On the Road Again

I know I didn't keep up on my blog the best last year, but with teaching online for the first year I was spending a lot of time on the computer trying to figure out the best way to be efficient. I'm not saying I have figured it out but I am going to do a much better job keeping up on my blog this year.

We spend the entire summer in Northern Wisconsin, which let's face it- is just a dream. Dark skies at night with no city lights (unless it was a full moon), I'm talking no light at all: more constellations that you can name, the Milky Way, meteor showers and shooting stars and even some northern lights if you are lucky. The quiet. Yes, there are cars that occasionally pass by and the friendly neighbor that beeps his horn but for the most part all you hear is the wind, the rain, the birds, etc. Even though Northern Wisconsin received an incredible amount of rain and the mosquitoes were extra vicious, it was still a dream. 

 We always welcome visitors. We know some really great places to take you.
Copper Falls State Park is one!

Black River Harbor Rec Area has four beautiful cascading waterfalls and the river empties into Lake Superior. 

Nate enjoying a shower in Lost Creek Falls near Cornucopia

When it was nice out, we tried to make the most of our time exploring more new places and visiting old ones. I signed up for a CSA this summer which is probably one of the best ways I have ever spent money. There was a lot of work done to the place, Nate did an amazing job. Finally, to take a bit of a vacation (from our vacation lol) we decided to try backpacking. We went up to Isle Royale National Park- that island in Lake Superior with all the moose and wolves. 

We arrived "home" in May and left in October. We made some incredible stops on our way out to the next assignment in San Bernardino, all of which were well after Denver.

Denver was awesome as always. It was nice to stay awhile and get some family time in. We shared some good meals, went on walks to the park, visited REI, went to Boulder, got some treats, and went to the pumpkin farm. I carved my pumpkin and left in the care of Nate's niece! 

Due to a slight change in start date, we had a few extra days to get to Cali. We decided go see the Maroon Bells near Aspen. Driving on I-70, we stopped at one of the best BBQ places- Smokin Yards. After our fill, we continued on to Aspen going through some beautiful mountain passes and sweeping vistas and a not so beautiful acid mine drainage pit the color of pumpkins. We continued on to Hwy 82 which carried us through Twin Lakes with an inspiring view of Mt. Elbert. After pulling over for some pictures and a quick FaceTime with my niece and nephew we continued our ascent up to Independence Pass. Once we arrived at the top, we had to get out and walk the trail to the viewpoint. It was super windy and quite chilly, but I happily spent my 10 minutes in the tundra. We hopped back in the car to warm up, even Kobi looked chilled and we descended into Aspen.
Daylight was beginning to dwindle, so the Maroon Bells were next on the list. We traveled along an aspen lined road with no leaves left. The leaves turned and fell off in a yellow blizzard a few weeks sooner, but the winding road and reddish rocks were still pretty. I was hoping for a moose, no luck. There were a few other people there enjoying the Maroon Bells. It was very cloudy with a few flurries. I did not get the iconic shot of the bells reflecting in the lake, but I did get a few nice ones. I can't complain one bit. After checking one more thing off my bucket list, some coffee was needed to warm up a bit. Then, an evening in Glenwood Springs rounded out the day with a stop at Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co. 

Utah, a truly spectacular state full of natural wonders. We visited Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Zion National Park. Arches was a quick stop as we had been there before. National Parks really limit where you can have your dog, understandably so in most cases. I really wanted to see Delicate Arch, you know the one on the quarter- the iconic Utah Arch??! We went to the viewpoint, both upper and lower. We took turns trekking to the upper viewpoint because dogs were not allowed on the trail and it was way too hot to leave Kobi in the car. It was a nice view, but I wish I would've known that I would still be far away. With a quick lunch in Moah, Canyonlands was next on the list.

Look closely for Delicate Arch near the top left

Wow! Canyonlands! We took the Island in the Sky scenic drive. Colorful rocks, meandering rivers, and towering mountains in the background made for a nice afternoon. Unfortunately, not a lot of hiking due to the dog situation but I'm glad we stopped. We missed this one last time because of foggy weather and poor visibility. Back on the road, we made it all the way to Cedar City and settled for Subway. 

Canyonlands NP

Another new NPS destination, Cedar Break National Monument. Because of the high elevation and impending winter conditions at 10,000 ft everything was closed. They weren't even collecting fees and the visitor center was all boarded up. We were able to drive through the park and walk the trails- with the dog!!! National Monuments seem to be a bit more relaxed about dogs on trails. Kobi could accompany us on paved trails which he loved! Lots of new smells at 10,000 ft. After some short hikes and a drive through the park, we decided to leave and head for Zion. Because we were coming from the north, we stopped at the northwestern visitor center in Zion- Kolob Canyon. It is a very short 5 mi scenic drive with some trailheads and overlooks. The main part of Zion, Zion Canyon is only accessible by shuttle bus and shuttle buses don't allow dogs so we did not spend anytime in this beautiful spot. Last time we were passing through Zion, the shuttle buses were not running because it was Jan (offseason). On to Vegas!?!

Cedar Break National Monument

Bristlecone Pines- One of the oldest living organisms on earth!

Zion- Kolob Canyon

Vegas, for the second time in about six months. This city has it's beauty too, it an electric, man-made, borderline assaulting kind of way. Overstimulating is the best way I can describe Vegas, but it is a fun time. I loved walking around and eating my weight at the buffet.... so good.... :) Due to a food induced coma and a dog to get back to, I saved my money and went to bed early. Tomorrow- arrival in CA. 

We arrived in Loma Linda in the afternoon and are quite happy with our place for the next few months. More adventures to follow and I promise to do a better job keeping up! Love to all!

