Saturday, September 20, 2014

Finally Home, Folks

There were several long days drive from Mono Lake in eastern California: over an 8500 foot pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with our brakes smoking all the way downhill; half way around the west side of Lake Tahoe, (gorgeous, Whistler-like homes) then on to the lower plains of central California, with an altitude of only 113 feet!  No wonder it was tough on Mike’s shoulders, descending all the switch-backs without power steering.  This is farming country, with mostly almonds and walnut trees in the fields; unfortunately we’re too late for the almond crop yet too early for walnuts.  It’s a disappointment as there is no comparison to fresh walnuts.  One of the final days drive north was 795 km; amazingly, no traffic slow down in Seattle; only five minutes at the border then home within minutes!

What have we learned?

That it's amazing how quickly one can adapt to living in a small space.

That we still enjoy our extended time in Westie.

When it’s hot in the desert, even at an altitude of over 7000 feet, it’s still HOT!

What have been the highlights about this trip?

The rolling hills in The Palouse area of Southeast Washington

The festive ambiance of Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Taos Pueblo in New Mexico as well

The slot canyon in Page, Arizona

The Tufa's at Mono Lake, California

The interesting people we met along the way; both American, Canadian and many Europeans.

Our interaction with the Native Americans

The disappointments?

Mediocre South Western food

Seeing guns for sale in Walmart

The crowds in Moab, Utah, in particular at Arches National Park

The  ATV’s that spoiled the pristine lines of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in southern Utah

The no-see-um's that come out at dusk; they see-me and I-feel-um!

Losing a day due to car trouble.

That we had to cut short the trip in such a beautiful part of the continent.

Hope you have enjoyed my first attempt at a blog.  There are a few glitches in laying out the photos that I need to learn how to correct and if you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them. 

Cheers for now,

Heather & Mike

The Rambling Wanderers,

Finally Home Folks

There were several long days drive from Mono Lake in eastern California.  Over an 8500 foot pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with our brakes smoking all the way downhill; around the west side of Lake Tahoe, (gorgeous, Whistler-like homes) then on to the lower plains of central California, to an altitude of only 113 feet!  No wonder it was tough on Mike’s shoulders, without power steering.  This is farming country, with mostly almonds and walnut trees in the fields; unfortunately we’re too late for the almond crop yet too early for walnuts.  One of the final days drive north was 795 kms; amazingly with no traffic slow down in Seattle; only five minutes at the border then home within minutes!  7741 kms total in 4 weeks!

What have been the highlights of this trip?
The rolling hills in The Palouse area of Southeast Washington

The festive ambiance of Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Taos Pueblo in New Mexico as well

Antelope Slot Canyon in Page, Arizona

Finally seeing the Tufa's at Mono Lake, California

Our interaction with the Native Americans

The disappointments?

Mediocre South Western food

Seeing guns for sale in Walmart

The crowds in Moab, Utah,  in particular at Arches National Park

The  ATV’s that spoil the pristine lines of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in southern Utah

The no-see-um's that come out at dusk . . . . they see-me and I-feel-um!

What have we learned?

All buildings in Santa Fe must be brown; any one of 27 shades of brown
That we still enjoy our extended time in Westie.
That it's amazing how quickly one can adapt to living in a small space.

Vitamin E gel capsules melt in their bottle at these high temperatures.

Mercury in a thermometer breaks up when it goes over 50*C.

When it’s hot in the desert, even at an altitude of over 8500 feet, it’s still  VERY HOT!

Hope you have enjoyed my blog, folks.  There are a few glitches in laying out the photos that I need to learn how to correct and if you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them. 

Cheers for now,

Heather & Mike

The Rambling Wanderers

Bison Still Roam The Range

Former Mode of Travel

Current Mode of Travel

And Nary a Vehicle in Sight

An Area Everyone Should Try to Get to See

Our Worst Nightmare!

Being stuck on a deserted road with minimal traffic; you have vehicle problems and there is no cell coverage!  Yup, that is what happened to us yesterday.  We chose to go due west across Nevada to Yosemite in Eastern California.  This is barren country, folks!  6500 ft mountain passes with long flat roads between; one of which was the Extraterrestrial Highway.  Too many unexplained happenings along here at times!

