Day 7: Saturday, September 8th

“Most travel is best of all in the anticipation or the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage.” – Regina Nadelson

Today's planned route: Moab, UT to Goosenecks State Park to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park to Page, AZ

On this trip I’ve been going to bed earlier than I usually do. Between the exercise and the altitude and the getting up early to keep my schedule (which I’ve managed to do fairly well, except for day 1), I’m ready for sleep by 10pm. Around 12:30am I hear the first chirp. Minutes later, another. For some reason, I think because I am so bushed from hiking around all day in Arches, I fall back asleep anyway.

In the morning I wake up to the alarm clock, and then a chirp; another chirp; a third. Every 30 seconds the unforgiving sound resonates from the interior wall. The smoke alarm is crying out for a new battery.

My theory about smoke alarms is that they divest themselves of battery power only in the wee hours of the morning. I tell you this from the experience of having to change batteries more than once in the shadowy hours around 2am. Which is why I keep a 9V on hand at home at all times.

I'm normally a light sleeper, and I'm surprised that I’ve slept through this one. I must've been totally out of it. Instead of ripping out the battery in the middle of the night (and who knows what havoc that attempt might've caused), I merely report the problem to the office when I check out.

Today is a mild day, relatively, and I have no hiking venues scheduled. Mostly it’s an interim stop on the way to tomorrow’s visit to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. There are few places to stay that are close to the North Rim, and the Grand Canyon Lodge in the park itself is usually booked for months in advance. I was too late to get a room there, so had to book a room in Page, AZ, about two and a half hours from the park.

On the way I’ll visit Goosenecks State Park and Monument Valley, which is on a Navajo Indian reservation and managed by Native Americans, and then roll into Page and call it an early day.

"The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." – Daniel J. Boorstin

From this definition, I am a tourist, but a happy enough one. On the trip south into Arizona I tire of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, so I change the station to XNPR (XM radio’s version of National Public Radio). Today they are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road with several interviews. It’s been since college that I first read the novel; I recall the worn and wrinkled pages of my copy after I’d finished it. I wonder if I still have that old battered book, and resolve to read it again soon. It should be inspirational preparation for next year’s US tour. Maybe teach me to be less obsessive about schedules!

I reach Goosenecks State Park by taking a minor highway to a minor highway. The park consists of a parking lot and an overlook with a view into a thousand foot chasm carved by several bends of the San Juan River that form the “goosenecks”. The river flows for 5+ miles around these bends, yet linearly is only one mile closer to Lake Powell after all the churning and turning.

No more than five minutes of picture taking and I'm back on the road. Even though it was only 15 minutes out of the way, the lone feature of a river doing switchbacks is interesting but not exciting or awesome, and on a day with no spare time would probably not be worth the stop. But here’s a satellite view courtesy of Wikipedia, followed by a video I took – the only way I could photograph the entire panorama at once. I leave it to you to make up your own mind.





More pictures of Goosenecks are at this WebShots link: http://community.webshots.com/album/560954834kapcSD

Back on the road, I watch the singular silhouettes of Monument Valley start to form on the horizon 20 miles out. I stop in several turnouts to take photos as the figures get closer. By the time I reach the park, many of the famous formations have appeared.

Monument Valley sits at 5500 feet. It’s a comfortable 84° at noon. Here is one place that my park pass does not work, so I pay the $5 entry fee. After taking photos of the monuments, I wander into the gift shop, where there is a surplus of Native American crafts available for purchase, or just to admire. I spring for a couple of vases to add to my collection.

Outside I take more pictures of the celebrated landmarks around the visitor’s center, and then I embark on the self-guided drive to view more rock formations. There is a 2 hour truck tour with a Navajo guide who explains the spiritual significance of the rock forms and other mystical places, but since I was provided with a trail map when I entered the park, I decide to try and save some time and make the drive myself.

The 18-mile hilly road is unpaved, dusty and deeply rutted, and NOT built for low-slung Acura TLs. I turn around after 3 or 4 miles of bouncing axles and scraping undercarriages and leave the park. Still, I am satisfied that I’ve experienced the essence of the place, happy that my car is still intact. Want to see more pics? Follow this link: http://community.webshots.com/album/560955602beTHWu

“You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going because you might not get there.” – Yogi Berra

I head south out of Utah and into Arizona towards Page. Some minor observations about the two-lane highways and back roads I’ve traveled over the past few days: Utah makes great use of passing lanes, especially uphill. Arizona not so much. And from the looks of my windshield, Arizona has more bugs than does Utah. Do you suppose it’s the altitude difference?

