The Eastern Sierras at Lone Pine CA

Last night we stayed in the Timberlake Motel in Lone Pine, CA. it was a long, 9 1/2 drive from Cottonwood, but I had reservations at the Timberline Motel, made when I thought we would be driving from Kingsman AZ. We got in about 6:30 pm, to find a small, eight room motel, an older motel nicely reconditioned and at a reasonable price. Lone Pine is a center for hikers, and also famous for being the setting for many movies, so its motels are priced fairly handsomely. We managed to find a good dinner (Seasons Restaurant) and a great breakfast at the small and popular Alabama Hills Bakery and Cafe.

I went on an early morning walk around the town, almost from edge to edge (that's roughly a six by eight block square), finding seven churches, one gated community, and a small rodeo grounds. 

The town of Lone Pine lies at the foot of an interesting geological formation of rocks that take unusual shapes, known as the Alabama Hills, with the eastern Sierras rising loftily behind. Here are a couple of pictures from my walk.

The view from the corner of S. Lone Pine and E. Post Road, where you can see our motels sign, and the ragged spires of the mountains behind.

Another view of the Sierras with the Alabama hills in the foreground.

A Visit to Cottonwood and Jerome

Our rearranged plans took a delightful turn when we discovered that a friend of Phil's, Al Paxia, was at home and able to have us stay overnight at his home in Cottonwood, AZ, just south of Sedona. I had only met Al briefly, so it was a nice opportunity to spend more time with him. A former techie at Boeing Computer Services, he lived on Vashon Island when Phil met him a few years ago, and went shooting with him several times. Al also built his own experimental plane, which unfortunately was undergoing its annual service inspection, or he would have flown us over the Grand Canyon.

Al is now living full time in Arizona, and we met his new girlfriend, Judy, whom we very much enjoyed. It was a lovely visit and I look forward to repeating it.

They took us up to the former mining town of Jerome, perched high up on the mountainside above Cottonwood, where we tasted (and bought) some Arizona wine, in a shop with a fantastic view ove the valley. No kidding--they are growing a number of wines here, and they weren't bad at all.

Here's a picture of Jerome, which doesn't really show how much it clings to the steep hillside. it's been revived as a sort of touristy hippie place, a bit like Bisbee in southern Arizona.

Introduction to Sedona

After our disappointment at not getting to see the Grand Canyon abated, we reconstructed our trip to go south through Flagstaff and Sedona, because I had never seen Sedona. We drove to Flgsatff for breakfast, not wanting to take another chance on the food at the Cameron Trading Post. We then went out to the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, a great museum with lots of artifacts and crafts to trace the history of the Native American communities in the area--among them Hopi and Navajo.

After a couple of interesting hours there, we headed south on Highway 89A, where I was awed by the stunning rock formations along the highway north of Sedona, and then again right around Sedona itself. We didnt stop, but I would like to return to spend more time looking around. 

Here a three scenes in and around Sedona. All I can say is.....WOW!

Towering columnar rocks along Highway 89A.

The sun was in the wrong place but even the shadowed outlines of these rocks were impressive.

Finally,a quick shot out the car window at an intersection in Sedona, showing some of the spectacular rock formations close by.

Rock Houses

On Highway 89A, we came across a field of very large boulders next to the road, and on pulling off to look at them, discovered that some of them had had houses built around them. Apparently some years ago a woman had car trouble by these boulders and camped inside one of them while waiting to get help. She was so intrigued by them she bought the property and constructed a couple of "houses." Not an official park, because it is still private property, it is certainly an interesting sight. Here are a couple of the boulders, one with a lean-to built around it.

Some Navajo artists set up their crafts displays in the shade of this interesting boulder that looks like a mushroom.

The boulder is almost hidden by the lean-to wall around it, but forms the ceiling, and one of the sides.

Notice this boulder has a wall construction on its left side. Looking above it, you can see where the boulders come from.