Tour of the National Monuments

Imagine you have two days off and the forecast includes potentially record breaking highs of ~95F and sun...lots and lots of sun with no large body of water nearby.

This is exactly the situation we found ourselves in two weeks ago. We decided the smart thing would be to head north! Once again, with no real plans we headed north on I-17 toward Sedona.

A sign just outside of Camp Verde read "Montezuma's Castle National Monument" so we had to see it. It was a dog friendly national monument with a very short 1/2 mile loop to view the ancient Sinagua dwellings. It was a short stop but well worth it as you can tell from the pictures.

We continued on our way to Sedona. As soon as the car veered off the main highway, the red rocks were visible. The iron oxide from the mineral hematite is commonly found in sedimentary rocks like the sandstone, limestone, and siltstone found in the area.

Sedona is a beautiful place with towering cliffs of red rocks in unique formations every way you look. To me, I feel it could have made a neat national park however people got there first and built it up with small gift shops, ice cream stands, restaurants, and jeep excursions. We stopped at a ranger station in the Coconino National Forest to gather some information on hikes and potential camping sites for that night.

Our first stop was the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It is a beautifully constructed chapel built into the red cliffs. We climbed the 500 ft up the steep winding road to meet the entrance which was all windows overlooking Oak Creek and Sedona. It is a small chapel, 10 pews total with five on one side and five on the other. Pansies and other spring flowers decorated statues of angels near the overlook. It was a popular site for tourists and being Palm Sunday there were a lot of people around. One unexpected happening at the Chapel was a small noisy flight of swallows were continuously going after this thing in the sky. It took several moments before I realized it was a drone... It did not match the reverent and reflective chapel experience. 

We drove through Sedona to the touristy downtown full of people, shops, etc. Nate picked up a new hat at Harley and we were shortly on our way though the Oak Creek Canyon. If I was forced to live in Arizona all my life but given the choice (and unlimited budget) on where to live, it would be on the water in Oak Creek Canyon. My descriptions cannot even begin to paint how truly beautiful it is. Here is a link to more pictures and the scenic drive.

The water is cold and clear, it rushes over riffles and briskly delivers its live giving abilities to all in the canyon. The greens in the canyon are something that I have missed. There is a mix of broadleaf and needle trees, shrubs, and small flowering plants trying to get their spring on. There is even grass in some areas, which is a welcome sight coming from Phoenix. The rocks are towering and unique. The canyon was eroded by Oak Creek along a normal fault ~65-75 million years ago. As you drive through the canyon on 89A, sandstones, limestones, and even some basalt is visible!

On our way to Phoenix, we stopped at Slide Rock State Park but did not stay long due to time constraints, not this time. We found a place to park on the side of the highway and made the trek down to the creek for some wading, sliding, and swimming. As mentioned before, it was a ridiculously hot day and the creek was packed with people sharing in our idea to escape the hot box of Phoenix. 

After cooling down, we attempted to find a camp site. Our efforts were unsuccessful due to the holiday week, warm temperature, and not all campgrounds being open yet. We pushed on to Flagstaff to catch some great beer (again at Lumberyard), revel in the shadows of the San Francisco Peaks, and plan for the next day. 

There are three National Monuments in the Flagstaff area: Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, and Wupatki. There are all within 30 minutes so we started out on our adventures for that day. We began at Walnut Canyon and what I didn't realize was the trails and cliff dwellings all began on the other side of the visitor center. This would normally be no big deal, but I did not have my camera...I took a few on my phone and that will have to do for now. (see facebook and instagram for photos)

The trail down to the cliff dwellings was only about one mile long, however it dropped you down into the canyon 185ft. The trail was had labeled flora and fauna and talked about how people lived in the canyon many years ago. Water is no longer present in the canyon due to drought and water diversion. 

Nate did the trail rather quickly and mountain goat like and I was more apt to take my time reading signs and observing plants I had never seen before. After 185ft down, we had 185ft to go back up...on to explore the next NM.

It was only about a 20 mile drive north of Flagstaff to Sunset Crater. It was a beautiful drive with the San Francisco Peaks to our west. The peaks used to big one giant peak in the form of a stratovolcano, it erupted a long time ago resulting in several peaks. Now they rest snow covered and stunning, visible for hundreds of miles with Mt. Humpreys as the tallest point in Arizona.

Our arrival in the Sunset Crater area easy to estimate given the view, the mountain/crater was visible for miles as well. There are over 300 cinder cones in the area north of Flagstaff. I did not anticipate seeing some much volcanic history here. As we drove into the park we stopped at the visitor center to learn a bit more about the volcanics at the park. We continued on the scenic drive past an aa flow, one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

 

The scenic drive continued through the flows and volcanic areas and headed north to where there were more ancient ruins at Wupatki National Monument. The masonry at this protected location is what makes it so special. Take a look! People were doing this well before we had modern tools, it's just amazing to me to see what people were capable of doing so long ago. It just drives home the fact that we really can do more with less. 

After checking out all Wupatki NM has to offer, we headed back to Scottsdale the scenic way through Jerome and Prescott Valley. We also stopped at Tuzigoot National Monument. It was only about 15 miles off the freeway! When we arrived the temperature had rose drastically again and we were unsure if we would even be able to see the ruins since so many parks and monuments are not dog friendly. We got to hike up there, look at the ruins, and take Kobi! He is becoming quite good at spotting little lizards too.

Although there were some nice storm clouds in the distance, they never made it to us in Phoenix. We were fortunate that our off days landed on hot days so we could venture north. There was about a 15-20F difference in temperature because Flagstaff is so much high in elevation. Headed in either direction the flora changes dramatically from light greenish brown plants and saguaros to a more verdant green with broad leaf trees and an occasional prickly pear etc. It was a nice two day getaway.