Blogs from Arizona, United States, North America - page 282

This trip was conceaved over an AIM conversation, which prooves that it does not take much to instigate Charlene into another adventure. It was also a good reason to visit REI on both of our accounts for a bit of pre-shopping. Havasupai Falls is extremely popular place located on the Halupai Reservation, requiring advanced reservations. Based on travel schedules - one night down at the falls was all we reserved. Charlene arrived at 10:30 am on Friday, after stocking up at Trader Joes and the required Vegetarian house followed up by Sonic Creme Pie shake stop we were enroute for the 5 hour journey to Halupai Hill Top parking lot. A quick stop in flagstaff to check the sale rack at Aspen sports resulted in no new gear, however the G3 Tele skis were on sale, ... read more

Wupatki National Monument contains the ruins left by the Sinagua people at Wupakti. Eight hundred years ago, Wupatki was the largest pueblo in existence. Yet it is located in the hottest, driest part of the Colorado Plateau. How did its inhabitants, the Sinagua people, choose this place? What led them to abandon it, a hundred years later? These are only a few of the mysteries that surround these magnificent ruins. Phone Headquarters, Flagstaff Area National Monuments (928) 526-1157 Wupatki National Monument Visitor Center (928) 679-2365 Fax Headquarters, Flagstaff Area National Monuments (928) 526-4259... read more

March 21 - April 2, 2006 Palm Springs, Calif. - Canyon de Chelly, Ariz. Mile 3,834 On our trek into the southwest—destination Canyon de Chelly—we’ve been offered several different pronunciations of the famous Anasazi dwelling place. Upon arrival in the Navajo Nation, we received the definitive answer: it’s not Canyon de Shelly, but d’Shay, as in the French. I was a bit disappointed! Jeff and I began this chapter in California’s contradictory Coachella Valley, a seemingly arid desert in which thrives Palm Springs, with its acres of green golf courses; the San Andreas Fault, whose folded rock forces groundwater up to the surface and feeds native palm oases; and the most productive (nonnative and irrigated) date palm “gardens” in the country. Date milkshake, anyone? Our hosts in the Palm Springs metropolis (La Quinta, actually), were the ... read more

Heading southwest from Monument Valley the landscape is much less dramatic until you make the turn westward on route 64 at Cameron, AZ. About 30 miles later we entered the Park. It's still another 25 or 30 miles to the Grand Canyon Village, but we soon got our first glimpse of the Canyon, and is it Grand. We must have stopped at 6 overlooks along the way, and it kept getting more impressive each time. We arrived at the campground in the village and saw a sign reading "Full", but the attendant told us that she had one no-show. We grabbed the site and breathed a sigh of relief. This place must be a madhouse during the summer. I think we picked the right time of year to come here. We spent two days walking along ... read more

From Las Vegas we drove to Grand Canyon. On the way we drove a part of the legendary route 66, now a quiet highway going through small old fashioned towns that don't seem to have changed since the 50s. Old fashioned diners and gas stations create a unique and warm atmosphere. The winter is a bit late this year and it had been snowing a couple of days earlier on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. There was still snow on the ground but fortunately all the roads were dry. Good thing when driving a rental car with summer tires. We had hoped to go backpacking in Grand Canyon for a couple of days but we hadn't booked backcountry permits in advance and there was none left so we couldn't go. Since we didn't know ... read more