Category: Towns

Canyon of The Ancients National Monument, Colorado, Dolores, Colorado

Canyon of The Ancients National Monument

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August 9, 2022

53 degrees at 6:30

With 270,000 acres and hundreds of sites, there is a lot to explore and discover in Canyons of the Ancients. We opted to hike Sand Canyon Trail to Saddlehorn Pueblo and Double Cliff House for a 4-mile out-and-back hike. We were a little late getting started at 9:00, but it took us about 40 minutes to get there. It was 78 degrees when we started and 83 when we finished. That is not so bad, but at 5,400’ and clear skies, the sun is hot, and it is VERY dry, so we made every effort to drink a lot of water.

We could see others had made the hike already. Dirt bike tracks helped mark the trail. It looked like someone ran the trail, and horses had come up last weekend. The entire trail is 6 miles one way with a 700’ gain in elevation. I can’t imagine the biker went the whole way. A horseback ride would be a nice way to explore this vast region, but you would need a lot of water.

It was a very pretty hike. Just when you think you have seen all possible rock formations, a different group presents itself. The lower layer was bright red from oxidized iron. At one point I thought we were back at Goblin Valley. Surrounded by such history makes the hike pretty amazing. Natural features present many great home sites for cliff dwellers. It is so dry now, you have to imagine it when water was plentiful, especially at Double Cliff House. There would have been two waterfalls and perhaps a lake. Farming would have been good, with lots of game. When it all dried up abound 1200, the people migrated south to better water sources. to the east they followed the Rio Grande south. To the west they followed the Colorado.

  • Carved foot and hand holds

We passed a lot of people out for a hike. One young man looked determined to do the whole thing – a 12-mile trip. Walking back down, we got a different view and perspective of Ute Mountain and the beautiful irrigated farms below. There are a number of other trails in the area. It would be fun to come back and do them.

We drove to the top of the trail to see Sand Canyon Pueblo, which has not been excavated. It is a huge site where hundreds once lived 1,000 years ago. Somehow modern technology is able to scan the area and see what is below the earth and rubble. Pictures on signs showed what it looked like, which is pretty amazing.

  • View in front of the pueblo looking down the canyon

We had lunch in the shade at a picnic table. Then we drove to the cute, little town of Dolores and went to Dolores Market that Martha had heard about. It’s a small market, but it has everything. Browsing the store, I passed by a substantial kitchen where three women were working. The smell of freshly-baked cookies filled the air. I watched a lady carry out a tray of cookies. They are known for their pies, and we bought a tri-berry pie along with sausage they made and a few other things. 

I needed to get some emails out and work on the Virginia Airstream Club newsletter, so we went to the Dolores Library. It is a beautiful library with outdoor seating and a park-like setting beside the  beautiful Dolores River. Several people were tubing down the river on a hot afternoon. 

I was able to get a lot done in a few hours, until a storm came through, knocking the internet out. Then my email app wouldn’t load and didn’t like my password. In a panic, I remembered this happening several times before, and I wanted to get it resolved before leaving this nice library, but I could not. I got the emails sent by going to the email website thankfully. 

Driving, we saw the Dolores River flowing into the McPhee Reservoir then out through the dam downstream to our campground. We drove to the recreation area next to the campground and saw why so many come here. It is a great swimming hole with a rock ledge on the other side. A family was enjoying the day, and a young boy showed how you can jump off a 10’ cliff into the water. A big sign described the river and canyon below. It looks a bit muddy and low to be able to run the canyon right now. Apparently there are trout in the river, but it is awfully hot with little cover for trout. They would be looking for cold springs to hold out in. We agreed that the river offers a lot of opportunities in this area, but tomorrow we leave for natural Bridges National Monument. 

Art Store, Colorado, Cortez, Colorado, Mancos

A Day in Mancos and Cortez, Colorado

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Friday, August 5, 2022

We waited until 9:00 to go to Mancos. I had to get a newsletter out and needed WIFI, so we went to the Mancos Library. There were picnic tables and chairs on a covered porch where we found outstanding WIFI. This area is open 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week!

by Joseph Kerski

I was able to download two big updates – Luminar Neo and Proton VNP, both of which I use a lot. I sent the newsletter to the board for review and got replies from two. Then I uploaded two days worth of pictures for the blog. Martha went for a haircut, and then caught up on some things. 