I am early to my schedule and have time to drive through Page to visit the Grand Coulee dam on Lake Powell. I park on one side of the dam and walk across the bridge to the visitor’s center in the 104° heat. My goodness but I’ve been in a host of visitor’s centers over the last several days. The dam is huge, and there are boats pulling water skiers on the dam side, a huge, deep blue pond in the middle of the desert. I look down into the water in front of the dam and feel the unsettling tug of vertigo, but because I’m looking through a high fence, its pull is minor.

From the visitor’s center (5000 feet altitude), I walk across the two-lane highway to the other side and look into a deep gorge where the river meanders hundreds of feet below. The river appears to have a much greener tint than the water pushing up against the dam on the other side. Before I trek back to the car, I turn and note the cluster of towers that occupy the far bank; I can almost see the air vibrating with the electrical power being transferred to the grid.


More dam photos can be viewed if you follow this link: http://community.webshots.com/album/560955109WYYRAg

In Page it has cooled to 95°. The motel in Moab advertised a wireless internet connection, but I had no success trying to log in from my room. The motel in Page (a different chain) allows my connection, but is so slow as to be unusable, my Yahoo home page taking minutes to paint, and even then isn't fully functional. Perhaps the ether in the southwest is weak?

Today’s drive:
Moab, UT to Page, AZ via Goosenecks SP and Monument Valley
Almost 6 hours, 285 miles (excludes in-park time)

Tomorrow:
Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim

Day 6: Friday, September 7th

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” ~Seneca

Today's planned route: Grand Junction, CO to Arches National Park to Moab, UT

I am happy I stopped for a while in Grand Junction for several reasons, not the least of which is that I feel refreshed and ready to go see more rocks!

A good part of the drive to Arches NP is along Interstate 70, so the scenery is fairly bland most of the way. As I turn south down US Hwy 191, the earth turns redder and the rock formations become more pronounced. My introduction to the park is a busload of tourists from Europe. I’m sure I will find them at most of my remaining stops in one form or another over the next few days. Today we mingle at the Park Avenue viewpoint to get our first view of standing rock formations. No arches here, but there will be plenty along the way.

According to the park web site <http://www.nps.gov/arch/>, there are “over 2,000 catalogued arches [in the park], ranging in size from a three-foot opening (the minimum considered to be an arch), to Landscape Arch which measures 306 feet from base to base.” To see as many of the arches as I can, I will have my biggest hiking day so far.

I leave the Europeans behind and head north through the park towards Balanced Rock, named for the perception that there is a rock teetering atop a column. The truth is that they are layers of the same ridgeline that had been eroded away to give the perception that the rock is balancing, because what’s left of the topmost layer is boulder shaped and larger than the supporting column. But it still looks plenty fragile.

Back on the road into the Windows section, I find a place to park for my first hike of the day. I take the trail up to North Window, sizing up Turret Arch across the way. North Window is a good-sized hole in a wall of red rock. Further up the trail is South Window. It is only when I take the final trail to Turret Arch that I can view the two Windows side by side, looking as much like the mask of the Lone Ranger as they do windows.

I hike back to the parking lot and walk the circular connecting driveway to Double Arch. Here there are two giant arch spans which are joined at one end; the rock has eroded in such a way that it looks like the earth sculptors were trying to make a stone pretzel.

Next up is the drive to Delicate Arch. After finding a parking place, I follow the other hikers up a sloping ¾ mile trail, only to find that I’ve reached an overlook that is separated from the arch by a gorge (see the picture below). It turns out that there is a second trail that leads directly to the “best known arch in the world”. But since I have a 10x optical zoom lens on my camera, I don’t feel the need to double back and find the second trail, and hike those three miles as the temperature heats up. There are other hikes and other arches still to go.

Instead, I make the drive to the Fiery Furnace turnout, given the name because the rock walls there look burnt. There’s no hiking here, so I drive onwards to the Sand Dune Arch turnout. Here a short trail takes me to the entrance of a sandy canyon. In fact, the 6 inches or so of loose sand on the canyon floor make it seem like I’m walking on an uphill beach, probably the most difficult footing I’ve faced during the trip. But it’s less than a quarter mile to the arch, and soon I’m on my way back.

