Triskel Life

Hello from Zion National Park in Utah! Well, technically I’m in Springdale just outside the Zion Park borders, harvesting free Wifi from the Pioneer Inn Espresso shop. I’m a little too tired from our morning hike to tell an eloquent story about this leg of our adventure, but I’ll share what I can.

5/26: We last left off in Taos, New Mexico where we stayed for two wonderful nights at Inn on the Rio. We took our time and really relaxed in Taos, made all the easier by Innkeeper Julie’s awesome breakfasts, perfect weather, and the Inn’s hot tub.

5/27: But after “Princessing it up” in a B&B, we set out for this third leg planning to camp and visit a bevy of National Parks. We headed from Taos to the historic Mesa Verde, where Anasazi cave dwellings mark the landscape. Arriving later than hoped, we weren’t able to spend the day hiking but did get to see some of the ruins. At this moment I have no recollection where we camped, but do recall that I was starved and cranky by the time we got there (funny what we *do* remember).

5/28: After our brief stint in Mesa Verde we took a long days drive to the North rim of the Grand Canyon. You’ll be surprised to hear, it’s quite grand! The signs there say “It’s the canyon all other canyons want to be.” Have you ever heard a canyon compare itself to another? Me either. I think canyons are less superficial than that. We were slightly distressed to hear the camp ground was full, as we were many many miles from anywhere else to sleep. But this turned out to be a fabulous opportunity in disguise. Outside of the official park, but still around the Grand Canyon, you can camp along most of the fire roads. A friendly ranger asked us if we wanted to camp alongside the canyon rim for free. We said “Yes!” and headed miles and miles and miles away from civilization, up a rocky dirt road, where we found complete peace and serenity.

It was hard to believe we almost missed this “campsite.” To top it off, we’d picked up some locally made sausages on our way out of Colorado that provided the cherry on the proverbial sundae.

5/29: Before departing the canyon (and returning to another long day in the car) we hiked around the rim and examined the remains of a huge fire from 2000. Though the views were awesome, I did not yet realize that they had some “steep” competition in front of them.

It took us only a few hours to drive to Zion National Park, just across the Utah border. Yosemite-esque in its visual grandeur and planning, Zion is awe-some. The large jutting rocks create a lush haven in between, where wildlife and nature prosper. This is a site for sore eyes after hundreds of miles of dead desert. I think Hubby and I agree that this has been the most spectacular destination on our journey.

5/30: Taking advantage of our two nights in Zion, we got up early this morning to beat the heat hiking up the Emerald Pools trail. We made many lizard friends (they appear to have many different kinds here) along the route, whose tracks you can find in the sand. Hubby explored the infamous narrows and I meditated on the banks of the Virgin River. Now we’re spending the hottest part of the day hiding in the shade before we set out on a bike ride.

It’s been fun. It’s been hot. I’m ready to come home to my own shower and a clean bed, but our camper has made quite the nice nest and we’re already planning our next trips to follow.

I am home. Or at least that’s how I feel. My body is wrapped in the comfort of down blankets at Inn on the Rio in Taos, New Mexico while Hubby reads and we listen to Nick Drake on iTunes.

Taos just makes me feel at peace. It takes very little stretch of my imagination to picture us living here, a large plot of land dotted with scrubby low brush, curling up in front of a traditional Kiva fireplace with Guinness and Bella every night. But the adventures that it took us to get here quickly bring us back to reality.

5/23: Sedona IS a Boom Town

After my post-java optimism in my previous post we spent the morning making dust on a red rock trail in search of Sedona’s infamous vortexes. While we did find beautifully blossoming cacti, helicopter tours interrupted any spiritual endeavors.

After three hours in the sun we toured the Disneyland-like Uptown Sedona (the area includes Pink Jeep Tours and Sedona t-shirts on every block), and the over-priced faux-Spanish tourist shopping center we were told not to miss, we agreed that Sedona was stunningly beautiful and must have been an awesome site, before the shopping centers were developed.

5/24: Another Boom Town

We set out early for what we knew would be a long day of driving from Arizona to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Breaking up the day we detoured through the 225,000 year old Petrified Forest. Hubby was enthusiastic despite my not-so-funny groaners–”It doesn’t look scary to me. What were the trees so afraid of?” (petrified, get it?) The thirty minutes we spent passing through these ancient grounds put our lives, and humanity itself, quickly into perspective. We humans are but a whisper in our planet’s history, making a dramatic effect in a few thousand years, and mostly in the last 100. It is striking what one species can do to a planet, for better or for worse. Petrified? Maybe so.

