Stop 18: Valley of Fire

Another idea of Jon & Dori. Beautiful area, like no where else. We'd be crazy not to go there. The dry camping is first come, but finding a site shouldn't be a problem.

Finding a site wasn't the problem. Getting out of Las Vegas was a Morning Rush Hour experience, but more of it was going the other way. And the roads after Vegas were impressive in their desolation. And we got to crawl by New York New York and see Lady Liberty dressed in a Golden Knights jersey. Go Knights Go!

But it is Hot. We found a campsite easily, the far campground was less than 25% full. Each site has water (worth the $20 fee all by itself) and a shade over the picnic table. The tent pad is well defined and level, the parking is less even, less level. Fortunately we have leveling chocks if we need them, but we've become pretty easy about level, our sleep quality being the only consideration. And like many sites, the backmost portion is usually a tad flatter.

So we visited the Visitor Center and its conditioned air. The off to the end of a glorious road, twisting and turning left and right and up and down in every combination, with dramatic rock on all sides. We climb to the lowest point to get over a ridge, twisting up one did before descending down the other, in and out of various arroyo crossings. Did I mention that this area gets 4" of rain on an average year? About as much as we get in a good rain day.

At the end of the road is a trailhead, a mile long loop. In high tide sand. (I know there is no tide in Nevada, it's the texture.) The trail evolves to include sand covered sandstone, in steps and random rocks and even a bit of gravel path in short parts. Overall it is a beautiful trail, but it's telling that every scrap of shade is being used by a resting/reflecting hiker.

We drive, explore, find more vistas, more twisted roads, more hikes under up ppp the brutal Sun. We explore all the roads, hike a few trails, and return to wait for evening coolness. Outside it's 111° outside, and not much less in Ernie. Sharon finds a spot in the shade beside a rock face with a hint of a cross breeze, and the heat becomes bearable (with vodka and cranberry over ice from the hotel this morning). Wait out the Heat.

The best side effect of Valley of Fire's spectacular rock formations is that it's way too easy to shoot too many images trying to capture the definitive image that encapsulates all the feelings present during the retinal version. And the Heat kept us in the shade, working on our pictures. We both need a bigger monitor to view our pictures on. They look "worthy" on our phones in random light, but we're not zooming in and evaluating pixels.

When the sun set, the temperature cooled a bit, and Sharon became enamored with sunset pictures, and set off like the Energizer Bunny.

More pictures than should exist are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/9pkAtSoH567fe8jL2

Stop 17: Las Vegas

It was Jon's fault. He thought my plan to go to Needles was wrong, that we should instead drive to Las Vegas. We should stay at the Alexis Park All Suite Resort, and we should get tickets for a Cirque de Soleil.

So we did, just as Jon recommended. Las Vegas was just a four hour drive, though the traffic was an unpleasant surprise. But the Alexis gave us a nice clean room with a comfortable bed, Ernie is right outside, and we're two (long) blocks from the Strip, across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel, which we went to first for some good Mexican. The Pink Taco is there, serving what turned out to be very tasty Mexican food. (The margaritas were underwhelming, we should have opted for beer.)

After a bit of relaxation, while I watched the beginning of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals taking place two and a half blocks away on TV. Then we walked the two blocks to New York New York, which has the T-Mobile Arena behind it (where the game was in progress), to see Cirque's Zumanity. With 2nd row seats we were really close to the action, as it were.  We walked the Strip, watching the stores and people and Bellagio fountain and gambling in Paris before making it a day with a walk back.

Pictures of our Vegas Quickie are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/QjZfFMFb9zC8n44C3

Stop 16: Prescott AZ

We had an easy drive to Prescott, less than 200 miles, with a stop at Tonto Natural Bridge SP. We arrived at Jon & Dori's new home just in time for lunch. Dori is an excellent chef, and she treated us to a succession of delicious meals. Vegan never tasted better. We ate out a few times, and they introduced us to some wonderful restaurants.

Jon and Dori have been in Prescott for about a year, and just closed on their new home the beginning of the month, making us their first guests. Both Jon and Dori have high standards, and this house exceeds expectations. With two courtyards, an Arizona room, an open living/dining/kitchen room, living is relaxing and sublime.

