Boulder City, Nevada

Boulder City, Nevada. This town, about 20 miles from Las Vegas, came into being as Hoover dam was being built, to support the workers and provide the support services that were needed. My dad helped build this dam, so I feel a sort of connection to it.

We pulled in to the Boulder City Elks Club right around lunch time today. We got the rig set up, then went in to have a cold one and pay our rent.  And, the beer was REALLY cold. The compressor went out on their beer cooler so they had to ice down the keg. Word got out to the members that the beer was even colder than usual.... they all mentioned it as they drifted in. 'Friendly folks. We got to chatting with the RV park host and hostess.... she's pulling bartender duty today too. Deb and Colin are from Oregon too, right up the valley from where we lived, just south of Lebanon. They moved away from Oregon several years ago and have been out here in the desert ever since. Small world!

As we talked with our hosts we learned some of the history of the place. The club is housed in a building that was once the Boulder City airport. One site on Boulder City history states "the terminal was dedicated May 20, 1938. It was a beautiful building: the waiting room had open beams in the ceiling and a large wood-burning fireplace; there was a radio room, ticket office, and office for airport manager..." Here's an historic photo of the airport building  The Elks bought the building in 1958 when it was retired from airport duty. The parking lot and RV lot are where the airplanes are in the photo.   Photos of the club room and bar show the original interior architecture. Heavy ceiling beams seen in the photo of the interior of the "lounge in the clubroom" at the above link are also seen in a photo they have on the back wall of the lounge showing the airport when it was in use. The back side of the bar was originally the ticket window, and those small windows are still in place. They really have done a nice job of maintainingthe facility and they also have quite a few activities scheduled. We won't be around long enough this time to participate, but this is definitely a lodge we'll visit again.

Last night we stayed at "Blake Ranch RV Park and Horse Motel". The Ranch is a really nice park. Very clean and well maintained overall. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the little convenience store offers pretty much anything you'd need. Landscaping includes some nice cactus beds, many were blooming and the effect was very pretty. Molly had a bit of a problem with this stop, however. Doggies here are expected to visit the very tidy little fenced areas to do what dogs do.... and she just doesn't quite know how to behave in a 20 x 30 fenced in spot with nothing to sniff. We each took her to the "dog park" and sat on the available bench to wait for her to perform..... she looked around and then came over and sat down next to the bench. Give that dog a bush to sniff and she's happy, but this just didn't make any sense to her.

Boulder City, Nevada - part II

Last night we drove around the historic district a while. They've done a nice job with the older buildings and historic businesses. We also noticed a number of bronze statues around town. Many of them were installed last May as part of a public arts project.

High winds (gusts up to 32 miles an hour) kept us here at the Elks Club in Boulder City a day longer than we had planned. No worries. We went grocery shopping, bought a few parts and pieces for the rig, and visited the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum, housed in the old Boulder Dam Hotel. What an amazing engineering feat it was! and as the museum points out, the challenges the workers and their families faced just in daily living are noteworthy too. There was no school planned, no houses, no services, as all the families moved in. High temperatures were another challenge - no air conditioning in those days! Quite a bit of history is available on the museum web link, above. 

After touring we had another couple of cold one's in the Elks lounge - nice folks to visit with. Weather predictions are for much less wind tomorrow, so we'll be heading north.

Standin' on a corner, in Winslow Arizona. . .

Black Canyon, just east of Boulder Dam

We left Boulder City early, knowing we had a long day ahead. Driving over the new bridge at Boulder dam, through the craggy mountains, enjoying some incredible views of the mountains on both sides of the highway. Leaving the mountains, we went on down hwy. 93 and into Arizona, over rolling plains covered with rich grasses where we could just imagine buffalo roaming in days gone by, then up through the pine covered mountains of Flagstaff, and then down onto the desert, arriving in Winslow in the afternoon. Our final destination, for a two night stay, was Homolovi State Park.

Homolovi State Park protects the remains of several Anasazi pueblos, and serves as a research center for  the late migration period of the Hopi, from the 1200-1300s.

Homolovi II ruins

The remains of structures have pretty much begun returning to the earth from whence they came, though here and there bits of wall, subterranean rooms, and the overall structure of the settlements can be seen.

There are pottery shards everywhere, left as they lie for visitors to admire. The variety of pottery styles that are seen among the shards is interesting.


The visitor's center is small, but has informative displays, and there are several trails to walk, one of which leads to a few small examples of rock art.

The campground spaces are generously sized, plenty long enough for our setup, wide, with lots of open ground between, and many small trees here and there. The land slopes a little, so other campsites don't block the view of the open desert.

Walking up the gentle rise at the edge of camp in the evening we saw the lights of Winslow, sparkling like diamonds in the dusty twilight. At full-dark, those little diamonds moved to the sky. Surely there are more stars here than we've seen in a long time!

After touring the pueblo ruins we wandered into Winslow to see what we could see. The town has a couple of claims to fame. One is the mention of Winslow in the Eagles' famous song "Take it Easy". 

There's even a mural and a bronze statue on main street to commemorate the song. That "girl in a flat bed Ford is featured in the mural, and she's lookin' pretty good! The building that the mural is painted on burned, but they managed to save the wall. Now, there's a park where the rest of the building once stood.

There's an annual music fest too, inspired by the band. This year's is coming up soon, on Sept. 27. The event website has details.

The historic Route 66 goes right through Winslow, as does the Southern Pacific railroad. Because the town has been such an important cog in the transportation system a  Hardy House was built here in 1930. It was named La Posada, "the resting place."

