This is me ;-): Southwest Dirtbag Roadtrip: Part I

In the month of the first snows I left my job, friends and the places I knew; striking out for places I knew of, but had never been. Knowing that the Southwest was my area of exploration I had little plan of the unfolding adventure. As it turned out my first adventure happened the first day hiking thru Canyon of the Ancients. Missing a trail junction a brief hike extended itself until dusk. Back at the car I headed for a camping stop atop Cedar Mesa overlooking canyon country.

The next morning as the sun advanced over the horizon I drove down the Moki Dugway, a dirt road carved out of the cliff edge, dropping a thousand feet in a mere three miles. Along Highway 163 I passed the spot where movie icon Forrest Gump concluded his endless cross-country run. Descending into Monument Valley I was surrounded by colorful red mesas, buttes and spires. Driving along the bumpy dirt road the spirit of the people and the place enveloped me. Waiting and watching the sunset on the Mittens was a marvelous way to end the day!

I was so entranced by the beautiful valley that I returned the next day to bike through the valley. Later I drove to Canyon de Chelly, but arriving there mid-afternoon found most of the canyon already in shadows, making photography a challenge. So I went to the campground where a stray rez. dog stayed outside my tent all night. In the morning I couldn’t resist tossing him a few bread slices. Karma came around in the form of wispy cirrus clouds making the landscape stunning for photography. I hiked down into the canyon to White House Ruins and returning to the rim stood at the exact spot where Ansel Adams took his iconic photograph (mine was not as good). Now ever southward into the desert…