Day 2

Superbowl Campground BLM Indian Creek Recreation Area Monticello, Utah

Yesterday, we were able to obtain a permit for the Elephant Hill 4WD Trail.  Permits are limited to 25 vehicles each day.  This helps to protect the fragile environment and keep the trails safe.  The ranger asked us a bunch of questions so that he was sure that we were able to handle this level of driving.  He asked Tim if we had a self-rescue plan?  Tim was thinking… “I’m riding with a nurse…”  What the ranger wanted to know was whether or not we had a winch so that if we got hung up or stuck, we could pull ourselves out…YES, we have a winch!  Only modified Jeeps are suitable on this particular trail.  It is listed as one of the most challenging 4×4 trails in Utah.  The ranger also asked for an emergency contact.  As I gave him Kyle’s number, I wondered what we were getting ourselves into and I really hoped they would never have to call Kyle. 

The beginning of this trail was a serious test.  If you can’t get up and over the hill…you don’t belong here.  It is steep, there are stair steps, and there are lots of immovable, very large boulders in the path of the Jeep.  There is lots of rock crawling.  There are caves, cliffs, tight switchbacks, and narrow passageways.   There is lots of precariously balanced rock.  It was equal parts terrifying and thrilling.  In the beginning, tensions were a little high.  Though it was hard, it was not impassable and with a careful, slow, and steady approach, we made it just fine.

Here, we had to back down the steep switchback on a narrow ledge…I was down below spotting…a little nerve-wracking!

The payoff for all this tedious and difficult driving is amazing.  We had the rare privilege to be in this rugged and remote place.  We are not separated from it by distance on an overlook, observing from high above.  We are really immersed in the terrain and a part of it.  There are no tour buses, no tour guides…it’s just us seeing this in its most pure form…in the raw.  From the tops of the mesas and back down again into the canyons below, and then to climb back out again…it is exhilarating and beautiful. 

Our breakfast spot.

Through the grabens or vertical blocks of rock separated by a rift, usually on a fault line.

And on the other side…

Another Jeep behind us…a four door. Because our wheel base is so much shorter, we were able to drive down the steep slope. This Jeep had to back down.

Here is was easy to imagine how ancient people would have seen and experienced this harsh place.  The reality is that there has been little change in the vegetation and rock formations in this canyon for thousands of years. 

A short time later, we found evidence that people really lived here.  There was an archeological site with pictographs nearly 800 years old.  They had been defaced and vandalized.  I cannot imagine what inspires someone to write on something so precious…

Another narrow cleft to slip through.

We saw this snake sunning himself in the road…not sure what he is.

The Silver Stairs were a fun little diversion in the trail.

There was a portion of the trail that we had to travel again.  The advantage is that we kind of knew what to expect and where the trail turned.  The disadvantage is that the same rocks look completely different coming from the other direction!

This is biological soil.  It looks dark and lumpy.  This crust is composed of fungi, lichen, algae, and bacteria.  It serves important ecological purposes.  The soil absorbs water, provides nitrogen to the soil, and protects the area from erosion.  It is essential to preserve this fragile surface.  If you step on the soil, it crushes it and it can take 50 to 100 years to regrow.  For this reason, it is imperative that you stay on the designated trails in Canyonlands. 

We drove as far as we could toward the Confluence Overlook.  The Green River and the Colrado River merge here. We had to hike the last ½ mile.  It was well worth the effort it took to get there.  We were 1,000 feet above the confluence.

Tim really does not like for me to be too close to the edge.

We saw lots of these tiny little lizards. This one actually stayed in one place long enough for me to get his picture.

Our lunch spot.

The hardest part of the trail was here, going back over Elephant Hill.  Tim said “See that tree?  That was plan B our self-extraction plan!”  We made it up just fine. 

A raven posing for pictures.

We stopped for a short hike at Pothole Point.  Communities of shrimp and other minuscule creatures live in these potholes.  These diverse plants and animals lie dormant and when it rains and the small ponds fill and they are teeming with life.  When it is hot and dry, the organisms wait again for rain. 

The trails here are all marked with cairns.  Only rangers are allowed to erect cairns in this park. 

