Mesa Verde National Park

From Highway 89, we met up with Highway 160, heading northeast toward our destination of Mesa Verde National Park and deeper into the Navajo Reservation. My husband was feeling much better, at the lower altitude, after his bout with altitude sickness at Jacob Lake. Our next stop was the Moenave Dinosaur Tracks near Tuba City AZ.

Long ago, an inland sea stretched deep into the Four Corner area. Dinosaurs roamed the land, leaving their foot prints in the soft mud of the shallow seabed. Over time the indentations filled in with mud, became buried, and solidified. Our excellent Navajo guide led us out into the sandstone plain and pointed out the many examples. She quirted water onto the tracks to make them really stand out. She also pointed out some fossilized dinosaur bones. It was a great experience.

Sculpted formations in dinosaur country!

Beware - dinosaur tracks!

Fossilized dinosaur bones

We checked into our motel in Kayenta AZ and enjoyed dinner at Mesa Grill in the motel restaurant (I tried the fry bread taco, which was delicious). The next morning, after a good breakfast at The Blue Coffee Pot Restaurant, we headed north on Highway 163 into Monument Valley (famous for its stunning landscapes that have been used in Western movies by John Ford and many other directors). We stopped at the Navajo Welcome Center to see their exhibits and get our bearings (I especially enjoyed the Navajo weaving and dyeing exhibit).

Navajo Welcome Center near Kayenta \

One of many stunning red rock formations

Iconic Western scenery from Monument Valley

We passed so many amazing rock formations as we traveled on Highway 163. Out of mercy I'm only  including a few shots here, but have so many more! We also made a quick stop at Four Corners Monument. This is the only place in the United States where four states share a corner. It was a busy spot, and it was worth the price of admission just to watch people take every possible photo with appendages in all four states. 

Four Corners Monument

From there we headed up Highway 163/666, through the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation, to Cortez CO and checked into our motel for a four-night stay. We ate dinner in the motel restaurant and planned the next couple of days, looking forward to our visit to Mesa Verde National Park (and a break from long days of driving)!

Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center

The Ancient Ones, by Edward J. Fraughton
(2012, bronze sculpture)
Ancestorial Puebloans carried heavy loads on the cliffs

View of the native garden and beyond, from the shady pergola

We spent the first day in Mesa Verde National Park getting the lay of the land. The Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center is a good place to start. It is located out of the Park on Highway160, and is part native garden, ranger/resource center, gift store, and museum. Then we headed up the winding road to Chapin Mesa (and a higher altitude again, but with no altitude sickness relapses). We enjoyed the sweeping views and green vegetation of the juniper and pine forest.

Heading for the Mesa Verde Museum

Mesa Verde is a World Heritage Site

Sewing and weaving tools exhibit

The architecture blends in with the landscape

Pueblo Revival architecture

We spent some time in the Mesa Verde Museum, where we caught a short lecture on the cliff dwellings and their ancient inhabitants. We learned that a cliff dwelling was similar to an apartment complex, rather than a city. We also took photos of Spruce Tree House down in the canyon and the architecture of the park administration buildings (designed by Park Superintendent Jesse Nusbaum in the Pueblo Revival style). In the evening, we headed back to Cortez for a delicious dinner at Mi Mexico.

Spruce Tree House from the mesa

Across the canyon is a storage cache for supplies and food

Photo overlook of Spruce Tree House, from the Museum area

The next day, I had arranged to take a group tour of Cliff Palace in early afternoon. The tour entailed a challenging climb down into the canyon before the tour, and a harrowing climb out of the canyon after the tour, via rough-cut stairs and a series of ladders and hand holds, all wedged into a slim crevasse in the stone cliff. I was reminded of The Ancient Ones sculpture that we had seen at the Visitor Center, and how arduous their lives were (and what good shape they must have been in).

