Our Final Stop - Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

The drive through Phoenix was one of the most stressful events of our trip - too many cars going way too fast! Fortunately, we were able to get in the HOV lane and cruise! It took us about 5 hours to arrive in Henderson, NV (Tom's mom) via Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. We had driven over the dam many times and toured the facility, so didn't feel like stopping. Instead, we stopped at one of the Lake Mead Visitor Centers just north of the dam. The girls were just dying to get back to Vegas, so they got their books stamped, took a few pics, and were ready to go.

We will be spending a week in Vegas with Tom's mom, then off to AK! The girls are slightly ahead on their school work so they went to Shiloh Horse Rescue with Jill and Sally this a.m. It's one of their favorite places on the planet. You can check it out at: www.shilohhorserescue.com

Saguaro National Park

Today, sadly enough, marks the last "official" day of our trip. As we left Chiricahua this morning we headed for our almost final destination (Vegas) via Saguaro National Park (east district), AZ. The park is located on the fringe of Tuscon. It's amazing that a place so wild can exist just miles from one of the fastest growing cities in the southwest.

We started our day with a stop at the Visitor's Center to pick up Jr. Ranger books, information, etc. The main attraction in the east district is the Cactus Forest Drive - an 8-mile drive through one of the most remarkable landscapes in the Southwest: a forest of giant saguaro cacti. The most amazing thing we learned about the saguaro cactus is that it grows very slowly. After 5 years, a saguaro may reach 1" tall; after 15 years it may reach 1 foot! It doesn't bloom until it reaches 35 years AND less than 1 percent survives to reach one year of age, at which point a seedling may only be 1/4 inch tall! Amazing.

We visited all four North American deserts on this trip, but liked the Chihuahan the most!

Chiricahua National Monument

Located just 30 miles from Interstate 10 in AZ, Chiricahua National Monument is one of those little unknown "gems" in the park service. Tom and I had visited BF (before kids) in the early 90's and LOVED the place! The girls and I arrived Saturday afternoon, just in time to find a campsite in the Bonita Campground. We were so excited to get a site. All seemed very peaceful at first and then . . . . around 6 p.m. 8 Boy Scouts started running around screaming blood murder. The chaos lasted until 8 p.m. It was truely unblievable. The chaos began again this a.m at 6:45! What were the parents thinking? Oh, I guess they weren't.

We spent the afternoon hiking in the "Wonderland of Rocks." After driving to the top of the 8-mile scenic drive, spires, pinnacles, and balanced rocks surrounded us. The rocks were formed approx. 27 million years ago when an enormous volcano blew its top! All the hot ash and lava welded together into "tuff." As the rock cooled, cracks and joints appeared between the layers of ash. Slowly, erosion (wind, water, and ice) created the "Wonderland." The sunset was gorgeous at the viewpoint.

In the a.m., we got our stuff packed up by 7:30 a.m. (noise) and drove to a picnic area just a mile from the campground. After breakfast, we walked to the Faraway Ranch and toured the historic district. Abbey and Emily both said they would love to live along Bonita Creek!

Terlingua and Fort Davis

We left Big Bend this morning and drove to the Terlingua Ghost Town (30 miles west of the park). Abbey remembered the town - the Ghost Town, the businesses, graveyard, former dance studio, and the Starlight (our favorite restaurant). We toured the Ghost Town and then ate lunch at a great little spot called "Chilli Peppers." It was the closest thing to authentic Mexican food!

After lunch, we drove north to Fort Davis National Historic Site and toured the grounds for about 2 1/2 hours. the girls earned their Jr. Ranger badges - number 34, I think! The fort was beautiful and provided refuge for travelers traveling from San Antonio to El Paso, TX in the late 1800's to early 1900's. Many of the original structures still stand and some are in need of restoration. We left Ft. Davis around 4 p.m. and drove northwest to Interstate 10. Driving the interstate has been a shock to our systems as we have spent the last 4 days in the Big Bend wilderness! Tomorrow, off to a special spot in southeastern AZ!

Big Bend National Park

After leaving Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains, we traveled south to Alpine, TX. Spent two days with dear friends (Abbey's former 2nd grade teacher from Big Bend and husband) relaxing and enjoying their company. I got caught up on grades, etc. so was very productive for me to have a few free days. On our way south we stopped by Balmorhea State Park, one of our favorite places. The girls and I donned our bathing suits and swam in the pool - an artesian spring, 76 degrees year round - not too cold for Alaska girls!

We have been in Big Bend National Park for three days now, arriving on Tuesday evening. Tomorrow we will take off for Saguaro National Park and then back to Vegas. We spent two full days hiking and driving all the hard surface roads and two well maintained dirt roads. Our evenings were spent catching up with friends.

Big Bend is dear to our hearts and we could spend lots more time here. It feels like "coming home."

Guadalupe National Park, TX

Today we explored Guadalupe National Park, located on the border of Texas and New Mexico. We started our day off hiking the Manzanita/Smith Springs Trail (2.3 m roundtrip). The trail took us through many different habitats (desert, riparian, mountains ) and to two natural springs - an oasis in the desert. The water was a welcome relief from the sun.

