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This Week on the Road - December 21st

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This Week on the Road - December 21st

Hello Everyone. Christmas week is upon us! It snuck up on me pretty quickly this year, but I’m very grateful to have been able to spend the holiday season with friends and family at home. It’s always nice to be home in Washington this time of year as I truly think it’s the best time of the year to be in our nation’s capital. I’m writing to you this week from my brother’s house here in New Hampshire where I’ve only just arrived this evening. I figured it would be good to spend a few days in New England before heading off to old England for the New Year.

It’s been a fun and festive week here and I hope you are all enjoying the season however and wherever you celebrate it. We’ve certainly been busy and I’d love to tell you what we’ve gotten into this week. Last Tuesday my folks and I took a wonderful candlelit tour of the Tudor House, one of Washington’s oldest homes, the oldest parts of which date back to the late 18th century. We drank cocoa, ate mince pies and pound cake and heard the story of the family which called Tudor House home for 6 generations. Many of the furnishings are original to the house and the whole house was decorated for Christmas which was really special. After our tour we had a great dinner at Farmers, Fishers and Bakers on the Georgetown Waterfront while watching ice skaters cruise around the rink.

Wednesday we got up early and headed up to Columbia, Maryland to check out an afternoon matinee at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. We started with a really delicious buffet brunch and then enjoyed a fabulous production of the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life performed in the round. The actors were great and the adaptation was incredibly well done. This was definitely a highlight of the season and I will absolutely be returning to Toby’s in the future. After the show we took a spin around Historic Ellicott City, a town I’ve really enjoyed visiting over the last couple of years. The town was decorated for the season and it was fun to wind around the hills and rivers for an hour or so. We wound up the day with a few craft beers at the nearby Sapwood Cellars Brewery.

On Thursday I spent the day cleaning and packing and then headed over to my friend Sandy’s house for dinner. Sandy was my date to my senior prom and has become one of my very good friends over the last thirty years.

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In Focus: Chiricahua National Monument

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In Focus: Chiricahua National Monument

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona preserves a magical landscape created by a 27 million year old volcanic eruption. The lava hardened into rhyolite and erosion has carved out a wonderland of rock spires, balanced rocks and hoodoos. This little visited park site is truly spectacular and definitely worth a detour.

I arrived in the park late in the day so I didn’t have a ton of time to explore. After a quick stop at the Visitor Center, I made my way all the way up to Masai Point at the end of the 8 mile scenic drive and did the short nature loop there to get a good overview of the area. Then I set off on the magnificent 3.3 mile Echo Canyon/Hailstone/Ed Riggs loop trail which was really fantastic. When I finished this hike, the sun was on its way down and I enjoyed the glow on the rocks as I made my way back down the hill and on down the road.

While I was only in Chiricahua for a few hours, I really enjoyed my stay and look forward to returning again in the future. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Chiricahua National Monument.

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Snapshots: Lowell, Arizona - A Step Back in Time

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Snapshots: Lowell, Arizona - A Step Back in Time

Whenever I am driving to a new town and I don’t have a specific destination in mind, I just put the town name into my GPS and it usually brings me to either the courthouse or City Hall. Wherever it leads me is usually in the center of town and I can sort myself out from there. You can imagine my surprise, then, when I was approaching Bisbee, Arizona and I turned onto Erie Street and found myself not in the center of town, but somewhere in the 1950s. It was quite surreal to drive up the street and see nothing but classic cars, vintage gas stations and old signs with no streetlights burning and not a person in sight. My GPS told me I had reached my destination but my mind was telling me otherwise. It turned out that it had indeed led me to Bisbee’s City Hall, but that building was situated in the midst of a wonderful local art/history instillation called the Lowell Americana Project which commemorates small-town life in the 1950s.

The Lowell & Arizona Copper Mining and Smelting Company began operation way back in 1899 under the leadership of Frank Hanchett, who named his business after his hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. Three years later, the mine would be incorporated into the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company. Two years after that, the town of Lowell was laid out to house local miners and their families and Erie Street became the commercial center. In 1908, Lowell was annexed into nearby Bisbee and the population would grow to 5,000 people. From what I’ve read it sounds like it was a bustling community and a pleasant place to live.

