One of Three - Nevada

Moving west, we decided to drive through the tip of Nevada as we traveled from Arizona to California. It had to be a quick visit since we had a "date" to visit our friend Marmot in Los Angeles for the weekend.  We loved the red road! This route took us along the Colorado River to the Black Canyon - the location of the Hoover Dam.  Although we saw it, we did not take the time to get into the long line to actually visit it. We did learn that the dam was called Boulder Dam originally.  At the base the concrete is 660 feet thick and 45 feet at the crest. The dam was completed in 1936, and that resulted in Lake Mead and the recreation area that surrounds it.  (In addition to the parks, the national park service has National Recreation Areas.) This included the campground where we stayed, right on the lake, for $5. What a privilege!

     As we traveled from Boulder City to a town called Searchlight we noticed a large commercial solar power operation.  The large poles seem to be holding solar collectors.  It was very eerie to see these large reflectors glaring at us from miles away.

Without any fanfare or sign, we crossed into California and entered part of the Mojave Desert.

I have come to enjoy these arid but interesting places.  We saw Joshua Trees and many flowers blooming in this drought-stricken part of our country.

           Joshua Trees

As I noted the next stop is LA with our friend Marmot, so I started to brace myself for the dreaded word "freeway".  Next post will take us there.  

I did think I would add a little funny footnote featuring Latona.  (My posts are linear and I hope not too boring.  I am hoping the pictures really tell the story of our journey.) Anyway, she often finds ways to let her sense of humor shine.  Here she is at Carlsbad...

All our best, and "two of three"coming  very soon.

Hot, dry and dusty!

From the Grand Canyon, we ventured toward Flagstaff and Sedona and Williams.

We settled in a state park called Dead Horse in Cottonwood, Arizona. We wondered about the name and found this story  in the park brochure. It explained that a family came from Minnesota to look for a ranch property to buy.  They visited many. One had the distinction of having a dead horse in one of the pastures, and when the father asked the children what ranch they wanted to live on, they exclaimed "the one with the dead horse." And so it was.  When the family sold/gave the land to the state for a park it was with the understanding that the name would remain.

We wanted to hike and so we asked the campground host, who is from Farmington, Maine, by the way, where would be a good place to start.

She pointed out an eight mile loop that would take us into the hills and back eventually to where we were camping.  A good start!

It was a walk through arid, dusty country that surprised us with all the blooms of spring in spite of the drought conditions.  The temperatures rose to over 90 degrees each day, even though the night temperatures were down to the 40's.  We were told that the drought has really held back the normal amount of flowers but we were definitely surprised by all that we saw.

                    

                      

Other hikes took us to Red Rock State Park and a River/lagoon walk in Dead Horse. Everywhere we looked we had a "kodak moment" and never could resist getting a shot of the rocks, birds, flowers and any other local color we saw.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Arizona!  

And today will venture into Nevada, to Lake Mead National Recreational Area near Hoover Dam and Las Vegas.  It will be a short overnight because tomorrow we head to LA, California to visit for the weekend with our friend Marmot.  She is a woman who completed the AT the same year we did and is known as a Triple-Crowner.  She has hiked all three major north/south long distance trails by herself.

We are very excited to see her tomorrow and to venture into California on Easter weekend. 

Blessings to you all.

A Bit More...

The post published yesterday was a cursory journey over the hundreds of miles of roads and thousands of years of time. The topography has been shaped by the rivers Fremont, Virgin and the Colorado.  The homes of the earliest people who lived In these areas are cliff dwellings now protected and restored in national park areas like Mesa Verde, Colorado. 

After a night in Moab we visited the Arches NP and headed off to Capital Reef NP and planned to take the scenic routes 24/12 the next day to get to Bryce and Zion.  We traveled over Boulder Mountain at 9600 feet and lots of snow. The biggest aspect of the scenic route was following the Grand Staircase - Escalante NM. Incredible changes in elevations and colors and shapes.

