August 16, 2010

August 16, 2010

We spent the day in the White Mountains driving from Springerville, AZ over to Pinetop and Showlow. Even though we are in Arizona we are in the middle of a beautiful pine forest and the weather is cool. That is because we are at almost 8000 feet elevation. We are thinking this area might be a good place to buy a summer home. It is much cooler than Tucson in the summer and is close to a ski resort for a winter snow trip. I mistakenly thought I was the first with this idea. Not so! It is crowded. There are lots of places for sale. They must have overbuilt here too. It looks like it will be a couple years before prices bottom. Aimee and I would like to have a little log cabin hidden in the forest. That seems hard to get here. Most of the properties seem to be on thin strips along roads. Arizona in general has only 10% of its land available for private ownership. The vast majority is either Indian reservation or Federal land. In the White Mountains, the Apaches have the prime real estate. I wonder what it takes to join the tribe??

It has been pouring rain off and on all day. If I am going to sit inside while it is raining I would rather do it at home in my comfy chair. So we make the last push and arrive back in Tucson before bedtime.

August 15, 2010

August 15, 2010

Since Chaco Canyon is truly in the middle of nowhere, the sky last night was very dark. We attended the evening ranger talk and wouldn’t you know, it was a sky show. And it was outstanding! Besides an interesting discussion about ancient astronomy, the park has several large telescopes including one that is almost professional size. Aimee was absolutely giddy about seeing the rings of Saturn for the first time.

We are very glad we made the killer drive to Chaco. I was a little peeved that New Mexico hasn't paved the access road but Aimee reminds me that if they did we would be competing with tour buses and need tickets to see this sight. Instead it is a lightly visited park that is a joy to tour.

Leaving Chaco Canyon, Aimee insisted on driving the first section. I never argue when she offers to let me watch the scenery. Unfortunately it was a grueling two hours creeping along the 13 miles of washboard dirt road. Not a fast start this morning.

We drove the rest of the day crossing into Arizona before finding a campsite in Springerville, gateway to the White Mountains. While stopping for gas, we got the Sunday paper to catch up on the news. Aimee commented we needed to be careful because an escaped murderer from Arizona was on the loose and had just killed an RV couple camping in New Mexico. I told her not to worry as the FBI thinks they are now either in Montana or Canada. (A couple days later the escapee is found at a campground just a few miles away!!!)

August 14, 2010

August 14, 2010

We stopped back at Aztec to see the movie, peruse the exhibits and take a quick run thru the ruins again. I was a little miffed at how PC the park has gotten. Half the artifacts in the museum had been removed because local Indians claim the relics are either burial items or are sacred to them and should not be on display for white people. Also apparently the rangers can’t say these sites were abandoned anymore because the Indians say their dead ancestors’ ghost still reside there. All the local tribes claim to be descendents of the Anasazi. Even the Navajo who didn’t migrate into the region until 1700.

From Aztec we drove an hour south intending to go to Chaco Culture Historic Park. We turn off the main road and drive five miles when we come to the beginning of the 13.5-mile dirt road that leads to Chaco. It is washboard. I initially try to fly over it at 35 mph. That works for a mile but then we hit a bad section and I think our home is going to shake apart violently. Aimee threatens divorce if I don’t turn around. I agree with her but the road is too narrow for me to do a three-point turn. When I do find a turnout, we discuss the options and none are any good. Instead we agree to drive 5-10 miles an hour and make the best of it. We hit really bad spots a couple more times and consider turning around each time. Eventually we make it thru to park property and find paved road again. Hallelujah!

I suffered thru this drive because I have heard a lot about Chaco Canyon. The Anasazi are often described as a Chaco culture. It is supposed to be a very interesting park. We were not disappointed. The park lies at the bottom of a broad steep-sided canyon. Along its length are the ruins of a half dozen monumental-sized pueblo structures. Most of these “Great Houses” are of a similar structure (like Aztec). They are D-shaped with 600++ rooms and kivas each. Roads radiate from this canyon in all directions to the other regional pueblos implying Chaco was the center of something. Like Aztec scientists believe few people lived here. The archeologists provide no good answers in my mind for the purpose of these huge pueblos. They could be religious or governmental structures or possibly trading centers with hotels rooms for visiting traders. Because local Indians say they are sacred places, the park seems to favor the religious option.

The Visitor Center is being renovated so we start off driving the loop road stopping to tour five of the pueblos. At the oldest site we take a guided ranger tour. (The only one offered in the afternoon) This volunteer is pretty good but makes me wonder what the six staff interpretative rangers do all day to earn their salary.

