Trip #34 (2): Down New Mexico, Up Arizona

March 22 - April 4, 2011

New Mexico: Santa Fe, Alamagordo (Oliver Lee State Park, Dog Canyon, White Sands National Monument), Deming (Rock Hound State Park)

Arizona: Chiricahua National Monument (Ft. Bowie),  Tombstone, Tucson (Old Tucson Studios, Saguaro National Park), Sedona (Oak Creek Canyon)

 

March 22 Tuesday - Santa Fe

Santa Fe Skies RV Park

Left Durango by 9 or 10 am in a light snow. This was the day after the neighborhood house fire on Gulch. Drove south into a very strong wind to Santa Fe, arriving about 2 pm. Sunny, but cold in the wind. Birds flying sideways. Not exactly a beautiful RV park, though we did have  great view of the vintage tractors. Went shopping at the chain stores and had dinner at Maria's, of course. Pretty cold night, down to about 27 and the furnace ran on and off all night. Stayed at Santa Fe Skies south of town, one of the usual places.

23 Wednesday - Santa Fe

A slow start today so got out for an early lunch at El Charro. Shopped around the plaza. Beautiful day, the wind has died down for the afternoon. Tried a new place for dinner, La Choza: I liked, Bill unimpressed. We'll have to try it again sometime and see if he changes his mind. Yep, this is what we do in Santa Fe: shop and eat. Works for me.

In case you've ever wondered what New Mexico looks like below Albuquerque.

24 Thursday - Alamagordo

Race to the park! Those white dots are other trailers in camp.

Can't let dripping water go to waste.

Another windy morning, drove south toward Alamagordo by about 9:30 am. Going uphill into the wind, I think I saw 3.7 mpg on the dashboard at one point. Straight down 285 and 54 thru open territory, not the prettiest, but old ranch land I'm guessing. Got to Alamogordo by around 2:30 and went to (where else - Walmart) to stock up on food. That was a huge store. Considered staying one night instead of two because it's so windy (and dusty) but since we got one of the last full-hookup sites at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park we decided to stay. (Bill had to pass every RV in sight to race to the park. Good thing he did.) Nice park once you get out of the town which isn't exactly attractive. We got the site with the broken spigot, so the birds had a good time once I found a bowl and set up the bath. Walked down the little stream in Dog Canyon since the visitor center closed at 4pm, and came back for happy hour and dinner. They say orchids grow in the canyon, but I didn't see any. Maybe too early. They were just getting over a tough freeze about a month earlier and many plants looked like it. They said maybe 4 nights below zero, even as low as -18 (yes, that is a minus). The winds had died down but by about 11 pm we could hear them again. Turned out we now have electric, water and El Paso TV stations. That's what I call campin'.

25 Friday - Alamagordo

That thin white strip is White Sands National Monument, and MISSLE RANGE to the south.

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, dunes have engulfed 275 square miles of desert creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. The park ranger says it comes out of the mountains and breaks down becoming this fine white sugary sand, thanks to a nearby lake. No lake, no sand. That's what they told me.

If you ever need a cat, this is the place.

Woke to the sound of the wind blowing. Here we go again.On the way out to White Sands National Monument, we stopped at a little store in an old building that looked like a western town. I've never seen so much junk in my life but on the porch were about 10 open cans of cat food, all empty, flies buzzing around. I'm thinking what a slob... but later in talking to the man, he's a Crazy Cat Man! Seems he has about a dozen kitties living under the porch and he feeds them all, "they go thru about a gallon of milk a week..." I said they really don't  need milk, save your money, but he said they drink it. Someone dropped off two more the other day he said, and one had her kittens in the freeze and they didn't make it (probably a good thing). Took her a week to recover, he said. I can see he really likes them and tries, but how about getting them fixed? Oh well, I thanked him for taking care of them and moved on. Did the scenic drive at White Sands National Monument and saw the white sand dunes that looked like snow. Quite unique, they let you walk on parts of it and the kids play. Even horses are welcome. They even sell "butt discs" so you can slide down.

That white cloud is gypsum suspended in air, blowing around, forming the next dune. I read the sand moves 30 feet a year.

Bill climbed a small dune. I took the photo from the car. I'm not a fan of sand.

