I took my new truck and my mountain bike and planned to camp and ride the bike through parks and small towns. The truck was just a few months old and had ~4000 miles on it. I had added a camper shell, which I planned to use on this trip. My first big adventure with my new toys.
The first evening I stayed at Allen and Deb's. While Riverside isn't that far from Pasadena, at least it was a start to the trip. Just getting away from the house made it seem like I was almost "on vacation".
Debbie gave me a book to read, Hillerman, since I was going through Indian country. I wasn't familar with his work but Debbie recommended it. I read it while I was camping and enjoyed reading about events taking place in the same setting.
It took me a while to shake off the city entrapments and feel like I was on vacation. "Relax, you don't have to make every light. You've got time." It felt good when I finally settled down and didn't worry about being "late". Since there was no set schedule and I was totally on my own.
I drove to Kingman the first day. Since I wasn't in a hurry, I got off I-40 and followed parts of Route 66. Neat, driving through small towns that are almost deserted now. The little cafes are still there but it's obvious that time has bypassed these areas. (Little did I realize that this detour would grow into a passion to follow Route 66.)
In Kingman, I thought about staying at a little motel/cabinette but decided to save that for later in the trip. That proved to be a mistake, as I never did stay at one. Instead, I headed up the mountains to a public campground at Hualapai Mountain park. The truck had some serious trouble getting up the mountain if I chose the wrong gear! I had to come to a complete stop once and start all over. Hmm, for a new truck with a 2.6 liter engine, it certainly doesn't climb very well. I was not impressed!
It was dark when I reached the campground and the campsites were in among the trees. I set up camp and slept in my truck. The next morning I took a solar shower (cool) and headed back to Kingman for breakfast. Biscuits and delicious gravy with onion! Perfect. There's something about biscuits and gravy that reminds me I'm in the country. I was a little tired so I took my time drinking coffee and enjoying the gravy.
I continued out I-40, making the detours along Route 66 when I saw signs. As the road climbed up onto the Colorado plateau I saw the first of many pronghorn. They are beautiful animals with lovely markings. Now I know I'm on vacation! I reached Flagstaff and ate lunch, filled the truck with petrol and bought ice for my cooler.
Sunset Crater National Monument. I've been here before but enjoy the place. I hiked some along a trail and drove around to see the sights before the park closed. I didn't know where to camp so after visting the park, I drove off a side road and drove around looking for a suitable spot to camp. It was BLM land so you could camp legally but I was afraid and decided not to stay there. I opted for the KOA in Flagstaff that I had stayed at many years ago when we visited the Grand Canyon in January.
I had been taking horseback riding lessons in the evenings and so I wanted to practice my new skills. I called around and found a stable that had afternoon rides. They took us down into the canyons around Walnut Canyon. Our guide was a real wrangler - duster and all. Several of the tourist riders were from other countries. We had fun and even saw some elk, but I was glad to get out of the saddle.
I spent the morning in Flagstaff and then drove to Walnut Canyon. It was neat! Lovely canyon with lots of ruins that you could walk through. Helpful rangers and a nice day. Then I drove to Homolovi Ruins State Park to camp. There were only 2 cars there. I took a shower in the nice facilities that used solar energy to heat the water. Well, it was overcast so the shower was cold. I saw some prarie dogs in the park. Cool, I hadn't seen them in years.
I drove into Winslow for dinner and ate at the Falcon Restaurant. Turns out the food was very good and the prices reasonable. I had pork chops. Yum. Winslow doesn't have much to offer the world now - gas stations and a train stop. The interstate has killed it (if it wasn't dead before.)
During the night something landed on the roof of the camper! I was scared - stupid I know, but I could hear the claws on the roof. I guess it was an owl but I never heard it make any other noise and I wasn't getting out to see what it was. Too many horror movies as a child scared me. I looked in the morning and saw the scratches where it had landed.
I called Pete Schaper in the morning to catch up on work gossip.
Got up and rode my bike through the park. It was perfect for cycling and hiking. There are lots of ruins to explore (you can walk around the walls of the ruins and find pieces of pottery) It was beautiful territory to hike in. And not many cars. The roads are well paved with gentle grades. I walked out to Sunset Cemetary, and old Mormon cemetary, and looked at what remained of the graves. It desolate out here, just grassland as far as you could see with the exception of Winslow. But I liked it. The Little Colorado ran nearby, offering water.
Drove thru Petrified Forest Nat'l Park from south to north. It was a rushed trip as the park closes at 5:00 p.m. I stopped at a few of the more scenic places - took a quick photo and hopped in the truck to see more sights. The park was really nice except for closing so darn early. I reached the northern exit close to sunset and the view out over the painted desert was beautiful!
I continued driving to Gallup where I stopped to buy petrol and eat. I stopped at a gas station right near the "El Rancho" restaurant, which turned out to be a very famous (and a bit dressy) place. I ate dinner across the isle from a tour group whose path I would keep crossing on this trip. The service was not too great (single woman, obviously a traveller) but the food was good and I was pretty tired from all the driving.
Then, in the dark I found Red Rock State Park and stopped for the night. In the morning I was overwhelmed at what a fantastic place the park was! You paid in the old trading store! It was in good shape, pretty much like the original store. Wood floors, a porch, bins of candy and shelves of hard goods. It was great!!