From the Sand Dune Arch track, I take a second trail out to Broken Arch, so called because of the notch in the top of it. The footpath through the grassy field takes me past various rock formations that take on human aspects, especially this one that reminds me of a Frenchman wearing a beret.

I find Broken Arch, snap more photos, and instead of looking for the local campground that's advertised, I reverse directions and trek the mile back to my car.

The road ends at Devils Garden Trailhead. As I approach the parking area, I am surprised by a siren and flashing lights behind me. I pull over to let the ranger’s vehicle pass, then follow him into the lot. His short-wave radio is going, but I don’t hear the conversation, only see him putting on heavy duty boots and cramming emergency equipment into a backpack, which he dons and heads out down the trail.

I start out on the 1 mile trek to Landscape Arch assuming that some tourist got himself into trouble because of the heat or the incline, or both. Soon enough I reach a side trail that will take me to a few more arches along the way, so I forget about the ranger and press on to Pine Tree Arch. Here a small arch carved away through a rock wall has a lone pine tree growing up in the middle of it. Would it still retain the same name if the tree died? More photos, reverse direction, hike on back to Tunnel Arch, which is high up a wall, and appears to be more of a hole than an arch.

I am back on the trail to Landscape Arch. It’s thought to be the world’s longest, and is as long as a football field. In 1991 and again in 1995, long sections of it fell down, causing tourists to scramble, so it’s also very delicate. There is no saying whether the arch still has some stone to shed, or if it is stable now, but to be safe they have built a fence down the hill to prevent visitors from climbing up underneath it. Seems to me like there is good enough reason.

On the way back to the parking lot, perhaps an hour after I set out, I pass two more female rangers and another woman on their way out to the trail. They are wheeling an interesting contraption that looks like a gurney built onto a bicycle frame. It’s a perfectly constructed human basket on wheels, created for rescue operations on the trail; I’m guessing that they are there for the same reason the lone ranger (!) was earlier, although I never saw any one that appeared to be in trouble on the trails that I took.

“What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do - especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” ~William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways

One thing about hikers is that they are friendly for the most part. (I started to say the same about tourists in general, but I’ve experienced this same phenomenon along San Diego trails, yet I’ve also been at theme parks like Disneyland and not felt inclined to greet anyone.) I think what promotes this is the fact that you are all away from your normal environs and experiencing the same closeness to nature, the same conditions of the environment and the same joy in discovery. So it’s easy to greet each other along the trail, as if to say hello and welcome and aren’t we all having a lovely experience. Not only do I get physical exercise from the walk and spiritual uplift from the surroundings, but also a sort of emotional affirmation from the people I meet.

Each of the national park specific sites at http://www.nps.gov/ look similar, but have their own content. On the Arches NP pages, for instance, I found some really good guidelines on taking photographs in the park. They prove useful throughout the trip, and will continue to be so for the future. Basic rules such as “keep it simple” and the Rule of Thirds ("...imagine a grid on your viewfinder that sections the frame into thirds top to bottom and right to left. Now, place your subject at the intersection of a horizontal line and a vertical line.”). If you’re interested, you can find these suggestions at http://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/photography.htm

For the record, Arches NP is at around 6000 feet altitude. It was 70° when I left Grand Junction just before 9 a.m. and 79° at the Arches NP Visitor’s Center when I arrived an hour and 40 minutes later. It’s 91° as I leave the park. On some of the dustier trails it felt like it. The drive back through the park to the entrance takes about 30 minutes with another 10 to Moab.

I reflect on the multitude of rock formations at Arches, and appreciate that each of the arches I visited displayed its own personality. The earth sculptors are still talking to me. Here is a link to more pictures from Arches National Park: http://community.webshots.com/album/560955110DHrtMZ

Today’s drive:
Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT via Arches NP
Just short of 2 hours, 113 miles (excludes in-park time)

Tomorrow:
Goosenecks State Park and Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Day 5: Thursday, September 6th

"All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost." ~ J.R.R. Tolkein

Today's planned route: NONE (Believe it or not, today is spontaneity day.)