View of Cliff Palace from the mesa top

Challenging descent to the canyon floor

The mesa top where the next tour assembles

View of Cliff Palace from the canyon floor

The masonry is from the 1200s and quite extraordinary

The round kivas were probably dwellings
(with wooden roofs and ladders)

The harrowing exit via steep stone steps and ladder

 The tour was fantastic and our guide was knowledgeable and informative. We learned that the canyon would have been alive with the sound of community—people working and talking, children playing and shouting, dogs barking, turkeys gobbling, and sheep baaing. My husband stayed up on the mesa to take photos and enjoy the view. Afterward, we drove around a bit, took a few more pictures of Spruce Tree House, and then drove to Far View Lodge for dinner at Metate Room. We had a window seat with a beautiful view of the mesa (I saw a Pinyon Jay in the shrubs), and enjoyed our delicious dinner and dessert. 

Driving through the scrub brush to Far View Lodge

Great views from Metate Room - inside and out

We could have spent another day exploring the park (following the road on Wetherill Mesa), but we decided to tale a down day instead. We slept in, ate a leisurely breakfast at Beny's Diner, and then visited the Montezuma Heritage Museum and explored downtown Cortez.

Montezuma Heritage Museum

Historic stone building from 1889

Mural in downtown Cortez CO

Back at the motel, I did some laundry at its laundromat, and we read, reviewed our photos, and generally goofed off. We ended with a delicious dinner at Shiloh Steakhouse. Sometimes it is good to slow down, take a pause, and regroup. Next up – Route 66!

I wrote postcards and read a Mrs. Malory mystery, while washing clothes

Learn More

• AAA's Indian Country: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico Map (Automobile Club of Southern California, 2017). This map includes information on national parks and national monuments, recreation areas, campgrounds, tribal lands, and other points of interest, along with "Notes from the Road" by ACSC Field Cartographer, and was invaluable for planning our trip, and for navigating during our trip. We got our paper copy free from the Automobile Club, but you can purchase it online through Amazon and other vendors at an affordable price.

• Canyon Country: Prehistoric Indians, Their Cultures, Ruins, Artifacts and Rock Art, by Barnes and Pendleton (Wasatch Publishers, 1979 and 1995). An illustrated guide to understanding the prehistoric Indian cultures of the general Four Corners region, with sections listing sites where the remnants of these cultures can be viewed. 

• Canyon Country: Prehistoric Rock Art, by F.A. Barnes (Wasatch Publishing, 1982). An illustrated Guide to understanding and appreciating the rock art of the prehistoric Indian cultures of Utah, the Great Basin, and the general Four Corners region. We didn't see many petroglyphs or pictograms on this trip (compared to our trip to Dinosaur National Monument in 2023), but we saw a few in museums.

• Easy Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Southwest, by Rick Harris (American Traveler Press, 1995). This slim pamphlet was useful for interpreting some of the petroglyphs that we saw in museums. I was able to recognize a few symbols, such as village history, migration, clans, routes on a map (indicated by the direction that feet are pointed), hand prints, and corn.

• Mesa Verde National Park (near Cortez CO, elevation from ~6000 to 8000 feet). I first visited Mesa Verde in the early 1970s as a young teenager, on a road trip with my folks and siblings. I was captivated with the cliff dwellings, archeology, anthropology, and high dessert (interests that have persisted through my entire adult life). I wanted my husband to experience the same. Some of our favorite places in the park include, Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings, Mesa Verde Museum, Mesa Verde Spruce Tree House, and Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center.

• Monument Valley (near Kayenta AZ, elevation of the valley floor from ~5000 to 6000 feet). This magnificent valley is located on the Navajo reservation, and is dotted with fantastic geological formations. This is John Ford country, if you are a fan of westerns. For fun, check out the movies and media of Monument Valley. 

• Montezuma Heritage Museum (Cortez CO, elevation ~6200 feet). This museum is small but has a wonderful collection of exhibits, artifacts and history which draws from both the Native American and settlers perspectives. The building itself is in the Southwestern adobe style that I find so appealing.  