No, this isn't a GIANT HEAD EMERGING FROM THE DESERT. Technically, it goes like this: When skunkbush sumac is buried by a dune, it sends many stems upward through the sand. The extensive roots produced by the buried stems hold the sand in place, creating a pedestal of gypsum where the plant will continue to grow long after the rest of the dune as moved on. No, it's a GIANT HEAD!

The old adobe visitor center was from the 1930s. Best part of the place, besides the gift shop.

Always good to see a sign like this before a hike.

After that we drove around looking for a clip to hold on the side view mirrors which are breaking one by one (thanks for the crap, Camping World). Anyway, came back and visited the visitor center and started the climb up Dog Canyon. It's three miles to an old cabin, up pretty much most of the way. So, as our first hike of the season, we got just past the marker for mile 1.25 and called it quits! It was hot, ok, maybe 85, but full sun. Naturally the way down was much easier and quicker. And rough! geez, like climbing rock stairs in some parts. 

Only a 1.25 mile hike, but it was all up. This is where the Apaches would throw down boulders at the Calvary.

Basically I never know much about where we're going until we get somewhere.  Bill usually tells me the destinations, but it's usually at a time when I can't delve in, so I find out what's shakin' once I get someplace. Well, who knew this little Dog Canyon of Oliver Lee Memorial State Park would be so loaded with history! Get a load of this: 

• From the 1880s, Apache battles with the army

• a settler named Frenchy, who ran cattle and cultivated an orchard in the area

• the man for whom the park is named, Oliver Lee, a rancher. 

But one of the most interesting things learned was in the visitor center: some think the mysterious carpenter who built the spiral staircase at the Loretto chapel was Frenchy.

Ruins of Frenchy's house; I didn't see any orbs....

Found this on Wikipedia:

The subject of rumor and legend for over a hundred years, the riddle of the carpenter's identity was finally solved in the late 1990s by Mary Jean Straw Cook, author of Loretto: The Sisters and Their Santa Fe Chapel. His name was Francois-Jean "Frenchy" Rochas, an expert woodworker who emigrated from France and arrived in Santa Fe around the time the staircase was built. In addition to evidence that linked Rochas to another French contractor who worked on the chapel, Cook found an 1895 death notice in The New Mexican explicitly naming Rochas as the builder of "the handsome staircase in the Loretto chapel." Rochas was only 43 years old when he met a violent death in December 1894 (right here in the park!!). Unidentified attackers had shot him and left him to die alone in his small cottage and he was found dead 1895.

Calvary and Apache Action:

In the 1860's, U.S. Army soldiers pursuing Apaches found a stray dog at an abandoned ranchero in the canyon. That is how the canyon was allegedly named. I lifted the following off the web:
It was during the mid to late 1800s when this trail provided routes for Chief Nana and his 15 men to battle Army troops. In the area of Dog Canyon, Chief Nana, nearly blind and rheumatic, is said to have fought 8 battles against 1,000 men murdering 200, kidnapped 2 women, horse-napped 200 horses, and still escaped. According to Herbert E. Ungnade, 60 soldiers pursued Chief Nana into Dog Canyon in 1880 and the Apaches rolled boulders from the "Eyebrow" trail toward the 9th Cavalry wounding or killing almost everyone. Apparently, there were many more battles between Apaches and the Army in the canyon.

Nice welcome...

 
Oliver Lee: the man, the myth, the legend
Another intriguing character of Dog Canyon was the Texan Oliver Lee himself. He was a successful cattleman and controversial state legislator. Around 1892, Lee built his ranch one mile from the canyon and with the help of Frenchy developed an irrigation system to direct spring water from the canyon for his herd. Lee was indicted for the murder of his rival Colonel Albert J. Fountain but was acquitted for lack of evidence. Lee may have been responsible for Frenchy's demise. Lee died in 1941.

