May 8-24

I apologize for the long posting, but in visiting friends and then camping with daughter Diana and husband Paul, I got behind with my drawings and it took me a long time to catch up as well as keep up with each day.

I start this blog as we continue our visit with Jamie's classmate, his wife and four dogs in Taos, NM. Daisy is so happy to have doggie friends.

Ham is an excellent back woodsman and we were looking forward to doing a modest hike with him.

Daisy was getting use to being part of the pack and enjoying daily walks.

From Taos we went north to the Colorado Sand Dunes which sit just below the San Juan Mountains.

The dunes are surrounded by a shallow stream of snow melt - much to Daisy's delight.

Northwest of the Dunes, we met our daughter Diana and Paul at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They brought their newly adopted 9 month old German Shepherd named Conrad.

We biked the rim road stopping frequently at the overlooks to enjoy the scenery. The canyon is 2,000 feet deep and only forty feet across at the narrowest point. It makes one dizzy just to look down.

At the end of the day…

The next day Paul drove us to the bottom of the Gunnison Canyon.

We were fortunate  enough to be there on just the right day and the right moment when a ranger was taking other park personnel on a tour and explaining the flushing of the Gunnison. He said this was truly a momentous day since it had been YEARS of negotiating with all the different government departments to get something like this approved, signed, and delivered!

We are now looking up 700 feet.

In camp Daisy and Conrad continued to enjoy each other's company.

I think the wild life know dogs have to be kept on a leash. 

The four of us moved from the Gunnison to Fruita, Colorado to see the Colorado National Monument which we consider to be a GEM.

Then sadly they left. It is so much fun being with others who enjoy the things we love, especially our kids!

After Diana and Paul left we went southwest to Moab, Utah to see Arches and Canyonland National Parks. We saw all of this on our first trip in 2003, but found it so magnificent that we wanted to return and do different hikes and sights. 

Arches one day,  Canyonland the next. Ranger talks are always informative and we are constantly learning new things.

Back to Arches for this day.

Dogs are not allowed on trails in the National parks and Daisy had been very patient waiting for us each day in the RV as we hiked until too exhausted to take her on doggie fun walks. So…

We now head southwest to visit the southern side of Canyonlands.

I must explain: Slick Rock is a type of rock surface but it is not slippery unless it is wet. Actually it is possible to walk on this rock at a very steep angle and not slip at all. My drawing showing us having trouble walking on the rock is because this area was so bumpy and uneven that every step had to be planned out carefully. 

Every afternoon for the past several days, big black clouds build and loom over and around us until they finally strike. There seems to be no predicting which way the storms are going. We can see great distances so the weather is very visible but completely unpredictable. 

We decided to go. Riding a bike in sand takes a bit of practice. We did get better as the day wore on or perhaps there was less sand. I don't know. I must say our new bikes proved to be worth the gold they cost. 

At the end of the trail the views of the Colorado River were spectacular. We were up 700 feet looking down into wilderness. It was wonderfully peaceful and quiet except for our exclamations of joy.

The ride back to the trail head was a bit worrisome with the ominous blue black clouds heading our way flashing lightning bolts.

We made it back without having to deal with lightning and we very cleverly had remembered to bring our foul weather jackets, so the last miles in the rain were not bothersome. However our new bikes were a muddy disgrace.

We leave Canyonlands and head south into Arizona to Canyon de Chelly. 

We take a Navajo guided trip into the Canyon. This is a Navajo Reservation and no one is allowed in the canyon without an official guide. 



Canyon de Chelly is truly a beautiful place and a wonderful representation of the Navajo peoples. 

We are now headed further south to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. If I can keep up with the drawings and postings, you may hear from me again. Until then, I send you my best.