July 24 - 29, 2022:
I leave Rico in the early morning continuing south on route 145 to the town of Dolores, where the Rio Grande Southern Railroad Museum and a Galloping Goose rail car is located. I park next to the museum, closed as it is Sunday, then go across the street to the Two Chicks Bakery and get a delicious blueberry scone, about as good as they get ! I suspect that the attractive friendly young woman at the counter is one of the “Chicks” ? I then walk to Dolores River Brewing where I see a sign on the front advertising a music concert at their back patio at 4 PM. That’s becomes my plan for the late afternoon. Dolores is a small quiet town a few miles from my destination Cortez, the monument near the museum says that the members of the Dominquez-Escalante Expedition camped here in 1776. There is a unique old building on a side street that must have a history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolores,_Colorado
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galloping_Goose_(railcar)
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| The restored No. 5 Galloping Goose railcar that is still run on special occasions |
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| The Rio Grande Southern train depot is a replica of the original built in 1991 |
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| Del Rio Hotel in Delores built in 1931 |
I then drive into Cortez which is the present County Seat of Montezuma County. I also like this town, they have many beautiful murals, nice looking cafes and restaurants and are very close to the the Mesa Verde National Park. They also have a cultural Center with a great courtyard and mural. The mural covers the entire back side of the building and is a very realistic depiction of an ancestral Indian Pueblo.
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| Hard to believe it is painted on a flat surface |
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| Another very three dimensional looking mural in Cortez |
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| The Fiesta Theater |
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| Another great mural |
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| A large Indian trading store in Cortez |
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| One of the most artistic liquor stores anywhere |
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| Great sign that lights up at night |
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| Yet another excellent mural in Cortez |
I return to the Delores River Brewery in Delores at 4 PM for the music concert, they have a beautiful outside beer garden and patio area for live music shows. The featured musician is a veteran who started playing in the 1960’s named Jed Clampit with no relation to the Beverly Hillbillies Jed Clampett. He definitely is a character, very sharp witted with a photographic memory of songs from various genres, but mostly folk, country and classic rock. He introduced his songs with colorful stage banter and was especially good at imitating Willie Nelson’s vocal manner. He was backed by two other good local musicians. There was a good crowd, the beer was good and they have really good pizza.
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| The patio and stage were very nice |
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| The flower garden was beautiful |
The following morning, I go to the Anasazi Heritage Visitors Center of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument which houses many artifacts saved by archeological excavation prior to the construction of the nearby McPhee Reservoir. The Reservoir project built for irrigation, flood control and recreation submerged many ancestral Pueblo dwellings but at least they were able to document them and save many artifacts. This area of Colorado and the entire four corners area were heavily populated by ancestral Pueblo people for possibly 1,000 years and there are dwelling sites virtually everywhere. A short hike up to a hilltop site from the museum takes you to the excavated Escalante Pueblo archeological site and a view of the McPhee Reservoir. The vegetation along the trail describing how the ancestral people used the various plants for food and medicinal purposes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyons_of_the_Ancients_National_Monument
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| Interesting artifacts found in a Boulder, CO backyard during landscape work |
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| The various Pueblo periods were coated in this display |
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| Beautiful exhibits and quality artifacts |
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| These people had amazing artistic sensibility and talent |
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| It takes uppity women to get things done |
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| Although the Weatherill Brothers also got things done |
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| The Escalante Pueblo site |
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| Another view |
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| McPhee Reservoir from the hilltop |
There are an amazing 20,000 pueblo ruin sites identified within the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument which are spread out over a large area (170,000 acres) in remote locations. They are not easy to travel to, many require a 4WD vehicle or a long rugged hike. There are hundreds of known ancestral sites in this area from earlier Basketmaker and Pueblo periods.
I then drive back to Cortez where I take Road G, which is a scenic county road going through farms, orchards and even a winery with scenic canyon views. I park at the east Sand Canyon Trailhead for a six mile hike, but as the weather is threatening, rain and thunder, I plan no more than half that distance. This trail leads to several pueblo ruins within the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. It was a beautiful trail, fairly easy but with very investing geology and a few pueblo ruins tucked into rocky canyon walls. At the start of the trail it was very hot and humid and I’m sweating heavily, then a light rains starts that actually cools me off, then the sun breaks out again and by trails end I’m soaked through.