Afterwards we take a fun hike up a crack in the canyon wall and along the rim for a great overlook of the main pueblo. Along the way we even spot a few fossils in the rocks as a bonus. Since we are many miles (and several hours) from civilization, we spend the night at the primitive park campground at the base of the canyon wall. We have spent the night amidst giant boulders, under monster redwoods, on cliff edges, and alongside rivers, lakes, and oceans, but this is the first time we have camped next door to an Anasazi ruin (albeit a small minor one). Pretty cool!

August 13, 2010

August 13, 2010

From Montrose CO we drove southwest over another high mountain road, passing the ski resort of Telluride. One more gorgeous drive. This time the exposed rocks are red which tell me we are now on the Colorado plateau. The red rocks are a great contrast with the green pine and aspen trees.

From Telluride we descended steadily coming out in Colorado’s high-desert southwest corner. Our first stop is the Anasazi Heritage Center. It is the Visitor Center for the BLM’s Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. A short hike up a ridge is Escalante Pueblo. Now these ancient Indians knew how to live. This small condo-like ruin sits on top of a hill and has fantastic 360-degree views. But I sure hope they had servants to schlep water up this hill. This pueblo was discovered by the Spanish explorers Escalante and Dominguez in 1776 while looking for a better route from Santa Fe to California.

We also went through the exhibits in the museum. While nearby Mesa Verde was thought to be a center of government, scientists believe most of the people lived in the scrub desert extending to the northwest.

From Canyon of the Ancients we drove a short distance south to Yucca House National Monument. This visit makes me think I am just checking off National Park sites. It was a big waste. Yucca House is a totally unexcavated site. It is believed to contain a large Anasazi settlement but right now all I can see is two rock-strewn hills. Odd that it is administered by the Park Service. This is a monument better suited to the BLM.

From Yucca House we slipped over the border to New Mexico and headed east. The terrain with its many buttes reminds me of a spread out Monument Valley. Our destination is Aztec Ruins National Monument. We arrive late in the day so we only have time to go thru the ruins. While Mesa Verde was a cluster of cliff dwellings, this complex is very similar to a modern pueblo. It looks like the stone-age version of a condominium; a large three story structure divided into many rooms. Scattered throughout the rectangular structure are numerous round family-sized kivas. In the center of the courtyard is a monster kiva big enough for the whole village. This kiva has been reconstructed and is very impressive and reminds me of an Egyptian tomb.

Even though this place has several hundred rooms, the ranger says few fire pits have been found. Scientists believe only a handful of people actually lived here. They think the rooms were mostly used for storage. If so, the Anasazi were the world’s biggest pack rats.

August 12, 2010

August 12, 2010

We made a strategic planning error. We want to go to Aspen today and photograph the nearby Maroon Belle peaks. They are probably the most photogenic of Colorado’s mountains. We camped last night at one of the two entrances to Aspen. Unfortunately we found out this entrance is treacherous, especially in a motorhome. It has a 12,000-foot pass with very narrow switchbacks. Vehicles longer than 35 feet are prohibited. We are legal but Aimee has heard horror stories from the locals. I still want to go but we decided to let the weather be the deciding factor. Of course my lucky charm of a wife prayed for rain and we woke to a downpour. Never bet against my wife.

It is a three-hour drive to the other end of Aspen so we punt and head southwest. It seems every road we take in Colorado is scenic. It is a most picturesque state. The only downfall is winter comes early. We can already sense it with the cold nights. Snow is just around the corner. Plus our RV is getting a workout. We have been over several high mountain passes in the last few days.


We cross another to reach the Gunnison River and Curecanti National Recreation Area. Downstream is Black Canyon National Park. That narrow canyon is hard to appreciate because the granite walls are shear and 2700 feet high. There is no hike down. Curecanti on the other hand is upstream and contains four dams. The first section consists of several lakes good for boating. It doesn’t interest me. The lower section is like a mini-Black Canyon. After driving along the clifftop we come upon a side canyon that we can use to drive down to the Gunnison River just below the third dam. From there we take an easy hike along the 700-foot granite gorge. Just stunning!

August 11, 2010

August 11, 2010

We had a bad time last night. The temperature got pretty cold last night. We didn’t bring a big enough blanket and neither one of us wanted to get out of bed and turn on the furnace. Then to make it much worse my trusty navigator fell and cut her face badly. She is never going to be the same. I have really gotten quite attached to the old girl and I am going to miss her calming voice. Aimee suddenly tells me to get a life and just buy a new GPS. I did but the new girl just isn’t the same.

