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Bev's Journal We Proceeded On... Part II: The Journey West |
| 5 November 2002 Ponderosa Forest RV Park Parks AZ Since I last reported, we have visited the Grand Canyon, and proceeded on to Flagstaff AZ, where we have been for the last few days. John was not as impressed with the canyon as I was the first time I saw it, probably because pollution has made the view hazy on many days. We spent a couple of days, looking around Flagstaff, another small city of about 60,000 people, dominated by a university. Flagstaff sits at about 7000 ft., and is surrounded by national forest land, so it has lots of trees and a mountain view. We took a drive down Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona, and watched the land change quickly to desert. Sedona is an upscale, trendy town—reminds me a lot of California resort towns. Lots of artists, lots of rich people, lots of trendy restaurants…pretty scenery, if you like deserts. We’re at a bit of a standstill at the moment, trying to figure out where to go next. We need to be back in Farmington by the end of the month, but otherwise, we can still wander. We want to check out some possible places to winter in New Mexico and Texas, and check out Santa Fe, Taos and Roswell NM. The plan is to spend January-March (at least) at an RV park while waiting for spring to come. It will be nice to park somewhere longer than a week or two! |
| 27 October 2002 Dolores River RV Park Dolores CO We visited Durango yesterday – even in the rain, a gem of a town. The town is situated in a canyon, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a river running through it. The architecture of the town is Victorian or fake Victorian, depending on when it was built, and many of the houses are painted quirky color combinations – dark purple with black trim (this actually looked good!). It reminded me of the colorful row houses in San Francisco, and seemed to indicate that the town had a playful attitude. When we arrived in town, we were met by a parade of anti-war protestors, and saw a sign at one of the local vets that proudly proclaimed “We’re treehuggers, too!” The real highlight of the town for me, though, was Ft. Lewis College, which is situated (like the proverbial academic city on the hill) on top of one of the mountains that surround the town. The college is literally in the clouds, and the view from up top is spectacular. Get me a job there! |
| 28 October 2002 Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Monument Valley UT One of the things that continues to amaze us is how quickly the land changes in the West. We left a lush river valley surrounded by mountains yesterday afternoon, and gradually the land became more arid as we moved onto the Indian reservations, first the Ute, and now the Navajo. But even this land is not totally desert; a river runs through portions of the Navajo lands, transforming it with arable farmland and cottonwood trees. We arrived at Monument Valley at sunset and the colors were incredible, blue-purple of the sky and oranges of the land. |