The hotel has been lovingly restored and is a real treat to visit. We had a delicious lunch in the hotel's Turquoise Room, and after lunch wandered the hotel admiring the historic furnishings, art, and garden spaces. Their gift shop offers beautiful Native American jewelery, as well as other handcrafted items, and we really enjoyed browsing.

Last but not least, following the information on a little brochure I picked up at the Homolovi Park visitor's center, we found our way down to Winslow's First Street, where a very attractive little park has been built along the railroad tracks. Central to the park is a totem pole carved by Peter "Wolf" Toth. He has carved one in each of the 50 states (two in some states) and this was the location he chose for his work in Arizona. Photos of each of his carvings, as well as his life story, are in his book "Indian Giver".

The predicted winds had picked up during lunch, and by the time we reached camp it was a full gale. We settled down to take the afternoon off, huddling on the lee side of the trailer, watching the afternoon shadows lengthen. We plan an early departure so as to get out of the area before the strong winds kick up again.

The photo album has more shots of the area, and of the beautiful La Posada hotel.

Heading south

Well, the dentist in Klamath Falls couldn't find any cause for Steve's toothache, which makes in none the less painful, but, resulted in no treatment. So, we've decided the best approach is to head for home. That way if he needs to get to his regular dentist he can. I still don't feel much like sightseeing anyway, so we'll move along faster than usual, and if we both improve we'll slow down and take in whatever points of interest we happen to be near.... that's called shifting to "Plan B".

Shiner and I had taken several forays out into the woods while we were at Collier State Park. She did enjoy the opportunity to work on her leaping-like-a-deer-over-logs skills, and rooting for rodents,and wading in the river, so she got in her daily exercise. Our next stop, Ram Horn campground, in northeastern California.

Another of our favorite out of the way spots, the campground is usually empty or at least sparsely populated when we arrive. This time there were several vehicles and tents in occupancy. We pulled into the far end and managed to find a place that didn't require us to unhitch... we still have that broken jack to contend with.  This is a very rustic campground.... no services and no supervision, so Shiner could run off leash. We explored the road in both directions, inspecting fresh deer tracks and evidence of horses as well as chipmunks and lizards. Shiner would dash up one side of the road, then back and down into the creek bed. I'm sure she traveled at least four times as far as I did in the same amount of time. It had rained recently so the ground was a bit soft, but fortunately we'd missed the muddy stage. We'd been quite a while on the road, and the weather had turned cold, so we tucked in early and prepared for a long day ahead.

Next stop, south on hwy. 395, Hawthorn, Nevada. Hawthorn is largely an Army depot that stores ammunition, not really what you'd call a tourist attraction. It does inspire creative stories however. Being "out in the middle of nowhere", as it is, makes for good story telling. One version version is based on the idea that the depot is really a secret, underground submarine base! A very 007 concept, don't you think!

Whiskey Flats RV Park was our destination, and it's a nice park, as such things go, with large grassy areas at the ends of the rows and across the front of the park. 'Very tidy, people are friendly, full service including a laundry room if you need one. The gentleman who checked us in was very clear..."NO dogs on the grass". OK, so we pull into our assigned space, which is a very narrow ribbon of concrete snuggled up to another rig, on their very own ribbon of concrete. As we've been assigned an end space our doors open onto a large patch of beautiful green grass, and in the middle of the grass is a sign..."NO dogs on the grass"! Shiner is quite young and has not yet learned to levitate, but we did the best we could, making her walk on only her front feet until we were on the gravel drive. She cast longing looks at the green patch, as she does love to roll on soft green grass, and really couldn't understand the restriction at all!

The park does have a dog area toward the front that is large enough to play ball, which we did, so all was not lost. We tried adventuring out into the desert, but the entire area is scattered with broken glass. I can't imagine how so many acres could be covered with the stuff, all colors, but none of the old sun-purpled glass, so it's not old. Some is sandblasted enough to be rounded on the edges, but much is still sharp, though in mostly very small bits. Very strange, but we worked our way around it and went back to playing in the dog area. A little exercise was enough for the day for all of us.

Back on the road, still heading south, we'd planned a long drive for the day. Traveling at our usual pace wouldn't get us home, and to that dentist, very quickly! We sailed through Nevada's back country, where traffic jams are unheard of, the sky is bright blue, and the vista's are colorful and varied. We never tire of admiring the multicolored, weather sculpted mountains. Evidence of mining activity, new and historic, dots the hillsides, and it's fun to located settlement names on the map, then try to find evidence they were ever in existance as we drive through the location. Lumber was always scarce in this part of the country, so any wooden structures were usually either moved to a new location when a mining town folded up, or have been since used as firewood. We often can see a bit of adobe ruins, if the town was older, or a little concrete foundation, but often even that has been overtaken by sagebrush.

Destination for Monday night, Boulder City Elks Lodge. This is one of our favorite places to stop, as far as city accommodations. (See this post for history of the lodge) We've been here twice before, most recently was two years ago, and the host and bartender remembered us! Such friendly folks, and the club is always having some sort of social gathering so there are always folks about to chat with, and we always find connections. This time we met a gentleman who grew up in El Monte, where I was born, then moved to Long Beach, where we both grew up. He was in the newspaper business, and both our fathers were (though he was in a different capacity). It is truly a small world!

