Goosenecks State Park, Bluff, and almost Monument Valley (Utah)

Monument Valley behind yucca

It's hot here, so let's keep the words to a minimum, shall we?

Super-secret road. Ask for it by name.

A couple of times, I called this road "OH MY GOD LET ME GET OUT AND WALK."

Super-secret canyon. 

Morning view from our campsite.

I understand now why the "Goosenecks" is plural. Here's one.

Bluff Bluff

Bluff, Utah is a sweet little town of about 250. I'm told they have real winters, and real summers. There is another bluff that is bluffier - it's the bluffiest town I've ever seen.

And real cacti.

So secret Spud isn't even allowed to know. This is her 4WD buddy.

Secret petroglyphs.

It's pretty hot here today, and with minimal (zero) shade, we're going to move on up to the east side this evening.

Saguaro National Park (West), Signal Hill, and Gates Pass, Tucson

We almost missed Brenda and Karin, who are five days away from leaving Tucson and their old life.

They're days away from starting their full-time RV life. What's not to smile about?

We met them at Blue Willow, where the vegans could order veg, and the paleos could get pale. They are so busy preparing that we were happy and honored that they could get away to meet up. Thanks, you two! We'll be looking for your adventures on Breaking Up With Normal.

Rosemary from Sonora Desert Museum commented on yesterday's post:

Those of us who work at the Desert Museum appreciate all your positive comments about the facility. Thank you! If you were not aware, the Desert Museum pioneered the creation of natural animal habitats that zoos worldwide now employ. We strive to provide habitats for the animals that are as close to natural as possible - and the majority of the animals are rescues that are rehabilitated and cannot be released into the wild. When animals are "retired" they are provided homes here behind the scenes to live out their lives in dignity.

I was not aware, Rosemary, and I'm happy that you commented. This dispels any lingering misgivings I may have had about the Museum. Misgivings? What misgivings? Thanks for taking the time to fill us in! This is what happens when you skip the orientation.



We had our first Trader Joe's experience today, but I'll just tell you that we liked it, and that I have sworn off dark chocolate cherries again.

So cute I could chuck their chins. Desert Discovery loop, Saguaro National Forest.

Gates Pass, twilight.

Gates Pass...latrine, probably. I skipped orientation. CCC construction.

Tee hee! Tiny cactus knob.

If there's anything more ridiculous than this, I want to stand under it.

It feels good to be back in the Sonoran desert. It may be dry, but it is not desolate. Anyone who lives here without life support is an adaptive superhero. They deserve this view all the time.

Even Annie couldn't upstage this saguaro.

Saguaro National Park, West

Signal Hill, Hohokam petroglyphs.

Mostly. Some exceptions apply.

We really appreciate the ideas for things to do and see. Thank you, and tell us some more.

Dig this!

We put on our archaeology pants and went to see an Anasazi site.  Barbara tantalized us with pictures of this hidden wonder,  and Charlene found us some directions.



You don't need a 4-wheel drive, but high-clearance would be good so your bottom doesn't drag on the ground.  I got out at the rough parts and dragged my own bottom across to let the Prius rise a little higher.

CAVE!

Maybe a cistern?

Annie and Charlene got ahead of me while I chatted.

The following are holes:

Stick and grind hole.

Annie stands on one foot to display holes.

Different hole.

Holes and cliff.

Four holes.

Use your good driving sense here and watch the sand. It was a pretty accessible place on foot, although I was glad to have my stick.

Another cave?

We bade Charlene TTFN, since we'll all be leaving within a day or two.  Quartzsite has been a lot more than I expected it to be, and we've stayed a lot longer than I expected us to.

The Desert is _______.

The Desert is Hot

Annie and I turned a roll of Coolaroo

into sheers for our big windows. VERY GOOD IDEA. It makes a difference.


The Desert is Mysterious

I was determined to find some kind of glyph today, and so we did.  It's very hard to find much about the Quartzsite Intaglios online, and the Chamber of Commerce claims no knowledge of them.

Quartzsite is thataway, more or less.

I won't insult you by telling you what this is.

Supposedly points directly to the Bouse Fisherman

I think it's pointing toward our campsite.

I took the coordinates in case you wanted them, and then our GPS took The Big Nap.  Maybe there's a reason no one talks about these geoglyphs.

A gust of wind came up and my hat and glasses took off into the restricted area.  So, Annie desecrated an archaeological artifact to retrieve them, and this is why Arizona can't have nice things.

We also wanted to see the petroglyphs and grindstone holes that Barbara wrote about so tantalizingly, but we couldn't find them.  HELP US, BarbaraWan Kenobi!  You're our only hope!


The Desert is Brutal

Twenty feet later ...

WHAT.  

The Desert is Beautiful

 

The Desert is Exhausting

Palindromes are Awesome

Here's one: Wasilla: all I saw [that's a Sarah Palindrome]
Here's another one: