My morning walk was along the sidewalks of Green Valley.
We traveled today just a short distance to Picacho. The state park here is beautiful. I love saguaro cactus. We had lunch and then prepared for a hike.
We hiked a good portion of the Sunset Vista Trail. It is a trail of moderate difficulty consisting of some loose rock with lots of ascending and descending steps. It was a good hike and not too hard. The day was gorgeous and the scenery equally so.
This evening we packed our taco salads and took them to the Sunset Vista Trailhead. We ate and watched the day come to an end.
This was part of the Juan ….Looking out over the rather desolate landscape, it is hard to imagine settlers coming across the desert. The lack of food and water and the rocky and dangerous landscape made this a very formidable challenge.
Until 3 in the morning, the wind pummeled the RV. It finally quelled and I was able to sleep. I had to force myself to walk. I was feeling quite irritable. It was a nice and chilly autumn morning and walking does help to clear my mind and chase away the “grumpies.”
We saw a propane delivery guy working in the park and flagged him down. He was kind and gracious and filled our tank.
We packed a picnic and drove to Madera Canyon. It wasn’t long before we realized that we had been here before with Lee and Claudia. The haze you see is dust. The wind storm last evening lifted the dirt off the desert floor and suspended it in the air. The air quality is unhealthy for susceptible individuals.
We had wanted to hike but the flu shot Tim got yesterday took the wind out of his sails.
Instead, we took Proctor Road, a rough gravel road, to its end.
We didn’t even stop for a picnic but rather ate when we got back home. I left Tim to nap and ran a few errands.
The best part of today was that I got to talk to both sons…a two-boy day!!!
I made quinoa bowls with raw spinach and roasted butternut squash and walnuts and goat cheese and grilled chicken with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It was such a yummy and satisfying fall dinner.
This snake was laying by the road…I didn’t get close enough to see if he was alive. Not sure what kind he is.
We traveled again today but only about 60 miles. Our breakfast spot.
We needed a full service campgroud so that we could get laundry done. We set up and had clohtes in the washer within minutes. We left home 4 weeks ago and it was time for a major shopping trip. We started at Walmart. While we were there, we were able to get our flu shots. Later this afternoon we went to Safeway and Sprouts. We have everything we need for a little while! Now the clothes are clean and tomorrow we can play!
This is a 55 and older place; it is the first question they asked when I called to make a reservation. Apparently, lots of snowbirds come to Green Valley for the winter. This is actually a nice resort…but I am not sure how I feel about being in a senior living community. There are all kinds of activities and exercise classes and games and potlucks and dances and craft shows and clubs and all kinds of other stuff that happens as soon as the season begins.
We watched the weather this evening. It is supposed to snow in northern Arizona at higher elevations. Winter is coming here, we just plan to outrun it!
Another nice morning walk along the road to the vineyard.
There are grasshoppers everywhere. We don’t have many at home anymore. This beauty posed for a picture. It is a rainbow or painted grasshopper. When he flew off his wings flashed red.
We drove the RV to Patagonia where we made a stop to revisit the Fall Festival. Today, I started my Christmas shopping!
We continued south to Patagonia Lake State Park.
We didn’t do anything blogworthy today. Tim watched NASCAR and football while I did some cooking and cleaning. Sunday has become our rest day.
We had delicious sockeye salmon for dinner…Thanks Lee and Claudia.
Shout out to Curtis and his wife Janice. Tim was happy to get to talk to you today! We look forward to seeing you next time we are in the area!
Last night the stars were glorious! I wish I knew how to take pictures of the night sky. As we lay in bed, we heard a pack of coyotes. They were very close and then when they began howling again, they had moved further away.
I took my morning walk through grassland, past vineyards and farm fields.
W had only a short distance to travel to our next Harvest Host site; another vineyard just 4 miles away.
We got set up and left to drive to the Patagonia Fall Festival. There were well over 100 vendors. Beautiful crafts of every sort and jams and honey and food trucks. We walked through and, in another life, there would have been lots of stuff to buy and have and keep. But our current life doesn’t allow for the accumulation of things…rather memories and pictures! We bought Navajo Fry Bread stuffed with beans and cheese for our lunch.
We sat and listened to live music.
It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Patagonia is an interesting town.
