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| Day 1 - Santa Clara, CA Day 2 - Lee Vining, CA Day 3 - Baker, CA Day 4 - Las Vegas, NV Day 5 - Las Vegas, NV Day 6 - Grand Canyon, AZ Day 7 - Durango, CO Day 8 - Glenwood, CO Day 9 - Highlands, CO Day 10 - Highlands, CO Day 11 - Estes Park, CO Day 12 - Craig, CO Day 13 - Jackson, WY Day 14 - Cody, WY Day 15 - Mammoth, WY Day 16 - Choteau, MT Day 17 - Kelispell, MT Day 18 - Sandpoint, ID Day 19 - Omak, WA Day 20 - Anacortes, WA Day 21 - Anacortes, WA Day 22 - Poulsbo, WA Day 23 - Poulsbo, WA Day 24 - Poulsbo, WA Day 25 - Astoria, OR Day 26 - Lincoln City, OR Day 27 - Bandon, OR Day 28 - Eureka, CA Day 29 - Anchor Bay, CA Day 30 - Martinez, CA FINAL THOUGHTS |
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| Today is the day we should leave Arizona and enter
the cooler climes of Colorado. At least we hope it will be cooler.
The temperature is a mild 73 as we enter the Grand Canyon National
Park for the second day. We make a right going east on Hwy. 64.
After everything I said yesterday about having enough pictures of
the Grand Canyon and how they never really look like what you see
anyway, I’ve vowed not to take any more pictures. I have enough.
Hwy. 64 runs right along the southern rim of the canyon for about 51 miles. What do you think the actual odds are that I can go 51 miles and not take at least ten pictures of this canyon? Just a little bit better than the odds that I will gain I.Q. points before I get home (photos 1, 2, 3, & 4). As we travel east on 64 the temperature starts to climb and is about 84 by the time we actually get out of the park. We stop at a “Trading Post,” which actually means they have lots of do-dads for you to buy before you get clean away and into another tourist area. We resisted temptation and settled for cool drinks. We sit in the shade of the porch and record that fact for posterity (photos 5 & 6). At a quarter to 10 we pass the ranger station and head out to the views of Cedar Mountain and the Painted Desert (photos 7 & 8).
As we head northeast towards the four corners area, we pass through every variation of southwestern geography you can imagine. The surrounding pallets of earth tones paints the horizon an ever-changing canvas as far as the eye can see. First it’s light brown, then dark; then red, then pink, now gray, now yellow, and often any of those will be topped with an accent of green vegetation. We point out mesas, buttes, plateaus, washes, gullies, canyons, and flatlands that go on into our future, since we will have to cross them before we can get out of this state. All of it bathed in never-ending sunlight with NO shade to be found that is not man-made. The trees and scrub brush give shade only to the jackrabbits and lizards. While I can not say that this terrain is as all out awe inspiring as the Grand Canyon, it is beautiful If you have never experienced the southwest, you must do so before you meet your maker. If it looks too hot, or is too far away, then at least go out and buy a copy of Arizona Highways. You won’t be sorry (photos 9,10, 11 & 12)
We have not had any breakfast today and I’m starting to get hungry. We stop at the little town of Kayenta, AZ at a McDonalds. Hey, any place will do when your hungry and in a hurry. Anyway, while we’re getting off the bike, Dave and Sam, from Hastings Nebraska pull in on their Harley Ultra Classic. The place is full of two busloads of Asian tourists so we both decide to go next door to the Burger King and avoid the lines. We share a booth and talk about where we’ve been and where we’re going. They have just come from Durango and that’s right where we’re going. They got rained on big time and advise us to not take Hwy. 50 with our trailer since it is slow and filled with 10 mph switchbacks. I’m not worried about the trailer; this thing has followed me for 1400 miles without so much as a hiccup, however, I don’t like the idea of going directly into heavy rain if I can avoid it. Dave and Sam are heading to Flagstaff by today’s end and then on to San Diego, up the Pacific coast to San Francisco, over to Tahoe (a trip we’ve just recently made) and back to Nebraska. All in 12 days. You meet the nicest people on a Harley, and we wished them well on the rest of their trip.
As we travel ever onward toward the four corners area, we passed three cowboys apparently checking fences. The thing that made this seem ironical to me was that all the “cowboys” were Indians. They were all on horseback, checking out fences, one waved his cowboy hat, etc. The thought that crossed my mind was, “Well, if you can’t beat ‘um, join ‘um!” An hour or so later, we pass through the tiny little town of Red Mesa, AZ. There, on the main street of Hwy 160, in this very Indian community on reservation land, was a high school marquee encouraging the community to come support their local high school team, the Red Mesa Redskins. They apparently haven’t gotten the word about the attempt of the American Indian Movement (AIM) to stop this type of mascot naming. Travel will definitely broaden your outlook.
Towards the afternoon, we reach the Four Corners National Monument, where the four states of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, all come together at a common point. It is the only place in the U.S. where this happens. Linda, our sons, and I came through here about 20 some years ago. The truth is that, at that time, it was no big deal. You could drive right up to it. It was free and there was only one other car there while we were there. Our sons did the thing where they “spread eagle” with one limb in a different state, which is something all of us tourist do (photo 13). That part has not changed. What has changed is the monument itself. It is now run by the local Indian tribe, which I believe is the Ute tribe, and you now have to pay to get in. Three bucks a head, thank you. Also, there are a whole lot more of us our here traveling. There were at least twenty cars and a tour bus there when we arrived and another five or six were in line, paying their fee, as we left. In addition, the monument is now, literally, surrounded by makeshift Indian arts and crafts stands, selling everything from sand paintings, snow cones, tee shirts, and jewelry. At least they have some shade, which was reason enough to walk around and see what they had to offer. I don’t know, it’s just another monument, and the Indians need to make a buck out here in the wide-open spaces, but I liked it better before it was just another capitalistic way of fleecing the crowds. Call me old fashion (photos 14, 15, 16).
The scenery is starting to change some now. We are in and out of New Mexico almost as fast as you can say it. As we enter Colorado, you can see Shipwreck Rock over the New Mexico line. It is sufficiently different from the surrounding landscape, which is a flat, light gray color, that I pull over for a picture (photos 17, 18 & 19). An amazing thing happens. Within thirty minutes of being in Colorado, we start to reach mountains and greenery. It is hard to believe the scenery can change this fast. We are climbing and climbing on Hwy 160, head down into a valley with mountains several hundreds of feet high on each side, then around the next corner -- rolling green pastures with livestock. We pass two big buck deer with three does on the left side of the road, then a hundred feet later, maybe 30 more such animals on the right, eating peacefully. As we enter and leave Cortez, Colorado, the temperature has also started to change. From a high of 93 in the later part of the afternoon in Arizona, the temperature has now dropped to 68. Tomorrow will definitely be touring jacket weather. I’m actually looking forward to the change. We pull into Durango, Colorado at 4:30 and find that the motel we stop at is filled to capacity. We head back out of town and get a room at the local Best Western. We cleanup a little, and have a nice dinner of Colorado Trout at a local restaurant, then over to Penny’s to buy me another pair of jeans. Tomorrow we ride the “million dollar” highway to Silverton. So far the trip is living up to our expectations -- great scenery, great ride, and great fun. |
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