By 11;30 we had had enough and walked a block to Main Street. We went into Fahrenheit Coffee Roasters. The nice owner told us about her different coffees, describing the pros and cons of each. I wish I had recorded it.

Mancos, Colorado

James, in Ace Hardware, had told us about an art store, which was nice. I bought some cards explaining petroglyphs somewhat. Across the street was a very good Indian arts and antiques store, Kilgore American Indian Art. Kelly greeted us and told us not to touch the bowls. She told us how they were made, using no machines. They are all fashioned by hand, using plant-based dyes and local clays.

Kelly grew up working in Kilgore Trading Post, that her parents owned

There was a lot of antique jewelry and baskets. Martha went to the rugs, and after some discussion with Kelly, bought a pretty rug. Kelly grew up working in her parents trading post, …… She speaks Navajo and Hopi and understands their symbols and beliefs. She is an appraiser for other organizations. She photographed the rug and will send a description of the meanings of the symbols.

Martha bought this rug

We went across the street to Columbine’s for lunch and read a local magazine. Louis L’Amour lived here on a big farm, and many of his stories were about this area. 

We drove 17 miles west to Cortez, stopping at an auto parts store to get some engine coolant for the truck, then drove to a crazy welded art field that James told us about. In a pasture in front of his house, he has made figures of all sorts from scrap metal and paint and a good sense of humor.

  • Searching for ruins

It had gotten hot, about 90o. I pulled over to call Sirius AGAIN! My weather app isn’t working, and I think it’s pretty essential to be able to get a weather report. Same story, different day. “I am so sorry for your trouble Mr. Wall. Let me get all your information and I will refresh your radio.” Same result – it doesn’t work. 

Back at camp, we had a light dinner and enjoyed the first fire of the trip. At the top of the mesa, the temperature had dropped to 72 degrees.

Colorado, Cortez, Colorado, Morefield Campground, Mesa Verde NP

Business in Cortez, Colorado

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Wednesday, August 3, 2022 

A store at the Morefield Campground has all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast as well as breakfast burritos starting at 7:00. two nice, older guys were working the kitchen. Their computer wasn’t working, so I went to the store to pay. I had the burrito and Martha the pancakes, both of which were very good. 

Shower house and laundry

We went down the mountain and turned west on 160, and found Suburban Propane Supply. They didn’t open until 8:00 and we were a couple of minutes early. Soon a man got out of his car and bid us good morning. He looked a lot like John, my great lab man. He was a retired Air Force airplane mechanic and was born and raised in Cortez and had returned after seeing a lot of other places. 

He asked where we had been, and Martha told him. His eyes lit up when he heard Monument Valley. “Did you go to John Wayne Point?” He is a big John Wayne fan and has (or had) all of his movies until he got divorced. It seems his wife kept some of them. John Wayne was in 250 movies! He talked about the first one, where he just made an appearance.

He said the climate has gotten a lot more temperate here. When he grew up, the snow would get up to your waist, but they don’t have snows like that any more. We asked where a car wash was, and he told us “Third stop light, on your right.”

I gave the truck a much-needed wash, and will return with the trailer Sunday on our way to Canyon of The Ancients. Next up was a haircut. We went into Cortez Barbering where a father and son worked. The son had recently returned to town. Both are excellent barbers!

Next stop was Ace Hardware for a better mouse trap. We picked up a pack rat at Chaco Canyon, and our cheap mousetraps weren’t good enough. He was picking them clean without tripping the spring – at least I hope it is a he! I would learn at Mesa Verde that mice proliferated at these ancient places where they stored so much corn and other grains in rooms. Ancestors of these ancient mice are still there!

This is a big Ace Hardware with a lot of help all over the store. I went to the bathroom while Martha selected a couple of traps. There was one sticky trap that looked good. Our mouse jumps over a short wall into a recessed area, so it would be a good place to catch him.