I spent an hour or so talking to a couple who lived in a huge 5th wheeler and had their cat with them. Their cat caught my attention when I went to pay for my campsite since it was wearing a harness and was tied up outside their trailer. (I had to pet it.) The couple was retired and they spent 6 months each year as campground hosts around the southwest. How neat! They gave me a tour of their trailer as well. It had all the conviences of home - washer/dryer, microwave oven, t.v. and nice furniture.
Out of order, but other things I did on this trip were to visit Acoma (Sky City) and take the tour to visit the city and buy local pots. You had to go with a guide and the shopping was fast and furious. I bought two pots from artists. There were many others that were beautiful, but I wasn't certain how much they were worth.
I ate lunch in the museum at the foot of the mesa. After the tour, some other brave souls and myself took the stairs back to the parking lot. It was worthwhile to see how the Indians got up and down the mesa.
I stopped at the Seven Lakes Trading Post (a modern trailer) to get a drink and have a look before driving to Chaco. The young gal who ran the place talked a bit. It must be lonely living out there.
It was a long dusty drive to Chaco Canyon and I really pushed it because camping was "first come" only. I didn't want to drive that far and not be able to camp. But I shouldn't have worried, the dirt road combined with the season meant that there were plenty of places to stay. And I probably could have talked my way into staying at someone else's camp if I had to. The rangers were informative and I took my bicycle to ride the loop road. It was a nice way to see the park.
You are allowed to ride bicycles on the path to Wijiji Ruins, near the campground. I rode out that afternoon and there were a few other cyclists there. It was a nice ride along a dirt track with some water and sand. The ruins themselves were small compared to what I saw at the other end of the valley. But the isolation was worth the ride.
At the campground that evening, a ranger gave a talk about the history of Chaco Canyon. We learned about the history of the ruins and I met some of the other travellers. Two women from Alaska invited me back to their trailer for coffee after the campfire. We talked for quite some time about travel and all.
There was a feral cat who lived in the campground. The ranger said that people dumped animals there and most of them didn't survive long. This cat stayed away from people and seemed to be living quite well in the area.
I went on two hikes in the park. The first was the loop trail north of Chetro Ketl. It followed the mesa along the farming terraces. It was a terrific hike though finding the trail up to the top of the mesa was a bit tricky. I could have used more water and more time to really experience the place. But being alone, I moved rather quickly.
Then I hiked the trail (out and back) to Tsin Kletsin. It was a long hike up the mesa to the ruin. There were only about four other people on that hike. You got a real sense of privacy and solitude on these hikes. The overlook across the valley was tremendous.
This is what I had come for - to see an Indian Ceremony. The Eagle dancers were fantastic, dipping and soaring with their wings. It was exciting to be seeing all the dancing even though I was one of a small number of whites at the celebration. There were stalls selling all sort of jewelry and food and stuff. There was a small fair going on nearby with rides for the kids and adults. I wish I had spent more time there. But I was feeling a bit uncomfortable, partially because I didn't know how to interact with the Indians and partially because I didn't understand the dancing.
I camped at one of the small campgrounds and locked the bike up. I'm still nervous about camping on my own - even though I'm staying in my truck! How very strange. During the night, I heard some animal walking around outside and I was scared. I know it's silly, it was probably a raccoon or something, but that city fear of nighttime noise is still with me.
In the morning, I looked for tracks but didn't see any. It was chilly, with frost on the ground. But the sun soon came out and things warmed up. I had breakfast at "El Cafecito" in Grants. It was a modern cafe with a nice view and good food. The rangers at the visitor center were quite nice and willing to talk about the area. I guess they don't get many people stopping by to chat.
The park had several nice sights- La Ventana and the lava beds. There was also Inscription Rock nearby. It was truly fascinating to see the signatures and writing from the 1600's!! Wow! I walked around the base but didn't climb to the top of the mesa. Perhaps next time.
The hike across "El Malpias" was wonderful. Like so many other things on this trip I wished I had more time (and company for safety) to exlore more. I hiked for several hours along the lava flows. The lava was beautiful and the hiking was rolling up and down. It was hard to find the trail sometimes (even though it was usually well traveled). I could see that I lacked the skill of trail finding.
I drove out to Zuni to see the place and do some shopping. Indian towns are hard for me to understand. People weren't mean, but I always feel like I'm a trespasser. I did look in a shop that sold material for making jewelry. They sold some ready made things and I bought a fetish necklace and some animal fetishes. I liked the way the artist made the animal fit the rock it was carved from.
On the way back to where I was going to camp I stopped at the "Blue Corn" restaurant in Ramah. I had seen signs for it along the road and the name seemed to hold the promise of something pleasant. It turned out to be a wonderful find. The owner was there overseeing things. I met two ladies who taught in Zuni and a gentleman who used to work in Pasadena. We were all at seperate tables but after a while I had everyone talking and sharing their stories. We had a good time and the gentleman paid for my dinner as a thank you for sharing my table. It was a near perfect evening!
Finally, it was time to return home. I didn't want to leave the area as I was having a wonderful time and there was so much more to see. I tried to drive back to L.A. in one day, but it was too far and I am not a long distance driver. I stopped for the night to sleep at the KOA in Seligman (this was before I discovered "Rest Areas") and then got up early to rush home. Perhaps it was best to leave in a hurry because otherwise, I might not have ever left. I'll be back.