MONUMENT VALLEY AND THE 4-CORNERS

This will probably be a short post as words can not describe the beauty of Monument Valley. I have always heard about it beauty and today I got the chance to see it first hand.  After spend in the night at Goulding's Lodge it was time to explore the heart of  Monument Valley.

Monument Valley is actually located on the land owned by the Navajo Nation. It is about 4-miles from Goulding's to the entrance station. At the entrance station I paid my $10 to enter the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. I must say that the road through the park is in dirt and in places very rough. I was in a Ford Focus and in places the road was extremely rough and going was very slow.

At almost every pull out and over look there were Navajo People selling anything from jewelry, moccasins and blankets to Fry Bread and Burritos.

The Three Sisters

This is John Ford's Point which was featured in several Westerns which Ford directed that starred John Wayne, The most prominent of the Westerns filmed from this location was "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon."

John Ford's Point

This View from John Ford's Point is featured in the movie "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon."

There are few places on earth that actually took my breath away, but several places in Monument Valley did just that.  The beauty of this magnificent place is indescribable. This was a bucket list item for me and it exceeded my expectations.

After leaving Monument Valley, I made my way north on Route 163 toward Mexican Hat, Utah. At mile marker 13 I come to Forest Gump Hill. It was at this location in the Movie "Forest Gump," that Forest stopped running after more than 3-years. It is one of the most memorable and recognizable location in any movie.

There were a few other folks stopped here and we all took turns standing in the middle of the road taking photos of each other. We all had to take a few selfies.

FOREST GUMP'S HILL NEAR MEXICAN HAT UTAH

FOREST GUMP'S HILL NEAR MEXICAN HAT UTAH

My Selfie at Forest Gump's Hill

 After my stop at Forest Gump's Hill I made the 90-mile drive to the Four Corners Monument. This is the only place in the United States that is shared by four states; Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. 

Like Monument Valley the site is on Navajo Land and they charge a $5.00 entrance fee. Located all around the monument are little booths where the Navajo are selling blanket and souvenirs. There were a number of people visiting the site and like at Forest Gump's Hill we all took turn taking each others photos at the actual monument.

Me Standing in Four States at once

Me in all Four States.

After finishing up at the Four Corners Monument, I started the 170-mile trek back to Flagstaff where I will spend the night. As I was about Half way back to Flagstaff, it began to rain and as the sun set, mother nature put on quiet a light show with lightning all around me. 

By the time I arrived back in Flagstaff the storms had passed to the east and I checked in to the Sleep Inn. Tomorrow I plan to be up early and spend the entire day at the Grand Canyon. 

TREASURED MEMORIES

It has been a few days since I have updated my Arizona Adventure. This was largely due to the few days that I spent in the Four Corners area where Internet and cell phone data is very scarce.  During the few days that I have left here in Arizona, I hope to get caught up, but if I don't will have time on the train ride back to write the updates while on the train ride back, and then post them when I get back to Chicago the Middle of next week.

I spent Sunday Night (October 28) in Flagstaff and was up early Monday Morning to begin my trip to the Four Corners area.  But This was going to be a full day with several stops along the way.

Meteor Crater

My first stop was at the Meteor Crater between Winslow and Flagstaff. I had first visited the Meteor Crater in 1984 when My dad and I drove cross country to visit my sister and mom in California. Oh what treasured memories. So more than 30 year later I was back again and I during this visit I often thought of my dad. As I stood on the rim of the Crater where my Dad and I had stood in 1984 I remember the conversation we had and kind of chuckled to myself.

Standing in the same place that we had stood more than 30 years ago, I remember daddy laughing and telling me that this was where the astronauts were when everybody thought they were walking on the moon. 

When we visited in 1984 there was only a small museum on the site. Today there is a new visitors center, gift shop and a larger museum.  But just like 30-years ago you can still walk around the rim of the craters and take photos from various platform

Standing on The Corner In Winslow Arizona

I ended up spending about an hour at the crater and them it was on to the Old Route 66 Town of Winslow where I would be "Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona," next to a flatbed Ford. Thanks to the Eagles song, "Standing on The Corner in Winslow, Arizona" still brings tourist into the old Route 66 Town.

Painted Desert

After Standing on the Corner I move a few miles east to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park.  I had seen pictures of the Painted Desert but nothing could prepare me for the vast beauty and vivid color of the desert.  I was thankful that it was a sunny day as the sun made the colors of the desert even more vivid.

There is a 28-mile road through both the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest and I drove the entire length.  I could have exited the part at the end of the Crystal Forest Visitor's Center but that would have required me to go about 50 miles out of my way. So I turned around and retraced my route and returned to Interstate 40.

Hubbell Trading Post

My next stop was about two and a half hours away at the Hubbell Trading Post National Historical Site. In  1878 John Hubbell purchased the trading post which served as a meeting place for both the white settlers of the area and the Navajo
who had returned to the area after their exile in Bosque Redondo. The Trading Post has been in continuous operation ever since, and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1966. 