Once reaching Santa Fe, we successfully hunted a camp ground just outside downtown and built our first campfire of the trip, thanks to the looming clouds and cold winds.

5/25: Santa Cruz Saves the Day!

The night brought a touch of rain and a dead truck battery. My good mood was quickly dashed when Hubby discovered we were deader than a door nail, due to running our little fridge off the battery instead of propane in our highly-sloped campsite. I took our breakfast dishes to the water spigot and chatted up the fella in line behind me, in search of a jump. Tim, as luck would have it, was from Santa Cruz–small world indeed! Tim and his partner Amy gave us a jump that got our car and spirits going. After a little shopping in Santa Fe’s commercial, but elegantly tourist-friendly, downtown we grabbed lunch before hitting the road to Taos.

Our arrival was greeted by seriously stormy clouds and lightening strikes as we traveled past the Rio Grande. We laughed that our visits to Taos always bring inclement weather (last time was snow). I asked Hubby if we were so powerful that we affected Taos, or if it was the other way around. He neglected to answer, but I know it is Taos that holds the true power. Something that cannot be captured, only experienced.

After a visit to the local laundromat and some time in the hot tub I am grounded. I am home. Ship my dogs and cloths, I’m staying! Or at least until Sunday when we head to Mesa Verde and (hopefully) the rustic North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

It’s almost 11pm mountain time, so it’s lights out. Another adventure awaits.

I’m sunning myself over coffee and a muffin, not so stealthily grabbing bites of Hubby’s Ham and Brie Frittata, while we admire the infamous Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Since today is the first time we’ve stopped for free Wifi, I’ll give you a taste of what it took to get us here.

5/19: Lighten the Load

In my efforts not to over pack, I decided one thing had to go–the hair. Five days later I can definitely say this was a wise choice. After the haircut we packed the truck, said “See you soon” to our beloved pooches and got ready for our 6am Sunday departure.

5/20: Get out of Dodge

With the guidance of our knowledgeable friend Linus we took the scenic route into Death Valley, our first destination. We made our way 7 miles up a steep washboard road (thank goodness for 4-wheel drive!) and saw the beehive-like Charcoal Kilns.

With a few good hours of sunlight left we drove into the Valley, where most campgrounds were already closed for the season due to the high heat (they have signs at every crossing reminding you that you will die if you don’t drink water and lots of it.) It would be an understatement to say it was hot, because it was Hades H-O-T. I thought we’d die. We didn’t, but we got up before 6am and got out ASAP. It was beautiful though. I’d love to see it in winter/spring.

5/21: Finding Cooler Grounds

We drove through the Vegas strip, to which all Hubby could say was “I’m overwhelmed,” and continued on to Boulder City, Nevada. We spent the day touring the city and the Hoover Dam, which he city was built to support. The Hoover Dam is awe-inspiring, not just for its size, but because it was finished two years early and two million dollars under budget. Where did those days go? After a day on foot we found the warm, but far more bearable, Lake Mead campgrounds, where we enjoyed pulling out all of our new cooking gear that it was too hot to use in Death Valley.

5/22: Route 66

After packing up camp we wanted to follow the footsteps of our American brothers and sisters for a drive down what’s left of historic Route 66. Mostly, you just see signs of what used to be. Dilapidated hotels and restaurants are most of what’s left between kitschy tourist shops full of Route 66 stickers and ice cold Cokes. But it was fun and the perfect way to reach our destination of the day, Sedona, Arizona.

5/23: Right Here, Right Now

So here we are! Refueled, ready to go for a bike ride or hike (we can’t decide) and then explore more of this beautiful city. The temperatures are perfect–a high of 77 degrees predicted–and the sun is shining. I can see why Greg Brown called this a boom town, because everyone will want to flock here if they see it.

See you not so soon. The Wanderers.

Hey there. You might have noticed the links on my site are missing. This is due to the incompatibility with my WordPress upgrade and older theme. The person who developed my theme is German, so reading his Web site is, um, challenging! Stay tuned for updates…