On I-40 going into Oklahoma City we decided to stop at Sprouts in Norman, south of OKC. While we were eating lunch, I noticed this beauty and Barb went outside to take some pics.

We picked up some gas as well at a Murphy station (foreshadowing tones of doom sound). Most of the stations in Oklahoma have ethanol free gas available – it isn’t what we usually use, so we passed. We made a quick stop in another gas station to use the air compressor as one of the tires was suddenly beeping the “low tire” warning on the TPM System. That didn’t work out well at all, the compressor couldn’t handle the inflation of an 80 lb. RV tire. It ended up letting air out instead of putting any in (next trip will include a small compressor in a storage compartment).

While pulling out of that station the Trek acted like it wanted to stall. Barb said it felt like no gas – that hollow feeling you get when you press on the gas peddle and nothing happens? But then it engaged and took off again. We both wondered what could be happening but since no dash lights were flashing and the RV was moving now like it should – we decided to continue.

Traveling east on SR9 just outside of Tecumseh, it happened again! That no response-to-pressing-the-gas-pedal started up. Barb said it didn’t feel like transmission or like a broken belt (I thought serpentine belt but we didn’t think the Workhorse engine even had one…). Poor Trek was switching between positive forward motion and no response in the accelerator as we poked up hills and coasted down.

The RV ended up limping into Tecumseh with emergency lights flashing and stopped right in a turn lane. There isn’t much in Tecumseh, but there was a Napa Auto repair right across the street, yaaay! Surely they would have an idea. And… they didn’t. They “don’t work on motor homes and don’t know anything about Workhorse engines”.

No worries. That’s why we have Coach-Net, our on the road break down saviors. They dispatched a tow truck from D & D Towing out of OKC. Meanwhile, counting on the off again – on again nature of the problem, we pulled the truck into a parking lot. The truck that came was large enough for towing our 20,000 lb. bulk and the operator, Sean, really knew what he was doing and had the patience and tools to do it right without damaging the Trek! He carefully towed us about 55 miles North to Poskey’s Auto and Wrecking in Stroud, OK where we spent the night outside the gate.

First thing in the morning we were greeted by Mark, the owner, and James, his best man for the job. Of course, the Trek started right up and behaved nicely driving onto the lot. But a gas pressure check showed low to no-go. Barb told them about the blown fuel pump relay we changed in Santa Fe and the cheap gas.

They checked that again and the replacement relay was already damaged. Diagnosis: “fuel pump needs replacing”. It wasn’t the gas, Murphy has been absolved. Guess what though… the fuel pump sits inside the fuel tank and to access it the fuel tank must be dropped. The original one had to come out so the part number could be obtained!

Remember, we had just filled up the 75 gallon tank about 40 miles ago? Yikes. But Mark and James figured out how to do it without spilling any or draining the tank. (shop jack anyone?). Barb got on the internet and located a Workhorse replacement, ordered it and it was shipped overnight arriving Friday morning (this was Wed. evening).

That’s our fuel tank dropped down with a shop jack.

I however, was figuring out that we couldn’t stay in the Trek. The smell of gas was noxious, we were fanny up in the air, and the replacement fuel pump was two days away. I packed up a bag or two, filled all of our water containers, grabbed snacks and got us ready to head to the local hot-EL.

The Hamption Inn in Stroud was sure a surprise. Brand new, ultra modern and clean as a whistle, with staff who treated us like long lost cousins, it became home base until the pump arrived. These were the only two nights in all these months we stayed outside the Trek and it was luxurious! I showered for about 4 hours, watched TV for about 30 minutes, caught up on internet nonsense and complained about the icky, scratchy hotel sheets enough to drive Barb insane!

We went to dinner at “The Rock” a Route 66 time machine with new owners and a super interesting menu. Our server was so friendly and the owner came out to chat us up as well. It was really fun to look at all the old 66 stuff and to talk with some nice people.

The next day we went over to Chandler for lunch at a former Route 66 gas station. Another good meal with friendly folk… it was time for me to experience an epiphany!

I’d not thought too well about Oklahoma before and really just wanted to get through the state. Here it comes… I realized, during our stay, that I really like Oklahoma! The people are just incredibly friendly – we didn’t hide our relationship at all, folks just treated us like we treated them, offering bits of their lives and the history of the area. I also realized that this state has much to explore and tons of people to learn about. I can’t wait to go back and really dig in to learn about this diverse state folks call “Indian Country”.

