Jewelry Heaven

This is a photo of a style of jewelry we found at the Hubbell Trading Post. When we found it again in Sedona for a reasonable price, we thought we would wait. Wouldn't you know, we never saw it again on our trip. We learned quite a bit about the differences between Zuni, Navajo, and Hopi artisans. The tribes have schools where members learn the craft and often only certain families can produce certain designs. It was interesting to note the differences. We also learned that you can't comparison shop while you are traveling and that, if you see something, you'd better get it because you might not see it again!

What can you do at a Rally? You can eat many of your meals--most breakfasts and dinner are provided, see entertainment 3 nights and dance, purchase RV supplies, accessories, get a “mobile lube job” on-site,have a ladies’ luncheon, purchase jewelry and clothing, take a tour of Texarkana, have an ice cream social, have many happy hours, do a chapter cook off, reunite with friends, make new friends. You can also go to a local restaurant like The Old Feed House and have fried froglegs and catfish and the best cinnamon rolls ever baked!!!!

Texarkana Rally

Just a quick note to let you all know we are at a motor home rally in Texarkana, Arkansas. We have wifi "down the block aways" at the AG center, but I haven't been able to update the blog. Expect an update soon!

Santa Rosa, NM and Amarillo, TX

Since we left Echo Basin Ranch and the Durango/Mesa Verde area, we are heading east. We stopped in Santa Rosa, NM one night and east of Amarillo, home of the free 72 oz. steak steakhouse (if you can eat it in one hour!) another night. Already, as we headed through Wichita Falls to our most recent destination, Sherman, TX, I can feel the "West" slipping away. Less of those barren, desert landscapes, and more plowed fields waiting for planting, trees and wooded areas. So today I posted two photos of sunsets that epitomize the West that we are leaving behind. Beautiful colors or those unbelievable open spaces. Tomorrow we will be in Texarkana ready for our motor home rally next week. The cowboy hats will be there and the boots, but I doubt if the rally will capture the true Western essence we experienced over the past few weeks.

Telluride, CO

The drive up to Telluride, the ski resort, was an easier one than Silverton. Only a few bikers, less traffic, and not the steep inclines. Most of the snow had melted and the Dolores River was raging along the roadside. Telluride is very quaint, but they don’t open much until the end of May. We had hoped to ride the gondola up to Mountain City, but it will be another 2 weeks before it is running. All the houses on the main street, though new, look like they were built during the early 1900s--no yards, picket fences, porches--very much like the Seaside, FL of the West. As I continue to eat more and more Mexican food, I think my Spanish is improving. Buenas tardes, amigos.

Silverton, CO

May 9th. We drove from Durango up to Silverton--a 50 mile trek up into the snowcapped mountains. Being afraid of heights, it wasn’t an easy drive for me. A two laned road, with no guard rails, and steep inclines and descents, and to top it all off, dozens of bikers were practicing for a future race so we had to navigate around the racers going up the mountains. No easy task. Once up in Silverton, we toured the shops, had lunch in their public park, and awaited the arrival of their famous narrow gauge train, complete with whistle and belching black smoke. Silverton is an old1800’s mining town that has many of the original buildings. From the very beginning, there was an imaginary line running down Greene Street dividing the town between the law-abiding , churchgoing residents, and the gamblers, prostitutes, variety theatres, dance halls, and saloons. After touring the town, you guessed it--we had to go DOWN the mountain road avoiding the bikers who were now traveling even faster, taking wider turns on the curves. Due to my white knuckle experience, my door handle will never be the same. I said many Hail Mary's! The beauty of the scenery was lost somewhere in my fear of maiming a biker or killing ourselves in the process of avoiding them. It was a memorable day trip!

Glendale, UT to Mancos, CO--Change of Itinerary

May 7
We decided to forgo our left turn onto 163/ Monument Valley / Goulding’s Trading Post and the arid, desert landscape and head to the mountains of Colorado. Colorado is one of our favorite places. So after Four Corners (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado touch at this point), we took a right onto 160 and pushed a little harder to do the last 120 miles to Mancos (main-cuss) where we found Echo Basin Ranch. We love it here. It is cool and cold at night). There are only a half-dozen workkampers on-site right now, so it feels very secluded and private. It’s almost as if we have the campground to ourselves. We’re backed up to the horse pasture, take our walks past the barn, golf course, camper cabins, restaurant, and sometimes out to the entrance waterfall. It’s quite scenic here and we see mountains on all sides. Again, a point and shoot camera can’t do it justice. We are 15 miles from Cortez, and 25 miles from Durango--possibly the quaintest town we have ever seen. We will probably stay here until it is time to head south for the motor home rally in Texarkana, AR.

