A Mid-May Trip to Utah and Arizona

 Up and down, good and bad, that pretty well describes our latest trip! We left home headed for Utah with both trucks and campers. Utah, because we wanted to go ATVing, and both campers because we wanted to attend an EXPO of “Overlanders” (people who make adventure travel their life, if they can, or their hobby, if they can’t). The one truck and camper is for sale and we hoped there might be some interest there. Here is a brief synopsis of this crazy past week: 

Almost in Utah, we ATV’d this great little canyon, then on to a ride in Utah. The next morning we headed for Flagstaff, in the rain, and the overdrive went out of the Ford truck —rig we are trying to sell. Got to expo, crazy number of people and rigs, supposed to rain and afraid of getting stuck in the field campground with trailer, so camped in pullout up on the main road.

During the night weather worsens with wind, rain, and snow and Mike gets diarrhea. Next morning, I brave the elements on the ATV for five miles and attend Expo for a enjoyable couple of hours. Saturday, we leave, head for Utah and did great tour of Canyon de Chelly, then on to Moab to ride next morning.

The next morning Mike checked new oil filters on ATV’s, both leaking, can’t ride. Head home. Blow tire on trailer. Buy two new tires. Get home about five just in time for two inches more snow!


Instead of details of the above week, I will just add pictures and captions!

The old Bedrock General Store at the take-out of our Slick Rock
 to Bedrock run on the Delores River.
 The river is now dammed and the store closed.

The beginning of the little unnamed canyon
 in western CO near the Utah border. 

Just part of the old ghost town we found
 at the end of the little canyon. 

The walls are closing in.

And what beautiful walls they are!

The lovely double waterfall on the rim of the canyon.

The slick rock of Utah

Back on the quads

Fascinating old twisted juniper tree

Claret cup cactus.

Storm coming in fast.

Beautiful Arizona landscape in the spring.

Heavy rain approaching

The stables at the old Hubbell Trading Post.

And interesting four-horned goat head in the Hubbell museum.

The general store room of the Hubbell Trading Post.

Here we go -- driving of the creek of Canyon de Chelly

One of the many ancient settlements
tucked into the canyon walls.

Sheer canyon walls.

Our Navajo guide, Harold Smith, of Talking Rock Tours.
One must hire a guide to go INTO the canyon.
You CAN drive the rims of Canyon de Chelly.

Petroglyphs carved into the canyon walls.

A lovely clearing in the canyon., so peaceful one could stay a week.
  Many Navajo continue on up this creek where they live and farm in the bottom of the canyon.

My Honey on his 70th birthday.

Another large dwelling nestled in a crack in the cliff wall.

Massive rock formations.

A natural cave which was once walled in with sticks and reeds
to provide a protected home.

Springtime in the Ozarks of MO & ARK

Spring in the Ozarks

I simply had forgotten how lovely the Ozarks of Missiouri and northern Arkansas are in the spring. Before leaving, we waited until our recent 18” of snow in Salida had melted, figuring our weather would hit there, if we got ahead of it!

Son Ron happened to be in Branson that weekend, so we drove down there. Not only did we have a wonderful visit, but he called Mike (son) and he drove down the next day. We four took the two canoes to the Buffalo River in Arkansas for one of the most wonderful canoe trips we’ve had in years.

The Ozarks themselves, could not have been prettier. It is unusual for both redbud and dogwood trees to bloom at the same time, but this year they did. The oak and hickory forests of southern Missouri were just coming out with many different shades of green. The pastures were looked like tended golf courses, and were especially lovely with herds of cows grazing.

Recent rains had brought the Ozark streams up to a runnable level, and we dodged rains on our three other canoe trips that week. One of the trips was with son, Mike, grandsons Dylan and Steven, and even Judith joined us for a lovely day on the Current River in Missouri.

In addition, we had a good visit with Ron’s wife, Shelley, and Mike’s family. We saw grandsons, Justin and Wes, for a few minutes, but they were in the fields planting corn. The previous week had been cold and rainy. You know, “make hay while the sun shines”, is the truth, not just a saying! 

Eighteen inches is a lot of snow for late April.

Rocky Falls near Eminence, MO close to the famous Current River.

Mollie loves playing "retrieve the stick" in shallow water.

 Our son Mike took these pictures
 while trying to keep dry
 from the wind-blown waterfall.

The Buffalo River was the very first of the "National Scenic Riverways" in the U.S.

Hemmed-in-Hollow is about a mile hike
in from the Buffalo River in Ark. 
(Mike B. is at the bottom.)

An antique fire truck in Ponca, Ark!!!  

Oaks at our campsite.

Dogwood blossoms -- a lovely sight in the spring.

My three favorite guys.