Hi all,

To all that are not up to date on our travels, we are currently in Flagstaff, AZ. We have been here for 6 weeks because our truck has been in the shop. We have had an on going problem with the emission control system. So we have been in Chevrolet dealerships in Las Cruces, NM- Yuma, AZ- Casa Grande, AZ and now Flagstaff, AZ. The result of all our problems is that GM has finally decided to give us a new truck. The truck is in Flagstaff and the dealership will be moving our equipment from the old truck to the new truck. That will probably be done sooner that the paperwork which is required for the transfer. The result is that not only did we spend Memorial Day here, but we will also spend July 4 th.

Our time here has not been wasted. The area is rich with National Parks and National Monuments that preserve the ancient Anasazi ruins. We have been in 18 parks. The last one we were in was Chaco Canyon. There are extensive ruins which have been restored. The ruins were unique because the area was not used as a village but a spiritual site. There is evidence that natives came on pilgrimages. The building were oriented to the cycles of the sun and the moon. We drove to Gallup last week so we could be at the Canyon for summer solstice. At solstice the sunrise hits a window in the Grand Kiva. The event was made more interesting with with Laguna tribe chanters that sang until the sun hit. Then there were dancers that celebrated the event.

If I could get the blog to operate properly I would put the pictures in order along with the words. However the system is not working for me. So the pictures are at the top and the words at the bottom. The top left hand picture is of Montezuma's Castle a cliff dwelling out of Cottonwood, AZ. Many of the ruins in the area were cliff dwellings, probably for protection from raiders. Imagine if you can carrying water from a stream up those cliffs using a timber ladder. It was called Montezuma because the Spanish thought natives were originally tied to the Aztecs.

The picture on the top right is of the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We also went to the north rim. The north rim is higher (8800 feet vs 7000 feet). Thus it does not open until 5/15.

We had reservations to be there on 5/15, but since we got towed into Flagstaff on the 15 th, we made it there the following week. There was snow on the ground because it snowed over the weekend. The north rim is more dramatic, but less accessible.

We also stayed a week-end in Kanab, UT so we could visit Bryce, Zion and Pipe Springs National Parks. Pipe Springs was interesting because it documented the early Mormon pioneer activities. On our way back we stayed in Page, AZ one night so we could do a half day raft river trip on the Colorado River. We went from the base of the Glen Canyon dam to Lee's Ferry. That is the river picture I posted.

That is probably enough information for now. With luck we should be out of here next week and on our way home. I should not complain since the weather here has been good and the weather in Seattle has been awful. But I would like to get home finally!