Monument Valley to Kayenta and then Grand Canyon

Man, one's shoes get dusty tromping around in the desert!



We'd gone to the Trading Post at Gouldings and bought some lovely things, gifts for ourselves and others, then to the Grocery store for dinner supplies. I made fresh sweetcorn (white) with some of the butter left over from the baked potato from the night before (how many meals does that make out of those leftovers?) plus some corn tortillas sandwiched with pastrami and cheese, buttered on the outside and pan fried. Pretty good. Ice cream for dessert.

The next morning was travel day. Kayenta was definitely on the agenda and the menu. We had an apple and banana for breakfast, with huevos rancheros at the Amigo Cafe in mind. We arrived in Kayenta at about 10.15, ready to eat. Found the Amigo Cafe. Closed. Hearts and stomachs fell. It looked pretty abandoned, but the sign out the front said it would open at 10.30. We drove around a little, got some petrol, looked at a few of the sights of Kayenta.





That took five minutes. We drove around some more, then back to the cafe. It opened as scheduled at 10.30





We were the first customers, but as soon as we sat down and ordered our huevos rancheros, the place filled up, mostly with Navajo Indians, as this is their land. It was delicious, divine, as remembered. We cleaned our plates with much satisfaction. We also enjoyed the reading matter provided - "How to cope when you are surrounded by idiots - or if you are one. " Sample true/false question: cats like to relax in a gunny sack while floating in the canal." I cracked up over that one. I'll spare you more.

We drove on, past the Elephant's Feet



and stopped in Tuba City (Tony Hillerman country) at Van's Trading Post
to get refreshments and change drivers. There was a small supermarket, a pawn shop (for real pawn, like silver and turquoise) and a trading post with Pendleton blankets and jewellery and so forth. To borrow from my daughter's idiom there was a whole rainbow wall of wool skeins.



I'm always on the lookout for wool, and this was not where I expected to find it. The wool itself came from Mitchell, Nebraska, and was either pure wool or a wool/mohair mix. $4.95 per skein. I bought four, (navy, bright blue, lilac and cream) and spent many a happy mile wondering what I will knit with it. Hats? An afghan? .

We bought a Tony Hillerman CD to listen to, and were slightly disappointed that extraneous descriptions of the countryside had been edited. That was what we were interested in, really, as we were there.

We stopped at another scenic spot with a mini-canyon, and ran the gauntlet of the bead shops. Michael reaches bead-point long before I do, but I am there now. There is just so much STUFF! We took some snaps, then headed on.



The Grand Canyon is high on the plateau, and the scenery changed to forest. We stopped at the Desert View point, with the stone Watchtower, and took some snaps,



looked around. Then decided that as we had no hotel booking we would press on and secure accommodation, then do what else time allowed. We went to Tusayan, at the south entrance to the Park, and got a room at the Holiday Inn Express. Feeling comfortable about having a room, we returned to Yavapai Point to take pictures of the canyon at sunset. My parking karma was good - there were a lot of people there. Kinda missed the sunset, but enjoyed looking and snapping. I am still coming to grips with my new digital SLR. There is a lot of new stuff to learn about it, and I am enjoying it.

Monument Valley

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Nearly twenty years ago Michael spent a year in Utah. I met my mother and my sister (with her two boys) in San Antonio, and we did a road trip up through this whole area. We have many happy memories of (in no particular order) Mesa Verde, Pagosa Springs, Carlsbad Caverns, Taos, and Kayenta, just outside Monument Valley. We drove past Monument Valley, and stayed in Kayenta nearby. In that town was possibly the best Mexican food I've ever eaten. We ate dinner there, and breakfast the next morning. Back then, in 1990, we pressed on to Logan, Utah. Michael and I got married there. I suggested then a trip to Monument Valley, but there wasn't the time or inclination. This is that trip.

We woke to a cold morning, and this is the view from our room.



Breakfast was leftover baked potato with a salad of corn, black beans, green chile and red peppers. Mmmm. We had booked a tour which started at 9, so off we went. Up and down very rough dirt roads, it was simply sensational. Again, the pictures speak for themselves, I can't add too much commentary.








I learned from my trip to Egypt in 2000 that you really need to have people in photographs in order to show the scale. Here is an example:

Moab and Arches National Park

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Breakfast was the all-you-can eat American breakfast at the Chinese restaurant in Moab. Then we retraced our steps to the Arches National Park, and drove around going ooh and aah. Drove to the end of it, then walked for a while. We saw many of the eponymous arches and it was just awe-inspiring. I think I'll let the photos speak for themselves.



















It took the afternoon to drive to Monument Valley, where we arrived at dusk. Magical views. I couldn't resist stopping every so often for pictures. Why resist? Isn't this why we are here?



We are staying at Goulding's, where John Wayne used to stay. Just glorious. Our room has a fabulous view:



Dinner was at the restaurant here. The mini Navajo frybread appetizer was anything but mini. The mains were huge. We took the leftovers home and they were both breakfast and lunch the next day. Six meals for the price of two!

