DAY 1 - "Tempe to Monument Valley, UT"
Well here I am, at the start of my hiatus. After over 10 successful years in the corporate world, I decided to step off the grid for awhile and do some rambling. All the planning behind me, I woke up Monday morning, the last day in June, after a few hours of restless sleep. I locked the door to my apartment, which I wouldn't see for a month, and finished loading my 2002 Dodge Ram, or "Beefy" as I like to call her. Beefy came out of retirement when I sold my sedan last week, and after slapping a camper shell on the back and an extensive tune-up, she felt ready for a 4500 mile trek throughout the Western United States. I pulled out of my garage in downtown Tempe, and made my way towards Colorado, Montana, the West Coast, and some places in between.
Beautiful day for driving. Traffic out of Phoenix was very light... I was expecting the worst considering I left during rush-hour on a Monday morning. It was way too easy making it up to Flagstaff, where I turned right onto the 40. I skipped stopping in downtown, where traffic can get heavy at times. Besides, I'd probably want to stay a few hours... Flag is such a great town. After about 200 miles into the day, I decided to make my first stop, and an unplanned one at that: Meteor Crater. All-in-all, it's probably something to skip. Impressive, yes, looking down upon an impact site from a comet that fell 50,000 years ago, but SO touristy. I blazed past the gift shops, museum, and tours, although I was interested in the connection Meteor Crater has to the Space Program. Apollo Astronauts trained here for the moon missions, and they even had an old capsule on display. I stuck around for about 15 minutes before continuing East towards Winslow.
Route 66! I had my first brush with the infamous stretch of road when I stopped off in Winslow, Arizona, looking for that obligatory corner to stand on. It's a pretty cool little town... as if you took all the funky old parts of Flagstaff and condensed them into a few small blocks. The Santa Fe railroad stops here (or used to), and you have all the kitschy Route 66 hotels and diners leading to the downtown area. And sure enough, I found that legendary corner the Eagles sang about. Walked around a bit, but not much to Winslow beyond a closed coffee shop and a couple gift shops.
Not much in the way of scenery along I-40. Pretty much the second you head East out of Flagstaff, the terrain is flat and barren...(maybe a result of the meteor strike 50k years ago???). Stopped for lunch in the Painted Desert, just north of the Petrified Forest. I'm really going to try to eat decent on this month-long road trip, and avoid as much fast food as possible. So I stocked up at Trader Joes the night before I left. They have the best travel food... avocados, turkey, smoked salmon, dehydrated bananas and berries, pita, etc. I also snagged some "Space Food" from REI camp supplies to top it off, so I should be set for the first week or so.
After gas in Chambers, I headed north into the reservation towards Canyon de Chelly. Chelly was a place I'd heard great things about when I first moved to Arizona, but after finally seeing it, I think once is enough. Don't get me wrong, there are a few overlooks of beautiful canyons, but I'd been recently spoiled with a 6 day hike through Southern Utah. You get those amazing views around almost every corner up there. I stopped off along Canyon de Chelly's Antelope Lookout, and barely snapped a couple photos before it started to rain. The rain quickly became hail, and I felt Chelly almost didn't want me there! I fled, and the hail storm abruptly switched back to sunny blue skies. Weird.
A half hour outside of Chelly, and the terrain started turning beautiful, and just got better as the day progressed. I crossed into Utah, and since I'm not far from the spectacular sights of Lake Powell and Southern Utah, the land is bound to impress. Towering rock spires everywhere, like something you'd see out of a movie. About mile 400 in my 480 mile day, along Route 191, and it just became unreal.
Just as the sun began to set, I finally reached Monument Valley, and my turn-off to camp. I followed a dirt road past unbelievable sights, absolutely gasping at the cliffs and rock formations around every curve. Just when I would decide on a "perfect" campsite, I'd push further and find something even better. About 10 miles into the dirt road, I found my spot. After dinner, I rearranged my gear so I could sleep in the pickup, air mattress and all. After a hot day, the wind made the temps real comfortable, and I played some guitar under the stars before bed.
DAY 2 - "Monument Valley to Mesa Verde, CO"
Woke up to hummingbirds outside. It's July 1. Beginning of the new fiscal year, and I was a bit groggy after another night of interrupted sleep. Bunking down in the pickup might be the last resort, as I just couldn't get comfortable. But a lack of sleep couldn't get me down. Watched the sunrise over the valley, and had breakfast of blueberry granola (space food) and hardboiled eggs. Listened to the Sirius Satellite radio I borrowed from Chris Rosewell, and I think that little device might be the unsung hero so far. Crystal clear sound, in the middle of nowhere. Packed up the truck, played a little guitar, and followed the dirt road through more unbelievable scenery. Beautiful just isn't a good enough word. Found one of Tom Vesbit's most infamous mix tapes, "Trains", and it was a perfect soundtrack for the last 7 miles of dirt road. Couldn't help but crank up the speed a bit as the theme from "Star Wars" came on. Too... much... FUN!
After a few miles backtracking west, I found Goosenecks State Park, which over looks the twists and turns of the San Juan River. This is the spot where Lake Powell finishes (or begins?), and while there wasn't much more than a parking lot, the view was spectacular. Seems like spectacular views aren't hard to come by here in Monument Valley.
