SOUTHWEST SHAKE (1996):
We went thru much the same country as in the SOUTHWEST SHIMMY (1995) tour, as we can see from the Gas Stops log for 1996 in the sidebar. We thought we'd run along the border, maybe as far as Big Bend National Park. That was the plan, which of course didn't survive contact with reality.
1996 - Week 1
* Saturday 20 April:
We rolled down the interminable Central Valley and campered atop the Grapevine. Bright sunny weather. Ominous.
* Sunday 21 April:
We survived driving through Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast, along Santa Monica bay and around the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the Orange County shore to San Juan Capistrano. Over the coast range past Lake Elsinore; a wonderful stop at the Inland Empire Trolley Musuem in Hemet; campered somewhere.
* Monday 22 April:
Down the Palms-to-Pines highway to Palm Desert and Borrego Springs. But we were too late for the wildflower displays in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and other border gardens, and the weather was hot, so we looped around the Salton Sea turned northeast. Campered out in the singing sands. Woooooo....
* Tuesday 23 April:
East past the Hi Jolly (Haj Ali) statue in Quartzite AZ, up northeast across desert and mountains to the old capital of Prescott. A long desert drive; relief in the heights.
* Wed-Thur 24-25 April:
We camped in the forest south of Prescott a couple cool nights, toured the splendid historical museums, and acclimated ourselves to the elevation. Three colleges here (one an aeronautical university) but this doesn't really feel like a college town.
1996 - Week 2
* Fri-Mon 26-28 April:
On thru Flagstaff (no repairs this time) to Grand Canyon Nat'l Park (South Rim) for a few days of camping and sightseeing. We stared into the great gorge until our eyes fell out, then headed east through Hopi country.
* Monday 29 April: We left Grand Canyon late, rolled in darkness across Hopi land to Keams Canyon and campered by the road at the edge of the village, making spectacles of ourselves again. Ha ha. What really happene? I don't remember.
* Tuesday 30 April:
Down through Navaho land past Canyon de Chelley Nat'l Monument, over to a little tribal campground around Crystal NM. I recall feeling uneasy among the Canyon de Chelley guides an vendors.
* Wednesday 1 May:
Over to the Highway Of The Beast (#666), down through Gallup and Zuni (for more goodies undoubtedly, but the mission is closed), east past Ramah and Morro Rock's inscriptions to the Acoma Sky City neighborhood.
* Tursday 2 May:
North past the western outskirts of Albuquerque, past the pueblos en route to Santa Fe. Alas, there's no place near downtown to park the RV, so we continue up the old High Road To Taos along adobe-walled streets and tree-covered creeks and steep hills to Chimayo. Saw no miracles, can't remember where we campered.
This is probably the day we stopped at the Santa Clara Pueblo and looked at pottery workshops. The Tafoya family do great work and we can't afford their stuff. Then we went to the home of Celestina Naranjo, a wonderful little old lady who served us lemonade in her parlor and showed us her wares. We felt as though we were in our grandmothers' living room. We bought a small black turtle, which has the most exquisite feel. Celestina was in her late 80s then and had been working clay since she was a little girl, so that turtle had 80+ years of experience in it. We read that she died a few years later, age 92. What a wonderful artist.
* Friday 3 May:
Down west from Chimayo thru Española (did we get another great meal at Delicias then?) and on to New Mexico's northwest corner, past Abiquiu and Cuba and Blanco. North into Colorado (skipping past Durango) and west to Mesa Verde Nat'l Park.
1996 - Week 3
* Sat-Mon 4-6 May:
In Mesa Verde for a few days of sights and sounds. After the weekend, caravans of German RV renters invaded. Each El Monte RV (all the same model) had a German name in the rear window. Scents of sausages and saurkraut drifted out, along with the voices.
* Tuesday 7 May:
Leisurely drive From Mesa Verde thru Cortez CO and Monticello UT (east of mighty Abajo Peak) to a roadside along the Colorado River a few miles below Moab. We did not go stickrock biking.