I’ve given myself the whole day to poke around Grand Junction and see what’s there. It will also be nice to spend a day without driving more than 20 minutes. So I skip the interesting sounding areas to the city's east, Grand Mesa National Forest (150 mile scenic drive) and Glenwood Springs (an hour and 20 minutes away), saving them for a return visit. From my notes taken from the Visitor's Bureau web site <http://www.visitgrandjunction.com/global/thingstodo.cfm>:

Grand Mesa, “the world's largest flattop mountain”, is a mass of wild flowers during mid-summer, and at 10,000 feet, boasts lush spruce forests and over 200 pristine stream-fed lakes jumping with trout… Glenwood Springs has hot springs, [and] is the location of two rivers – the Colorado and the Roaring Fork, with a 16-mile trail along the Colorado River.

There are also the Grand Junction area wineries, which are available for tastings, but I don’t want to be thrown in a foreign jail for overloading with grape shot(s). I’ll save these experiences for when I come back with more time (well, maybe skipping the jail visit).

Grand Junction sits at the confluence of two of Colorado's major rivers, the Colorado and the Gunnison. Seeking to explore this facet of the city, I opt instead to find one of the Colorado Riverfront Trails, a trail system that follows the rivers in and around the Grand Junction area.

I wanted to hike along the river, which is what drew me to this town to begin with, because it looked so serene last year as we traveled towards Denver. There is a series of hikes that are part of "the Colorado River Trail" system that look promising. After breakfasting, I scan through my charts, and punch the closest trailhead into the navi system. A 15 minute drive takes me onto a gravel road, the entrance to which is guarded by a large sign stating "a wilderness stamp is required".

As I ponder how to deal with this hiccup, a fellow driving a CO-licensed truck pulls into the area. I motion him to roll down his window, and then ask about the stamp. He explains that it gives permission to enter the wilderness areas, and is like a stamp on a fishing or hunting license. “They’re available at any sporting good store or the like, they’re everywhere,” he says…

Geez, I think, I havta pay to hike along the Colorado River!

I understand that it’s a useful way to pay for the upkeep of these areas. I am just unhappy that I roll into town looking forward to a pleasant stroll only to find such a road bump. But read on, all’s well that ends well!

"It is not down in any map; true places never are." ~Herman Melville

As I cruise the nearby neighborhoods looking for a shop to purchase the wilderness stamp, I come across a Safeway's, and decide to stop to refresh my water supply and get a few apples for snacks. And it’s here that I decide to go to the Dinosaur Journey instead, so I head west back to Fruita where I’d spotted the museum on my way to the Colorado National Monument yesterday.

Evidently the Grand Junction area is part of the Colorado Plateau, which spreads into the rest of the “Four-Corners” states (also including Arizona, Utah and New Mexico); numerous discoveries of dinosaur fossils and bones have been made on the plateau. The museum at Fruita is a collection of bones, fossils, footprints, photos and rubberized models of the dinosaurs unearthed in the area. Some of the models move if you press a button. That’s entertaining – well, until they repeat the same motion for 5 minutes before coming to rest. I soon learn to walk away after a few moments and continue on viewing the rest of the collection.

Overall, and not being a huge dinosaur fanatic – at least not since Jurassic Park III – I think the visit is okay, not outstanding (I’m sure it’s super for the real enthusiasts). It’s probably worth the $7 admission fee though. And there is one very cool exhibit: I stand on a platform, press (yet another) button, and the shaking/rolling feeling of a magnitude 5.2 earthquake rocks me as the earth lights up behind the Plexiglas display, and the ground rumbles and the sound of fire crackles from the loudspeaker.

And where else can I find dinosaur tattoos like the ones in the gift shop?

There are more pictures from the museum at this WebShots link if you are truly interested:
http://community.webshots.com/album/560955703asxShq

Okay, here’s another reason I had decided to head for Fruita. I also remember from the day before that there is a state park just a block or two beyond the Dinosaur Journey; it's called the James M Cobb Colorado River Park, Fruita Branch. A chance to walk along the Colorado River? I grab a sandwich from the Subway on the way, and pull into the park entrance. I ask the lady at the window what the fee is to come in just to walk around. “Six dollars,” she says, and that seems plenty reasonable to me. But then she adds, “But if you want to go back and park outside the Park and walk in, it would cost nothing.”

So I do as I am told.

The park proper is empty of people except for me. I have a pleasant lunch watching the geese play on a private lake and by the little park playground. I walk along the river as far as I can go until I reach a fenced boundary, maybe a half-mile one way. The opposite side of the river path is bounded by another small lake. The sun is out, it’s around 85°, and all is peaceful. A lovely day!

