OLD ALASKAN FRIENDS

We stopped on our way home at Tom and Nancy's place in Utah for an overnight visit and to catch up on all the news of what has been happening in their fast paced world.  They have just recently returned from a couple of cruises in the Antarctic region of our world.  Tom is one of the better photographers I have been around.  We used to do trips in Alaska using our old SLR type cameras and have a big slide show after we got the slides developed.  He always had a knack for taking good pictures, and the Antarctic pictures are no exception.  What a great "slide show" he put on with the pictures on a LARGE TV screen!!!  And a few videos thrown in.  We got to see our Goddaughter Jennifer who is Tom's daughter from a previous marriage.  It was really great seeing her.  She is a special girl in Connie's and my life.  We left there and beat feet to home in old Montana.  Drove through portions of Utah that we have not driven through in years and portions I have never been.   A couple of long days of driving though.

Tom and Nancy's place.

View out their window.

They incorporated a wall that looks like ruins in Chaco.

And what a nice fire place.

Breakfast with Nancy, Tom, and Jennifer. How come Connie and I are the only ones with grey hair?  Must be our hard life!

And Jennifer's dog Stella kept Zeph entertained.  They played and played.

And a couple of candid pictures.

Jennifer, Tom & Nancy.

We did run into some snow in the high country though.

CATCH UP

This is a long post as I am trying to catch up.  We have not had cell phone service that we can get on the internet with for some time. 

Cottonwood camp, 22-23 March:  Did a couple of hikes looking for petroglyphs.  One was the Big Feet panel that we could not find on our way up but found on the way back.  The wind was really blowing so it was not a real fun hike.  We drove up this road part way but it got way to rough for our jeep so walked.  Then this morning we got up to more wind and quite cool (35degrees) and walked to Knob Rock petroglygh panel.  We had on coats, down jackets, shirts, and hats.  Didn’t seem to bother the dog though.

This is the road we hiked up.

A rusted out old car part way down the hill.

The road is on the other side.  We are nearly at the top of the crest.

We are camped down in the middle in some cottonwoods.  Lots of dust blowing in the air.

These are the "Big Feet" that the panel is named for.  They are sandal footprints.

What are we doing here he asks?

Hiking up to the Knob Rock petroglyphs in a down coat with a hat on.

Quite a few vetch blooming.

Looks like a fight going on and that must be a horse he is riding??

Muley Point, 19-22 March:  We left Chaco and headed up to Blanding, UT where we resupplied and drove out to Muley Point where we have camped a number of times.  It overlooks the Monument Valley and the San Juan river area.  Great views and a good place to sit and read a book.

Camp at Muley Point.

The view from our camp.

We could talk on Connie's phone and she could read her facebook but could not publish.

Pictures from around the area.

Ran into a guy who was flying his drone around the canyon rim.

The wind came up the last full day we were there and the sand was really blowing in Monument Valley.

We moved our camp further into the trees so the wind would not rock us as much.

Chaco: 15-18 March:  We have wanted to visit Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico for many years so this year we stopped there on our way back north to Montana.  It was a little cold at night but the days were pretty warm.  The second night we were there it got down to 17 degrees so we had to run the heater in the camper that is for sure!  We met our friend Pam from Utah there and had a great time hiking around and going to different sites with her.  She had been there before so had a head start on us.  The area looks pretty drab right now because it is still winter in the high desert - lots of grays and browns.  I would have loved to see it in the spring or fall when there is more color.  Summer would be hot though.

The Chaco people started building here in 800AD and it became a hub of regional culture which lasted for hundreds of years.  It is sure interesting to go through and also read about.  

Pam and Connie starting up the trail to the top of the rim on the Pueblo Alto loop trail.  We could take the dog on the backcountry trails so that is where we did most of our hiking.

This is the slot we came up to the top on.

Connie and Pam at Pueblo Alto.

Some non excavated ruins up on top.

Shrimp tunnels in the rocks.

Chaco stairs.

That is how they got up and down.

Some colorful lichens.

The slot we had to go down on the other end of the loop trail.

Old sea shells in the rock.

Pictures of the ruins.

They were small people who lived here.

A "super nova" petroglyph.