On to Zion

Our walk this morning took us down to the Virgin River below our campground. As we walked along, we saw this handsome snake sinuously slithering across our path.

As we approached the river, we were walking through soft sand, just like an ocean beach. In addition to the human tracks, we saw a wide variety of other tracks and scat. Clearly lots of critters come to the river to drink. Some of the tracks were impressively large, but others were probably made by lizards dragging their tails along, since a central groove was flanked by tiny footprints.

After our walk we hitched up and drove to Walmart to make a return and then to Premium Oil on N. Bluff St. to dump our tanks. It was a little after noon when we arrived at the Convention Center parking lot where we had agreed to meet Dennis and Cheryl. We had a nice lunch and were just finishing when they pulled up. We followed them out of town on I-15 north and then east on Utah Hwy 9. As we were approaching Zion, we snapped this shot of Dennis and Cheryl's Winnebago Brave towing their trusty little Honda Civic.

We arrived at Zion National Park in a state of wonder at the spectacular cliffs and canyons. Dennis had made us reservations at Watchman Campground, with campsites right across from each other. The large formation behind Venture is called the Watchman.

After setting up and visiting for a while, we walked up to the Visitor Center and signed up for the 9:00 a.m. Ranger Guided Shuttle Tour tomorrow morning. We're hoping that will give us a good introduction to the park. We also took the free Zion shuttle to the Zion Human History Museum to watch the 22 minute orientation video.
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Preparations

This morning on our walk we saw an interesting van in the day use area. At first we wondered whether it was a commercial vehicle or just a very striking personal paint job. The nice folks sitting by it told us it was a rental from Escape Campervans.

We spent today mainly getting ready for our trip to the Utah parks with Dennis and Cheryl. It was even more frustrating than usual trying to use our Verizon USB modem. It just wouldn’t stay connected. That made it hard to make plans for visiting Arches and Canyonlands.

I did some shopping, so we’re stocked up for our travels in the back country. We’re not expecting to see any major supermarkets for a while. I was also happy to find a plate to replace the one that broke falling out of the cupboard.

On our walk tonight we marveled again at the wonderful light on the cliffs and the unusual formations. We sat at our picnic table and enjoyed our “big backyard.”
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St. George Adventures

We started the day with a trip to the Farmers' Market at Ancestor Square. It's a quaint setting, and several crafters and other vendors had booths, but I didn't find any of the produce I had been hoping for. That was partly because people said it had all sold out before 10 a.m. and partly because there just wasn't much produce. I did buy one head of romaine.

Next we headed out to Tuacahn market, but on the way stopped to visit Joe and Chris Viers at home--and what a unique and delightful home. Joe is a potter and has handcrafted the sinks and sconces for the house, which was custom designed for them and includes a large pottery shop and kiln. The entire Kayenta community where they live is designed to blend in with the natural landscape and take maximum advantage of the scenic vistas of red rock cliffs. Homes are partially sunken, and natural plants undisturbed.

This photo of the entry to Joe and Chris's home shows off the natural landscape and spectacular views.

This photo taken from Joe and Chris's house actually shows a group of homes, but they are so well camouflaged that they are hardly noticeable.

We went on to visit Tuacahn for the Tuacahn Saturday Market (mainly crafts, though Dennis was happy to find a coffee vendor--not all that common in this Mormon influenced state). The outdoor amphitheater uses the red rocks as a striking backdrop for concerts and shows.

Next we drove to Coyote Gulch, an artists' colony where Joe is a member of a pottery coop. Our outing next led us to Subway for sandwiches, the BLM field office and the St. George visitor center to get more ideas for our upcoming trip. Then we made a quick stop at Target, where I bought another set of pepper mill and salt shaker to replace the one destroyed when it rolled under the slide en route.

Then we returned to Dennis and Cheryl's home, where we finished our laundry. Ken got his defective camera ready to return, and he and Dennis ran out to the Staples to send it out by UPS. Cheryl had a yummy Italian Pasta casserole recipe that we fixed for dinner. Afterward we sat on the patio and admired the view while we ate our ice cream.

When we returned to our campground, we were surprised to see that several neighbors had pulled in during the day. When we went for our walk, dusk was falling, and we noticed bats swooping everywhere overhead to catch their dinner. When we asked the camp hosts what kind of bats they were, the hosts said "mosquito eating bats."