Here’s a link to more pictures from the James M Cobb Colorado River Park, Fruita Branch:
http://community.webshots.com/album/560956298qfdufh

Yet another half mile down the main road is Dinosaur Hill; it’s here that they first discovered Alosaurus bones in 1908. I decide to take 1 mile hike up and down and around the hill to see what it’s all about. It’s really dry and dusty, the temperature has risen another 6 or 7 degrees, and I’ve not bothered to bring water; and for what I see along the way, or perhaps, don’t see, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

There are no bones that I can see, except a cast of some huge spine that looks like a rock layer wrapping around the hilltop; and there is not much in the way of descriptive markers. Halfway up the hill, though, is a nice view of the river below, and around the corner from the summit is the screened off entrance to the tunnel system that was created when they started pulling out the bones – all of which are now in the Field Museum in Chicago.

Two men drive up in a car with AZ license plates as I begin the last leg down the hill to finish the trek. They get out with their dog and go to view the descriptive signs at the trailhead. I suggest that if they are going to do the hike, they should take some water. “Is there anything worth seeing,” they ask?

“Not that I would notice,” I say, “but then, I sure didn't know what I was looking for.”

I climb back into the car and depart for Grand Junction without waiting to see what they decide to do. I still have some sunlight left, and more to see in town. First, I drive east on I-70 beyond the city and double back to downtown, taking a business route that gives me a good feel as to how Grand Junction is laid out, and what some of the neighborhoods are like.

Before I left San Diego, I jotted down a few of the things that were going on in Grand Junction during my stay. The events include The Main Street Farmer's Market, as well as Just a Bunch of Artists Art Show (JABOA). Back at the hotel I stow the camera and water pack, then head back down Main ST on foot. My first stop is a bank on 5th ST, home of the JABOA show.

They advertise the event as their Fourth Annual Art Show, to include “fine art photography, Navaho weavings, crystalline glazed porcelain pottery, watercolor paintings, collages and mono-prints, a visual wealth!” I find the bank, and unshaven and a bit grubby from my hikes this afternoon, I am greeted by a bank employee who asks if I need some help. I say, “If it’s okay, I’d just like to view the art.”

With permission granted, I make a circle around the bank lobby finding only a half-dozen paintings and blown-up photos, a few craft objects and 8 or 9 artist concepts done in watercolor for a new housing tract. I am deeply disappointed…but dinner will be at a Nepalese/Indian restaurant, the farmer’s market will soon be opening and Week 1 of Monday Night Football – New Orleans at Indianapolis – starts at 6:30 p.m. Go Saints!

The Nepali Restaurant on Main ST serves Nepalese and Indian foods. I have an excellent supper of lamb vindaloo with rice, garlic naan (bread) and a glass of a local white wine. The dipping sauces are very tasty and unique. Unfortunately, I feel that I’ve insulted the waiter/owner, or at the least disappointed him, because when he offers me the carrot pudding dessert “on the house”, I politely turn him down because I don’t eat sugar if I can help it. He walks away mumbling to himself and sends his wife to bring the check. Oh well, I figure the next time I’m here, enough time will have passed that I’ll be off his radar. Or maybe I’ll cut my hair and re-grow my beard. I watch from my dinner table as the action unfolds outside.

The town "homeless" character, grey-bearded, thin, tanned leather skin, flashes the peace sign to the town cops as he passes them and ambles down the middle of the street scene, lugging his 2 full backpacks. I think it’s time to join the masses.

I stroll down Main ST to view the Farmer's Market, staged every Thursday evening during the summer. I wonder where the townies park, since there are no cars on Main ST tonight. All of Main ST downtown is blocked off and booths line the avenue on either side. They feature “arts & crafts vendors, children's entertainment, and snack food vendors along with Colorado's finest fruits, vegetables and other food products offered by local farmers”.

A few tweeners ride bikes or push forward on skate boards. There is every sort of people here, all ages, sizes, shapes - but mostly white, in keeping with the demographics of the area. In fact, there are more people on crutches or in wheelchairs than there are minorities. (I'm not attempting a social comment here; I am just struck by the absence of color.)

The booths feature purveyors of produce, arts & crafts, soaps & incenses. Local businesses, radio stations and churches advertise their usefulness. There are political booths, county, state and federal (parks) representatives, along with cheerleaders, street art vendors and bands that play various genres of music from the street corners. I stop to listen to a rock band, members of the grey ponytail set, who blast away on Wild One. Judging by the number of folk who've also stopped to listen, they are a local favorite.

