Navajo National Monument, AZ, Day Two

​August 18, 2022


Amazing peace overnight, except for the fact that I caught the 8th mouse since I started my journey this spring. When I get home there will be a war waged. It is a bittersweet moment this morning, as I know that this is my last full day and night of this particular journey. I made the right choice to come here to Navajo National Monument. I had no idea how beautiful it was, and how peaceful that it would be. I hiked this morning, 1.3 miles, to the Betataken Cliff dwellings, after a brief visit to the visitor center. At 10 AM, it was already heating up, and on this trail there was little shade, although a bit. With my usual apprehension, I left Jo Jo in the Sylver Gypsy with the air conditioning running. Fortunately I wasn’t gone for more than an hour. It was a beautiful view of the dwellings, as I was the only one at this lookout. I returned to the campsite and made a spontaneous decision to switch my sites to an area that was a little bit more open with a much better view of Fir Canyon. After lunch I took my camp chair out towards the open rock face to admire the beautiful view as the clouds started rolling in with thunder. I actually got a flood alert on my phone which made me pack up and return. I wondered if this spot would work since it has little shade, but the clouds have kept on this afternoon as the temperature became quite cool. Who would think, that in Arizona, here in the high desert north country, there could actually be a wave of relief, as effectively as what the forests could bring. Amazing! I don’t hear any sounds at all, which could be eerie and creepy. But I enjoy it. I listen intently for sounds of animals, and birds, but I don’t even hear that, at this time, at dusk. There is no wind, just clouds and beautiful open country in a sacred place where the native people thrived. I guess this is a great time to reflect on my fortunes to be able to travel to these beautiful places and to spend my last day in what was incredibly special. I could not have orchestrated a better place to stay!





































Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

Beaver, UT

Image
​ Well, another day of long driving and just two fill ups, but then I did stop at a place called Rowley’s Red Barn farm market. I wonder why they were so many people and kids and then I realized it was Labor Day. They had so many goodies there I wound up getting a fresh peach, tomato, and corn on the cob, and some apples. Of course, I had to get the chocolate covered caramel popcorn and chocolate covered blueberries, just as a souvenir from leaving the blueberry season in Alaska. Leave it to me to justify all my purchases. I kept driving and driving and got to a dispersed spot in the desert, just nearby Beaver, Utah. The first directions lead me to a very narrow roadway, which I elected not to take. Though further on down the road, about a quarter of a mile, I found a pull out intersecting between two roads and this is where I stayed. Except for a few farm vehicles, it was a restful night and a chilly morning. It’s near the highway full of sage, juniper and rolling mountains. I enjoyed...
Read more