Death Valley 2011 - Titus Canyon Jeep Quest

Rhyolite, now a ghost town, was known as the "Queen City". From 1905-1911, it was the largest town in the Death Valley area with a population of 5,000-10,000 people. During its heyday, it contained 2 churches, 50 saloons, 18 stores, 2 undertakers, 19 lodging houses, 8 doctors, 2 dentists, a stock exchange and an opera. The town contains numerous ruins including the Bottle House, Senator W.A. Clark's train depot, remains of a 3-story bank building, and the jail.
Red Pass (5,240’) - The highest point on the road is this divide between Titanothere and Titus Canyons. Stop to enjoy the grand view in both directions.

Leadfield, "boomed" for less than a year in 1926-27 because the lead deposits disappeared very quickly. All that is left today are a few shacks and a number of mines. Many of the mines are open, but enter at your own risk. Loose rocks, rotten timbers, unexpected vertical shafts, and animals seeking shelter are potential hazards.

You enter Titus Canyon just below the ghost town of Leadfield, the road enters the main fork of Titus Canyon. Limestone cliffs rise high above the broad wash; their folded layers reveal the work of great mountain building forces. Rugged, steep slopes provide habitats for bighorn sheep, cacti, and hanging gardens of rare plants.

The final 1.5 miles of the Titus Canyon is the very narrow. The walls squeeze down to less than 20 feet apart in some places. As the road enters the narrows it detours out of the wash and descends what is often the roughest part of the entire trip. It's a good idea to scout this section out before driving it.

Scotty’s Castle is hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley, the Death Valley Ranch, or Scotty's Castle as it is more commonly known, is a window into the life and times of the Roaring 20's and Depression 30's. It was an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home, and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway. Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area. The problem, there were NO mines. Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie. Scotty was the mystery man, the cowboy, and the entertainer, but he was also a friend of Johnson’s. Albert was the brains and the money. As different as they were in real life, they both shared a common dream.

We have put together a YouTube movie presentation with a sound track. Turn up your speakers and click on the full-screen option in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame to get the full effect. CLICK HERE to watch the movie presentation.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon 2011

Only 10 miles as the raven flies from the South Rim, the North Rim offers a very different experience. Solitude, awe-inspiring views, a slower pace, fewer people, spectacular sunsets, and the feeling of going back in time are only a few of the many attributes the North Rim has to offer.

The North Rim sits atop the Kaibab Plateau, which is 8,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level. Its lush green meadows surrounded by a mixed conifer forest sprinkled with white-barked aspen provide an oasis in the desert. The yellows and oranges of quaking aspen and the reds of Rocky Mountain maple, gives the forest a magnificent glow. The crispness in the air warns of winter soon to come during Early Fall.

We stayed two days at the North Rim Campground, which was closed for the year. It was a very quiet, enjoyable, and peaceful time for us. Discover the uniqueness of the North Rim, you will not be sorry!

We have put together a YouTube movie presentation, with a soundtrack. Turn up your speakers and click on the full-screen icon in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame to get the full effect of the presentation. CLICK HERE to view the movie.

Spectacular ANTELOPE CANYON

A few miles east of Page, AZ on the Navajo Reservation is the most photographed slot canyon in northern Arizona. Over thousands of years, wind and water scoured a narrow crevice in the mesa to form a slot canyon. A slot canyon is a narrow canyon formed by water rushing through rock. A slot canyon is significantly deeper that it is wide. Most slot canyons are formed in sandstone or limestone rock. Upper Antelope Canyon measures a quarter mile long and 130 feet deep. When the flash floods occur in early spring, the canyon is completely filled with water. Once at the entrance, it’s an easy hike through the canyon which is fairly level.

The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse' Bighanilini, which means "the place where water runs through rocks.” It has also been called “Corkscrew Canyon” and is one of the very few slot canyons in the area. To older Navajos, entering a place like Antelope Canyon was like entering a cathedral. They would probably pause before going in, to be in the right frame of mind and prepare for protection and respect. This would also allow them to leave with an uplifted feeling of what Mother Nature has to offer, and to be in harmony with something greater than themselves. It was, and is, a spiritual experience. Only a Navajo guide can take you to the canyon.

We have put together a very beautiful YouTube movie presentation of our trek through the canyon. It was a very spiritual and emotional experience to share this very special place with our Navajo guide. There is a sound track with the movie so turn up your speakers and click the full-screen icon in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame. CLICK HERE to watch the movie presentation.

Capitol Reef to Escalante/Grand Staircase

Click On Pictures To Enlarge and See Transcriptions

Capitol Reef National Park is characterized by sandstone formations, cliffs and canyons, and a 100-mile long bulge in the earth's crust called the Waterpocket Fold. Erosion has carved the rock into marvelous shapes. Since its designation as a national park in 1971, Capitol Reef has been intriguing visitors with its twisting canyons, massive domes, monoliths and spires of sandstone for many years.

