Outpost Motel & RV Park Dolores

... farming and hunting tools were handmade from stone, bones, and wood. Seeing something so ancient, yet preserved, and in it's natural setting was ___________. (can't find the right word)

On the way out of the park we saw a massssive stag and a very beautiful full spectrum sunset over the mountains.

Sumner pulled an epic 14 hour driving shift today taking us through the rest of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and into New Mexico. We went out of our way to find the 4 ...

... rock formations, and hoping for the best. Several times we heard the scrapping of the van bottom, but mercifully it never ground to a halt. And eventually we looped another 90 degrees onto a flat plain of evenly spaced shrubs green against the red sands. The road improved slightly and before we knew it, we were back on the highway again.

Now, back on pavement, we made tracks to reach the Navajo National Monument. This park, which preserves three cliff ...

... meals out at local restaurants as well as two morning Chapter breakfasts and evening games in the rec hall. Saturday dinner was eaten at the Dry Dock Restaurant in Cortez (A town developed as a trading center for nearby stock ranches.). Wonderful service and food was had by all.

Ron had a surprise encounter with my friend Grace Herbert who used to live in Albuquerque. Ron met her at a local Dolores museum (The Galloping ...

... Petroglyph trail hike, which turned out to be quit wonderful. We walked along a path in the cliff wall, through shady pine trees with a variety of undergrowth like low oak bushes and mock orange bushes and even some poisin ivy. We had a guide booklet with descriptions of the flora and fauna and geology that corresponded to marked points on the trail. It really helped to put everything in context and helped us imagine what it must have been like to live on the cliff face.

... wie Adlerhorste. Man kann sie mit HIlfe von Leitern
besichtigen. Nur hundert Jahre spaeter sind sie ganz verschwunden -
auch hier weiss man nicht genau warum. Die Konstruktionen sind
bewundernswert. Damals nur ueber die senkrechten Felsen erreichbar,
30-40 Meter unterhalb der oberen Kante ganze Siedlungen und
Vorratsraueme fuer uber 100 Personen.

... we were in such a beautiful place and we were the only ones there!  It was perfect!  Allison      As Allison said, we didn't really plan to go to Hovenweep, but the day just kind of led us there. We were thinking about maybe checking out Mesa Verde after we finished shopping. However, after we saw the road sign for Hovenweep and found an informational brochure about it at a visitor center in Cortez, we figured we'd go there instead since it was on ...

... des ferries qui embarquent véhicules et passagers jusqu'à l'autre rive pour reprendre la route et rejoindre la 95 juste au niveau du Natural Bridge Natl. Mon. que demander de mieux, non? et ben si, on demande... en optant pour cette petite voie, j'entrais par la même occasion dans Glen Canyon!! et une fois de plus, j'en ai pris plein la vue! mais le meilleur restait encore à venir! Une fois la rive regagnée, les seules voitures rencontrées étaient des Old Timers ...

... including some 3 storey buildings. Some of the buildings were original and some were fixed up by archeologists. Once again very spectacular. A fascinating feature of these communities were buildings known as "Kivas" - which were round and used for ceremonies etc. Every site had kivas - the number depended on the size of the community. Each family (extended" had their own Kiva, that no other family was allowed to enter. We took a break back at ...

... Trail and had very nice views. Dinner was chicken pot pie, but open-faces and very tasty. The Ranger Program was about the stars. The night sky was fabulous! We learned to find Scorpios in the sky! Day 63 - Friday, August 22, 2008 - Mesa Verde NP to Arches NP, UT Stopped at Spruce Tree Coffee Shop in Cortez again on the way out to check e-mail. Not sure when we will have a connection again. I did check the ...

... took the road toward Cortez, CO, in order to get ready for our next adventure. Tomorrow program : Mesa Verde, 4 corners, and at Sunset, Monument Valley...Stay connect, our adeventure is not finished. I forgot, got a new hat and Tee Shirt with the Delicate Arch on it. I will send you a picture tomorrow. Wanted to thanks you all for your comments, I really enjoy reading them everyday. Will answer them soon. Big hug to all of you Remy