Homolovi Ruins to Colorado

April 2nd cont...

There is not much camping around the Petrified National Park, so I was happy to see Homolovi Ruins SP was open, at one time it closed down... I called and the ranger told me he had 15 spots still open and I didn't need to reserve one.  Happy Happy!

I got there just as the ranger was about to close...he let me chose my site from the park map, I had made an entry in my travel planning book to ask for site 40 in the non electric side...and I got that one,  right by the bath house and also by the nature trail so I could walk the dogs.  Turned out to be the perfect site for us. 

In the shower I locked the door and while I was in there someone tried the door, it was locked, but then they proceeded to knock and rattle the door again, I said "YO It's locked" I've been watching too much Walt and Jessie...lol later I walked dogs. Had an easy dinner of tomato sandwich, deli potato salad from the Green Valley Walmart supply run, and a fresh avocado. Yum! 

April 3rd Day 18th of my journey.

In the morning I set up the table  so the doors could protect my cook site from the wind.  

                                                           

Once we were packed up I drove to view the ruins...there's 5 sites all together and 2 are open to the public here...so I visited Site I first.  

Not much of the old walls have been unearthed but there is a lot of pottery shards and the waste pieces from point shaping at this site.  

Site II There is more of the ruins exposed and more pottery shards!! Beautiful and it must be extremely strong to have withstood snow, wind, rain etc all these 100's of years! These ruins continue to be important lands to the Hopi Tribe.  Once again no one knows why these villages were abandoned by the Anasazi. You must come to your own conclusions...Alien Abduction works for me. 

the Kiva was a central meeting spot for ceremonies and spiritual activities. 

pottery shards from 1200-1300 AD

There is a lot of wild Burro there...

At this point in the trip I drove Hwy 87 North turned left and to the Hopi and Navajo Indian Reservations.  They do live in an awesome landscape.  

Although the tribes are more prosperous now due to oil and gas on their lands, they continue to be humble.  They live a simple life which is what we all strive for...so what's not good about that.  I turned east on Indian Hwy 15, to Indian Wells (for Tony Hillerman readers, Slick Nakai was holding his Baptist Revival in Indian Wells)   

                                                            

                                                                          old hogan

I  picked up Hwy 191 just north of Cornfields...and then onto Chinle, one of the larger towns on the Navajo Res.  I have visited Canyon De Chelley before so planned no stop there this time; my destination this day is Utah.  The scenery is a destination! Utah should be named the Red Rock State.  

                                                                      Bee Hive Rock, Utah 

Once I got to Bluff I remembered Twin Rocks Trading Post and Cafe!  I would treat myself to a lunch/dinner made by someone else's hand and sit down and eat with knife and fork and napkin!    I have followed the blog  from the Trading Post for quite a few years..I should have gone in and introduced myself but when I peered into the window from the porch there was customers in the store so I went to the cafe next door and had the Veggie Taco Salad on Gray Bread which is like the Fry Bread but not deep fried in Animal Fat it's grilled like Naan Bread.  Delicious but so much I was not able to finish it! Where is the photo of my food? Dang I didn't take one. 

From Bluff to Blanding, then I found the Devil's Canyon Campground a NFS Camp in the Manti-LaSal National Forest...with Seniors discount $5. It was one of the nicest FS camps ever...had a paved road, each site had a cement slab,  a nice big iron picnic table, and a cement fire pit! I don't normally build a fire IF it's buggy or lots of Mosquitoes I will make what I call a gnat smoke..but most of the time I'm too tired to deal with it! I do carry a Firelog with me jic I really want a fire it's just lite and relax and it will burn up to 4 hrs! 

Got in sort of early like 4 pm had already had my dinner and so I fed the dogs and gave them a nice long time off leash in the closed section.  I met some ladies in their mid 70's who had rented one of those new Ford Van's the Econoline? And they were camping and visiting the National Parks of the West like Mom and I did back in the 90's.  They were from Maryland and Delaware.  Strange I met 2 groups of ladies from Delaware! So the funny thing was when I opened the box to get my camping form to fill in, there was an envelope in there with cash in it! Ooops someone had dropped their money in the out box not the in box! Campsite 8... it was them...so they laughed and asked "can you tell we're new at this?" I just didn't want someone to steal their money and then the Ranger might check and see no payment from site 8...one never knows...

on the road in Utah, the LaSal Range. 

April 4th day 19

Not many birds there at all...too cold!  We loaded up after breakfast and headed north on 191.  Once we got to Highway 211, I turned left.  My destination another Newspaper Rock the one most people are familiar with...once again a spot I had planned many times to turn off and see... and finally I am! 

It's really amazing!  So many petroglyphs!  I took my photos and turned back if you keep going on this road you come to Canyonlands National Park, I visited  in 2011.  You can actually see it from this high vantage point...

On the way back down we took a side road up to Foy Lake...figured to have a dog walk and a snack so we did...

                                                            Flickr Ate my Photo

After this break we headed back north on Hwy 191...

more roadside beauty along the way...

Including Wilson's Arch

          

Once we got into and through Moab, once a very quaint town....now it's discovered

  

and once through Moab, Hwy 128  is another found jewel...over crowded and over used...but still beautiful.   The highway follows the Colorado River and the views are stunning can hardly blame anyone who wants to discover it. 

Just one after the other...eye popping awesome. 

Rafters, 

And we found this...

We stopped here for rest and a dog walk...Then continued on...before  you know it

I was on I-70 east and pulled into my sister's home about 5 pm.  

Wonderful dinner and sleeping in a really comfy bed with heat was sooooo nice.  You really appreciate the comforts of a home when you do without it for a while...

So nice to see Evening Grosbeaks right up in the trees outside her windows!  A flock of 6 or so showed up to pick through the blooming trees. 

Beginning Mileage 218912

Ending Mileage 223040

4,128 miles 

Thank you all for following along and all your encouraging comments!  Next up real time! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.