OUR TRIP TO ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO

9/13/00-9/25/00

Wednesday 9/13/00 We left Menlo Park about 8:00 and arrived at King’s Canyon NP around 12:00. (I suggested we get gas before we went into the park - since there is none in the park but David assured me we didn’t need gas! - stay tuned!) We spent 5 hours exploring King’s Canyon - lot of gorgeous scenery . Most of this park is back packing country. Then we went to Wuksachi Lodge for the night which is next door in Sequoia NP. We drove 320 miles today. We saw the General Grant which is the third biggest tree but I can’t say I was impressed. In fact all of these two parks are very similar to Calaveras Big Trees SP and Ebbett’s Pass. Probably would be more impressive if you were seeing these Redwoods for the first time.

Thursday 9/14/00 We left the park after an hour or so walking around the General Sherman Tree and area - very impressive but again similar to Calaveras Big Trees SP. We drove out of the park with the red gas light blinking thanks to Mr. “Naw we don’t need gas!” We now have a new rule - fill up at half a tank. Well at least we got our usual trip crisis out of the way early. Well we continued on to Kingman - 447 miles - absolutely the the maximum driving distance for us in a day. We made this trip in under 8 hours because of clear highways and speed limits of 75 miles per hour. We have advanced reservations in all cities at Best Westerns - all were good and this one had a great breakfast buffet. Our motel breakfasts were about the best food we had on the whole trip. We are really spoiled with our good food and found most of our meals disappointing.

Friday 9/15/00 A short drive today to the Grand Canyon - interesting scenery and more mountains than you expect in Arizona, with juniper and pines growing. Just outside the park we visited an interesting airplane museum - some really old planes and history. We are staying at Kachina Lodge which is right on the rim and very convenient to watch the sun rise and set over the canyon. I even went out one night around 4 AM to see the full moon shinning over the canyon. Not surprisingly the area around the lodges was very crowded with lots of people - especially German tourists. But we took a walk along the west rim and we didn’t have to go far to be away from the crowds. It was fun to see the canyon so close and from different views. It was hot. We enjoyed an early dinner at Bright Angle Lodge and then a walk along the rim during sunset.

Saturday 9/16/00 We drove along the East Rim and stopped at all the view points and other areas, the Watchtower, the Tusayan Ruin and Museum and we enjoyed some interesting birds, some from migration, broad-winged hawk, peregrine falcon, osprey, plus many little birds. Birding certainly adds to the experience for me - even David got into it! Then we left the park and visited Wupatki and Sunset Crater NM. It was so interesting to walk around and in the Wupatki Pueblo built around 1100. You could almost imagine living there. We ate dinner just outside the park in a small town that takes up the overflow of tourists who can’t stay in the park. Usual lack luster meal.

Sunday 9/17/00 Left early (David is getting use to these “early” morning arising. Remembering my youth traveling with my family and getting up in the dark to start our travels I always feel that vacations should start very early in the morning. But in consideration of maintaining a happy husband I compromise and we usually don’t get up until 7:00 or so.) First we stopped at the park laundry to do a couple of loads - boy do they have large Laundromat there. We then drove through Sedona - Prescott - and Jerome to Circle City. I can see why that area is so popular although I don’t believe in the energy forces that supposedly are in the area. The roads to and from Sedona are beautiful, along a river with lots of trees. Sedona itself is very much of a planned community with lots of shopping areas so it doesn’t appeal to me. We stopped at Tuzigoot NM and enjoyed walking around another village built around 1125. Saw a Gilded Flicker there - a new bird for me, also a collared lizard - beautiful. We arrived at Circle City about 5:00 and visited with my sister and then took her out to dinner at a nice place and enjoyed our visit. We stayed the night and left the next morning about 8:00.

Monday 9/18/00 Drove to Tucson and went to the Saguaro NP and also the Desert Museum. I had heard so much about it I wanted to see it. It was very much like a zoo so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had thought I would and besides it was HOT. We also visited San Xavier Mission Church which was just beautiful. Built around 1783 by the Franciscans on the O’odham Indian Reservation. It is the only Kino mission in the nation still active in preaching to the Tohono O’odham. We stayed in Tuscan tonight.

Tuesday 9/19/00 Happy Birthday Barbara! Drove through East Saguaro NP which was much thicker with cactus than the west side. Saw some “good” birds. Then we went to Chiricahua NM. I had been there before but wanted to see it again and also show it to David - such an intriguing place. It was interesting to visit the ranch there where some early settlers lived in the late 1800’s - a Swedish immigrant couple and later their daughter and her husband. It was called Faraway Ranch and it certainly is faraway from everyplace. Now it is a part of the NM. We then continued on to Las Cruces, New Mexico arriving late. We sure could use more hours in the day.