Mileage:  67,946

Superbowl Campground BLM Indian Creek Recreation Area Monticello, Utah

This morning we fixed a pancake breakfast for our guests.  We all had packing and preparing to do for the day, but it was nice to watch the changing morning light and eat together before we took off in opposite directions.

Our first stop today was the Blanding Visitor Center.  I sat in the RV and published yesterday’s blog while Tim got information about camping and travel to Canyonlands National Park.  The ranger recommended a back road to Route 211 where we were afforded spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

We stopped at Newspaper Rock.  I prefer the Navajo name for this place, “Rock That Tells A Story” or Tse’ Hane.  These are petroglyphs etched into the desert varnish on this sandstone rockface.

We found our overnight spot in Superbowl Campground, a BLM property.  $7.50 each night with our Senior Access Pass…no hookups…but our view…tremendous!

We rested for a while before heading into Canyonlands.  We are in The Needles area of the park. 

Raven in the parking lot.

In the backcountry office, Adam helped us to make decisions about how to spend our time in the park.  He suggested that we take the 4WD trail, Colorado River Overlook, today. 

This trail was mild for the first 5 miles and then the last 2 miles involved a lot of rock climbing…but nothing radical!  The drive was definitely worth it.  When we got to the top…WOW!!!  The pictures truly do not do this justice. This is Meander Canyon.

We needed gas before tomorrow’s planned 4WD trip.  According to the literature we were given we needed to travel 35 miles to the nearest gas station…ugh!  As we were deliberating whether we should go tonight or tomorrow, I saw a sign for an RV park with a convenience store, Needles Outpost and they had GAS!  They closed at 6:00 and we got there at 5:58…they were happy to help us.  The woman and her husband had come here many years ago after living in northern Virginia, near DC.  She doesn’t miss a thing about it…not the hurry or the noise.  She is happier here where it is slower and peaceful and where people are friendlier.  She was certainly kind to us.  Oh, and the gas was $6.00 a gallon…

We had our dinner and again enjoyed watching the light on the surrounding cliffs. 

Home for the night.

September 19, 2019 Valley Of The Gods

Mileage: 67,848

Valley of the Gods BLM Dispersed Camping Blanding, Utah

We drove a short distance today and returned to the Valley of the Gods.  While we were riding around yesterday, we saw there was dispersed camping here with amazing views…

Valley of the Gods.

Once we were settled, we packed the cooler and headed out for today’s adventure.  We had met a woman who told us that 261, Trail of the Ancients, was a gravel road on the edge of a mesa and so of course we wanted to go and see for ourselves.

Most people would have researched the route.  They might have known ahead of time where they were going and they definitely might have had reservations for overnight.  This is NOT how we travel.  Most of the time it works just fine.  We met a couple the other day who live in their RV fulltime.  They always have reservations 5 months out.  They couldn’t understand our free form decision making.  We believe that it allows us to enjoy the ride and see where it takes us…other people would be very anxious traveling this way!

Unfortunately, the gravel road was only 3 miles long and then we were on smooth, brand new, paved road.  We went to Natural Bridges National Monument.  There is a difference between arches and bridges and it has to do with the way they are formed.  Bridges are formed by erosive damage by flowing water.  Arches are formed by seeping water, frost, and other eroding forces.   

The first bridge overlook was at Sipapu Bridge.  Sipapu means “place of emergence.”  This is one of the largest natural bridges in the world.

Horse Collar Ruin was a pueblo cliff dwelling from about AD 1050 to 1300.  There is evidence that people have lived here on this mesa and in the canyon below from 9,000 to 700 years ago.  There was a short and pleasant hike to the overlook.

Good advice…

Hidey hole for some clever creature.  Look how the entrance is blocked by the cactus.

Erosive forces at work.

The canyon and the ruins beneath the arches far below.

The second bridge was Kachina Bridge.

The third bridge, Owachomo, is the thinnest and oldest.  It could crack and fall tomorrow, or last for many more years.

We met Joe and his wife from Nashville, Tennessee as we were exploring the park.  We had fun sharing travel stories with them.  They were headed to Route 261.  He was excited about it, his wife not so much!  We hope that they enjoyed their adventure today!