Finally, new pump installed (and boy howdy, it was fast once it arrived! We got back on the road again heading for home.

Next stop was Ute Lake State Park, New Mexico. After an uncomfortably windy drive an overnight in this park was perfect. It was on Hay 54 near Logan. Right on the border into Texas. We paid the Iron Ranger and pulled through a site. It stayed windy the whole time we were there. The lake was pretty, this time of year the campground was pretty empty and we were out of there in the morning.

This RV of ours has been giving us a hassle, the sensors in our grey water and black tanks don’t seem to work, also, the black tank flush flusher wand doesn’t spray. Why is this important? When we look at the indicator lights to see how full the tanks are, the reading is unreliable. Sometimes the black tank shows full just after it’s been emptied. We don’t hook up to sewer at every site and we sure don’t hook up and leave the tanks open! We let the tanks get pretty full before dumping them, see the problem? When are they pretty full? We’ve been guessing and trying to dump every four to five days depending on water use.

I’ve been working on clearing the sensors with a borax and laundry soap mixture dumped into the tank.. Sometimes it seemed to open up a few of them and then they would clog up again. Most of the time, I pushed Barb to keep our tanks pretty full so they would slosh the stuck-on-stuff off the sensors. At Ute Lake we availed ourselves of the dump station and re-armed the tanks with my ‘magic mixture’. Hope springs eternal, I guess.

From Ute Lake we headed across the Texas pan handle to skirt Amarillo and make our way down to the town of Canyon, Tx. Canyon is home to West Texas A & M University and at the U is an amazing museum. First, the museum is HUGE! Second, it has an oil derrick inside. Third, it tackles the history and technology of the Oil and Gas business that Texas has quite famously been a leader in since the 1800’s.

Parking didn’t work in the lot, so we went around the block and parked on the street to walk (through a chill wind) to the museum.

The museum comprises two packed floors that cover prehistory to pioneer times, geology to windmills and the advent of the automobile, and that’s just the first floor. The first floor, between exhibits, was filled with tables created by local schools, businesses and families to honor the Day of the Dead. Some were so sad, some were funny, there was one to honor Robin Williams and Suicide Prevention and numerous other tables highlighted other social issues. They were set up for the public to view and for that night’s Gala honoring Dia de Los Muertos.

Since we have museum-ed through geologic and human time, we high tailed it up to the second floor. Since we drove across Texas at the beginning of our trip we had been chewing on all of the oil and gas well heads and new drilling we saw. Not knowing how any of it worked was sure frustrating! The second floor answered our questions. Most of our time was spent in the Panhandle Petroleum Story exhibits. Full sized examples of antique and contemporary well drilling, capping, storage and transport of black gold, Texas tea and the gasses that often accompany oil. We watched a film about how the Panhandle changed with the oil boom and bust and another on Fracking.

Fracking, presented in a friendly colorful film with positive points about the practice and nothing said about the kerfuffle raised by people who live near giant fracking operations.
When we were walking away and finished with this great museum, my mind was puzzling out just how to make sense of how water and particulate matter pumped hard and fast into porous rock to break it up and release the oil manages to not leave behind a layer of very dangerously unsteady and unreliable rock. In fact, one little statement stuck on the side of a display did mention the greater occurrence of earthquakes in areas that had been fracked… This practice might be something folks want to take a close look at… the quantity of water used is disturbing as well, since water is estimated to be the next most valuable exploitable resource due to shrinking supplies.

From Canyon-town we went right down the road to Palo Duro Canyon. “Another canyon???!!” you say? Yup. But after Mesa Verde, Palo Duro is pale. The canyon is wide and not very deep. There are some notable formations to be hiked to and photographed. The campsites are very pretty, if a bit close together. Trails wander all over the canyon and bike trails dominated when we were there. An upcoming mountain bike event had the trails being pounded by cyclists trying to prepare. A little river runs through the canyon, the Canadian River, I believe, and it managed to put out an incredible quantity of mosquitos and little biting flies. I’m not much for being eaten by annoying bugs but (gamely) went on a few hikes with Barb (covered in repellant that did nothing but attract the bugs).

Palo Duro was a pretty spot to spend a few days and when it was time to leave, we made our way up the canyon, hooked up the car and headed over to Oklahoma. I always want to write that with a ! for some reason and often hear “Ooooo-kla-homa where the winds go sweeping down the plains…”

Nest stop, Red Rock Canyon State Park in Hinton, Ok. From the Registration building we had no idea at all where the canyon was, though we did see some tree tops where tree bottoms ought to have been. Down a thin twisty road (do not attempt this drive 40’ RVers) and into a shallow canyon with steep red and orange walls we went. Not many campers and a pull-through site was open, so our set up was easy.