That would all start to change in 1950 when the Lavender Pit Mine was opened and the community’s population had to sell their homes and move out…

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An Update from Home - December 13th

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An Update from Home - December 13th

Hello Everyone! I know it’s been two months since last I wrote, and I’m sorry for the long pause between posts. As my tour season wore on, I began to wear out and had less and less energy to focus on anything but the job at hand. While not an exceptionally long season time-wise at six months, I ran 18 tours since May which was significantly more than I normally would. Some tours were 2-3 weeks as they would have been in the old days, but many were only 2-6 days. Each tour has a life of its own and shorter tours require a burst of energy which never really settles into a comfortable rhythm. Looking back at this past season, as I sit here warm and cozy on the other end of it at my mother’s dining room table here in Washington DC, it was amazing. I met hundreds of wonderful people from all over the world and took them to some truly awesome places. I got to see some old favorites and had plenty of new experiences as well. The summer was full of laughter and stories and joyful poses in front of the camera after long hikes led us to spectacular vistas. I found nothing but support and understanding from my new company and am already looking forward to working for them again next season. But first I have a winter full of my own adventures to plan and enjoy as I have no intention of going back to work before May.

When last I wrote, I was preparing for a 6 day tour through Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Yosemite gave us an easy and familiar start, and the smoke from summer fires had finally cleared from the valley. From there, we travelled to Sequoia National Park which had some beautiful vistas but was horrifically scarred by major fires in 2020 and 2021. I felt like a government fire assessor as we hiked through burned out forest to the lookout on Big Baldy and one of my passengers commented (humorously) that it felt like “hiking through Armageddon”.  Our drive down into Kings Canyon was excellent, though, and I enjoyed this short tour with a small group of just four people.

My next trip brought me on another 6 day adventure, this time to Napa and Sonoma for a “walking and wine” tour. Eight of my nine passengers on this trip were a group traveling together from New Jersey which made for an interesting dynamic. They were all wonderful people, but it was definitely different to have such a big group within my group. We did some magnificent hikes though, especially out to Tamales Bay on the coast where we spotted coyotes and elk along the way to fantastic overlooks of the Pacific Ocean. I also enjoyed getting back to Muir Woods after many years away on this trip. I found us some delicious places to eat out in wine country and my group enjoyed several wine tastings as well.

The final trip of my season took me back to the desert for a nice eight day loop taking in Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. We spent Thanksgiving in Grand Canyon and were treated to a real feast at Yavapai Lodge. I also had the opportunity to climb Angels Landing in Zion, a hike I haven’t done in many years…

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An Update from the Road - October 18th

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An Update from the Road - October 18th

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone is having a pleasant October so far. I haven’t seen much in the way of leaves changing color out here in California, but the window decorations in the stores are telling me that Halloween is right around the corner. It’s always a fun time of year and it usually means that the end of my tour season is also in sight. Three more trips and I’m a free man for the winter and while it’s been an amazing season, I’m looking forward to being back on my own for a while.

Since I last wrote, I’ve run two 3 day tours to Yosemite and had a week in between all to myself. The trips were both really good, with excellent groups and decent weather. It’s starting to cool off a bit in the mountains, and the smoke from this summer’s fires seems to be mostly gone. I ran both trips in pretty much the same way, with wonderful hikes in the valley, the high country and down to see the giant sequoias. I can definitely say I’ve come to know Yosemite better this summer than I could have ever imagined, which is something I’ve really enjoyed. It used to be my favorite park in the country, but traffic and crowded trails dropped it down my list a few notches over the years. With the introduction of a reservation system, the number of people in the park seemed much more reasonable this summer, and I’ve really enjoyed my time there. I’ve gotten to hike most of my favorite trails, and discovered plenty of new ones as well. I have one more trip to Yosemite this summer, but I’m already looking forward to returning next year when the waterfalls are back and spring is in the air.