We could see Bears Ears as we left the park.

Route 95 from Natural Bridges to Blanding is a scenic route.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

On our way back, we passed a young couple on bicycles working hard to get up a steep hill and fighting a stiff headwind.  The wind was strong enough that it was battering the sides of the Jeep.  Tim decided to turn around and offer the two cyclists some cold water.  The woman gratefully accepted.  The young man had just filled his water.  The couple planned to camp in Valley of the Gods.  Tim told them where to find us.

Later this afternoon, I heard voices behind the RV.  Linda and Dominik found us!  We enjoyed an evening of trading travel stories.  This couple left Switzerland a year ago.  They had been saving money to take a bike tour.  They gave up their apartment and their jobs.  They biked to Belgium then Poland. At one point in their journey, Dominic was injured in a car accident and the couple returned to Switzerland while he recovered.  Then they took a container ship to Nova Scotia.  They arrived in Canada last September.  They came to the U.S. and biked most of the east coast of the United States all the way to Key West.  Their visas are only good for 3 months at a time here in the States.  They spent several months in South America touring Ecuador, Guatemala, and Columbia.  They also went to the Galapagos.  They are now biking in the western states…such courage, such an inspiration.  We cooked them dinner and they used our shower.  We all watched the heavens erupt with stars…so many stars that it was difficult to find the constellations we know well.  We could see the Milky Way so clearly and I even saw a shooting star.  Linda and Dominic went to bed in their tent, full, clean, and happy.  It was such a pleasure to share time with them, it makes our lives so much richer as we meet people along our path.

Day 2

Gouldings Lodge and RV Park Monument Valley, Utah

Good morning!

Today we went to see Monument Valley.  There are 17 miles of red dirt road that are accessible to everyone.  This is the scenic loop.  We elected to drive through on our own instead of taking a tour.  The forces of nature that formed these mesas, buttes, and spires are difficult to fathom.  The story of these rock formations began 570 million years ago.  This entire area was covered by the Gulf of Mexico.  In the intervening years the Rocky Mountains erupted and through eons of erosion, wind, water, ice, and volcanic activity, the land was shaped and reshaped.  What remains is called Monument Valley.  We spent our morning standing in awe of these ENORMOUS rock sculptures. We took lots of pictures of rocks!

We left Monument Valley.

We crossed the San Juan River.

We followed 163 to the town of Mexican Hat.  This is Mexican Hat Rock.

We took 261 onto Valley of the Gods Road.

Lunch spot.

Beautiful day…another beautiful day…we are surrounded each day by beautiful nature and we cannot get enough…who knows where we will end up tomorrow!?!

Little Jeep…big rocks!!!

Bison burgers on the grill!

Mileage: 67,816

Gouldings Lodge and RV Park Monument Valley, Utah

Our first order of business today was to go to Cortez and shop for supplies, post the blog, and Tim needed a haircut. Did you know that you could get a haircut at Walmart? That is one of the very hard things about this gypsy life we lead…where do you go to get your hair done? We tried in the last two towns and there definitely was nothing for me. We will have to wait until we stay somewhere for awhile so that I can schedule something!

After Cortez, there were big expanses of open terrain, rocky and desert like. We were down to 5,000 feet of elevation!

Route 160 is NOT a designated scenic route…but what a pretty ride.

We had to stop at Four Corners Monument. This is the only place in the United States where you can stand in four states at the same time. This monument is on Navajo tribal land. Vendors had all kind of jewelry and other trinkets for sale.

The remainder of our ride was a series of incredible views. The monoliths and buttes rise up out of the earth and surprise you as you pass by.

The view from our campsite this evening.

Day 2

Morefield Campground Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde, Colorado

Our tours of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde were scheduled for today.  The first tour was at Cliff Palace and began at 11 am.  It took the better part of an hour to get from our campground to the site.  Much of the mesa has been affected by wildfires usually as a result of a lightning strike.