Prescott is impressive. There are some 90+ miles of mountain bike trails, including a 54 mile loop around the city. Jon and I rode two different areas on successive mornings, connecting various trails for a couple hours of fun riding. The four of us also rode a lovely rails to trails, and Sharon and I explored the trail by a nearby lake. And of course there are even more hiking opportunities in the area.

Jon & Dori were the consummate hosts. They drove us around the area, so we could all enjoy Sedona, Jerome, the Friday Art Walk, the annual Art Show, and a church partly inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Overall, our long weekend with Jon and Dori was a highlight of the trip, and it's heartwarming to see how much they love their new home. If I moved to Prescott, I hope that I could find a house as nice as theirs, and hire a cook as good as Dori.

Pictures from our weekend are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xhSF7HDVpfXSolHn1

Stop 15: Payson AZ

So Sharon got a two night reservation at Rim Campground; unfortunately it was at a National Forest 5 hours away from the Grand Canyon. But after a morning bike ride and hike, short of a hike down into the canyon, we were done with South Rim. So we drove to Tusayan to watch an IMAX that I'm pretty sure I have at home, eat mediocre Mexican for an early lunch, and then drive to our day old reservations.

It turns out there is a lot of impressive wilderness in Arizona. We breezed through the outskirts of Flagstaff, and a stint on I-40, but the rest was back country two lane asphalt, my favorite roads. We were listening to Book 5 of a silly series where the female protagonist is the Grim Reaper, with a day job as a private investigator. It's a romantic comedy suspense. We listened to Book 4 after American Gods, and we've already listened to maybe 6 or 8 others in the series. (We got hooked last year.) Darynda Jones is the author, and all the books have the same reader; the most current/ last book has an interview between the author and reader that is quite good after you've listened to a few.

We arrived at Rim Campground, and Sharon made short work of the host, and we spent the evening on our pre-paid site. Such a
deal. They ask we park on the pavement beside the site, don't actually use the site, with no electricity or water. No problem!

Our solar panel is awesome, generating more power than we can store. (With a pair of golf cart batteries tied in tandem with what we have, we might be entirely self-sufficient except for A/C and ceramic heater, both of which we're learning to live without.) Sharon has determined that she can run her NutriBullet off the inverter in the morning to make her smoothie. We still need to determine whether we can run the Instapot safely. Life in Ernie is a set of trade-offs, and we're happy with the choices we've made so far. Though we already see improvements to be made (wall cabinet doors opening up and staying shut more securely, a quieter and sleeker a/c, more battery to run off grid longer). The only down side is that the Bluetooth module isn't reporting anymore. The app connects to it, but no data. It's disappointing, I enjoyed monitoring how much power it was generating.

Our dinner consisted of Sharon's leftovers from our Mexican lunch, albeit with our habanero sauce. The heat of the sauce and a quick refry, and life is good. Looking forward to restocking the larder at Jon and Dori's.

We rode out to the signature reason for this area, the rim view. In this park it's of trees. Much of the drive out here was through National Forest, with an impressive number of trees, at least along the road. I'm pretty sure that CGI wasn't involved in any of the Arizona scenery we experienced along the way. While the campground isn't much, it's impressive how popular it is. It is in the woods, albeit very arid woods. With no water. Or electricity. But lots of sunlight during the day.

Stop 14: Mather CG, Grand Canyon

We moseyed down the road from the Desert View CG to the Visitors Center, about 25 miles, stopping at the many pull outs to check out the view. They all come down to the angle you're getting on the awesome chasm, perhaps with a unique detail. The first few were nice and we had them to ourselves. Then it was like a switch flipped, and we had crowds. A tour bus disgorged its innards, another group commandeered one viewpoint for pictures of each of themselves. Fortunately a good view could also be had elsewhere.

After a quick tour of the Visitor Center we did a short mile hike for more views, then a longer bike ride of views, much of it on rocky double track through gorgeous woods. And Arizona has Butterscotch trees! Stick your nose up against the bark, inhale and imagine butterscotch.

