Hehe...I had to pinch my self with the Gila clue. I'm not shaken any longer, I know what season it is!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
BTW....I've never been to this location but I'm getting really good at figuring out the clues!
Utahtea :P
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Hehe...I had to pinch my self with the Gila clue. I'm not shaken any longer, I know what season it is!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
BTW....I've never been to this location but I'm getting really good at figuring out the clues!
Utahtea :P
Best be careful--too much of that stuff will raise your blood pressure!
Good morning, everyone! All this talk of condiments is making me hungry, and honestly, it's best to have a proper breakfast before setting out on a drive through the Salt River Canyon. (Those who are inclined toward motion sickness are excused from that recommendation.) The road in my little quiz is US 60, the river is, of course, the Salt River, and the water ends up in Roosevelt Lake (see photo in previous post) before stair-stepping its way down through Apache Lake, Canyon Lake, and Saguaro Lake, all of which are massive reservoirs, ultimately entering the municipal water systems that sustain the gargantuan population center known as the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. (Home sweet home).
When I was a kid growing up, back in the '50's, there weren't any Interstate Highways, so when my family made the long drive from Phoenix back to the mid-west to visit grandparents, we drove the US Highways, and at the beginning of the trip, that meant driving to Globe, and then north through the Salt River Canyon on US 60 (which was, at that time, a major cross country route that went from coast to coast). My father loved driving through the Salt River Canyon for the same reasons my mother hated it: steep grades, hairpin curves, precipitous drops. I'd be bouncing around in the big back seat of the Desoto with my sister (this was long before cars came with seat belts, much less child seats), and I loved every minute of it. Later in life, when I was old enough to drive that road myself, I loved it even more!
The run through Salt River Canyon is actually the continuation of Scenic Side Trip #11, which takes you from Phoenix to Holbrook (on I-40) by way of the Apache Trail (or it will, once its open again!) and the Salt River Canyon. The old mining town of Globe is the mid-point:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ds/GlobePO.jpg
Once upon a time, in an earlier life, I had a work assignment that took me traveling all over the state of Arizona, upgrading and auditing financial systems in small town post offices like this one. Sometimes the Postmasters were happy to see me coming, and sometimes they weren't :-(, but either way, I really loved that job. In small towns, the Post Office is a vital institution, with roots that go deep into each community, and it was an inspiration to me, coming from the big city, to experience that side of the organization.
In the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Letter Carriers join the ranks of the new American heroes. My hat is off to them and all the other essential workers who are literally putting their lives on the line to keep us fed, informed, and connected!
Once we all get back on the road, you'll find that Scenic Side Trip #11 is nicely paced. You can take your time, stop as often as you like, and you'll reach I-40 right around the end of the day. Just in time to whip into the northern section of Petrified Forest National Park, and catch the sunset over the painted desert:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ntedDesert.jpg
Where to next? That's for me to know, and for you guys to "take your best guess!"
Rick
I'd totally forgotten about the Salt River! So often it is dry.
One summer, back in my college years, I took a job working at the gift shop at Petrified Forest NP. It was then run by Fred Harvey and the non-locals lived in air conditioned trailers, two to a room dorm style, behind the Fred Harvey conglomeration. I used to travel between my home near Casa Grande, and Petrified Forest, whenever I had 2 days off, leaving when I was done with an early shift one day and getting back to PFNP right before another shift started, taking an afternoon shift. I would drive up to Coolidge and Florence to catch US-60 at Superior, then northeast through the Salt River Canyon. Meal stop in either direction was almost always in Snowflake. I loved the mountain area! I could see why my dad loved the SRC and why my mom was always glad to let him take the wheel through there -- he was usually towing a travel trailer!
A favorite story about one of those trips between home and PFNP: while coming up from the bottom of the Salt River Canyon, a bird suddenly darted in front of my car and I hit it. I had no other choice - I was a relatively inexperienced driver, but I remembered being taught: DO NOT SWERVE to avoid an animal unless you can see where you're going! And on that road, there was no place to go. When I got to the place where I usually ran in to grab some food, there was a guy with a water hose and a broom. I could see the dead bird clinging to my radiator grill. I asked the young man if he'd mind getting rid of that bird for me. He took a look at it, and it was obvious that he was as squeamish as I, and said, "I don't want to aim a hose there, it might crack your radiator." (Glad he knew that, as I'd never have thought of that as a very new driver.) He took his broom and whacked at it, then used the hose to move the bird over to some dirt. After I said "thank you!", he and I looked at each other and laughed. Why?? I don't know.
