My Trails

You’re right Mom, you can bathe in small amounts of water if you have to. I boil about two quarts and add another quart of cold water and it’s plenty for my shower. I have not found a National Park with showers yet. When Daryl, Karen and I were in Kings Canyon, they had showers for pay.

When I left, Daryl and I were kidding around about the show Then Came Bronson and I thought it would be cute to see how many people are old enough to remember it. I liked the nomad style of Cain in Kung Fu, but I couldn’t see myself walking barefoot and karate chopping bad guys.

I will hang around Capital Reef today and look for a hiking trail. I may try to gather some wood for a fire, yesterday I paid $12 for wood that lasted two hours. I won’t do that again.

I’m at a place called Natural Bridges National Monument. It’s so neat to show this card and get in free. I’m really getting my moneys worth. There are a few campers here but only one tent that I saw. It will be another cold night tonight. 

Tomorrow I may hike down to one of the bridge formations if it’s not too cold. Then I will try to get into one of the free campground near Capital Reef; there are many listed in my guide book. 

Two days ago I was doing laundry in Moab and I noticed that Secratariet was playing across the street at the movie house. It was a really good movie. And don’t worry, I have figured out how to take a bath/shower in my van. I won’t go into details, but it’s very efficient and effective. I come out smelling like a rose. 

This morning I drove back into Mesa Verde NP to finish sightseeing and take the ranger led guided tour of the largest cliff dwelling. Most of the Mesa was socked in with fog, but by the time I reached the ticket center, it had cleared nicely. I bought a ticket for the 12:00 o’clock tour and realized I had an hour and a half to kill before it started. I was driving from lookout to lookout, killing time, and then it dawned on me-I’m in a different State and different time zone. I just made it back before they decended the stairs. 

Tonight I’m at a BLM campground just outside of Arches NP. The campground in the National Park is full. I hope to get in there tomorrow. It has rained all afternoon and continues tonight. The first sun is not predicted until Sunday.

10.23.10

I spent the day hiking the trails in Arches NP, and I also got into the campground for a couple of nights. It will take all day tomorrow to see everything. There are still huge crowds in the NP on the weekends even this late in the year. Today was sunny and warm for a change and that must have been the reason so many people are here. 

I have taken a lot of pics but I have no easy way to put
 them up. Maybe I could email them to Daryl and he could insert a couple or put them in a gallery for me.  

I only drove 150 miles today. Mesa Verde NP is getting ready to turn down for the winter -closed campground, closed visitors center, and only one guided tour. It takes several hours to drive the park and see all the ruins. I spent a long time at the museum and climbed down to one of the cliff dwellings. Tomorrow I will take the guided tour and then move on. Tonight I am at a Walmart in Cortiz CO. There are signs saying no overnight parking, but there are several campers and RVs here.

Today I visited Petrified Forest NP. The visiters center has lots of information about prehistoric animals and vegitation and a walk through scattered remains of petrified trees. The rest of the park is mostly a long drive, spaced with turnouts to view the colors of the Painted Desert, which by the way encompases all the area from the Grand Canyon to Abq NM. 

I stopped at one site where ancestors of the Hopi Indians lived about 1250ad.  Foundations of buildings and artistry on the rocks made more sence to me than the colors of the desert. 

I’m staying a couple of days at a free campground in Canyon De Chelly Nat.Monument while I tour the area. I have given up on wifi and will just use my phone to post. Back east, every store, restaurant and motel has wifi, but out here it seems to be only truck stops and they want to charge you to connect. At least if I can get a cell signal, I can put something up.