We asked about breakers, since I might replace a second breaker that is heating up. James took us to the area with breakers, but I wasn’t sure if it was the same as the one I changed.

It was such a nice store, we wandered around looking for possible things we needed. We kept running into James, who was most helpful. Martha asked him about our mouse trap selections, and he offered to show us his favorite. He said the sticky one is good, but then you have to somehow kill the mouse. Good point. 

He asked us where we were from and what we had seen. He worked for AT&T for his career, then moved here to be near the grandchildren. He told us to be sure to see the trading post down the street where they have high end Indian things. 

Taking James’ advice, we walked a block or so to Notah-Dineh Trading Company and Museum. Notah is what the Ute tribe calls themselves, and Dineh is what the Navajo call themselves. It is a very cool store with high quality things and a lot of history. The best we could do was to take in as much as we could in an hour, because we had a tour at Mesa Verde at 2:30.

Circuit Breaker, Valle, Arizona

Breaker Breaker

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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

In the afternoon we drove south 20 miles to the small community of Valle to try to find a breaker. Our air conditioner has been tripping a 30 amp breaker to the Inverter. We stopped at the Raptor Ranch Campground to ask where the hardware store was. “Across the road, turn right. It looks like a Tee Pee. 

Going into the store, a nice young lady greeted us from behind a counter and a glass front. I asked about breakers and she took us to the back, where there was a stack of dusty breakers. We found one that was close – not an exact match, but close. 

It was an interesting store, so I started looking around. In a small desert town, it had a little of everything. I asked the lady if she had DEF (diesel exhaust fluid), and she took me right to it. 

Outside, I opened the hood and started filling the DEF tank when a man asked if we needed help. It was hot, about 95 degrees, and he thought we were putting water in the radiator. 

While in town, we thought we should fill up with gas, so we went into a Shell Station. At the entrance there was a restored 1950’s gas station with restored cars all around. It was cool. Around the modern gas station were statues all around – a bear, elk, cougar, cowboy, Indians and more. It was a productive and interesting stop in the little town of Valle. 

A young elk bull came to visit again in our camp. How can you beat that? I cut off all power and replaced the breaker following a great video on the topic. At first I couldn’t get the new breaker to snap into position, but remembering the video showed a new breaker with grease in the catch. Mine didn’t have grease, so once I added some dielectric grease, it went right in. I am intimidated by 220 electric, but this is a pretty easy job.

ATV Tour, Bryce Canyon National Park, Prairie dog, Rustler's Restaurant, Tropic, Utah, Tropic, Utah

BRYCE WILDLIFE  OUTFITTERS ATV & OHV Rentals

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Sunday, July 10, 2022

Karen set up an ATV self-guided tour at Bryce Wildlife Outfitters. Martha opted out for this one, because they only seat four in the vehicle. Jeff got out a map and asked who the navigator was going to be. Josh said he was the navigator. Jeff has a great way of explaining as well as keeping the attention of a boy. Josh has always been good at directions, and he was paying full attention. I guess they have had all kinds of experiences over the years. He showed a picture of a recent wreck when someone was going too fast. We had two hours to do our tour, go up this road and say hi to the prairie dogs, then go up here and hug some of some very old trees. Come back and visit the prairie dogs. “At the reservoir, you can take the short way or the long way around, but watch your time.”

Jeff and another man led us up a gravel road to the first turn and wished us well. Karen drove very well, and I was surprised how well it took the bumps. Sure enough we stopped at the prairie dog village admiring the cute little critters. On up the road Josh hugged an old tree

After the tree-hugging area with a view, Karen let me drive. I have never driven one before, and I liked it. All the wheels can move up and down, smoothing out the ride. These are Honda machines with good engines. I think Jeff said they go for $13,000. I can see how people get attached to them. They just make too much noise. Maybe when they make electric ones.

Whenever we came to a turn, Josh looked at the map and made the right decisions. We saw a few deer and some cows and took the long way around the reservoir. I gunned it a couple of times for fun, but quickly remembered my precious cargo. We made it back to the outfitter with the red roof a little late, but not bad. It was fun, and I thank Karen for handling everything. It was a nice change.