Donna
Thanks for sharing that, Donna; I'd bet you're not the only one with a story to tell about US 60 through the Salt River Canyon!
I have one: I can remember driving that road on a Monday morning in my government Ford, headed to Show Low, I think it was, to audit their Post Office. There had been heavy storms over the weekend, and while the rain hadn't caused any rock slides bad enough to warrant closing the Highway, it had nevertheless knocked loose a whole heck of a lot of stones, ranging from baseballs to basketballs in size, scattered here and there across the roadway for miles. That road is hairy enough without adding rocks big enough to blow your tire (or worse), but it gets better: there was a ton of other traffic on the road, in both directions, and those crazy idiots were swerving all over the place, oblivious to oncoming traffic! Throw in a hundred or more 10 mph hairpin curves, and let's just say I had a lot to look out for that morning! When I got to the top of the grade on the north side of the canyon, I literally had to pry my fingers off the steering wheel of that government Ford.
Since we're on the subject of rocks, I'll segue right straight into our next mystery destination. No series of questions this time. Just the one:
Where am I?
You have to park and walk just a little
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog.../BBadlans3.jpg
Until you get to the Flintstone village.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...BBadlands2.jpg
Still not sure? Here are some Hoo Doos. These are nice, don't you think? Unusual, even, but they could be in any of several different places.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...s/HooDoos2.jpg
This petrified chicken, on the other hand? It's one of a kind!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ds/Chicken.jpg
Additional clues available on request!
Rick
Here are two more photos from this place, where even a short hike in any direction will take you through the Looking Glass into the world of the Mad Hatter. The labyrinth of sandy pathways winds among striped pillars and platforms crowned with fantastic shapes: rats and bats and cats with hats, and many others that are just plain...strange!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog.../BBadlands.jpg
Over millions of years, wind and water have sculpted some of the world's most extravagant rock formations: hoodoos, arches, balanced rocks, and boulders shaped like everything from birds to beehives, including giant mushrooms, a barking seal, and the head of a wolf, tilted skyward, howling at the moon!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...s/WolfHowl.jpg
Here's a third picture that's just as unreal as the place it was taken, a.k.a.: merely me, having a little phun with Photoshop:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...lfHowlMoon.jpg
Where the heck am I? Anybody want to hazard a guess??
It reminds me of Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness area in New Mexico south of Farmington. We've only been once in 2010 and only saw a small part of the area. We had planned to go again last year but we had RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
Utahtea
The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, often referred to as the Bisti Badlands, is not a place you'd want to be in heavy rain! There's an area that's easily accessible, right off the road, and that's where most of these photos were taken. There's a much more interesting section that requires a bit of a hike up the wash. There are no trails to speak of, just the footprints of other hikers, and in the rain, those wash away (and the ground where you're walking turns into glorp).
It's a great place to be for the sunrise. Only problem with that, in order to pull it off, you have to leave Farmington at about four in the AM...
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Bisti.jpg
I wasn't kidding about the rats and the cats with the hats:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...s/RatsCats.jpg
It's one of several extremely cool stops on Scenic Side Trip #17
Rick
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
Rick,
We didn't have a good GPS the first time we explored here in 2010 and couldn't find the Cracked Eggs so that Christmas we bought a really nice GPS and last fall was our first time back and we were bummed not to be able to explore.
We don't get up at the crack of dawn so we were here in the middle of the day. Our pictures aren't as good as early morning or late evening photos. These pictures were from 2010.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...56dc4f19_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a59b9bb0_c.jpg
The petrified wood in the rock layers was pretty cool!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6c067378_c.jpg
Utahtea
Let's go on a very popular hike....
....we're almost there!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8859b93c_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...63f8731f_c.jpg
Where am I and what's around the corner!
Utahtea
P.S. Sorry for the smug on the pictures it was the camera lens. GRRRRR!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Utahtea
Most of the better digital cameras are DSLR's or Mirror-less models with interchangeable lenses. Is that what you're using? You can't beat the versatility of that arrangement, because with the right combination of lenses, you can handle just about anything (photographically speaking). The only problem: every time you swap the lens, you're exposing the inside of the camera, most especially the extremely delicate sensor that records your images, to our dusty world. If you're outdoors, no matter how careful you try to be, good odds you'll get a speck or a particle of some dang thing or another in exactly the wrong place on that sensor, casting a tiny shadow that's amplified into a smudge on your image, and every picture you take from that point forward will have that same smudge, in that same spot, until you can have your sensor cleaned. That's not a huge big deal; any good camera shop can handle it for you, and with a bottle of special sensor cleaning solution, a special one-time-use swab, good light, good eyesight, a steady hand, and nerves of steel you can even do it yourself. Been there, done that! But what about all the pictures you took that have that smudge embedded in the upper left corner (or wherever)? Well, with just about any decent photo editing software, all it takes is reasonably good eyesight, a steady hand, a single click, and voila!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...8859b93c_c.jpg
All better.