Long and Straight

Strange Things Happened Along Here

Scenic at Times

Two days of driving and only two small towns along the way.  Half way into the second day the power steering belt broke, which in turn broke the water pump/alternator belt; the engine overheated and blew a short piece of the cooling tubing.  Mike had a spare belt but no piece of tubing.  Of course we would be in an area that had no cell coverage so I sat on a stool up on a hillock and when a vehicle came along I stood up and waved.  To our good fortune one of the first few vehicles that went past returned, and a Good Samaritan from Santa Barbara came to our rescue.  He actually had a satellite phone which worked in this area and I got through to AAA to explain our predicament.  (That phone call is a story in and of itself), and after a 20 minute call they gave us assurance that help would be here soon.  Our saviour wouldn’t take any money for the call and went on his way, with our thanks.  Help arrived after 40 minutes and Dave towed us the 20 miles into Tonopah, a leftover 1900’s mining town, that had turned into a forgotten desert crossroads, but with a few services. 

Our Poor Westie

Of course with it being a Saturday no work would normally be done until Monday so we took a room in a motel that was facing the parked van in the automotive lot.  Seedy!  A flea-bag motel but there was not much other choice.  We did get the mechanic, Dave, to come in on Sunday (at  a premium) and he and Mike repaired and replaced the pieces and we were on our way by 10AM.  No power steering though but at least we were able to continue on our way.

A California Rollercoaster

We thankfully got to Mono Lake, east of Yosemite, in time to take a look at the unusually shaped Tufa’s, which are created by calcium deposits building up from the lake floor.  These had all been underwater but 73 years ago when Los Angeles, in their need for water,  diverted 4 rivers that fed this lake, the water level dropped and when evaporation occurred, the tufa’s appeared.  Through a lot of work by concerned citizens and various organizations it has now been agreed to minimize the theft of these rivers and the water level in the lake should begin to rise, that is unless there is drought like in the past 3 years.  

How The Tufa's Grow

Outstanding in the Water

Are My Exposures Right?

Coarse Texture

Note the Cinder Cones in the Distance

Page, Arizona

The hospital in the town of Page, Arizona seems to be a magnet for the Latondresse family.  22 years ago Mike was there for X-rays when he had his nearby biking accident (broke his collarbone, fractured a few ribs and collapsed one lung) and this time due to a persistent bladder infection it was my turn.  All went smoothly as I had called my insurance company while enroute to Page, and by the time we got to the hospital the approval papers were ready and we didn’t have to pay for anything.  In and out in just over an hour, with a prescription for medication.  (Later found out the total cost to the insurance company for 80 minutes was $1880)!

Like Arches Ntl Park, and the town of Moab, this place has grown beyond it’s capacity.  When we were here previously, I was able to hire a Navajo guide for $5 to drive me onto the Navajo lands to the Upper Antelope Slot canyon and he left me alone for 1 1/2 hours to photograph the unique sandstone formations; what a magical experience.  Now there are a over a dozen tour groups that take you to the canyon in groups of 25, starting every 15 minutes, and they hustle you through in 45 minutes.  Somehow we lucked on to the “Professional Photographer's” pass for only $10 more than the regular fee of $50, for 2 hours in the canyon and could even use our tripods.  We chose to go into the Lower Canyon that previously was only accessable via rappelling down, whereas with a series of ladders and stairs you can now get down into this twisting canyon. What amazing shapes the rushing water creates during a flash flood.  It is the swirling sand and water that do all the work; everywhere you look you see a different view.  As there were scattered showers for the first two days we were in Page, the canyons were closed for safety reasons so the whole world was there the day we went!  From Italy, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Australia, Britain, etc., etc., they all came.  This however was the highlight of this whole trip for us!

Descending into the Canyon

Glowing Swirls

More Swirls

And More

Shaped by Water and Sand

Pretty Narrow at Times

Sun Bouncing off the Upper Walls

Unbelievable Shapes

Emerging out at the End

Temperature at the Van in the Parking Lot!

Wupatki Pueblo, Arizona

Weather cooled a bit near Flagstaff after a rain storm that we later heard had dropped 5 inches on Phoenix in 3 hours.  Cars were floating away, etc.  And we thought that the lightening gave us a good show!  

Another gargantuan leap all over the spectrum of time, in only three days; this time from the pre-historic Petrified Forest to the 13th Century volcanic cones and the Pueblo.   A peaceful time was spent wandering through the ruins of the 900 year old Wupatki Pueblo; and with no crowds! 

Wupatki Ruins and Cinder Cones

Diorama of Possible Village Life

Straight Plumb Lines

Use of Existing Rock

Still Standing (the walls, that is)

No Crowds Here

Taos, New Mexico

From Santa Fe we took an outing up the high road to Taos (just hitting 8000ft altitude), and through many interesting artist villages.  One stop was at the chapel in Chimayo, where the sacred soil is supposed to have healing qualities, so with a little earth in my hand I rubbed it on my back, hopefully to never have back pains again.  Maybe this only works if you believe; I'll let you know if it works though.