We got up early today and drove for an hour and a half to Frisco, CO, heart of Colorado’s ski country. We are surrounded by several ski resorts but thankfully there is no snow. Nonetheless, the tall mountains surrounding us are gorgeous. Thanks to one of my sisters, we got a great idea to enjoy the scenery. We rented bikes and had them hauled to the top of nearby Vail pass. From there it is an hour and a half downhill bike ride back to Frisco. It is very pretty but the route does follow Interstate 70 so highway noise is never far away. Aimee and I did feel a little guilty as we watched more than a few people pedal in the opposite direction. They must be in great shape. Our path takes us thru the heart of Copper Mountain Resort. We stopped for an hour to have lunch and do some window-shopping. Back in Frisco, we pedaled over to Lake Dillon to sit and stare at the water. The weather is just delightful. Cool and Sunny. We sat for almost an hour staring at the water and soaking up the sun.

August 10, 2010

August 10, 2010

This morning we drove a half hour up into the foothills of the Rockies following a stream-cut gorge. Our destination is Estes Park. This cute town is surrounded by beautiful mountain vistas. As soon as we entered the town we passed a riding stable. I am reading Lonesome Dove, a western tale about cattle drives, so I quickly pull over and arrange a two-hour trail ride for us. It turns out to be quite nice. Our guide takes us on horseback up into the pine-forested hills above Estes Park. The scenery looks straight out of the TV show Bonanza. The horses though are a little too well trained for me. There is no steering involved. They follow the horse ahead like they are glued together. After an hour of pulling back on the reins I manage to convince my mount to stay more than two inches back from the horse ahead. They must mix beans in with the horse feed because Aimee’s horse had a bad case of gas.

To walk off our saddle sores, Aimee and I did some window-shopping for an hour along Estes Park’s main street. After lunch we left town and took a short cut thru Rocky Mountain National Park. It turned out to be a long cut. Since the route goes over a 12,000-foot pass, the drive is very slow. Plus the road was blocked for construction in several places. No problem. I was happy to trade the time lost for the great mountain scenery.

By late afternoon we passed to the western side of the park and spent the night in a National Forest campground high on a hill. We have an unobstructed 180- degree view of a large lake below and majestic mountains on the other side. Simply stunning!

August 9, 2010

August 9, 2010

Today was a driving day. We left the Black Hills of South Dakota heading southwest crossing first into Wyoming and then Colorado. For most of the way we saw groups of motorcyclists going the opposite way. I thought the Sturgis Rally was already making the Black Hills crowded. I hate to see what it is going to be like tomorrow with these new arrivals.

August 8, 2010

August 8, 2010

Well all we saw were asses at Custer State Park in South Dakota. No, I am not referring to the Sturgis bikers that are dominating the tourist trade here. I am talking about the four-legged variety. We paid our entry fee and drove thru the Wildlife Loop at Custer. The park is beautiful and on our first trip we remembered seeing huge herds of buffalo crossing the road. This time they are nowhere to be seen. All we saw were a group of wild burros, descendents of pack animals released in the park. One donkey gave Aimee a little scare. As she fed one a slice of bread, it got so excited it almost jumped in the RV with her.

Slightly disappointed with Custer, we left the park and crossed into Wind Cave National Park. There is no entry fee and wouldn’t you know it, this is where all the buffalo are roaming. I even did the modern version of the cattle drive with them. For probably the next five miles I herded the bison down a narrow valley road with our RV. The line of cars behind me must have been very jealous.

Eventually the fun had to end and we stopped at Wind Cave’s Visitor Center. This National Park is a two-fer. It has great scenery and wildlife above ground and equally amazing views below. We took the hour and a half “natural entrance” tour. Wind Cave has none of the stalagmites and stalactites of normal caves. Instead it has long narrow passages filled with formations called “box work”. Wind Cave is about the only place this can be seen. Box Work is a honeycomb structure reminiscent of the nests of the mud-dauber wasp. In reality it is the eaten-away skeleton of an earlier mineral structure.

We had such a nice time at Wind Cave, we decided to spend the night at its campground. We are glad we did. The entire herd of buffalo from earlier in the afternoon ended up passing right by our campsite. Then after the evening ranger program, we enjoyed the moonless star-filled night sky seeing several shooting stars. The Milky Way was magnificent.

August 7, 2010

August 7, 2010

This morning we went into nearby Hill City early so we could park downtown before the Sturgis motorcyclists took over the town. Unfortunately when we got there we found the main street closed to cars. Only motorcycles were allowed. So we parked a few streets away and walked in. Aimee took off in one direction to do some shopping while I went to the Black Hills Institute. This local organization is big into finding fossils for commercial sale. They were the ones who found “Sue”, the famous T-Rex, some years ago. Unfortunately they lost her in a court battle and she was eventually sold to the Field Museum in Chicago. They have a small display of some very fine fossil specimens.