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| I suspect that there were small dwellings in many of these pockets at one time |
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| Very interesting geology here |
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| All that remains presently is this one building , |
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| Another partial building remains here |
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| Another geology view |
I return to Cortez to dry out, cook some good local corn for dinner and then go downtown for a beer. I find that not much is open after 8 PM, that’s life in these small towns. Another night is spent at Walmart, but parked away from the RV’s where it is more quiet and roomy. There are many RV’s as it is very close to the popular Mesa Verde National Park. I passed on going into Mesa Verde NP as I had spent a lot of time there on past trips and wanted to see other places on this pass through.
Next day, I drive back to County Road G, stopping at the Sand Canyon West Trailhead to take a short hike just to see what is out there. It is another beautiful area to hike, wish I had more time, but I’m committed to visiting Hovenweep National Monument which is about 30 miles away. This takes me into vast open ranch land on Indian reservation land and just over the border into Utah.
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| Interesting geology here |
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| Trail view |
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| This appears to be a special place |
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| The trailhead |
I arrive at the Hovenweep National Monument visitors Center to find it very quiet, very few people are here as Hovenweep is somewhat out of the way and overshadowed by Mesa Verde. It just doesn’t get the traffic, which is fine with me. The monument does not have a driving loop road like most National Parks or Monuments, instead you park at the visitors center and walk a two mile loop trail along the rim of Little Ruin Canyon to view the pueblo ruins. There are also shorter loop alternatives for people who might not be up for a two mile hike. The ruins here have not been been excavated but have been stabilized to prevent further deterioration. Many of these ruins are towers that were constructed with high quality masonry skill, walls still standing fairly straight after approximately 800 years, it’s quite amazing.
Little Ruin Canyon, situated on Cajun Mesa housed many hundreds of people at its height in about 1200 AD, but virtually all left by 1300 AD. The majority of the Hovenweep pueblos were built during the Pueblo II period from 800 - 1200 AD. No one knows exactly what happened, but everyone left by 1300 AD. The most accepted theory is that prolonged drought conditions had made it hard to grow enough food to support the population. Tree ring dating confirms the drought conditions during this time period. Other possible causes may have been other threatening tribes moving into the area competing for food, game and other resources. There seems to be general agreement that they moved to the upper Rio Grande Valley and the southern Zuni areas of New Mexico and the Hopi Mesa’s of Arizona where their descendants continue to live today. The oral histories of these tribes support this theory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovenweep_National_Monument
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| Eroded Boulder House built atop a Boulder |
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| One of the largest structures is Hovenweep Castle |
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| Another view |
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| This is called Square Tower |
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| View of Hovenweep House on other side of the canyon |
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| Remnant of another circular building |
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| The Twin Towers |
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| View from the trail down in the canyon |
The campground at the monument is almost empty, is very nice with clean bathrooms and is cheap at $7.50 a night using my senior pass. In late afternoon there were dark clouds and thunder in the distance, it looked very intimidating but it never came in our direction. That happens a lot out here as it does back in Tucson.
I leave Hovenweep early in the morning for about 200 miles of traveling primarily through the Navajo reservation on routes 160-191-77. Many of the small towns are pitiful, so poor looking, but in contrast the area surrounding them is so beautiful. The natives have a refreshing reverence for their environment but I have trouble reconciling the trash, primarily old car tires and beer bottles littered along the roads in Navajo country.