Right away we took a walk to explore this fascinating little canyon. The walls are soft Permian Era stone into which folks have incised their names for many years. It is also a rock climbing and repelling canyon. Barb and I climbed up using some cut out toe and hand holds – it was pretty fun. The canyon has several branches and proved to be a great habitat for trees and birds with a pretty little stream running through it. The camp sported a swimming pool and fishing pond that we are sure were big hits in the summer heat of the Oklahoma plains. If you look at the center picture, you can see vertical cuts in the cliff where climbers have anchored their lines and worn through the rock

Next morning we popped out of the canyon, made our way up to the highway and barreled along toward our next stop.

The drive from Mesa Verde to Navaho Lakes, NM (our first overnight stop in New Mexico) wasn’t long but was pretty interesting. We drove through oil and gas country with well heads dotting the countryside. White trucks with lights on top and tall springy poles that had fluorescent flags flying identified them as workers on those wellheads.

After driving way back on country roads, the road led right up over the dam. Picture this! Anglers dotted the stream emitting from the dam – literally every 20-50 feet way down stream. We realized that this was angler heaven and a super spot for trout. Not that the realization made us feel good, mind. We still had no waders or boots to get into the stream with! Grrrrrr. Oh well, the lake was gorgeous, we walked all over the rather complicated campground and enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon.

After that, we headed south to Los Sueños RV Park in Santa Fe for a few days of laundry, groceries, catching up on internet and, and…. MEOW WOLF!!! Yes! We bought online tickets and headed in to an experience. LINK TO YOUTUBE ON MEOW. PUT UP PHOTOS. Meow Wolf interior presents the curious and puzzle lovers with a mystery!

The House of Eternal Return

Inside the house – a normal sized Victorian Home with all of the amenities – we discovered journals and newspapers that told about the disappearance of one of the house’s inhabitants, the young son. On the ground floor is a parlor, living room, dining room and kitchen. Soon after reading the journals we noticed people talking in a mirror on the dining room wall. Watching them for a while led us to the parlor where we looked through papers, drawers, books, artworks (took them off the walls, even) then to the kitchen. AS I walked around the house. I noticed some weird things: the fireplace seemed to glow greenly and the back of it was not solid; the moulding in the hall going from parlor to kitchen was dirty and when I grabbed it a door opened! In the kitchen the stove had pans and a teapot on top but nothing was inside them. The whole house is set up like a family of four lives there. Clothes, antimacassars, furniture, drapes…

We cautiously edged upstairs, studying the framed photos on the wall, to search the study and read some papers in the desk that alluded to a small safe on a table and it’s combination entry code. We looked at, riffled and read everything we could in that room – including notes on the small cork board. One more was from the daughter of the house exclaiming about seeing her brother disappear and wanting help getting him back. Then we headed to the bedrooms.

More Meow…

The first bedroom belonged to the son. With a desk, bunkbed, bookcase, dresser and posters on the wall this looked like a young teenager’s room. There were dinosaurs, books about flowers and references to his grandmother who had taught him about flowers and botany. The boy seemed very interested in science from the model, books, drawings and geegaws set about the room. The closet in the room had a weird glow and while we were there a man and woman walked right out of the closet! We decided to keep exploring the house, although it was obvious the house contained some kind of doorways or portals to other places.

The bathroom had a big footed tub, sink and toilet – a cabinet above the sink opened and way back in a hole dimly lit through translucent walls was a bottle of pills! The black and white tiled floor (you remember those little octagonal tiles?) was really strange – it was wavy, like 5” waves around the toilet! In the bottom of the toilet the ‘water’ was dark and when we looked closely we could see a boy who seemed to be swimming in the air or water or something.

In the bedroom on the right of the hall was a double bed, parents room, no doubt. The dresser had their clothes and the desk a computer with many channels of the dad talking about some electronic/metaphysical/spiritual stuff to do with his business. Altogether weird! Again, the closet opened and some kids came sauntering through the coats and clothing hanging inside.

Further down the hall we found the daughter’s room – neon pink with barbies and big blankets on the walls. By then we were in full search mode trying to figure out the mystery of what happened to the son and then the family.

We knew that the grandfather had invented a machine something like a time machine. That the father had ordered the kids to stay away from it and that the son had used it and disappeared. More clues seemed to be in the safe, so we went back to the office to try to crack it.

Now, all along we had been seeing a man in a while lab coat, we had read that there were scientists who would be recording our every move and to stay away from them. Turns out, this guy was a good resource for information! We learned from him that we had been inputting the safe code incorrectly! It got pretty funny. Here we are Occupying the office. The safe had a 5-10 minute timer that made it so the code couldn’t be tapped in over and over. I see the timer on my phone and when a guy came running into the room, arms outstretched to touch the keypad, Barb blocked him and said “No! It’s on a timer and we’re waiting before we can try the code again. He said what he thought the code was and we let him know that he had it wrong and he went back to the living room to read more from the papers there. When trying the code a couple of times (after the requisite wait) we decided to explore a portal to see what clues could be had…

This is the fantastical! Portals! The portal we chose was in the laundry room – through the washing machine door, down a tube and into the washer which was washing clothes and photographs of the family! Another tube led to… what? A very strange universe! Lit by neon and fluorescent colors, more doors sprouting in every direction, cave like spaces we ducked or crawled into, dinosaur bones we played like xylophone keys, mushrooms that sand when we popped on their tops, stairways to other realms and catwalks overlooking stranger places to explore than the last one.

A super modern room advertising vacations on other planets, rooms with weird textures and colors, a bumpy, soft floored room kids kept falling into, sculptures made of trash turned silver, vines, vines, vines, creepy rooms, a little vintage trailer to sit in and visit with other searchers, doorways leading back into the house and confusing passageways leading to even odder realms.

So, since Meow Wolf is the product of over 100 artists and is an organic and ever changing immersive art experience, don’t go there expecting to see what I’ve described. Just go there! It is a magical, mystical, crazy fun, organic, growing art experience. The artists sought to turn the traditional art viewing experience on it’s head and they sure did! The art community is inclusive and cooperative, something that wouldn’t seem to work – how did 100+ individuals come to agree on anything much less Meow Wolf? Go see.

For some reason, the RV wouldn’t start when we were ready to leave. We puzzled around and contemplated calling someone to look at the engine – naturally, it was the weekend. Barb is not trained to be a chassis/engine mechanic. RV systems yes, engine no; but… Some of the stuff she learned got her poking around in the fuse box (after extensive internet searching for where the thing is located and looking on our trusty Trek group site Trek Trax to see what others had encountered with the same symptoms).

After struggling to take off the lid, Barb got busy testing fuses and relays. Some genius stroke led her to pull the relays and take a look at them. One was completely burnt looking on one leg and up the side. A quick trip to the parts store for a new (fuel pump) relay and we were on our way! We didn’t leave at Check-out time and Los Sueños staff was most generous in letting us stay until the problem was solved.

A quick drive took us to our son, Gabe and his wife Erin’s ranch to hang out with our newest grandchild – the first girl! Verona, still a tiny baby, slept and ate most of the time we were there. It was good to be with Gabe and Erin and to learn about their plans for Nizhoni Stables and Pas de Cheval, thorough bred horse rescue. The ranch is beautiful – even the chicken coop for which Barb built and installed nest boxes.

Erin’s dad, Mark, took us into one of the pastures to teach us artifact hunting and boy did we have fun! Barb got addicted and was out there in various fields and paddocks looking for more the next few days, of course. She did find a lovely 2500 year old pottery sherd. I found lots of purple glass pieces from some unremembered homesteader’s place and a more plain pottery sherd. Mark found a drilled Cerillos turquoise bead, very old – quite a find – and a metate, another amazing find.

The weather started turning colder (this is close to the 7000’ altitude of Santa Fe) we decided to head for home via some more interesting places.

Review: WOW, just wow!

So WOW, that in 1978 Mesa Verde National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site; one of the most important designations a site anywhere in the world can receive.

Let’s jump right in, we sure did! Having booked a ranger tour online for Balcony House we had to get moving early the next day. We were advised to be in the Park by 0830, so we made lunch and filled our water jugs that night. It takes about 45 minutes to get to Balcony House from the Visitors Center on the hiway.

One of the best preserved sites in the park, Balcony House – our destination – requires climbing a 32’ ladder, crawling through an 18” wide – 12’ long tunnel and climbing up a 60’ open cliff face with stone steps and two 10’ ladders to exit. Visitors are duly warned when tickets are purchased.

