Turning East

 

Mather Point at sunset

The Grand Canyon is not your average canyon. It really is spectacular! We spent our three days taking in the beauty of the canyon along the south rim. Photography at sunset brought out the colors of the rock layers. The sedimentary rock that you see in the walls of the canyon took nearly 2-billion years to deposit (the age of the earth is 4.5-billion years) but it was only 5-6 million years ago that the Colorado River started cutting through the layers to form the canyon.

 

After leaving Bodaga Dunes, we continued south along the California coast to Morro Bay and turned east toward the Grand Canyon. The drive to the canyon was a mess with rain, snow, sleet and hail, which continued throughout the night. Luckily the weather improved. 

 

Route 40 on the way to the Grand Canyon

The beauty of the canyon...

In the second photo, you can see a small stretch of the Colorado River with a bit of rapids.

Now we are at Homolovi State Park, AZ. It is a desert campground and archeological site. Each campsite has 2 smallish trees, most of them alive.  It was in the 80-90s and even with a dry desert heat, it was hot and the sun was intense. 

The village dating from the 1200-1300s AD is estimated to have had 1100 rooms and numerous kivas. By the 1400s it is believed the villagers of Homolovi moved north to join the Hopi villages on the mesas.

Although there is very little village left to see, there are thousands of small artifacts, many placed on flat rocks for you to pick up and examine. There are signs reminding you that it is against the law to take any artifacts.

 

Small pieces of chert from tool making (and my ring)

 

 

This is our Homolovi State Park campsite. You can see what the desert landscape looks like and the bigger of our two trees.

 

And a look inside our trailer. 

Photo 1 is taken from the steps going up to the bed, with the door to the left. On the right-hand wall are the hooks for jackets, door to the bathroom and doors for the refrigerator and freezer. In the back is the dinette with 3-side bench seating. On the left is the stovetop with oven. The cutting board is on top of the burners, some counter space and a black sink, which makes it hard to see.

Photo 2 is taken from the dinette. On the right, you see the stove, sink, door and small counter/cabinet near the door. At the back are the three steps and the bed. On the left, the hooks/jackets, bathroom door, storage cabinets and refrig/freezer.

 

 

 Next stop - Pie Town, New Mexico