Afterwards we head over to Jewel Cave National Monument. Fortunately it seems the bikers like to camp, ride the roads and hit the bars but not visit the local attractions. So we are able to get a scenic tour shortly after lunch no problem. Our visit turns out to be very enjoyable. Our ranger guide was superb and very funny. In addition Jewel Cave is highly decorated. At some point in its history the cave got flooded and the dissolved limestone reformed into crystals of calcite. Almost the entire cave is covered with it.

We ended our day early back at our campground. The Black Hills are beautiful with pine forests covering hills of exposed granite. Plus because of the high elevation the weather is cooler and since we are back in the West, the humidity has disappeared. It is simply delightful!

As we usually do in the evening, we took a stroll around the campground. I think we are the only non-bikers staying here. But oh how times have changed. These bikers are middle age, driving expensive motorhomes and checking email on their laptop computers. What happened to the Hells Angels biker of my youth?

August 6, 2010

August 6, 2010

We chose to pass on a Niobrara River float trip this morning. Instead we leave town heading north crossing back into South Dakota. We make a brief stop at Badlands National Park to admire the scenery before heading to Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. This park site is a preservation of a Cold War nuclear missile silo and control center. It was a major disappointment. Despite being in existence for eleven years virtually nothing has been setup. The park still operates out of a couple small trailers. On most days they only offer two tours of eighteen people each and these are always sold out. When I inquired why so few tours, a ranger complains of understaffing. As he says this I see at least six rangers coming in and out of offices. They don’t have a staffing problem. They just aren’t utilizing what they have effectively. I don’t know why I am always surprised when I see this level of ineptness at the parks. It is the government after all. We hung around the tiny “Visitor Center” an hour hoping to get a cancellation. We didn’t. The only saving grace for our time was a long discussion with an Aussie couple also waiting. They claimed their government was just as incompetent. I bet they are wrong, ours has so much more experience.

From Minuteman we drove into the Black Hills looking for a campsite for the night. It was hard. The annual motorcycle rally in nearby Sturgis is next week and most campgrounds are full. The rally draws almost 500,000 bikers and they dominate the whole Black Hills region. We eventually find a campground with a spot for us. Whew!

August 5, 2010

August 5, 2010

Our first stop this morning was a half hour west at Niobrara State Park in Nebraska. This park sits on an overlook where the Niobrara River flows into the Missouri. Very pretty. We traveled west across Nebraska along the Outlaw trail (apparently Jesse James came by here). The terrain changes from corn farmland to flat treeless prairie. We pass very few cars along the way. During the drive we stop so Aimee can take a pic of a photographer shooting a sunflower farm.

After several hours we stop in the middle of the prairie and drive four miles down a dirt road to Smith Falls State Park. The contrast couldn’t be greater. Here we come upon a deep tree-lined valley through which the Niobrara National Scenic River flows. It is lush and full of people tubing and canoeing. Where did these people come from? This park is the site of Nebraska’s tallest waterfall at 70 feet high! The Niobrara carves a fertile gorge thru the prairie. Springs fed by the Ogalala aquifer leak out along the canyon wall and cascade into the river. A few miles upstream we make another stop at Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge. There we hike to another spring-fed waterfall. Aimee and I would like to join in the fun and canoe past these sandstone cliffs. Unfortunately we got some bad advice and when we get to the “major” town of Valentine, we find all the float trips start back where we came from. Very odd since half the offices are here.

August 4, 2010

August 4, 2010

Today is a driving day. From Minnesota we drove southwest thru the state and into South Dakota. At Sioux Falls we turned south crossing the Missouri River into Nebraska. We stopped in the Visitor Center for the Missouri National River and Recreation Area. It covers a stretch of river above and below the Gavins Point Dam here. We camped for the night on Corps of Engineers property right below the dam. I am crossing my fingers the dam lasts till morning. Our RV doesn’t float. We had a long talk with a work camper who bid for this job. His story reminds us of all the easy part-time jobs available to workers looking to see the country.