I suppose we shall never know what really happened, but might be worth googling someday.

hummingbird moth

Got a slice of RV life later this evening. After the hike, I walked up to the little botanic garden the park had set up. It was irrigated so the penstemon was bright red and things looked good for early in the season, and after the freeze. Suddenly I hear someone say, "hummingbird moth!" I didn't get the "moth" part, so he said it again and sure enough there was a big fat moth buzzing around the flowers like a hummer. I'm glad he pointed it out; I wouldn't have noticed it, it was pretty small. Walking back to the trailer I chatted with a lady and her strange-looking dog (she said she found her years ago in the woods in Oregon) and another voice calls out of nowhere: "Is somebody out there?" We look around and see no one, but turns out it's the lady in spot #1, elderly, handicapped and needing someone to hook up her hose. I tried, but couldn't get it threaded; dog lady just kept talking and said she couldn't with her dog... oh, ok.... I couldn't do it but said I'd find someone to send over and hit up the guy in #3 to give it a try. He agreed, reluctantly... So me and dog lady go back down the road (she's still talking) and here's Bill chatting with #9, another elderly guy traveling alone -- turns out half this park is full of regulars! She was from Washington state and he's a full-time RVer and the NM parks are cheap -- especially if you're a veteran! So they all know each other! He was 'Radiology Man' (didn't get the name, so this shall suffice), from Indiana, also retired Air Force so he stays for $4 a day. The military put him through college for 8 years and he ended up the head of the radiology department in a hospital in Baton Rouge. You learn a lot standing out in the road talking... But he did have a funny Border Patrol story (we'd seen quite a few border patrol cars in the area): Chatting with some officers one time he learned the illegal aliens had a new way to blend in: They pretend they are out metal detecting -- and upon closer inspection they're holding a yucca branch with a paper plate on the end. BTW, The Dog Lady was with her husband, "the hermit," and they were in a van. Kill me now: Locked up for months in the desert with a hermit in a van? WTF?? Oh, and the lady in #1 with the hose: leaving the next day I noticed her hose was spraying out in all directions and a little birdie was taking a bath in the spray. Guess hers was a problem too. #6 and #8 (ours) are water-wasters, but Wilford Brimley in the visitor center says he can't fix them without shutting down the water in whole park. (So do it Mr. Lazy, what's an hour without water; HELLO -- these people are CAMPERS.) 

The tragic aftermath.

Wait, still not done with this park -- one more story! Just before my walk to the garden, I stepped into the trailer, latching the door just enough behind me as it was quite windy, when all the sudden we feel the trailer rocking side to side and rocks and sand spraying the sides -- it was a DUST DEVIL! A mini-tornado blew over us and was over in 3 seconds, leaving a trail of destruction in it's wake: it blew our two folding chairs into the prickly pear cactus. Tragic. That was pretty strong and a direct hit. Radiology Man told us later he witnessed the whole affair. Boy, what if I had left the door open... we'd still be cleaning sand out of the crevices (ours included).

And yet, after all the wind, the dust does makes for a great sunset.

26 Saturday - Deming, NM
Located on the rugged west slope of the Little Florida Mountains, Rock Hound State Park is a favorite for "rock hounds" because of the abundant agates and quartz crystals found there. Scattered throughout the park are rock and mineral specimens of volcanic origin.

Another windy day this morning, supposed to be windy all week. We rolled out by 10 am and drove on Hwy 70 across White Sands toward Deming. That was a long, gradual steep climb for the little T-reg, the little VW that could. And did. We stopped to grocery shop in Las Cruces -- that place is huge! I had no idea it was such a big city, not what I remember from 1975. But then I don't remember much. Here Bill took the vehicles to the car wash and I shopped for provisions. 

OK, I'm here. Where the rocks at?

Oh yes, this helps a lot.

Got to Rock Hound State Park about 2pm, again getting one of the last two spots. Pretty desolate area, and not far from Mexico, hoping we don't get kidnapped.... So with the park near full, I'm thinking I'll have to elbow my way up the Thunder Egg trail, which starts just outside the trailer. I head up by myself, heavy backpack with water and hammer and chisel and camera; Bill is sitting this out. He'll catch up later. Well, there's no one out there but me and a family of four. OH YEAH, this is probably another park of retirees getting the cheap rent! So up I go, it's only a 1.2 mile loop trail but it's marked to go up for the geodes so I climbed. Pretty rough, loose dirt and rocks, and no geodes. I can see where people dig, but I don't really know what I'm looking for if I did dig. I've seen them in stores but never dug one out. So I picked up the little cool pieces left behind. After a while I gave up and came back down and found Bill on the trail. Hmm, I don't know, maybe I didn't go high enough. I got a small haul of rocks, not sure what I've got but I will examine and sort later. We've got two nights here; Bill wished it was one. The wind never stopped so we stayed inside for the rest of the day. Lots of lights at night off in the distance; we're kinda perched at the base of the Florida mountains overlooking a wide flat plain. Deming is bigger than I thought too. Guess I need to get out more, if that's possible. 

