SUMMER CAMP IS OVER, BUT MEANDERING IN THE WEST GOING EAST

Casa Grande, AZ (30 miles south of Phoenix)

Our month is over and time to move on.

Getting together everyday with people from our block. 

 If it is 4:00 PM, it must be  Happy Hour.  Most of the visitors are from Canada and will also be leaving soon.  They are only allowed 180 days out of Canada to retain health coverage.  Gathering at a particular time and place was such a wonderful way to relax and establish friendships.  And yes, we are bundled up.

So many people playing at all levels of Pickleball in the 32 courts.

One of the 3 pools and hot tub locations.  Only one day was the pool warm enough  for me to enjoy.

SEDONA, AZ

In my opinion, this location is one of the most enjoyable places in Arizona, not only for its endless beauty but also for so many ways to enjoy it.  I could come here every year in the off season for a vacation, otherwise the traffic is excessive.

 People generally have limited access to the environment, but some very adventerous young people can hike endlessly into the mountains beyond the trails.  Pink Jeeps will drive people off road to see normally inaccessible country.

 Many hikes are designed and mapped throughout the mountains.  This was our third trip to Sedona, and we never tire of the hiking and seeing unbelievable areas.

Living here is expensive, non of the buildings are higher than 2 stories and night lighting is limited.  And of course, every building is one of 50 shades of clay to blend into the surroundings.

One of our hikes was up 1000 feet with areas needing us to do some moderate rock climbing on all fours.



SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMONT (north of Flagstaff going to the Grand Canyon)

Every trip offers the opportunity to learn new facts, and never more than the geology of the west.  There are 600 inactive volcanoes in northern Arizona

 The last eruption was close to 1000 years ago but the lava flows look so much newer than that.

WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMONT

Outside of the lava fields is an historic site highlighting another Native ruin and archaeological site.  There is an evolving list of tribes which established their own form of civilization.  They were perhaps conquered, assimilated or were motivated to leave because of environmental changes. Some made communities on the flatlands while others existed on the cliffs.

This settlement was considered important not only for its size, but for its location.  Many trading trails intersected in this area near present day Flagstaff. The surrounding grounds still support native plants used for medicines and our guide constantly warned us not to eat anything from the ground!! (As if we would)

WALNUT CANYON NATIONAL PARK  and the cliff dwellers

The Flagstaff area not only has volcanos, flat land dwellers, but also cliff dwellers.  Their living structures does not define who they were, but just what area was settled and they were aware of each other.

 These dwelling were either aligned for weather conditions or they could relocated for optimal heat or cooling.

This area was reconstructed to demonstrate the village lifestyle.  In the late 1800s, visitors to the area destroyed these archeological sites to find souvenirs and keepsakes.  Throughout the west, historic sites suffered the same fate.

Both sides of the canyon were inhabited with the water supply, being the river, at the bottom.  Farming was established on the top of the canyons.



LAKE HAVASU, AZ

I am sure this is a nice area to retire to, but this former company town was only worth a one day visit for us.

Robert P. Mc Culloch wanted a site to test and manufacture out board motors and purchased land which is now Lake Havasu City, AZ in 1958. The opportunity attracted workers. In order to grow the town, one of the ideas he had was to buy one of the London bridges, reassemble it and dredged a canal for water to flow under it.  
                                      Voila, a Spring Break destination!

ON TO THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF LAS VEGAS, NV

I am sure many of you have visited for at least a weekend, or until your money disappeared, but I wasn't sure it was the destination for me for week.  Actually I was wrong.

                                                 We spent several days walking the Strip. 

The famous hotels were  more interesting than I could have imagined; I thought it was similar to EPCOT in Orlando because of the expensive decor and flavor of each one.

                                                                      The Venetian.

Because we enjoyed the beautiful indoor garden, the famous outside fountain, and the fact that we walked away $24 dollars richer, the Bellagio was our favorite casino.  

This is not a place for families. Sin City is home to some very eccentric individuals and customs, so now we can delete it from our bucket list.