• Navajo Moenave Dinosaur Tracks (Tuba City AZ, elevation ~6,000 feet). You don't have to be a kid to like dinosaurs. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed walking among the many tracks with our Navajo guide. She squirted the tracks with water to make them easier to see, and pointed out interesting tracks and fossils.

• Navajo National Monument Welcome Center (Kayenta AZ, Highway 163). We stopped at the Welcome Center near Kayenta to see the exhibits and gather information, before driving through the breathtaking scenery of Monument Valley. You can also arrange for special tours at the Welcome Center, if you want to explore the valley with a Navajo guide. 

Not Quite the North Rim

My husband and I are home from our road trip to Mesa Verde National Park. We travelled through Nevada and the Four Corner states (Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico). Our route took us on a loop from Oakland CA, to Tehachapi CA, St. George UT, Jacob Lake AZ, Kayenta AZ, Cortez CO, Winslow AZ, Kingman AZ, and back to Tehachapi and then Oakland. We had planned to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on our trip, but the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires stopped that. They both ignited from lightening strikes on July 4. The lodge at the North Rim burned to the ground, and Highway 67 to the North Rim was closed for the season.

I booked lodgings at the Jacob Lake Inn, and monitored the fires throughout the summer. At various times over 750 firefighters were on the line (many stationed at the Jacob Lake Inn); record heat and winds kept the fires whipped into a frenzy; key roads were shut down; and people were evacuated from the area. I kept our reservation anyway, because there is still so much to see in the area, even without quite getting to the North Rim.

The lure of the open road

Big open spaces

Desert scrubland

The drive from Oakland to Tehachapi is long, but there is always something interesting to see (miles of Yucca and Joshua Trees), and a good "book on tape" (a Mathew Scudder story, "Ticket to the Boneyard"), makes the time fly. In Tehachapi, we stocked up on a few bakery items at Kohnen's Country Bakery. On the way to St. George UT, we drove through the incredible Virgin River Corridor (an engineering feat). We enjoyed the warm climate and sights during our overnight stay in St. George (relatively close to Zion National Park, which we visited over a decade ago).

We also started seeing the dramatic red rock formations and the Vermillion Cliffs, and stopped all along the way to snap pictures and drink in the views. Iron seeps into the sandstone, giving the Navajo formation rock its distinctive red color. We also stopped at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, with its seven miles of fine pink sand. It's like being in the Sahara Desert.

Vermillion Cliffs area

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

At the Le Fevre Overlook in the Kaibab National Forest, we found that the trees and ground had been scorched by the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires, but the Overlook structure had not been touched. While viewing the surrounding hills, I could see how easily the flames could travel and get out of control so quickly. This made me appreciate the courage and dedication of the fire fighters who had battled these fires (or any fire). From the Overlook, we could see the exposed layers of The Grand Staircase.

Scorched earth from the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires

The Grand Staircase as seen from Lefevre Overlook

The Grand Staircase: layers of geological history

In Jacob Lake, my husband suffered from a case of altitude sickness and was pretty miserable. The elevation is about 8,000 feet so it is not surprising (although he has experienced 8,000 feet elevation before with no ill effect, on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria). I scoped out nearby ERs  just in case (I found two, each one was an hour away). While he dozed in our cozy cabin, I visited the nearby Kaibab Visitor Center, hiked on a nature trail through the pine woods, and enjoyed a few delicious baked goods at the Inn. I could feel the altitude in my breathing, but had no other complications.

Tall pines around Jacob Lake Inn

Kaibab National Forest (in green) is surrounded by desert

Jacob Lake Inn - Room 58

We stayed at the Inn for two nights, and then we headed for lower altitudes. From Jacob Lake, we followed Highway 89A, known for its dramatic scenery. We stopped at the Navajo Bridge that crosses the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. The color of the Colorado River is an amazing shade of blue green. We were close to Lee's Ferry, where river rafters embark on their adventures down the Colorado River. It is the only place in Glen Canyon where you can drive to the river. Brave the Wild River gives an account of the Neville Expedition, which departed from this area in the 1930s.