Wednesday 9/20/00 Left early (naturally) and drove to White Sands NM. What an interesting place - 275 square miles of white sand dunes of gypsum sand. Even here we saw some interesting birds. Then we headed to Carlsbad via El Paso stopping at Guadalupe Mountains NP a part of a former under sea reef. Some of the reef is exposed and make the mountains. Carlsbad is part of this reef. Here too we visited an historic Ranch and did some birding around Frijole Ranch. Then on to Carlsbad where we stayed at White’s City only 7 miles from the Caverns. The whole city is owned by the same company. It was not anywhere near filled up. We went out at sunset for the bat fly out. It was awesome - close to a million Mexican Free-tail Bats leave the cave for a night of feeding. It takes them only about half an hour to leave and they circle around at the cave entrance as they get the momentum to leave. It was a very special experience to watch them - the audience was even quite.

Thursday 9/21/00 We were at the park by 8:00 and entered the caves at 8:30. We chose to walk into the caves by the natural entrance (as opposed to taking the elevator down!). It was very interesting to walk down the mile and a half and envision what it was like for the first explorers who did not have the lights and the path on which to walk. In fact I just can’t imagine doing it. The path descends 750 feet but is pretty easy walking and there are plenty of hand rails where necessary. It was nice because we were basically alone most of the time. We walked slowly so people passed us. The surprising thing is to arrive at the “bottom” and there is a big room with refreshments for sale as well as souvenirs. (Speaking of which I sure had a hard time finding any souvenirs - I wanted something with a bat on it but they just don’t make anything of quality so I didn’t get anything.) There is also a very modern restroom down in this room - they pump out the sewage to the surface. After resting we continued on the path to see the “Big Room” (which is where you would start if you took the elevator). We walked that mile and enjoyed all the amazing sights. It is just incredible what nature has formed in those Caverns. After this tour we took the elevator back up to the top - had lunch at the visitor’s center and then drove around the rest of the park. We went back to White’s City and did our laundry. Then we went to the back side at a place called Rattlesnake Spring - I had read that it was one of the best birding spots in New Mexico. It certainly was - we saw lots of birds including a Vermillion Flycatcher and a Summer Tanager. You don’t get birds any brighter red than those. Even David was impressed. It made me long for more tropical birding. We saw lots of other birds here - including a family of Wild Turkeys. Could have spent more time there but I wanted to see the bat fly out again - which we did. Again great but it was half an hour later and a little darker.

Friday 9/22/00 Left early for Albuquerque stopping at Bosque del Apache NWR. This was a wonderful spot - sort of like our Gray Lodge or Sacramento NWR. Saw lots of birds there including another Roadrunner. We have seen several of them and they are always so funny running along the road - an aptly named bird. I could have spent several days here and it will be even better in the winter. Stayed in Albuquerque tonight.

Saturday 9/23/00 We visited the Petroglyph NM and walked the trail enjoying the wonderful Petroglyphs. I find them so intriguing - I try to imagine the people who made them and what they mean. Naturally we did some birding too - I have never seen so many Rock Wrens as here. This area is mostly volcanic rocks. Then we continued at visiting El Malpais NM - another volcanic area, and the El Morro NM. This wonderful park is know for its Inscription Rock -writings - some from Zuni Indians about 2000 years ago, some from the Spaniards in the 1500’s, and some from the early emigrants to California in the 1800’s. Then we headed for the Petrified Forest NP. I had been there as a young child and I remember being intrigued then and keeping a small piece of petrified wood for years. Now that it is a park collecting is no longer allowed. We stopped at the former Painted Desert Inn which is now a National Historic Landmark. They had a display of old brochures of the park so I gave them the 1948 brochure that I had - probably from when we visited the park. I think my father gave me the brochure and I kept it. They were delighted to get it! It was rather interesting to see the petrified wood - some of it quite beautiful but what I enjoyed even more was the Puerco Pueblo - a 100 room pueblo built before 1400. It has been partly stabilized and has some very intriguing petroglyphs. Much of the area looks like it must have looked when the dinosaurs roamed the area. We stayed in Holbrook this night. Long interesting day.

Sunday 9/24/00 Stopped at Walnut Canyon NM to see the cliff dwellings. I cannot even imagine what it was like to live in these dwellings on the side of the cliffs. I don’t see how they could escape loosing lots of children. We walked around and visited the ruins here and then we headed for Barstow. We drove through Oatman on historic route 66. I had read Oatman was a old ghost town. But it really was active and we had to sit in the street while a mock gun fight was staged. It was not my kind of place. We drove our maximum distance of 400 miles today and I held up all right. We do stop often and change drivers every couple of hours.

Monday 9/25/00 Drove home via Bakersfield, Kingman, etc. I wanted to drive through Kingman as I heard it was a quaint Swedish town but I was not impressed. (I think I should stick to National Parks on my travels.) We got home around 2:00 to face the onslaught of bills and other mail, a yard that needs care and all the other demands on our time and energy. No wonder I love to travel so much.

We drove a total of 4050 miles in 13 days, spent about $2100, saw 102 species of birds, and 17 National Parks and National Monuments. Give me a week and I’ll be ready to go again! David? well.....