As for the "where were you?" issue, I'm honestly not sure. I've never been an avid hiker (personally). I see what looks like a cliff dwelling in your photo, so it's somewhere in the four corners. Beyond that, I (personally) will be needing another clue!
Rick
Rick, Love what you did to my picture! What software do you use? I miss spoke, it wasn't the lens but camera with the issue. These pictures were from 2011 and our old Canon camera. We did have it cleaned and the spots were removed and then we gave it to our son who had been wanting a Digital SLR and we bought ourselves a new one. We did have two lenses that we would trade back and forth and we knew that was what caused our problem. We thought we'd try a 16 to 300 lens for the new camera knowing the quality at both ends wouldn't be as good, but I'm just an amateur and it does a decent job overall.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
How can I say this delicately, yes it's in a four corner state and that is not a cliff dwelling.
I don't really have any clues except a picture that will give it all away! This is what is right around that corner!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f8ef4457_c.jpg
We did the 3 mile round trip to this arch again last fall but there were so many people you couldn't get a picture without someone in it so I'm again using a 2011 picture. Another reason to use the 2011 pictures is this is an evening shot just before sunset which is my favorite time to do the hike. Last fall we were with friends who like to hike early and at that time of the day the sun is behind the arch so not the best photo taking.
Where am I?
Bonus points for the name of the mountains in the clouds.
Utahtea
You were on one of the hikes in Arches. I want to say, the La Sal mountains? As for what trail, I have no idea. When I first looked at the photo, I thought, "Angels Landing?" in Zion. But no, the terrain looked different. That last picture is the famous arch, Delicate Arch. Were you hiking out to it?
Donna
Okay, then: Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park, with the candlestick; and the mountains would have to be the La Sal range.
Here's one for you (or for anyone else who would care to chime in):
Where are these two old duffs sitting?
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Aztec.jpg
The trees are cottonwoods in their autumn finery. There aren't more than a handful of places that this could be!
More clues on request
Rick
Yes, it's the Delicate Arch hike in Arches National Park, Utah. We've done the hike many times over the years and the last several I've been brave enough to go out and get under the arch!Quote:
Originally Posted by DonnaR57
I've never done Angels Landing so you won't see those pictures from me! ;)
Utahtea
In the interest of fairness, here's a second photo from the same place:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...Doorways-1.jpg
There are even fewer possibilities in this case!
Looks like one of the ruins in Wupatki National Monument.
Donna
The door ways path scene could have been Aztec Ruins National Monument, but unlikely the cottonwoods pic.
Landmariner, you are correct: this is Aztec Ruins National Monument, just outside of Farmington, New Mexico. And never say never on those cottonwoods! If you're there at the right time of year, late October, or thereabouts the cottonwoods add quite a lot to the experience!Quote:
Originally Posted by landmariner
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ads/Aztec3.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...AztecTrees.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...AztecRuins.jpg
Aztec Ruins dates to about 1100 AD, and was built by the Anazazi, or, more correctly, the Ancestral Pueblo People. The largest building here had as many as 400 rooms when it was in use. This next picture, below, shows the remains of a Kiva, a round building sunk partway beneath the ground. This is a traditional ceremonial space, and it's a common feature of Ancestral Pueblo sites.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Kiva1.jpg
Back in the 1930'S, the archaeologists who were excavating the site took an unusual step and reconstructed the Great Kiva at Aztec Ruins, creating a silent, circular room, 40 feet in diameter, lit by soft beams of sunlight slanting down through small rectangular windows that ring the building at ground level. The Great Kiva, as it stands today, has the air and solemnity of an empty cathedral; when you enter this space, your natural inclination will be to speak in hushed tones--or not at all...
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...loads/Kiva.jpg
(Portions of the above description were lifted from Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips. Aztec Ruins, as well as the Bisti Badlands, feature prominently in Scenic Side Trip #17
Rick
I was there during late-September 2019, a great stop-off on a scenic routing from Santa Fe to Mesa Verde NP. The leaves were still green!
Attachment 4961
Attachment 4962
P.S. Photos added as mini versions. How do I load regular size?
Image adjustment attempt to see if this loads ok.