Greeley Colorado to Moab Utah

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A 6 am wakeup call got us going early. A sticky icky cinnamon bun and a hard boiled egg for me and cheesy omelet with sausage patty for Michael.

We were at the Greeley Museum at its opening time of 8.30. A cold and very foggy morning, and the air redolent with cow. The museum is a lovely old building, and there was plenty of stuff on the Union Colonists. Greeley himself only visited once, after lending his name to the place.



Nathan Meeker, it turned out, was killed by the Indians (who he was teaching to farm instead of hunt), when he ploughed their favourite horse-racing field. Two of his womenfold were held captive by the Indians for 23 days. Seems his idea of utopia was not the same as that of the Indians. There was a lot of information in the museum on sugar-beet farming, and also on irrigation. That must have been a real priority in this arid landscape.

Once done with the museum we set forth.

What a fabulous drive, through such amazing scenery. From the Colorado high country through Denver, through the mountains and down to the spectacular scenery of Utah. We are staying only one night at Moab, because we are on our way to Monument Valley, to a booking at Goulding's for two nights. That couldn't be changed, and was on our must-do list. If it was good enough for John Wayne, it is good enough for us.

Our breakfast kept us going until a quick stop at Georgetown for an apple, a Pepsi, a Snickers bar, and some dried fruit. Michael had similar, with two Butterfingers instead of the Snickers.

Moab is definitely a tourist town. One of the things on my list of possible purchases was a fancy belt. The cheapest I've seen was $1800, and the most expensive over three thousand! Um, maybe not this time.

We just ate Mexican for dinner. I make better tamales, but I don't do them very often as they are very labour intensive. Same for chile rellenos. Yum. We are very happy now.

We are staying at a Ramada, which doesn't appear to offer free wifi. However the list of networks tells me that the Gonzo Hotel has an unsecured network, so that's what I am using.

And now time for some photos. Such varied and glorious scenery. The high mountain passes had snow, and we drove through a few flurries. Frosted fir trees, golden aspens, the sparkling Colorado River. Some of the time Michael was driving, so I took the pics. Sometimes I was driving, so begged Michael to use my camera to take some. "Twirl the lens off macro to infinity." "Turn the polarizing circular filter so the little white notch is at the top, so you get blue sky." "Look through the viewfinder, it doesn't have a screen for taking pictures." "Turn the lens so you frame the picture." Etc. My two rules for taking good pictures are 1) have your camera with you, and 2) take a lot of pictures. Im adding a third - 3) look through the viewfinder.

See if you can tell whose photos are whose....

New 'prize'technology

Up at 6 this morning to go to Moab, and as we check out we receive a flimsy plastic card with a strange window in it. The instructions on the card tell us to go to a website and hold this window up against the screen to reveal a secret code to enter for prizes. I try this on Baby (our little white EeePC). What comes up on the screen is a blue box against which to hold the card, but I can't get the code right - I get an error. I took it to the hotel lobby to view in their monitor, and still can't get it right. Am I colourblind? Is it too hard to read, like some of those online verification codes? Do we really WANT 25,000 Holidy Inn points?

Our first stop this morning is the Greeley Museum to see what they have on the Union Colony, then into the car for a long road trip. We are aiming for Moab today, which is well on the way to our booking at Gouldings in Monument Valley.

Hastings, Nebraska, to Greeley, Colorado

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A leisurely start with coffee, fruit for breakfast, bed making, packing, and pleasant conversation. It is a long way to come for a short visit, but it is good to see Barbara.

We set off from Hastings, with Michael driving. Remember how Michael was crook? My turn. A stop off at a truck stop. Free wifi is everywhere - truckstops, OfficeMax, Walmart, Borders, hotels.

I drove, but had to pull over on the highway somewhere in Colorado. Bringing together the bottle of Sprite, the high wind, and the smell of the cattle yard made for a very memorable experience. Michael took over the driving again while I felt very fragile. It was a long drive, and we enjoyed Garrison Keilor narrating one of his books along the way. It formed a distraction!

From UtopiaUSA2008

We drove into Greeley around 5 pm, and checked into a Holiday Inn Express. I crawled into bed and stayed there until 8 am.

Arose today feeling relatively normal, but had minimal breakfast and no coffee for me. Did a bit of research on the town. We are here because the town was a utopian community. Temperance had something to do with it, but more because of its foundation as the Union Colony, which as Wikipedia says was an experimental utopian community of high moral standards. We sought the museum (closed, because it is Monday) and the Meeker House (closed, because it is the wrong season), and generally drove around. We were disappointed, and will do the museum before we leave tomorrow. It seems most visitors to these parts are the active kind. All the hotel brochures are to do with hiking and white-water rafting and horse-riding. None of that is us. Although I've done my share of those things in the past.

We decided to hit the malls. Specifically Borders, where Michael was looking for local history, and I bought a knitting book. Then to Petsmart for a couple of dog toys for you-know-who, and to Office Max for a storage wallet for SD and compact flash cards. A quick lunch of soup for me and pizza for Michael.

