Took another trip through the Southwest, concentrating on southern Utah and northern New Mexico. I was again struck by the similarities between cruising on a sailboat and road tripping in a camper van. Both have moments of serene calm and awe inspiring scenery. And both require repairs of various components in remote locations.
Pretty scenery accompanied by the comforting tones of suitable tunes. Turn it up.Xena, the Warrior Princess, loves to dig holes and she’s good at it. And not just for pooping! Sometimes she lays in them. Sometimes she digs for the sheer joy of it and wanders off.More red rocks. Poor sound quality. Turn it down.We had snow at 10,000 feet in Northern New Mexico!An early example of the architectural style known as “brutalism” in an urban setting.Xena ponders her next move in the deserts of Southern Utah.The Winslow, AZ, tourist bureau, inspired by that Eagles song, created this corner. It was the first corner constructed in this part of Arizona.Xena. Looking particularly leopard-like.
Having been driven from paradise by the Great Storm of 50kt Winds (through no fault of my own), I found refuge in a state park in Green River, UT. Nice enough, I suppose. Any port in a storm, as they say. After a night, I proceeded to Gallup, NM, home of the famous surveys and polls. Only one thing to see there, the awesome Hotel El Rancho!
This restaurant, whose name I cannot recall, is supposed to have the best breakfast in town. They don’t say, however, that it takes a half day to eat there. Rural and Proud, although they pronounce “rural” like “earl” with an “r’ in front. Can’t remember what I ate there, but am sure it maintained my girth. I love staying here! So kitschy and cool. Built in the ‘30s and home base for a couple dozen old westerns from the golden age of Hollywood. Most definitely not ADA-compliant; when enthroned on the toilet, your knees are under the sink! And you have to open and close the elevator doors with your own muscle power! Fabulous! The lobby hasn’t changed since 1935. Why would you? If it is good enough for John Wayne and James Cagney, it should be good enough for you. The lobby has an excellent mezzanine furnished with comfy leather chairs. The walls are adorned with dozens of photos of Golden Age Hollywood stars who stayed at the hotel.
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Reluctantly, I departed Dixie National Forest, bound for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument…just next door, geographically. They call it that because the mountains (faintly) resemble a staircase and to honor Fr Escalante, one of the early cultural imperialists sent by Spain to steal this land from the indigenous people. He also informed them that their religion was wrong and his was right.
We stayed here for 3 days, taking long exploratory walks. When I watch Xena explore, I try, mostly unsuccessfully, to imagine her experience of the world. Seeing everything from 6 inches off the ground seems so limiting. But the richness of the olfactory world she lives in must be incredible. She stops at some shrub or other and studies each leaf, inhaling, analyzing, cataloguing. I have informed her repeatedly that one leaf is the same as the next, but she is steadfast in her determination to study each separately.
We had delight weather until the very end of our stay. When 50mph winds and rain/snow threatened, prudence demanded departure. Although the van would have kept so comfortable and dry, I did not fancy driving out through the sea of mud the road would have become. So, we fled.
So much wide open space! So much peace and quiet! So much land to explore! Xena loved it.
This lovely tree provides both shade and sustenance to many desert animals.Dawn’s early light on the distant mountains. They look red because red wavelengths are faster than others and reach the Earth first. This is a universal constant and explains why red cars are faster than others.Off in the distance you can see the thin dirt road providing access to the profane world.Xena, the Warrior Princess, is particularly pleased with this camp site.Xena loves rolling the dirt at every opportunity.
A couple of weeks ago, a little girl spotted me walking Xena, the Warrior Princess, along the dock. She looked across the little spit of water separating the sidewalk and dock and gasped, “O. M. G.!” She actually said the letters out loud very distinctively, not the words. “That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”
That’s pretty much how I felt, staying in the Dixie National Forest just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. The weather was perfect…high in the low 70s, low in the high 30s. Clear skies, just a few benign clouds. Calm winds. Just awesome. My traveling experience is evolving; I stayed in the same spot, never starting the van’s engine, for 3 days straight.
Xena and I took many long exploratory walks. Did you know cats can travel great distances without difficulty? They can. Their path is not the most direct, necessarily, and sometimes requires laying in the sunbeams, but they can travel far.