Attachment 4963
The image looks fine when you click on it. Photos uploaded through the post editor are automatically reduced in size; If you want your image displayed at full-width, you have to upload it to a web-based photo sharing site, like Flickr or equivalent, and then embed a link to it in your post. (If Mark sees this, he might have other, or more specific suggestions/instructions.)Quote:
Originally Posted by landmariner
What route did you take from Santa Fe to Farmington? I'm beginning to detect a theme to the Southwestern portion of your last year's excursion: Bandelier, Aztec Ruins, Mesa Verde? Landmariner, you're a road tripper after my own heart!
Rick
[QUOTE=Rick Quinn;195353]<snip>
What route did you take from Santa Fe to Farmington? I'm beginning to detect a theme to the Southwestern portion of your last year's excursion: Bandelier, Aztec Ruins, Mesa Verde? Landmariner, you're a road tripper after my own heart!
From Sante Fe to Farmington, the leg was rather pedestrian as I wanted to arrive to Mesa Verde in plenty of time to find a decent campsite as well as replenish for some van camping supplies in Durango and lunch at Ska Brewing there.
Bandelier NM was my original target for two nights camping but I had to divert to Santa Fe for "mysterious" reasons and nothing else was available in the vicinity, camping or hotels. I ended up adding a night to Santa Fe and moving up my stay by two nights and also adding a night at Mesa Verde.
So, La Junta, CO US 350 -> Trinidad, CO -> US 64 Taos, NM -> various state roads to Bandelier NM -> via Los Alamos Center (think old Fed stuff got me on-base) to Santa Fe, NM. I had originally planned to do some more scenic driving and touristing up in the mountains visiting some of the old missions. In Santa Fe, I enjoyed the O'Keefe Museum and the Chili Line Brewery a couple of times. Northern NM was fairly new for me so I got a sniff and decided Four Corners would be a "destination RT" in the future although I have had several general sniffs over the past 20 years and always make Mesa Verde NP a stop over refreshing site during cross-country drives to SoCal/CentCal.
Santa Fe, NM to Mesa Verde NP, CO, via Aztec Ruins NM and Durango, CO. Santa Fe, NM -> I-25 South to US 550 West to Aztec Ruins Nat'l Monument -> US 550 West to Durango, CO (gas, beer late lunch, supplies) -> US 160 West to Mesa Verde NP.
Dang, that's too bad. I realize that time is never unlimited on any road trip, so we can never see everything, but when you drove to Farmington on US 550, you passed within 23 miles (maybe 40 minutes) of what is easily the most amazing prehistoric ruin in the United States!Quote:
Originally Posted by landmariner
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog.../ChacoSign.jpg
Aztec Ruins was an Anasazi town. Chaco Canyon was the big city, with extensive ruins that spread out for miles. The Great Houses were massive structures, four stories tall with as many as 600 rooms. Few people were aware of it at the time, but the Great Houses at Chaco were the largest buildings in North America until well into the 19th century!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ads/Chaco3.jpg
The place was a religious center and a hub of commerce for the Anasazi. There were dozens, if not hundreds of Kivas, some quite large, with intricate masonry that has stood the test of time:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ads/Chaco4.jpg
These builders loved their windows, even in the thickest of walls:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ads/Chaco1.jpg
With most of the building falling into ruin, the interior structure of this wall is exposed: layer upon interlocking layer of bricks laid by hand, fitted so tightly together that the wall is still standing after almost a thousand years
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ads/Chaco2.jpg
There's a stark beauty to the landscape, but it's not what you'd call hospitable. The climate was undoubtedly much different during the heyday of this place, from the mid-800's until it was abandoned in the early 14th century--most probably due to prolonged drought.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ads/Chaco6.jpg
Chaco is worth a couple of days, easily, but the only accommodation anywhere nearby is the Gallo campground, inside the park. (Reservations recommended). If you ever get back that way, you absolutely need to check it out! Just be aware that the road in isn't the best, and neither is the road out:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ChacoSign2.jpg
During periods of heavy rain, stay away. Just as I mentioned in reference to Bisti: add water, the roads and trails turn into sticky goo. Everything I've been describing: the Bisti Badlands, Aztec Ruins, and Chaco Canyon are all part of Scenic Side Trip #17, which is a heck of a nice detour off I-40 between Gallup and Grants.
