Photos of the e

The pictures you see here were taken on 4/20/09 obviously from the air. As you can see the land sticks out into the ocean rather far. There is a controversy between Cape Blanco and Cape Alava in Washington as to which one is the westernmost point of the continental United States. It depends on the high and low tides and where they measure, etc. So to be safe, let's say it is the western-most point of Oregon.

The country here is beautiful, lots of flora and fauna to watch and enjoy. The lighthouse was built in 1870 and looks really good for 139 years on such an exposed place.

Cape Blanco Day One

Yesterday was another new beginning. We arrived at Cape Blanco State Park about 11:00. There was one spot left in the Volunteer RV camp area so we took it. It is a very nice long site with lots of trees, bushes, and flowers. We only got partially set up before we had to leave to go to our orientation/training for our volunteer stint at Cape Blanco. After the extensive training we received at Petrified Forest, this was a breeze. After filling out the necessary forms and viewing the Power Point presentation we were ready to go to the actual lighthouse itself. It is not open to the public on Mondays so we were the only ones around. Greg, the ranger showed us all the areas and told us stories and then he did the presentation as we are supposed to do it for our visitors. The program is a lot more structured and brief than anything we did at either Malheur or Petrified Forest. It is what they want us to present and with the increased numbers of visitors and tight area in the lighthouse, it makes sense.
Tomorrow, Wed is our first day (or should I say, half day) on the job. It should be interesting because we aren’t quite “up to speed” yet on all the facts. Our work schedule is ½ days on Wed, Thurs, & Fri. Sat off 9:45-4:00 on Sunday and Mon & Tuesday off. Very doable, I would say. We got a library card from the Port Orford Library so we can rent videos, get books, check emails, etc when we come into town, because there’s no WiFi at the park and cell coverage is spotty.

Canyonlands

Today we went on an adventure to the north. We decided to check out Canyonlands National Park. If you look on the map you will notice that it covers a lot of territory and most of it is without roads. It is a VAST area of canyons, arroyos, needles, mushroom rocks, and indescribable beauty. But I am getting ahead of myself.

We started our trip by heading north on good old Hwy 191. US Route 191 traverses the country from north to south, through diverse country. It would be fun to someday drive the entire length. From our campsite it was only about 15 miles to Monticello, UT which is a small town of a couple of thousand. Stopping at the visitors center was a good idea because the friendly folks there were both fun to talk to and informative. They steered us to a great road that went straight west from the visitor center and went up and NE over the mountains through the Manta-LaSal National Forest. After a very pleasant 25 mile drive, we came to Hwy 211 and turned west. The canyon walls came up around us as the road curved this way and that. Soon we found Newspaper Rock State Park. This park is basically a rest area that has a large overhung rock panel that is filled with petroglyphs. A fence protects the art but allows you to get within 20 feet of the carvings. Many of the figures were new to us in subject and style which was fun to see. We saw several figures that resembled bison, also several of the people were mounted on horses which put the drawings later in time than those in the Petrified Forest area.

After Newspaper Rock SP it was more turns and twists, more scenic vistas, more stops for Kodak moments. After about 25 more miles we came to Canyonlands National Park, or at least one arm of it. About 2 miles past the entrance gate is the visitor center where we got some information, bought some postcards and had our packed picnic lunch. Food always tastes best when eaten outside and in scenic locations. While at the VC, I met the ranger who is in charge of interpretation and volunteer activities. We chatted about the volunteer opportunities that the park offers. I left with her card so that I can send her an email to get on her mailing list.

After lunch it was time to explore the area. How can I describe this place? You just have to go there and experience it for yourself. My photos will never do it justice. One can stand at a lookout, or climb atop a rock and gaze in all directions and see incredible beauty in every direction and then drive a mile or two and do it again. The opportunities for outdoor adventure are amazing. It surely made me wish I was young again so that I could hike more, ride more, get a jeep, etc. If I lived in this area, I would have a jeep. Utah is criss-crossed with four wheel drive roads going to some awesome sounding places. Even CNP has jeep roads that cross it. Evidently they are rated based on the Moab difficulty scale of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, all the way up to 5. A “5” can have some nearly vertical portions. Hmmmm, can’t wait to do one of those. The one that we saw had a difficulty scale of 3.5 which is substantial, I think. I talked to a guide from “Moab Adventures” who told me about the road and the grading system. He had just come off the road with a jacked up fairly beat up Ford Excursion and had stopped to turn the front hubs back to free-wheeling.