Scenes on Highway 12 and 89A between Escalante and Cameron, AZ

Today we left Escalante and went west on Highway 12 to Highway 89, where we headed south, taking Highway 89 A at Kanab to take us to Cameron, AZ. Our original plan was to visit Grand Canyon tomorrow, and Cameron is located at the east entrance of Highway 84, which takes you to the south rim of the canyon. That plan has been foiled by the government shutdown, with all the national parks being closed. So we are forming alternate plans to go through Flagstaff and Sedona, on our way to Kingman AZ on Highway 40, where we have reservations tomorrow night.

Meantime we enjoyed some lovely scenery of varied hues along Highway 12 and 89. Here are pictures of various hues of sandstone, from white, to the red Vermillion Cliffs, to interesting shades of purplish grey.

The Party Ends

The California gang had a great time. They spent time each day exploring the countryside around Escalante, piling everyone into the 15 passenger van that Guy rented in Las Vegas to get them all here.  After lots of good meals and expeditions, we all had a great time. On Sunday morning, they loaded themselves and their luggage back into the van to return to Vegas and catch the plane back to San Jose. Here is the group (plus Howard and Phil) ready to load up for their departure from Escalante.

Escalante (and surrounds) Scenery

The scenery in and around Escalante never fails to amaze me, and I am always trying to capture some of its grandeur and stunning colors with my camera. Here are a couple of those attempts. The first photo is of the slick rock through which Highway 12 winds between Escalante and Boulder, Utah, 30 miles to the east. The dripping contours of this slick rock fascinate me. The second picture is of the valley just behind Howard's house, to the north. This is a scene I see several times a day as I walk from the Bell House, where we ate all our meals and gathered, to Howard's house. The final scene is of a tall slot canyon I noticed high up on the cliffs on the north side of that valley, often hidden to the eye but the light was just right late one afternoon for me to see it. You become very aware of light and shadows here, because the light changes the scenery so much.

Highway 12 twists through the slick rock

View to the north down the street by Howard's house

Slot canyon, hidden high up in the cliffs

Luc has a good time

Grandson Luc had a wonderful time exploring his new surroundings, meeting local dogs, horses, goats, cats, chickens and even some domesticated pigeons. Most of all he loves the many trucks that rolled by him or were parked by the streets. He enjoyed "playing" the electronic piano in Uncle Howard's house, with his sister Siren joining in.  He thought the small adobe houses in the Anasazi Museum in Boulder, Utah were just the right size and spent lots of time running in and out of them. And Grandma Kae's gloves were just the right thing to warm up his cold hands after a morning walk.

at the Anasazi Museum

Walking Tour of Old Escalante Homes

As part of the Arts Festival, we went on a walking tour of Escalante homes, learning about the Mormon layout of the town and the kinds of homes that were constructed. the tour was conducted by Larry Barnes, a friend and neighbor of Howard's and also his partner in ownership of one of the older mercantile buildings, The People's Exchange. Larry, his wife Louise, and Howard have been working on restoring the building, and this year got it into sufficient shape that the fair was able to put a quilt exhibition inside. Larry is a retired museum curator and has made himself a local expert on the towns buildings, and provided lots of interesting information about the different house styles and construction methods. Here are pictures of Larry starting the tour in front of the People's Exchange building, and then two of the houses that still have their original brick exposed (many of them have been covered over with various kinds of siding). 

The Gang in Escalante

The treat this year during our visit to Howard, Phil's brother, and the Escalante Canyons Arts Festival is that we have been joined by son Guy, his wife Joahnna, and our two grandchildren, along with Joahnnas parents and four of her aunts and uncles, none of we whom have been in the southwest (they all live in the Bay Area). Bless Howard, he has cornered enough beds to shove the into the bedrooms of his main house, plus using the living quarters available in the huge Bell house that he owns, that we have accommodations for all. Guy, Joahnna and the kids are at the Bell house, along with Howard, and his main house is serving as the senior center for this visit. The big kitchen and table are at the Bell house, so that's where all the cooking and eating takes place. The California gang arrived last night, after Howard and I spent the day cleaning up the Bell house, and we all settled into a happy dinner last evening. Here is Phil cooking his spaghetti sauce for our dinner, and the second picture shows the entire group around the long dining table. This gives you an idea of how Howard entertains 30 or so guests at Thanksgiving!