It was on the bikes that we started running into elk. Their bubble of calmness is about 20 feet. We first ran into one on a bike path and we stopped 50' away. But it didn't move. After several minutes we started approaching, and she finally moved to the other side of the trail. As we passed, she stayed about 20 feet away. She definitely wasn't running through the woods.

We also became aware of how many Grand Canyon tourists are international, with limited knowledge of how to translate "on your right" (since they're well centered on the trail and already fighting oncoming traffic), and the total lack of spacial awareness of any pedestrian as they randomly stop, walk backwards, or just a jump to the left (maybe they were playing Time Warp on their headphones). It seemed that American tourists were the minority based on the conversation I heard, though it may be that Americans are just more taciturn. Or do people talk more when they know no one else can understand what they're saying?

Grand Canyon is awesome. It is more impressive than any other canyon I've ever been to. The layers of rock are incredibly varied, and I'd really like to understand the myriad geological processes that made up this "erosion". But at some point, i found myself seeing another incredible Vista, and thinking, one (four) more picture(s). Maybe every visitor should be allotted a fixed number of images they can take away, Sharon and I both need to cull our photo output. And I'm tired of taking chasm crap. Concentrate on the twisted trees, and the rest of the beauty.

So on our bike ride we stopped by the campground to see if our site was ready. Oops! It seems our reservation is for a different south rim campground, one 5 hours away. We were fortunate that they had a site for us for one night. Tomorrow may be a challenge.

Our site is minimal, the road widening enough to be off, and a generous amount of desert to pitch a tent on. It works.

The best part of the big NPs is their bus system, keeping people out of their cars. We walked to the front of the campground, waited a couple of minutes for an eastbound blue bus, and from that bus we walked directly to the westbound blue bus that took us to the beginning of Hunter's Rest. Then we rode multiple red buses out to the westernmost point on the rim we can get to, stopping along the way to check out the vistas and hiking some, and picking up another red bus. With 8 stops, we got to ride maybe 5 reds going up. On the way down we didn't get off til the bottom, then quickly crossed over to get on the blue bus waiting. We were lucky, the slower folk had to wait for the next blue bus. And it dropped us off right at the campground.

By the time we got home to Ernie, I was spent. And Sharon found new energy and prepared the best meal of salmon patties, grits, and a salad of our last avocado, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. Oh so good. And of course we had to go for a walk around the campground for an another mile on her Garmin tracker.

Pictures from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/4pFCRG8XLEYCwaph1

Stop 13: South Rim, Desert View CG

Retracing our tracks a bit was reassuring. We averaged only about 17 mpg on the climb from 3,000 to 8,000 feet on the way to North Rim, so I was quite pleased for it to be 34.8 for a while, never reaching 35 and dropping back to 24 by the Colorado River. Slope matters.

We arrived at the South Rim in short order, got in free (Thanks, Senior Pass!), and stopped at the first view, Desert View Watchtower. Packed with people, we stopped, saw, then drove over to the campground. It's first come, no reservations, find and claim. So we found a site to claim! And with our Senior Pass, it cost $6. Tomorrow we'll head into the center of South Rim to the real campground, and start using bikes or bus for getting around.

Cell service has been at best spotty, internet much less so. Uploading pictures will have to wait a few days.

Nose service has been bloody and we're using a lot more coconut oil and shea butter. The dry air makes the air temps easier to handle at both ends of the spectrum.

South Rim pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/4pFCRG8XLEYCwaph1

Stop 12: North Rim AZ

Woke up, got outta bed, dragged a comb across my head. Packed up Ernie and drove to the Grand Canyon. North Rim. With low expectations, we were hoping to get a campsite. We were not disappointed. No cancellations, no early quitters. So we went for some spectacular hikes. Oh. My. God(dess). It's a pretty Grand Canyon. We hiked along an edge, pretty cool. We get to incredible Angel Point, beyond cool, awesome. We walk, we drive, we hike, the views range from simply beautiful and inspiring, to sublime. Beyond any single emotion or experience. Bigger Powers at work, please keep to the Left.

Hiking back to Ernie, we came by three deer who didn't bolt with our approach. One just sat and watched us while the other two nibbled.

