Settling In

Park service housing is always in beautiful settings, but the housing itself usually needs a bit of work. It needs to be reclaimed--either from dust, pests and neglect, or the previous occupant. It needs to be re-outfitted with bedding and paper supplies. Then you scavenge any unoccupied rooms for the best of the blinds, chairs, etc. This weekend I finished reclaiming my master bedroom (large separate closet and bathroom). It feels good to be fully unpacked.

I've taken a couple of walks/bike rides the past few days and I am struck by the similarities and differences. Like in Michigan, bats soar overhead at dusk, snapping up insects. Unlike Michigan or DC, good-size lizards also scuttle out of my way. Dusk is a peaceful time of day here. The fading light highlights the rocks in shades of red, pink, and golden yellow. The campground is quiet, and most boats are anchored for the night. It is a contented time of night.


Also, my hair is loving the lack of humidity here. It is like it has never heard of frizz. =) Below is a picture of our normal late afternoon / early evening Arizona monsoon storms. Dark clouds, bright light highlighting the tan or red rocks, sheets of rain (often not reaching the ground), bright rainbows. Very dramatic.


P.S. This may not be the best blog post ever, but it did take the longest, for whatever that's worth...

Made it to Page

We had a busy last day of the trip--slept in, ran errands, bought some delicious Colorado peaches and apricots. We stopped at Mesa Verde National Park long enough to figure out that you really need to spend a weekend there. Then we drove the remaining miles through desert in the Four Corners region.
The last hour driving into Page was really neat--broad shelves of rock gently dipping, hoo doos and other interesting rock formations. It is mostly red rocks here, and mostly sandstones. The rock units are very thick (20-200m). Lake Powell is quite a contrast, with pretty blue-green water and lots of boats. At night it gets very dark. You could use a flashlight walking to the recycle bin near my new trailer home (where I have my own bedroom and share a kitchen, living room, laundry, etc.). At night you could be in any other area of the country, rather than surrounded by jaw-dropping red rock, interesting from every angle.

Page has a Safeway, Walmart, library, and other shops. All the restaurants we've eaten at so far have been great--Mexican, Italian, Japanese with fresh veggies etc. That's my first impressions anyway, more later.

One state, 400 miles

We traveled diagonally through Colorado, through a lot of pretty mountains and small towns. It is so strange to see so much rock again. At first I feel like I should stop at each outcrop and examine it. Then I remember that I can be choosy again, skipping over the faulted and deformed sections. I visited my first fossil park--imagine all the displays about fossils and geology, all of the talks about fossils, all of the research and monitoring of fossils going on. It was pretty cool. =) The car worked hard today, too, climbing through mountain passes over 10,000 feet. And eventually as twilight fell we pulled into bustling Durango, CO.

Two days, Two states, 900 miles

Our shortest day of the trip so far was a five hour jaunt to Omaha, NE. My parents met in Omaha, so I got to see where they used to live and work and met one of their old friends. There was a crazy thunderstorm while we were there that toppled trees onto houses and turned the sky yellow-green. It also created a very impressive rainbow.

Thursday we got up early and took off across Nebraska for Denver. I liked being in Nebraska again, it reminded me of my trip in high school to many interesting sites in the northern part of the state. We stopped at Boot Hill Cemetery in Ogallala, where bandits, paupers and those who cheated at cards were buried. We arrived early in Denver, and toasted our successful day with frosty mugs of root beer at A & W.

Family

My current grand tour of the country may not be the most expedient way west, but it is fun to be able to stop by and see family. I am currently in Iowa visiting with my dad's side of the family. In this small town my dad grew up in, I can walk downtown in five minutes. In Ann Arbor I can drive downtown in 15 minutes. In DC, its a little different. And soon I will be in the west, where "neighbors" live a few hours away. An endlessly interesting country, this one. =)

Three states, 700 miles

With a beautiful sunrise in Michigan, I was on my way again. A heron flew over the highway, and I noticed hawks and red-winged blackbirds. In Illinois and Iowa, the shoulder and median were full of wildflowers--lots of Queen Anne's lace, a few sunflowers and other bright spots of color I couldn't identify. As the landscape flattened out, the sky became more dramatic--a blue sky filled with evenly-spaced puffy white clouds.

I had lunch in Ottawa, IL, site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate when they were campaigning for the Senate in 1858.

Stationary

Today I spent less than an hour in the car. =) I ate blueberries and fresh green beans out of the garden. I took my parents' dog for a walk. I had lunch with a friend. All in all, a very nice day!

Seven states, 700 miles

The great journey out west began yesterday in Alexandria, VA about 6pm. Tonight, six states and 700 miles later I am in Michigan. Today's highlights included two Amish buggies on their way to church, the blimp sighting over the LPGA tournament, and the Mail Pouch Tobacco barns. I soaked in the green--rolling hills covered with vegetation with occasional glimpses of the underlying rocks. Soon my vistas will look very different.