Trying to catch up

PREFACE: I am trying to catch up after being ill for several days with a cold. We all are suffering from the effects of the altitude and add in some colds and sinus problems and you have old tired people feeling badly.

We are taking lots of "stuff" and we do keep going, because we are here, and there is much to see, and we don't want to miss a moment of our adventure, but we are all dragging and need several days of rest to recuperate. That said, let's get back to the travel tales....... we can catch up in Vegas.

COLORADO..just a memory. We left last Sunday and as the mountains faded in the rear view mirrors, I felt I had had an experience I would never forget.

One of the last days we were there, we drove the San Juan Skyway, 230 miles round trip , up on the high mountain road connecting Teluride, Ouray, Silverton,Durango and back to Cortez. We had spectacular views of snow, waterfalls, mining towns, and vistas so fantastically beautiful, it is no wonder it is called the Switzerland of America.

We left for Gallop, N.M. and an overnight stay on Route 66. The campgrounds now are all gravel, no grass, flat, no trees, easy pull throughs, but barren and the winds are so strong, we dare not put out our awnings. The winds have been, since Albuquerque, gusting from 20 up to 50 mph. The motorhome shakes from side to side and you wonder what will blow past you.

Clouds of sand can be seen on the horizon and holding the rig on the road becomes very difficult and there is alot of concentration needed to keep going in strong cross winds. But the people here all seem to take it in stride and it doesn't seem to bother them. Floridians would be headed for shelters.

Monday, we crossed the Arizona border and drove through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park. Our senior pass has come in handy and
it is the best $10.00 investment we ever made, because it is good for life and for any national park. We have already used it often and will use it many more times before this trip is over.

Now we are in Williams, the gateway to the Grand Canyon, and enjoying exploring this area of Arizona. It is an old railroad town and home to the Grand Canyon Railroad, which makes many runs daily to the eastern rim of the canyon.

The old hotel here was built by the Sante Fe Railroad and run by Fred Harvey and his famous Harvey Girls. One of my favorite Judy Garland movies was "The Harvey Girls" and told about the ladies who came from the East and brought civilization to the raucus Western railroad towns. In their starched black dresses and white aprons, they served food to the passengers at the railroad stops along the way and were paid a $17.00 monthly wage as well as room and board.

Many an uncouth cowboy or minor was tamed by these ladies and towns, churches, schools, marriages, children, and civilization followed changing the wild west forever, because of a hot meal served on linen table clothes, by ladies from the East.

Tuesday, we drove the gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon on our way to Sedona.What a spectacular drive. The chalky white canyon walls high above us suddenly became pink and then deep red and it was something to see. A magical 23 miles of trees and red rocks and blue skies.

Crossing a trestle bridge, you are suddenly in Sedona, red rocks everywhere, a bustling downtown of galleries, restaurants, and souvernir shops. The beautiful hills were ringed by high red mesas and covered in gorgeous very large homes,
with glass walls and balconies to see the fabulous views .

Thursday, we all made the long awaited trip to the Grand Canyon. It did not disappoint but no descriptive narrative, painting, or photo can capture the immense size, the scope, or the majesty of this incredible natural wonder.

We were bundled up because the evening temperatures had been in the 30's and on our early morning tour it had only warmed up to low 50's. This entire
trip in the mountains it has been very windy and cool, but we are not complaining when we know how hot it is back in Florida.

On Friday, some of us went to the Verde Valley train, some shopped in Sedona,and some of us went to historic Jerome, a ghost town come to life, in the high mountains.

Jerome, once a thriving copper mining town of 15,000 and called the Wickest Town in the West, was turned into a ghost town of 50 residents after the mine stopped operations.

Sitting on the side of a mountian at 6000 feet, it is now a thriving tourist town of hotels, B&B's, artist galleries, and restaurants. The streets are narrow and steep
and the buildings are all listed on the National Historic Register.

The views are awesome and the ambience is unique, stepping back to the time of saloons, brothels, and boarding houses. Now reborn as a tourist meca, the chamber has renamed it "the town that would not die". It was a fascinating day and made another scrapbook page for my ever growing book.

Leaving for Vegas, but what we do in Vegas won't stay there....we will pass on the details to you in our very next blog. Until then, we have to start getting ready to pull our tomorrow.