The lodge RV area was pretty full, but we did find a space that, again, allowed us to park without unhitching. Steve had checked the Camping World in Henderson, on the way in, for a new hitch, but they didn't stock the one he wants, so we'll do without for awhile. He can probably fix the broken one when we get home, so it's just a matter of putting up with it until then.

One more long day ahead of us and then we'll take a break for a couple of days. Maybe by then my head will be clear enough to snap a few photos.

Lagomarsino Petroglyph Site, Nevada

Our annual 4th of July BBQ and reunion with friends from "the old days" brings us to Gardnerville, Nevada, every year. As usual we had a terrific time - and ate way too much! It is always wonderful to catch up with old friends, and this year almost everyone's children, and in some cases their grand children, were able to attend so it was a particularly historic year.

There was also an additional treat this year. Our hosts, knowing of our interest in rock art, asked if we were interested in seeing the largest petroglyph site in the state. It took about 10 seconds of serious deliberation to answer that question!

Plans for the trip were interrupted by a thunderstorm - not only NOT a good time to be up on a mountain top, but also not a good time to go exploring on primitive roads. A sunny day followed, so cameras and lunch loaded up, my guide, Grant, and I took off for Logomarsino Canyon. (Steve unfortunately had been committed to another activity that day.)

Grant had warned us the road was narrow and rough, and it wasn't an exaggeration. Heading out to the suburbs of Virginia City we followed an organized pile of rocks that passes fairly well for a road, wandered through the canyons, and admired the scenery along the way.

One striking feature of the landscape is the number of rock walls - remnants of the early sheep ranching era. Miles and miles of wall run up and over the rolling foothills. Some of the stones used to build these walls are amazingly large, and one has to wonder at the technique and pure brute strength needed to construct them.

There are no sheep to speak of now, but there are herds of wild horses everywhere. Presumably they've either learned to jump the low walls or have knocked paths through them, as the horses seem to go pretty much where they please. There are also springs and a free flowing creek available, so water is easily available for the wildlife.

Wild horses rest near one of the stone walls

Though the drive from Virginia City is only a few miles, it takes about an hour and a half. A high clearance vehicle with 4WD and low range is recommended. Some of the springs make lovely mud holes and getting stuck wouldn't add to the enjoyment of one's trip. Grant's previous trips to the area had him well prepared and thanks to his driving skills we didn't have any difficulties.

The entrance to the site is protected by a locked steel gate, but it's only a few yards from the parking area to the first of the glyphs. Looking up from the trail at the bottom of the slope for the first time can only elicit a "Wow!", or something similar.

Note the crack in this boulder.

 The area is packed with petroglyphs, over 2,000 panels, and obviously of varying ages. The range of symbols, the varying styles, and the size of the area involved are all very impressive.

We hiked around for about three hours, trying to avoid stepping on any of the glyphs, but anxious to gather all the photos we could. (We took over 400 between the two of us.) Many of the motifs clearly relate to hunting and fishing, others feature humans, water symbols, and others could be maps of some kind. It is fun to try to interpret them, even though putting yourself in the mindset of someone hundreds of years ago is not really possible. The area was undoubtedly different then too. We know from geologic records this area was much wetter then, and what is a creek now may very well have been a river then.

Many of the boulders at the bottom of the slope have been abraded by the horses tromping on them, others are fractured and the weight of a horse may eventually complete the process of breaking the rock. The droppings in the area indicate it's horses doing this, not cows, but keeping them out might be difficult as the whole wild horse issue has become a real point of contention in the state. It's become quite emotional, and much of the problem comes from the use of the term "mustang". These horses should more properly be called "feral horses", as they do not have the bloodline of the historic Spanish Mustang.

It's obvious because of missing pieces in designs that many boulders have broken off and fallen to their current location, leaving us to wonder at their original placement, as well as what's under those other boulders? And where did the boulder fall from? Location is important in interpreting the meaning, and hard to do once it has been relocated.

Three hours in the sun at 5,000 feet will work up a good appetite, so we found a shaded spot by the creek on the way out and munched while we watched birds flutter around and a chubby marmot give us the evil eye. I don't think he likes trespassers on his nice little green creek.

If planning a trip to the site: There's plenty of parking at the site, but no restrooms or drinking water so be prepared. A couple of interpretive signs provide specific facts about the glyphs, which enriches the visit. A recent survey identified over 2,000 panels at the site - enough to keep us rock art lovers busy for quite some time so do have your camera battery charged!

There's an extensive report on how the most recent survey was done and a nice summary of their findings on the  Nevada Rock Art Foundation website.

The report also delves into the importance of the first survey done on the site, in research done by Heizer and Baumhoff  in the 1950's.

There research at this site was responsible for the development of their theories of rock art interpretation related to hunting activities and hunting magic. The report also delves into other interpretations, and is definitely worth reading.

Vandalism - someone attempted to cut out this petroglyph

The Nevada Rock Art Foundation conducts field trips throughout the year to various rock art sites and encourages their preservation. For information about upcoming tours check their site or contact them at info@nevadarockart.org

For a few more select photos of the site visit the album.

Burro Creek Campground, AZ

Steve discovered this little oasis by just browsing one of his favorite websites that indexes government campgrounds. We like the BLM areas as they are usually uncrowded and offer great scenery. Burrow Creek is definately up to our standards.

