Utterly Underwhelming Utah except for Moab and Bridges

No sooner did we cross the Arizona Utah border and the land became a dry, desolate and hostile place. We just entered the largest Reservation we had ever visited. And aside from these cool rocks.....

there was nothing. There were signs up that I hoped were at least 50 years old advertising “Friendly Indians Here” and an American flag adorned all the highway side shops. These signs and gestures were quite disheartening. Are people really still worried about their scalps? Surveying the reservation land first hand helped me to understand all the guilt money dispersed all over our country. I wouldn't live on this land even if the government paid me to do so. It was at this point of the trip where I began to noticed every mile marker, every curve sign, all the speed limit signs but still fixed my gaze outside the car window in hopes that the land would offer up an oasis of vegetation, variance of hills or even a change in hue, but to no avail.

We attempt to take as many scenic routes as possible, thanks again Dad and Mom for the atlas, and thought that our drive off the beaten path might produce a change in view. We ran into this:

A sheer cliff of a scenic bypass presented itself to us. (Coordinates on Google earth:  37 degrees 15ft and 25inches North, 109 degrees, 55 ft and 20 inches west.  Sorry, no easy copy and paste here, you must be very curious.) As we approached the face of this cliff the formation of rocks complete alluded the road from our view. Nate and I honestly thought we came to a dead end. But sure enough the signs assured us that there was indeed a road and route up and over this massive obstruction and we drove up with the thrill and anticipation of a roller coaster ride. This accent tops highway 1 on the California coast for steepness and scariness.

We made it to the top.

Safely on the other side of the red wall Nate and found some vegetation and with the vegetation came cattle that stopped us in our tracks, literally. What does one say in this scenario? Shoo cow? Nate and I had a little chat with the cows while they moved out of our way, thanking them for their good work in producing some yummy cheese.

Natural bridges, the next stop, is also internationally recognized as a “dark sky park” as there are no towns for miles and no light pollution. To my dismay it also has no cell reception.

Nate and I took a sunset bike ride to visit the different rock formations the park had to offer and we attempted some night pics. I had this great idea for a sunset pic under an arch of the natural bridge that required a steep descent into the canyon. After two flights of stairs, ladders, and rock scaling down these trails the clouds did not cooperate and we had to hike out in the dusk.

This hike would have been fine if Nate and I didn't just watch a whole evening program about mountain lions a few days before... we carried rocks.

The next few days:

This is defined as a natural arch as no water runs under it.  Pretty straight forward.

These homes are hundreds of years old.

Can you see me in this picture?

Even with the full moon we got to see many star consultations and I am so grateful for that also astronomy class I took at BCC, er BC. It's interesting what sticks and what doesn't in college. I'm sure a lot more should have stuck than did. I'm already ready for my future children to go through school so I can revisit my education.

Utah didn't have cafes or pubs, just milkshake and juice stands. We did stop in Moab for some amazing mountain biking that is way beyond my technical skill level so I let Nate do a run while I finished reading a book Grandma Pilar gave me. Thanks Grandma Pilar! Nate can highly recommend the biking, I simply enjoyed the weather, 70's and 80's the whole time.

This is Nate's view for his bike ride in Moab.

The "trail" is painted on the rock so bikers know where to go.

River Rock

If you've ever had the chance to drive through a suburban area with Nathanael you will have heard one of his rants of distaste for poorly constructed river rock belly bands, chimneys, and entrances of homes. Around 2000 river rock started popping up in mass produced suburban environments and in many craftsman wanna be homes across the Northwest. Fake river rock stands out like a sore thumb in his mind and i enjoy pointing it out to him whenever possible. So when I was thinking about the next segment of our journey across the country to visit some of Nate's favorite vistas, the Grand Canyon and Natural bridges i could not resist calling it for what it is. Nate would like me to make the distinction that the name of the blog posting does not offend him as it's name is singular as opposed to the offensive plural word. well, alrighty then. Changing subjects....

Montezuma's Castle!

"Gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a 1,000 year-old story of ingenuity and survival in an unforgiving desert landscape.
Marveling at this enduring legacy of the Sinagua culture reveals a people surprisingly similar to ourselves."  
http://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm

I am already looking forward to our next time at the Grand Canyon, in warmer weather. The weather was lovely, however in the canyon the trails were Icy in March and we decided to forgo the slight chance we slip and sprain an ankle.

Sun rise on the first day.

We still walked about 6 miles of the rim of the canyon and enjoyed a nature walk by Ranger Scott, lovely designs by Architect Mary Kolter and ease dropping on the cowboys instructions for the clients about set off on a mule ride down the canyon.

