Road Trip to Somewhere

Day One:  Setting Forth

    I left Denver with one thing in mind.  Just drive.  More than 300 miles later, I find myself in Montrose, Colorado, taking a glimpse at the atlas for the first time in order to get a little better idea of where I’ll head next.   Bite after bite of the Great Wall’s amazingly spiced Mongolian pork; I try to remember where I was today.  For some reason it is just a blur in the back of my mind.  My IPod provided the day’s soundtrack as it shuffled through songs like “One Sweet World” by Dave Matthews Band, “Setting Forth” by Eddie Vedder and “Wherever I May Roam” by Metallica.  It seemed to know that I was in the midst of a much needed road trip and was playing the perfect minute by minute musical selection.  The miles melted away while nature presented tree-lined mountain passes climbing into the sky.  I followed the sun west after leaving  the over-populated Interstate 25 to follow the cactus strewn roads near  the Royal Gorge Bridge and finally across the snow-capped Rocky Mountains through Gunnison on Highway 50 to end up here.  I made a few short stops to suck in some welcoming fresh air and peer out over mountain overlooks, but my goal was to put some distance between me and the bustle of the city.  I’m not sure what this trip has in store for me but this quiet yet emerging town seems like a good spot to gather some ideas for the days ahead.   For now though, I think I’ll just find a nice spot to rest my head while I await the morning glow of sunrise knowing that it can only get better.

Day Two:  Walking With the Ancients

      Where did that warm and glowing sunrise go?  Not today I guess.  After all, it’s March in the Rockies.  This should be expected.  I soon began to love the blowing snow as I passed underneath avalanche prone slopes in solitude on my way southwest in search of the sun in Utah.  The sun tried to fight its way through the dense winter clouds while going over Lizard Head Pass as I came to a simple realization.  Road trips are unique.  Unique in the sense that everyday people drive these roads everyday, but to me, they are new.  There is something around every bend in the road that I have never seen.  Simple as the thought was, it still gave me the sense of adventure that I was seeking.   I came to believe that solitude must be the theme of the day while tramping through both Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep National Monuments.    This is an area where humans have been part of the landscape for at least 10,000 years, but on this day, I was alone with ancient ruins revealing days of the past.

     Painted Hand Pueblo on BLM Road 4531 about 18 miles southeast of Pleasant View, CO, offers a view into the Ancestral Puebloan history that can be dated back to 750 AD on Mesa Verde and the surrounding region.  This pueblo consisted of about 20 rooms built around the 1200s AD.  I instantly felt a sense of wonder while I stood on the same cliff that the ancient ones once looked out over and realized that the scene may not be too different from that of the past.  No one has lived here in 700 years but I couldn’t shake the feeling that a few souls have stuck around and were standing next to me listening to the sounds of the wind sweeping through the shallow canyon below.   With that in mind, I remembered to respect the sites and not allow my curiosity to take over so as to not step inside or too close to the ruins.  These walls are as fragile as the desert floor and this is a place of history and importance to many people and should be honored as one. 
Down the road from Painted Pueblo lies Hovenweep National Monument where you again  see the remnants of Puebloan society at places like the Square Tower Group and the Holly Group.  Each offers its own distinct view into the region’s past.   Alas,  it was  time to keep heading west and find some good food.  I slowly made my way through boulder covered desert valleys and head west into Utah.  The Old Tymer Restaurant in Blanding, Utah, greeted me by serving up a simple but tasty chicken dinner and cherry pie that was needed after a long day of driving and walking through the canyons.   I’m now catching the last innings of a baseball game across the street thinking about what lies in store for me tomorrow.  After all, Blanding is the self proclaimed base camp for adventure and there are numerous roads to travel from here.  A ping of the aluminum bat brings me back to reality as I watch the ball head over the left field wall for a game winning three run homerun.  San Juan 23, North Sevier 13.  I hope my day tomorrow is better than the one the North Sevier boys are having right now. 

Day Three:  Rock Art and Utah Beauty

Dang it’s cold up here!   I’m sitting at Muley Point overlooking John’s Canyon and the famous Monument Valley waiting for one of Utah’s spectacular sunsets hearing the tumble of a car coming over the dirt road noticing that I have visitors.  Frank, driving through from Kanab with his girlfriend, takes a seat next to me on a rock outcropping with a million dollar view of the scene that pans out into the distance and says hello.    Both of us our amazed at the sheer beauty enveloping us and come to the conclusion that Utah has to be one of the most scenic states in the country.  We shakes hands and part ways just before the sun descends below the horizon and wish each other good travels knowing that Moki Dugway, the 11 percent grade gravel road just below us will be an interesting drive down the mesa after dark.  After an early morning breakfast, I made my way towards Natural Bridges National Monument in a search for rock art.  The small park is tucked away in White Canyon and is home to three of the world’s largest stone bridges.   Seven hundred years ago, people called these canyons home and I again became aware of their presence while walking near Kachina Bridge.  The walls to the right of the trail are littered with painted handprints and animal pictographs.  If you are willing to search the canyon a bit further, more and more art becomes visible along with ruins hidden from view behind trees and boulders.  I sit on a long ago deserted ledge  imagining the solitude of life here and pictured families walking past.  I spent three hours inspecting the canyons on maintained trails and reveled in the views I was greeted with as the wind coldly rushed past me.   I left Bridges and headed south on 261.   I was on my way to the classic look at Monument Valley that was made famous in John Wayne films and most recently in Forrest Gump.
The best way to visit the valley is to take a tour with a native guide from Goulding’s Lodge or the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park visitor center.  Each place also offers the weary traveler a place for the night, a restaurant and arts and crafts.  Being that I had a date with the sunset,  I chose to keep to my own path though and turn back towards Mexican Hat after avoiding cars whizzing by trying to get a shot of the monoliths.   I make a mental note to take a tour when I venture back this way in the future but another spot is calling my name right now.