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| Lots of rain soaked red muddy soil in view |
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| The wildflowers along the road really stand out against the red soil |
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| Amazing clouds |
Northern Arizona has been having lots of rain, every wash or creek is full, there are puddles everywhere and some rivers are near flood stage. I am making a stop in Chinle, CO for a quick tour of Canyon De Chelly. I have been here on two previous occasions and it is a favorite place. The greenness and serenity of the valley from the canyon rim is tranquilizing to me. The lower park area below the visitors Center is partially flooded, but most of the park remains open except for the White House area which I was interested in hiking into. It is cloudy and the sky is mostly gray with more rain threatening and the viewing conditions are poor. I luck out somewhat however with a few intermittant periods of partial sunlight and pockets of blue sky. My focus was to drive to the end for a view of Spider Rock. I get there in time for a rain shower, wait it out, then head for the viewing area. I am the only one there, quite remarkable and the conditions suddenly improve, the grayness of the sky has diminished and some filtered sunlight is breaking through. It’s enough to get a couple of mediocre photos. There are no other people here, It’s so quiet, serene being the correct word, only the sound of a raven (how appropriate). The rain drops on the rocks and vegetation give them an eerie glow. !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_de_Chelly_National_Monument
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| Looking down from the rim into the canyon |
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| Hazy view of Spider Rock, named for Spider Woman of Navajo legend |
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| Rain puddles on the canyon rim |
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| View from the rim |
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| Lush green trees down in the canyon floor |
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| Another canyon view |
As I leave the park, I am think how great a Navajo Taco would be right now, but I see no restaurants except for hotel restaurant. Everything else about Chinle, sad to say, is rather trashy, poor and dirty looking. I wonder if the Navajo’s actually eat Navajo Taco’s anyhow ? So, I continue through this amazingly scenic country, finally stopping in the respectful looking town of Ganado where I partake of a wonderful cheeseburger from Burger Kings dollar menu.
My destination is Holbrook, AZ which is nothing new for me, been here there many times, I know it well. I see little change except that the iconic much photographed Joe & Aggies Cafe appears to be closed. The historic area along the railroad tracks where the “Bucket of Blood” Saloon is located shows no signs of restoration and the famous Winners Circle Bar remains closed as do many shops in town. This is a great destination as there is much to see and do in this area, along with many tourist amenities, it's a route 66 poster child, however it seems frozen in time as far as progress goes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holbrook,_Arizona
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| Romo's Route 66 Mexican Food is recommended |
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| Joe and Aggie's Cafe |
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| The Navajo County Historical Museum, big piece of petrified wood |
I leave Holbrook in the morning on route 40 west heading for Flagstaff, AZ under clear sunny skies. I make a planned stop at the Homolovi State Park in Winslow, AZ to tour the Ancestral Pueblo ruins there. There are four Pueblo sites here however only Homolovi I and Homolovi II are acessable. Homolovi II is the larger one estimated to originally contain from 1,200 - 2,000 rooms. It was heavily looted by pot hunters in the early 1900's. Homolovi I is adjacent to the Little Colorado River and also has over 1,000 rooms. The inhabitants were primarily farmers who grew corn, beans and squash and are the ancestors of todays Hopi people. There has been archeologic study here but the ruins have been backfilled or left as is, except for a portion of one Kiva that is partially reconstructed.
There are many pot shards left lying about with pieces set on rocks for display near the trails. At the Homolovi I ruins where the highest concentration of shards are, I don't feel that the State is adequately protecting the ruins. The paths around the ruins are not clearly delineated to help keep people from just wandering all over the ruins. Also all the pottery shards left lying about an almost an open invitation to take some home with you.
Archeology is not what it used to be a few years or decades ago, things are changing. Indigenous groups have become more protective of their ancestral remains. They consider these places to be sacred and do not agree with the old archeology where you dig everything up, send it off for study, then put in the collection of a museum. As result, more sites are explored using non evasive technology and leaving sites as is and covered them for security.
