We Almost Blow Away! Lee's Ferry Recreation Area

We arrive at Lee's Ferry after an uneventful and lazy drive from Williams, AZ via The Grand Canyon.  The "Canyon" is awesome as ever...just two short years since our last visit and still...gasp...the VIEWS!  Here's a panorama shot from Ms. iPhone....amazing camera.

Over look of The Grand Canyon 

While we stand and gape, Mr. and Mrs. Raven gape back at us.....here's Mr.  or, maybe Mrs....or???

Canyon residnet welcomes us

We head up toward Lee's Ferry National Recreation Area where we remember spotting a campground a few years ago.  That year we had floated down from the Glen Canyon Dam on a raft trip and now we want to return to check it out in case we hatch a plan for next year involving our kayaks and Coyote Buddies!

Colorado River and Pirea River converge here

Campsite at Lee's Ferry

This is an awesome area, fairly remote and great river access for raft companies and for personal boats.  There are about 15 pull through sites and lots of back ins...for RV's or tent campers...and all for the awesome price of $6.00 a night, if you are OLD.  (Golden Age Pass holders...come on!)  Even if you are NOT OLD, $12.00 a night is ok.

This night we watch the river, the cliffs and the sky.  We read there are California Condors seen in this area...and Bighorn sheep.  Hey!  Reward.....check out the photo of the cliff and the fuzzy shape up on top!  Yes, it was far away!

The Colorado rushes by below the campground

Bighorn sheep!!!  See it???

The next morning we consider pushing on to the northwest...but there's a weather alert for high winds in the "Arizona Strip."  We wonder, what exactly, ARE "high" winds?  Deciding it might not be fun to drive in 30 mph wind, we spend the big bucks ($6.00) and pay for another night.  In the morning we do a little exploring by Jeep.

Yet another "Balanced Rock" formation

Steve and the pups...blowin' in the wind...

Even the desert has "Spring" flowers!

Hey!  Let me join you!!

After dodging a few dust devils making a try at sandblasting the Jeep windows we return to our campsite.  Yes, it would have been challenging to drive the RV and tow in 30 mph winds...but little did we know...that was not the half of it!

Something's comin' "round the mountains" and down the canyons!

Steve with the little iPhone wind meter

The RV shakes....and rattles...and sorta "rolls"...well, not really but it felt like...maybe....   We pull the slide in...more shaking, but the "snapping" stops.  The satellite dish is only good for 50mph wind.  Steve now clocks the lastest blast at 61 mph!!  We make the decision to push the "stow" button and the dish starts making terrible moaning and groaning sounds.  Then there are the grinding sounds.  Then...it STOPS.  It will take another 4 hours before the gusts stop gusting and we can press the "restore" button and see if we have ruined our fabulous internet connection sattelite dish.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The next morning all is calm!

Such awesome beauty surrounds us!

We were right about one thing.  Staying put.  It's a for sure, definite fact that driving our rig in 61 mph winds would have been a terrible decision.  So, next time we hear the words "high wind alert" in the southwest...we know more about what they might be talking about!  Oh, and when we press the "restart and restore" button...the awesome sattelite dish preforms it's magic and we are once again connected to the world beyond Lee's Ferry.

We leave Lee's Ferry the next morning.... heading for St. George, UT and then a final park destination of Valley of Fire State Park in NV.  No wind forecast...just sunshine and temperatures in the low 70's.   

Woof! A Dog Friendly National Park!!

Trekking to the North and the West...we find ourselves first in California, then off to Arizona and now, nearly in Utah or Nevada.  All of it is within our boundary created by availability of sunshine and warm temperatures...so, where are we? (Remember the "Sun and 70 Rule"?)

Up in northern Arizona is a treasure belonging to America's National Parklands:  Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park.  We noticed this when we drove the new motorhome back to  San Juan Island from Mississippi in November of 2011.  We had no time to stop.  Now, in 2014, we aim the Breeze for the south entry gate and arrive on a Friday morning.

Steve gets up close and personal with petrified log

The first stop is an area called the Trail of Logs.  We walk the half mile loop featuring ...yes, a trail of logs, but these logs have turned to colorful stone.  Beautiful, beautiful smooth petrified wood....oh, these are not the little pieces of petrified wood you hold in your hand or put in a pocket...they are huge!

Incredible colors!

The park is 28 miles long.  We drive the rig and tow right through, stopping easily at the pull off points.  Here's a first.  We find that this park is "dog friendly!"  The Ranger tells us, feel free to take the dogs with you on the trails, as long as they are leashed.  A dog friendly National Park!

Painted Desert section

The story told here is not just about geology, changing landforms, forests turned to stone or sedentary layers of earth,  but about who has lived on this land and walked this ground before us.  Yes, there is evidence of dinosaurs....many, many dinosaurs.

Double dare?

Archelogical digs have also provided the proof of ancient civilizations....both in petroglyphs and in the walls of the dwelling spaces of an entire village.

Story: Giant bird disciplines the bad children....or, eats frogs...take your pick!

Village as it looks today

Village visitors Steve and Sparky

Just for perspective, here's an idea of how historians see this village around 1100AD.  Sparky says notice the dog please!  (front and center!)

Village life....a LONG time ago

Kiva: Enclosed room used for ceremonies

Five stars for a National Park that welcomes dogs, outside of the cars... provides many short hiking loops with good signage...and sports sunshine and warm temperatures...at least on this day!