LEAVING THE BRIGHT LIGHTS FOR TAMER COUNTRY

We took our time driving across northern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, making short stops at points of interest along the old Route 66 which is now Interstate 40.

METEOR CRATER AND PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK

This is considered the most perfectly preserved crater in the world.  The meteor which produced  this spectacular site 50,000 year ago, was three quarters of a football field in size.  When the dust cleared and the meteor was pulverized, the base of the hole could accommodate twenty football fields and is two miles in diameter.

Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, the expert on all things having to do with meteor collisions with Earth, in 1960 confirmed that it was a giant impact event moving at 26,000 miles per hour.
The circular area at the bottom was from explority drilling and small building construction.  Lunar astronauts studied the impact area in order to experience what they might find on the moon.


From here, we continued to the PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Northern Arizona is filled with places to explore.  Long ago, this area was a tropical forest.  Every tree in the Park looks like this.  Some are in better condition actually resembling freshly cut logs. None were cut but did split with such precision one did have to wonder who did the tree sawing.

                                  These were hug trees at one point.

 Some pieces exhibit their beauty from seeping elements when the wood was being petrified.  The pictures show the marvelous color hues.

Suddenly we drive from flat desert to this amazing landscape all in the Petrified Forest.

Onto New Mexico and the the jewel of SANTA FE

The entire city is focused on adobe architecture in the 50 shades of clay.  Many of the buildings are original but are always repaired when necessary.  The historic district also functions as the state capital of New Mexico and a thriving art district at 7000 ft. elevation.  What a place to live, but bring along a big purse.

This is a view from our campsite looking West at sunset.  We were only about 10 minutes from town but elevated enough to get the country feel.

The Govenor's Palace was a center for government. Now the area is a place exclusively for Native Americans to sell their crafts and art.  The Santa Fe Trail connected St. Louis to Santa Fe. Since

 St. Louis was the most westerly city, all trails started there. 

                No building can be taller than the church, the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi.  No structure is taller than two stories.

We extended our stay by one day to visit the Art District of Santa Fe.  After New York City and Los Angles, this area is the 3rd largest art center in the United States.  Artists used to live and exhibit in the adobe style homes. Now the area is populated with galleries and a few residential homes .

We were told this home recently sold for 1.5 million dollars!  But it does have a good location in the district.

I am not sure how Santa Fe developed into the attractive town it is today from rather humble beginnings.  The S. F. Trail brought goods from St. Louis to Santa Fe until the railroads displaced the rutted road.

             From outdoor sculptures to fine art galleries grace the streets.

                                                                A coffee or tea shop is always available               
                                                                                              for weary artsy folks.

PECOS, NM yet another Publeo site where once a thriving community stood, is an hour out of Santa Fe.  It is a National Site, so whenever possible, we stop for a visit.  We were surprised to find a Civil War Battlefield in the area. The Confederate Texans had orders to travel north and west to secure not only the area for the Confederacy but to ultimately capture ports in California.  Victory here for the South might have changed the outcome of the war according to some historians.

The outline of houses in the community

                                     

          The Spanish and Mexican priests always constructed
                                          a church.

Much of the history of New Mexico in the first half of the 19th century has the hand-print of Kit Carson. Born in Missouri, he became one of the most famous Western heroes, mountain men, wilderness guide, and fighter.  An excellent book on these turbulent times in the Southwest and Kit Carson, is Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides.


the last stop..PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK,  Amarillo, TX

 Before we made fast tracks to Charlotte, NC, this Park was noted as a must see in northern Texas.

           The view from our campsite in the valley.

Traveling along some of the most unflattering landscapes, suddenly the small beginnings of a canyon start to appear.  Palo Duro Canyon is actually second in size to the Grand Canyon, but not nearly as deep.

           This is a quiet destination but abounds with hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails.      

  The Lighthouse, strange name for a desert outcrop.

MIHIGAN looms on the horizon for the summer.  We sometimes wrap up our trips with a visit to Charlotte, NC to see two of our sons and the grandchildren. We help out any way we can and free elbow grease is always appreciated

  SEE YOU NEXT FALL, POSSIBLY IN IRELAND