* Wednesday 8 May:
A long drive looping north to get west, thru Arches Nat'l Park and across the Green River and San Rafael Swell, down to the Aquarius Plateau north of the Escalante country. Whew.
* Thursday 9 May:
Past Escalante, into Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park, a helluva place to lose a cow. Saw a huge German around-the-world expedition truck. And the next morning, the caravan of German RV renters rolled in. I suspect someone in Frankfurt chartered a jumbo-jet or two, flew masses of middle-aged Germans into Los Angeles and the El Monte RV lot, and was leading this expedition through all the national parks of the West or at least the SouthWest.
1996 - Week 4
* Fri-Sun 10-12 May:
Thru Panguitch UT and up to a cool cozy near-deserted lake below Cedar Breaks for the weekend. Kids fishing with their grandmother presented us with some of their catch. Birds flew overhead. We listened to a DRED ZEPELIN CD. Or was that another year? Damn menories...
* Monday 13 May:
Spent good money taking the RV thru the Zion Nat'l Park tunnel. In Zion valley the weather was too hot, the creek was too low — we'll have to return earlier some year. So out thru Hurrican UT and the twin polygamy towns of Hildale UT and Colorado City AZ with those distinctive large multi-unit and -entrance homes, on to Kanab. This was probably when we pulled into a 'park' in the dark and next morning found we were on a shooting range.
* Tuesday 14 May:
We heard the word: North Rim of Grand Canyon is opening early (warm weather melted snow off the access road two weeks ahead of time). We dashed south from Kanab to Jacob Lake, the North Rim's portal, and grabbed the last available spot in the forest campground. Anxious campers are accumulating.
* Wed-Thurs 15-16 May:
Up early, get near the head of the long line awaiting the road opening. At 8:00 AM we're off and running — well actually slogging over a rough under-massive-repair road with zillions of other vehicles. We get to Grand Canyon Nat'l Park (North Rim) and grab the last unreserved two-night campsite. Whew. Now for a couple days of scooting and viewing. North Rim is more spectactular than South Rim.
One evening we're sitting at the Grand Canyon Lodge's open-air gallery gazing into the canyon when a crowd of beery Australians drop in loudly. Turns out they're doing a tour of America. Two weeks by bus, New York to St Louis to Los Angeles. TWO WEEKS?!?!? One could barely see the sights of New York alone in two weeks! Touring in a hurry...
* Friday 17 May:
We bid farewell to the lovely North Rim and head across southwest Utah and southeast Nevada. At Caliente NV (pornounced cal-YENny) we encounter thousands of off-road vehicles of all configurations and wheel-counts. This is the weekend prior to Memorial Day, and a great cross-desert race is being held. And tomorrow is a timed road-race: Highway 318 from US-93 north to US-6 is closed off, and individual cars drive north as fast as they can. 110 miles with no limits. We heard that the previous year's winner was a woman in a StingRay who did the run in 39 minutes. You do the math.
1996 - Week 4+
* Saturday 18 May:
Arising from our roadside squat, we take the ET Hwy thru Rachel NV next to Area 51 the day before our anniversary but we weren't abducted by aliens. Bother. Pre-anniversary lunch at the Little A'Le Inn. Indifferent food. Glenn Campbell's AREA 51 RESEARCH CENTER is much better (but no food). Painting on the highway, a monument: the whole ET Hwy hooplah was a paid promotion for the film INDEPENDENCE DAY.
Then a long long drive, through Tonopah and Montgomery Pass and Lee Vining on Mono Lake. We may have pulled over by Mono City or Bridgeport, I don't remember. The run south of Mono Lake is always beautiful, a mountain-desert twistaround of trees and volcanic sand and dramatic views.
* Sunday 17 May:
And the last long drive, over Carson Pass and past Pioneer (we probably stopped in to see Maureen's folks for a few minutes) and Lodi, across the Central Valley and back to our Forestville hilltop home. Thirty days. How many miles?
Other Pre-2000 Southwest Trips
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