Red Cliffs Again

Leaving Ely on Tuesday morning, we drove further south, turning east at Panaca to head into Utah. we stopped at Cedar City for groceries, then headed east over Highway 14, where  enjoyed the aspens turning many colors of yellow and orange. Then as we headed up Highway 12, I finally grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots. Despite the fact that I have hundreds of pictures from my different trips through these mountains and canyons, they astound me anew each time I am here and I can't help taking some pictures. These are shot through the windshield of the moving car, so not great, but a reminder for all of you of the beautiful country we are in.

Charming B&B in Ely, Nevada

On Monday morning we headed south to Utah. Because we like to avoid driving through Salt Lake City, we usually drive through Nevada. From Hailey we just headed south, down the Eastern side of Nevada. There aren't many choices of where to stay--Ely is about it. In looking on the internet for a place that might be interesting, I tried for B&Bs in Ely. There's only one, so I decided to take a chance. a good decision. The "All Aboard Cafe and Inn" is so named because it sits two blocks away from the old railway station, once the center of life in Ely. Now there is a railroad museum there, and the inn is on a very quiet street, a nice bonus for a good nights sleep. It originally was a store, with a butcher shop along side, and rooms to let on the second story. Now the owners operate a restaurant out of the first floor and the B&B on the second floor. The rooms are cozy but ample sized, newly refurbished, with a toilet in each room (yeah!), Plus a balcony where you can enjoy a territorial view. Unfortunately the restaurant is not open on Monday nights, so we ate a very dull meal at the Prospector Inn. But our breakfast the next morning at the B&B was very good. We will make it a point to stop here again, hopefully on a night when the bistro they operate is open.

Here's a picture of the street with the B&B on the right (white and pale green trim) and the railroad station at the end of the street. The second picture is a closer shot of the B&B with its charming side yard--nice shady trees that make a nice place to sit in the hot sun.

Stop in Hailey, Idaho

On Saturday we drove from Pendleton to Hailey, Idaho (just south of Sun Valley) to stay with a friend, Tim Gardiner. Tim has a lovely country home near a river, with a creek (dry when we visited) running through his property. Above his garage he has built a lovely apartment, which is where we stayed. No problems with bathroom access here! 

Here is a picture of the living area of the apartment, and then a picture of Tim's house with the garage to left (the garage has the red doors) with the guest apartment on top. We had a great visit, with a breakfast at the Sun Valley Lodge one morning, and a tour of the hills that had burned recently, some of them just a few hundred yards from Tim's house. Thank you, Tim!

The Magnificent Shower We Never Got to Use

The Pendleton House B&B had one major drawback. It had only one bathroom to be shared by all the people staying in the rooms on the second floor. The night we stayed there four rooms were occupied by couples. We were looking forward to taking our showers in the morning in the unusual shower, but one thoughtless woman occupied the bathroom for 25 minutes, while several others of us were waiting anxiously to get in for our first relief after waking . She did not leave us enough time to have showers before our breakfast. We have decided that there will be no more bookings in a hotel or B&B with a shared bath, especially one shared by all the occupants.

Here is the shower experience that we missed.

Off Again-to Utah. A Charming B&B in Pendleton

We are off on our fall excursion to Escalante, for the Arts Festival that Phil's brother Howard helped start. Our first stop was in Pendleton, Oregon, where we stayed in this charming B&B. Here is the exterior, and then a shot of the expansive bathroom.