Hovenweep

After leaving Mesa Verde, we headed basically west, through Cortez, CO and then over to Hovenweep National Monument. Another wonderful spot. It was occupied during the same time period as the other dwellings in the area, ie. Mesa Verde, Aztec, but the inhabitants were Puebloans who were masons who built some marvelous towers and built them on boulders on the edge of an isolated canyon. The built them well because they still stand today. There is a small but nice campground there that can accommodate large rigs but there are no hookups. A two mile round-trip trail allows you to get fairly close to several of the structures. It is a “must visit” place when you are in the four corners area. The night sky is amazing there as the nearest town is 45 miles away

Aztec and Mesa Verde

Monday morning, we left our friend’s house in Aztec, NM and drove the short distance to Aztec National Monument. Most national parks and monuments are “out in the country”. Not this one; it is about a half mile off the highway in a residential area. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking that it is not worth seeing. It is definitely a must see. The buildings and walls are well preserved and there are lots of them. The self-guiding trail brochure leads you thru and around most of one part of the structure and there are many doorways to go through and rooms to enter and pictures to take. The frosting on the cake, however is the recreated giant Kiva. The path leads you right into the Kiva. It was a sunny day so the light coming through the hole in the ceiling, plus the windows, gave the interior a peaceful, special feeling. It was like being in an ancient cathedral all by your self. Hushed. Sacred. We left silently and returned to the visitor center.

After leaving Aztec, we headed north on Hwy 550 which follows the Animas River as it comes from Colorado. In 15 miles we were in Colorado and in another 20 miles, Durango. It was amazing how the land changed as we drove north. We went from dry to moderate moisture, brown to green, poverty to prosperity in a manner of 30 miles. At Durango the road we wanted 160, turned west before we entered old Durango so we didn’t get to see the “real” part of the town.

Heading west it was about 40 miles to the turn for Mesa Verde. As we turned off and headed up the mountain, there was a sign the stated the campground in the NP was closed and towed vehicles were not allowed past this spot. We turned into the parking lot for turning around and drove back out to the highway and drove ½ mile to an RV park and set up there.

The next morning, bright and early for us, we headed up the mountain again, sans trailer and dogs. (at the rv park) As we drove the 15 miles to the visitor center on the curvy and steep road, I was glad that we could not bring the trailer along on this part of our adventure. The truck would not have enjoyed the pull. The campground is done to be open again in a few weeks and for those in tents, etc. it will be fine.

After stopping at the visitor center and buying ticket for two tours ( yes you need tickets and yes you buy them for $3.00 each) we drove the 5 miles to Cliff House for our first tour. It was I remembered it. Wonderful!!! The heavy crowds have not hit yet so although the tours are full, they are not squeezed together like they will be after Memorial Day. Yuck. MV must be like a zoo in the summer. It’s a wonderful place but try to go in the “off season”.

Then it was Balcony House with a ranger led tour, followed by a short drive to the museum with great displays, and a self-guided tour of Spruce Tree House. Had a fun walk back up the trail with a couple from CO. He had been a summer ranger at MV 50 years ago and is thinking about coming back to work this summer. It is very possible. The parks have volunteers and employees of all ages.

Then it was back to the trailer for supper and rest. Did I dream of cliff dwellings? What do you think?

Hiking into Canyon de Chelly

It’s early Friday morning. Well, maybe not that early. There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot when we drove in. R has dropped me off here at White House Ruin View Point which is on the south side of Canyon de Chelly. The only trail that you can walk down into the canyon without a Navajo guide is a hike that drops about 800 feet during its mile and half length. Actually, the last half mile or so follows the creek bed to the ruins.

As I am hiking along the trail, I hear only the wind blowing past my ears, the sweet song of a canyon wren, and the crunch of my shoes on the gravel that is this part of the trail. A large portion of the path is on solid rock, some smooth as a baby’s bottom and some rippled as if grooved by a giant rake. As I descend the canyon, the beauty of the canyon gives me show at every turn and I forget everything else except to walk and look.

I hear a noise behind me and notice a young Navajo man coming down the trail behind me. In a few minutes, he passes me saying hello as he passes. I notice that he has no jacket and is carrying no pack and wonder about that. My pack is loaded with a light jacket, binoculars, some carrots, pretzels, and, of course, water. Pretty soon the young man is out of sight and I no longer wonder about him.

Coming out through the second tunnel, I am presented with a most idyllic scene, right out of a calendar, a silent Hogan, budding trees, and a sheer sandstone wall for a backdrop. Wow. I am the bottom of Canyon de Chelly.