Bryce Canyon National Park

We stayed in Glendale, UT and drove to Bryce Canyon this morning. Scenic drive on Hwy 89 and 12. We kept our sweatshirts on all day for this bright, breezy, sunny day. The weather continues to be perfect for sightseeing. We saw Pronghorn deer, wild turkey, falcon, and some folks we recognized from Zion. Each overlook presented a different view of the canyon. We took so many photos, it was difficult to decide what to post. All were beautiful scenes. We will hate to leave our apple orchard in bloom at this little campground of 17 spots-- with its alpacas, a new colt, and a horse in the field nearby. We have no cell phone reception here or TV, but we still have enjoyed it. At night we've been reading and listening to oldies on the radio. Next stop: Monument Valley.

Zion National Park

We're in Glendale, UT at a small campground with the most beautiful apple orchard in bloom! We've spent the greater part of two days at Zion NP. One day we took the free shuttle throughout the canyon. Today we hiked the Emerald Pools (upper, middle, and lower--new muscles used will be screaming tomorrow) and toured the Zion Lodge and Human History Museum. Zion gives you a unique perspective of being at the base of the canyon looking up. All the other NP's we've been to, you are at the top looking down or across. Zion feels more personal. The 1.1 mile tunnel with sharp curves and the 13 miles of switchbacks to get down to the canyon floor are an incredible experience in themselves. So far Zion NP is our favorite. Tomorrow we head for Bryce and later we will see Mesa Verde. We'll see if Zion says our favorite.

Page, AZ

Yesterday we drove from Williams, AZ to Page, AZ. At one point in the journey, we slowly ascended through a wall of red rock on both sides and then breathtaking overlooks into canyons and open spaces. We're glad we opted for a change of itinerary and skipped Las Vegas. The road was not as bad as we thought it would be (going UP anyway) and we found out we are near the Glen Canyon dam and the recreation area for Lake Powell. So far, Arizona is my favorite state!

Sedona, AZ

Thank goodness Cindy and Rich encouraged us to take a day trip to Sedona. It was fairly close to Williams, a gorgeous drive, and a lovely destination. We especially enjoyed the drive through Oak Creek Canyon. It reminded us of NC 64 from Highlands to Cashiers--cliffs on one side, sheer drop offs on the other, and very narrow lanes. We were very impressed with Sedona. First of all, they actually have parking lots for visitors--several--and they are easy to find, and a free shuttle to get you around the town. The town is landscaped to the hilt and the flowers were all in bloom for us and the weather was picture perfect. You will see some haze in the photos because, as always, by the time we get going it is almost mid-day when we reach our destination. My friend Linda had told me about Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tia-keh-pah-keh) is an artist center modeled after a real Mexican town of the same name) and that was our favorite place in Sedona. The town itself is said to have 15,000 residents and they are SO lucky to live in such a lovely place. And why the photo of Don next to the Ferrari? We saw 4 or 5 Ferraris in the Sedona vacinity, as well as, many other cars you could drool over. So he just HAD to have his picture taken by the bright red one!

The Grand Canyon National Park

Today our adventure was the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railways takes you from Williams, AZ near our campground to the national park. Before you board the train, four actors do a western-themed show. While on the train, you are entertained by musicians, and you look for wildlife along the 64 mile trip. We saw mule deer, elk, cows, wild mustangs, a mountain lion, and antelope. The tour guide tells you the history of the arearea while you travel the 2 1/2 hours to the park and gives you tips on how to make the most of your 3 hours in the park. Once you get to the park, you are on your own to eat lunch and hike through the park. Free shuttles take you from one end of the park to the other. On the way back to Williams, you are again entertained by musicians and a "train robbery" complete with "robbers" on horseback. A point and shoot camera cannot capture the beauty of the Grand Canyon and we are finding this to be true of many of these western views.