My 2009 Road Trip to South Dakota – Wyoming – Montana – Utah – Arizona – New Mexico- Colorado Part 3

We left Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam close to noon on Saturday 23rd May blissfully unaware that it was the Memorial Holiday weekend. Joan had not been to the Grand Canyon before, while I had visited this outstanding natural wonder in Arizona back 2003. So to enable her to cross this attraction off her Bucket List, we headed south. Our calculations showed that we could get to Tusayan, a village at the south entrance to the park, where we could find accommodation before nightfall. The total distance was about 130 miles.


The Colorado River wa.a..ay down in the canyon



Wild flowers on the south rim of the canyon

A large part of the route was through the Navajo Indian Reservation and the Painted Desert. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the most popular side. It has about 35 miles of paved roads, and there are many excellent observation points from where one can view the canyon.

 While we were driving through the park a sudden rainstorm overtook us. But despite the rain and  the busy roads we saw enough of the Grand Canyon to satisfy Joan. Truly, no photograph can do justice to the incredible colours and breathtaking views of the Canyon, and the amazing Colorado River, which looks like a trickle when viewed from above. 

A selection of pictures of the Grand Canyon

Rainstorm in the distance

On top of the world (almost)

 One does need to spend at least three days in the Park to appreciate the beauty of the Canyon which needs to be admired both at sunset and at sunrise.  There are activities to suit most people. These include, inter alia, mule rides to the bottom of the canyon, hiking, and horse riding. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and its average width is ten miles from rim to rim.

 When we arrived in Tusayan there was no accommodation available, not surprising because of the holiday weekend, so we had no option but to travel the additional eighty miles to Flagstaff, where accommodation was also in short supply, but we eventually found a room at a Howard Johnson Inn, with a restaurant close by. Flagstaff is located in a mountainous area, and the drive through the Kaibab National Forest into the town was pleasantly scenic.

In Oak Creek Canyon

I had in the past read some interesting travel articles about a town called Sedona and my map showed that it was about thirty miles south of Flagstaff. It seemed the perfect opportunity to visit this popular  artists's colony. Joan did not need much persuasion to go along with the idea. The road to Sedona winds through the Coconino National Forest, and alongside the luxuriant gorges of the Oak Creek Canyon. Sedona,  on the other hand is situated in a dusty, semi-arid area, surrounded by hills that vary in colour from red to light sand. Some of the rock formations have distinctive shapes and have appropriate names such Snoopy, Coffeepot, and Cathedral Rock. 

Main Street, Sedona

Art in Sedona

 





 There are numerous shops, restaurants, and art galleries in the town, and a free bus service is available for the convenience of visitors who prefer to see the sights without having to walk in the hot sun. It is actually a good way of orientating oneself, and to see what the town has to offer. One can then decide which places to explore in depth. Also on offer are helicopter rides and jeep tours of Sedona, the Colorado Plateau, and the Sonoran Desert.


View of Outskirts of Sedona

After lunch we headed back to Flagstaff. Travelling in the opposite direction allowed us to see views of the mountainous areas that we missed when travelling to Sedona. Would you agree that one misses the most amazing views if one travels a scenic route in one direction only? When we reached the junction at Interstate 40 we headed east towards New Mexico. Sections of Highway 40 are actually part of the original Route 66. We went through towns such as Winslow, where we filled up with gas, and where there was a Wal-Mart, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and Joseph City, We crossed the border into New Mexico and passed the town of Gallup, through which the Aitcheson, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway was built in 1881, to utilise the coal deposits for its engines. The Navajos, whose vast reservation extends north and west into Arizona, use Gallup as their main trading centre.

We arrived in Albuquerque late in the evening and after a drive through the city to get oriented we looked for accommodation for the night. Once again we booked into a Howard Johnson Inn, which again had wireless internet and an indoor pool. So I was able to use the former to catch up on emails and the latter for a refreshing swim. ($66.05 for the night).

The next morning we drove the 56 miles to Santa Fe, capitol of New Mexico, filling up with gas in the small rural town of Bernalillo. According to its website: " The Town of Bernalillo has grown from a small, active community on the outskirts of Albuquerque, to a bustling town of approximately 8,320. We stay true to our friendly, small town charm and our sense of family and community. With over 500 years of history serving as the foundation, we strive to maintain economic and cultural vitality."  Santa Fe is a city  nearly 400 years old. and is the oldest state capitol in the US. It is located in the foothills of the Sangria de Cristo mountains and has a Spanish-Pueblo air about it. The .Southwestern sunlight and the lovely scenery are qualities that attract painters and photographers to the area. This explains the presence of numerous art galleries to be found in the older part of this historic town.