Between these trips, I got out of the bay area for a week, and Shadow Catcher and I got to spend some serious time together while I got out and explored a little more of California. We started by heading down to the coast at Santa Cruz, a nice little beach community about an hour south of San Francisco. It was the filming location for the beach scenes in the 1980s classic horror film The Lost Boys, so it’s always had a special place in my heart. As a kid who had never been to the west coast, I imagined all California beach towns looked like Santa Cruz. It was pretty quiet when I was there and I enjoyed wandering around the boardwalk, hanging out with the sea lions out on the pier, photographing the lighthouses and just enjoying the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. I even found a great little dive bar called Brady’s Yacht Club with $2 beers, by far the cheapest I’ve seen anywhere in California in a very long time.

I spent an afternoon and evening there and the following morning as well before heading down the coast to Monterey. I’ve spent some time in Monterey before and have always wanted to visit the aquarium and this seemed like a good chance to do it..

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An Update from the Road - September 29th

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An Update from the Road - September 29th

Hey y’all! Gosh, it’s been awhile. My summer has been really busy and hectic, but it’s finally starting to slow down a little bit. I just got back from a two week trip to Montana and Wyoming and the leaves are already changing up there. Football is back on the television and pumpkin-spiced everything is showing up in stores and on menus. That must mean fall has arrived. While I’m going to continue working through November, my trips will be more spread out and I’ll have a little bit more time to catch up with you guys and on some of my other projects. It’s been a busy summer, but a good one and it’s taken me to beautiful places with wonderful people.

When last I wrote, I was on my way to Northern California for a reunion with a bunch of my old tour guiding friends. It was a truly magical 5 days in the redwoods in a beautiful, secluded, private camp with a hundred really wonderful people. Some were old friends I haven’t seen in 20 years while others I knew only by reputation. We laughed a lot and shared stories of our similar but vastly different experiences on the roads of North America (and beyond, for some). It’s been rare that I’ve felt so much a part of something, and my 20 years of involvement with the company meant I could bridge a lot of gaps and fill in a lot of missing chapters to the story. The founders of the company were there, and they shared their story about the humble beginnings of TrekAmerica way back in 1972. It was fascinating to hear how it all began, and we had tour guides there from every season from the very start to the very end, when the company closed its doors during the pandemic. I’m glad we had a full five days out there as a weekend just wouldn’t have been enough.

I took an extra day after the reunion to make my way back down the coast and be sure that Shadow Catcher put some miles on. She handled like a dream and it was nice to be driving her down the Pacific coast. As far as I know, it was the first time she’d seen the Pacific and it meant that after 5 years we had finally made it all the way across the country together from sea to shining sea.

After the reunion, I returned to San Francisco and ran a quick little tour out to Yosemite. While on the trail, I ran into two friends I had taken on tour way back in 2015. It was great to see them and to catch up for a few minutes and reminisce about our trip together.

My next trip was an enjoyable San Francisco/Yosemite/Lake Tahoe combination with a fun group of British passengers in their 30s and 40s. The trip included a full day of sightseeing in the city, a great sunset cruise on Lake Tahoe and a stand-up paddleboard lesson

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An Update From The Road - August 7th

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An Update From The Road - August 7th

Hello Everyone! Happy August to you! It’s been an intensely busy few weeks out here on the road and I have barely had time to think, much less right a blog post. These last few weeks I’ve been on a mad dash around the Sierra Nevada Mountains and through the desert and it has been really great to be back in some of my favorite places. I’ve had good groups with me who have been supportive and enthusiastic, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with them. It’s monsoon season out in the desert, so rain clouds have been a constant companion, but the desert needs all the rain it can get and I’ve been able to work around them for the most part. Temperatures have soared as high as 114° out here and I’ve been doing my best to stay hydrated and healthy in the extreme conditions. All of that being said, it’s been a heck of a few weeks as I’ve spent most of it on the kind of trip I cut my teeth on many years ago. It’s always good to get back to your roots now and again.

When last I wrote, I was headed off on a 5 day walking tour in the mountains. The Wawona Fire was blazing in Yosemite, so we had to make adjustments to make it work. We still got into the Valley, but it was quite hazy and the air quality was poor. We made up for it with a hike out at Hetch Hetchy and a hike up Lembert Dome in the high country. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I could do and my group was very appreciative that they could at least see the highlights of the park. From there we headed out to Mammoth for the night.

