Road Trip 2012 - Day Two
Day Two was a wonderful adventure as we left the cool of Colorado for the dry heat of Utah.
After driving for several hours, we stopped for a picnic.
Cody and I screwing around. Our hair looks fabulous.
One of our goals was to stop at every kitschy site we could find. This gift shop was amazingly awful, borderline racially problematic, and yet utterly awesome in it's own way.
Just look at the cr*p they had outside.
Andrew makes a fiberglass friend.
Several miles later, we encountered a giant cow...
It's hard to look even semi-seductive with your hand in a cow's nose.
Later, we went to a part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument called the Painted Hand Pueblo. As you might surmize by the picture below, the sun was wicked bright and there was no little escape from the relentless light.
Still, it was utterly beautiful.
We hiked and climbed around for a bit, and I have to say that one of the many fabulous things about Cody is that he is a very compassionate and patient hiker. I am one of those people who loves going uphill, but loathes the trip back down. Up is challengng, down just feels unsafe, all slippery ground and unstable rock. Yet, no matter where we were, Cody was always exceptional at noticing when and if I was struggling and being right there for me.
Andrew and Cody in front of the main tower at Painted Hand.
Close-up of the main tower at Painted Hand.
It is called Painted Hand because of, well, the painted hands on the wall. You find these tucked into the myriad caves and other dwellings at the site. Most of the Canyons of the Ancients date from about 1500BC to about 1300AD and, I believe Painted hand was from around 750AD. There is one main tower and lots of smaller caves containing the remains of stone dividing walls.
Andrew having climbed a rock
Pretty rock formation.
We camped that night at the Hovenweep National Monument, a site just on the Utah/Colorado border. "Hovenweep" is a Ute/Piaute word meaning "Deserted Valley," and it was apply named in more ways than one. The original inhabitants lived there from about 1200AD to about 1300AD, so by the time the more modern tribes arrived it was deserted. However, on a modern level, the campground was nearly as deserted - a rare treat these days.
There are many ancient buildings on the site.
Boulder House
This is known as the Twin Towers
Even without the ruins the landscape was gorgeous...
The sky was amazing - to the point that we opted to forgo our tent and sleep out under the stars. Thankfully, the Utah desert is made for this for, despite the fact that most all of Colorado and northern New Mexico are experiencing "monsoon season," there it was still dry as a bone. And, yes, the stars were amazing and sleeping outside under them was its own brand of fantastic. THe only unfortunate part was how quickly it became hot and bright once the sun rose.
After driving for several hours, we stopped for a picnic.
Cody and I screwing around. Our hair looks fabulous.
One of our goals was to stop at every kitschy site we could find. This gift shop was amazingly awful, borderline racially problematic, and yet utterly awesome in it's own way.
Just look at the cr*p they had outside.
Andrew makes a fiberglass friend.
Several miles later, we encountered a giant cow...
It's hard to look even semi-seductive with your hand in a cow's nose.
Later, we went to a part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument called the Painted Hand Pueblo. As you might surmize by the picture below, the sun was wicked bright and there was no little escape from the relentless light.
Still, it was utterly beautiful.
We hiked and climbed around for a bit, and I have to say that one of the many fabulous things about Cody is that he is a very compassionate and patient hiker. I am one of those people who loves going uphill, but loathes the trip back down. Up is challengng, down just feels unsafe, all slippery ground and unstable rock. Yet, no matter where we were, Cody was always exceptional at noticing when and if I was struggling and being right there for me.
Andrew and Cody in front of the main tower at Painted Hand.
Close-up of the main tower at Painted Hand.
It is called Painted Hand because of, well, the painted hands on the wall. You find these tucked into the myriad caves and other dwellings at the site. Most of the Canyons of the Ancients date from about 1500BC to about 1300AD and, I believe Painted hand was from around 750AD. There is one main tower and lots of smaller caves containing the remains of stone dividing walls.
Andrew having climbed a rock
Pretty rock formation.
We camped that night at the Hovenweep National Monument, a site just on the Utah/Colorado border. "Hovenweep" is a Ute/Piaute word meaning "Deserted Valley," and it was apply named in more ways than one. The original inhabitants lived there from about 1200AD to about 1300AD, so by the time the more modern tribes arrived it was deserted. However, on a modern level, the campground was nearly as deserted - a rare treat these days.
There are many ancient buildings on the site.
Boulder House
This is known as the Twin Towers
Even without the ruins the landscape was gorgeous...
The sky was amazing - to the point that we opted to forgo our tent and sleep out under the stars. Thankfully, the Utah desert is made for this for, despite the fact that most all of Colorado and northern New Mexico are experiencing "monsoon season," there it was still dry as a bone. And, yes, the stars were amazing and sleeping outside under them was its own brand of fantastic. THe only unfortunate part was how quickly it became hot and bright once the sun rose.