27 Sunday -  Deming, NM

As the American Pickers say, here's the "honey hole!"

We both took a hike in search of thunder eggs. This time we went higher heading toward the loose sandy areas. It was horribly windy, annoying blowing, forget a hat or visor, it would have been blown into a prickly pear cactus. So we came to rest at a spot, and not seeing much, or again, knowing what to look for, I said I'm going a little higher. And there was the spot! Right above us. It musta sent out the vibe. After a few smashes of the hammer I got the hang of which rocks might hold agate. There were a lot of pieces left behind that I liked, then I found my own small round geodes. Wandered a little further up and saw outcroppings of obsidian, I think. Got my fill of all that and came back down. Later we drove over to see Spring Canyon, the park next door -- and the steepest road I've seen in a while -- and to town for groceries and came back to be shut-ins. Just too windy to enjoy being outside though it sure looked nice out there. Not even dusty, just blowing like a mo-fo.

It was steep I tell you!

Looks like we're circling the wagons. That skyline lights up pretty good at night, even though it appears so empty.

28 Monday - Chiricahua National Monument, AZ

Left Rock Hound for Chiricahua National Monument. Wasn't so bad at Rock Hound early when the wind wasn't blowing. CNM is WAY out there, about another 35 miles southeast of the interstate. And then, suddenly, mountains with TREES! green! and a nice little campground that can't accommodate anything over 29 feet. No hookups, no dump station, no electric, oh my! We're camping.

We got a great spot, again, about the last one for a larger camper, #6. So I step out of the trailer and three fat Mexican Jays fly in as if to say, "whatcha got?" Friendly as can be. The ranger said they eat dog food -- and I just happened to have some. Later they were literally eating out of our hands. Almost fearless.  We were in time -- because AZ isn't on daylight savings so we gained an hour -- to tour the homestead ranch as part of the park. Faraway Ranch, nothing too special, but up until the 70s it was a guest ranch before the park acquired it (land, buildings, furnishings all for $500,000). It was a Swedish couple who moved here in 1880 after the Apaches were driven out of the area. How sad, such a beautiful place with tall pines and lots of wildlife and we drove them all out. Nope, not fair... 

Faraway Ranch

Then we drove up the main park road to Massai Point for the overlook. The point was named for Big Foot Massai, a thievin' apache of the area, so they said. Beautiful place -- as Bill called it, A Brown Bryce. Tomorrow we shall hike. And hoping to get to the ruins of Ft. Bowie, about 25 miles away. This REMOTE area is just full of history -- Apache wars, mail stagecoach lines, settlers. Temps are perfect and tho breezy, not so bad here in the camping valley. Which also means later mornings and shorter afternoons... kinda depressing to see the sun still up there on the rock peaks while you're in shadows...

29 Tuesday - Chiricahua National Monument, Fort Bowie
For more than 30 years Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. It was the site of the Bascom Affair, a wagon train massacre, and the battle of Apache Pass, where a large force of Chiricahua Apaches under Mangus Colorados and Cochise fought the California Volunteers.

Geronimo was eventually taken to St. Augustine, Fla. Talk about environment shock -- nevermind culture shock.

Woke to 37 degrees! Cooler than I thought it would be. But we are at about 5500 feet. Warmed up fast and we're heading to Ft. Bowie!  You wouldn't believe how much happened in this one spot called Apache Pass. It had a natural spring so everyone wanted to be near the water, but of course the Apaches had it first. It all started with Cochise and ended with Geronimo. And oh so many flies! The fort ranger said they just started two days ago, so they made for an arms-flailing hike. We drove 25 miles to the fort entrance. The first thing you see are markers for the original trail of the Butterfield Overland Mail stage coaches. COOL. No, you can't see wheel ruts, but knowing it passed under where I stood was cool enough. I was kinda hoping to see some rattlesnakes, but none were out. I had read on line that one guy counted 15, but that was in September. Note to self...

Stage Coach route. That had to be a rough ride.