I saw a tarantula crossing the road today and later we saw a rattlesnake coiled in the road. We have seen several herds of pronghorn.
When we got back to the vineyard, we went in and bought a bottle of Syrah some smoked cheddar and crackers. We sat on the patio in the soft breeze…simply enjoying the moment.
We rested for a short time. The winery closed at 4 and so we went back down and played some cornhole.
We have stayed at Catalina State Park before. I love that it is nestled against the mountains, in a natural environment, with nice hiking trails, and at the same time it is just outside Tucson. We could hear coyotes yipping on and off through the night. There was lots of evidence of their presence…tracks and scat on the trail this morning.
We don’t usually come to Arizona in the fall. There has been a lot of rain and things look very different and very green. This is a desert thorn-apple. These plants are extremely (fatally) poisonous to both animals and people.
This is a blue swallowtail caterpillar.
Someday that caterpillar will be a blue swallowtail butterfly.
We could only get one night at Catalina. We started looking for other options and found a Harvest Host Winery in the town of Elgin. We took 10E out of Tucson and then 83S to Elgin. We traveled over gently rolling hills.
We stayed at the Twisted Union Wine Company in Sonoita Wine Country.
After settling and resting a while, we went inside for a tasting. We chose a bottle of Reign Check red wine, some cheddar biscuits, and provolone wrapped in prosciutto and took our afternoon snack out to the patio. We met another couple and chatted about wine and travel and life. We are not big drinkers and day drinking is NOT part of our usual routine, but I really wanted the full experience and I was not disappointed.
We are on a prairie at 4800 feet of elevation. It was in the 80’s but there was a gentle breeze blowing all evening. I walked along the fence line.
We took our dinner outside and watched the sun change the color of the sky. We watched the tiny sliver of the moon and used the binoculars to see the shadows.
We saw Venus and then Saturn, using the Star Walk App to orient ourselves.
We woke up on the 5th and it was pouring rain. I had no desire to walk in the deluge and so we packed up and got ready to ride down the road.
We had plans to meet our good friends, Lee and Claudia, in a campground near Flagstaff. We traveled in rain for most of the morning and arrived shortly after noon. We arrived first and so we picked two adjacent sites. We were so happy to see friends and to share our evening meal, lots of stories, and good red wine!
On Saturday, the sky was clear. Claudia and I had a beautiful morning walk.
We all packed picnic lunches and then hopped in our Jeeps and took the loop road to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. We walked a couple of short trails near the lava flow. This volcano erupted about 1,000 years ago. In fact all of the hills and mountains in the surrounding area were volcanoes.
We traveled on to Wupatki National Monument. We stopped to explore the Wukoki Pueblo. This particuar house was three stories and built on a huge rock formation. This allowed for the families who lived here to be out of harm’s way during flash floods and gave them an excellent viewpoint. This castle like structure was occupied in the 1,100’s.
We went on to Doney Mountain where we enjoyed our lunch. Afterward, we hiked up the cone and admired the view.
Wednesday evening, Lee and Claudia cooked for us. Alaskan sockeye and silver salmon…just delicious! We chatted until it was dark and we were too chilly.
Thursday morning, Claudia and I took another good walk, this time to the lava flow.
We said goodbye to Lee who was leaving for an elk hunt and Claudia hitched a ride with us to Tucson. We were so happy this meet up worked…to spend time with our kindred spirits. Lee and Claudia just spent the past six months traveling to Alaska and back. They also have children and young grandchildren and they totally get us! Until next time…fond farewell…what adventure awaits?!?
My morning walk took me along the edge of Lake Powell. The water levels here are very low…154 feet below full. In 2011 the water was 107 feet down. In just the past year, the surface level of the lake is 50 feet lower than that.
We stayed an extra day here in Page…we were not sure how we were going to spend it. We tried to book a half day river rafting trip but they were sold out. I happened to notice a BLM office to the north and what looked like a bunch of 4WD trails. We went over the Glen Canyon Dam and into Utah.
At the BLM office, we were given a map to Alstrom Point…and off we went. The first part of our journey took us through some desolate muddy colored rock formations.
We took a side trip to Crosby Canyon.
This road led us to the edge of Lake Powell.
We both liked the look of this giant rock. We parked the Jeep and hiked around it.