Most of our fellow campers have stayed only overnight before moving on.
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More Friends

This afternoon we went over to Dennis and Cheryl's and spent some time looking at the brochures they picked up from the BLM Field Office and other places. We talked about all the exciting things to do and wonderful sights to see at the Utah national parks and state parks we will visit over the next couple of weeks.

Ken also helped to initiate Dennis into the mysteries of the Droid operating system and the world of Android apps. We hope he now has at least a start at picking some of the 40,000 apps to download and use.

We went to the Riverwalk Grill at Sunriver (the community where Dennis and Cheryl live) for dinner, where we were joined by some old friends from the Ramblin' Rogues, Joe and Chris Viers. They moved to St. George a few years ago, and we had not seen them for some time. We had a very tasty meal and great company. The restaurant has a good view of the mountains and a pleasant ambiance.

After dinner we enjoyed a concert at Dixie State College presented by the Southern Utah Heritage Choir. Titled "An American Tribute," the concert celebrated Monday's Memorial Day holiday. In addition to the choir, the concert featured a very talented trumpet player, a harpist, and a violinist plus organ and piano accompaniment.

We were surprised to find the name "Dixie" prominent in local place names. Evidently it derives from the thriving cotton agriculture promoted by the early Mormon settlers.
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Friends Reunion

Today we went to Dennis and Cheryl's new home for lunch and a nice visit. We hadn't seen them since our trip last summer together with the gang, nearly a year ago. Their home has a spectacular view of the city of St. George in the valley below and the red rock cliffs beyond. It is a lovely home, and they've done lots to make it their own. Dennis has been working on some projects, including making a beautiful sewing table and desk for the office. He has a workshop in the spacious three-car garage.

They took us on a tour of their community center--really a country club with opulent facilities (indoor and outdoor pool and spa, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, ballroom, weight rooms, aerobics room, billiards room, library .... The variety and number of activities advertised on posters and bulletin boards was impressive.

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Move to Virgin River Canyon Campground

We left Roadrunner RV Park in Las Vegas this morning and drove north on I-15. We stopped at Exit 46 to go to the Blue Beacon Truck Wash, which also handles RVs. We have never used a truck wash before, so this was a new experience for us. We got in line behind a big rig and waited our turn. The washing is basically done by a crew of guys with high pressure sprays, and the result was pretty good. For $47.50, we got the truck and trailer washed and spray waxed. (We did lose a few little decals, but they had been coming loose anyhow.) The only thing we still need to do is finish cleaning the roof and solar panels.

Along our way north, we saw lots of flat, barren looking desert, but suddenly we found ourselves in the Virgin River Gorge, along a spectacular scenic drive in northern Arizona.

We got off at Exit 18 (Cedar Pockets) and entered the Virgin River Canyon Campground, a completely different world from the one we left this morning. We're staying at a BLM campground with no utilities, but incomparable views. The "Wow!" factor more than compensates for the lack of hookups, especially since we're only planning to stay for five days.

Here's our picnic table, overlooking the Virgin River.

When we arrived, we spotted a flyer advertising a dinner and program tonight sponsored by the Dixie/Arizona Strip Interpretive Association. The program included a talk on Legendary Cowboys of the Parashant and cowboy music. We arranged to attend. Dinner was scheduled for 6 p.m. at the lower day-use area.

We arrived at 6:05 to find dinner over and the program in mid-course. The volunteer we had spoken with earlier rushed up to apologize. It turned out that they were on Utah time, probably because they are from the St. George area. We were on Arizona time. Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time, so we were an hour late.

The volunteer assured us that there was plenty of food left, so we got plates and sat down to listen to the talk. Unfortunately, the food was cold, and we couldn't relate to the talk. The attendees appeared to be all local folks who were familiar with the names and places being mentioned. Apparently the music was during dinner, so we missed that too.

We are hoping that our $25 went to a good cause (it was a benefit program to support the ASIA (Arizona Strip Interpretive Association) and its work to enhance the understanding of the Arizona Strip and its many natural wonders.
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Viva Zapata's!

Jeff suggested that we join him and Tiffinie for lunch today at Viva Zapata's, a Mexican restaurant near Nellis AFB. We parked (no mean feat in the little parking lot with our big truck) and got a booth. Jeff joined us shortly, in his camo uniform. His wasn't the only uniform around. In fact, we saw quite a few British RAF uniforms too.