The next day we hiked out and around Convict Lake, a first for me. It’s always nice to check out some new places and this trip had a few new spots in store for me. Convict Lake gets its name from a standoff between a local posse and a group of 29 convicts who had escaped from the prison in Carson City. It was a beautiful place for a walk and my group enjoyed a nice swim afterwards while I pulled the van around. From there we made our way north to the South Tufa area of Mono Lake. Mono Lake has several inlets but no outlets, making it one of the saltier lakes in the country as the water evaporates and the minerals remain. Natural springs under the lake percolate calcium rich water which deposits as calcium carbonate, leaving fascinating formations called Tufa Pinnacles. After some time there, we headed north again to the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe. There was music, beer and food trucks at the public beach, so we spent our evening there – swimming in the lake and enjoying the show. It was a heck of a way to spend the last evening of our trip. We hiked to the postcard-perfect Echo Lake the next morning before returning to San Francisco.

I had a couple of days to get ready for my next trip and then made a beeline for Los Angeles where it would begin

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This Week on the Road - July 3rd-10th

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This Week on the Road - July 3rd-10th

Hello Everyone! I hope all of my American readers had a fabulous 4th of July. I spent mine in Yosemite National Park, which is a beautiful tribute to so much of what’s right with this country. Ken Burns was definitely onto something when he called our national parks “America’s greatest idea”. This country has had its ups and downs and the pendulum continues to swing, but I’m sure you know by now how passionate I am about our national parks and public lands in general. While there were definitely no fireworks allowed anywhere in the vicinity of Yosemite do to extreme drought and fire hazards, I was happy to spend some of the day in the shadow of the mountain known as Liberty Cap – it seemed quite fitting.

Since I am back to work and will be incredibly busy these next few months, these updates are going to come sporadically throughout the summer and early fall. During the last few years, I’ve tried to get them out pretty religiously on Wednesdays with an excellent success rate, but when I’m working it’s a different story. I’m slowly starting to shake the rust off from three years without guiding a tour and I’ve definitely been enjoying being back on the road and being back on payroll. It’s always good to see my accounts rolling up instead of down. I’ve also loved being back in front of a group, sharing my passion for nature and history and sharing travel stories and laughs over dinner and drinks. I have strangely been asked on two of my first four trips to give a brief overview of the American Civil War. Neither was brief, but I like to think they have a significantly better idea of what the war was about.

I’ve been really hoping to have one trip go off without a hitch as most of my trips did for many years before the pandemic. I’ve always been good at covering my bases so that even when things go wrong, most of my passengers will never know the difference. That’s been hard so far this season, and this current trip was no different. I only had four passengers scheduled on this current trip to Yosemite, but only two showed up on our first night together. Thankfully the other two at least left word as to where they were and by the evening of the second day I had all my ducklings gathered ‘round me. This was another 5 day hiking tour to Yosemite and the weather really couldn’t have been better. It was in the mid-60s to low-70s all week and not a cloud in the sky – perfect Yosemite hiking weather. The snow-melt-fed waterfalls are still going strong and the wildflowers are in full bloom. Once I had all of my passengers with me, I could tell we were in for a wonderful week.

And a wonderful week it was. On Sunday we went for lunch at the Iron Door Saloon, the oldest saloon in California dating back to 1852. Then we went out and hiked to see the giant sequoias, the largest living things on earth. Spending time among the sequoias is always humbling and awe-inspiring. When Jesus walked the earth, some of these trees were already a thousand years old.

Monday found us on the Mist Trail, hiking up 1600’ past the beautiful Vernal and Nevada Falls. This is a heavily traveled route and because of that is one I haven’t hiked in many years. I prefer to spend my time in Yosemite in quieter corners of the park. It has been nice to revisit this hike this season as it was the very first hike I ever did in Yosemite, 22 years ago when I was on my training trip to become a guide.

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Snapshots: Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona

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Snapshots: Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona

There’s much more to Winslow, Arizona than just that lyric from The Eagle’s hit song Take It Easy, but they are definitely using it to their benefit. Standing On The Corner Park at 2nd Street and Kinsley Avenue is beautifully done and brings in hundreds of tourists a day to this little town of just 10,000 or so residents. The real highlight of the town, though, is the beautifully restored La Posada Hotel, one of the original Harvey Houses opened in 1930. It is still operating as a hotel and I had the pleasure of dining in the Turquoise Room restaurant during my stay (in town, not in the hotel). There are also some great parks down by the railroad, a nice little brewery and plenty of souvenir shops. I also loved the town’s Visitor Center which is housed in the old Hubbell Warehouse which was a railroad hub for John Lorenzo Hubbell’s western trading posts. The lady working there when I visited took me around and showed me all kinds of neat artifacts from the town’s history. When I was leaving, I thanked her and with a well practiced wink she waved and said “hey, take it easy”. I hope you enjoy these photos from tiny Winslow, Arizona.