The first view one gets of the site is when you step into Balcony House. There are 38 rooms and two kivas and divided into three plazas. The engineering skills required to build in this deep cliff alcove are considerable. The two kivas are a good example. Built side by side they are shaped like old fashioned keyholes. A bench or banquette runs around the inside broken only by a tunnel for air that has a rectangular rock about 6” wide and flat on both 2 to 3 foot sides that deflects incoming air. Rising from the bench are six pilasters that would have held up the roof beams. In the floor is a fireplace and a smaller hole called a sipapu (believed to allow the spirits of elders entry and egress).

The only site at Mesa Verde with a retaining wall and each room sporting strong wood vigas. The vigas stick out in front of the doorways and were covered with brush or smaller wood pieces and plastered with mud. The People traveled from room to room on the balconies. One cool thing was the two types of doorways – one was a normal rectangle denoting a room that was likely a home; the other was shaped wide at the top and narrow at the bottom to allow one to carry things in and out of the room, probably used for storage. The rooms were two and three stories – with plastered floors similar to the balconies.

I could go on and on about this site and don’t want to spoil it for anyone planning to go. Over 750 years old it is precious and I felt honored to be allowed to enter it at all. We spent the rest of the day driving the loop road and going back further in time.

Mesa Top Loop Drive is billed “from Pithouse to Pueblo.” Ancestral Puebloans lived in Mesa Verde for more than six centuries from around 600 to 1300 AD. These folks didn’t start with the incredible engineering and architecture we see in the Cliff Dwellings.

The first People, in 550 – 700 AD or the “Basketmaker” period built pithouses – shallow pits dug into the ground that were covered with pole and mud roofs and walls. Entrances were through the roofs. Each pithouse had a fire pit, and a hearth with a stone in front of it to deflect the outdoor air brought in by small tunnels. Think about these people. They needed a snug shelter and chose to dig pits, with a stick in hand. These People farmed corn, beans and squash; hunted wild animals and gathered a wide array of edible and useful plants.

There are whole villages of pithouses built on the mesa around 750 AD. These dwellings were cut deeper into the soil, had irrigation to keep them dry and divert water to crops for these Ancestral Puebloans were farmers and prosperous and their population grew. They depended on the land for everything; food, water, fiber, shelter, animals, and clay for pottery. Inside the houses archeologists found metate and manos for grinding corn and seeds, deer bone awls and turkey bones, pottery sherds and a charred piece of someone’s woven sandal.

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By 850 AD, the People began to build above ground. Most villages we could see from this time were series of rooms delineated by slabs of rock – the rooms would have had lattices of poles and sticks plastered over with mud.

Interestingly, the pithouses evolved from 550 to 900 AD into the kivas found in all later dwellings. There are hundreds of dwellings spread over the tops of the cuestas. Yes, cuestas, a mesa is flat while the Mesa Verde (so named by the Spanish) ranges from 7000 ft to 8,571 ft in elevation. It is more angled than flat – that angle helped the People capture water.

The next day we had another tour scheduled! This tour was at 0900 (we had to be in the National Park by 0730, ugh). We drove out to Long House. The instructions on our tickets warned that we could be hiking about 2.25 miles and climbing two 15-foot ladders to deal with an elevation change of about 130 ft. Long House is on Wetherill Mesa (1.5 hours from the Visitor’s Center).

Long House is the largest of the cliff dwellings and is South facing. Where do I start? Long House is enormous and was built in pieces during the Pueblo III period, 1200 to 1280 AD. It served as an administrative center for various smaller cliff dwellings and housed around 150 at any given time. With 150 rooms and 21 kivas – think one kiva per family who built their own group of rooms. The most frontal of the dwelling is a large plaza with rooms built nearby, possibly for travelers from other cliff dwellings or further away.

The porous rock at the back of the alcove provided a seep of water. The People scraped small bowls into the sandstone floor with channels leading one to the other. Found in Long House were small handled ladles that were used to scoop up water from these bowls. A baby was found buried in the back of the alcove, in the crack between floor and ceiling; this is of note because most of the dwellings had no burial component. In fact, the ranger said that it is likely that bodies were tossed off the front of most of the cliff dwellings with other rubbish.

Sites in the park range from one room dwellings to Long House with it’s 150 rooms. Some sites have not been stabilized or excavated. More mesa top sites were exposed by the fires that burned recently. Once dense forest of Juniper and Pinyon Pine has been vastly reduced. Some stands of forest that have escaped the fires hold Juniper that are over 1,000 years old and Pinyons that have lived 700 years. The trees have never been tall, but now so many are just gone. It is disturbing to think of how long it will take for contemporary grassland to grow the forests that once were.