Jeff got a message from Tiffinie that she would be delayed, so we went ahead and ordered. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed our final opportunity to talk with Jeff about his plans and dreams (early retirement, living on a beach....). Tiffinie didn't make it for lunch, but she stopped by the restaurant to say goodbye before going with Jeff to his office to work on her resume.
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Lunch at Dal' Italia

Rebecca and Troy drove over from Victorville to join us for lunch. We found a little New York Italian pizza place "with attitude" nearby. It came highly recommended by web reviewers, and the pizza did not disappoint. It was hand tossed, and the crust had just the right combination of crispness and chewiness. The owner, Tony, bantered with us.

The restaurant was also quiet enough that we got a good chance to talk with Rebecca and Troy. We were meeting him for the first time, and we learned that he is from North Dakota and loves to fish and hunt. He also loves animals, which is one of the things he and Rebecca have in common. She is planning to open her own business providing a traveling petting zoo for birthday parties, and Troy has already given her a couple of goats for her menagerie. Cathy is quite excited that he has promised her a horse as soon as she and Rebecca move to a place that has room for one.

This morning we had the excitement of having our new toilet installed by Mike Mattio of Affordable RV Service and Repair. While he was here, he also installed the vinyl trim screw cover to replace the part that was torn out by the wind. We are hoping that the new toilet, a Sealand 510H, will work reliably.
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Hoover Dam

Jeff and Tiffinie came over to pick us up for our trip to Hoover Dam. We chatted a while and gave Tiffinie the grand tour of Venture. Then we headed out for the dam, with Jeff driving his Durango. We had to wait in line maybe half an hour to get through the security checkpoint, which wasn't bad.

Here's a photo of the nearly complete Hoover Dam bypass bridge, which should make traffic flow much easier when it opens, as it is scheduled to do this October.

We took the Powerplant Tour, which includes an introductory movie, elevator ride down into one of the construction tunnels, where you can stand over one of the massive penstocks (pipes) through which the river is diverted, and then a trip to a balcony overlooking the eight turbines on the Nevada side of the river, and admission to the exhibit center. We took this same tour in February 2008 on our first trip through this area, but we learned a lot this time too. I was surprised to hear from our guide that the main purpose of the dam is to provide water for agriculture and people in seven western states and Mexico. The power generation is a bonus, and a very valuable one, and of course flood control is an essential function.

The sheer size of the concrete wall of the dam is impressive.

We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch, one of Jeff's favorite places because he really likes several of their signature sauces. We enjoyed the Spicy Garlic and the Southwestern. During the trip and lunch we learned more about Tiffinie. In addition to having a degree in psychology, she is also an esthetician who had her own business and a bartender. She enjoys both of these fields part time, but is looking for a focus for her masters program.
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Vegas Visit

Our trip from Kingman to Vegas was uneventful. The only delay was driving through the construction zone that extends 20 miles south from the Hoover Dam on Hwy 93. We waited briefly in line for a security check before driving over the dam. We arrived at Roadrunner RV Park shortly after noon. It's quite a change from the wilderness scenery of our most recent campsite. In fact, it's pretty much a parking lot, but it is very convenient for visiting Jeff.

We went over to Jeff's condo around 6 p.m. and met his new girlfriend, Tiffinie. She is staying with him temporarily, having just moved to Las Vegas from her home in Indianapolis. We also got to meet her Persian cat and Papillon puppy, who actually get along quite well with Jeff's dog, Pink. Pink is clearly getting up in years, but he still enjoys some attention and petting.

We went to the Elephant Bar for dinner--a combined belated celebration of Jeff's birthday (March 23) and Ken's (May 14). The food was good and the atmosphere was conducive to a good visit.

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On the Road Again, Finally

We got up early this morning and got Venture ready to go before heading to Sedona to Vince’s Autobody. We were hoping to keep them aware of how urgently we wanted our truck back. When we got there, we learned that the part had been sent by UPS. Jim, the owner, ran the truck down and got the part. Everyone was very apologetic about the part mixup. When we got our truck back, it was shiny and clean an looked as good as new.

