Parks 39 & 40: Walnut Canyon and Mojave National Preserve

8/17/13. On our last day of touring national parks, we set off early to arrive at Walnut Canyon National Monument when it opened. We opted for the easier trail around the rim of the canyon since we were getting tired! 

Overlooking Walnut Canyon

The canyon was physically beautiful and so incredibly quiet and peaceful. This site was designated as a national monument, however, due to the ancient pueblo ruins. According to the National Parks website: "Walnut Canyon has a long human history. Artifacts show that Archaic peoples, who traveled throughout the Southwest thousands of years ago, occupied the canyon at times

Cliff dwellings found throughout all the walls at Walnut Canyon

Later came the first permanent inhabitants, who flourished in the region from about A.D. 600 until 1400. Archeologists labeled this prehistoric culture Sinagua, from the old Spanish name for the region, Sierra de Sin Agua, or “mountains without water.” Scattered families farmed the canyon rims for centuries, growing small gardens of corn, squash, and beans. During the 1100s, many moved into limestone alcoves below the canyon rim, where they constructed the cliff dwellings we see today. The Walnut Canyon community thrived for another 150 years before the people moved on."

Views from I40 driving west though Arizona

After walking the trail, we decided to get back on the road to continue our journey into California.

118 degrees - Yikes!

I 40 goes west through the mountain ranges and valleys that are part of the Basin and Range province. I never realized how big Arizona is until I drove across the state!
















As we entered the Mojave Desert and the Mojave National Preserve in California, the temperature soared to 118 at its highest on the car thermometer. Driving through this area was so desolate and frightening. I kept hoping the car engine would hold up and thankfully, it did! We made sure our gas tank was never less than a half full since I didn't want to test
AAA's commitment to getting us help in the desert! We decided to stop for park stamps at the Headquarters Information Center in Barstow but it was closed on the weekend.

I40 West across the California border

Mojave Desert Cacti

Mojave National Preserve

We finally made it  out of the mountains and it felt so good to see the San Bernadino Valley with the lush green terrain.  After so many days at high altitude, it also felt good to be able to breathe again at sea level. We headed to Anaheim, arriving about 6 pm, with enough time to have dinner at Downtown Disney and fall into bed exhausted. Tomorrow we will spend our first full day in California at the Happiest Place on Earth - a terrific start to Catherine's journey here!

Parks 37 & 38: Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle National Monuments in Arizona

8/17/13. Staying in Sedona is like being in a big national park because the scenery is so amazing at every turn. A bit like being in a movie set all the time!

Ruins at Tuzigoot National Monument near Sedona

We started the morning off with Teri and John being our tour guides and stopping first at Tuzigoot National Monument. This is the remnant of a Southern Sinagua village built between 1125 and 1400 which rises 120 feet above the Verde Valley.

Montezuma castle was our next stop which is a five-story 20-room dwelling built in the early 1100s into a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley. Other dwellings in the rock cliff can also be seen along the valley close to the creek that provided water and fertile land for crops.

Montezuma Castle Ruins

Next we stopped at Bar V Bar, a historical site that contains the largest grouping of petroglyphs found in this area. Even though we've already seen many petroglyphs, these were very impressive in their density and emotional impact.

Petroglyphs at V Bar V Heritage Site

Finally, we stopped at Montezuma Well which is a surprising oasis in the midst of desert. It is a limestone sink hole that contains spring-fed water all year long. Southern Sinagua dwellings are also in the cliffs surrounding the well. It is such a shock to see this large pool of water and lush vegetation in this arid area.

Montezuma Well

Fry Bread snack - Yum!

Views of Sedona

Much thanks to Teri and John for hosting us in Sedona!

On the way back, we stopped for some Fry Bread from a local stand that was delicious, and we also stopped at many of the scenic overlooks to capture some of the beauty of the Sedona area.

Tomorrow we are heading to California, so it will be our last day of visiting National Parks on this trip.

Parks 34, 35, 36: Petrified Forest National Park, Sunset Crater Volcano & Wupatki National Monument in Arizona

The Famous Wigwam Hotel on Rte. 66

8/15/13. We had great luck this morning that when we stopped to get some fruit at the supermarket, we were right across the street from the Wigwam Motel on Route 66 that was the inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars. What a riot!! After enjoying this local color, we headed off to the Petrified Forest National Park. We entered from the south and stopped first at the Rainbow Forest Museum. After getting our precious park stamps, we watched the park film which gave a good overview of the geological processes that created petrified wood and the geological changes from the Triassic period until now. There is a trail right from this museum that gives a fabulous, up close view of the petrified logs and beautiful vistas.

We got a map that showed the different trails available and headed north through the park. We stopped at the Crystal Forest area which has a concentration of petrified wood that had been particularly filled with crystals.

