If you travel south from Boise, sooner or later you’ll run into a giant crevasse called the Grand Canyon. I’ve been there several times, but I still find it awe-inspiring. November is a good time to visit. The crowds are slim and it’s easy to stand at the rail and look down.
Hubby and I drove through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona on Saturday. There were so many people swirling around in the “vortex” that it was hard to get around. We got through the crowds as quickly as possible and went on to Montezuma Castle National Monument. There were few people there and the walk along the canyon floor was shady and cool. I could have sat there all afternoon. I understand why the ancient people lived there.
Not far outside of Phoenix is Sunset Crater National Park and the Wupatki National Monument. The crater is an interesting geologic feature, but much more interesting to me were the Wupatki ruins. We didn’t spend much time there because we had a long way to go that day, but it would have been nice to explore some of the other ruins.
We got to Monument Valley just as the sun was setting. The visitor center was closed so we drove through, admiring the scenery as best we could in the dwindling light. Someday maybe we’ll go back and spend more time there.
Long after dark, we drove over the switchbacked Moki Dugway road. I’d like to see that road in the daylight sometime, although it will probably scare me to see where we went. We were trying to get to Hanksville, Utah for the night. Hubby worked in that country decades ago and wanted to see how the hotel was faring. Ugh, nothing much has changed there other than maybe the sheets. We saw Factory Butte. His work was beyond there, way out into the desert.
The next morning we drove back a ways to visit the Natural Bridges National Monument and part of the Lake Powell Natural Area. The bridge crosses the Colorado River.
We ended our tour of national parks and monuments at Capitol Reef. Any place that has petroglyphs interests me and I wasn’t disappointed to find them there.
When we got home, I told Hubby that trip was the way I like to travel. Go for a fun-packed week or two, then come home. He replied he prefers being gone for months. Sigh.