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.

NEW Bench Seat

After returning from Alaska, we decided that we would like more storage space and also add a AC/DC portable refrigerator/freezer for our extended travel trips. We love to shop at Costco and Wal-Mart along the way and needed some more storage space for grocery items, plus additional cold storage. To provide this added feature, we took out the captain's seat behind the driver's seat and replaced it with a bench seat. We also added an extension to our counter top for additional space. Other additions include a magic bullet for those early morning smoothies and evening margaritas, plus a toaster oven. We are excited and set to get back on the road for our next adventure series.

ROADTREK Alaska - 2011

Alaska 2011 - Hyder, Alaska to Whistler, BC (FINAL Alaska Post)

"INUKSHUK"

Our trip down the Cassiar Highway (Hwy. 37) was a beautiful drive. Our goal was to get to Hyder, Alaska. We were starting to think about getting back home as well. However, there were still some places and things that we wanted to see and do. The weather was great and the scenery spectacular. We wanted to stop and look around at Jade City which was very interesting. They say that 70% of the worlds jade still comes from this area. In the slideshow below, look for the Jade sculpture of the INUKSHUK (In-ook-shook). This means "in the image of man" and were lifelike images of man erected in stone. They were unique to the Canadain Arctic and along Canadian's most northern shores. The original purpose of the Inukshuks was to act as a compass or guide. The ancients used them for safe trips and to guide them to the hunting grounds and home again. They were also used during winter snow storms where 30' to 60' of snow fell and drifted. As seen above, it was the symbol used on the 2010 Winter Olympics Logo. We saw more black bear on the Cassiar Highway than you could ever imagine.

We arrived in Hyder, Alaska with overcast sky's and a very thick cloud of “skeet’s”. There really is not much to do in Hyder, especially if the weather is bad. This area is very beautiful with its rugged mountains, waterfalls, and glaciers none of which we were able to see clearly due to the low hanging clouds and weather. We found a campsite at “Camp-Run-A-Muck” campground. We knew that we were too early to see the grizzly bears feeding on salmon, but drove up to the viewing site anyway. The highlights of our Hyder experience were seeing Bear Glacier and having the halibut stuffed dinner at the SeaAlaska Inn restaurant. We were not disappointed and would highly recommend this family kept recipe.

The weather forecast was for more rain, so we decided to bag Prince Rupert and visit the ‘Ksan Historical Village in Hazelton, BC. “Ksan is a reconstructed Gitxson village located at the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northwest British Columbia. Gitxsan “People of the River of Mist” are a thriving, active First Nation community who still display the richness of their culture and heritage. There are approximately 13,000 members with 70% still living in the territory. It is the desire of ‘Ksan to preserve and truthfully portray the lifestyles of the people who have always lived here. All of the dwellings and totem poles are created from Red Cedar trees, as well as all other things: canoes, storage boxes, hats, cedar bark clothing, ceremonial masks, and tools. Cedar rope is still used to hoist totem poles and beams. Fishing is still a very important part of their survival and they look forward to visiting their many fishing camps in the summer months. We stayed at the very nice campground located in the village. To get to the village, you must cross the famous Hagwilget Bridge (single lane suspension) over the Bulkley River canyon. This bridge is 459’ long and is 262’ above the river. It is still one of the highest suspension bridges in North America.

Our next stop was the Treasure Cove casino in Prince George where we spent the night in the parking lot. The next morning we headed south through Clinton, BC to the Hwy. 99 junction and to Whistler, BC. This is a paved over logging road that takes you down the Fraser River and through the coastal range mountains to Pemberton and Whistler, BC. This is a single lane road in many places, crossing single lane bridges, with grades up to 17%. The scenery is spectacular and well worth the “white knuckle” experience.

Whistler Village and the surrounding area is a recreational paradise. After making several attempts in our past to visit Whistler Mountain, we finally got the opportunity. We stayed at the Riverside RV Park, which was within walking distance of Whistler Village. Historically in 1877, the Pemberton Trail first connected this region to the Pacific Ocean. It quickly became the inland route for prospectors and trappers into this untamed frontier area. In 1914, recognizing the immense recreational potential, Mrytle and Alex Phillips from America, bought 10 acres near Alta Lake and built the Rainbow Lodge. Soon after, the railroad came into Whistler Valley and this area became British Columbia’s top tourist attraction. Alta Lake is at the base of both Blackcomb and Whistler mountains. Today, it is an internationally-renowned four season destination and will be remembered as hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics.

We stayed two very enjoyable days, had beautiful weather, and did some hiking. Before departing Nancy and I looked at each other and said, “What a fantastic adventure and opportunity to share together in our lives”. This was a life-event never to be forgotten and we headed home to Fox Island.

We would like to thank those of you that followed us on our “Alaskan” adventure. Putting the blog together in a timely manner is a lot of work, but well worth the memories that you can share with those that you love – family and friends. THANK YOU!

CLICK HERE to view our slideshow traveling the Cassiar Highway to Hyder, Alaska.

CLICK HERE to view our slideshow of the 'Ksan Historical Village.

CLICK HERE to view our slideshow traveling Highway 99 to Whistler, BC.

The Alaska State Flag and Song
written by Maria Drake

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue
- Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

There is nothing that will compare to driving your own rig and experiencing the interior of Alaska. The people, huge vastness, wildlife, perseverance of life, history, and absolute beauty is true and exciting. Living in Alaska is not for the timid or light-hearted. They are very proud people who still choose to live their lives in a very traditional manner.

They fish, hunt, grow enormous vegetables to winter themselves through cold, cold temperatures. The symbol on the Alaska Flag (Big Dipper and North Star) truly reflects what Alaskans are all about. Many times Alaskans cannot and will not depend on materialism or new technology, but choose to survive through self-sustaining relationships with mother-nature, a determined will and spirit, family, and friends. They depend on strong work ethics, helping each other, and generational survival techniques. Understandingly, many young children are home schooled.

This truly has been a life-time experience that both Nancy and I will never forget. When you consider the population of Alaska (approximately 725,000) living in a state that is almost 2 1/2 times bigger than Texas - there is something to be said about those numbers. You either make it through a winter in Alaska or you don't! The time clock has been turned back over 100 years now with the excitement and challenge of a new generation of gold seekers. This is truly "The Last Frontier" in America. We hope that you all have an opportunity to enjoy it someday soon.