Petrified wood on the trail by the Rainbow Forest Museum

The next stop was Puerco Pueblo that had the remains of a 100 room village occupied by the ancestral Puebloan people between AD 1250 and 1400. This area also had a petroglyph carved on a rock in such a way that the shadow on the solstice reached the tip of the drawing. I was surprised at how much this was like Stonehenge in England or New Grange in Ireland and how people so far from each other, with no contact (that we know of) could have designed similar astrological monuments.

Puerco Pueblo Ruins

Petroglyph that marks the solstice shadow

We continued north through a variety of very different vistas, some mundane and some incredibly interesting. Eventually we made it to the Painted Desert Rim which can be fully seen as you drive over a hill and is breathtaking. Even having seen this as a teenager did not dim the splendor and amazement. We stopped at the Painted Desert Inn and got to imagine what it was like to stay there in its heyday. We left the park, fully saturated after spending about 3 hours driving and on the trails.

Painted Desert Rim

Painted Desert Panorama

Coconino  National Forest

We headed back on I 40 and stopped at the Old Courthouse in Holbrook which is a local museum and has some unique National Passport Stamps. Then we worked our way west to Flagstaff and then north to the Sunset Crater National Monument which is also entwined in the Coconino National Forest. It felt so good to be around trees again and it made us realize how much we are “tree people” – it just felt more natural and comforting.

Lava tubes at Sunset Crater Vocano

Sunset Crater Volcano Cinders on side of mountain

After stopping at the visitor’s center, we went to the Lava Flow Trail which was surreal. I’ve never seen terrain like this and it’s hard to describe. Photos will have to do!

We continued through this park up in the mountains (I think the highest elevation was 8,000 feet) and made our way to Wupatki National Monument – about a half an hour drive through the mountains. There are many different areas to visit at Wupatki that encompass ruins from native peoples in the past. It is possible to walk among the remains of the buildings, imagining what life was like high up on the Colorado plateau. We stopped at four different sites, and we were worried about lightning in the distance be we never got the rain. These ruins are spectacular because in the US we have so little history to observe which is this old. We learned a great deal about what historians and scientists think were the lifestyles of these people, but much is still unknown.

Pueblo Ruins in Waputki

We left the park a bit overwhelmed by all we have learned and seen. It was a full day and our heads felt like they’d explode from all we had taken in. We drove south to Sedona where we are staying for the next two nights. The mountain driving along the windy roads down to Sedona were nerve wracking but beautiful. More adventures tomorrow…..

Driving down Rte 89a to Sedona

Parks 31, 32, 33: Petroglyph, El Malpais & El Morro National Monuments & Continental Divide Trail in New Mexico

8/14/13. Today was exciting and exhausting. We spent the whole day visiting national monuments in New Mexico.

Petroglyph

Petroglyph

We started out the morning driving the 2 hours from Santa Rosa to the Petroglyph National Monument. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center to get the lay of the land. There are three different Canyons in this park and we decided to go to Boca Negra. It was a fantastic choice. We climbed up the volcanic rocky cliff and the petroglyphs were all over the rocks surrounding us. It was amazing to see how similar the symbols were to common pictures we use – such as emoticons. The climb was rigorous, but the view from the top was worth it.

We left the canyon and headed west for another hour and a half to El Malpais National Monument. We stopped first at the NW New Mexico Visitor Center where the ranger did a great job of helping us understand all the places to explore in this huge park and conservation area.  “The primeval black basalt terrain was created by volcanic forces over the past million years. Molten  lava spread out over the high desert from dozens of eruptions to create cinder cones, shield volcanoes, collapses, trenches, caves, and other eerie formations. This stark landscape preserves one of the best continuous geologic records of volcanism on the planet.” We also got a stamp for the Continental Divide Trail which we crossed at least twice today.

El Malpais Conservation Area

Junction Cave - A collapsed lava tube

We set off down the east section of the park, intending to drive through the area for an hour or so. We realized after a while that we had almost no gas! We turned around immediately and crossed our fingers that we would make it out of the park back to the Interstate. Thankfully we did, and as it turned out, we didn’t go back, but moved on to other areas of the park that we enjoyed much more.

Catherine sitting on edge of the cave

We stopped next at El Calderon and walked a short trail to Junction Cave, a lava tube that had partially collapsed and created a series of caves. It was fascinating and so different from anything we’d see before.

Bandera Crater in background at El MalPais

We continued farther up the mountain area to another visitor’s center where we got more stamps. The ranger convinced us to drive to the area where you can hike up to the Bandera Crater. This was steep, but the terrain was amazing. Between the Ponderosa pine trees and the lava, I took tons of photos. The view of the cinder crater at the top was worth the sweat to get up there. We were at an elevation of about 7700 feet so our lungs were working hard. We came back down and then hiked to an ice cave that is low in the ground and so cold that ice stays frozen on the bottom all year round. What a sight! It was so strange how cold it go as we descended the steps to the bottom.