Navajo bridge and pedestrian walkway

The blue green of the Colorado River

We followed Highway 89A, which merged with Highway 89, marveling at the stunning red cliffs, buttes, plateaus, mesas, and other amazing formations, and entered the Navajo Indian Reservation. We joined Highway 160, and headed for our next stop, the Moenave Dinosaur Tracks.

The highway runs parallel to the red rock formations

Learn More

• AAA's Indian Country: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico Map (Automobile Club of Southern California, 2017). This map includes information on national parks and national monuments, recreation areas, campgrounds, tribal lands, and other points of interest, along with "Notes from the Road" by ACSC Field Cartographer, and was invaluable for planning our trip, and for navigating during our trip. We got our paper copy free from the Automobile Club, but you can purchase it at an affordable price through Amazon and other online vendors.

• Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon, by Melissa L. Sevigny (W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 2023). The book provides an account of the trip down the river by the Neville Expedition. On our trip, my husband and I saw or were close to some of the places named in the book, such as Lee's Ferry, Navajo Bridge, Marble Cliffs, and Mexican Hat. I'll have to re-read the book now that I'm more familiar with their route and the terrain.

• Canyon Country: Geology for the Layman and Rockhound, by F.A. Barnes (Arch Hunter Books, 2000, with previous publications in 1978, 1988, and 1996). I read this book before our trip to learn more about the geology of the Four Corners region. Barnes provides a basic overview that is perfect for the layperson. I learned so much and could appreciate and identify what I was seeing in the field.

• Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (Utah - elevation ~6000 feet). Seven miles of fine-grained coral pink dunes! Plants hold the dunes in place, sending out their rhizomes to stabilize themselves in the shifting sand.

• Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim (Arizona). Our goal had been to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, until the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires ravaged the area in July and August, burning the Lodge, water treatment facility, and housing. With Highway 67 closed to the North Rim, we decided to stay at Jacob Lake, AZ and see the other sights and natural wonders in the area.

• Jacob Lake Inn and World Famous Bakery (Jacob Lake, AZ - elevation ~8,000 feet). Cookies, pies, bread, and dinner rolls. We stayed at the Jacob Lake Inn, and ate delicious food in the restaurant, but the bakery is the real star! Some of the heroic firefighters that battled the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires bunked at Jacob Lake Inn, and a few were still there during our visit.

• Kaibab National Forest (Arizona). The forest is surrounded by desert and overlaps with the majestic Grand Canyon. I enjoyed several hikes in the pine forest, and the Visitor Center next door to Jacob Lake Inn.

• Kohnen's Country Bakery (Tehachapi, CA on Highway 58, elevation ~4,000 feet). My mom and dad used to stop at this German bakery on their trips between Southern and Northern California. They are official experts on all the best bakeries in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. My husband and I ate breakfast at Kohnen's in Tehachapi, and stocked up on bread and a few goodies for the trip to St. George UT and Jacob Lake AZ. Unfortunately the bakery closes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so we missed them on the way home.

• Navajo Bridge National Park (Arizona). Two bridges span the Colorado river as it passes through Marble Canyon - the newer Navajo Bridge is used for automobile and truck traffic, and the older one is for pedestrians. From the bridge we could see how steep the canyon walls are, and how challenging it would be for river rafters. Since 1975, Marble Canyon is considered part of Grand Canyon National Park.

• Road Trip: The I-15 Virgin River Corridor is a Hidden Engineering Marvel, by Tom Herrmann and Gant Wegner (Arizona Department of Transportation, ADOT Communications, posted July 14, 2016). I'm a writer, not an engineer, but even I could recognize the engineering feat required to build I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge. We travelled I-15 from Barstow, CA to St. George, UT.

• Vermillion Cliffs National Monument (Arizona). Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. This monument is a geologic treasure that borders Kaibab National Forest to the west and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the east. We could not get enough of the red cliffs!  We learned that a growing number of California condors live in the area.