Later, we hiked 4.3 miles roundtrip to McKittrick Canyon. The canyon is known for a massive cliff that is part of an ancient fossil reef that formed approximately 260-270 millions years ago. The reef grew from remains of billions of marine animals and plants cemented together by calcium carbonate. Very interesting geology and lot of fossils!

We were exhausted when we got back to camp!

Carlsbad Caverns

Made it just in time to take the self-guided tour of the natural entrance and big room this afternoon. We met our ranger friend, Helen at, 1:50 p.m. and started hiking at 2:00 p.m. (the deadline for starting the tour). The girls had been couped up all day in the car doing homework, so our stroll turned into a hike. We were told it would take 2 1/2 hours to complete the tour . . . it took us 1 hour and 15 minutes! A record, according to Helen! We enjoyed our hike and read All the interpretive signs - all while getting a little exercise. In the late afternoon we watched 100's of thousands of bats fly out of the cave for their nightly forage. An unbelievable sight.

Tomorrow we head to Guadalupe Mountains to hike and explore.

New Mexico Museum of Space

Spent part of our day yesterday at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. We watched the IMAX film "Destiny In Space" - very cool.

White Sands National Monument

Drove all day from Grants, NM to White Sands National Monument. The driving is not much fun, but does give the girls a huge block of time to get ahead on school work. We made it to the monument by 4:00 p.m., just in time to buy sleds so the girls could slide down the giant sand dunes. The dunes are made of gypsum - very unusual. Gypsum is soluable in water and is usually carried out to the sea by rivers and streams, but in White Sands there is no outlet for water so the gypsum just piles up into dunes (over millions of years that is).

The girls spent the evening sliding in sand. It was warm and the sunset was exquisite. Today will be more of the same, but will hike several of the dune trails and finish up Jr. Ranger books.

El Malpais & El Morro

Spent the day in El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments. Explored young lava flows, lava caves, and cinder cones. In the afternoon, we explored Inscription Rock (famous for 1000's of incriptions dating from mid 1600's to the late 1800's). Those who carved their name in the rocks included spanish explorers, early european settlers, and railroad surveyors. We also hiked to Atsinna Ruin - ancestral puebloan ruin, 800 years old.

Hubble Trading Post/Canyon de Chelly

Spent our day yesterday at Hubble Trading Post National Historic Site and Canyon de Chelly National Park. The historic trading post brought Europeans and Navajo people together in the late 1800's to trade goods and services. We toured the grounds which included the trading post, gardens, corrals, silversmith shop, guest houses (hogans), and a private residence (Mr. Hubble's).

Drove through Canyon de Chelly and hiked to the White House Ruin (Ancestral Puebloan). The park was different from any we had previously visited in that it was on the Navajo reservation. Visitors were not allowed into the canyon (with the exception of White House Ruin) without a Navajo guide. We just decided to drive the rim scenic drive and take in the scenery from there! There was no fee to enter the park or camp.

Tonight we are staying with friends in Grants, NM. Will head to El Malpais and El Morro tomorrow.

Petrified Forest National Park

Spent most of our morning and evening doing school work as we needed to catch up on a few things. We finally pulled out of our campsite around 10:00 a.m. Today we spent our day exploring Petrified Forest National Park. What a lovely day we had!

The petrified trees we saw today were alive 225 million years ago, living near the equator! Since then, the continents have shifted to their present positions, the region uplifted, and climate changed. The tall conifers grew along the banks of a tropical floodplain near the equator. Over time they became buried by a mix of silt, mud, and volcanic ash. The sediments cut off oxygen (decay) and the silica-laden (from volcanic ash) groundwater seeped through the logs replacing living tissue with minerals. Eventually the silica crystallized into quartz - petrified logs!

The girls and I were enthralled by what saw today - petrified logs strewn all over the landscape. They were beautiful hues of reds, oranges, and browns. We hiked several trails and drove the scenic drive with the auto tour cd. Tonight we will read my national parks geology book just to review!

Walnut Canyon National Monument

We left Sedona this morning around 10:30 a.m. and headed north and then east. After re-stocking on groceries in Flagstaff, we drove to Walnut Canyon National Monument. We hiked the two ruins trails - Rim Trail & Island Trail. Both trails led to great views of 800 year old Southern Sinagua cliff dwellings. We actually got to explore inside many dwellings on the Island Trail. The girls enjoyed the day, but we're eager to get to our campground and finish up their homework. Sound crazy? Well, at the end of our trip we will be spending several days in Vegas with Sally and Jill . . . so if they don't finish up early - NO HORSIE TIME! Now they are highly motivated to get ahead!

We are heading to Petrified Forest NP tomorrow and then north. Will probably be out of cell and internet range! Still having a lovely time, but really missing home and our animals (including Tom!)