I had only one disturbance the entire time…an elderly couple walked down the my road one day. Naturally, I took umbrage at their audacity, focussed my mind on a singular thought, “Depart! Ye untutored bourgeois!” My defense successful, they fled, stooped and stumbling. I resumed imagining that no one else existed. Really! The nerve of some people!
The forests Xena and I explored and patrolled. None from the animal kingdom threatened, save the elderly interlopers mentioned above. Who were victi atque extorres. Ha!
The motivation behind the moniker “Canyonlands” has been lost with the passage of time, but a visit to the place is worthwhile. In the shadow of Arches National Park (spare yourself the trouble of visiting these prima donna rocks), Canyonlands is quite fun for man and feline alike. I stayed in a village, called “Moab” by the locals, for 3 days. It is a perfect base from which to visit the national parks and take the scenic drives around the area.
These treacherous drop-offs have no suitable warning placards, a clear violation of maternal government impulses. I wouldn’t want to be them when OSHA comes around!
This high-altitude desert oasis provided abundant opportunities for Xena to perfect her hunting skills. She captured a lizard and tortured it for a while, even though I cautioned her about endangering endangered species. She is a terrible rule follower and considers herself above such plebian considerations.
These canyons, located in the so-called “Canyonlands,” seem to go on forever. One could get lost…and lose oneself…if not careful.
Wouldn’t it be fun to soar off like an eagle and soak up these vistas?
Xena, the Warrior Princess, does not approve of rainy days, as you can see from her flattened ears. She wants to go out, but doesn’t want to get wet. O! Bother!
But…what can one do? Nothing but take a nap and wait for it to end.
Did you know there is such a thing as a Capitol Reef National Park? Of course, you didn’t, because no one has heard of it before. It is worth a (short) visit if you’re in the neighborhood. Pretty drive, big rocks. They dubbed it Capitol Reefs NP as some of the rock formations look like a capitol dome and some of them looked like reefs. I suppose it is better than Big Red Cliffs National Park, but only by a little.
A lonely roadway into the lonely National Park. Except I wasn’t lonely, cuz I had a cat.
These are a fine example of the reefs part of the National Park. Some imagination is required. Because reefs are supposed to have fishes. And octopi.
Big red cliff threatens to end the road.
As a special bonus for you, dear reader, a picture of a cat. Just because this post is a little boring. Look at how dirty her paws are. She loves digging in the dirt. And bringing it all into the van.
I loved visiting Bryce Canyon National Park. Perfect weather, inspiring scenery, free dispersed camping right outside the gate. Xena had a great time climbing trees, ever vigilant for lizards, birds and squirrels.
I stayed several nights in Dixie National Forest. Fabulous, except for the dust. When the wind picked up or a (rare) vehicle drove past, clouds of red dust billowed. Additionally, the cat serves as a reverse dust mop, bringing fine red dirt into the van, distributing it liberally.
One of my camp sites, about 10 minutes from the entrance to Bryce Canyon. There were people around, but at least 1/4 mile away, so they were not too annoying.
Utahns (pronounced ooo tonz (like tongs)) are fond of these weirdly mutated cows and stock their forests with an abundance of them.
Look at this strange tree I discovered. It grows in a spiral! I call it a spiral tree.
Stunning views! Craftsmanship on an extraordinary level. Just amazing to think of the hordes of sculptors laboring with primitive tools under harsh conditions to create such a scene. We owe them a great debt.
The tall, skinny towers of rocks are called hoodoos. The Native Americans have a story…the hoodoos are petrified Legend People. They displeased the coyote god, so he turned them to stone. What a trickster!
This restaurant, whose name I cannot recall, is supposed to have the best breakfast in town. They don’t say, however, that it takes a half day to eat there. Rural and Proud, although they pronounce “rural” like “earl” with an “r’ in front. Can’t remember what I ate there, but am sure it maintained my girth.
I love staying here! So kitschy and cool. Built in the ‘30s and home base for a couple dozen old westerns from the golden age of Hollywood. Most definitely not ADA-compliant; when enthroned on the toilet, your knees are under the sink! And you have to open and close the elevator doors with your own muscle power! Fabulous!
The lobby hasn’t changed since 1935. Why would you? If it is good enough for John Wayne and James Cagney, it should be good enough for you.
The lobby has an excellent mezzanine furnished with comfy leather chairs. The walls are adorned with dozens of photos of Golden Age Hollywood stars who stayed at the hotel.