The malls are all showing signs of the ailing economy. Many shops boarded up, "available", for lease. Things looking dingy. The town itself is lovely, with beautiful autumn foliage.

From UtopiaUSA2008

Just so you know I am on the job, there are manhole covers too:





As advised by my daughter, I used Ravelry to find a local wool shop, but alas when we went to the address it was no longer there. I think it is a sign of the times.

The hotel has a pool and spa, and as we had the afternoon free I availed myself. It was great to soak in hot water. Driving for long periods leaves one stiff, and the soaking was good. We have much more driving to do.

Speaking of which, I suggested we walk to a nearby restaurant (my appetite is back, thank goodness!). Michael snorted with derision at the thought of walking anywhere here, so we drove the 500 metres to the restaurant. Food was good - grilled chicken with apricot sauce, asparagus, broccoli and tomatoes. No cheese, no oil, nothing deep fried. Excellent.

We will have an early start tomorrow, aiming for Moab.

Omaha to Hastings to Omaha to Hastings

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There isn't much worse than going to bed too early still jet lagged, and waking up at 1.30 am to the very clear memory of leaving one of your very favourite items of clothing hanging in the closet in the last motel you stayed at. My black velvet jacket with the pink lining. At that time of night I went through all possible variations on leaving it there or retrieving it. Morning finally came and I called the motel to see if it was indeed there. It was. Michael the Wonderful immediately suggested driving back to get it. Not a cross word. It is a long drive.

Barbara was happy to go along for the outing, and wanted us to take her car for the journey, so we did. This was an all day thing, I fear. We know that road pretty well now, and I took quite a few car pictures. This is me outside the motel flashing the pink lining of the jacket.

From UtopiaUSA2008

Another couple of car pics:



I love that square cloud formation.



We got home just in time to go out again. Dinner with some family friends, who are very good to Barbara. I think we are going to avoid church on Sunday, which is a relief.

Hastings (the ancestral home) is a mobile phone black spot, and there is no easy wi-fi, so communications has been limited. It is odd to spend so long without a keyboard. Good for me, no doubt. I enjoyed looking at Barbara's knitting magazines from the seventies and eighties. Some of the patterns deserve a spot in Stitchy McYarnpants's Museum of Kitschy Stitches.

The journey begins

with a busy morning getting everything done, packed. Popped in on Mum to say farewell, and cuddled the Pug. Ordered a taxi from the website, it arrived promptly. To the airport, then the airport lounge. I''d checked in online, and asked at the checkin counter whether it made any difference to do that. No, she said. So I wondered why I had bothered.

14 hours later I arrived at SF Airport. Having had dry-finger-no-fingerprints twice now at Honolulu, I was prepared with handcream. Ooops! There is a new system where the dryer the better. Fingerprints too dark, had to go to the secondary customs area where I was checked out. There are no winners in this game.

Despite being sent to the domestic terminal I did make my way back to International where my old workmate and friend Michael was waiting for me. He whisked me off to their condo where I was ushered into the shower (bliss!) and we had a lovely salad and a long chat. It seemed like only yesterday I had seen him, but it was probably 1986. It was great to meet Ed, and the time was much too short. I hope to see them when they come to Australia next.



Refreshed, got back on the plane to go to Denver (about 3 hours, I think) then a half hour change at Denver to Omaha, another hour or so. Getting pretty weary, this is a long trip and I usually break this kind of cross country flying with a night in LA or SF. Michael was in Omaha to meet me, although he was pretty fragile having picked up some kind of bug. Kept us both awake most of the night, but at least I was lying flat! I drove down to Hastings the next day and was glad to see Michael's mother looking so well. Michael still really crook, so I cooked for Barbara and I. We'd stopped at WalMart coming into Hastings to stock up. Barbara doesn't cook at all, and I wanted some fruit and veg. Man, Walmart is ENORMOUS! Saw some fresh tomatillos so bought them, made a creamy tomatillo chicken dish for dinner.

The countryside is very autumnal, with golden cornfields at the end of the harvest, leaves turning. It is a nice time of year. There are some Halloween decorations about the place, but not as noticeable as last time we were here.

Off off and away

I'm back from two days in Brisbane, and off this afternoon to the US. Feel like my feet aren't touching the ground.

We've eaten enough Michael's-Away food (lamb chops, pork spare ribs, chicken livers, etc)

First stop San Francisco, where I will catch up with a friend from days of yore (thank you, Plaxo, for the reunion), then to Denver, then to Omaha. I will be a weary one!

The housesitter is ensconced, the dog walker is engaged, and all is well enough organised. Off we go.

Michael's-away meals 1

Michael is in the US for a month, and I will be following in two weeks. That means Michael's-away food for my mother and I for two weeks.

Last night was chicken-livers with polenta. The chicken livers were dusted in rice flour (for the gluten-intolerant member of the family), then pan fried, with a final splash of balsamic vinegar over them. I'd read that this is a nice flavour, and it was. The soft polenta was delicious and has been refrigerated so that tonight it can be sliced and grilled.