Montezuma Castle/Well & Tuzigoot

Today we spent the afternoon at Montezuma Castle/Well and Tuzigoot National Monuments. Located just south of Sedona, our trek was a short one! Montezuma's Castle is an 1100 year old Sinagua ruin. Tucked into the limestone cliffs, it sits 100 feet off the valley floor. Early explorers thought it was Aztec in origin so named it Montezuma's Castle. Montezuma Well is a limestone sink formed from a collapsed underground cavern. Natural springs feed the well and the temperature stays 76 degrees year-round. The Southern Sinagua dug irrigation ditches in the limestone to irrigate their crops. The well was beautiful and intriguing.

Tuzigoot is the remnant of a Southern Sinagua village built between 1125 and 1400. It sits 120 feet above the valley floor. The original pueblo was two stories high in places, with 77 ground floor rooms. The girls enjoyed walking into the ruins and climbing up the ladders to the roof. Of course, they are both new Jr. Rangers! If we continue on our pace, we will have visited 30 national parks and monuments in 60 days! I AM crazy, but having lots of fun.

We have had a magical time in Sedona with our family, but will be heading on our way tomorrow.

Tony's Art Show in Sedona

We spent a lovely evening with Tony, Jill and Sally at the Golden Stien Gallery.

Sunset Crater Volcano & Wupatki National Monuments

We are loving Sedona, AZ! Today we spent the day exploring Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments, located just north of Flagstaff. Sunset Volcano is a 1,000 ft. high volcano that began to form between 1040 and 1100. When it finally settled down it spewed out red and yellow oxidized cinders giving off a colorful glow. The cinders reminded people of a sunset and therefore the name of the monument!

After spending 2 hours hiking and exploring Sunset Crater, we drove 18 miles to Wupatki. We explored the remains of masonry pueblos that dotted the landscape, all built about 1100 when puebloan peoples came together to build a vast farming community. The girls and I had such a great day exploring and they earned their Jr. Ranger badges from both monuments. How's that for science and social studies? Tomorrow is a day of math and language arts, then off to Montezuma's Castle and Tuzigoot.

Great Basin National Park Pictures

Although we froze our butts off in Great Basin, we had a lovely visit! Tom and I have fond memories of working in the park as seasonals in 92 and 94. While on the Lehman Cave Tour, Tom casually whispered in my ear that he could have taken the ranger's flashlights and led the tour - after 15 years! We LOVE this park! Our hike to the ancient bristlecone pines was cold, but amazing. We saw only one other person on the trail . . . . of course it was 26 degrees and blowing a gale!

The girls loved the cave. I think Lehman Caves is one of the most highly decorated limestone caves I've ever seen.

Zion National Park

We haven't had reliable internet service for three days, but we have been enjoying Zion National Park with Tom, and grandparents. All park campgrounds were full so we spent our nights in the Zion Canyon RV/Tent Park. The park was nice and we had a motorhome to call "home base!" We were treated to steaks, spaghetti, eggs & bacon for meals and a warm place for the girls to sleep! Tom and I thought 65 degrees at night was quite nice for tenting!

On our first day, we took the bus into the park to hike the Emerald Pools Trail. The hike was a very eye opening experience to say the least. There were so many people on the trail that the experience was similar to being at a shopping mall. Needless to say, we were all very happy to reach the end of the trail and head back to camp. I think the girls and I got spoiled after spending 3 days at Capitol Reef!

On Saturday, we decided to drive to the northern part of the park, Kolob Canyon, and hike the Taylor Creek Trail. Kolob Canyon is the least visited part of the park. Fortunately, as we had hoped, we only met about 15 people on the 5 mile hike. What a relief! The aspen's were in full fall foilage as we hiked along Taylor Creek.

Today we hiked the Zion Narrows - well, until the water got waist deep! The Virgin River runs through a very narrow slot canyon which makes for very interesting hiking. The air temperature was 70 degrees so getting soaking wet wasn't an option! We also hiked to Weeping Rock, a sandstone outcropping where water saturates the rock and seeps out. The girls loved standing underneath the overhang and letting droplets of water splash onto their faces.

We really enjoyed having Tom with us and look forward to continuing on our trip to Sedona for Tony's art show.

Capitol Reef National Park

Wow! We just spent an amazing three days and nights in Capitol Reef N.P. We were fortunate enough to arrive in the early afternoon on Saturday so we could secure a campsite in the campground. It filled most days by late afternoon!

Capitol Reef is most famous for its Waterpocket Fold, which runs one hundred miles north to south through the park. It was formed when major forces beneath the earth's crust created a fold in the rock, leaving one side of the plateau 1000's of feet higher than the other. The geology is rather complex, but a great topo map in the VC, along with a ranger talked helped!

Although we did drive the scenic drive (with auto tour cd!), we spent most of our time in the Fruita Historic District, near the Visitor Center Complex. The apple orchard was one of our favorite spots! It was also a favorite spot for dozens of mule deer! We had them in our camp every night! The ampitheater was also just a short walk and on Sunday and Monday nights we watched the Ken Burns film. We are hoping Tom is taping the other episodes!

Yesterday we hiked four miles up Sulfer Creek, climbing over rocks, swimming in deep holes, and sunbathing. This was all after completing two hours of school work. Yes, I am crazy, but it's got to get done! We were exhausted last night and ate trail mix for dinner!

So far, Capitol Reef is on the top of our list just below Yellowstone!