We get to the trailhead and I see a sign about a shop up at the fort so I gotta go back to the car for dough when up rides a man on an ATV... um, ok. Not sure what he wanted, wasn't sure if he was good or evil, but in a few short minutes turns out he's the rancher who owns the land next to the park and he said someone shot one of his cows down the road! I said, Who would shoot a cow?? Oh, people... he said. Guess he just rolled up to say HI; we don't look like poachers I don't think (although I DO want a cowhide...) He was a tad ticked, and rightly so, and Bill said he was packin' heat. Then along came a road grader and off he went. Strange, yes. In hindsight I wish I'd fired off questions about the area, but alas I didn't think that quick; it was all so strange. Maybe he was waiting for the grader to roll his cow off the road? I have no idea what you do with a shot cow. I digress.

The ruins of the Butterfield stage coach stop! The mail route only ran from 1857 to 1861, but they could get mail from St. Louis to California in 25 days. They had a special, lighter coach to get through this rough Apache Pass area.

OK, so, back to the hike: 1.5 miles one way to the fort with numerous points of interest along the way. We passed the foundations of an old miner's cabin (he accidentally blew himself up in a mine with his dynOmite). Next were the ruins (again, foundation only) of the Stage Station where they'd change out the animals and grab a bite. And then, the old fort cemetery. Many of the soldiers had been moved long ago to a national cemetery in San Francisco, but civilians remained, including Geronimo's 2 year old child. The foundations of the old indian agency building and the spring itself, still trickling.

Most of the buildings were adobe on a rock foundation and whatever was left of the adobe has been plastered over to preserve it. Finally

A real Mountain Howitzer. Always read about these in the books

up one more slope and there was old glory flying over the old fort. And it was a pretty big area considering we're out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe 300 soldiers in its heyday, and 150 after Geronimo was removed. It was finally closed in 1894. But lots of buildings and lots of activity, just so hard to image all that in such a remote setting. My kingdom for permission to use my metal detector. 

Yeah, yeah, know. All the good stuff disappeared long ago I am sure. I don't believe this was set aside for a park until the early 70s.

So is this where the bulls come to party?

After lunch we drove backup to the lookout point to do the 3-mile loop hike of Echo Canyon. Very nice hike, not too many flies and some interesting rock - and tree - formations. 

They call this alligator juniper.

The views along the Echo Canyon hike. That green is lichen growing on the rocks.

They call this alligator "Juniper". hee hee hee

When alligator juniper shape-shifts into a snake.

 30 - Wednesday - 24 Hours in Tombstone 
Passed plenty of border patrol agents between Chiricahua and Tombstone, they must have had a tip. Beautiful weather for our 11:30 am arrival in Tombstone. After setting up at Wells Fargo RV Park we hit the streets in search of lunch and shopping. Both didn't take long, but we managed to stretch it out. Lunch at Longhorn was fair, shopping was fun. 

Sorry ladies, this six-pack dude is mine.

Heard hooch could be found at the Circle K so we walked a few blocks and came back just in time to see the Earps walking down Allen Street taunting the McLaurys. A pretty cool sight, then everyone piled in to the theater to see the shootout. Everyone but us ($$). The street scene was show enough. Our spot at the RV park was next door to the original supposed OK Corral spot (cool or what). 

The McLaurys and Clantons make their way down Allen Street....

The Earps follow after, and hell's comin' with them. Right into the theatre.

Allen Street one beautiful day in Tombstone.

Afternoon ma'am

Later during our silver happy hour, I noticed our neighbor come stumbling out of his RV and wander off toward Allen. He looked like trouble. 

Local color

On the recommendation of shop clerk, we decided to have dinner at The Depot, a short walk east though the very small town. The sun was just setting and it was beautiful, and Allen Street was deserted -- except for two figures on horses. As we walked up it was one of the Earps and his wife, posing for the last photos of the day. She even called him "Virg." Quite a sight as they rode off into the sunset. 

Virg Earp and the Mrs. on their evening rounds.