On the way to Cortez, I passed through Bluff, Utah, and quickly missed my turn. No worries... only put me about 20 miles out of the way and I filled up in Montecello. Just a few miles left in this 120 mile day, and I pulled out a couple more mix tapes. I brought many entertainment options for the long drive.... 1300 songs and dozens of podcasts for my Ipod, CD's on American History and learning Spanish, but my favorite so far has been the mix tapes! Searching through my closet at home, I found a ton of old tapes, most of them about 10 years old. The first was a sped up recording from 1997 of Matt Priest and me, goofing around on our spring break roadtrip to Disney World. Still "laugh-out-loud" funny to this day. We sound like deranged chipmunks with our sped up voices. The other mix tape was from Seth Jenkins, an arrangement of songs called "Let's Ride". Such a solid mix of grooves, perfect for the drive.
My first time in Colorado, and so far so good... beautiful green fields, roaming horses, and mountains off in the distance. Just past Cortez (a big city with everything you need, or don't need), and I head up the mountains into Mesa Verde National Park. Winding roads, and I just kept climbing and climbing. Must be 7 to 8000 feet, and stunning. Rolling green hills with vistas of the cities far below. It's still early in the game, but the truck is doing well, and she's in good company. Throughout Northern AZ, Utah, and now Colorado I see a TON of Dodge trucks, new and old. Keep it up Beefy... make me proud!
Stopped at the Morefield Campground, about 5 miles into the park, to grab a spot. Definitely had not been to a reserved-space campground in awhile, but it will do fine. The sites are setup so you are allowed maximum privacy from your neighbors, but watch out for bears! Yup. Need to lock my food in the truck, but sleeping in the tent should be safe (or so they told me at the visitor center).
After lunch and a quick nap (in my tent this time), I followed the Mesa Verde road deep into the park. More winding, mountain roads, and after about 10 miles in I encountered the first of many Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. These 800 year old little cities look as if they're literally carved out of the rock faces. The area was a bit crowded, but it didn't feel touristy at all. I hiked down to "Spruce Tree House", where you can get up close an personal with history, and drove a bit further into the park to catch a glimpse of "Cliff Palace". Just incredible, and impressively preserved. I tried to finish up at one more dwelling, "Balcony House", but it was getting late and they closed off the trail, so I headed back to the campground. Such a nice drive up here in Mesa Verde... window down, smooth pavement, and a perfect breeze. Ah Colorado...
Back at camp, I hit the showers. Talk about a little piece of heaven... washing off the road grime and trail sludge. Felt like things slowed down after I stepped out. Hit the general store for crackers, a candle, and beer. Good beer! Mirror Pond straight out of Bend, Oregon, and one of my favorites. After a dinner of smoked salmon, I walked around camp a bit. Few other campers, but happened upon a couple, with the guy playing guitar and the woman dancing in the dirt road. Didn't stick around long, as I was ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be nice.. a quick 30 to 40 miles to Durango, and a BED.
DAY 3 - "Mesa Verde to Durango, CO"
Man o' man do I love Mesa Verde. I wrote this section in my notebook, while hanging out on a bench, 8500 feet above sea level, along a trail to the highest point in the park. I packed up the truck after breakfast and guitar and a FANTASTIC night's sleep, and headed out of Morefield Campground for good. Didn't feel the need to scoot over to Durango just yet, so I opted to take the drive through Mesa Verde again. There are two main, 12-15 mile routes you can take, Chapin Mesa and Wetherill Mesa. Chapin was yesterday, with more crowds but amazing sights at Spruce Tree and Cliff Palace. I took the other route this morning, to Wetherill, along a more formidable road. And there were far fewer people taking this winding road.
I stopped at the Wetherill visitor center, which is the launching pad to the various ruins. Skipped out on ranger-led tour, and took the 2 mile, self-guided hike to Nordenskiold #16. I was alone the entire trail, except for a large buck that hopped across my path. The overlook of the cliff ruins was impressive, and nice to have all to myself. Hung out a bit, reading about the Anasazi Indians who setup shop here, 800 years ago. Strolled back to the truck, prepped it for a return to civilization, and made my way out of Mesa Verde and towards Durango.
After near-perfect weather the past few days, it rained throughout my 36 mile drive to Durango and made for slow going. But MAN was it beautiful climbing into the mountains. Everything so lush...so green. The rain stopped just as I crossed the river and into downtown Durango. I could immediately tell that I'd like this little city. Main Street had it all... all the old buildings in a row, from coffee shops to bars to art galleries. Pulled into the Strater Hotel, established 1887. Reminds me of something out of Bisbee, similar to one of the old bed n' breakfasts. Took the SLOW elevator to the top floor to find my room... small but perfect after a few nights out in the wilderness. After cleaning up, I headed downstairs to reserve an extra night, and headed out to explore Durango.
Main street runs pretty far, past everything and anything. Hopped off the main drag for a bit, and found a beautiful old neighborhood with 100+ year old homes shaded under towering trees. Turned back and found a guy playing guitar on a rooftop patio / bar, and hung out for a couple beers (Durango Wheat --- when in Rome...). The clouds pulled back, letting in some sunshine, with temps in the 80's. Jeeze Louise. Grabbed a killer steak at a place called "Randy's", and crashed out in my hotel room pretty early.
So here I am, Thursday morning... time to wrap up for now. A full day tooling around Durango is ahead of me, and then it's back into the wilderness tomorrow, with a stop in the Great Sand Dunes. Should have another opportunity to write after a few days, so until then, thanks for reading, and hope you are well. Peace!
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