A Trip to...

National Parks, 

the Navajo and Hopi Reservations

Starting in California to Nevada, Utah, 

Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona 

then back through Utah and Nevada to California

It's a Girls' trip - 

I am traveling with childhood friends, 

Meredith Phillips Lindley and Diane Phillips Hamlyn 

along with Cynthia Matthews Villani.

June 5-13, 2023

AND SO IT BEGINS...

June 5, Monday

Packing up in Sacramento, 6:30 am from Diane's home.

 

Meredith and Diane

Cynthia settles in

Meredith starts the drive

 

A long 11-12 hour drive to Bryce Canyon Lodge

The highlight of the long drive...
wide load mining equipment

Over the mountains of Utah

First sightings of the red clay in Utah

Beginning of the Grand Staircase Escalante

We arrive around 7:30pm to Bryce Canyon Lodge

We settle in our cabins, then dinner at the Lodge Dining Room.

Now to bed.

***

June 6, Tuesday

Sunrise at the Canyon rim

Attractive photo of goofy friends...

Now we find the trail into the Canyon

Sitting on top of the World

Diane looking up

 

Catching my breath

And now back to the cabin

After a nap, we go to the rim for the sunset view.

Dinner at the lodge, then it's bed time.

***

June 7, Wednesday

On the road again to Moab
Arches National Park

Diane makes a friend at the rest stop.

Coming close to our
first stop of the day

The stop at Capitol Reef National Park

Then an enjoyable stop before our final destination for the day...

Goblin Valley State Park

It's the 3 Phillips Sisters!

The Goblin Valley...full of Goblins

We make it to Under Canvas - Moab

Diane in front of our main tent - "children's teepee" next door
(Susie and Cynthia's teepee) 

The seniors of the group

Cynthia enjoying the view

The view...

After settling in we go into Moab for dinner

After dinner we go back to the tent for s'mores and bed.

***

June 8, Thursday

Up at 6 am to go to Arches National Park!

First sighting...

Sheep Rock, 3 Gossips and The Organ

Enjoying the morning under Sheep Rock

Fallen Arches

Now to "Windows"

Turn east at "Balanced Rock"

The walk to North Window

Look carefully - there's a wedding happening

Meredith and Diane

South Window

Mere, Diane and Susie
at South Window

Elephant Butte
and the Parade of Elephants

The Fiery Furnace

then to Devils Garden...

This doesn't look like
hell to me.

Landscape Arch

Drive by Balanced Rock
on the way out

View from the Visitor Center

Relaxing at Under Canvas
ending a great day at Arches

***

June 9, Friday

Time to get up!

We pack up and on to Mesa Verde

We say goodbye to Arches and Moab

Diane drives today

Our first stop of the day...

Travelers Meredith, Cynthia and Susie

Now for Mesa Verde

The lodge dinning room

The rooms (with a view)

The "Ranger's Talk"
at Spruce Tree Terrace

Another view at another angle

Driving around, remnants of a fire

Only one day at Mesa Verde,

next up...

Trading Posts and Canyon de Chelly

***

June 10, Saturday

Before we leave

we go to 

The Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center

"The Ancient Ones"

This climber is climbing to his home in the cliffs

The sculpture is also a sun dial

"The Pueblo Potter" 

Last look at the 
Mesa Verde 
Visitor and Research Center

------

We drive by 4 corners.

These days, you have to pay $10 a person to be able to stand

on the 4 corners' plate

there are also food and trinkets available there

We chose to drive by...

-----

We stop at Teec Nos Pas Trading Post to buy Navajo trinkets...(?)

Groceries

Blankets

Jewelry, crafts and trinkets

 

I think he might be
buying new spurs

Diane and Susie

Cynthia, Susie & Meredith
with their caché from Teec Nos Pas

We say goodbye to our first trading post

We're on the road to
Canyon de Chelly

-----

We arrive and check in at the Thunderbird Lodge

where we book an afternoon Canyon Tour

-----

We are ready to go!
Thumbs up from Alton, our guide

Meredith and Susie ready

Up the riverbed towards the Canyon

First view of the Canyon

A visual of the canyon's height

Family home

Another home

Cliff drawings are here

The White House
(when the sun hits, it is bright white)

Our guide and jeep awaits

Meredith, Alton, Cynthia, Susie & Diane

Our transport!

The Sacred Cliff

*****

June 11, Sunday

And now we are off for more trading post adventures...

Hubbell Trading Post

National Historic Site, Arizona

Blankets, books and sheep

Crafts, jewelry and baskets

Diane buying some jewelery

Next stop...

Keams Canyon and the Hopi Museum

We are greeted

and then we move on...

Hopi Cultural Center and Museum

The shops

I bought a Hopi necklace to go
with my Navajo earrings

 At one of the craft shops we are told about ceremonial dances

with Kachina dancers further up Rte 264

We change into long pants
for the ceremonial dancing

Going further north on 264

 

This is the only village on the road

We drive around the village to see what's happening. 

We try to find parking near the gathering around the town center.

The Hopi Police help us find parking

Dances in the spring and early summer are usually sponsored by a woman and her family (or community?) seeking special favors or blessings from the kachinas.  The dancers are paid with food and presents, and either clowns or kachinas distribute additional quantities of food and other gifts, standing in the plaza and throwing them to members of the audience amidst much hilarity.

The "gifts" we were given during the ceremony
We gave the food that needed cooking away

Now we move on to our next destination for the night

Under Canvas Escalante

(Lake Powell)

We know we are close as we cross the Colorado River

Mere and I wet our feet
in the Colorado 

Under Canvas The Grand Staircase Escalante

Lake Powell

Under Canvas Escalante

We settle in

There's restaurant food and
a dinning space

Our tent at night

Good Night" from Escalante The Grand Staircase

*****

June 12, Sunday

Rise and Shine!

On the road, again

We stop at a Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

-----

Then...

Maynard Dixon Gallery

Past the Gallery, up the road to the Dixon Home

Classic Maynard Dixon

The house and workshed

My favorite piece

The studio/living room

The inspiring view for Maynard Dixon

---

Now a quick trip through Zion National Park

and the Visitor Center

The Tunnel through the Cliffs

 Tunneled through Zion

We spend an hour at the Visitor Center and came out to rain and wind.

We need to get through Utah

We get through Area 51 without incident

(a little spooky, but safe)

I think we are in the Twilight Zone -
UPS delivery to where? 

Civilization...
We need a couple of rooms!

Our last night before going "home"

spent at the Travel Inn 

*****

July 13, Tuesday

We gas up and breakfast 

We are heading for home

First stop of the day...

Not a soul in sight

----

It's starting to look like California

First glimpse of Mono Lake

Now even further into California

Valleys

Sierras ?

Looks familiar, too

Rain

more rain

Got through the rain and now stop for ice cream

in Sutter Springs

Diane buys dinner
for home

The 4 travelers
Diane, Meredith, Susie and Cynthia

The last leg of the trip

Back at Diane's
Home for dinner

Reminders of our trip
A Fabulous Road Trip with Fabulous Friends