I turn and head north toward the White House walking along the west side of the creek. There’s a bridge that crosses the creek and as I cross it I, again, encounter the young Navajo. Now he is carrying a small backpack. He says Hi to me again and states that he has just come from his grandmother’s place which is just up the canyon. We walk together and chat as we approach the ruin. The young man drops his pack and starts unpacking items for sale on a towel on the ground. I continue to walk past him and the other Navajos who have their crafts displayed for sale. I am drawn toward the pueblo. It is beautiful.

Part of the White House ruin is up in a natural alcove and part of it is on the ground level. There are many levels of rooms and I can make out several round kivas. With my binoculars, I examine the buildings carefully. I pay attention to the straight walls and wooden vigas that are still in place after all this time. My eye spots the pictures on the walls near the pueblo and I notice that they are pictographs not petroglyphs. They have been painted on the rock by the early Puebloan peoples long ago. I experimented with putting my camera up to the binocular to get a telephoto effect. See what you think.

After a time, I return to the young man and examine his wares. I get his OK and sit on a tree stump with him for a while. I have gotten here before the Jeep tours arrive. After a few minutes, I hear a noise over the blowing wind and several four wheel drive vehicles appear over a rise and park in an area across the river. Two or three passengers get out of each vehicle and walk pass us toward the building. (I hesitate calling the site a ruin because the Hopis and Zunis feel that the sites throughout the southwest were not abandoned, just “closed”.) After they have taken their pictures, they will return to stroll past the tables and ogle and perhaps purchase a treasure.

There are several other craft tables to examine and a nice Navajo pot to purchase and then I proceeded back up the trail. I am in no hurry because my wife is not scheduled to pick me up for over an hour so I had plenty of time to make my ascent. Even with the climb, it is a pleasure. The blowing wind that bothered us in the bottom of the canyon is not a factor once I have reached the wall of the canyon and begun the ascent. After many twists and turns, and traveling back through the two tunnels, I again am walking on top. The wind is whipping around me, welcoming me back to the upper world. I smile. My wife is in the truck waiting for my return. Life is good.

Acoma

How do I describe Acoma Pueblo? ( pronounced AK oma ) I had never even heard of it until a month ago when R & I attended the Crownpoint Rug Auction. In addition to the great rugs that were brought to the sale, there were several vendors who set up tables in the hallway of the elementary school where the sale is held. These tables were filled with various items but the pottery caught my eye. Various sizes, various shapes, but all hand decorated and absolutely amazing. We spent many pleasurable minutes at each tables while the artists described their pots and designs on them for each brush stroke ( or stroke of the yucca leaf) has a meaning. How to decide which one to purchase. In talking to each artist we discovered that each one was from Acoma. We decided on two pots which came from a couple named G & Y. In talking to them, they told me that they live at Acoma Pueblo and showed me pictures of the mesa. Acoma Pueblo lies atop a 400 ft high sandstone mesa in a valley about 25 miles south of I-40 in New Mexico.

http://sccc.acomaskycity.org/

G & Y related to me that there is no electricity and running water up on the mesa. There are two natural cisterns that store rain water, otherwise it must be hauled up from the valley floor. This mesa has been occupied since the 1500's but the only access until 1950's was a foot trail. A movie company wanted to make a movie so part of the deal included construction of a road. Another movie in the 60's paved the road.

There are about 100 homes on top of the mesa, but only 20 or so are occupied in the winter, no doubt because of the cold harsh wind that whips through in winter and spring. The day we went up to the mesa, the temperature was about 35, and the wind was blowing about 25 making it brutally cold. The homes are mostly built of stone, adobe, and mortar with walls a foot thick so they are well insulated, but with heating done only by wood it takes a special person to live there. And these folks are artists. Their pots show it.

We arrived at the visitor center in time to register for the 3:oo o'clock tour, the last one of the day. We rode with our young female guide up the road to the summit in a small bus-type vehicle. For about an hour she led us around the village, telling us about the history of the

Acoma people and the village we were visiting. Every so often we would come to a home that had a table outside with pottery sitting on it. The artist, would come out as we walked up and would tell us about his or her wares. So many beautiful items, so little money. How does one decide? I hope you get the opportunity to be exposed to this place. If you get the chance, to visit Acoma Pueblo.

Part of the tour price was a permit allowing me to take pictures of the pueblo. However, I do not feel comfortable putting them on the blog. I will attach a couple pics of the area and you can click on the link. It includes a picture of the pueblo sitting up on the mesa. It is an awesome valley.