My Trails

Dam

At a place called Navaho National Monument, sometimes referred to as the gateway to Monument Valley, is a marvelous park and campground. What makes it so good is the fact that it is free. There are actually two campgrounds, one with water, flush toilets, and paved parking, and the other high on a ridge with great views into the surrounding canyons. I chose the one on the ridge, even though it was more primitive, and spent four days there.

There was some heavy rain that came through on Saturday so I didn’t do much the first day. I found out on Sunday that they have a guided tour to the cliff dwellings every morning so I signed up on the Monday list. Back at camp I met a nice couple traveling in a VW campervan. They had also signed up for the tour and we had a nice visit that continued into a nice friendship for the next two days.

The tour to Betatakin cliff dwellings was quite a hike. It is only 3 miles round trip but you descend over 700 feet into the canyon on I don’t know how many 100’s of steps to the bottom, until the trail delivers you to the front of the ruins. No one is allowed in the ruins but they do take you close to the site. The guide was very good and interesting. Betatakin is the second largest cliff dwelling in AZ., the largest being Keet Seal, which most people hike to from the campground as an overnight backpacking trip.

Today I stopped at Glenn Canyon Dam to take the tour. The elevator was broke so all they had was a walking tour of the top of the dam. It was really quite interesting to hear the history of the construction and mind boggling numbers of tons of concrete, miles of shoreline, volumes, watts of power, and politics of water distribution to the various states. The whole area around Lake Powell and the recreation area was swarming with tourists so I decided to go on over to the west to find a campsite. Just outside of Page AZ, I found a Walmart with several RVs already parked for the night. So I joined them.

It is amazing how many people are traveling in rental Class C’s. A lot of the travelers are from overseas. They fly into LA, pick up their rental motorhome, tour the southwest and return the rig to someplace on the West Coast a few weeks later. I’m sure they could rent a car and stay in motels a lot cheaper, but I guess they want the experience of roughing it American style.

Nice!

The campground is full again tonight. I walked the road earlier and talked with a couple that persuaded the camp host to open a site that has been too muddy until this weekend. Several vehicles have driven through looking for a campsite. It surprised me that so many people would be out camping after the big holiday last weekend, but with temperatures in Phoenix crawling into triple digits, I don’t blame people for driving up here. It has been perfect weather with highs in the low 70’s.

Yesterday I hiked a trail that loops back into the woods and joins part of the General Crook Trail for a couple miles. It was a nice hike through tall pines and isolated meadows. The camp host told me that several people have spotted a large black bear back in that area, and she cautioned me to be aware and make noise. I have done a lot of hiking in bear country so I didn’t think much of it until tonight. As I was sitting outside Minnie, a couple walked by and told me they just saw a large black bear on the same trail just behind the campground. I doubt if he will come into the camp tonight looking for food – it seems everyone has a couple big dogs.

It’s nice that I can hear some kids playing nearby. I remember the fun I had when I was young and we would go camping, exploring the woods and playing out our imagination. Every kid should have the chance to live with nature for a few days.

I made a couple of improvements to Minnie while I was parked at Daryl’s last week. The tailpipe had been crushed by the previous owner and I was hoping my engine light was the result of the blocked exhaust. Daryl helped me cut and replace the damaged section and we reset the code hoping it would stay off. Sadly, it came back on. But the engine seems to have a little more power so the fix was not completely in vain.

I also installed a “T” in my propane line that allows me to use a propane tank for extended capacity. I hooked it up today to test it out. I thought maybe I would get air in the lines when I switched over but I never noticed a sputter.

The last day I stayed at Daryls I walked down a side street and noticed a child bicycle trailer that someone was throwing away. I wish I would have taken a picture to show you what it looked like, but I think you have all seen those enclosed tent-like trailers people pull there small children around in. I am always thinking of ways that I can carry more stuff for short distance with my motorcycle, so I pulled it home and dismantled everything except the bottom frame. It is made so that the tongue folds flat and the wheels come off, turning the whole trailer into a compact unit. I can carry it on my roof easily.