Now, I know I’ve woven you between times from 550 to 1280 AD and it’s probably been a bit confusing since I didn’t write a time-line. The Mesa Top Road sites and the tours aren’t chronological either. The whole place put me into a state of overwhelm. My eyes ached from trying not to miss a detail – thank goodness for cameras – and from looking over the distances and views.

Here’s the most overwhelming piece of the whole of the Mesa Verde experience (3 days worth, for us), the cliff dwellings are gorgeous and took many years and incredible skill to build and the Ancestral Pueblojans lived in the cliff dwellings for only around 100 years!

I am reminded by the desertion of these Peoples about attachment to Things. In no spiritual tradition are we urged to become so terribly attached to Things that we imperil the driving force of life; love. Whatever the reason for the migration, the People were not attached to these structures. In fact, in some ways, we people of the future seem terribly attached to the structures and to the other Things of our lives.

There is much speculation about what caused the People to leave: first, the last quarter of the 1200’s were drought stricken with attendant crop failures, but the People had survived times of drought before; second, perhaps the soils, animals and forests (of Juniper and Pinon Pine) were depleted; third, maybe political and social problems erupted in the community and the People simply looked for new places to live. It is known that the people joined thousands of other Ancestral Pueblo People who were moving South into New Mexico and Arizona. Today the Hopi of Arizona and the People of Zuni, Acoma, Laguna, and the pueblos along the Rio Grand trace their ancestry to the People of this area and some to the ancient builders of Mesa Verde.

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Note: I use the capitalized word People/s to denote persons of Native American ancestry as a sign of my respect, especially as I am an immigrant.

I made a series of mistakes, yaaay! I got to learn some stuff and try again.  I have to laugh and hope you will also!

I put “Dinosaur National Monument” before “Nan, Moose Shooting and Fly Fishing”…

This was accomplished by turning them into site pages instead of blog posts. Ugh. I had to remove them from Site Page Status (dump them into the trash) and republish them as Blog Posts. BUT they are out of order, how ridiculous, things shouldn’t be perfect or always in order, it’s better luck if something is imperfect in the things we put out in the world – my paraphrase of a Japanese artist talking about his work…

This is me being imperfect, human, fallible and full of laughter at myself! The librarian here in Stroud, Oklahoma helped out a lot and both of us were just laughing at the upside-downness of the whole thing. I gotta LOVE IT!

Colorado – one of my favorite states (having lived in Colorado Springs years ago and my sister graduating from college in Greely, Co). However, Barb had never been to the state. Here’s the evidence that she finally made it!

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park! Never heard of it? Unsurprising. This is a hidden gem of the National Park System. The park can be found in Colorado between Montrose and Gunnison on CO50. though, one could hardly hide a canyon that is 2,700 feet deep – think nearly vertical walls here – and narrows to 40’ apart.

Sure, other canyons make this one look pretty small, but there are no other canyons that are as dramatically cut into hard rock. The Gunnison river, looking like a tiny green ribbon from the rim, drops an average 95 feet per mile through the 48 mile long canyon. The Park encompasses 14 miles of that length and the Visitors Center and road are on the South rim.

In one two mile stretch the river drops 480’. Perspective – this 48 mile canyon looses more elevation than the 1500 mile long Mississippi River. That drop and the speed of the water swirling particles of sand carved the canyon so deep and neatly that this place is dizzying and unique.

There are none of those effete glass barriors, high railings or protective rangers dotted along the rim one finds in more grand canyons. This place is still rough and real. A road follows the rim of the canyon through the park and turnouts lead to rim trails. A few interpretive panels and some meagre railings suffice to tell the tale and warn the daring to stay back. Easily stepped over or walked around, I’m sure some just have to get right out there on the cut edge. Mostly, it was easy to walk to the edge unimpeded; it was a windy day, so everyone seemed to be taking extra care. (Me, 3′ from the edge there…heh, heh, heh)

Note: the Park is in the International Dark Sky Network. During their busy season (stopped in late Sept.) they hold Astronomy programs.

We drove into Gunnison, CO and had lunch at an amazing place. Think of where we are, maybe look at a map – this is mountain country. We luckily read about Pemba and Jangmu Sherpa who came from Nepal and started three businesses here in the US, while we were doing our laundry.