I can't helped but be swept along with the crowd. It is a feel good time, and the streets pulsate with hospitality. Wait, is that pot I smell? No, just the roasting of sweet corn mixed with an occasional fart.

I am back at the hotel in time to watch the Colts trounce the Saints. Well, I guess the day will not end entirely perfect after all.

It’s hard to put into words what it is I like about Grand Junction. I have visited some of the surrounding area, and noted that it has a nice, open feel. It's a good place for the outdoor enthusiast – there is a concerted effort to get people involved in the availability of nature – so there is a host of hiking trails and they advertise their many parks (including the Colorado National Monument), river walks, dinosaur "fields", etc. Oh, and a lot of vineyards!

I like the downtown area a lot, and the atmosphere while I am there is one of community. I love the imaginative feel that the sculptures on every street corner bring to the area. You’re not likely to get lost there either. Grand Junction is small compared to my own experience – the population of the town itself is around 48,000, with another 80,000 in the surrounding area.

I like the idea that it has a small town atmosphere, but it is large enough where you can be incognito and not every one in town knows your business unless you want them to. And the housing seems affordably in my price range.

This is of course, a preliminary scouting stay, much as I've done in other areas. I have other requirements (like an artist/writer community, for instance) that I'll need to research. I'm not even sure yet where the closest airport is to Grand Junction, or how big it is...but my first impression is that Grand Junction should stay on my list (until I seriously decide I don't want to deal with 2 ft of snow a year!).

Some information from the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau's web site: http://www.visitgrandjunction.com/index.cfm

Population:
City of Grand Junction - 48,141
With outlying towns - 126,445
Mesa County - 127,808

Average Precipitation:
Rainfall - 9"
Snowfall - 22"

Elevation:
4,586 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures:
January - 36 / 16 F
July - 93 / 64 F

Today’s drive:
Doesn’t even count

Tomorrow:
Grand Junction to Moab, UT via Arches NP

Day 4: Wednesday, September 5th

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." — Martin Buber

Today's planned route: Torrey, UT to Capital Reef National Park to Goblin Valley State Park to Grand Junction, CO

Today's actual route: Torrey, UT to Capital Reef National Park to Colorado National Monument to Grand Junction, CO

The route I am taking today has been modified since I reviewed the plan last night. Although I don’t expect a change, I’ll stop at the Capital Reef Visitor’s Center to see if the scenic drive has reopened. If it’s still closed, I’ll move on to a few other sites attached to Capital Reef that are on the main highway, UT-24. And instead of Goblin Valley State Park, which is an hour out of the way and an hour back to spend a half-hour viewing a plain of toadstool shaped rocks, I have opted to stop at Colorado National Monument, only 15 minutes off of I-70, and proudly advertised in the tourista literature for Grand Junction.

When I arrive, I note that the sign on the Visitor’s Center door announcing the closure of the scenic drive is still in place. I get back in the car and head back to the highway, seeking a turnout for some petroglyphs that were carved into the cliffsides by the ancient native peoples,. There I find a couple of short walkways with railing that separates the visitor from the cliffs, and some heavy duty, pedestal-mounted binoculars like you’d find on the San Francisco wharf facing Alcatraz.

I locate a couple of sets of petroglyphs half-way up the cliff wall, and take plenty of photos. Walking down the trail for a piece, I find a half-dozen more. Here’s an example:


I find these ancient art objects fascinating and intriguing, and wonder, like the experts, what the significance of the pictures was.

From the National Park’s Capital Reef website http://www.nps.gov/care/ :

Pictographs (painted) and petroglyphs (carved or pecked) are depictions of people, animals and other shapes and forms left on rock surfaces. Anthropomorphic (human-like) figures usually have trapezoidal shaped bodies with arms, legs and fingers. The figures are often elaborately decorated with headdresses, ear bobs, necklaces, clothing items and facial expressions. A wide variety of zoomorphic (animal-like) figures include bighorn sheep, deer, dogs, birds, snakes and lizards. Abstract designs, geometric shapes and handprints are also common.

The meaning of rock art is unknown. The designs may have recorded religious or mythological events, migrations, hunting trips, resource locations, travel routes, celestial information and other important knowledge. Many archeologists propose that rock art uses symbolic concepts that provide the observer with important information and that was not simply artistic expression or doodling.

