The Road Traveler

On a Southwestern road trip you'll find stunning works of nature and man.

Mix fire red Navajo earth with National Park lodges, ancient Pueblo dwellings, and neon wonders on historic Route 66. The dusty memories will seep into your shoes as the dry, thick heat settles into your bones.

We landed in Las Vegas -- flamingos, Eiffel Tower impersonators, and white tigers, then were off on a 1400 mile loop through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. This is the Southwest.

First stop: the Grand Canyon.

From the intimate Artist's Studio and grand El Tovar Lodge, perched like raindrops on a windowpane, you can view the dance of rock and water.

Heading southeast, we detoured to Tuba City on Navajo land to see ancient dinosaur tracks preserved in crimson red earth. Talk about stepping into the past.

At Wupatki National Monument intricate pueblo dwellings abandoned 800 years ago include a circular ball court and a curious ground hole that mysteriously blows cold air up from below. Relentless sun, temps approaching 100 degrees are pretty tough on the uninitiated.

Airy cottonwoods contrast against the ancient ebony silt at Sunset Crater National Monument. Here again we were the wilted ones.

A downhill hike at Walnut Canyon via shaded snake-like curves led to a panorama of human ingeniuity: 700 year old architecture hidden within the Canyon itself.

Looping southward, 40 miles east of Flagstaff, Meteor Crater's 4000 foot diameter is fathomed by the juxtaposition of the tiny dwelling on its edge. Formed by meteor impact about 50,000 years ago, astronauts trained here for Apollo space missions; check out the visitor center for artifacts and souvenirs nestled inside.

Soon we glowed like the corals and pinks at Painted Desert.

Petrified logs of alabaster rose scattered at Petrified Forest National Park mix with swirling mounds like Blue Mesa, a hikers delight.

We followed John Wayne’s footsteps to a low key
stretch of Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico at the
El Rancho Hotel. Built in 1937, it lodged stars like
Bogart and Ronald Reagan, filming westerns in the area.

Or take the kitschy route at the retro Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona.

At Four Corners, stretch your limbs & touch Arizona, Colorado, Utah, & New Mexico simultaneously; Google maps now puts the actual spot some 2.5 miles away. No matter. Booths by local Indians selling authentic fry bread, t-shirts and beaded jewelry encircle the fun photo-op here.

Weaving up the narrow, tangled road to Mesa Verde’s summit (the "green table") the Far View Lodge was a respite from the steep climb. Fire-scorched terrain, reborn with lonely magenta thistles, stretches eerily on until you reach the dwellings: Balcony House and Cliff Palace, constructed 800 years ago by the Pueblo.

Moab is a good base for advanced mountain biking on Slide Rock Trail, and exploring crimson rock formations like Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch at Arches National Park. The dry 100 degree heat sucks the moisture right from your skin.

Venture west to find Dead Horse Point State Park's precipice, featured in the film Thelma & Louise, Grand Staircase-Escalante’s 1.7 million acres of hidden canyons and Canyonlands, Capital Reef and Glen Canyon National Parks.

Back at the River Canyon Lodge we emptied copper sand from our shoes, from trekking to Sand Dune Arch, then restored our balance in the cool outdoor pool.

Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River" accompanied us on the long highway west past the town of the same name as
Utah’s wide sky opened to ominous thunderclouds above.

Atop Cedar Breaks National Monument, the cold
mountain air and 3 mile wide red forest-filled canyon,
left us breathless at 10,000 feet above sea level.

Bryce Canyon was all coral spires and milky grottos. The Navajo Trail spirals to the canyon floor where a lone tree pushes up straight to the sun. Humans have to hoof it back up. The Wall Street side is now closed due to huge rock slides in 2006 & 2010. Luckily the Bryce Canyon Lodge welcomes all home. At Bryce it felt like a reunion with our Creator.

Zion National Park is the place we most yearn to revisit. Emerging from a tunnel into the base of a canyon, massive walls rising dramatically in all directions, you know you've arrived at Zion.

Meander a mile to the Virgin River, then hike in the river itself, gripping a walking stick for balance, while massive sandstone cliffs, alive with mossy growth, rise on either side. You aren't observing; you are participating, both in the river and the canyon. We never did reach river's end; it was the journey, not the destination and it washed away all that wasn't basic to nature.

Back at the loggy Zion Lodge the waitress congratulated our kids on their 10 Junior Ranger pins earned and proudly worn on our Southwest road trip: Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon, Petrified Forest, Mesa Verde, Arches, Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, and Zion. Grand indeed.