The Cliff Palace tour begins with a descent of 100 feet on a combination of metal stairs and carved sandstone steps.  There were a series of five 10-foot ladders to get into and out of the site.  Our tour guide, Ranger Brown, began with a safety talk.  It sounded like it might be hard but I really wanted to go and I was determined to climb the ladders!

A small portion of this community was constructed in AD 200.  Most of the community though was built 1,000 years later around AD 1200.  The Cliff Palace consists of 150 rooms and 23 kivas.

This pueblo has a seep spring that provided water.  There were several others nearby within 3 miles of the site.  The presence of water is one reason that this area was chosen.  The top of the mesa was farmed.  The people were able to grow beans, corn, and squash.  These vegetables were supplemented with wild game and potatoes that were grown on the canyon floor.  The shelter was made of stone hand cut with a stone hammer and a stone axe.  The mortar was made of soil, sand, ash from the fires, and water.  Chinks were placed in the mortar to keep it from seeping out from between the joints.  Roofs were supported by 8-inch Utah juniper trees sections.  It is estimated that using a stone ax, the laborer had to strike the tree 100-300 times at each end.  The igneous stone used for the tools was gathered in the distant San Juan Mountains.  The walls were fairly plumb and many of the corners were 90 degrees.  Tim could tell where different masons had worked to construct the shelter.  I was amazed by the resilience and perseverance of these people.

We traveled a short distance to Balcony House for the 1 pm tour.  This site has 38 rooms and 2 kivas. We were met by Ranger David.  Ranger David also gave a safety talk.  This tour is the most strenuous at Mesa Verde.  There was a 32-foot ladder to ascend into the balcony and then narrow passages to crawl through.  The small tunnel was 15 inches wide and 27 inches tall.  At the end, there were two 10-foot ladders and a steep uphill climb on narrow stone cut steps.  As Ranger David spoke about the serious risks of this tour and the 18 rope rescues that the rangers had done in the past year, I got anxious.  I wasn’t sure that I could do it.  He encouraged everyone to walk as far as the 32 foot ladder and then decide for themselves if they should continue.  I verbalized my doubt to Tim who told me that I could do it!  I had done Cliff Palace fairly easily after all!  I am so glad that Tim nudged me to step outside my comfort zone and try it!

The first stop was a small pool of holy water.  This water gathers under the rock from a spring and from rainfall and snow melt.  This water is significant to native peoples who still return here to gather water for ceremonies.

The 32 foot ladder…

Ranger David was remarkable.  His passion for this place is unparalleled.  He grew up in the town of Mancos nearby and as a child he had decided he wanted to be a ranger at Mesa Verde.  He was raised by and English mother and a Native father.  He learned very early in life that when people talk about religion is makes more sense to focus on the verbs and not the nouns.  He stated that wars were fought over nouns but if we focus on the respecting, treating others with kindness, hoping, and loving, then we all have those things in common.  He wanted us to leave Mesa Verde reflecting on what makes us all human and what people share. 

We passed through this narrow passage that opened to the balcony. 

Ranger David spoke about the importance of water and food and shelter in this dry and hostile environment.  He spoke about the function of the kiva as a place for ritual and community meetings.  The kiva is a circular room partially underground.  Each kiva has a ventilation shaft, a firepit, a ladder into the kiva from the roof, and a sipapu.  The sipapu is a small round hole in the floor of the kiva.  Ranger David told the story of the sipapu.  This is the place where the native people believe that tribal ancestors emerged into the world.  Ranger David went on to talk about the real importance of the kiva, every bit as important as water, food, and shelter is the sense of community and love and hope that exists here.  Hope for food, hope for rain, and hope for forgiveness…

These are milling stones.  These are a cause of early death for many of the people in the community.  The stones they used were sandstone and as they ground the corn, silica was released into the air causing lung and breathing problems.  Sandstone is soft and as the corn was ground, so was the stone.  The stone particles became part of the food, eroding tooth enamel and rotting teeth.  Rotten teeth were an easy way for infection to enter the body.  The life expectancy for women was 25-35 years old.  Men lived to be 35-40 years old.  I am sure that women’s life expectancy was affected by their job as corn millers and the risks of childbirth. 

The way up and out of the cliff dwellings was steep and difficult.