Back on the main road and we saw these free range cattle. In such a harsh environment, it is hard to imagine what they find to eat.
We stopped for lunch on the crossroads to Alstrom Point. We were not sure if we were going to quit or continue. I showed Tim the map and the pictures…we couldn’t turn around yet.
It was only another 7 miles to the point and the pictures were so pretty…the last 2 miles took us a long time. The road was considerably rougher and required 4WD to climb the slick rock.
But the views when we got there were worth it!
The light was changing as we headed back, making everything glow.
We got back to Page at 5 o’clock, having put in a full day on the trail, we were tired and hungry. We stopped at the grocery for a few supplies and some ready made chicken and salads.
I always hate to turn around before the end of the trail…you never know what you might be missing…today I am glad we made the choice to get to the end!
My morning walk took me down to the marina and by the edge of the lake.
We ate our breakfast outside. The view so lovely and the weather so pleasant!
Tim tried to watch the Talladega NASCAR race that is now scheduled for tomorrow because of rain. Then he watched the Red Zone…lots of football. I cleaned the bathroom and did all the laundry and took care of lots of little things.
At 2:15, we left to go to our Lower Antelope Canyon tour. I was disappointed that we couldn’t see the Upper Canyon. All the tours were sold out. I found the Lower Canyon tours and because they cost less and had several openings, I was convinced that we were probably getting a second-rate tour…that was absolutely not the case. This canyon is on Navajo Tribal land. You cannot go see the canyon unless you pay the fees and are escorted by a guide. We were not sure what to expect but Ken’s Tours was a first-class operation from start to finish. You cannot be on Navajo land without a mask…inside or out…makes no difference…no mask…no tour! We happily complied and completed our COVID screening. We were called for our tour and followed Will, our guide into the Earth. We descended 6 flights of steep stairs into the canyon.
This was one of the most stunning places I have ever been. We took so many pictures trying to capture the beauty of this place. The sandstone has been carved by flashfloods that sweep sand and water through the slot canyon, creating the shape and texture of these rock formations. This carving and etching has happened over thousands of years. In 2013, a flashflood swept through taking all of the stairs and ladders and leaving the canyon 15 feet deeper. The water had filled the canyon all the way to the top.
There are no words that are adequate to explain…just look at these pictures and feel the awe…
The crevice that we climbed out of…back to the surface.
A raven’s nest on the ledge.
The Navajo name for Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazi or “spiral rock arches.”
The Walmart that we stayed at in Page was the best Walmart ever. It was clean and well stocked. It was fairly quiet so that we were able to sleep well. In the morning, there were about 15 other RVs there with us. The view was tremendous. I walked my first three miles in laps around the parking lot.
We traveled just a short distance to the Antelope Point Campground. This is a brand new and beautiful park right on Lake Powell. The view here is pretty as well. Because of extended drought conditions, the lake is very low.
Our good friend Claudia recommended some attractions in the area. Our drive.
We began our day at Navajo Bridge. This was the first bridge built across the Colorado in 1929. It replaced Lee’s Ferry as a safer way to cross the dangerous river.
In 1995, a new span was constructed to handle heavier vehicles and traffic.
The older bridge is now a pedestrian bridge. The two are called the twin bridges. The bridges cross Marble Canyon which is the beginning of the Grand Canyon.
We walked across and could see in the very great distance, a small colorful dot. It was a bunch of rafters floating the river.
Lee’s Ferry used to cross at this point in the river. Rafting trips still end and begin here. You can take 51/2 day, 81/2 day or 14 day trips through the upper portion, the lower portion, or the entire Grand Canyon.
From a trailhead, we walked to the river. We watched people fishing.
We found a lunch spot near the confluence of the Paria and Colorado Rivers. Here the muddied water from the Paria dumps into the crystal clear water of the Colorado and the waters churn and mix.
We took a longer hike along the river’s edge. We climbed up onto the ledge and then back down to the trail.
At last we found ourselves in a place where we really had to climb sharp volcanic rocks to get to the next level. It looked hard and precarious. There was the potential of falling. We turned around and hiked back to the Jeep.
On our way back to the campground, we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. We hiked to the riverbend.
When we got back to the RV, we were tired and happy and eager for some quiet time. Thanks Claudia for your wonderful suggestions…we thoroughly enjoyed our day!