Our site, from the picnic shelter

Burrow Creek Campground is just south of Wikieup, just off of hwy. 93. The gravel road leading  down to the campground is lined with lime green paloverde trees and creosote bushes. Many of the cholla, barrel and saguaro cactus that dot the hillsides are still in bloom. When we entered the campground we dropped down to just a little under 2,000 feet in elevation, so it was warm (it got up to 103) but cooled down nicely during the night. The sites here are spacious and amazingly level, and the restrooms and tables with shades are very nice. We suspect in milder weather it’s often pretty busy, but on this visit we were one of only three occupied sites.

Riverbank view

Our site overlooked the river – what a delightful sight in this weather! The water of course attracts a variety of birds and we had quite a game going trying to identify all the odd bird and bug noises we were hearing. In spite of the heat and water we didn’t have much in the way of annoying bug - no flies to speak of, and mosquitoes didn’t come out until well after dark.

Burrow Creek is quite old, geologically speaking. It has cut deeply through sedimentary and volcanic material, which makes for a colorful hillside. The craggy volcanic rock provides nice niches for bird nests, and the softer sedimentary is full of small holes – homes for the bats we saw sailing around at sunset. There’s a trail on both ends of the camp with access through the stock fence so you can get down to the river. You may meet a few cattle along the way, but they’re friendly.

Typical of BLM campgrounds there are no services at the sites so it was a good opportunity to test the new solar system. I'm happy to report the solar system passed with flying colors, keeping our portable frig, several fans, and the TV all running at once during peak sun hours. Steve happily spent the afternoon turning things on and tracking the usage and recovery capabilities. It’s always nice when a project turns out the way it was planned!

We have only a short drive planned for Saturday. We’ll be staying in Boulder City for a couple of days to catch up on mundane activities like laundry and grocery shopping. See last year's post for info on the Elks Club where we'll be staying. More photos from the area here.

Classic Arizona sunset

north to central Nevada

Prince's Plume

We left Boulder City fairly early this morning, heading through Las Vegas then north on hwy. 95 through Goldfield. As we climbed in elevation the flat desert began to green up a bit and soon we were in the midst of a Joshua tree forest. Things look healthy here. Nevada apparently hasn't suffered the killing freeze and severe drought like Arizona. Though the desert here receives only about  6 inches of rainfall a year, the plants are well adapted. There are even a few wildflowers blooming! Prince's Plume isn't one of the most common here, but we found this clump growing beside the road.

I've always been fascinated by Joshua trees. They take on such fascinating shapes and are just gorgeous when covered with their big white blossoms. This is the thickest I've seen them grow in all our recent travels. They're pretty picky about climate and elevations and things must be just perfect in this area.

All along the route we saw convoys of contract and agency fire fighters - some heading north for a well deserved rest after 2 or 3 weeks on the fires in Arizona and New Mexico, others heading south, probably to the fire in southern Arizona (Sierra Vista).

We passed through Goldfield, which hasn't changed much since my folks explored in the mine dumps for old bottles 50 years ago. In the early 1900's Goldfield was the largest town in the state, but now it's considered a ghost town. It still has a lot of permanent residents, so perhaps "living ghost town" would be more accurate.

A little further north we stopped for lunch, groceries and fuel in the little old mining town Tonapah.

The town is looking fairly prosperous considering their population is only around 3300. It's the only place to buy essentials for many miles in either direction, so they have a bit of a captive audience.

Both Goldfield and Tonapah are good places to visit if you want a bit of the flavor of the old mining towns without having to venture off the highway. There are several buildings that are pretty much "original" and illustrate the creativity of residents trying to make life comfortable when they had very little to work with. This house in Tonapah is sided with flattened metal cans. They make pretty good shingles!

For some people this part of Nevada "just desert" but for us it's not only colorful landscapes, but it's just oozing history. At every turn there's another historic mine (silver, gold, copper, and others), an historic railroad,or another abandoned brothel. Just south of Mina we passed the "Wildkat Ranch" - a classy assembly of tall Roman columns enclosing a small squat plaster building, and surrounded by several mobile homes (entertainment rooms). Closed for lack of traffic one would suppose, as the brothels are still legal here.

Mine tailings and headframes near Goldfield

In the realm of civilization and services, we're just a little bit north of  nowhere, but we've had spotty cell service all the way. 30 miles from the park we still have full 1x service. Amazing! So what do people do for work out her "in the middle of nowhere"? Well, mining is big. In fact. we just passed a large magnesium mine, and it turns out they are hiring........ need a job?

Our final destination today is the Berlin-Ichthyosar State Park, where we'll spend a few days exploring.

City of Rocks National Preserve, Idaho

Dolphins and whales leaping from a blue-green sage colored ocean. Huge, gray elephants lumbering across velvety green slopes. A tiny cirque, high up on the distant hills, is all that remains of the winter's snow, and a few wildflowers dot the plain. That's the scene here in City of the Rocks National Preserve. 

Well, the critters may be imaginary, but the forms are real. These giant gray granite outcrops certainly inspire those images. 

Saturday we drove west, through the park, admiring the formations and checking out the named boulders.

There's Camp Rock, where travelers found protection from the winds, Treasure Rock, that supposedly marks a huge buried treasure, and Elephant Rock, inspired I'm sure by the effect of the gray boulders on the plain.

After all the red sandstone we've seen, these gray granite outcrops seem such a contrast. And they come as a surprise after the drive through the rolling wheat fields of southern Idaho. Although all the formations appear at first to be made of the same type of stone there are actually three different materials involved in creating this amazing landscape.

