Coronado Trail

When passing through Springerville, AZ, be sure to stop for the blue-plate special. A tasty place to eat.

Camping a Hannigans, snow remnants and wet wood from thunderstorm.
Stock ready to go fight fires on the Apache-Sitgraves NF.
Mimi making friends.


Our favorite open-pit copper mine, at Morenci. Would the Grand Canyon fit?

Monument Valley & Gouldings

A nice arch just above Gouldings RV Park where we stayed.
Mimi chumming up The Duke. The first movie "Stagecoach" (1938) filmed in Monument Valley brought some money and jobs, and the tourists followed.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

We went on a jeep tour with Navajo guide called "Geronimo" by his friends.

Some favorite rock formations.
And petroglyphs. The males, according to our guide, have 5 legs in the drawings.

The tough climb to the top is worth the view!

Mimi under the arch.


One can even get their picture taken while on a horse. $2.00. We met many tourists from England, Japan, Germany -- all were intrigued by the wide-open emptiness.

Monument Valley

Mimi at the tribal visitor center, with left and right mittens in background.

Navigators beware, open range, livestock roam everywhere and return in evening to water at corral. All water is trucked to dwellings, corrals, and other use areas.

The old Oljato Trading Post, last operated in the 1950s. With better roads and pickups replacing wagons, larger towns got closer.

Navaho NM & Cliff Dwellings

Stairstep pot holes in the slickrock. Slickrock openings near the campground ranged in size from 1/4 to 1 acre, with some larger ones around. The naked desert bares all, down to the bones.


Mimi at overlook to Betatakin cliff dwellings.

Navaho NM

A hike after dinner leads Mimi to her explanation of desert soil formation.


Then, into the sunset

Grand Canyon Canyon View

On leaving the park, the Desert View with the historical (1932) Watchtower has great views west into the canyon and the Navaho art work.

Anniversary at the El Tovar

Snowed all day at the rim, cold, windy, 5-layer weather. Memorial evening out on the 23rd at the El Tovar hotel at the South Rim, originally staffed with "Harvey Girls," when the railroad first brought tourists to visit the big empty in the early 1900s.

Grand Canyon Redux

Now that we have a good internet connection here in Silver City, NM, it's timely to add a few of my favorites from east of Yaki Point.

Mimi on the edge

With an ever-lurking squirrel awaiting the core.