Colorado National Monument

10/10/09

We were finally coming to an end. We had left Mesa Verde early in the morning, stopped to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison then veered off the highway to one last little green spot on the map - Colorado National Monument. It took a little wheedling but I convinced Michael that we should at least see what this was all about. He wasn't too sure - how could anything interesting be found so close to Grand Junction. He was wrong.

Nestled into the hills are a network of canyons and mesas, needing to be explored. Not by us, at least not yet. Ute Canyon was the most intriguing for me and the creek wove its way through the cottonwoods just starting to turn. It seemed like a fabulous fantasy world and I wanted to follow the creek into another world. It was not to be - we needed to be on our way.

Add yet another treasure to the list of need to see more.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

10/10/09

Talk about places we visited and didn't stay long enough, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park would be at the top of that list. One quick run into the visitor center then a short drive up the rim road was all the time we spared. How silly of us!

Here is a place of grand geologic proportions that an hour is far too little to even scratch the surface. All I could do was take a few snapshots and read the pamphlet to better understand what I was missing. Do not make the same mistake - find the time to explore this wonder.

Flagstaff & Sedona

10/5/09

While planning our trip, Michael & I decided we wanted to see the communities of Flagstaff and Sedona. Both were places we wanted to see as they were in our dreams of being places we might desire to live.

Flagstaff came first on our journey out of the Grand Canyon. I had been thinking a lot about this Arizona mountain town for several years. I was wholly disappointed. This was not the quaint mountain town I had been dreaming about, but an average place with sprawl and without personality. Needless to say, we didn't stay long.

To drive to Sedona, we went south through Oak Creek Canyon. From the rim as we started do to the end where we came out to Sedona I knew that this was the place for me. Close canyon walls, pine forest along oak creek, multi-colored sandstone. I was loving it and here I wanted to stay.

And then we entered Sedona. If there is a more perfect setting for a town I can't think of it. The sandstone formations surrounding town made this little piece of heaven feel as if we had driven into a faerie land. I was smitten.

Zion

10/4/09

I like Zion, but feel as if I hardly know her. What can a person expect if you never make the time. If you want someone to be your best friend, you don't stop to chat for a few seconds as you're moving on to somewhere else. You want to make the time, have a cup of coffee, go shopping, find the secrets and the love between you and your new friend. I haven't made the time to make friends with Zion . . . not yet.

We got in late after Cedar Breaks with the intention to stay all morning, hike through the narrows and get to know this beloved park better. It was a temperamental park we got to know. Winds thrashed through the canyon as I imagined a flash flood would - rattling leaves, bending trees, lifting sand into the air and carrying it along. Above us, the clouds raced across the sky, imitating my own history of stopping by to say hi and then moving on without a look back.

It would be Zion's wind that would make us leave a little earlier than had planned. It wasn't Zion's fault. She just wanted to let me know there is more to her than what I've allowed myself to know. Our hike up along the Virgin River although enjoyable, was wrought with efforts to keep my camera clean and dirt out of my eyes. During a short walk along a more protected area we came across several deer grazing in the trees. A pleasant surprise, especially after seeing a couple of wild turkeys earlier during our ride on the shuttle. Just one of those little secrets I so needed to know.

Driving out from the valley to the upper reaches of Zion, we'd see little arroyos running off along the side of the road and we had to fight the urge to stop to explore them. Again, I had somewhere else to go. Some other place calling. A trip ahead that needed to be finished. When will I make the time to make Zion the trip and not another pace? Soon, as I would love to have Zion as a friend,to be able to stop and have a cup of coffee and learn her secrets.