We drove the rest of the park road, stopping to see distant views of other cliff dwellings.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to see this remarkable place and I hope to bring my grandchildren to this park one day!

Mileage:  67,657

Morefield Campground Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde, Colorado

Today was Sunday.  It was moving day.  We filled with water, emptied our tanks and we were on our way to Mesa Verde.  We decided not to take Highway 550 after all.  GPS wanted us to take 62 to 145.  This is the San Juan Skyway.  We drove up and out of the valley and away from the ranches.  This was a picturesque drive.  The character of the mountains changed with the rise and fall of the road.

There were lovely lakes and mountain streams at ear popping altitudes over 10,000 feet.  There was a persistent nip in the air and the sky was thick with clouds.

The leaves are changing quickly.  We will probably be in Utah when the leaves peak in Colorado!

We passed tiny towns, fishermen in their waders fly-fishing, hawks soaring and lots of deer.

As we approached Mesa Verde, the landscape changed yet again.

We ate lunch and went for a ride to see the park.  We began at the visitor center.  Mesa Verde National Park is dedicated to the preservation of the Ancestral Pueblo people.  Mesa Verde was their home for over 750 years.  There are nearly 5,000 archaeological sites here.  600 of those are cliff dwellings. We purchased tickets for two tours tomorrow.  This is the only way we can actually access the cliff dwellings.

We are staying in the Morefield Campground.

The views of the Montezuma Valley are unbelievable.  It was hard to stop taking pictures…and then it was hard to chose my favorites. 

This is a fire lookout station. Every day, all day from May until the end of September, someone sits in this lookout scanning for wildfires.

Our first glimpse of cliff dwellings.

Today, we drove to Wetherill Mesa.  By the time we arrived, our options for exploring were time limited.  The walking trail to Step House was already closed for the day.  There was a paved multi-use path, so we hopped on our bikes.  We went to the Badger House Community ruins where we learned a little bit about how the earliest inhabitants of this area lived.  In AD 1 the Ancestral Pueblo people were semi-nomadic.  By AD 550 the people began to farm on the tops of the mesa.  The soil there was fertile and the people devised ways to collect water.  This is when the first pithouses were built.

By AD 750 the people lived in single-story villages. 

As time passed, the building techniques became more advanced. The people began to fashion rectangular brick from the stone and they made a crude cement to hold the bricks in place.

Just walking through these age-old remains is awe inspiring.  What a difficult life these families had. 

In AD 1100 multi story villages were designed and then in AD 1200 cliff dwellings were utilized.  By AD 1300 the thousands of people that lived here had migrated.  As with every ancient story…there is a lot of conjecture to fill in all the parts of the story that are not understood. I cannot wait until tomorrow to learn more.

Agave plant with fruit.

We saw a group of 4 large bucks as we entered the campground this evening.

Day 7

Ouray KOA Ouray, Colorado

We began the day at the Ridway State Park.  We biked to the reservoir and then along the river.  It was 75 degrees and the sky was a cloudless blue.  The ride was flat and effortless.  Biking here in this peaceful place made us both feel serene and calm. 

Canadian goose.

California gulls…we think…

Our rodent of the day.

I saw this sign.  Although the sign is weather-beaten and worn, I love the message…We cannot live without wild things!!

Next, we chose to go to the Owl Creek Pass.  The beginning of the ride took us through ranch land. 

It’s so dusty here, I usually feel like Pigpen at the end of the day!

Fortunately it was Saturday…so no road work!

Ranches gradually gave way to forest and saw-tooth mountains.

Random stacks of boulders along the road. Tim swears that someone with a machine must have moved them.

Owl Creek Pass was at an elevation of 10,114 feet.

Open range sheep…hundreds of them!

9 miles further took us to Silver Jack Reservoir where we had our lunch.  Food eaten outside always tastes better to me.  We had BLT’s with the fresh bread and produce we bought at the farmer’s market yesterday.

Since it is our last night in Ouray, we decided to go out for dinner.

We ate at The Outlaw. This was a western saloon compete with a piano player.