August 3, 2010

August 3, 2010

From the outskirts of St Paul, MN we drove downtown to stop at the Visitor Center for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Although the park consists of the Mississippi River that flows thru the Minneapolis metro area, it owns almost no land. Instead it provides matching funds to the riverbank owners. When I came here I wondered why this part of the river deserves this distinction. The ranger said it was because this is the only part of the Mississippi with a waterfall and a gorge. She also said this stretch is important because this is where the production of flour was industrialized (think Pillsbury and General Mills). The answer seemed pretty weak especially since the stretch around my hometown is considerably more historic. This one seems to be another way for some politician to return Federal tax dollars to the local area. Aside from the money issue, for me it dumbs down the meaning of a National Park.

On our walk back to the RV, we walked thru Rice Park that has several statues from the cartoon strip, Peanuts. Apparently St Paul was where Charles Schulz called home.

We then drove a few miles upriver to the confluence with the Minnesota River. Atop the bluff here sits the historic Fort Snelling. We watch the park’s film but I can't convince Aimee to tour another fort. Fort Snelling was built in the early 1800’s when this area was the wild frontier.

The real reason I couldn’t persuade Aimee is because she is chomping at the bit to go to the Mall of America, the biggest in the country. When we get there Aimee is on sensory overload deciding which store to visit first. After a couple hours I am chomping at the bit, I convince her to see a movie with me at the theatre. We saw “Inception”. It was good but it made my head hurt trying to keep the complicated story line straight. We did a little more mall walking afterwards. Mall of America is a large circular complex with incredibly an amusement park inside. It seems they cheat a little to be the largest. We were surprised to see multiple stores in the mall. Aimee noticed three Best Buys; and I saw two Victoria Secret stores.

We spent the night at a local Indian casino. As usual it was crowded but what was surprising was the ban on alcohol. A dry casino! Good thing they didn’t search my refrigerator on the way in.

August 2, 2010

August 2, 2010

Our commute was pretty short today. We stayed at the campground of a river outfitter last night. After waking we walked up to the shop and rented a kayak to paddle down a thirteen-mile section of the St Croix National Scenic Riverway. We were driven up river where we embarked on our water adventure. Almost the whole way this river was devoid of any civilization. Also because of recent rains the water was high and the current moving along. We ran into small whitewater quite often. Although the shoreline was mostly forest we did have one small section of sandstone cliff. We also saw two bald eagles in the trees. After three and a half hours of paddling we put out of the river and called for our pickup.

The St Croix and its tributary the Namekagon were designated a National Scenic Riverway to maintain their wildness and halt the construction of a dam and power plant. After our excursion we drove to St Croix Falls to see the Visitor Center for the park.

This river system was used by Voyageurs in their transit from Lake Superior to the Mississippi. We were following in the footsteps or paddles of these explorers since most of this river has not changed in the last 1000 years.

August 1, 2010

August 1, 2010

From Superior, WI we drove back north across the bridge to Duluth. They are having a Tall Ships festival. We park outside the downtown area and take a shuttle to the inner harbor. There in a line along the wharf are eight masted-ships of yesteryear. We only paid the general admission because we didn’t feel the need to tour them. I am glad we did as even this early in the morning there are very long lines at each ship. I am still a little peaved as the ships are hard to appreciate behind the lines of people, fencing, trees and flags. We continue past the ships farther along the harbor front. The harbor makes a hard turn and we end up getting a better view of the ships from the “no-charge” end of the harbor. There is a wide variety of Tall Ships representing several different eras and purposes. Probably for me the most interesting was the HMS Bounty, a ship built for the Marlon Brando version of the Mutiny movie. It also starred in the more recent Pirates of the Caribbean. None of these sailing ships are all that big. It is amazing that a large crew could live inside those tight confines let alone trust the ship to carry them safely around the globe. No wonder some of them mutinied.

The Duluth-Superior harbor is quite extensive. We continue on past a large lift bridge that opens to allow a freighter delivering salt to enter. We take a quick swing thru a Corps of Engineers Museum that has way more info than we want on the port. Duluth-Superior is a big port for coal, iron ore, and grain exports.

After a surprisingly nice couple of hours strolling the harbor at Duluth, we make our way due south deeper into Wisconsin.

July 31, 2010

July 31, 2010

Since our first visit was cut short we went back to Grand Portage National Monument this morning. Even the second time it is quite interesting. We spend a little more time with the exhibits in the Visitor Center. The Monument and Grand Portage Trail sit on an Indian reservation of the Ojibway (Chippewa). Apparently there is some annual fee the National Park has to pay to the tribe for the use of its “ancestral” land. I find that interesting since the Ojibway, once they acquired guns from the Europeans, stole this land in the 1700’s from the Sioux, who were then forced onto the more barren Plains.

In the afternoon we drive south along Lake Superior past Duluth, MN and stay outside Superior, WI