We headed back to our campsite to hook up and drive to Kingman, AZ, to spend the night, but first we had to stop in Camp Verde to dump and get some fresh water. We got on the road around 2:00 p.m.

At our first stop, Ken discovered that one of our kitchen cabinet door latches had broken, spilling dishes all over and shattering a Corelle lunch plate. We cleaned that up, but then discovered that our new pepper mill had rolled under the big slideout and gotten wedged tightly. Nothing we tried to dislodge it seemed to be making any progress. We tried moving the slideout in and out a bit, only to hear ominous grinding noises.

We tried to use a hammer to move it toward the opening, but to no avail, so finally we decided to try to destroy it with the hammer and retrieve the fragments. Ken was finally able to do that, but just as the thickest fragment of the pepper mill popped out, the slide out fell on his hand! After a few moments of horror, he managed to pull his fingers out, bruised but intact (whew!).

A bit further down the road I noticed a large piece of the vinyl sealing trim from the margin between the roof and the side of the trailer was hanging free in the wind under the front end. I pulled over and we decided to cut the dangling part (about 20-25 feet) loose. The vinyl had torn free of the screws securing it in place. The lower end was easy to reach, but I had to climb on the roof in the wind to cut the top end—not a happy experience.

We were glad to arrive in Kingman to make our stop for the night. Frustratingly, we have no internet connection on either the Verizon modem or the Droids. Curses!
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More Delays

Ken woke up quite early this morning to a sound like something large breathing outside his window. What could it be? When he finally looked out, he discovered that the regular noise was the burners on a large yellow hot air balloon igniting. We later learned that Red Rock Balloon Adventures offers sunrise flights.

We went to the Orion Bread Company in Old Town Cottonwood to get some locally acclaimed bread this afternoon, on our way to pick up our truck. We were disappointed that they didn't have their whole wheat sourdough, but we were happy to get whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread, and we settled for the Red Rock Sourdough. While we were at the bakery, we enjoyed a piece of yummy cranberry almond bread pudding.

We were nearly in Sedona heading toward Vince's Autobody when Ken answered the phone, only to hear that one of the parts for our truck had turned out to be the wrong part. Although it was in a box labelled "right," it was in fact a left piece of the bumper cover. We turned around and headed home, working on Plan B (there's always a plan B when you're traveling). Soon we got a call that they had located the correct part and should have it in tomorrow morning. We plan to be there early to return our rental car and wait for our truck.

We'll have the trailer all buttoned up to leave, so when we get back with the truck, we can hitch up and take off for Las Vegas. We'll have to stop in Camp Verde to dump and get some fresh water, but we're hoping to make it to Seligman tomorrow and then finish the trip to Vegas Saturday morning. This accident has definitely put a crimp in our plans to visit with Jeff.
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Water Run

We didn't do much today except wait for our truck to be ready. When Ken called, he was told it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. We're running low on water, so we collected all our jugs and drove to Camp Verde to fill them up at the Shell Station. We also took some of our neighbors' jugs to fill for them. When we got back, we had to stand with a funnel and pour the water into our fresh water tank--not fun, but it works.

We played Rummikub tonight and for a change I actually caught Ken with quite a few points one round. He won the other, but caught me with only three points.
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Little Red Car

The first thing we did this morning was take our truck in for repairs. We got a red 2009 Chevy Aveo from Enterprise--what a change! It's so small and light that it seems to float around on the road, and it turns on a dime. We're completely spoiled, so we'll be glad to get our power doors, power windows, power seats, automatic climate control with separate passenger controls, Nav system, etc..... back when we pick up our truck tomorrow. At least we are hoping it will be ready tomorrow afternoon so we can head to Las Vegas on Thursday.

We went to La Bella Cafe for dinner again. This time we had the yellow fin tuna topped with strawberry mango salsa with risotto and lightly grilled veggies. Our meal was topped off by some honey cheesecake that was absolutely to die for. Sarah's Wicked Cheesecakes are available from the website for $20 plus shipping, and we may find ourselves ordering one.