Fruita was a Mormon settlement dating back to the late 1800’s along the Fremont River. Still present are the historic one-room school house, blacksmith shop, and the Gifford House and barn. No more than 8 to 10 families lived in this community at any one time. Twenty-two separate fruit orchards were originally planted in the valley. Apple, Peach, Cherry, Pear, and Apricot trees still grow in the orchards and are maintained by the National Park Service. You may pick and eat fruit free of charge while staying in the Fruita Campground. Fresh fruit pies and other pastries are also prepared daily and sold in the Gifford House.

Leaving Capitol Reef, we took Scenic Highway 12 ascending to 9,640’ before arriving in Escalante, UT. Our goal was to rent a jeep and to follow the original path of the 1879 Mormon expedition hoping to colonize the community of Bluff, southeast of the Colorado River. This route was very difficult and led them to a 1,200’ sandstone cliff above Glenn Canyon and the river. They found Hole-In-The-Rock which was a narrow, steep, and rocky crevice. They worked for months to prepare the road, using blasting powder to widen the upper section and had chisels to carve anchor points directly into the sandstone. On January 26, 1880 they began their descent to the river. Wagons were heavily roped, and teams of men and oxen used to lower them through the upper crevice. The blasting holes, anchor points, and gouges from the hubs of the expedition's wagons are still visible in the walls of the crevice. They used this as a supply road for only a year before locating an easier route to the north.

The memorial pictures above are in tribute to the original Mormon San Juan Expedition and a group of Mormon Boy Scouts and adults, who tragically lost their lives traveling this same route in 1963.

We have put together a YouTube movie presentation with a sound track. To get the full effect of the movie, turn your speakers on and click on the full-screen icon in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame. CLICK HERE to view the movie.

Four Corners, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges, and Goblin Valley

We left Albuquerque and headed north to Bloomfield, NM with the hope of visiting Chaco Canyon with an archeologist. Unfortunately, our trip into the canyon was rained out so we headed to Four Corners and Monument Valley. We passed through the town of Farmington NM with a stop at the Hogback Trading Company.

A visit to Hogback Trading Company is as much a part of the Four Corners experience as visiting the monument. Established in 1871 by Joseph Wheeler this post quickly became an institution in the daily lives of the Navajo people. Alabaster sculptors, silversmiths, weavers and young artisans of all forms have been encouraged by the Wheeler family for over 125 years.
Today, Tom Wheeler, fourth generation trader, continues the traditions of his great-grandfather and maintains a highly regarded reputation with artisans and collectors. Tom's hospitality, knowledge regarding history, and the most extensive inventory of Navajo Rugs and Turquoise Jewelry keeps visitors returning! Here, Nancy purchased her first piece of beautiful jewelry which had passed on through Tom’s family, which made it very special.

The Monument Valley trip had to be cancelled because of rain. There are no paved roads in this area which is on the Navajo Reservation. We spent the night at Mexican Hat and then traveled to Blanding, UT where we spent the night. We awoke to snow covered mountains and headed north to Natural Bridges.

Natural Bridges National Monument has three very distinctive sandstone bridges. These natural bridges are formed by the erosive action of moving water. Arches are formed by the erosive action of frost and seeping moisture.

Goblin Valley is full of strange shaped rock formations surrounded by walls of eroded cliffs. The wonderful stone shapes result from millions of years of geologic history. The goblins are made of Entrada sandstone which has been sculpted by forces of nature such as uplift and erosion by wind and water. The uniquely shaped goblins lure you to join them in their desert playground.

We have put together a YouTube movie presentation showing pictures of Four Corners, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges, and Goblin Valley. There is a sound track so turn up your speakers and click the full-screen icon in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame to get the full effect. CLICK HERE to watch the movie presentation.

Albuquerque Balloon Festival 2011

Thirty-eight Roadtrek'ers assembled in Albuquerque this year for the annual balloon festival. For many of us, it was the first and definately will not be the last. The celebration lasts for a week with a full schedule of events occuring from dawn to night fall. Each morning there is Mass Ascensions - a launch of all the participating balloons which as been a customary feature of Balloon Fiesta since its earliest days and is the most spectacular display of sound and color in all of aviation. During mass ascensions, balloons launch in two waves. Launch directors, also known as zebras because of their black-and-white-striped outfits, serve as traffic cops, coordinating the launch so balloons leave the field in a safe and coordinated manner. Weather permitting, balloons begin to launch at about 7:15 AM on mass ascension days, led by a balloon flying the American flag to the tune of The Star Spangled Banner. It is a very emotional site! The balloons are prepared for launch in early dawn and float into the sky and then touch down in designated landing areas. This is one of the most spectacular events that you can ever imagine.

We have put together a YouTube movie with a sound track. Turn your speakers up and click on the full-screen option in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame. CLICK HERE to watch the movie presentation.

Mesa Verde National Park 2011

On June 29, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park to “preserve the works of man.” It was the first and is the only park of its kind. He preserved an extraordinary record of Ancestral Puebloans , who made this place their home for over 750 years. Archeologists have called these people Anasazi, from a Navajo word translated as “the ancient foreigners.”