I hate to even think about what may be happening or about to occur due to the exploding OHV hobby and the vast networks of trails developed into remote areas that were previously very hard to explore. The remaining ancestral sites will be picked clean by the pot hunter types. That's my dark thought for the post, to serious, now to put it out of my mind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homolovi_State_Park
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| There were earlier people here prior to the Pueblo period |
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| The various periods of Pueblo occupation |
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| They were expert potters |
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| Homolovi II was removed from the river, but their farm land was near it |
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| All the disturbed rocky land as far as you can see were former Pueblo dwellings |
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| It was like a condo in its day |
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| The one partially reconstructed Kiva |
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| This shows the size of the compound |
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| The picturesque trailhead leading to Homolovi I |
I leave Homolovi SP then continue on to Flagstaff, AZ arriving in early afternoon and it’s now cloudy and stormy, so much for going for a short hike. For lack of anything better to do, (so sad), I go to the Museum of Northern Arizona. It’s a good move, it turns out to be one of the best museums for both ancestral cultures and more recent Indian tribes that I have been to. They have a huge collection of artifacts and have a very interesting art exhibit of a prominent Indian artist, Baje Whitethorne Sr. Their exhibit on the various geologic periods of Earth was also excellent, even I was able to read it without getting dazed and confused !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Northern_Arizona
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| It's a beautiful building in the pines on the outskirts of Flagstaff |
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| Great exhibits and building architecture |
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| The early collectors and traders did much to revive the original pottery designs |
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| I love his journals |
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| He was a super collector who donated it for a cause |
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| Indian artist Baje Whitethorne Sr. |
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| Just a nice story |
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| Lots of bright colors |
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| Shelves and shelves of pottery on display here |
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| Tim's Cave - A sad story with a happy ending |
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| Amazing painted mural, see details below |
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| The first wave of invaders, but not the last |
Afterwards, I go the downtown Flagstaff which is little changed from my last visit, but always interesting. Instead of going to a fine restaurant and spending and eating way more than I wanted to, I went to a small Pizza shop, Alpine Pizza, one of the oldest businesses in Flagstaff, under the same ownership since 1973. It is a little dated and funky inside with wooden booths all carved and marked up with visitors initials and such. I ordered a half a meatball sub sandwich which I haven’t had in years. It was so good, I believe one of the best I’ve ever had and since I was the only customer had a nice conversation with the young woman there about my travels. She even encouraged me to write on one of the walls with her pen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagstaff,_Arizona
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| Driving into Flagstaff, I made a risky U-turn to go back to this mural |
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| The Orpheum Theater mural is quite interesting, but what does it mean ? |
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| It's a woodsy college town thing |
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| Excellent sporting goods here these days |
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| The iconic Hotel Monte Vista sign |
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| Bike Shop mural |
I then explored downtown for a while until 7:30 when a solo musician, Robin Miller, was to play at Charlie’s Pub and Grill at the historic Weatherford Hotel. I wasn’t expecting anything special, but he was, a really great guitar piano player with an equally good voice. He played mostly classic rock stuff that often sounded as good as the original, for a while I wondered if it was his real voice or enhanced by some form of new technology.
I was distracted somewhat by two very overweight young girls eating like hogs at the end of the bar who really shouldn’t be. Then this young man, rather attractive, part Indian in appearance sat next to me. He seemed normal for a while, but I wondered why he wasn’t ordering a drink, until he asked me if I would buy him one. He was then looking for a cigarette, went outside to bum one, came back to check the time, no phone, he had to call a friend who was going to pick him up. I then started to get more than a little suspicious about this guy and decided it was time for me to make an exit.
It was another night on a nearby street with an early morning departure. I drive straight back on route 17 south towards Phoenix making a breakfast stop at the Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon, Arizona. Everyone else seems to stop here as well because it is very good. I had forgotten how steeply uphill and downhill this highway is and the reckless speeds that todays motorists drive. It’s amazing there are not more crashes on this highway. After that rat race drive, you get to go through the gauntlet again driving through downtown Phoenix. After getting through Phoenix, the stretch to Tucson is relatively easy, but continues heavy with trucks and the always erratic drivers.
Another summer tour completed, 59 days on the road, traveling 5,989 miles in a grand loop through Arizona-California-Nevada-Utah-Colorao-Arizona. There were 46 different overnight locations, 40 free sites (Walmart, Truck stop, BLM, USFS and street,) 4 half price campgrounds and 2 hotel stays.
I decided not to track my fuel cost, too scary, but had no breakdowns or unexpected repairs, no injuries, no accidents, so it's a successful adventure. Will there be more road trips this year? My wife, (the infamous Twinkles) doesn't think so and I am presently feeling sort of old and tired, so it's doubtful, for now, but not for ever.