One, the Green Creek Complex consists of granite formed around 2.5 billion years ago.  This type has a high mica content and glitters in the sun like diamonds. The second, the Elba Quartzite originated during the Proterozoic Eon a mere 15,000 to 600 million years ago. This stone is much lighter than the Green Creek granite, and also has mineral stains causing red and green streaks and layers. The third type is the Almo Pluton, granite, formed by the slow cooling of magma, makes up most of the spires in the City of Rocks. (More about the geology of the area here.)

The Twin Sisters formation is interesting because the left peak, of the Twin Sisters, is made up of rock from the Green Creek Complex (2.5 billion years old), and the right peak is made up of rock from the Almo Pluton (28 million years old). Some birthing process!

This preserve is notable not only for the geology, but for the pioneer history, as the California Trail (companion to the famous Oregon Trail) passed right through the center of the park.

Register Rock records some of the names and dates. Many more were written there, but have long since faded due to weathering. Only those protected by the overhang of the boulder remain legible.

Turning east there's a view of the smooth plain the wagons crossed to get to this point. Its grassy, and looks like easy going. Turning west, the view is only broken rocks and steep slopes. One can only imagine what thoughts the pioneers had at this point about the challenges lay ahead. The ground is solid with small boulders, and the granite spires crowd each other, often leaving little space to get a wagon and team through.

 The stone ruins still standing beside the road mark one of the locations where the California Trail crossed the current road. Originally settled in 1882 under the 1862 Homestead Act, the land was sold in 1901and patented under the Desert Land Act. The combined acreage formed the nucleus of the Circle Creek Ranch. The Tracy's spent years constructing a substantial stone house to replace their log dwelling. The stone used in the construction of the home is from a quarry located about one mile southwest of the home site. The home burned in 1957. (A nice driving tour brochure that includes many of the historic and scenic points is available here.)

Today's adventuresome types come to this area not as pioneers, but as rock climbers. Though the state park campground we are in, Smoky Mountain, is very sparsely populated, the boondocking camps out in the bushes, near the climbing rocks, are swarming with people. Each of the cracks and crevices seems to have a name, relevant to the climbers, and there clear signs directing people to the base of the formation where the way up begins. Many of the parking areas around picnic areas and climbing sites were full today, when we drove through the park. I can't imagine what it must be like here during the spring, which is the peak season. 

At the edge of the park we went north to the little town of Oakley. The town has less than 600 residents, and their main claim to fame is a historic section with a few really nice Victorian homes.

One of the major industries in the area is stone quarry products, and there are several stone dealers around to prove it. I wish I could get some of this back to Texas! They have some really attractive types in the display areas.

Once back in camp we noticed the storm clouds gathering. This seems to be a regular afternoon thing. Big, billowy white clouds suddenly turn dark, then the thunder starts, and then a few sprinkles. This was a bit more lively than the day before, though. With a little hail and a lot of wind thrown in. We battened down the hatches, so to speak, so we wouldn't have to worry about things and took off for the nearby town of Almo to have dinner. We don't eat out much, so having someone else do the cooking is quite a treat. We went to the Outpost Inn, a nice little steakhouse type restaurant. Good food, and some interesting Native American items decorating the place.

Our big outing on Sunday was a drive to the state park right next to City of Rocks. Castle Rocks State Park is much smaller than the national park, but much the same in appearance. It's also popular with climbers, and it's probably to them that we owe the great cell service in this area, as well as the fact that our campground has wireless.

Smokey Mountain campground, where we are staying, is actually part of the state park, though it's separated by a couple of miles. It's a really well designed campground. The spaces are wide, level, and very private, and there are a couple of yurts available for those without an RV. There's also an equestrian section that includes holding pens for horses and plenty of room for stock trailers. Showers, recycling centers, full hook-ups, and a thunderstorm every afternoon at 3:00. The spaces are surrounded with sage, yarrow, juniper and pine that send out heavenly aromas when the afternoon showers hit. What more could anybody want?

Well, actually, I could want better signage. When we arrived at the park we noticed a sign at the edge of the parking lot with a list of things we might see there, but no arrows or directions, and the world's dinkiest map was posted for reference, so after a lot of hiking around in circles we finally found what we were looking for - some very faint pictographs! See the notes in the photo album if you are interested in tracking them down.

The ranch house that is part of the park is now an inn of sorts, and so not open to anyone who is not a guest of the inn. It's a cute little building, but we don't know anything about it, as there was no information available at the park.

A single visitor's center, in Almo, serves both parks. You can get brochures and shop for gift items there. There's also a mercantile and another food and misc. items store in Almo, so if you forget something you can probably pick it up there.

Another storm came up late in the day, and this time brought a double rainbow over the valley. The perfect finish to a perfect day!

Evading the heat

Thursday, June 18
The route we originally planned has been hit by a real heat wave, so we're heading north toward cooler climes.

Our first stop of the day is a sight-seeing tour of El Moro National Monument.

The park is named for the imposing sandstone structure, behind Steve in this photo, that rises above the floor of the desert (a "cuesta", geologically speaking).

The area is historically important as travelers on the ancient trade route that passed by here relied on the pool of water at thFe base of El Morro - a pool of runoff and snow-melt that has never been known to completely dry up.

Another reason this area is of such historic interest is the markings those visitors have left behind. There are so many signatures on the sides of El Morrow that it has come to be known as Inscription Rock.

Ancestors of the Zuni Indians called it Atsinna - "place of writing on the rock." The early Native Americans recorded their passage in pictographs, the Spaniards who explored here in the late 1500's recorded their names, the dates, and the accomplishments of their expeditions. Then, as European immigrants moved west to California, the Mexican-American War (1846-48) and western railroad expansion brought more people to the area, they too left names and dates on the sandstone walls.