Field Notes for October 2025

Welcome back to Field Notes!

October 1, 2025

We're home from our road trip to Mesa Verde National Park, by way of Nevada and the Four Corner states (Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico). My husband and I had a great time and saw so many amazing and beautiful sights. Our route took us on a big loop from Oakland CA, to Tehachapi CA, St. George UT, Jacob Lake AZ, Kayenta AZ, Cortez CO, Winslow AZ, Kingman AZ, and back to Tehachapi and then Oakland.

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park

October 3, 2025

During our stay at La Posada Inn in Winslow AZ, we enjoyed exploring the beautiful hotel, native gardens and grounds. La Posada Inn is a restored railroad hotel, which is also a depot stop for the Amtrak Southwest Chief route between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Night shot of La Posada Inn

Room 100, The James Cagney room (with a view to the train yard)

We had a fabulous dinner made with local ingredients in The Turquois Room, and then roamed the gift shop, public rooms and gardens. The hotel is like a museum, filled with interesting displays, artwork, and historical objects, and painted in bright, bold colors.

A view of the garden from a shady terrace

One of the garden rooms

Trains passed by the hotel all through the night. I was aware of them, but loved hearing the mournful train whistle and the chug of the wheels from the comfort of the hotel room (it's like a call to adventure). The hotel walls are thick and the windows insulated so the sound is distant, but for light sleepers with a less romantic view of trains, the hotel supplies ear plugs in each room!

Train depot right outside La Posada Inn

Farewell to La Posada Inn

October 6, 2025

One of the (many) things that I enjoyed about the La Posada Inn's landscape, was that I encountered something new, whimsical, or interesting every time I turned a corner! Here are a few of my favorites, but you really must visit to see for yourself. Seeing the unique, personal touches inspired me that it is time for us to embrace our renovated landscape and make it our own. 

Tile work and bold colors in the garden

Whimsical giraffe appears in the shade

View of the sunken garden with sculptures of donkeys and pigs

October 9, 2025

For this week's hike, Gaymond, Mari and I joined the Over-the-Hills Gang hike at Pinole Shores near Bayfront Park in Hercules, CA. The trail includes a 1,100-foot gradually-sloping bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and shoreline, and connects Pinole Shores and the City of Pinole’s Bayfront Park. The trail joins the San Francisco Bay Trail.

View of San Pablo Bay from the Pinole Shores trail

The Pinole Shores Bridge was completed in 2018 (photo by Mari)

The elevated bridge provides safe passage for walkers, bikers, and baby strollers over the railroad tracks and narrow shoreline, and wonderful views along the way. Amtrak and freight trains passed under us from our unique vantage point (and yes, some of us waved at the engineer as though we were five years old)! The trail passes through shady forests, and over rolling hills. There is a little something for everyone. 

The Pinole Shores trail passes through shady oak forest

A sweeping view from the Pinole Shores trail

The Pinole Shores Bridge passes over the train tracks

Our hike was led by Anthony Fisher, who provided information about flora and fauna and delicious lemon and ginger cookies at the half-way point. Mari, Gaymond, and I ended the hike at Yo Sushi in Pinole, for a delicious bento box lunch, restorative water, and conversation! Check the website to learn more about upcoming events offered by the East Bay Regional Park District. Bring a friend or come solo, and join the next hike with a wonderful group of 55+ hikers.

Intrepid hikers along Pinole Shores (photo by Gaymond)

October 12, 2025

While hiking along Pinole Shores we saw a variety of native plants. We also saw birds— including California Scrub Jay, Mocking Bird, Snowy Egret, and more—but I was too far away to capture satisfactory photos!