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In Focus: Petrified Forest National Park

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In Focus: Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona contains a beautiful collection of petrified wood and also includes the Painted Desert, Blue Mounds and an old stretch of Route 66. It’s a park best explored by car, but you won’t really appreciate it unless you get out and hike out into the wilderness. Petrified Forest was designated a National Monument back in 1906 and was upgraded to a National Park in 1962. I enjoyed my visit to the park and hope you enjoy these photos I took exploring the Petrified Forest.

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This Week on the Road - June 2nd-8th

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This Week on the Road - June 2nd-8th

Hello Everyone! Well, we made it. Shadow Catcher and I have officially made it all the way across the country. This was my 27th drive across the continent and, as far as I know, her first. It was also my longest cross-country drive by far, taking just about 4 months, as opposed to the one to five weeks I normally take. While we didn’t actually see the Pacific Ocean yet, we did make it to the San Francisco Bay which will have to be close enough for the time being. Shadow Catcher has been parked in storage where she will remain for the next few months as I go back to work, but she’s only an hour outside of the city so I hope I can get out and check on her and take her for a spin when I’m in town. She certainly deserves a rest after the last few months, and with California gas prices hovering between $6 and $7 a gallon, it’s very good timing for a break. I’ve spent my week hanging out with old friends and catching up on some much-needed rest and feel very ready and prepared to begin my summer tour season this coming weekend.

When I left you last week, I was headed up to South Lake Tahoe to visit my very good friend Rob and his family. I met Rob in high school, but didn’t really get to know him until after college when we lived together for about a year in a beautiful house in Chevy Chase, Maryland. We have been good friends ever since, and it is always truly a pleasure to spend time with him. I remember visiting him soon after he moved to California and being one of the first in our friend-group to meet his new girlfriend, Tara. I was here for their wedding and have been blessed to watch their children grow from toddlers to ‘tweens. I visited them a few years ago in their vacation home in Tahoe which has since become their full-time home, and I was thrilled to be able to spend a few days there with them this week.

On Thursday I spent a few hours giving Shadow Catcher’s interior a deep-cleaning and reorganizing which it desperately needed. I spent my Friday on a beautiful sandy beach on the shore of Lake Tahoe with Rob and his family. We went kayaking, threw the Frisbee and I even went for a very short dip in the cold, clear water of the lake. That evening we went to cheer on young Nolan as he took to the field in the first playoff game of his little league baseball career. They made a valiant effort, but came up short of a win. Nolan walked and stole a base which was definitely the highlight of the game for us. It was great to just sit and watch the game under the trees as the day came to a close. Saturday was a pretty relaxed day for us all. We went for a few little walks around the lake in the morning and then I got both of the children to show me their musical skills. Mazie plays the violin and Nolan plays the guitar, both of which I just happen to have in the back of my van. I was really impressed by their skills and had a blast jamming with them for a little while in the afternoon. In the evening, Tara cooked up an incredible feast of lasagna, salad and a delightful apple crisp with some homemade ice cream. We stayed up late chatting and drinking beer and listening to some wonderfully nostalgic 1980s movie theme music. It was an awesome few days up in the woods and I’m so very lucky to have such wonderful friends who would take me in for a while.