Chef Wayne stopped by to talk with us and showed us his kitchen. It is just amazing that he can turn our gourmet food with such limited resources. He has big plans to open restaurants in all 50 states. If he does, we'll go to them. The first might be in the Phoenix area.
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Scenic Drive

After talking with our insurance company (National Interstate) and the other driver's insurance company (Hartford), we took the truck in to Vince's Autobody in Sedona to get an estimate. We were impressed with Jim at Vince's--he was friendly and seemed to know what he was doing. The problem we still have is that no one has been able to contact the other driver or her father, the owner of the vehicle. They did not call their insurance company, and there is no answering machine at their home number, so it seems that it may be a while before Hartford can get a statement from them.

Meanwhile, to expedite our repair, we've decided to put it on our credit card and get reimbursed later. The parts will be available in the morning, and we have an appointment to take the truck in at 9 a.m. Jim says he will try to get it back to us by Thursday afternoon, which will mean a one day delay in arriving in Las Vegas. He promises that it will be back in its original condition.

After leaving Vince's, we went to uptown Sedona where Ken wanted to look over a couple of cameras he's thinking about ordering. Then we took the Red Rock Loop Road, stopping for some photos at scenic vistas and taking a short hike. We had great views of Cathedral Rock.

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Hiking North Wilson Mountain

Our big adventure today was a hike along North Wilson Mountain Trail #123. It's a strenuous climb, with about 1,700' of elevation gain in 2 miles one way to where it joins the Wilson Mountain Trail, which continues on another 2.5 miles to the top of Wilson Mountain. Even hiking only the North Wilson part was rewarded with spectacular views of Oak Creek Canyon and the red rocks of Sedona.

The hike is through Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness and passes through an area burned in a 2006 wildfire. This was definitely a "crooked, steep, and rocky" experience, earning its "strenuous" rating both from the steepness of the ascent and from the slippery, narrow trail with lots of loose rocks. We were glad to have our hiking sticks.

We made it to "First Bench," a volcanic plateau, where the trail joins the Wilson Mountain Trail.

Near the top of our climb, we could see this snow covered mountain in the distance, up toward Flagstaff.

Besides the mountain views, we also got to see some wildlife, all rather small. We saw lots of lizards, but one was quite entertaining. Instead of skittering right off when we approached, this lizard held its ground and appeared to do pushups, exposing its blue belly. We figure it was trying to warn us off of its territory. We heard lots of birds and saw some interesting ones, including a pair of hummingbirds and a yellow and black bird. We were pleased to see several types of butterflies along the trail. Near the top, there was a spring fed shallow pool, and we could see hoof prints in the mud at the water's edge. Fortunately we didn't see any bears (though one hiker we met said that she had seen one near the top last year). We saw that one woman with her dog near the start of the trail, and at the bench as we were eating our snack, three younger hikers passed by on their way down. Other than that we had a real wilderness experience.

As we returned, weary but happy to the parking lot, we found that someone had just hit the passenger rear bumper of our truck with their fifth wheel. Fortunately the damage doesn't affect the drivability of the truck, but it was not a happy ending to our adventure. Now we'll have the hassle of arranging with our insurance company to get it fixed.

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Big Move

We made our big move today--all of 100 yds. or so. There was more to it than that, of course. We packed up and hitched up and drove to nearby Cottonwood, where we stopped at the Giant gas station, which has a free dump station for RVs.

After dumping, we went to Safeway to get some produce and return the balsamic vinegar I bought by mistake. I already had some. Actually, I knew I already had some, but I just couldn't find it. Of course when I brought the new bottle home, guess what--I immediately found the old one.

Then we went to Fry's Food. Near their gas pumps, they have a water faucet. Ken filled up our fresh water tank while I did some shopping. Then we came back to the dispersed camping area, but to a different spot. It's right at the end, with great views of the Verde River Canyon.

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Happy 65th Birthday, Ken!

Our day today started with grain and nut whole wheat silver dollar pancakes with grapefruit and sausage--Ken's choice for a birthday brunch. On our walk, Ken spotted this claret cup cactus (aka strawberry hedgehog). We're lucky to be here in spring, with lots of wildflowers in bloom everywhere.

Then we "showered." Actually, since we are boondocking and our water supply is low, we each used a gallon of water in a pail, standing in the shower. We got a surprisingly effective and refreshing wash-up. We headed out for our ride on Verde Canyon Railroad Wilderness Train, which starts in Clarkdale, just a few miles from our campsite, and travels along the Verde River to Perkinsville and back. Along the way, the scenery is spectacular, with views of Sinagua and Hohokam ruins, eagles' nests, the river, sheer canyon walls, a 680-foot tunnel, and lots of the famous red rocks--plus limestone and basalt and wildflowers and more.