Clockwise, from top left: Walnut tree
Rose hips
Daisy of some kind (Asteraceae spp.)
California buckeye

October 15, 2025

We had the big oak tree trimmed up for fall. Several large branches had grown long and heavy enough to scrape the tops of delivery trucks as they barreled along the street under the tree. We were concerned for the health of the tree, and the safety of the vehicles and pedestrians that pass under it. We hire an arborist to do this every five or six years, and it was time.

Low hanging branches need to be trimmed on the big oak

The branches were pruned, and the canopy cut back

October 18, 2025

We had some cold, heavy rains recently, so I pulled out a puzzle that I borrowed from Aunt Char (she and I share a passion for puzzles). This one captured early fall on the farm! 

 

Country Life: A Little Bit of Heaven 
Artist: Tom Wood

October 22, 2025

It's either the Zombie Apocalypse, or Halloween is just around the corner! So far, the skeletons appear friendly (or are they just scoping out the neighborhood for future mayhem)?

A neighborly skeleton

Skeleton surveying the neighborhood

October 25, 2025

For this week's Over-the-Hills Gang hike, we met at Dotson Family Marsh in Richmond, just south of Point Pinole and part of the Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. Over the past year, the OTHG group led by Anthony Fisher has been exploring the Regional Parks in the coastal areas of Pinole, San Pablo, and Richmond, including Point Pinole, Miller Knox, Richmond Marina, Pinole Shores, and now Dotson Family Marsh. I love a good hike by the bay, and exploring the parks throughout the year is a great way to get familiar with the area. The San Francisco Bay Trail strings together all these Park jewels.

View of the marsh and skeet range, and Mt. Tam across the bay

Rheem Creek drains into the bay

View from a small peninsula

Dotson Family Marsh reopened in 2017 after undergoing extensive habitat restoration and climate adaptation to mitigate sea level rise, coastal and inland flooding. The restored marsh was renamed from Breuner Marsh to Dotson Family Marsh to honor the Dotson family, longtime residents of adjacent Parchester Village, for their environmental legacy to save the Richmond shoreline from development. The Marsh attracts many species of birds; provides views of Mt. Tamalpais, the Marin shoreline, and San Pablo Bay; and runs along the railroad tracks (seeing a train is always a bonus).

Restored by water and cookies

A freight train passes by (photo by Mari)

Heading back

Mari, Gaymond, and I ended the hike at the Moku Hawaiian BBQ in San Pablo for delicious Hawaiian barbeque combo plates and smoky pulled pork. (One of the perks of the OTHG hikes is discovering great lunch places near the hikes)! Check the website to learn more about upcoming events offered by the East Bay Regional Park District. Bring a friend or come solo, and join a wonderful group of hikers aged 55+ (and look forward to the classic ginger and lemon cookies at the half-way point).

Intrepid hikers at Dotson Family Marsh (photo by Gaymond) 

October 28, 2025

I followed my new landscape maintenance schedule this month. October was a time for fall cleanup, and preparing to plant during the rainy season. The winter rains have actually started, with a nice mix of warm sunny days and cooler wet days. Let's see how I did!

☑ Weed the garden paths and beds (this is an ongoing task throughout the year, but worth mentioning every month). Note: thanks to a lot of weeding done this summer, the weeds are a lot easier to control now! Just have to keep up on it.

☑ Clean up leaves, berries, and drupes from the patios and paths, and either recycle in the compost bin or send to Waste Management to recycle. Retain the leaves under the oak tree to maintain the oak duff, which is important for the caterpillars that feed baby birds in the spring. Remove annuals that have scattered their seed and are at the end of their life cycle.

☑ Hire our arborist to prune the big oak tree, and the shrubs that are too tall for us to tackle. Note: it is such a relief to have this done. No more delivery trucks hitting low hanging branches, and the shrubs are no longer touching the house.

☐ Prepare the soil in the rock garden, raised bed, and containers for fall planting. Plant seeds, bulbs, or starter plants, as appropriate. Be sure to water periodically until winter rains start. Note: this is a work in progress. and may be delayed due to other priorities!

☑ Collect grasses, seed pods, and dried flowers for fall arrangements.