They have two restaurants both called the Sherpa Cafe. One in Crested Butte and one in Gunnison. The restaurant we went to is unassuming and easily missed but for the strings of bright Tibetan Prayer Flags flying over and around the patio dining area and entrance. The other business Pemba Sherpa has takes him back to his home country guiding American’s on Annapurna and Mt. Everest – the big mountains!

Barb had a huge (healing) bowl of vegetable broth and chicken dumplings packed with veggies and we shared a Garlic Naan and I had an appetizer plate with hummus, vegetable momos, Samosa, Sherpa Roll & Panir Pakora. Good food that we took home and had for lunch a couple days later.

We also spent time in the Gunnison Public Library using their internet and enjoying the teenagers doing homework at the other tables and computers. This library lends telescopes, with instruction! Celebrate Dark Skies!

After we exhausted the area, we continued South, passing Telluride and making our way up Lizard Head Pass – 10,222’. Crawling along the uphill winding road at 20 mph we could only imagine what the ride down would be like. Turns out the ride down was long and not terribly steep, phew. I’m including a picture I took on that drive that looks like en Plein Aire (a painting class being taught at one of the parks we’ve passed through).

We rode through Cortez on the way to Mancos and the (commercial) Mesa Verde RV Resort – again the Park campgrounds had turned off their services and freezing temps were forecast (we are getting tired of seeing that home is still in the 80’s and we are wearing out our few cold weather clothes!).

Leaving Boise in the morning – frosty, let me say… we headed on SR 20 over Cat Creek Summit (5527’). We’re cruising along, minding our own route and beezwax and big poofy flakes of white stuff start flying out of the sky onto our windshield! It wasn’t sticking to the roadway (thank you, Universe) but it stuck nicely to our big window. It was quite a ways up the pass and down again, then up again before we could turn off on SR75 toward Bellevue (the road culminates at Sun Valley).

We made it to Bellevue, ID (first town on the way to Sun Valley) and got settled at Dottie’s RV Park down by the Big Wood River. We were only able to secure a site for a few nights because Dottie had long standing reservations for the “Trailing of the Sheep” from Oct. 4 – 8. It was easy to move over to Nan’s and plug our extension cord in – a shop light in the water compartment was an okay stand-in for our freeze management system*.

*Freeze Management System: When we’re plugged in during freezing weather, we flip a switch in the cabin and it turns on a heater/fan in our water pipes & pump compartment and the heating ‘blankets’ over our three tanks (fresh water, gray water and black water). When the temp drops below 34*, the heater etc. kick on and we are protected from broken pipes and exploding (or cracked) tanks. Yaaay! Safari and thank you Monaco for continuing that option for Safari Trek owners!

We had a wonderful visit with and discovered some cool things in the area with her wise guidance. One day we drove over to Silver Creek to check out the fishing and look at this prize winning fly fishing waterway. Needless to say, it was gorgeous.

Riding along I noticed a huge dark animal moving very fast across a recently cut hay field. Stopping the car, we peered at it with our binoculars and saw a large bull moose with an admirable rack. He hopped over a barbed wire fence and galloped (wait – moose gallop?) over the top of the hill. I was transported to Alaska for a moment!

On the other side of our vehicle the land dropped sharply to the creek and there we watched two cow moose and a juvenile bull making their way through the curves of land and water of Silver Creek. Very Cool! Not shooting guns, shooting cameras!

One day we went up to Ketchum to ketchum some internet and ketchup. (that was terrible and I’m leaving it right here just to hear your collective groan!). Check out the what we found in the place we stopped (Susan & Robin). A little teardrop!:

The trip to Silver Creek got us so excited about fishing that we hired a guide – David Glasscock of Idaho Angling Services. David also guides in New Zealand half the year and has an excellent reputation. He promised to bring waders and felt soled boots (to fit) for each of us.

Since we were only fishing a 3/4 day, David picked us up at Nan’s at 10 am. He told us we would be fishing the Big Wood River (yes, I was disappointed that we were not going to be in Silver Creek).

High points: We caught Rainbow Trout on the tiniest flies on the planet. It was so much fun. David worked with us on our casting: roll casting and overhead casting and working with both wet and dry flies. It was really fun. I got cold and my shins started cramping so I did some yoga on the bank in the sun to loosen up. David took me into some deep water – we were using the buddy system*, thank goodness, because the current floated me right downstream of him and he had to pull me up and plop me forward of him so I could get on some rocks and fish. It was pretty funny! Great spot though – I hooked a nice sized female and was happy to see her swim away.

*Buddy system: each angler holds tight to the top of the buddy’s waders, right under their arm. It balances both anglers and prevents lightweights like me from becoming bottom feeders.