The View from my room at Goulding's Lodge

After a quick stop at the Hubbell Trading Post to get my National Park Passport Stamp it was a long three hour drive to the Arizona - Utah Border. Here in the beautiful Monument Valley I had reservations at the Historic Goulding's Lodge. Located at the entrance to Monument Valley my room in the Lodge afforded me with one of the most wonderful views I have ever seen. 

Tomorrow I will spend most of the day touring Monument Valley. This will be another item that I can scratch off of my bucket list.

THE BEAUTIFUL RED ROCKS OF SEDONA

Chase Field

Today was the day that I would leave the Phoenix area and head north. But first I made my way to downtown Phoenix and a quick stop at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and at the Talking Stick Arena, home of the Phoenix Suns.

Then it was a short drive to the Arizona State Capitol Building and the adjacent Wesley Bolin Memorial Park.  The Bolin Park was somewhere that I have longed to visit as it has the signal mast and anchor from the USS Arizona which was sunk on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Navajo Code Talker

There is also one of the big guns from both the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri. The significance is that the United States enter the War in the Pacific when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and sunk the Arizona. The War ended when the articles of surrender was signed on the deck of the USS Missouri. 

There a a number of other monuments and memorials in the park including one dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers.  After reading several books about these code talkers, I am of the opinion that they along with the Tuskegee Airmen are the often forgotten heroes of the War.

From downtown Phoenix I made my way north on Interstate 17 and climbed into the mountain leaving behind the saguaro cactus as I climbed above 6,000 feet. It took me about an hour and a half to make it to Camp Verde where I made a quick stop at Old Fort Verde Historic Site. The it was on to the Montezuma's Castle National Park.

Montezuma's Castle

Montezuma's Castle is one of the best preserved of the cliff Sinagua People.  The main structure of the dwelling features 5 stories and is comprised of some 20 rooms. It is believed that as many as 60 people would live here at any given time. There are other "rooms" in the cliffs adjacent to the main dwelling. These rooms were thought to be used for storing food and other necessities, but there is evidence that these smaller rooms were also used at living quarters.
dwelling that were found in the southwest. This dwelling was built between 1100 and 1400 by the

Montezuma's Well

As I was walking back up the concrete path from the Castle to the Visitors center a rattle snake was crawling across the walkway. One of the Park Volunteers quick caught it and put it in some kind of a thin tube and was preparing to remove it to a less populated area. 

From the Castle I made my way back to Interstate 17 but quick saw another "Brown Sign" and could resists a taking a little detour to Montezuma's Well. I had never heard of Montezuma's Well and had no idea what to expect.

It was about a 5 mile drive off of Interstate 17 to the parking area. The its about a 1/3rd of a mile walk up the hill to the "well."  Turns out Montezuma's Well is a natural limestone sink hole that produces 1,500,000 gallons of water each day from a deep underground spring. The well is 386 feet across and a couple of well preserved cliff dwelling are along the rim. It was well worth the detour.

Red Rocks of Sedona

From the Camp Verde Valley it was about an hour drive over to Sedona, a small town that caters to artiest, and outdoor enthusiasts that flock to the the area because of the beautiful Red Rock cliffs and buttes that surround the area. Word and photos can no way capture the beauty of the area.

From Sedona it was on to Flagstaff where I hooked up once again with the Mother Road, Route 66.  The Historic Road runs right through the downtown historic district of Flagstaff. I enjoyed walking around Flagstaffs portion of America's Main Street.

Gettin' My Kicks on Route 66

I am spending the Night in Flagstaff and will be heading out to scratch off another thing on my Bucket List. Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day filled with some awesome beauty.

FUN FILLED DAYS IN PHOENIX

Me Riding a Quarter Horse

I have spent the last few days with my good friends Chuck and Sharon Shinall here in Arizona.  On Wednesday we ventured up to Cave Creek, Arizona where we had planned on taking a horse back ride at the Spur Cross Ranch at Queen Creek.  However there was a problem at the ranch and they were unable to accommodate us. The did offer us the opportunity to ride at their Prescott Location on Friday, which we accepted.

Being unable to ride We decided to have lunch at the Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek. The original Buffalo Chip started in 1951 and consisted of a small saloon on about a third of an acre. Today the entire venue sits on 5-acres and feature live entertainment including music and live bull riding. Chuck opted for the BBQ Pulled Pork, while I tried the Brisket. The food was really good and there was plenty of it.

While at the Buffalo Chip I had to try my hand at riding one of their quarter horses.  It was a bucking experience but I managed to stay on for the full 8-seconds.

Cave Creek, Arizona

After lunch we took a few minutes to explore the small community of Cave Creek where we found a small park with several metal sculptures featuring an old west Indian attack. The characters appeared to be welded together out of old scrap metal. All in all it was very interesting.