You can walk back and forth between the enclosed passenger cars and open gondolas with sunshades. Following recommendations, we stayed outside for the outbound trip and sat inside for the return.

After the train ride, we were ready for dinner. We had found an interesting little cafe in Cottonwood highly recommended on Yelp--La Bella Cafe. We were not disappointed--the atmosphere was casual and homey, with a nice outside garden patio. We ate inside. It's a family affair: our server was the son of the owners, the chef and the pastry chef. We had one of today's specials, a chicken breast stuffed with pesto, ham and Parmesan, topped with an Alfredo sauce and drizzled with balsamic glaze, with olive oil grilled fresh bread and grilled carrots and squash. We started with a salad of fresh mixed greens (picked yesterday) with tomato, carrot, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Everything is locally sources and organic if possible--and freshly made. For dessert we had one of their signature cheesecakes with whipped cream (light, barely sweet, fresh). We were so impressed that we decided to stick around town a few days longer so we can come back here to eat.

Ken got phone calls and emails all day with birthday wishes and songs. It's good to have caring family and friends.
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Cloudy Day

Today turned out to be mostly cloudy--not good for solar charging. We fired up the generator and ran it for quite a while to bring the battery state of charge up from 69% to 90%. That's the first time we've done that. Actually, we've only used the generator a few times, and just to run the microwave or the tv before we got our solar panels.

We talked to some of our fellow campers today. They've been boondocking for a few years now and are really set up for it. They have 10 golf cart batteries and 600+ amp hour solar panels. (We have 4 batteries and 440 amps of solar panels.) They also have a couple of 50 gallon drums for extra drinking water mounted in their truck bed, with a small pump to refill their freshwater tank.

We were especially glad that we had stopped to talk with them, since they had some good tips for our planned trip tomorrow on the Verde Canyon Railroad Wilderness Train, which they took a couple of days ago.

We ordered a new toilet today, to be sent to Jeff's house. We're hoping all goes well and it arrives on time. Read more!

Hiking Loy Canyon

Today was a very full day. We headed out for the trailhead for the Loy Canyon hike at 8:30 a.m. just as we had planned. We knew we had to drive nearly 10 miles out Hwy 525, a washboarded gravel and dirt road that shook up the truck and us, even at 10 or 15 miles an hour. By the time we set out on the hike, it was 10 a.m. The entire hike is 5 miles one way, and the last mile and a half are quite steep. We planned to do only part of the trail, since we also wanted to visit the Honanki and Palatki heritage sites to see the pictographs and Sinagua ruins.

Much of the trail was sandy and led through manzanita and pine forest, but with spectacular views of the surrounding red rock cliffs and formations. We hiked in 2.5 miles before turning around to head out. On the way out, we saw lots of fairly fresh scat along the trail, which a ranger later told us was probably coyote. Did I mention that a coyote strolled past our trailer yesterday?

Getting ready in the parking area

Cattle guard keeps the Hancock Ranch livestock inside.

Typical trail section. The trail crisscrossed a creek several times.

Happy hiker at our turnaround point.

When we got back to the truck, we grabbed our sandwiches and drove to the Honanki cultural site, which is maintained by Pink Jeep Tours. There we saw some rock art and large remnants of cliff house walls. There were no docents or interpretive signs (they want you to hire the Pink Jeep guides to take you around).

Then we drove to Palatki, where we had a 2 p.m. reservation. Here there are helpful guides to point out the many pictographs and petroglyphs, which include rock art left by all the cultures that have occupied this area, including the Sinagua, Yavapai, Hopi, and Apache, as well as possibly peoples from 12,000 B.C. Unfortunately there's also "historical graffiti" (anything the yokels marked on the rocks that's over 50 years old), sometimes overlaying the pictographs.

We actually got to climb into one of the cliff rooms to stand and look out at the same sights that must have greeted the eyes of the builders long ago.

View of the parking area at Palatki

These sites may have had religious or ceremonial significance. The striking red rock formations have been inspiring people for millennia. We did our share of oohing and ahhing. The buttes and towers with their colors and layers stand sentinel over the valleys, and it's hard not to find some significance in the formations.

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