A peace filled Canyon.

Mary Koler's Pueblo inspired structure currently used as a gift shop.

 I had no idea camping facilities could host so many activities. This is the only picture of Ranger Scott we have.  Nate and I attended a evening program about cougars that was both educational and entertaining. Did you know that the habits and study of cougars in the Grand Canyon did not come into existence until 2003? Crazy! Lori also showed us a gps tracking map that revealed one cougars path through the Grand Canyon. Many of the red dots were right by the highways leading into the park, but don't be alarmed, only 12 people in the past 100 years have died as a result of a cougar attack. Compared to the fact that so many people die from bee stings a year made me feel slightly better about walking to my tent that night.

28 degrees at night here... and I found out I'm claustrophobic in a sleeping bag.

We found out latter that it is 50 degrees at night and up to 70 during the day, much better camping weather if you can scale the icy path with a sheer cliff.

We were able to see the canyon in many lights including sunrise, sun set and at night as the moon lit up the canyon nicely.

Nate wants to paint this one.

Our furry companion during our picnic lunch.

So many colors!

Along our hike on the rim, the safe, but not first choice trail. 

First timers tip: Don't miss the Kolter Observation Tower on the east entrance of the park. Great views from the top of the tower.

My skin perfectly matches my coral earnings,  I always burn when it's over cast. Behind me are some ancient ruins of round native homes.  The inner circle is for the fire,

This amazing lady hired a ranger to find her rocks around the canyon.  He spent over a year collecting rocks for the tower.  This is my favorite structure during our trip and my favorite Architect.

The interior

You just have to see it in person

A very straight road and the last of the change in scenery for a whole day's drive through two reservations. 

When studying the old rocks and trying to wrap my brain around millions and millions of years the Grand Canyon stopped me in my tracks and reminded me that we are but a blink of an eye in time on this earth.
Thank God for eternity and thank God for each day we have here.

Baking with Cacti

If I had to live in a dessert, Phoenix might hold my interest for a time. Most of our travels east to this point were immersed in shades of yellow and brown, textures of sand and rocks with occasional low growing shrubs. As we drove out of Phoenix into the outskirts of the suburbs and hill country and I was fascinated with all the different shades of green, yes that's right, green vegetation. Great variance of textures, from the low growing cacti to the midsized shrubbery to the magnificent saguaros scattered the hill side in quite an orderly fashion.

I was on a hunt for my perfect saguaro that looked just like the taco time logo and I decided that they don't really exist as the logo is two dimensional and these cacti usually have three, four or even up to 12 or more arms. I learned that it takes the saguaro 70 years to grow its first arm. We were in a historic cacti dessert.

Alli Booth was waiting for us with open arms and awesome hospitality. I was so grateful to finally see my cousin after nearly 5 years.

Alli has the best set up with her casita, as she calls it, that she has all to herself, living on a cactus farm adjacent to public lands full of service roads and trails that are great for biking and walking. Nate and I really enjoyed our bike ride through the dessert as we went early in the day the weather was cool. When I say cool I mean 70.

This is what happens when cacti die. Alli's bathroom was trimmed out with this stuff. I took a piece thinking I could make her some frames for her art but then admitted to myself that I wouldn't finish.

I am so proud of my cousin; she just decided to accept Harvard’s offer for graduate work in teaching with an emphasis on science of the brain and particularly a focus on students learning processes. Turning down a temping carrot at her current teaching position Alli will continue her educational journey in the autumn of this year. So we had to celebrate! And we had so much fun eating, drinking and sharing about our trials and successes over the last few years. Alli is one of my true kindred spirits on this planet and I so wish that she could live closer to us.

We took a road trip into the city to see Antoine Perdock's work there. We had mixed reviews on both of the buildings. Some sides of his buildings were way more attractive than other sides of the same building.

I am so grateful that I am married to an Architect as traveling for me used to only be about natural vistas. Traveling with Nate has helped me have a greater appreciation for buildings, the development of towns, old and new and how the structures exist in their environments.

After an inspiring and warm weekend on Alli's porch watching two amazing sunrises and sunsets we were off to......

Sedona

Thank you Uncle George and Aunt Teri for your recommendation, these rocks were so intensely red and stunning, pictures do not do this place justice. The town is so charming and there were almost a hundred lodging options. Nate and I went to a Catholic Church built in the 50's on a hillside amidst this natural beauty.

The walkway entrance laced around the rock and the church itself was skillfully juxtaposed to the layered and folding rock formations surrounding it. We only planned a drive through on this day but we will defiantly be back for a long weekend. If you come, this town is bike friendly too.