Our next recommended move was driving to a couple of viewpoints, Cape Fear and Cape Imperial. The views really are incredible.

After lots of hiking and driving (and no last second cancellations), we left North Rim for the National Forest and Boondoggling. Off the road is free in a national Forest, all of my camping in Colorado was boondoggling. Our site is ideal, lots of Aspen and total seclusion. It is in many ways the best campsite of the trip. The solar panel did its job keeping the house battery topped off all day, and the Arb will do its best with the power available overnight. We've packed the side windows with the Reflectix, so with the drapes Ernie should be retaining any heat we generate. Camping at 9,000' means it could get closer to freezing than we've experienced lately.

Tomorrow is a slow drive to the South Rim to find a campsite before checking in.

Pictures are here.

Stop 11: Marble Canyon AZ

A last delicious breakfast at Kelly Place, and 30 miles, we're at Hovenweep National Monument, a very cool place. It's much lower key than Mesa Verde, and its artifacts are lesser cool but very cool nevertheless, and their hike is a great start to the day.

Then we drove. Back roads with nary another car. Through Colorado and Utah and the Navajo Nation and Arizona, heading towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We stopped for lunch at Sand Island, a boat ramp on the San Juan River, and we filled the fuel tank somewhere on the Navajo Nation. And we stopped at several vistas so Sharon could try to capture some of the incredible beauty of the land. The roads were twisty navigating through the many formations and even on the flatlands the road path was determined more by the natural inclination of the land than the most expedient. A Noble Philosophy.

Lees Ferry Campground is impressive. On the Colorado River in a bowl of cliffs, we were fortunate to get in. We chose our site, and within an hour the remaining sites were taken. The sites have no electric and no water, but a great view.

There is a different feel in a campsite without electricity, everybody is more equal and more open. We don't hide in Ernie and people with tents don't stay in them any more than they have to. Life is more egalitarian, and sometimes it's nice.

Pictures are here.

Stop 10: Cortez CO

A short drive day in my mind, Pagosa Springs to Mesa Verde is the same corner of the state. But still we spent all day traipsing around, and we skipped Durango!

We started off by driving back to where we mountain biked yesterday afternoon, where we left the step stool we bought to make it easier for Sharon to get into the sliding door. Alas, it disappeared. On the outskirts of Pagosa is a Walmart, so we bought a new one, and a new NutriBullet, since Sharon's stopped working, and she needs her smoothie in the morning. Is it a coincidence that it stopped working the first morning she added kale?

Anyway, we proceeded west towards Durango, but turned when I saw the sign for Chimney Rock. I've driven from the Front Range of CO to Durango or Farmington countless times, and never paid attention to this national monument along the way. We arrived just in time to go on the hour long guided tour.

It turns out Chimney Rock isn't just a cool pair of rocks. It also was a special spot for the ancient Pueblans. It seems the rocks alignment is such that Moonlight shines through on the full moon of the 18-year peak of the moon's secondary orbit. So the ancient Pueblans built this whole town downmoon of it. Hot place to be every 18 years. IAC, the hike was a lot of fun and the information interesting and the views sweet.

After lunch down a forest access road, we stopped at Mesa Verde to make reservations for tomorrow, filled up the tank, and checked in at Kelly's Place, a B&B with RV spaces. Sharon was sold by the free breakfast. It turns out she made an awesome choice. After checking in and plugging in, we went to the courtyard for wine and cheese, a delightful way to reflect on the day. Then we went on a lovely hike on the property, to the many archeological ruins right here. Very impressive. Dinner as the light fades, no bugs, and a piece of chocolate (Sharon doles carefully).

While we were driving, Sharon sewed phone holders for us. Our phones were overheating sitting on the dash, so we needed a better location. These are perfect, easy to manage, and hold our phones securely.

Pictures are here.

Day 2

We woke up around 6am, the chill in the air not an issue. We were warm in our bed, and the comforter and a blanket kept us toasty through the night. It got down to 41, but it was a Dry 41. We didn't use the ceramic heater, the sun when we stepped outside was disturbingly comfortable, like a global conspiracy to hide the cool temperature.

