Mesa Verde Mental Exercise

This is a remarkable National Park.  Ancient peoples lived within the Cliffs. Here's video message from Denise.  https://www.dropbox.com/s/1x6h3mgi4aqurdj/InShot_20230531_173723175.mp4?dl=0 There are many many cliff dwellings. We visited the one that you can get access to. It's called Cliff Palace.  Accessing  Cliff Palace requires a park ranger. Also,  Accessing Cliff Palace requires mental stamina and physical agility.  …

The hike that didn’t happen.

The hike that didn't happen. Monday, May 29th Colorado So I'm in a National Forestry Service site called Chimney Rock National Monument. We were scheduled to experience another ancestral puebloan site. I started up the trail but decided to turn around.  This video tells my [funny] story. https://www.dropbox.com/s/pmhvm0jvwersy6j/InShot_20230529_163748312.mp4?dl=0Ultimately,  I did the lower trail which is …

Aztec Ruins National Monument

Video message from Denise https://www.dropbox.com/s/mnabtr9mdl1movu/InShot_20230529_095134363.mp4?dl=0 It's memorial day,  may 29th. I spent the morning in New Mexico at Aztec ruins national monument. Let me tell you about it.  According to the National Park Service from the late" "1000s to the late 1200s, people known as ancestral Puebloans planned and built this settlement. It included Large …

Balanced Rock at Lees Ferry

One of the features near Lees Ferry is Balanced Rock which is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area According to National Park Service, "Thousands of years ago a huge rock boulder broke from the cliff above and tumbled to a stop here. The hard conglomerate boulder compressed the softer dirt directly beneath, making …

Lees Ferry

Video message from Denise: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qb8bwbh5f17r5so/2023-05-25%2013.15.19.mp4?dl=0 My experience at Lees Ferry was standing in the 85 degree minimally-shaded Arizona sun. Our group leader gathered us to overview Lees Ferry - its history and its purpose. First we found much-appreciated shaded beneath a mesquite tree. After walking a few yards for more discussion, we found shade surrounding …

Bicycling the South Rim

Bicycling the South Rim One of my most anticipated moments was a chance to experience the Grand Canyon by bicycle. I knew that on Wednesday, May 24th we would have free time. I wanted to see as much as possible. So about 2 months ago I made a reservation for an electric bicycle. I had …

Sunrise at Grand Canyon

My roommate and I made a decision to wake up early the morning of Wednesday, May 24th, in order to view the sunrise. There were many steps involved in this process. Here are a few of our decision making. Sunrise at Mather Point, Wednesday, May 24, 2023 Decide how to get there. Since we had …

Red Rock State Park

I had the privilege of hiking today at Red Rock State Park. I hiked Bunkhouse Trail and Smoke Trail. According to the brochure, "Red Rock State Park is a 286-acre nature preserve and environmental education center. Hiking trails wind through the park from the banks of Oak Creek to the hills of red rock." Red …

33 Years Later

My first experience in Arizona was around 1990. I had just started working with WAFF the year before. I was hired to manage some software and the software provider invited users to a conference to share success stories. We had success so I had a story to tell. If it were a 4 day conference, …

The Exodus Monument

Most of us are familiar with 1830s-era event called The Trail of Tears: the forced removal of indigenous peoples from regions within and near Alabama and Georgia to what was then called the Oklahoma Territory. A comparable event happened in the Arizona region in 1875 According to the historical marker "In 1875, the Yavapai and …