Traffic through Taos itself was chaotic and in the ski season I can imagine it being much worse.  We went beyond to the Taos Pueblo, an original village documented to be well over 1000 years old.  The Spanish word pueblo, meaning “town”, referred to the apartment style masonry compounds the ancestal Puebloans excelled in building.  The structures are made entirely of Adobe, which are bricks made of straw, local mud and water and the roof is made with heavy logs, having smaller timbers laid across at right angles, and finished with layers of sod on top.  The whole building is covered with stucco and the walls are several feet thick, which keeps it cool in summer,  warm in winter and is impervious to rain.  The sole entry centuries ago was via a ladder through an opening in the roof, which enabled them to pull up the ladder when intruders arrived.  The doors were an 18th Century addition.  Most of the buildings are without water or electricity and about 8 families still live there, hauling their water from the creek that runs through the pueblo.  

The Pueblo is open to the public except for official days when there are important religious ceremonies, exclusively for the members of the pueblo.  We could take photos of the buildings now but not of the members.  Upon our arrival at the Pueblo church the skies opened and heavy rain just poured down - the first rain we’ve seen in over two weeks. Although it only rained for 15 minutes this helped to bring down the high temperatures to a more comfortable level.

One of the fellows I spoke to explained they are the Red Willow tribe of the Taos Pueblo, and he had lived in the pueblo for about 8 years, until he married and moved nearby.  At the end of September the whole tribe will take a three day hike up the mountain to the source of their creek, to give thanks for their blessings of such pure life-giving water.  When you think about the fact that the people of this tribe have opened their village to the public so we can understand their way of life better, and you realized that this is not a ‘Disney’ creation, it made you aware that you are experiencing a part of living history.

Sanctuario de Chimayo

Note the Straw in the Walls

Waiting in the Rain

Taos Pueblo

Drying Racks in front for Game

Close-up of Condo-Like Homes

Smaller Home, in the Rain

Corn Necklaces for Sale

An Outdoor Horno, A Bread Making Oven

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Native Americans?  First Nations?  Indians?  No matter what you call them it is very obvious they were here before the white man.  When you travel across southern Utah, Arizona, SW Colorado, and New Mexico, you are aware of the reservations & pueblos and their lands encompass a very large area.  It took us a whole day’s drive just to get through the Navaho reservation, which is the largest.  Ute, Navaho, Zuni, Hopi, Apache, Jicarilla, Zia, Jemez, Santo Domingo, & Taos Pueblo are some of the reservations/pueblos we passed through.  

Santa Fe was our destination for 2 nights but we ended up here 5 nights as it was so interesting; what a lovely city.  We were fortunate we could leave the van at the campground and take the city bus in for the grand total of $1 a day, in and out.  The “Old Town” was only 20 minutes away so we were there every day.  Around the central Plaza the stores are all independent, with no chain stores allowed.  Many selling native designed jewellery, leather goods, locally made rugs, pottery representing each tribe, art work and south-west style clothing (looks good here but at home under a Gore-tex jacket would look foolish), as well as many excellent restaurants.  Temperature had dropped 10* so it was more comfortable in the mid 30’s C now.

One of the reasons we extended our stay was the fact that the Fiesta was coming up on the weekend.  While at the town Plaza we saw the ‘Spanish’ character actors in full dress practising for the ceremony so decided to stay for at least part of it.  This is a 300 year old, quasi religious ceremony to celebrate when the Spanish reconquered the “natives” in 1610; in a supposedly ‘bloodless takeover’  (aside from the 19 native leaders they hung).  “Whatever', the natives said, as long as there was no more killing, and then they carried on with their own ways.  They continued in peace, even after the Americans took over from the Spanish.  

On Friday the town plaza was encircled with carnival-style food booths, as well as many arts and craft venders.  We saw the official opening ceremony of the 1610 ‘entry’ of the Spanish delegation to the town; the promise that there would be no more killing; and a ceremonial baptizing of the native children.  It was interesting to see the natives, and their children, in their traditional dress.  On Saturday there will be many activities including a parade that takes 2 hours to pass by; a ball on Saturday night; culminating in a religious walk on Sunday from the plaza to the Basilica.  As much as we’d have liked to stay for it all, we knew we had to move on.

No Starbucks here

Oldest Public building in the US

Pueblo Style Building

Shops

Angel, A Santo Domingo Native

Local Ladies

Central Plaza

Spanish Friar Praying for the Natives 

Don Diego de Vargas laying down his armour to prove he comes in peace 

Don Diego promising to look after the Native children 

Representing the Queen of Spain

Fancy Footwear

More Native Footwear