After a good visit with Nan – with lots of amazing food and conversation, we headed out again – without staying for the “Trailing of the Sheep” which we are saving for another visit! Thanks, Nan!

South to Jerome and then over to our next one night stop. Ironically – we stayed at Massacre Rocks State Park. Yes, massacre! This is one of those exceptions to what we learned at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. There were several “skirmishes” here on the Oregon Trail – loss of life minimal, loss of white folks’ stock animals considerable.

The park is right off the road and has wonderful huge volcanic boulders and relatively private sites. The Visitor’s Center was closed but not empty (see above). From our site, we drove across the road and through farmland to a little park that held a huge rock inscribed with folks’ names who traveled the Trail – there is hardly any more modern graffiti, thank goodness. (above)

Also, walking around the campground, I found a fenced area that was full of the oddest little tiny mountains. An interpretive panel said they were like unpopped bubbles from when the volcanic flow was hot and liquid.

The campground offers sites with views of the wide Snake River. The water was moving pretty well and I took and imaginary trip back in time to cross the Snake in a Prairie Schooner. The travelers would unload and take off the cover of the wagon – plug up gaps with tar and hit the water to float across the deep parts of the river. Here’s the deal: no outboard motor – just 2 or 4 oxen reluctantly pulling from the front. Many of the wagons were lost along with the livestock.

From Massacre Rocks State Park made our way to Rockport State Park in Utah. Rockport is on SR 32 south of Coalville. Barb had had a low grade fever all week and this was our designated “Find-a-Doctor” site. Park City (a very pretty ski town) had the nearest Urgent Care Center. A 5 minute wait and Barb saw Dr. Rogowski. After about 10 min. of talking to her, he popped her in for a chest X-ray, diagnosed her with Pneumonia and handed her a couple of Rx’s. Phew – B was tired of coughing and feeling poorly.

After a bit of rest time in our tree encased campsite at Rockport SP (on a reservoir that is very low) we decided to get back on the road.

One of our goals for this trip was to visit the distant past so we were looking forward to Dinosaur National Monument – Quarry / Harpers Corner.

To get to Dinosaur National Monument we went south through Heber, UT to take SR 40/191 and reach Jensen, UT. Because both of the campgrounds at the Monument had shut down water & electrical for the season and freezing temps were predicted, we stayed at Outlaw Trail RV Park. The park management was very nice, they have gravel sites with small trees (but go in about 15 years and maybe you’ll find shade). We were plugged in which, with the cold, made a good amount of sense.

Crossing 40 and heading up to the Visitors Center to figure out how to get to the Quarry was super easy. There were so few visitors at the Center, rangers let us drive right up to the Quarry. From the bottom floor and a second balcony, one can see so many bones and a few skulls. In Quarry rest 1500 fossils embedded in the rock.

Scientists figure that around 500 dinosaurs of 10 species died during a terrible drought somewhere up river. When the drought ended, the bones were whooshed away to be deposited locally. Of course, the ‘river’ has gotten covered over by hundreds of feet and then etched it’s way to it’s present level over millions of years.

Paleontologists found a rare Camarasaurus in the quarry! I am going to ask you to look this guy up on the internet – I couldn’t get a picture that captured it’s stripey skin!

The next day we took the park and a farm road to follow the Tour of the Tilted Rocks – with a brochure ($1.00). We stopped at the markers but I’ll only share two of them here. 10.9 miles along the way we pulled out to park. High above the road we could see petroglyphs carved into the Desert Varnish by the Fremont peoples around 1000 years ago. We climbed the steep trail to the ledge below the art work feeling awed at the time, creativity and energy it took the people to create these amazing works. There is a huge lizard with two smaller ones climbing up the cliff, a flute player and some traditional necklaces and people.

At the end of the main road is Josie Morris’ Cabin. She was a superwoman pioneer who ranched cattle up at the end of a canyon. She built her own cabins – the last one in 1935, and took care of herself. No electricity, phone or running water, Ms. Morris lived as she wished. In 1964 while feeding her horse, she slipped on some ice & broke her hip. She crawled to her house and friends found her there several days later. As they drove her out of the canyon, she remarked that she felt would never again see the home she had built. She died that spring at 89.

The monument has many trails for hiking, biking and walking. We went down to the Nampa River and a campground to see Steamboat Rock (the biggest pic above) and take some photos. So beautiful, we both longed for a fishing license!

See you next time, Breathe!