Lukachukai, AZ
Route 13 heading NE between AZ and NM
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A few more stops in the Southwest were on our list although, being in the northern high desert, all would be totally dependent on the weather. We knew that temps would be in the low 40’s during the day/low 20’s at night which was perfectly fine for us. The POD is very warm! We have 2 options for heating - electric for when we are plugged in at a campsite or propane when we are off-grid. Both systems heat the radiant heating pipes that run through the floor and walls of the van. Our main concern was snow and ice on the roads and having lived in this area once before we understood that a lot of snow can happen quickly.
We headed east out of southern CA on a perfectly beautiful sunny day. As we drove north on route 15 up to Barstow we were surrounded by the snow capped Mount San Antonio (clocking in at an astonishing 10,066’) to the west and Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear to the east. We began our climb into the high desert of the Mojave and settled in for our drive across route 40. This area, so open and flat, is a great spot for train watching! Barstow is a major rail hub and trains from all directions of the country converge here loading and unloading goods from the ports of southern CA. In the past, we have often chosen to spend the night in Barstow, on a hill overlooking the valley, just to watch and hear the trains. Yeah… super geeks!
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Homolovi State Park in Winslow, AZ is an archaeological site in the high grasslands of northern Arizona. From the 1200’s - the late 1300’s this area was inhabited by the Anasazi - known today as Hopi. In 1986 the Hopi people, together with state parks system, established this as a center for continued research, hiking trails and camping.
The other “archeological” site we visited was a certain corner in Winslow, Arizona!
“Standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a
fine sight to see….”
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Old Relic Brewing
Winslow, AZ
We also just happened to find a local brewery on the block! Okay, that’s not true because I tend to search for breweries in whatever town we happen to be spending some time in. This place was fantastic! And the food was even better….. Tim had a Rueben that he declared the best pastrami he’s had in a long time and I had a burger that was topped with roasted green chilies and a saracha slaw. We split an order of onion rings that were coated in a cornmeal crust!
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The Navajo Nation Indian Reservation fills the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. We headed north and then east to Chinle, AZ home of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, a labyrinth of canyons totaling84,000 acres within the Navajo Reservation. People have lived in these canyons for over 5,000 years. Today, they are home to the Dine, the Navajo people.
Canyon de Chelly
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You can drive both the North and South Rim trails and there are multiple overlooks, some with short trails, that you can stop at and look into the canyon. At its deepest the canyon is 1,000’ and as you look over and across you can see multistoried villages dotting the canyon alcoves and slopes.
Canyon de Chelly
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I was blown away by the beauty of this canyon! Obviously it is much smaller than the Grand Canyon but this is just as impressive. One feels much closer to the beauty here and, big point, there are way less people visiting here.
Canyon de Chelly
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We decided to continue north along state route 13 and head into New Mexico passing through the Chuska Mountains. As we began our climb the many red rock formations we encountered along the way were just as stunning as those around Sedona, AZ.
Lukachukai, AZ
And climb we did! The red rock formations turned into alpine trees, the altimeter kept going up, the snow on the side of the road got deeper and deeper…… The summit maxed out at 8,500’ and then we started down the other side, a bit slowly, but all in all a successful adventure! Once we emerged from the mountains another high plains vista was laid out spectacularly before us!
In the far distance was Shiprock, a slim rock formation that literally rises from the earth topping out at just over 7,000’ at its center and then fanning out slowly on either side for miles creating what looks like the back of a triceratops. Geology just kills me!!
Shiprock
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Eventually we worked our way down to Santa Fe, NM and stayed in a very familiar campground…. a KOA on Old Pecos Trail just south of town. It was the campground we lived in for about 8 months (in our 26’ GMC) with an infant and 2 good size dogs from the Fall of 1986 - Spring 1987. Needless to say, the campground is quite different and so is Santa Fe.
Old school…..
Pecos Trail KOA
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35 years is a lot of time and knowing how much we’ve grown and changed personally…..it’s only natural that communities do too.
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