9/26-9/30/21 Visiting. Benson, AZ, Silver City, NM and Junction, TX then home.

 9/26-9/30/21

51 degrees this morning and light rain and fog.  We head south and hit heavy rain and heavy traffic going through Flagstaff and into Phoenix. 

 We stop for gas a little further south and find more reasonable prices at $2.94.  We often use an app called "Gas Buddy" to find gas stations, as it gives locations, distance from you and prices.

Stop at a nearby In-N-Out for lunch.  This is the second time we have tried them and will probably be the last - overrated.

We reach Tom & Sue's house in Benson about 1:30 and enjoy a good visit.  Lots of catching up to do! We feel honored to be their first guests since COVID! Tom makes some great breakfasts and we enjoy a long walk with Sue, who just completed her second cataract surgery and is thrilled with the results.  The cloud cover makes for pleasant temperatures - much cooler than we expected - 70's! Lots of hummingbirds at Sue's feeder this time of year!

 

We work on a complicated jigsaw puzzle, chat and eat.

Sue spotted this love - ly cactus on our walk. 

And we were surprised that fire ants in Arizona are larger than in Texas and build these concave cones rather than the mounds in Texas.  But all of the dang little things bite!

Wednesday, 9/28

After delicious blueberry pancakes, we set out for Silver City, NM.  Cloud cover continues and the Chiracahua Mts are socked in. There are signs that the rain has preceded us as we travel east on I-10 before cutting north.  

 Great to see Anne again!  We visit a bit and then Beth goes with her to pick up lovely Ginger who just got a haircut.  Sweet dog isn't too sure what to make of Greg and I.  Anne says she hasn't had much company since COVID, so this is kind of new for Ginger.

  Good catch-up visit including a game of Mexican Train and a wonderful dinner which includes enchiladas and green chili stew. This IS New Mexico.  Fun discussing camping, travel, family, COVID, education (Anne was a teacher and administrator for years) and more.  

Wonderful scones from Diane's Bakery in the morning - a bit of a delicious tradition.  And then we are off towards home. Anne has a small rv similar to ours and will be heading out herself in a few days.

Lots of truck traffic on I-10 and crazy busy through El Paso (about 10 times the traffic in the photo above).  Then the long haul through west Texas. Greg spots one driver doing jumping jacks behind his pulled over rig (to break the monotony?)  We pass through a busy border patrol station, as we aren't far from Mexico. 

They asked if we were citizens and whether we had anyone else with us in the back, wished us a pleasant day and waved us through.  We think they only check out suspicious vehicles or one of every so many vehicles for random checks. 

 600 miles to the small town of Junction, Texas, which has a city park with free camping. We arrive as the sun is setting. We've stayed here before, along the Llano River. 

Thursday,  9/30

Back to I-10, with little break in the mostly flat land.

Don't remember the name of the town that put this huge roadrunner alongside the highway.

Through San Antonio and east toward Houston. Back to horrible traffic and toll roads. 

 We find everything in order at home, thanks to neighbors.  The squirrels have left a mess on the patio, as they do every year, gnawing pine cones and leaving debris.  Still good to be home. 

Seems we've brought the rain with us!

9/25/21North Rim Grand Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, Flagstaff

 Saturday 9/25/21

Today is free entry to National Parks.  Maybe that is partly why this weekend is so busy. It's free for us, anyway, with the Old Fart Pass.

We wake early to a chilly 26 degrees! Time to break out the heavy jacket and stocking cap! We head back into the park and see many, many deer in the meadows along the main road, mostly in groups of 4-10. (Not quite light enough to get photos.) There are signs for bison as well, but they must be elsewhere this morning. We enter the National Park again and take Cape Royal Road towards Point Imperial.  Unfortunately we are late for sunrise (blame the warm bed) and instead have early morning shots.  Only two other cars here, which is nice.  There is quite a bit of haze - probably some due to low clouds and some due to pollution, which has become more common at the Grand Canyon. Possibly some smoke traveling from the fires in California, though not likely.

Cape Royal Road continues and Steve, the ranger, suggested we go to the end at Cape Royal Point and do the stops/pullouts on the way back.  Good suggestion.  We do the hike to Cape Royal Point.  This is Angel's Window and at 9:30 we are the only ones here.

We walk out onto the rocks above the window.

Quite a view!

At Cape Royal Point there are 4 other people, including Ernest Hill, a white-haired gentlemen who reminds us of Beth's departed step-dad, Joe.  He is very chatty.  He is a painter who uses the photographs he is taking to help capture great scenery, and he shows us a few pictures from Monument Valley where he was yesterday.  He has a dry sense of humor and is from Utah.

The view at the Point is great.  The canyon is eroded more than 7 miles from the river here, while it is 3 miles at the south rim.  It is much colder here, averaging 12 feet of snow while the south averages 5 feet. Nice walk.

Greg captured a photo of this Mountain Jay.

And this delicate little flower is on an evergreen bush called cliff rose.

Going back Cape Royal road, we stop at several overlooks - Walhalla, Roosevelt Point, Vista Encantado... great views which become a little clearer as the morning goes on.  

Yes, that's a trail way down there.  A sign says it was used to drive cattle from the valley to the mountains and back, seasonally.

Next we head back to the main part of the park because we "have to" see Bright Angel Point.  The young aspen are just gorgeous along Cape Royal Road!

The hike to Bright Angel Point begins at the Visitor's Center parking lot and passes quite a few cabins.  It is a mostly narrow, rocky trail with lots of ups and downs (mostly ups) and lots of people. Maybe half are wearing masks, even though there are signs saying they are mandatory in crowded areas. 

We go rather quickly, avoiding groups, perhaps not spending as much time as we'd like.  I almost got a picture with no people in it. 

Pretty awesome views!

 We head back on another trail that leads through the Lodge to the parking area. The lodge is rustic style with lots of outdoor decks and patios where people are soaking in the scenery.  

We hop back in the Trek and drive a short distance to some picnic tables along the canyon rim.  It is so dry here that by the time I've made sandwiches and carried them to the picnic table, the bread is already beginning to feel dried out!  But those potato chips sure stay nice and crunchy!

The meadows that held deer this morning are empty now.

We head out of the park and back to Jacob Lake (home of the $4+ gas), and turn east on 89A.  Through more rocky, dry land till we come to Vermillion Cliffs.

 Bright red rock in the bright sunshine, and the cliffs go on for miles!  We were going to try boondocking at a place called Lee's Ferry, but when I talk to a man at a gas station he says it is usually about 5 degrees hotter up there and it is already close to 90, so we continue on through Navajo Reservation land. This is really our first hot day. 

We have seen a few roadside stands where Navajo are selling things - mostly jewelry, pottery, and some weavings.  Other than that, it is pretty desolate.  We decide to continue on towards Flagstaff which we know is higher altitude and has lots of tall pines.  We check in with Beth's brother Tom and his wife Sue who live near Tucson and plan to arrive there tomorrow.   Also check with our friend Anne in Silver City, NM and plan a visit with her too.  (They all knew we were coming, sooner or later!)

Makes for a long day of driving, as we reach Coconino National Forest about 15 miles north of Flagstaff.  The App Overlander points us to some boondocking spots there and we find a good spot as clouds roll in.  It is 59 degrees as we have dinner about 5:45.  We walk a bit and sit outside until a light rain begins to fall.   Interesting sunset - lots of lightning in the clouds.

 

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