First off a delicious and delightful breakfast with the other patrons of Kelly Place, and then we drove back to Mesa Verde. Before our guided tour, we drove the Mesa Top Loop. It consists of driving a one way road and parking on the painted side every 1/4 mile or so, and getting out and looking at whatever is at that stop. Everything was an ancestral Pueblan, be it kiva, pit,... Whatever. What was impressive to me was the structures the park service created to protect these archeological ruins, a sturdy metal roof spanning the entire kiva (or...), With hurricane shutters to protect it from whatever direction is needed. It's heartening that at least they got the money to protect this history.

After lunch at a day use site (99% were unused, which made it dreamy), we roamed through the museum, gleaning Knowledge that drips off of us for a day or so. (My favorite from the Visitors Center was that Mesa Verde isn't really a mesa (flat topped), it's angled 6° to the South so crops grow better than off the "cruesta" ((I already forgot the term))).

At Noon we met up with a ranger, along with another 40 soon-to-be friends, for the Balcony House tour. Step 1: climb down lots stairs. Step 2: climb a frickin tall ladder. Step 3: tour the ancient dwellings and listen to more Knowledge. Then climb through a really narrow passageway and climb two more ladders to finish. Lots of adrenaline, people will love it, and maybe retain some of the Knowledge! Actually, a pretty good approach.

We followed the house tour with a museum walk-through and a 2.7 mile hike through a canyon. With lots of elevation changes it was a good workout and a beautiful stroll. It was the trail less taken, so we didn't see another soul on the trail, and the scenery was wonderful.

Returning to Kelly Place we enjoyed cocktails in the shade and soft breeze of the courtyard, where we met up with our new friends Patrick and Dixie.

Pictures are here.

Stop 9: Pegosa Springs CO

Today was a day of driving and exercise. We left Chama NM and headed North to Pegosa Springs CO, and then driving East up Wolf Creek Pass. On the way up we stopped at Treasure Falls. It looks impressive from the parking lot on the side of the road. Hiking up a "primitive" trail we can confirm that it is impressive. Clearly mid-May is a good time to see this waterfall.

Then we had an adventure! At the top of Wolf Creek Pass, we saw a sign for an overlook. So we turned off onto a dirt road. It quickly became one lane. As we climbed through tight switchbacks past fallen tree tips, it was fun, an adventure, kinda exciting.

Coming around the bend, I saw the snow and realized immediately that we weren't continuing. So we started backing up. When another car tried to come up, Sharon talked them out of it, and they started backing up, too, but much more slowly than I was. Fortunately they realized they could make a u-turn, and they could get back more efficiently. After a mile or so there was a spot where I drove the front wheels up the side a bit, and I had enough width to make a multi-point turn. The rest was easy.

We ended up on a forest road on the East side of the pass with a campground, so we parked in a site and went for a bike ride. Straight up. Ugh. We finally reached the reservoir at the end of the road, but it took its toll on my lungs. Something about a mile and a half above sea level.

We continued back across Wolf Creek finding no campgrounds open and camping unfriendly forest roads.  As we neared Pagosa Springs we passed an RV Park that caught Sharon's eye, so we went back, and she got a tour of the sites and fell in love with one. Right on the river. It's a tent site so no electricity, but we're good.

The people at the park told us about good mountain bike trails so no sooner do we back in to the site, we drive to the other side of town for some impressive bike trails. An hour or so later were tired out and ready for a shower.

Salmon Dinner on a picnic table by the San Juan River is pretty nice.

Pictures are here.

Stop 8: Chama NM

It was chilly waking up above the lake. Too cold for me to jump in the lake from my SUP

A much longer post was written and saved, but it got lost between my phone and the cloud. I realized today that I mis-knew the town we stayed in last night, not "Chalma" but "Chama".

The lost day had been spent driving beautiful back roads. We finished listening to American Gods early in the day, and then listened to podcasts. I really liked American Gods, Sharon less so.

Pictures are here.

Stop 7: Trinidad CO

Surprise! Our plan was to get up early, get a day pass into Palo Duro Canyon, ride until 10, get a campsite and hike/bike the rest of the day. If no campsite, we would move on.