Had a so-so dinner at the Depot, but then who walks in but OUR DRUNK NEIGHBOR! TROUBLE! As we ate, he sat down and waited a very long for a table until finally he got up and started yelling at the waitress and stormed out. I kinda don't blame him, it wasn't great service. Walked back to town in the dark and every time we looked up there was Trouble, walking ahead of us. We reached Allen Street and were drawn to the only sound, the Crystal Palace's karaoke night and who walks in before us: Trouble. We loitered until he walked out, then so did we, only to be approached by a man (uh oh here we go again) on the street who said hey, there's a rock band down the street, and we have an open fire, come on down to the Dragoon Saloon. So we did -- it was us, a few locals and a band from Bisbee.  And it was someone's 25th birthday so we also got birthday cake. It was here we found out about a bar in New Mexico called "No Scum Allowed Saloon." I fear Bill now wants to go. It's in White Oaks. Billy the Kid country. Another biker bar but we have no bike. (www.noscumallowedsaloon.com) So we stayed for few songs and called it a night.

So let's say you had a small breakfast joint in Tombstone. And you wanted to hang a big stuffed buffalo head over the top and in front of a topographical map of the US, but your ceiling is too low. Well, just take out a few tiles and paint a sky!

The town too tough to die, they say. But time to go.

31 Thursday - Tucson

Finally cool enough to come out and take a sunset shot at Camp Tucson.

OK, it's hot now. Just like they said it would be for three days -- the three days we planned to be here. We stayed in Tucson Mountain Park at the Gilbert Ray campground, #71. This is the desert! cacti city. cool. Since we only had a half day left we did the shopping: you know, wool and stained glass. It was all of 94 degrees and lemme say hot. Sure it was dry, but it was hot. All that driving to the east side of town for the good shops then all the way back to the west side o' town to our campground, and just about a mile from Old Tucson Studios! That's on my list. Haven't seen that place since 1975. Count em' -- that's 37 years. wow. We could pick up some TV stations (CBS & several spanish stations). Heard the coyotes howling early in the evening. The suburbs are creeping outward but there are still a few miles between them and the studios.

Lo - ri - derrrrr

When we came back it was a HOT dog.

1 April - Friday - TUCSON

OH DANG IT'S HOT. It would climb to 96 today. WTF? It's April 1! Today is the day for the 4th Avenue Street Fair. Tomorrow is a shin-dig at the Studios, our three day stay is planned. Well sorta, turned out to be so hot, we got thru the fair by noon and went to the studios so we would have no reason to stay another day, gotta get outta here. Really enjoyed the studios until heat stroke set in -- the performers were in their LAYERS of costumes riding horses and flipping each other in the sand for the Wild Wild West skit, with all of us suckers BAKING in the bleachers, until I said I can't take it anymore and we walked out. 96 degrees and all these peeps sitting in the bleachers. Well, judging by the parking lot they all live here but OMG, I think I'm going to die. Bill said my face was beet red, from sitting still. 

Remember -- it's 96 DRY degrees out.

Look for this in, oh let's see, TOMBSTONE's opening scene, the Three Amigos, and many more.

They call that train Reno. She even went to Europe.

This little depot has been featured in many a western we're told. Keep an eye out for it.

Kurt's gun. oooooh

We found refuge in the Courthouse, where an actor from Tombstone was displaying his gun collection and new book. A bit lame on the a/c I must say; I guess no one feels it but us.  Wanted to stay longer and soak up the Tucson-Hollywood scene, but it was physically impossible. We came back to the trailer, turned on the air, and drove further to the Saguaro National Forest and laughed at the cactus formations. Pretty funny some of them, with a little imagination....

The people of the Saguaro National Park.

2 April - Saturday - Sedona

Gotta leave Tucson, neither of us can take  another day of baking. (people live in this??) Next stop: Oak Creek Canyon -- hoping we can find a camping spot at Cave Springs Campground, about 10 miles north of Sedona. Well we found about three, all uneven, and finally picked one. The place was packed with families and everyone had to have a campfire, so our eyes were burning, as we were in Smoke Creek Canyon. We did a short walk then went to town to eat and ended up at Javelina Cantina, not bad! 

Just a blooming tree in the pine canyon. Crabapple? not sure.

3 - Sunday - Sedona
Did a morning hike across the street at Harding Springs -- straight up, my favorite. Made it up to the top, hike being less than a mile. Went to town for a look-see and looked and saw. Staying in for dinner, supposed to be weather moving in; can feel the temps drop. YEAH! BRING IT!

The now sprawling city of Sedona. Land of the vortex.

4 - Monday - Durango!
We figure we're so close to home, let's keep driving. And so we did. But with a stop at our favorite photo location, south of Monument Valley.