91 replies to this topic

[Jack]

Jack thanks for the info. Where did you get your 120w solar panel? Did you install it yourself or did FWC? Sounds like a great idea for alternate power and a way to be kind to the camper battery system. Terri

We are very glad that we installed the solar panel. Here's the link http://www.wanderthe...highlight=solar

[buzzman]

I had really wanted to visit more of the national parks in southern UT after leaving Zion, such as Bryce and Capital Reef and Canyonlands, and get out into some of the back country a little, but the weather was looking sort of wet and snowy and cold and we didn't want to deal with that. So we decided to stay to the south. Therefore, after leaving Zion NP we traveled east on Hwy 89 to Glen Canyon NRA. This turned out to be a very scenic drive along the southern edge of Grand Staircase-Escalante NM.

Vermilion Cliffs along Hwy 89


We stopped at a turnout along 89. You can see the dirt road to the Paria movie set in the background.


Another photo of sites along Hwy 89



When we got to the Glen Canyon NRA area we pulled into this scenic overlook. It was a great panoramic view.


Way off in the distance on the right edge of the picture you can see Navajo Mountain, about 35 miles away.




The dam


We camped at the Glen Canyon RV park in the NRA by the lake. A so, so place, but there are not too many options for camping around here. We are now on the Navajo Nation and although there is a lot of open land here, it is not public land. The Navajo Nation is very large, seems to be about the size of the state of Ohio!

Our camp site


One of our camping neighbors. A pretty cool little truck camper. I didn't talk to these folks, but by the truck license plate it looks like they were from Switzerland.

[buzzman]

After our one-night stay at Glen Canyon NRA we decided to head toward Monument Valley, via Hwy's 98, 160 and 163. We started to experience some strong winds on this day...and they seemed to be mostly headwinds. Bummer!

Here's another view, looking north from Hwy 98, of Navajo Mountain out in the distance.



Just north of Kayenta on Hwy 163, we could see Owl Rock and Agathla Peak along the road in the distance.



Agathla Peak up close


Owl Rock


More photos along Hwy 163




Approaching Monument Valley



Here's some photos taken from the Monument Valley visitor center overlook.
The two Mitten formations


We could have driven down the road seen here farther into the park, but park rules limit how far you can go without paying for a guide. We decided not to go.






We departed Monument Valley north on Hwy 163. The great views continued.

[buzzman]

Our next stop was at Canyon de Chelly (du shay) National Monument near Chinle AZ. I had never heard anything about this place prior to this trip, but it is a must do visit if you are ever in the four corners area. It is truly a gem of geological beauty and Native American history. And I don't think it's very heavily visited. It's still in the Navajo Nation however, and there are a few Navajo residents living inside the park boundaries and some vendors, which were not a problem. There are several ancient cliff dwelling sites, some hiking trails, and lots of overlooks, especially on the south rim.


Here's a few pictures.













Cliff dwellings




White House ruins down there. We hiked down to these later in the day.







Buzzman




White House ruins up close.




Spider rock...lower right in the shadow. Not a very good picture of it.




Sherri on the edge of the abyss.





Camping was in a valley near the visitor center and was first come and free. There are not a lot of options for camping around the Chinle area. However, the park campground seemed only about half full when we were there.


Our camp site

[craig333]

Wow, great pics. Monument valley is on my short list of must see places.

[buzzman]

craig333,

Glad you enjoy the photos. Monument Valley is a neat place to visit. I hope I'm not hogging the WTW trip reports section to much with this lengthy report and numerous pictures.

[ScottBailey]

I hope I'm not hogging the WTW trip reports section to much with this lengthy report and numerous pictures.

Um, keep posting!

[EdoHart]

Um, keep posting!

Those are great pictures. I wish I was somewhere on that route.

[DLN]

That's not hogging at all, it's sharing a great experience, keep it up.

[buzzman]

This section of our trip covers a lot of ground. We are heading east now and the grandeur of the mountains and big canyons is behind us. I know Oklahoma may be getting a little far to the east for a Wander the West trip report but here it goes anyway.

We left Canyon de Chelly and drove south on 191 and made a quick stop at the Hubbell Trading Post NHS. Unfortunatley, I forgot to take a picture inside the cool old general store that's still operating.

The old horse stables


Inside the horse barn



We continued east and stopped at the El Malpais National Monument just south of Grants NM. This is an area of widespread lava flows. It's difficult to see, but there is lava under the brush and trees.





We spent the night in Albuquerque. The next morning, the weather was once again keeping us from going up into northern NM, so we continued eastward. The winds were fairly strong and the skies were looking pretty evil when we got close to Amarillo so we spent the night there in a hotel. There was a tornado watch box covering the area ahead of us.



The next day we continued on I-40 into OK. Portions of I-40 in OK are in very poor condition. It reminded me of some of the poor roads in the third world countries I saw during my navy days in the 70's. At Clnton OK we jumped off and decided to drive on old route 66 for awhile. Just happens to be a Route 66 Museum there.




A stop at and old gas station.



Here's a couple shots of the quiet old route 66. Notice the raised lip on the edge of the road.





Near Hinton, we stopped for lunch at a picnic area along the road. The facilities were a little "rustic", but it was peaceful and quiet.