On a rainy Sunday morning I headed down out of the mountains to Lincoln, California – just north of Sacramento – to catch up with another old friend, Dave Flood. I met Dave when I was a rookie tour leader way back in the summer of 2000. We ran into each other a lot on the road during the next few years, and he was always good for a laugh. I haven’t seen Dave in probably at least 15 years, but we’ve kept in contact on Facebook and talk on the phone every couple of weeks. He’s been trying to get me to come visit him in Lincoln for a many years now, and I was glad to finally be able to take him up on the offer. He made me promise that I would arrive at 11:30am so that I could participate in his weekly ukulele lesson at noon

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This Week on the Road - May 25th-June 1st

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This Week on the Road - May 25th-June 1st

Hello Everyone! First and foremost I wanted to thank you for all of the kind messages and comments you sent this week. Each one made me feel a little bit better and they were all appreciated. I do believe that my bout with Covid is over and while it was not a fun time, so many of my friends are currently infected that at least I didn’t feel as isolated as I could have. The illness was bad, but the loneliness was difficult as well. I’m used to being alone and I’m comfortable with being alone, but I always have the option of going to a bar or a restaurant and at least being among people. With this I wanted to minimize contact as best I could so I got take-out and sat in my room or my van. It’s also been hard not being able to exercise as much as I’m used to, but I have read too much about people pushing themselves through Covid and doing permanent damage to their lungs through scarring and didn’t want to risk it. But it seems to have passed at this point and I am ready to get back to some of my routines which I’m really looking forward to. This won’t be a long newsletter this week as I’ve spent most of my time recuperating and driving, but there have definitely been some cool moments – most notably the two days I spent on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.

When I left off last week, I was recuperating in a hotel room in Flagstaff. Flagstaff was a godsend to me last week, with its walkable downtown, Whole Foods and especially the cool, clean high-desert air. It was also one of the most photogenic towns in all of Arizona, but sadly I didn’t take any photos as I just wasn’t really in the mood. I will return in the future though, and I look forward to getting some photos when I do. I did make it out to Walnut Canyon while I was there, a small National Park site about 20 minutes out of town. It’s a beautiful little park where an oxbow bend in a seasonal river has left an island of land surrounded by a deep valley. This landscape provided a nice protected location for a small Sinagua village site about a thousand years ago. The ruins in the park became a hotbed for looters and tourists in the late 19th century, prompting government protection of the site. Most of the ruins there are reconstructions, but it’s still a lovely canyon to stroll around. Back in Flagstaff I also enjoyed a wander through the old Weatherford Hotel which has been lovingly restored after being threatened with demolition. Despite my illness, I did have a nice stay in Flagstaff.

I left Friday morning and after a short stop at the Navajo Bridge, which is one of the major crossings of the Colorado River in Arizona, I headed on up the Kaibab Plateau to the North Rim of Grand Canyon. I have been to Grand Canyon no less than a hundred times in my life, but always to the more popular South Rim. The South Rim has always been the centerpiece of the park since the railroad arrived over a century ago. The North Rim is higher, averaging almost 9,000’ above sea level, and far less crowded. I spent two days there - taking photos, doing short hikes and just sitting on the rim and reading my book -and I loved every minute of it. It was beautiful, cool, relatively quiet considering it was a holiday weekend and a perfect place to wind up my stay in Arizona. I enjoyed two sunrises and two sunsets and found some wonderful viewpoints along the canyon rim. There seemed to be quite a few rim-to-rim hikers and it is a pretty serious 21 mile hike from the South Rim down and then up the Kaibab Trail. After dark, the talk seemed to all focus on those hikers who hadn’t yet made it out of the canyon. Some made it out later in the night and many finally emerged the following morning admitting they had either underestimated the hike or overestimated their own abilities or, most likely, a combination of the two. It was fascinating to see and listen to and I provided what reassurances I could, knowing all too well how easy it is for hikers to struggle up out of the canyon. All-in-all, I really had a great time up on the North Rim and will definitely return there in the future.

After sunrise and breakfast at the lodge on Sunday, I headed on down the road. After a brief stop at Pipe Springs National Historic Site, I drove on to St. George, Utah to catch up with my friend Jenny. Jenny worked at the same tour company that I did for a number of years and has continued guiding with other companies since. Right now she guides hiking and llama-packing tours, primarily in the Desert Southwest, and is also in the process of building out a small school bus to live in. I haven’t seen her in years and we spent the day catching up and talking about old times and new adventures and about our mutual friends and what they’re up to. I always enjoy her company and it was nice to have someone to chat with for a while. We had some tasty tacos and then went to a trailhead parking lot outside of town where we parked our vehicles side-by-side for the night.

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