Rick
Quote:
Originally Posted by landmariner
Good grief...did we all do the same trip last fall?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
South Rim Grand Canyon which was added when temps in Petrified Forest were predicted to be in the high 90's and to hot to do a couple of days hiking, we did do 1/2 day in at Petrified Forest in route to Santa Fe where we visited Bandelier and other sites I might want to use as a "where am i". Then moved to Farmington to do Chaco and Bitis Badlands but as I've mentioned Bitis was rained out so we ended up going to Salmon Ruins and Aztec National Monument! We then moved to Mesa Verde where we did the Durango Train ride, the Millon Dollar Highway circle to see the fall colors, Hoovenweep and from there we spent time in Moab and Capitol Reef before heading home.
My picture of Aztec is from 9-15-19 and the cottonwoods were still green!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...66a41aed_c.jpg
Utahtea
Quote:
Originally Posted by landmariner
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
I love Chaco! We were able to have one good weather day during our 4 night/ 3 day stay in Bloomfield. I like to plan rainy days into our schedule and I had planned one in the area but we got two! We were traveling with another couple who hadn't been to any of the places we were going and we had been to all of them so they relied on our recommendation and we chose Chaco over Bisti.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
Utahtea
We also spent a night and half-day van camping at Capitol Reef on the return trip Eastward. We also spent a night or two in Salt Lake City, including a visit to Red Rock Brewing there to pick up some special batch rauchbier. And then on to Dinosaur National Monument.
Headed to Fort Collins from there by way of the Flaming Gorge in the early morning hours. Temps were nippy up in those high elevations! Impressive. Fort Collins was a brewing pub triptych with Prost!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog..._165342741.jpg
Fort Collins the highlight of the three we visited, although New Belgium was good to visit (just not enough time for everything!).
As I mentioned on the forum before, the Indian Nations AAA map will be pulled out for the Four Corners destination road trip. Not sure I want to risk Chaco in my Odyssey MiniVan especially not in monsoon weather.
(I have sent you an email about how to use the RTA Contributing Writers Photo App -- Mark)
A couple more.
Sampler plus hefeweissen
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog..._152406753.jpg
Our lucky day as the roving German food truck/caterer were set-up
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...000896_HDR.jpg
Landmariner, you're reminding me of just how much I miss having a good, cold beer in a proper pub! When the time comes (and not a minute sooner), that first swig is going to taste really, really fabulous!
As for driving to Chaco in the monsoon season, I wouldn't even risk it in La Reina Sucia, my beloved Jeep Cherokee. (Okay, maybe I would risk it, but only because the 'Queen' loves a good mud bath). In dry weather, especially spring and fall, the northern entrance (off US 550) isn't all that bad. It's paved part of the way, and the unpaved portion can be negotiated by most vehicles as long as you take it slow (though I wouldn't try it in a Corvette ;-).
Everybody ready for another round? Here we go:
Where am I?
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma1.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma3.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma2.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma5.jpg
This is not a major destination, though it's (almost) within sight of an Interstate Highway. It won't be all that hard to guess if you've been there, or if you like this sort of thing, but these are not the usual angles for photos of this place, so that makes it less of a gimme.
Who can tell me the name and location? And for bonus points: who built it?
Rick
My turn!
Where is this?
http://bbscomp.com/george/July 2019.jpg
This looks so familiar but I just don't know. I can tell you where it's not! I need more hints!Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
Rick, I haven't been to the place of your last photos.
Utahtea
It's a view that I doubt any of you have seen. It's WAY off the beaten path. There is a national park nearby, but this is not within the park.
I'm going to take what's knows as a W.A.G., and I'll say "Missouri Breaks."
Rick
There are badlands like that in eastern Wyoming. But I've not seen that particular view.
Mark
Nope - it's well northwest of Missouri. It is on an Indian reservation. Not in Wyoming but you are getting close.
Rick, check your private messages.
George,
What about The White River Badlands in Nebraska?
Oh wait, you said on a Rez?Quote:
The White River Badlands is a collection of irregularly shaped, highly eroded areas that extends from the southwestern portion of South Dakota through parts of northwestern Nebraska and eastern Wyoming into eastern Colorado.
Hmmm
A section of the White River Badlands is on the The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...
Mark, I think you are close enough. It is in fact on the Pine Ridge Rez in South Dakota. No paved roads for many miles.
GPS data:
43 36 28 N
101 42 55 W
Here are three more traditional views. There are several clues in these photos that should narrow things down quite well: Mesquite trees and desert mountains; crumbling brick and adobe; that white dome! And the fact that it's very near an Interstate...Quote:
Originally Posted by Utahtea
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma6.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma8.jpg
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...oads/Tuma4.jpg
Any guesses?
Rick, check your private messages.
Rick,
Tumacácori National Historical Park
But I'd have to turn in my RTA hat if I didn't get that one!
AZBuck