Thursday we made out way down to the Queen Creek Olive Mill.  I really didn't know what to expect here but it turned out to be a great experience. We took the brief tour and found out how the olives are harvested and turned into virgin olive oil.  Then we had a very tasty lunch in the small restaurant.  I had a panini sandwich and a very tasty IPA beer.

Friday we left the Scottsdale Camelback Resort and made the two and a half hour trip to Prescott where were were scheduled to go horseback riding. Chuck and Sharon knew our guide from previous trips and rides so he had the horses saddles and was waiting on us.

My trusty steed for the ride was a large white horse named Destiny. Chuck was mounted on a former Grand Canyon Mule name Blue.  Our guide for the ride was a great guy named Boot and he led us on a fun ride thru the area adjacent to the Prescott National Forest.  The trail featured outstanding views through a forest of tall pines.  Along the way we saw a number of deer who seemed to care less as they barely moved as we rode by.

The ride lasted about an hour and a half and was really enjoyable. But all good things must come to an end and about mid-afternoon it was time for us to head back to Scottsdale and begin preparations to check out of the Scottsdale Camelback Resort.

Today, we all packed up and checked out of the Resort just a few minutes before the 10 a.m. deadline. After leaving the resort, we made out way down to the Enterprise Rental Car Location on McDowell where Chuck turned in his rental and I picked up mine.

It was a fairly quick process and about 20-minutes after arriving I drove off in my 2017 Ford Focus Hybrid. After Dropping Chuck and Sharon off at the American Terminal at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport it was time for me to begin the next part of my Arizona Adventure.

The rest of the day I spent traveling around the Valley of the Sun visiting the the graves of several Famous people who are resting in the Valley of the Sun. The grave of  Waylon Jennings who is buried in the Mesa City Cemetery was one grave that I really wanted to visit. His grave was easy to find thanks to the GPS Coordinates being listed on Find-A-Grave.

Another grave that was also easy to find was that of former senator and Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater.  Senator Goldwater was the Republican nominee for President in 1964. He ran against the incumbent President Lyndon Johnson and lost. Senator Goldwater died in 1998 and his ashes are entombed in the Memorial Garden of the Christ Church of the Ascension in Paradise Valley.

State Farm Stadium

Along the way I made a couple of quick Stops at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe and at the Newly named State Farm Stadium, which was formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium, which has been the site of several Super Bowls and the current home of the Arizona Cardinals.

By about 5 p.m. I made my way back to east Phoenix and checked in at my nights lodging at the Holiday Inn on University. My plan is to be up early in the morning and head north toward Sedona and Flagstaff.

FOUNTAIN HILL ARIZONA

I arrived in Maricopa County Arizona on Sunday Night, I have been the guests to Chuck and Sharon Shinall at the Camelback Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have a two bedroom suite right across the walk way from the Pool.

I have been spending my days relaxing at the pool and then last night we rode up to the Indian Casino at Fort McDowell. At the the casino I had Indian Flat Bread with beans and Cheese. I had never had Indian Flat bread but the whole concoction was really quite tasty.

After losing my limit of $20 in the casino we made our way down to the Fountain Hills Community to see the fountain that gives the community its name. The Fountain at Fountain Hill goes off every hour on the hour and sends water mover than 560 feet into the air. It is one of the largest fountains in North America. It was quite an impressive sight.

The community also has a very impressive Veterans Memorial adjacent to the fountain.  The most impressive feature is the statue of an aging veteran standing facing the flag, a cane in one hand and saluting with the other. Quiet simple but very powerful. 

This statue reminds me of a site that I saw in 1990 when I stopped at the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kansas. It was just a couple of days after Ike's 100th birthday celebration and there were 100's of  World War II Veteran visiting the Eisenhower Center.

I was sitting in the Place of Meditation, the small chapel where President and Mrs. Eisenhower are resting. As I sat there many of these aging World War II would walk  up to the rail overlooking the Presidents Crypt. Many of these veterans were dressed in their uniforms and many carried canes but as they stood at the rail, all of them stood as straight as their aging bodies would allow and render a crisp salute.

But there was this one veteran tat sticks in my mind to this day. As he entered the chapel he was accompanied by his family who were ready to aid him. He was hunched over a walker and slowly made his way to the rail. As he stood at the rail, he pushed the walker aside and with all the strength he could muster, he stood at attention. And as he renders his crisp salute, a tear trickled down his cheek.

As the day progressed I was honored to talk with a few of these members of the Greatest Generation. To the man all of them spoke with admiration and respect of the man they called The General. This statue at the Fountain Hills Veterans Memorial reminds me of those aging veterans who found a way to honor their General and who served this county so bravely.

From Fountain Hills it was back to the Camelback Resort and we called it a night.