The mountain biking at Palo Duro in the morning coolness is glorious. The trails are well worn red clay with more hilly challenges than we could handle. It was fun to fly along a trail

Stop 6: Not Palo Duro

The plan was to head out early and make the long drive West to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We were unplugged, packed up and on the road by 7am. Two fuel stops and a breakfast break at a Visitor Center in OKC were our only stops. Four hundred of the 450 miles were on I-40, speed limit 70, and 75 in Texas. Heck, the two lane patched blacktop to the park is posted 75 (and has a Share the Road bike sign, but no shoulder). The wind blew hard in Oklahoma which was a total disaster for our mileage. We usually kept it at 65, bumping up to 68 if traffic flow called for it.  When traffic is light, 5 under is no problem for anyone. As the road fills, traffic flows best with consistent speeds, requiring higher speeds.

As the wind tried to push us off the road, Ernie did his best, working the brakes behind the scenes to keep us steady. But the gusts were still strong enough to make steering a full-time effort. Let go of the steering wheel and Ernie would turn right fairly quickly, so my left hand had a constant pull to counteract that. When the gusts came up (or a Semi started to pass), corrective action was required. Overall, more effort than normal.

Palo Duro Canyon is about 20 miles out of Amarillo. Sharon was positive that we didn't need to call ahead for reservations because it's so big. Surprise, No Vacancy. Fortunately, next door is a Zipline place with a back field for RVs. For $30 we got a piece of prairie and a 30A outlet for the a/c. Since the temp was 103° at Palo Duro, and 98° on our campsite,  plugging in is a glorious convenience. The wind is more a conveyor of grit than sweat chiller, the sweat evaporates instantaneously in this dearth of humidity. I may spit just to see if anything makes it to the ground.

Sharon put on a long sleeve short and walked over to Palo Duro to see what we should do to get in tomorrow. We can buy a Day Pass at 7, hike/bike until 10 to snag a campsite, and even get a rebate on our day pass.

The heat is intense, way beyond the capability of our house a/c unit. We broke out the refletix for all the back windows and our 3-piece sunshade for the front. We never took down the rear door reflectix. The a/c is making it cooler, but not fast.  Our Walmart in/out thermo sex it's 97 outside and 87 in. I think it's cooler than that inside because outside feels like a furnace, and inside is bearable.

This may be the worst campsite ever. No trees, essentially an uneven gravel parking lot, no cell service or WiFi, portalets are 1/4 mile walk, and no privacy closer. The good news is we don't have immediate neighbors on either side, and everyone is inside surviving on their a/c, so it should be quiet. (Previous candidates for the Worst honor were Flamingo and Collier Seminole in the Everglades, but both only on New Years Eve, with Ambien defying partiers.)

As the Sun set over the prairie the temperature also settled down, so we could enjoy the warm breeze in the gloaming.

Pictures are here.

Stop 5: Wildcat Point OK

We left John Kyle SP before breakfast, since we had a full day of driving and no cell service and getting low on fuel. The town of Silas had a gas station and MacDonald's together with strong cellular superceded by the free WiFi.

We kept to the scenic route for the first 70 miles or so, and probably made better time than heading north on Interstates to Memphis and then the long hypotenuse to the point in Arkansas where we finally got on I-40, succumbing to straight over curved, for the rest of razorback country until our exit in Oklahoma.

I was surprised that our fuel mileage wasn't any better today, but in one way I'm pleased. The winds were really strong, forcing Ernie to work that much harder. But i was impressed by how smoothly Ernie drove in those winds. Early on in the drive the car was pulling to the right enough to make me think I needed to get the tires rebalanced. It took a while to realize that it was just the right crosswind.

Our original destination was Greenleaf SP, then as she was looking at her maps for the next day's drive, she saw Tenkiller Lake on the map. She was there once when she was 12, driving cross country with her aunt and uncle. So we get there, and while she wasn't overly impressed, the sister park at the other end of the lake looked better, and 20 miles further we found a lovely site on a peninsula in the lake.

The wind is much stronger than the previous night. Enough that we have to leave the left rear door closed and the right door is strapped tightly to the bikes.

Pictures are finally here.