John began his morning at 3:30 am.  He wanted to shoot sunrise photos at some of the arches at Arches National Park.  And, more importantly, he wanted to be at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park as the sun came up.  I have no objections to John’s photography habit as long as it doesn’t involve ME getting up at 3:30 am.  I did that once at Grand Tetons and I’ve written it off as a bad habit.  By the time he got back, I was ready to hit the road again.  After driving 120 miles before sunrise, John was behind the wheel again driving back to Canyonlands.  And, ever the intrepid tour guide, John convinced us all that it was just a short hike into Mesa Arch.  Short, my foot!  Or, more precisely, my aching foot. Slipping and sliding down slick sandstone in 92 degree heat.  And you know that saying about it being a dry heat? My foot to that too!

So we hiked.  And then we hiked some more.  I tried to convince John that we could just take a photo of the beautiful picture on the trailhead sign.  But John was having none of it.  So we hiked.  The end of the trail was ALMOST worth the hike.  It was the most beautiful, delicate arch on the edge of a cliff that framed a view of the valley a mile and a half below.  I swallowed my fear of heights while John staged a group photo in front of the arch. I think I made the hike back to the car in record time.  I’m much better as long as I don’t have to look down.

We spent a couple more hours touring Islands in the Sky – Canyonlands. Imagining all the fanciful shapes of the rock formations and guessing what they were really called.  We did a pretty good job with our guessing game.  I’m not sure if that means we have good imaginations or not.

Back out of Canyonlands for a fast food lunch and gas in Moab and then we were off to Canyonlands – Needles, about 35 miles south.  As we made our turn off the main highway we saw a sign for Newspaper Rock State Recreation Area.  Newspaper Rock??  What on earth.  We turned in out of curiosity.  And were immediately knocked out.  It was a newspaper alright.  A prehistoric newspaper.  Incredible petroglyphs done by a number of Indians over a 2,000 year period.  Archaics, Basketweavers, Fremonts and Pueblos.  And most were still as clear as day.  They call them Te Hanes.  Storyboard petroglyphs.  Absolutely amazing.

Then a 34 mile drive to Needles.  It’s a much more remote park.  More undeveloped. And more stark.  Driving into the park is like driving into the scene of an old Western.  And, indeed, many famous movies have been shot there.  We did the driving tour of Needles as the day was getting late.

Next stop was Colorado. As we crossed the state border into Dove Creek , Colorado we saw acres of fields planted in something we couldn’t identify from the road.  And then we saw the Midland Bean Company, followed closely by the Anisazi Bean Company and a few smaller bean companies. Finally as we rolled into the town proper we saw a filling station.  The lighted sign out front?  “Beans”  followed by the words “24 hour gas” .  We nearly doubled over laughing, wondering if the owners had any idea of the irony of their sign.

And then we reached our destination for the day.  Mesa Verde. Growing up my father and grandfather both had affiliations with the University of Pennsylvania Museum.  One of my father’s good friends was a terrific woman named Francis Iman.  Francis was a large part of the early excavation of Mesa Verde and I heard so much of it growing up.  Actually being here to see it is almost surreal.  Tomorrow we have arranged for tours of the cliff dwellings.  I am so excited.

John arranged for a cabin within the park.  At Far View Lodge, within the park.  And it’s a Far View.  We’re a mile plus up the mountain side.  And we ate at the lodge restaurant.  Local specialties,  Colorado beer and wines and new Southwestern cuisine.  Elk Shepherd’s pie, quail, cinnamon chili rubbed pork, black bean hummus, and we all finished with a taste of prickly pear creme brulee.  Fine dining on the top of the world.  This is a Fourth of July I’ll not soon forget.