The Parks and Rec Trek- Arizona

LAS VEGAS
After driving for three days with no brake lights, we finally exchanged the car in Las Vegas. It was a bit of a logistical nightmare - we were told by the MV office that we should get it at the airport and that they would take care of it for us; they didn’t (and apparently the person helping us quit the night before); the airport only had pickup trucks, so we switched to a truck to drive to Henderson where we swapped again for a Nissan Armada. At least this new car is white instead of black!!

We also stopped at Best Buy to get a new Theta camera (mine slipped off the broken tripod and scratched a lens - it’s probably OK, but since the entire trip and project is based around getting 360 footage, I just wanted to be sure… We also picked up a new light tripod and Carrie took the broken one home to see if it could be fixed.

Hackberry General Store, Rte 66

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
After driving Carrie home, we set off into Arizona. We took a slight detour to drive Old Route 66, stopping to see the Hackberry General Store and getting lunch at Delgadillo’s Sno Cap in Seligman. Definitely had the charm and feel of old-time Rt 66!

We made it to GC in the afternoon, and it was CROWDED. At least the weather was nice - around 90°, which to us felt totally manageable. The Visitor’s Center doesn’t have too much info (but there are several different museums), so we picked up Jr Ranger books at the store and watched the film. When we went back to get our badges, the GC Association worker who checked us out gave us great tips on where to go, and after we explained our project, he told us about a little-known spot known as Shoshone Point. It was a sacred site for several Native American tribes, and still used for ceremonies, weddings, and other rituals.

We stopped first at the Yavapai Geology Museum (taking the shuttle all the way around since we got on the East instead of Westbound bus) and learned about the fascinating makeup of the canyon. We got our first glimpse of the canyon - no matter where you are along the rim, there’s going to be an amazing view, and each spot is different and unique. But each spot is also usually crowded, and for the most part you get a great panorama that spans about 180 degrees.

So it was a complete lucky surprise when we hiked out to Shoshone Point, a small promontory jutting out into the canyon. You can see the canyon at least 270° around you - maybe more. We hiked the 1.25 or so miles in, walking as fast as we could to try to catch the last bits of light - we’d just missed sunset, arriving about 15 minutes too late. But it was still light enough to truly appreciate what a great vantage we had. We stayed until after everyone else left, and had the dinner that we’d brought, before hiking out in the dark. Definitely a lucky and memorable spot!

Sunset over the Grand Canyon, from Shoshone Point

TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT
It was a ridiculous day today - getting Jr ranger badges and going on short hikes at FIVE different sites! Granted, they are all small and in the Flagstaff area, but I’m still exhausted! The day started early by driving down to Tuzigoot, an ancient Sinagua pueblo ruin in the Verde Valley. The pueblo has 110 rooms, some 2- and 3-stories, all built of stone on a natural outcrop with a great view of the valley. It was most likely built between 1100 and 1400CE. It’s reconstructed, and it is amazing how they did so after seeing the pictures of the condition they found it in.

MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Near Tuzigoot is another pueblo, Montezuma Castle. This ruin is very different in feel - it’s 90 ft high on a cliff wall, built into an alcove, and most likely housed several different families much like a high-rise apartment.  Its location not only keeps it cool during hot summer months as well as protecting it from annual flooding. Access was from a series of ladders, that could be removed to keep it safe from intruders.



WALNUT CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT

The "island" at Walnut Canyon

After driving back up through Flagstaff, we stopped at Walnut Canyon. This site also has cliff dwellings, but these are more horizontal than vertical, and span both sides of the canyon. The most interesting section is the Island, built on a limestone cliff on an oxbow of Walnut Creek.








The back walls and roofs of the dwellings are part of the cliff, and the view from the front is absolutely breathtaking. We walked down the 240 steps and around the Island, then back up to the visitor’s center.

SUNSET CRATER NATIONAL MONUMENT & WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT

Wupatki Ruins

North of Walnut Canyon is Sunset Crater. We stopped at the visitor’s center and talked to Ranger Case, who gave us some great information about the area and the people that lived here. Sunset Crater erupted about 1000 years ago, chasing away the people who lived here. But when it erupted, winds blew the ash to the northeast, depositing a rich layer on the ground that caused the soil to become fertile and trapped water underneath (which lasted for about 100 years). Because of this, Wupatki was settled between 1100 and 1225-ish. Essentially, Wupatki and Sunset Crater are intricately tied together; Wupatki wouldn’t exist without Sunset’s eruption.

Sunset Crater from the Lava Beds

Also… did you know: A bubble of magma that slowly rises and hardens without breaking the surface of the earth is called a pluton - it’s usually a much harder material than the earth around it, so the surrounding soil erodes away leaving these plutonic hills and mountains. On the other hand, if the magma bubble breaks the surface, magma turns to lava, and the resulting mound is a volcano. Plutons are named after PLUTO, Roman god of the underworld; Volcanoes are named after VULCAN, Roman god of fire.



PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK
We spent an entire day at Petrified Forest, a park that may be named for the petrified trees but is really remarkable because of its landscape. Half the park is known as the Painted Desert, and colorful mesas and ‘tepees’ abound. Ranger Rick, the Chief of Interpretation, has been helping me with navigating the NPS system and with connecting me to people, and he introduced me to Ian, an artist-in-residence at Petrified Forest who was working on a VR project. We just missed him by a few days, but he sent a great list of places to go for good 360 shots.

We stopped first at the Rainbow Forest Visitor’s Center, where we walked around the Giant Logs Trail to see up close a number of petrified logs. 225 million years ago, before the continent of Pangaea broke apart, the area of Petrified Forest was about 4° north of the Equator. It was a wet, tropical rainforest, covered in forests, lakes, and rivers. For millions of year, silt from those waters accumulated, setting the foundation for the layers found today. When logs from downed trees were covered by silt from periodic flooding, the process of petrification began. silica-rich water seeped into the wood, slowly replacing the organic matter with quartz. Mineral impurities in the quartz give the petrified logs their different colors. The various flood deposits also created the colorful layers in the rocks, which are now exposed due to water and wind erosion. We also saw several bright logs at the Crystal Forest trail.

The landscape at Blue Mesa and the Blue Trees Trail is absolutely otherworldly - with rich colors in the blue/purple/grey spectrum. Every time we'd walk past someone on the trail, we'd catch their eye and we'd all just shake our heads and murmur, "can you believe this?" in a reverent, disbelieving tone.

Blue Mesa Trail

Our next stop was Newspaper Rock, to see the petroglyphs. We could only see them from above, but there were some very clear figures that could be seen from the overlook. Petrified Forest is also interesting because of the beautiful landscape known as the Painted Desert. Old Route 66 ran straight through the park, and the Painted Desert Inn was built as a stopping point on the road for people to get food or spend the night. The inn is now a historic site, with a great overlook into the Painted Desert.

The Painted Desert

Our final stop was Puerco Pueblo, a prehistoric settlement on the Rio Puerco built by ancestral Puebloan people. More interestingly, there are lots of petroglyphs in the area, including one of the sun, which is illuminated by a ray of light from a crack between two rocks that aligns perfectly during the summer solstice. Did you know? There are two kinds of rock art: Petroglyphs are designs carved into rock; pictographs are painted on. 




HUBBELL TRADING POST NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Hubbell Trading Post is an old Navajo trading site that was founded by JL Hubbell in 1878 after the Navajo people returned to the area following the Long Walk. During this stain on US History, the government forced the native people to leave their homelands and walk to exile in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. When they returned four years later, their homes were gone, their crops destroyed, and their livestock slaughtered. Hubbell helped the Navajo by supplying goods during their recovery. The trading post was run by the Hubbell family all the way through until it was sold to the NPS in 1960; it is still considered an active trading post.

CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT
Canyon de Chelly is remarkable in that is is one of the few NPS sites that has a large community of people living in it. The Navajo people still farm and ranch on the canyon floor, and aside from one trail, access into the canyon is by permission only. The park actually consists of two different canyons, that join together at the entrance of the park. Two rim drives give excellent overlooks; the South Rim looks over Canyon de Chelly, and the North Rim looks over Canyon del Muerto.

Spider Rock

We started at the Visitor's Center, where we talked to one of the Park Service police officers, Ranger William. He gave us his thoughts about the park, but really wanted us to talk to his brother, an interpretive ranger. So we set off to explore the park before coming back to meet him. We drove through the South Rim, stopping first at Tunnel View for our first glimpse into the canyon. It was surprising to see how green and lush the floor is; there are thriving farms there, because of a slowly meandering river as well as a layer of limestone (broken off from the surrounding cliffs) that trap moisture near the surface.

On our next stop, Tsegi Overlook, we decided on a picnic lunch. While there, we met a native Canyon de Chelly resident, Corey, who was just sitting under a tree, "waiting for a ride." We offered him some food and water, and eventually gave him a ride to his house. We drove to the end of the South Rim Drive, Spider Rock Overlook. According to Navajo legend, this is where Spider Woman lives and came down to teach humans how to weave. We also stopped at Face Rock Overlook and Junction Overlook before returning to the Visitor's Center to meet with Ranger Justin.

White House Ruins, from the canyon floor

Justin is also a Navajo who has lived in Canyon de Chelly his whole life. The Navajos actually asked the US Government to step in and help protect the area, which is how the Monument was created. The canyon floor is almost all closed to visitors unless you have special permission or go with a licensed guide. The only exception is the White House Ruin Trail, which goes down to an ancient Pueblo ruin on the valley floor. That night, we stayed in Chinle - forgetting it was July 4. Its a small town, and every restaurant we went to was closed... our choices ended up being Denny's or Churches Chicken. Chicken won.

White House Ruins, from the canyon rim

Mummy Cave Overlook

Devil's Backbone, leading to Ship Rock

The next morning, we left the park via the North Rim Drive, which follows Canyon del Muerto. There are only 3 overlooks - Antelope House, Mummy Cave, and Massacre Cave, but they are just as spectacular as the Southern overlooks and you get a closer look at the Pueblo ruins. We left Canyon de Chelly via Ship Rock, a monadnock that rises up in the desert of New Mexico like the prow of a ship, before heading out to Cortez, Colorado.