It was late for dinner at the campground, so we stopped at Rustler’s Restaurant for dinner. I called Martha to see if she would like to join us, but she had already eaten. They do an outstanding job with good food and good service. I had a nice red trout, whatever that is, and good vegetables.

Cannonville and Tropic are nice, little towns outside the park, with good stores, gas stations, food and ice cream. Nice! I like it here! I also like our Bryce Canyon RV Resort, that used to be a KOA Journey, but has been recently bought. They are doing a great job. My air conditioner continues to trip the breaker though. I have to baby it!

Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon RV Resort, Cannonville, Utah, Tropic, Utah, Utah

Half Marathon, Hike Bryce Canyon National Park

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Saturday, July 9, 2022

I drove Karen up the mountain to the entrance of Bryce Canyon National Park for a half-marathon, which goes down the mountain ending near our campground, Bryce Canyon RV Resort. The race would start at 6:00. I went back to camp and did some work. I was surprised to see the winning male runner flying down the road about an hour and a half later. Unexpectedly, this is a popular race for several reasons. It is very well organized from the sign-up, the dinner, water and toilets all along the route and police helping everywhere. The kids joined Karen as she came by the campsite. We walked down to the finish line where food and drinks were being served. The second reason it is popular is the scenery is beautiful. Karen said it took her mind off running. Third, it is all down hill – mostly. 

Bryce Canyon RV Resort

Two hours later, she had showered and we were hiking The Hoodoos. Bryce Canyon National Park has the largest collection of hoodoos (Pillars of Stone) anywhere in the world. We went to the Visitor’s Center, looked around, and asked if Josh’s AirPods had been found. Karen filled out a  form in case they were turned in. 

We retraced our stops on the Scenic Drive to see if we could find them. Josh was tracking their location with his phone, and I was surprised how closely it could be tracked. It put us at one overlook, which we scoured. A big raven sat on a pillar and let me come right up to him. I once had a crow, and I know how intelligent these birds are. I talked to him face-to-face, and he looked a little guilty. Tracking put them across the street from the overlook. I looked for a nest, but didn’t see one. We might have walked around in the woods, but it was a steep drop-off. 

Since the AirPods weren’t turned on, they could only track the last known position. If someone had taken them, they would have turned them on. My guess is the guilty-looking raven took them. They love collecting things, mostly shiny things. Well, we did what we could.

We hiked up a beautiful stream to Mossy Cave. People were stopping to walk in the cool waters, but it was a comfortable day at approximately 8,000’.

Back at the rim, we hiked down into the hoodoos to find trees and shrubs growing amongst the hoodoos. It was very cool….until we had to hike back up. These hoodoos are like amphitheater’s.

At sunset, we returned, casually walking around the rim to a pretty overlook. People were sitting with their dinners or drinks enjoying the peaceful beauty.

Colorado River, Dead Horse State Park, Utah, Moab, Uttah, Utah

Dead Horse State Park, Utah

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Sunday, July 3, 2022

On our way up to Canyonlands National Park, we first stopped at “The Monitor and Merrimac” rock features.  To the east were the La Sal Mountains and Mount Waas at 12,306’. We turned left (east) we came to Dead Horse State Park, not knowing what to expect. Well, my new friend, Cindy, at Riverside Plumbing said she and her future husband used to go up to Dead Horse State Park  for a date.

I think it was a $10 entry fee, but we had bought a Utah State Park pass, so they waved us on. The park overlooks a gooseneck turn in the great Colorado River. It really is as pretty a spot as one could wish for. A cute couple were having breakfast at the overlook at sunrise, giddy in their young love in such a gorgeous spot.

Arches National Park, Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Uttah, Utah

Hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park

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Friday, July 1, 2022

Karen, Josh and Melissa flew into Grand Junction, Colorado, about an hour and a half from Moab. Their flights were on time and without a hitch. We stopped for lunch at Qdoba, which was very good. 

First driving west on I70, we turned SW on 129, which follows the great Colorado River through a beautiful canyon. We stopped several times for pictures and stopped at Sandy Beach and stood in the water. Melissa did one better. She went all the way in, then laid on the hot sand making sand angels. 