A huge ggma pour…the bartender didn’t want to leave the last couple of inches in the bottle…

We have stayed here for a week.  That’s a long time for us to stay in one place…but we have enjoyed each and every day. Each trail that we have taken, each town that we have wandered through has had its own special flair.  It’s time to move on now.  Tomorrow, we have reservations in a campground at Mesa Verde National Park.  We cannot wait to see what adventure awaits us there.

Day 6

Ouray KOA Ouray, Colorado

Today we took the Jeep with our bikes north to Ridgway.  This was a nice place to cycle, another neat mountain town.

We stumbled upon a farmer’s market and bought some apples, heirloom tomatoes, greens, and fresh country bread from the Blue Grouse Bread Company.

We found the riverside bike path and enjoyed the perfect weather as we pedaled along.

The path runs along the Uncompahgre River.

Those hills though…we were at an altitude of 7,000 feet.  This does not usually bother us at all…but with exertion…we were gasping for air…no worries though…I just got off and pushed the bike up the hill!

The Dennis Weaver Memorial Park was lovely. 

This eagle sculpture weighs 2,800 pounds and the eagle has a wingspan of more than 20 feet.  It is part of a prayer garden where visitors are encouraged to build their own cairns.

I love outdoor musical instruments and can never resist the opportunity to play as I walk by…such joy!!  It makes me feel like a little girl! This is a metallophone.

The Ridgway Railroad Museum has the mission of restoring and preserving old train cars and providing education. Karl is a volunteer. He spent a long time telling us the stories of the railroads of the San Juan Mountains. He was very gracious and extremely knowledgeable!

This is a 1937 CAT. It was used for clearing mudslides and snow to make the railway passable.

All of the train cars here have been or are in the process of being lovingly restored.

This is a stock car used for transporting cattle or sheep. Apparently, sheep don’t like to get on train cars. They used two trained goats to lead the sheep onto the train. The goats received the reward of chewing tobacco for their hard work.

We found Gnarly Tacos for our lunch, great food and tart lemonade.

We took Tim’s bike into the shop for new brakes and I went into Mountain Market for some groceries.

This evening I walked over to fence to look for deer in the field. I heard something falling from the tree.

I saw a small squirrel sitting on a tree branch.

He finished his pine cone and dropped the core. He chittered at me and fled.

Day 5

Ouray KOA Ouray, Colorado

Last evening, we borrowed the DVD, A Walk In The Woods, from the camp store.  We have seen this movie before.  Nick Nolte and Robert Redford go for a walk on the Appalachian Trail.  This movie is funny and wry and poignant.  It resonates with us and the choices we have made and we enjoyed seeing it again!

It was 35 degrees overnight and 47 when we started today’s journey. We saw this old Willys at the gas station.

We took the “Million Dollar Highway” or 550 to Ironton Park.  The Million Dollar Highway might be named because it cost a million dollars to build it, or because the fill dirt for the roadbed contains a million dollars in gold dust, or because of the breathtaking views…no one is really sure! 

Check out these hard core cyclists!!! No guardrails, lots of tight turns, RV’s and semis, soft soulder…

Frost on the ground…

We did another part of the Alpine Loop, the Corkscrew Gulch.

This Jeep is clearly outfitted to navigate this road in a bunch of snow!

This was an easy and pleasant ride.  We spent the morning sightseeing and bebopping to the music of the 60’s.

As we climbed more of the mountains was revealed to us as you can see in this series of pictures.  They are Red Mountain #1 and Red Mountain #2.

The pass is in the tundra at 12,047 feet.  There we saw a pair of military jets careening between the peaks.

In the distance we could see this snow filled ring of mountains.

As we descended into Silverton, this was our view.

We strolled along Main Street looking in shops as we passed. 

We found the Pickle Barrel Restaurant for our lunch.

We returned to the RV early and I spent the afternoon doing laundry and other chores. 

As I returned to our campsite, I saw these 4 Class A RV’s each with a Jeep parked in front…done for the day. What we do might seem unusual but I promise there are lots of other people out here enjoying these trails with us!

We went for a sunset ride this evening.

There are three elk here on the hillside, visible only with our excellent binoculars.

Such a beautiful place.

Nearly a full moon.