Blogs from Yampa, Colorado, United States, North America

Yesterday I left I-40 at Gallup to cross the Navajo reservation. Was a kind of memorial trip. My father and his brother sowed their wild oats on the reservation although on the Arizona side and I grew up hearing some of his stories. I am a fan of Tony Hillerman's mysteries and he died a couple of years ago. I felt the characters I had become fond of had also died. It is a sobering truth that when an author dies all the characters who lived in his head only exist in the past tense. So farewell to Hillerman and Sergeant Chee, The Legendary Leautenant Leaphorn and Bernie. The reservation is a fascinating place. Possibly because it changes little. The land is mostly barren with far, far vistas. Dispite its lack of water and growth it ... read more

May 17th. This morning we head east into Colorado. We pass through Dinosaur, the location of the Dinosaur National Monument headquarters, where the large dinosaur excavations can usually be seen. The center is closed, but we drive further east and decide to take the 35-mile Dinosaur Scenic Drive to Harper's Corner. The views are so spectacular, we take most of the day enjoying the drive and vista points. Late in the afternoon, we head for Yampa River State Park where, at last, we pitch our tent.... read more