We finally stated to slow it down and spent time hiking.  From northern New Mexico, the days had been cold and windy.  We had realized that we needed to acclimatize to the elevations, but once in Zion we started hiking again.

 

The land along the Virgin River was rich with windflowers and spring coming out. 

On to Grand Canyon, with a happy stop along the road where a gentleman pointed out to me the release point in Northern Arizona for the Condors and shared where to see them on the cliffs above the Colorado River on the Navajo Bridge.

     What a thrill!  After this first sighting, I did get to see two more in flight over the Canyon.

Now, we really had some hiking ahead of us as well.  We were camped on the south rim since the north rim was closed, and this side was 10 degrees warmer.  The Rim Trail was first.  Two things happened on this 8 mile feast of vistas of the Canyon.

Latona got too close to a limb and her lightweight shorts bit the dust.

 

And after this was the funny flagging she did with her "tissue".  We stopped for a lunch and she wanted. To blow her nose.  What a laugh we had!

The day before we left the Grand Canyon, we combined more of the Rim Trail and a hike 1.8 miles down off the rim from the South Kaibab Trailhead.  It was a wonderful and scary trail walking along the very edge of the mile deep canyon.

As always, Tone found hearts everywhere...

Now, we are in Cottonwood, Arizona at Dead Horse Ranch SP, near Sedona and doing errands, hiking new trails and finding local birds.  I finally feel like I am caught up with myself.

I did want to share a few things of general information.  The van is doing very well.  Still 23-24 mpg. Got some dust in the brakes and it squeaked for a few days but is fine now.  The coach batteries allow us to watch our DVDs when we are not hooked up to electricity or when we can not get TV at night.  It becomes a more comfortable home each day.  We travel around 300 miles on a travel day, and try to stop for four or five days when possible. We eat lots of fresh food, mostly fish and shrimp and some chicken, and fruits and vegetables.  And we do a lot of camping without electricity and showers, and the big shout is always "thank God for baby wipes."  Five baby wipes equals one shower.

Love and hugs from the road.

So much to share...

Since I wrote last time, we have traveled many miles through Colorado, Utah and Arizona.  If we had better access to the Internet I would love to share almost everyday since that is how rich this experience has become for both of us.  I will do a lot with the pictures and hope to add footnotes in between.

The travel has had lots of new adventure.  Spending time at higher elevations has been one.  For instance, we camped at 7000feet for five days in the Grand Canyon.  We also had a chance to see California Condors and elk sleeping in our campground.  And one of the biggest challenges in this journey is deciding what to see and visit.  These choices always leave us with a bit of sadness for those places we will miss, but grateful for all the new vistas we are given.

The birds are always a special treat for me and make each day a bit of a treasure hunt.  Often, I don't find the ones I am seeking but am presented with sightings of others that surprise and thrill me just the same.  Here are a few:

In addition to the Condors, Western Bluebird and many Ravens, we had sightings ofDark-eyed Juncos, 

Mountain Chickadees, Juniper Titmouse, Robins, Western Scrub Jays and Steller jays! Violet Green Swallows and White-breasted Swifts.

Of course the amazing aspects of these miles has been the scenery.  From Mesa Verde to the Grand Canyou has been new, amazing and beyond words.  Follow with us...

         Mesa Verde, Colorado

      The tree hugger becomes a rock hugger!

We have just finished five wonderful days in the Grand Canyon.  In addition to the incredible views we had many elk taking a nap in our campsite.

The next post will be more photos of the Grand Canyon, but you must see the funny shot of Latona. We take toilet paper with us on our hikes, and she opened hers to blow her nose, and...

Well,  more on that funny picture later.  I will post this and hope to repost again tomorrow with more photos, and especially that one of Latona.  We are so grateful for the National Parks, the golden age pass, and the privilege of good health and a loving relationship to carry us along.  We send our love and prayers to you all!