Traveling the Mesa Top reveals the full range of ancient architecture in Mesa Verde as the Anasazi’s lived in Pithouses, Pueblos, and then Cliff Dwellings. People lived in Pithouses from about 550 AD to 750 AD. These homes featured a living room sunk a few feet in the ground and four corner posts supported the roof. The firepit had an air deflector. An antechamber might contain storage bins or pits. Many features of the Pithouses were used in building Pueblos. Pithouses involved into Kivas.

By 1000 AD the people of Mesa Verde had advanced to skillful stone masonry. These dwellings were concentrated in compact villages and had many rooms, often with the Kivas built inside the enclosing walls rather than out in the open. The stone walls of the large pueblos are regarded as the finest ever built in Mesa Verde, with their straight courses and shaped stones.

Most of the cliff dwellings were built from the late 1190’s to the late 1270’s. They ranged in size from one-room houses to villages of more than 150 rooms – Cliff Palace. Ancestral Puebloans lived in the cliff dwellings for less than 100 years. By 1300 Mesa Verde was deserted. There are several theories regarding their migrations. Whatever may have happened, some of today’s Pueblo people, and maybe other tribes, are descendants of the cliff dwellers of Mesa Verde.

The movie presentation will show you the progression of the Ancestral Puebloan people of Mesa Verde. Remember to turn your speakers up and click on the full-screen icon in the lower right hand corner of the picture frame. CLICK HERE to view the movie.

Canyonlands National Park - 2011

The Wooden Shoe

Just thirty miles northwest of Moab and Arches National Park is Canyonlands. This spectacular wilderness of rock lies in the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Water and gravity, this land’s prime architects, have cut layers of sedimentary rock into hundreds of canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches, and spires. In the center are two canyons carved by the Green and Colorado rivers. Surrounding the rivers are vast, very different regions. To the north is “Island in the Sky”, to the east is “Needles”, and to the west the very remote “Maze”. Canyonlands was established in 1964 and very few people had traveled the remote land and rivers. Only Indians, cowboys, river explorers, and uranium prospectors had dared to enter this rugged corner of southeastern Utah. Canyonlands still remains largely untrammeled – its roads are mostly unpaved, trails primitive, and rivers free-flowing. Canyonlands is considered “Wild America”.

Island in the Sky is a broad mesa wedged between the Green and Colorado Rivers. Closest to the mesa’s edge is the White Rim. It is 1,200 feet below the top of the canyon and 1,000 feet about the two rivers. You will notice the rim in the pictures.

The Needles unit is very different than the others. The rock formations are very different and rise above the grassy meadows. The Needles are rock pinnacles banded in red and white. Many small arches can be found similar to the Wooden Shoe. Early Puebloans farmed this area as there was adequate water, arable land, and good building sites. In the late 1800’s pioneering cattlemen settled in this area. In 1926, there were 7,000 to 10,000 head that ranged over 1.8 million acres. This widespread ranching operation required cowboys to stay out on the range with the cattle. They lived in isolated outdoor camps such as the one near Cave Springs, which was used from the late 1800’s to 1975. The camp was established at Cave Springs because of the reliable water source that was available. Today, there is still a working cattle ranch that has been greatly down scaled from earlier times.

We have put together a “YouTube” movie presentation with music. Be sure to turn up your speakers and click the full-screen icon in the lower right hand corner of the movie frame to get the full effect of the presentation. CLICK HERE to watch the movie.

Arches National Park - 2011

Landscape Arch (306' Long)

The park lies atop an underground salt bed that is responsible for the abundance of arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths that exist. Thousands of feet thick in places, this salt bed was deposited across the Colorado Plateau 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. As time passed, the residue from floods, winds, and the oceans blanket the salt bed. The debris was compressed as rock and at one time was possibly over a mile thick. Water, ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement are responsible for over 2,000 sculptured arches in the park. Landscape Arch is the longest measuring 306’, base to base, and is only 6’ thick at its narrowest width. Delicate Arch, an isolated remnant of a by-gone fin, stands on the brink of a very deep canyon with the dramatic La Sal Mountains as a backdrop. This is the arch you will see on the Utah State vehicle license plate. Towering spires, pinnacles, and balanced rocks, perched atop seemingly inadequate bases, fill the park and are abundant scenic spectacles. Salt under pressure is unstable and is no match for the Entrada (salmon-colored) and Navajo (buff-colored) Sandstone. New arches continue to be formed and old ones destroyed. Erosion and weathering work slowly and relentlessly, as these dynamic landforms gradually change through time.

American Indians used this area for thousands of years. They searched the arid desert for animals, plant food, and stone for tools and weapons. They left behind evidence of their passing through petroglyphs, artifacts, and villages. The first non-Indian explorers came looking for wealth and mineral forms. Ranchers found fertile grasses and raised cattle and sheep. In the late 1800’s John Wesley Wolf, a disabled Civil War Veteran and his son Fred, settled in Cache Valley. A weathered log cabin, root cellar, and corral are still evidence of the primitive ranch they operated for over 20 years.

I have put together a movie presentation for your enjoyment. Turn your speakers on and click the full-screen icon in the lower left corner of the picture frame to get the full effect of the movie presentation. CLICK HERE to view the movie of Arches National Park.