We were really happy to have made it to the top of this trail!

Ice Cave at El Malpais

Views of El Morro sandstone cliffs

El Morro National Monument

By now we were exhausted, but we still wanted to visit the El Morro monument that was about a half an hour away. We drove over the continental divide and through the Ramah Navajo Reservation to get to this huge sandstone bluff. El Morro has been a favorite watering hole and campsite since prehistoric times. It has ruins from a pueblo settlement 400-700 years ago and over 2000 inscriptions carved on the walls dating from prehistoric times, Spanish conquistadors, up through century settlers. We opted for hiking the shorter trail that took us past the pool of water that collects from rainwater but remains full all year long, and past the hundreds of inscriptions. The park video, Paso Por Aqui, summed up the history of this place so well by showing how generations of very different people are all connected through their need to leave their mark in the world.
settlement 400-700 years ago and over 2000 inscriptions carved on the walls dating from prehistoric times, Spanish conquistadors, up through 19

Inscriptions on the wall of El Morro from 1632

We left the park at 5:30 barely able to walk! We drove an hour northwest to reach the Interstate again and stopped at Pizza Hut to load up on carbs!

Family-size breadsticks at Pizza Hut - Yum!

We then drove another hour and a half, arriving at Holbrook Arizona. We are all set to start another day of exploring park lands tomorrow, starting with the Petrified Forest. But for now we’re too tired to do anything but fall into bed.

Park 30: George Washington Carver National Memorial and Oklahoma City National Memorial

George Washington Carver

8/13/13. Today was our longest planned day for driving. We left about 8:15 and headed west from Missouri. We stopped at the George Washington Carver National Memorial. This is where his boyhood home was and where he first spent time exploring the nature environment. The visitor’s center had fantastic exhibits that were clearly designed for school children to learn more about the history and science of George Washington Carver’s life and work. We watched a long film about his life which was helpful in learning more about his amazing contributions to science and social equity.  According to the National Parks Website, George Washington Carver dedicated 47 years of his life to teaching and working at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He chose a life of service to his fellow man and became a symbol of interracial cooperation.

The Moses Carver Farm

Simulated chemistry classroom at Tuskege Institute

"The Usefulness of All Things"

We left after about an hour and got back on I 44 West – our home for most of the day! We left Missouri and headed southwest into Oklahoma. The eastern part of the state was not what I expected – much greener and lush with trees and vegetation. It wasn't until the western part of the state that we saw the dark red earth and flat fields we expected. The 75 mile an hour speed limit really helped our progress, and we found a terrific convenience store called Quick Trip that had some many choices of quick foods and drinks we were in 7^th heaven.

View of countryside in Oklahoma

We finished listening to the audiobook, The Art Forger, which was 10 hours of listening. We've started on No Angel which is a longer saga. We've also been collecting plenty of states for our license plate game. Otherwise it’s been a LONG drive.

At 2:00 we reached Oklahoma City and stopped at the National Memorial. Similar to the Flight 93 memorial, it was a beautiful modernist design that conveyed sadness, respect, and quiet remembrance. Some of the views of the reflecting pool were stunning. The worst part was the section of a corner of the destroyed building that was left.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

We headed west again through the rest of Oklahoma, and enter Texas early evening, driving straight west across the panhandle. We stopped in Amarillo for dinner at Fazoli’s – a terrific Italian food counter service restaurant with all you can eat breadsticks that were to die for.

We continued through Texas and the landscape changed to be perfectly flat – lots of ranches for miles. Eventually, the terrain changed again to be more like a rocky Martian landscape with round trees dotting the hills. We saw our first mesa about 8:30 just as the sun was setting. There was a storm south of us, with lightening flashing. It was quite frightening because as far as we could see in 360 degrees there were no buildings of any kind. No shelter, no protection.

Western Oklahoma

Oklahoma - birds on a pond in a cattle ranch

Texas landscape - beginning of rainbow

Rainbow during storm

View looking west at sunset

I 40 heading toward New Mexico

 It made us appreciate those storm chaser videos! We hurried west as quickly as we could to avoid the storm, when all of a sudden, there was a magnificent, huge rainbow – the tallest one I’ve ever seen. I suppose that’s because of the open land. As we entered New Mexico it began to rain harder with strong winds and the clouds were like out of a horror movie. It was an awesome experience of nature. It’s hard to express how beautiful the raw countryside, the setting sun, and the huge cloud formations were. 

As night fell, there were no lights for as far as we could see on the horizon in every direction - something we never experience on the east coast. The stars started to come out and the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees. It was a humbling, terrifying, and awesome feeling of emptiness and desolation. Worth the whole trip!

Sunset as we entered New Mexico