There is a very pretty Lion’s Park and bike trail that extends 3 miles upriver from Moab. It also goes up to the entrance of Arches National Park and into and through the town of Moab. It is a great place for walkers, runners and bike riders.

Saturday, July 2, 2022

We got up at 4:10, and left at 4:30 in order to see sunrise at Delicate Arch. We had headlights, thinking we would be walking in the dark, but there was a pre-dawn light, so we really didn’t need the lights. Why so early? Martha and I had taken this hike a few days ago, and I will never forget passing a pretty girl carrying a camera. I asked if it was still there, and she said, “Yes, but the sunrise isn’t.” We were determined to catch the sunrise this time. This is an easy hike for Karen and the kids, but not so much for us, but we made it for sunrise 😊.

It is only a mile and a half hike, for a three-mile round trip, but it is an up-hill climb that is quite strenuous. It is a beautiful hike, finishing along a ledge with steep drop-off. Since we had done this before, I brought the 70-200mm lens. While Karen and the kids climbed to a high spot to see the sunrise, I was taking pictures of the arch when a voice with a heavy accent asked, “Can I see what you are taking?” I turned to show my last picture. He was interested in the lens and settings, and was a handsome young man from Ukraine. There were six or seven of them in a group. I asked him how things were in his country. He said, “The 21st century is crazy.” A perfect description I thought. I’m not sure what the story was, but they were having a big time.

As we sat watching the sun rise, making all kinds of light changes on the arch and surrounding cliffs, more and more people came up the mountain. They came speaking all kinds of different languages. Everyone wanted pictures under the arch. I was surprised how courteous they were, waiting their turn, then being pretty efficient in getting their pictures and getting out of the way. 

The hike back down is easier, and we could look at the beautiful surrounding mountains. Again, we took the side trail to some of the best petroglyphs I have seen. Although a bit difficult, we would rate this hike at the top of our list. The arch is beautiful; the surrounding mountains are spectacular; the hike up a huge rock hill is cool, then walking along a cliff edge is cool, but an important part was unexpected. The people from all over the world, speaking different languages, small children, all with courtesy and respect. They took their shots under the arch, then got out of the way for the next group. Across the valley, Martha spotted another group viewing the arch from behind, perhaps with the sunrise showing through the arch. Cool!

Canyonlands National Park, Colorado River, Green River, Moab, Uttah, Portal RV Resort, Utah

Canyonlands National Park

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Thursday, June 30, 2022

To avoid the heat, we drove 40 minutes to Canyonlands National Park, up a big mountain and onto a giant Mesa that is divided into three sections by two rivers, the Colorado and the Green River. Like the Grand Canyons, the mesa sits above the rivers, carved away by a giant inland sea, the Cretaceous Seaway or the Western Interior Seaway. 

“The Cretaceous Sea, also known as the Cretaceous Interior Seaway, was a narrow, rather shallow sea that connected the modern Gulf of Mexico and modern Arctic Ocean. The formation of the sea is rather complicated. Basically, the Earth’s crust is divided into slabs of crust called plates. These plates float on semi-molten rock and get pushed around by rising hotter rock and get pulled towards areas of sinking cooler rock. Sometimes the plates collide and this can result in crumpling of the crust forming mountain ranges. As mountains are pushed upwards, they often pull the surrounding land down making the landscape look like a crumbled rug.” From https://eastern.usu.edu/museum/paleontology/cretaceous-sea/index

Continuing from Utah State University Eastern:

“Simplified, the story began about 170 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic as the North American Plate moving west at about an inch per year, started a slow crashed into the Farallon Plate that was moving east at about the same speed. Over the next 105 million years this slow-motion collision created a series of mountains between the west coast and western Utah. To the east of these mountains, the land was pulled downwards allowing ocean water to flood the center of North America. 

Late Cretaceous

This down-pull was erratic and the land surface would alternately bob up-and down very, very slowly over millions of years. The result was alternating times of submergence below sea level and rising above it. During the Cretaceous, the central part of North America began a downwards cycle around 130 million years ago (Early Cretaceous) and the sea reached Utah around 110 million years ago. The landscape began bouncing upwards around 70 million years ago, forming the Rocky Mountains and pushing the ocean off the continent.  
Much of this up and down motion during the Cretaceous is preserved in the Book Cliffs and in the Grand Staircase National Monument as alternating layers of marine and terrestrial sedimentary rocks as the coastline shifted back and forth. It is for this reason that these areas are famous among geologists.”

