since that means we have a couple going with us to Alaska. I'm quite sure it'll make out trip much more enjoyable.
They drove from San Antonio, Texas to Lordsburg, New Mexico in one day. That was a long hard drive and one I would not have done. The next day they drove from Lordsburg, NM to Tucson, Arizona.
Needless to say they were tired and wanted to rest before doing anything. I don't blame them.
Jerry and I are happy they are here since that means we have a couple going with us to Alaska. I'm quite sure it'll make out trip much more enjoyable.
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