THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

I am truly in awe of the landscape of this days travels. The green rolling hills rise to amazing heights. The cows follow the trails upwards to see if even they can touch the blue of the sky. I want to start at the tops and roll down their velvety slopes. One can only dream!

CAR ART

We decided to take a major back road today off of hwy 101 south of Hollister California. It was called Indian Valley Road and what a road it was. Pretty much 1 and 1/2 lanes through some extremely beautiful green rolling hills. There we found the Car yard art. This farm had buried at an angle and half way up the, side probably no less than 25 vehicles. Is it Art???

YOU DECIDE

As we travel, we look to see what people and towns are doing to get into the new age of solar and wind power. Arizona is not doing so well when it comes to solar power. You would think that with all of the sun there, they would be at the head of the class. But this is not so. We have been traveling in California for the past 2 days and saw stark differences in areas we went through. Traveling on the highway for a few miles we came upon this huge grouping of wind generators. I feel as though they are works of art. Then west of Wasco California, we were amazed by all of the oil wells on each side of the road. There were thousands on each side for at least 2 miles. Somehow they just don't seem as artistic as the wind generators!

Red Rocks Canyon California

As we work our way to Yosemite for New Years Eve, we have found some wonderful places to stop and rest. We always try to find a campsite by about 3 in the afternoon. Last night we found a unique spot to stay. Luckily for us it is almost a full moon and Steve got some fabulous starlight and moon shots of where we stayed

Salton Sea

I am sitting alongside hwy 14 in California by the only cell tower I have seen in miles and miles. It is difficult to post when we have no cell service! I know how you all anxiously await my blogs!!!!
We had never been to the Salton Sea, but had heard much about it. I remember hearing about Sonny Bono trying to get it into the wildlife refuge status before his death. It is now named after him. Thanks to Sonny for saving the wildlife of this area for future generation. We sat along the beach and were mesmerized by all of the birds of different varieties

Out of the Loop

We headed out of Mesa and down to Algadones, Mexico to purchase more meds and a Talavera sink and some tiles, then into California. Before it got dark we passed through an enormous sand dune area. There were OHV's everywhere. Managed to snap a photo as we passed through the area. Then off to the Salton Sea. We ended us spending 2 nights there as it was beautiful and full of many varieties of birds.

BIrthday Celebrations

I was most fortunate to spend my birthday in Alamos. Joe grilled some shrimp mid morning which we then packed up and took out to his friends Rancho called El Caracol. The woman, Dee, who owns this 2000 acre ranch, is 91 years old. She and her husband bought the rancho around 1954 and then turned it into a 64 site RV park. She had the Wally Byam Airstream club stay at her place numerous times on their Central American Caravan trips. She steamed us up some tamales to go with the shrimp we brought and we sat out on her veranda and had a wonderful lunch together. I was amazed at how lucid she was, especially after she went for a walk with us around the rancho. Her Rancho is also for sale. After we left there, we went home for a while until we went back into Alamos for a birthday dinner. We went into the Hotel Tesoros, an old convent that was built 236 years ago. It was converted into a hotel and resturant around 1954. We had a wonderful meal and I was then serenaded by some Marriachi. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

Our trip ended all to soon and we headed back up to the states. Thanks to Jose for his wonderful hospitality. We hope to see you soon!

ALAMOS MEXICO

We walked into Alamos a couple of days and drove up to El Mirador and took some great photos. Alamos was founded in 1681 and lies in the foothills of the Sierra Madre's. It has a rich history of conquistadors, mining barons, imperialists and revolutionists. When you enter the main part of town, you know you have entered Old Mexico. The town consists of many mansions built in the late 1700's. When the silver mines closed down, the town eventually turned to ghost status. After WWII the mansions were restored. The population is now around 13,000 with an ex-patriot population of near 500. It is at an elevation of 1346 feet and rises to 6700 feet at the Sierra de Alamos. Alamos is in position for being considered a United nations World Heritage Site. This is an incredibly quaint and historic town. The church "La Parroquia de la Purisima Conception was built in the 18th century and sits across from the Plaza de Armas which houses their exceptionally beautiful 19th century Spanish Gazebo. All of the houses and mansions have the most ornate and colorful doors. It takes you the the period of romanticism. I now know why many people fall in love with this incredible town and must return. I hope someday that I too shall return!