Shops in Santa Fe

Architecture in Santa Fe

There are numerous tourist attractions in this “Royal City of the Holy Faith of St Francis of Assisi”, but with the time available to us we visited only the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi and the Loretta Chapel which houses the “Miraculous Staircase”, and a few of the shops selling the local arts and crafts.

While examining the wares in the interesting shop at 109 East Palace I discovered a plaque dated 1943 – 1963 which declared that it was the Santa Fe office of Los Alamo’s Scientific Laboratory, University of California, and that “All the men and women who made the first atomic bomb passed through this portal to their secret mission at Los Alamos. Their creation in 27 months of the weapons that ended World War II was one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time.”

That took my breath away! Finding this plaque so unexpectedly in a little shop in Santa Fe, reading the words, and realizing their significance, left me with a feeling of awe, and I consider making that discovery as being one of the highlights of my trip.


The plaque

During the afternoon we left Santa Fe to visit Taos, another artists’ colony about fifty miles further north, in the mountains of the Carson National Forest. Taos Ski Valley offers skiing during the winter months.We encountered our first rainstorm when we entered this quaint town, but we found a coffee shop where we were able to have something to eat and drink. When the rain stopped we browsed in some shops and then left town. We were hoping to reach Colorado before nightfall.

Eight miles from Taos we crossed the Rio Grand River. The bridge spanning the gorge is one of the highest in the country. It is a three-span, continuous-truss bridge, 650 feet above the river.

The Bridge

The 100 miles to the border seemed to take forever, and we drove through really remote areas, best described as off the beaten track! The gas indicator moved inexorably towards the empty mark while  two gas stations that we passed were closed. We had visions of sleeping on a lonesome road, in some unknown area of New Mexico. Sixty miles from Taos, much to our relief, we eventually found a gas station in Chama, a one-shop town. Thirty miles later we crossed the border into Colorado, and after traversing another mountain pass we reached Pagosa Springs, where we checked into the Holiday Inn Express. After a relaxing half hour in the indoor pool, and then checking emails, we went to bed. Have I mentioned that most motels, inns and hotels have wireless internet available, at no extra charge? A wonderful convenience!

Pagosa Springs

Thus on Tuesday 26^th May, our tenth day after leaving Denver airport, we were back in Colorado, and 250 miles from our final destination of Aspen. Our route would take us over the San Juan Mountains, into Durango, Silverton and Ouray, all old mining towns, set in magnificent mountain scenery.

Durango’s atmosphere is almost Victorian, and the downtown area is most interesting. It is a pedestrian's dream, with a large variety of shops and restaurants suitable for all tastes. There is a narrow gauge railway running between Durango and Silverton. The return journey takes 9 hours and it has been in continuous use since 1881.

The Train in Durango

We, however, took the road to Silverton. Between Silverton and Ouray the road is known as the Million Dollar Highway, but the AAA Tour Book has this to say:

”...technically the name applies to the 6-mile section south of Ouray that follows Otto Mears’ original toll road. Ranked among the nation’s most spectacular automobile routes, it features chasms so deep that neither cliff tops nor canyon bottoms are visible on either side. Bear Creek Falls cascades under the highway into the canyon below and can be viewed from one of the many scenic overlooks along the road”.

This is no exaggeration. The entire drive along the route from Durango to Ouray is breathtaking. I do  not recommend it for nervous drivers or passengers. Ouray is named after a Ute Indian chieftain. The Indians came to the area to enjoy the hot springs, before the miners arrived in 1875 when the first silver strike was made.

About 60 miles further on we reached the town of Grand Junction and Interstate 70, which goes to Denver.  However at Glenwood Springs we turned off to Aspen. This area is almost home to me as my younger daughter has been living there for ten years, and I have visited frequently. Her home is in El Jebel, halfway between Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

We returned the Hyundai to Budget car in Aspen having increased the odometer reading by3274 miles. Joan returned to Atlanta the next day on a Frontier Airlines flight.