With the mysteries of rock art unsolved, I move on down the road, my mind unchanged that the Native Americans where attempting to document alien visits. My next stop along UT-24 is the Hickman Bridge turnout, also a component of Capital Reef NP, where I hike a bit along the Fremont River.


Before we leave Capital Reef, I know some of you are asking, “What the … is a capital reef?” Again, from the National Park’s Capital Reef website:

Early settlers noted that the white domes of Navajo Sandstone resemble the dome of the Capitol building in Washington, DC. Prospectors visiting the area (many with nautical backgrounds) referred to the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long ridge in the earth’s crust, as a reef, since it was a formidable barrier to transportation.

Follow this link to more photos of Capital Reef National Park:
http://community.webshots.com/album/560877603opgYRh

I follow UT-24 through Hanksville, a small town west of Capital Reef. There along the highway (and the town’s not much bigger than the highway) is and abandoned gas station, and the price displayed on the sign shows 1.499 for regular. I stop to take a photo, and wonder how long the place has been closed!

UT-24 heading east is not as scenic as UT-12. As I approach the I-70 and the Colorado border, I note the increase in low lying scrub bushes and, similar to the border at Arizona, I watch the earth tones morph from reddish tones to muted grays.


I find the turnoff to the Colorado National Monument easily. It’s off of I-70 around 10 miles west of Grand Junction, at Fruita, CO. I stop at Subway and pick up a turkey sandwich to eat at a viewpoint in the park, while gazing at whatever nature presents me there.

My annual pass to the national parks works at national monuments too. The woman who works at the entrance asks if it’s my first visit there, and of course I say yes. Her enthusiasm at what I’ll find is apparent, so I don’t tell her I’ve been to Zion and Bryce Canyon over the last few days.

The scenic drive along 15 miles or so climbs up to 6500 feet (88°) from around 4000, and winds around several canyons that are neither as colorful nor as spectacular as the national parks – but it’s great to have a view for lunch. After a half-dozen turnouts which overlook canyons and distinctive rock formations, I leave the southern end of the park and wind my way back up towards I-70 and Grand Junction.


More pictures from Colorado National Monument can be found with this link:
http://community.webshots.com/album/560926039cbnRcF

I added Grand Junction to this Utah route because on my trip into Denver last year the town nestled in by the Colorado River really appealed to me, and I want to scout around to assess the place as a retirement possibility.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru

Because I missed out on the Capital Reef scenic drive, and skipped the Goblin Valley visit, I arrive in Grand Junction early to plan. Greeting me in front of the Hampton Inn on Main ST is a bronze angel rising amid the flowers. I see another sculpture across the street, and one in front of the hotel next door, and yet another on the corner. I decide to take a walk around downtown after I’ve checked in and unpacked.


Main ST in Grand Junction is about 6 or 7 blocks long. On every corner, and along the sidewalk, are sculptures. Some are modern and streamlined, some are colorful and fun, some are realistic and life-size. Subject matter is all over the map, but many showed off the themes of the city: dinosaurs, bison, bicycling. The display gives the sidewalks, mostly empty of people at this time of day, a festive air and I enjoy my half-hour stroll immensely.

I’ve supplied a link to a representative sample that should give you an idea of the Mains ST atmosphere: http://community.webshots.com/album/560940602WixUXG

Back in the room, I reflect on my trip so far. I am really happy I put the stop in Grand Junction in the middle, because starting out I felt like I might have packed too much viewing and driving into a day, and so was doing nothing but chasing rock formations from one NP to another. I learned a few things about taking long driving trips by myself, even though this was by no means my first. So far I like Grand Junction a lot, too.

I decide to try out a Creole restaurant listed in the hotel’s directory of services. I find the building on a corner across town, but it’s empty. Drat, I was looking forward to mudbugs for dinner. I settle for a Mexican restaurant I passed 2 blocks back, and as I eat the immense and tasty portion of chicken and cheese with mushrooms, onions and olives in a salsa verde, I peruse some literature on homes in the area. It looks very affordable to me.

Today’s drive:
Torrey, UT to Grand Junction, CO via Capital Reef NP and Colorado NM
215 miles, just short of 3 ½ hours (excludes in-park time)

Tomorrow:
Hanging around Grand Junction