Casa de la Esquina

Jose brought us up to his lovely home where we stayed with great comfort for a week. There he wined us and dined us and took care of us like we were guests at his hotel. He is a great cook and were treated to a different culinary feast each day. This is such a beautiful place he has, tranquil and the best upstairs clubhouse I have ever seen. The photo of the Sierra Madre's is from the clubhouse. He also has his house for sale and if interested, you can view it at www.alamosrealty.com

Steve and Bonnie's Big Adventure

Steve and I rode the bus 10 hours from Phoenix, Arizona, leaving at 10pm and arriving in Navojoa, Mexico at 8 am the next day. There we were picked up by our friend Jose ( formerly known as Joe), and made the 35 mile trip to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, Alamos Mexico. This was an interesting adventure as we had never taken a bus into Mexico. One never knows what to expect. All went well, even at Nogales where we were boarded by Mexican border guards at 2 am. They walked up and down the isles instructing the passengers in Spanish. Steve and I were at a total loss as neither of us speak spanish. However, we understood the language of U.S. one dollar bills coming out of everyone's pockets and being handed to the guards. Steve finally asked the guard "English ?" which he replied "tips?" We too gave him our dollar bills...no passports, inspection of luggage or getting off the bus. I will pay a dollar anytime to avoid the hassles of immigration inspections!!!!

SONORAN DESERT

This will be my last post for a week as Steve and I will be getting on a bus in Phoenix tonight and heading down into Mexico to visit a friend. But when we return, we will have some incredible pictures to share with you! We have been having such a wonderful time and are very fortunate to be able to travel in the winter when things are slow at home.

BLUE, RED AND JAVELINA

The day we went to Palatki ruins just outside of Sedona, the sky was the most incredible color of blue and the red rocks towered upwards to meet the sky. When I am confronted with days like this and the gift of the places we have been it makes me give thanks to all of the wonderful and tenacious people like Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, J. D. Rockefeller Jr and the Rooselvelts and all of the others, too numerous to mention, who helped start the National Park Service. Steve also got this fleeting photo of a Javelina. We were told by the park people that it is a very rare occurence to be able to see one of these creatures.

JEROME ARIZONA

When our friends, Ken and Mary arrived at Dead Horse, we all took a short trip up the mountain to a quaint ghost town. This town was originally started due to the copper mines in the area. It is now filled with galleries, wine shops and wonderful restaurants. The town was ready to close up when they re-invented themselves as and old copper ghost town. It worked and they are prospering. The town was packed with tourists. We also headed down the mountain a short distance to take in the sites at the local cemetary. We were told by the locals not to miss it. I was a bit dismayed to find it in such disrepair. We spent some time walking and fixing old wooden crosses that had fallen like the people below them.

UNKNOWN BIRD

When we arrived at Dead Horse Ranch State Park and got set up at our campsite, this lovely little bird paid us a visit. In fact it keeps trying to get inside the Airstream. We have been here for a few days and every morning it comes to the trailer and tries to get in. I have been through both of my bird books and have not been able to identify. Can anyone tell me what this bird is. Even the park ranger didn't know. It is an extremely small bird!

MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM BAYLEE

When we got to Sedona and were settled in for the night we decided to barbecue. I pulled out my lovely gift that Baylee made for me for Christmas. She gave it to me before we left on our trip and it really came in handy that evening. Thanks Bee, I love you!

BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

We pulled into Santa Fe, kicked back and visited with some old friends for a few days. The day before we left they took us up to Los Alamos. This is where the first atomic bomb was formulated and constructed. This is a pretty incredible town. Obviously it is a government town. Lots of money, beautiful buildings and tons of research facilities. But just down the road from there, one can walk back into time. Here lived the ancient people of this area. Extremely tall cliffs of sandstone is where they made their homes and villages. They would carve holes in the sandstone for their timbers for their roofs and build buildings that were 3 stories tall. They would also carve whole rooms into the soft sandstone. This is a pretty incredible place and somewhat ironic that it is so close to Los Alamos. After we left Santa Fe, we headed for Sedona Arizona. I now wish I was back in Chaco Canyon to enjoy the peace and quiet and where we don't have to fight the traffic and traffic jams of Sedona. Somehow, Sedona has lost it's charm for me. The red rocks and scenery is majestic and breathtaking but everyone on the planet it seems has moved here. Reminds me of the traffic jams on Maui..... and they call this progress?

BIKE TOURING

Just a photo of us by our bikes at Chaco Canyon. This place is spiritual!

CHACO CANYON, NEW MEXICO

After leaving Hovenweep and hiking from Utah to the Holly site in Colorado we decided to was time for us to make the time to go to Chaco Canyon. We had been close to the site in numerous years, but had never veered off the beaten path to go to Chaco. And it is off the beaten path! We traveled 21 miles on a dirt road off the main paved road. Sometimes the road was so much like a washboard, we could barely do 3 miles per hour. But we finally arrived in the afternoon and headed to the visitors center. I was astounded by the amount and beauty of the pottery, tools, and sandals that have been recovered from all of the sites of this once thriving culture. Their architecture is monumental!!!! In all of the sites that we have previously visited, I have never seen anything quite like this. The masons and engineers of these sites were incredible individuals as you will see in these photos. Steve and I left early in the morning on our bikes and traveled a 9 miles loop around all of the villages. It was only about 25 degrees, but the sun was shining on us as it had on the early Chacoans, and warmed our bodies and hearts! What an amazing day we spent touring all of the pueblos. It was so quiet that you could hear the raven's wings flapping overhead.

LOWRY GREAT KIVA

We drove on a dirt back road to find this place. It was an extremely large kiva that was 47ft in diameter. I never get tired of seeing these sites and wondering about the people that lived here and how their lives must have been. Kiva's were often used a meeting places, dancing or storing of their foodstuff's.

BACK INTO CELL SERVICE RANGE

We have been out of the modem loop for quite a few days but have been having an incredible time. We went to Hovenweep National Monument, set up camp and stayed for a couple of days. We camped right on the canyon were there were numerous tall towers and multi-roomed pueblo's. These people lived here from 700 AD to around the late 1200's. One day we left early and hiked 8 miles through numerous canyons, canyon walls and up and down mesa's to a site called Holley. It was fascinating to see how these people built their home(towers) on the tops of rocks. It was an incredible hike and saw wild horses on the way back to camp. Needless to say we slept quite well that night!

DINOSAUR TRACKS

We left Sego Canyon and headed south back towards Moab. We would have to stay here for a couple of months to see everything this area has to offer. There are many dinosaur tracks in the area but we will only see one area of them as we will be leaving Moab this morning. These photos were taken especially for Baylee (our granddaughter). They were a little difficult to see because it has rained in the prints. But use your imagination and think back to 45 million years ago. These prints are of an Allosaurus which is a bird like being.

ARCHAIC OR ALIENS...YOU DECIDE!

We were absolutely amazed by the next panels we found. I really am at a loss for words on these pictograph figures. The Archaic peoples lived between 5,500 B.C. to A.D.1. It is hard to imagine what may have been going on in that period for these people to paint this type of figure on the rocks. Later that day we ran into a man who we were talking with. We told him we had gone up to Sego Canyon. He asked us if we saw the aliens! He had been up there 40 years ago and was also totally amazed by what he saw. You decide!!!