The volunteer at the visitors center gave us a loan copy of the guide book and suggested we hit the trail immediately as it was getting warmer by the minute so we took her advice. The trail is paved, .5 miles, and dogs are welcome (on leash), a good thing as we couldn't have left Shiner in the car for that long. The trail is an easy walk, with a few bits of steep grade. The trail is well worth the effort.

We really enjoyed seeing the little pool of water - the primary reason this particular place was so important! There are several

Cat tails and reeds in the desert?

cliff swallow nests along the looming wall above the pool. We were watching the swallows sail above us when the most hellacious noise I have ever heard came echoing out of the huge vertical crack in the sandstone, just behind the pool. After listening to the racket for a few minutes we decided it was crows, defending their nest (or disciplining their children!). Whatever it was, it sounded quite frightening!!

As we walked on we began to see the variety of inscriptions. Some of the engravings are truly amazing, for the age and the messages as well as for the quality and style of engraving.

 

Copper plate style engraving

Copperplate and flowery script mingle with rough block letters and ancient running goats.

Some inscriptions are accompanied by the initials  UP, indicating they were connected to a survey the Union Pacific Railway conducted through the area. Others, reading "Beale" and "Breckinridge"  are connected to the Army's 1850's experiment using camels as pack animals in the desert areas.

The dry climate has helped to preserve the quality of the carvings, and some look as crisp and sharp as if they were done just yesterday. The El Morro photo album is here.

The rest of the day was driving, our stop for the night, Homolovi State Park. Our site had a bit of shade, and the temperatures were tolerable by the time we arrived (100 degrees at 3 P.M.- by 6 it had cooled of to 95.) Thank heavens for electrical hook-ups!

Friday, June 19

We wended our way through the very picturesque Navajo country - colorful formations all around, and the Vermillion Cliffs, amazing scenery (follow the link as they have photos on days with no smoke!. . .  what we could see of it. A fire up in the forest near Grand Canyon has sent smoke wafting all the way to Homolovi where we camped last night - near Winslow.

We'd been wondering what was making the sky so hazy, and it got worse as we traveled closer to the canyon. Steve checked news reports and now we know the cause. It's not threatening people or structures, so they are letting it burn. Probably a wise decision as fires are a part of nature. It certainly does make for difficult photography though! The haze was so dense we could hardly see the cliffs in front of us!

A 30 minute delay for construction just north of Cameron put a dent in our progress, but we didn't have that far to go. For each mile we climbed toward our destination, Jacob Lake /campground (Kaibab National Foreset), the temperature dropped. It was 99 degrees at the Vermillion Cliffs and 82 up at the campground. Overnight it dropped to the mid 50's. Ah, we're enjoying the cool while we can, as we have a lot of desert to get through before we get to our first real destination, Gardnerville, Nevada

Saturday, June 20
Duck Creek Campground, Utah
We left Jacob Lake fairly early, giving ourselves time to stop briefly in Kanab, just over the line into Utah.

We picked up a couple of things at Honey's grocery store, where we met Rusty. I'm quite sure Rusty is the cousin of Mater (of Cars movie fame).

Kanab is a beautiful little town, and this is the second time we've been here. We vowed this time to come back and spend a few days. The town has so many interesting little shops, historic areas, and the striking contrast between all the green trees and the bright red rim rock and formations that surround the town is a treat for the eyes.

Through Kanab, up hwy. 89 and then west on 14 we finally arrived at Duck Creek Campground.

We were worried that on a Saturday it would be hard to find a site, but there were several available.

We slid into #12, perfectly flat and level, and what would appear to be a whole meadow all to ourselves. We even managed an internet connection (ATT this time).
The campground map shows the trails that lead our of the group site parking area (at the top of the map). The trails are nice, not difficult, and add to the dog-friendly atmosphere.

As we watched the aspen leaves shimmer in the 80 degree breeze we contemplated on the fact that, if we had followed our original plan we'd be in Boulder City (NV), at 111 degrees right now. I'd say we made a good decision in swinging north!

Custer State Park part II - Touring in the Black Hills

August 16-25

We took the first day in Custer State Park to do some driving and get oriented to the park. Much of this park can easily be experienced from a vehicle as the road system was designed so as to highlight the scenic features.  There are three major routes, Iron Mountain Road, Needles Highway, and the Wildlife loop, and during our stay we enjoyed all of them. Here, the name of each route is linked to additional information specific to the route. Each is worth a full day to experience, as there are so many pull-outs and short trails to explore it's doing the area an injustice to rush through it all.

We spent quite awhile on the Wildlife Loop Drive, the first of three major routes, stopping at the historic State Game Lodge and the main Visitor Center, which focuses mainly on the buffalo.

The State Game Lodge is a beautiful structure, with an atmosphere of solid but rustic elegance. It first opened in 1921, then burned to the ground 72 days later. It was rebuilt and opened again in 1922.

It must be comfortable as it became the "summer White House" for President Calvin Coolidge when he visited 1927. He intended to stay for 2 weeks, but it turned into 13. . .  I guess he liked it here! The lodge is still serving visitors with a restaurant and lodging rooms of several types.

We mosied along the road admiring the scenery and the animals, and also stopped at the Wildlife Station Visitor Center, one of those beautiful stone structures built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) in the 1930's.