Arches National Park, Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Uttah, Utah

Arches National Park

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We were up early, so we grabbed some things and drove north 10 minutes to Arches National Park. The park is so busy, you have to reserve an entrance time between 6:00 am. and 5:00 pm. We got there at 5:30, showed our National Parks Senior Pass and drove right in. There were others in front and behind. 

It’s about 12 miles to Delicate Arch trailhead, the featured attraction of the park. It’s hard to zip along, because the scenery is so spectacular. It was a beautiful morning with some cloud cover, a perfect morning for a hike.

The hike is 3 miles round trip, rated moderate. It’s a cool hike with incredible scenery. A pretty girl with a nice camera was walking out. I asked her if it was still there, and she said, “It is, but the sunrise isn’t.” I smiled and walked on. I guess we were about an hour late. The last stretch is along a cliff, which I do NOT like, but we made it. I could see why this is #1, as it is unique and very pretty. 

On the way back out, we took a short side trail to some pretty spectacular petroglyphs made by the Ute Indians, for whom the state of Utah is named. 

We stopped for a picture of Sand Dune Arch. Then we drove through the campground. It’s a very cool campground. Two sites had spectacular views of the valley below. One in particular looked so cool. A young lady was making breakfast with that view in front of her. There are also some nice picnic areas near the campground.

Then we went for a 1-mile hike to Landscape Arch. By now the parking lots were filled and the trail busy, but not really a problem. People watching is also fun. There were lots of young children, some not looking so happy. One very fit mother was carrying an infant on her back and holding the hand of a young girl. 

There are 2,000 arches in the park! The landscape changes dramatically with different shapes, vertical walls that seem to have been cut with a laser. I envisioned riding a horse through a gorgeous valley below. 

By 9:30, I was tired and sore and now hot. This is a good time to be finished, although the crowds were still pouring in. At the entrance cars were lined up for a quarter mile in two lanes.

Back at the trailer it was well into the 90’s, a good time to finish my projects. I finally I realized I had to go back under the sink and rotate the base 180 degrees and turn the handle around. Voila! It all worked! We have water 😊. As a bonus, the sprayer worked – not great, but it worked. There is a little spring with a plastic basket that goes in the line under the sink, but I couldn’t figure out how to place it, so I left it out.

On to the reading light. Trying to solder a dangling light proved a challenge. With Martha’s help, we tried a few times, but managed to just end up with a big ball of solder that didn’t hold. Finally, I saw how to remove the little on/off switch, which made access better. I cleaned off the solder, and while I held the the wire to the switch pole, Martha held the solder in her left hand, soldering iron in the right, and working between my two hands holding the wires, she soldered it! How she managed to not burn our fingers or touch the other pole, which would have blown a fuse or worse, is amazing, but she did it! 

We screwed the light back in its hole, turned it on and it worked! Yahoo! It was a good day. I put all my tools back in the truck and cleaned up. It was 105 degrees outside, and pretty hot inside. The air conditioner runs all day, and never catches up during the day. We both considered that. God help us if that thing dies! We turned it off for a while and sat outside. Oddly, sitting in the shade with a little breeze is fine. A dip in the pool also helps, but by the time we walked back to the trailer in the sun, we were hot again.

We took Bob to dinner at his favorite pasta place and enjoyed further conversations. He had ridden his bike all through town this morning and found the trail with a line down the middle goes all the way through town, a street behind Main Street. This will give Karen even more distance to run when she comes. He said all side roads just lead to developments, although several were very nice. 

We drove up the side of a mountain to Sunset Grill to see what the view was like. It was pretty spectacular. We could see the whole town, and for the first time to realize the town sits in a valley. It is also bigger than how it seems when you drive through it. Bob heads out tomorrow for Montrose, Colorado. Maybe we can visit later down the road.

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