      Valley of the Gods is home to 250 million year old sentinels that the Navajo people believe are warriors frozen in stone that can be appealed to for protection.  They are guardians of the people whose power and strength aid men going to war.   It is another well traveled area but on this day,  I had the 17-mile loop road relatively to myself because it looked like the area was in store for a bit of a winter storm.  The Cedar Mesa sandstone blazed a deep red color before the dark clouds covered the sun as I made my way back towards Muley Point.  The sandstone warriors became clouded in snow within seconds but a break in the clouds let me know that it wouldn’t last long.   So here I am, alone, atop what seems to be the top of the world freezing my butt off watching the sun glow fluorescent orange as it dips into the western horizon.  Today was a good day.

Day Four:  Rock Climbing and 4-Wheel Drive

    “We’re from the country and we like it that way,” pumps through the radio in the kitchen while I can smell my eggs sizzling at this roadside café called Yak’s.  Yep, back in Blanding this morning after making a huge circle across southeastern Utah.   Two locals sit adjacent to me basking in the morning glow filtering through the windows.  One seems to be struggling through his breakfast while the other sits, quietly sipping his coffee and watching the trucks go by.   Forget the big name restaurants, these small town, hole in the wall joints are the places to eat while on the road.  In all my years of traveling, these hometown cafes are always a must because they cook food like your mom does.  Tasty and lots of it.  May I suggest the cheese omelet with ham, sausage and onions?    It hits the spot.

     Thirty minutes and one mouthwatering breakfast later, I made my way north on Highway 163 to photograph Newspaper Rock and explore the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.   Fourteen miles north of Monticello and 12 miles west on U211, Newspaper Rock (known as “Tse’ Hane’” to the Navajo) is a large petroglyph panel at the bottom of Indian Creek Canyon.  Over 2,000 years of history are etched into the rock by Archaic, Basketmaker, Fremont and Pueblo cultures.   Navajos and Anglos have also made their mark in the sandstone over time.   Ten miles down the road, I noticed a small parking lot by the side of the road full of cars and people loading up their climbing gear and heading over and up the trails to the towering faces above.    There were routes everywhere taken up by groups of anxious climbers.  Everyone was welcoming the blue skies and warm weather that was present.  Any rock climber would be in heaven here.  I instantly met up with two climbers and watched as a one from another group headed into the sky by way of a small crack in the wall.   This climber belongs to a group of six who are occupying three difficult but very doable routes on the east side of the rock faces.  Upon introductions and watching a few attempts, I learned that these fellas are part of the historic Harvard Mountaineering Club out of Boston.  Nice guys, great climbers.  I watch them and others for nearly three hours before I left for Canyonlands.

      Once again,  I have made a date with the sunset at Delicate Arch to the north in Arches National Park, so I tried to decide what being in the Needles District meant to me.  Four-wheeling through dirt roads and views is what it’s about.   If I am going to go to tourist traps like the national parks, I like to try and find a way to make my experience a little more unique.  To do this in Canyonlands, I began to look for roads or trails that the typical group may not venture on.  I searched the pamphlet the welcoming attendant gave me as she said, “Have fun,” and found the Colorado River Overlook road near the visitor center to be of interest.  I saw a lot of two-wheel drive cars so it made the choice a bit simpler to make.   The sign at the beginning states that only four-wheel drive vehicles can forge ahead and the speed limit here was 15 mph.  After a ways into the journey though, a sign should be posted limiting your travel to a crawl.  I hadn’t tested my Nissan Pathfinder before this point, but after car shaking, shock and four-wheel drive durability testing, the ol’ girl held her own in the most treacherous parts of the road.  If anyone was around, they could probably have heard me laughing with delight while making my way through the seven miles of body tossing road on my way to the mighty Colorado River viewpoint.  This is not a one hour get in and get out adventure though.  Not just because the road takes time but there are numerous spots to get out and take a few photos.   It takes me over two hours to go back and forth but as the dust flied off the Pathfinder on the road out, I was texting my friend in Anchorage telling him to get into his Jeep and pick me up in a few weeks for a trip back into The Needles for some more fun.   
 I fight the most traffic I’ve seen in four days on my way into Moab knowing that I’ll also be greeting the sunset at Delicate Arch with many other onlookers and photographers.  But I have to be there.  I’ve been there once before but why not end this trip with one final look at nature’s beauty and a night sky that is filled with so many stars; you can’t help but feel humble.

     Everything meets expectations on this night.  The sun breaks through last minute clouds and shines its rays on the arch and the distant La Sal Mountains.  I can hear oohs and awes from above followed by the clicking of camera shutters while smiling because I am down below, taking this in by myself. 
 I sit here now with everyone gone and walk up to the arch for the first time to marvel at its sheer size.  Star after star begin to appear overhead as the night sky turns jet black.  It’s going to be an interesting walk back to the parking lot in the dark but this is site is too good to pass up.  This is definitely the way to end this amazing road trip.  I smile and lay back against the rocks to take in just a bit more before I leave to find a spot to camp under the night sky.  What a trip!

Day Five:  Do I really have to go home?

     I guess.