The CCC crews were instrumental in building most of the stone structures in the park. It's amazing how many years it has been, and still their handiwork stands, strong, sturdy, and beautiful for all of us to enjoy. In addition to the stone buildings the CCC projects also included work on some of the roads, tunnels, and the many bridges that were needed to complete the routes through the park.

Our second long drive was the Needles Highway, which is well is well named. The road artfully wends its way through tall spires of granite, through two amazing tunnels which were specifically
designed to highlight the view as one passes through.

There is a small parking area at the Eye of the Needle's Eye formation for the convenience of visitors who want to photograph it. Of necessity the road is very narrow, and the tunnels are even narrower, towing anything through one of them is not recommended.

The views along all the drives are spectacular and the geology amazing. The roadsides literally sparkle with the coarse grained granite outcrops and the finer grained mica schist, as well as veins of pink feldspar. I've tried every camera setting available and nothing can quite capture just how reflective all this stone is, but picture some coarse glitter sprinkles over a boulder, on a really sunny day, and you'll be close.

The granite in some cases has mica flakes as big as 3 inches square, so they act as large mirrors, then the pink feldspar, while not quite crystals, has flat surfaces that shimmer in the sun. It's amazing!

Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway were planned by former South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck, who marked the entire course of the Needles Highway on foot and on horseback.

He specifically designed the tunnels so as to frame certain views, and he was the driving force for much of the work done in the park. The Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway is a 66 mile double loop that honors him, and includes all or portions of each of the three individual scenic drives within the park.

Exploring the roads he designed is a treat. The tunnels, the "pigtails", and the artistry in the development of the bridges enrich the scenic experience. (The pigtails are loops that cross over themselves, as a way to move the road down, or up, a severe slope while keeping the grade fairly gradual)

Tunnel at the Needles Eye

Most of the tunnels are one lane only, so though some have a bypass, drivers must be careful and observant, taking turns and using pull-outs as needed.

When you toss in random wildlife crossing the road, and weather, there's a good reason for the 25 mph recommendation in most areas. In some places going even slower makes sense. We had a spot of rain during this stretch, and then there's always the odd deer that decides to make a mad dash across the road, not to mention the occasional tourist who decides to stop in the middle of the road to snap a photo.

Norbeck himself recommended 15 MPH as a good speed at which one could travel the road and enjoy the views. I think he knew what he was talking about. Buffalo, if they are in your way, make a serious dent in the radiator!

We really did see a lot of wildlife - a buffalo herd and a few solitaries, a few antelope and deer, the ever present and always chubby prairie dogs, and wild donkeys.

Well, they aren't really very "wild", to watch them in the parking lot. We had turkeys and deer right in the edge of our camp and meandering through the campground on several occasions. After a while the dogs got used to them as visitors and didn't bark (much).

There are signs everywhere warning people not to approach the buffalo. We saw in Theodore Roosevelt NP how "tame" they seem, so it's understandable that people get overconfident. The ranger in the Wildlife Station told us a woman visiting this park was gored this spring when she got too close to a buffalo and then reached out to touch it. Personally, I'm happy to look at them from a distance, or through the screen door!

While walking with the dogs over a little-used-much deer trail a great horned owl swooped over my head, then landed on a branch where he looked down at us without blinking.  As rare as it is to see an owl in the afternoon, he was among the few birds we saw. There were a few blue jays, and a young hawk being encouraged to flight by his parents, but not as many varieties as I would have expected. The dogs bouncing around in camp probably had something to do with that.

There are a few must-see, man-made attractions here, and Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is certainly one of them.

Mt. Rushmore has been on Steve's bucket list for years, and now we've done it! We set out on Iron Mountain Road fairly early as we wanted to beat the heat. Consequently the day was rather cloudy and dim for the first hour or so, and then the clouds thinned and we had beautiful blue sky with a few decorative clouds to set off the amazing granite structures in the distance.

Many of the distant formations are actually the backside of the Needles structures we saw when we drove the Needles Highway.

The monument is visible from a good distance on the highway and it was a challenge to catch glimpses of it as we wended our way through the forest. Of course, very impressive when viewed from a closer vantage point. The visitor center presents the history of the sculpture in a variety of ways - videos, signs, displays, and an audio tour.

There are displays of artifacts and documents used during work on the monument, photos of work in progress, and a short ranger presentation delivered right next to the model used to determine the measurements for the final sculpture. A trail around the complex and under the sculpture affords a variety of perspectives and lots of photo opportunities. It's pretty much a full day activity. This project was truly an amazing undertaking, and a national treasure.There's some fascinating information on how the carvings were done, with dynamite, and jack hammers, here.

We'd heard the evening program, in which the sculpture is illuminated, was worth seeing, so we made a return trip. The program was scheduled to begin at 8 PM, so we planned to have dinner in the cafe there, and this was the only down-side to the visit. The food was pricey and totally "below par", so to speak. The only bonus out of the deal was the can of beer we picked up to accompany the meal.

A local brewery, in Hill City, worked with the staff at the monument to select four brews to name for the four founders depicted on the mountain.

We selected Honest Abe Red Ale, which was pretty good, and informative! On each can the label includes several historic facts about the person the brew is named for. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln is the only president who was also a licensed bartender? In his younger years Abe and a partner owned a store/drinking establishment in Salem, Illinois.

The evening program was very enjoyable. A short movie along with a presentation by a ranger made up most of the program, then all military service members were invited on stage.

It was a huge group, and each was introduced along with their branch of service. At the end of the program several service members, including Steve, assisted the ranger in taking down the flag and folding it.