We spend a half day here, but with more hiking we could have easily spent the whole day.  For us, it's off toward the Grand Canyon as we continue to aim to the north...and to the west....poco y  poco. (little by little)

Was It All a Dream?

So, IS it all a dream?  This "summer in winter camp for adults"....on a remote stretch of beaches, lining the shore of Conception Bay on the Sea of Cortez, in Baja Sur, Mexico?  The experiences this winter are incredible....both familiar and totally new and exciting...with friends we know and come to know...in a country we know and continue to know more about.  

A little research reminds us that what keeps a brain functioning and happy is to fill it with new experiences, especially with music and language.  What do you think?

The Tres Amigas take off on an Epic Voyage of Discovery, by paddle boarding across Coyote Bay to Isla Coyote.  We choose an early  morning start time, hoping for flat water and no wind.  We get it!

SUP'ers Deb and Nan

Travel supplies....cameras and water bottles and snacks!

Paddles UP!  And they are OFF!

Support boat Norm

Chase boat with Sparky and Steve

We arrive at Isla Coyote!

Deb takes a water break

Jerri takes break

Nan takes break

After a lap around the tiny islets out at the big island, we start back at a liesurely pace.  How about a stop at "Fish Mouth Rock?"

Nan and Jerri in the "Fish Mouth!"

Oh, but once back to the campsites....why not try a little SUP yoga?  Can they do it?

Downward Dog?

Warrior Deb

Deb does Tree (show off!!)

And yes, this is a great morning.  One of many.  Because...the dream goes on...every day with...

Sparky learns to kayak

John and Steve racing around

Nan hard at work, teaching Sparky to relax!

Bullseye sting ray....hanging out

In late January these guys appear back in the bay...and this year I learn to live and let live...more or less...because the water is so nice, I just have to swim...and float...and paddle...and sail...

Ann and Court provide fish tacos!

There are happy hours and dinner gatherings.  There are Oscar nominated movies at the restaurant up the road, and many many Mexican meals "out"...and in the RV too.

Do not forget Spanish class!  Nothing like a class on the beach, under the palms!  Did you know research shows that we learn better if we are having fun?  Really!

Teacher Adrianna at the white board...

OH!  The birthday celebrations....with that silly little tiara still making the rounds, and last year's birthday banners too.  The Coyote Folk keep the traditions, old and new...going!

Queen Glenna

Queen Barb and King Chris

Queen Bessy and King Normando

You can't accuse these people of not knowing how to have fun!  Lots of FUN!  Here's one more!

Pedro...of course!  See the tiera?

And then....the whale sharks.  Many, many whale sharks...sometimes as many as five at the same time!  We are continually in awe and they show up, day after day....for a month!  Oh my!.

Sharky Jr.

Problems?  How can it be?  The time is drawing near to....start the long crawl back up to the north.  Hard to believe. 

 Waking from the dream? 

 I don't really want to open my eyes.

Ready, Set...."Jeep!!"

But which way?

We decide before we leave this year we want to check out the backroad out of Mulege that is a loop going to San Jose Magdelena.  A month ago we tried to drive from the north, but the road was blocked about half way.  The floods with the hurricane rolled huge boulders down the canyon.

This first sign was a decoy to get us going in the wrong direction...so we back track and take the other fork in the road.

Jerri the gate girl!

The road goes from a Class 1 off road...to Class 2 after about two hours.  We cut across several rancho properties, always being careful to close every gate we open.

Healthy looking cattle!

The small ranchos in the back country are creatively built without a lot of materials.  Even so, the cattle look good.  Many are tagged.

Picnic time

We stop for lunch after about 3 hours.  This is a nice shady spot, in the middle of a rancho.  Two motor bikes race by...which, strangely, we never see again.

Fancy signs for way back "nowhere"

We finally find a sign indicating that it's "only" 80 km more over to the west side of Baja...San Estanislao, which is on our way,  turns out to be a ramshackle abode, maybe originally a small travel trailer...and a fenced area, and the Exmision is the ruins of the mission we were looking for, but never saw.  We did pass by it.  I think.  :)

Local

Cattle and burros and sometimes goats show up randomly.  Later in the day we come across some cowboys riding back to ranchos.

Yikes...the drop off...

Class 3 road?  Road?

As the road deteriorates, Nan can be heard saying...several times actually: "I DO NOT vote for this!" or..."Hey, it will take us three and 1/2 hours to get back out...and it's 2:30....and..."  Yet, again: "I do not...VOTE for THIS!"

Take a look at the road ahead....see that little line on the other side of the canyon?  And no, we haven't reached the boulders blocking the roadway yet...YET....but...no one, Nan is sure, NO ONE has been on this road in the last three years...or around the same holes, or wash outs....

Ribbon of road...

We finally stop, look ahead...and give it up.  Hard for the drivers...easy for Nan.  And Sparky and Skipper.

Can we go home now?

With another possible 3 hours back, we finally turn around at 2:45 p.m.  And besides, the Class 3 road is definitely unrated now.

As so often, the road out is "faster" than the road in.  This day we see only two other vehicles...rancho trucks...and two motor cross country bikes.  Oh....and three cowboys on horses or donkeys.  Take a look at the handmade chaps and stirrup guards made from rancho leather!  Amazing!

Baja Vacquero on the backroad past Mulege

Safe arrival back on the beach by dark....oh, but first, a stop in Mulege for a hamburgesa at El Candil...also known as "Scotty's"....a local restaurant run by a guy from...wait for it...Oregon!