The lights on the mountain, as well as other areas of the visitor center make the night display very dramatic, and we were glad we took the opportunity to go back for the second visit.

The following day we decided to explore some of the areas beyond the park boundaries, and since we had enjoyed the Honest Abe Red Ale we decided to look up one of the brewery's tasting rooms. They have one in Custer, but er ended up in Hill City, at the brewery/winery joint tasting room and restaurant. We checked with the staff and they were perfectly fine with the dogs joining us on the patio, so we had a light lunch and shared a sampler.

Hunting around on their shelves later we found a four pack of the four brews named for the founders, so Steve has the set for his label collection shelf! (I'm not sure who's going to drink that lemon grass/mint beer the park people selected to represent Theodore Roosevelt!)

Hill City is also home to the South Dakota State Train Museum - known as the 1880 Train. There are several antique rail cars in varying states of restoration displayed on the grounds. We didn't tour the museum, we'll leave that for the next trip through here.

This post covers so many days that the photos are divided up into multiple albums. If you want to see more pictures here are the links.

Custer State Park - History (buildings, roads, etc.)
Custer State Park - Flora and Fauna
Custer State Park - Scenic Geology

When viewing the photos, click on the little "i" at the top right to see the descriptions.

All good things must come to an end, so the touring comes to a close and we're on to other adventures. We'll head back to Rapid City to catch up on chores, and then work our way east.

Blanding and Natural Bridges National Monument

After a refreshing night's sleep, in spite of the booming thunderstorm, we left Dalton Springs, continuing down the other side of the mountain in to Monticello, then south on 191 to Blanding. Blanding is in San Juan County. In the 2000 census the population was 3,162, making it the most populated city in San Juan County. Does that tell you a little something about this part of the state? Let's just say, it's not crowded here!

First stop – Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum. This museum is definitely worth stopping for. We've seen so many museums in our travels that we've become a bit jaded, but museum is a real experience,. There are several unusual features: one is the beautifully painted rock art murals on every available blank wall. They have the largest pottery collection in the southwest, and some very rare and ancient Pueblo artifacts.

The facility is also a research center, and much of the resource material, particularly the pottery, is displayed in a glass enclosure so the public can enjoy it, as well as being able to access images and information stored in a computer available right next to the display. There’s a restored ruin with a kiva (underground ceremonial chamber) outside, which visitors can enter, and a beautiful vista of the area that once housed several Pueblo families. Down the slope from the restored kiva is an astronomical observation tube sculpture. It's designed, as some rock art is, to project light in certain places on the designs in the tube, indicating specific events like an equinox.

We decided we’d better stock up on provisions in Blanding since it would be about a week before we hit another town with a real grocery store. In this case, provisions included fuel and water as most of the camping areas in this part of the state don’t have water available, or limit campers to only a few gallons. The first gas station we check in with was out of diesel! So we tried another and were successful with fuel as well as being directed to the RV park next door where we filled up with water.

Well stocked, we left hwy. 191 just south of Blanding, going west on hwy 95, to Natural Bridges National Monument.

The visitor's center in the park is almost totally solar powered. In 1980 a solar power system was installed that for a time supplied all their power needs.  It now provides 90%, with generators providing back-up power. The visitor's center is the only place to get water, and they strictly limit amounts.

We knew the park had a campground, and one web site we checked said “26 feet” limit, which usually means the RV, and we can usually fudge a little and fit in smaller spaces. In this case we discovered, it means the total unit. As our trailer alone is 30 feet, even new math wasn’t going to wedge us into a site. Each of the spaces has a huge boulder placed at the back of it, so there's no letting the bumper end hang over the pad at all. The campground is small, and the drive has tight curves, definitely for the tent camper types.

The visitor’s center staff said we could leave the RV in the parking lot while we drove the loop, so that’s what we did. Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails, and since Molly hates traveling in the truck (you’d think she’d be used to it by now!) we left her in the trailer so she could nap. With time included for hopping out to take pictures and some short hikes to viewpoints, the nine mile loop takes about three hours. There were longer trails down to the bottom of the bridges that would have been nice, if we’d had time and it hadn’t been so hot!

Unlike the red sandstone formations in Arches National Park, which were formed by wind and other kinds of erosion, these white sandstone bridges were formed by water erosion (that’s the difference between the two terms, "arch" and "bridge"). The river rushing through the canyon eventually carved tight loops, as the canyon deepened the river broke broke through at the narrow points of the loops, at the level of the softer layers, straightening out the river and causing the formation of a bridge in the more durable sandstone of the upper layers.

This is a different type of sandstone than we saw in Arches, but this also breaks off in curved shapes, leaving caves and shelters which the Ancient Pueblo’s took advantage of. One of the short trails leads to a viewpoint of the Horse Collar cliff dwelling on the other side of the river. ‘Definitely worth the effort of a short hike! For one thing, usually you are looking up at the cliff dwellings. This is one of the few instances when you can look down on them, which is a different perspective all together.

Back at he visitor’s center we hitched up again and headed for the “overflow camping” area. It’s really just a graveled area with a few places opened up back in the trees, no restrooms or water. Considering the view and privacy we had, we felt this was an improvement over the crowded little campground.

There’s no cell service in the park, or even very near it, but we were able to catch a signal out on the highway.  It's a challenge keeping this blog updated when we can't get on the Internet, so it's catch-up time when we do finally get connected.

Check out more photos of Edge of the Cedars State Park here, and Natural Bridges here.