Waking with Elk...

We had just woken and were sitting next to our tent when we spotted our first Elk. Poor Yasemin was still sleeping and missed out, but she would have many more opportunities throughout the day.

We spent our time touring the park and in the afternoon we saw a family of Deer and an enormous male Elk.

We met people from many different countries and had some great conversations. Excluding the heat which is almost unbearable, this was a really great day.

Arriving at South Rim...

We were not lucky enough to have a booking for a site in the Grand Canyon National Park. We knew that their were a small number of sites available on a first arrival basis. We were up very early, fed, packed and on our way before nine thirty in the morning.

It was our lucky day, and we arrived in time to secure the last site for the next two days. Garry was a very happy man as he wanted to camp inside the National Park. Max and I left Garry and Yasemin  to put the tent up and we went in search of supplies.

It was really hot. Did I remember to say how hot it was? The park ranger reported that temperatures were between 43 - 45 degrees  in the sun.

Yasemin and Max were intrigued with the mother and baby bird in the tree next to our tent. We were hoping  for views other wildlife including Deer and Elk but did not want to see any rattlesnakes.

Before dinner we went for a drive and stopped at some of the lookout points. Wow again!

Thankfully as the sun set, the breeze picked up and the temperature dropped a little. We were exhausted but enjoyed a nice meal and a good glass of red.

Monument Valley is a photographers dream!

Day five was extremely hot! We crossed the boarder from Utah and drove a few miles into Arizona to visit the Navajo Indian museum and admire the amazing views.

With much encouragement from the back seat we stopped at an Indian Souvenir Store on the side of the road - with dirt floors - but amazing jewellery.

In the afternoon, I was lucky enough to spend four hours with a Navajo Indian guide on a tour of the Valley.

Wow! As if the view wasn't amazing enough - but a rainbow!!!

Our time was spent driving from amazing site to another amazing site, stopping for photos and the occasional spot of jewellery shopping. At many of the sites huge tables of jewellery and pottery were on display.

In the following rock formations you can clearly see firstly profile of an Indian head, with long black hair created by the natural flow of water through the hole in the rock. The second photo is famous because it looks like an Eagle's head.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was arriving at the overhang of rock where John Wayne sat on his horse looking for the lost little girl in the film, The Searchers. When we arrived at this spot, an Indian was waiting on a horse to provide a great photo opportunity. If you were inclined you could sit on the horse and had your photo taken in the same place for five dollars - you will be glad to know that I practiced restraint.

The tour was wonderful and I took over one thousand photographs. Below are some of my favorites that I have edited.

Our visit to Monument Valley was definitely a trip highlight. I returned back at the camp ground well after eight at night, exhausted but keen to check and edit photos. Tomorrow we will hit the Grand Canyon.

Durango to Monument Valley...

Day three involved a rest day - about time. We endured a huge thunder storm in our new tent and got organized for the drive into the desert. We woke on day five with a sick Yasemin, a very expensive $245 visit to the doctor for antibiotics followed and we said farewell to Lightening Creek Camp Ground.

We were headed for Monument valley, the Navajo Indian Reservation made famous by John Wayne. The weather started to heat up as we started driving and the landscape stated to become very dramatic. We stopped to take the following photo just before we crossed the border from Colorado into Utah.

We were captivated by the desert landscape and when we entered the reservation the ground and rocks changed to an intense red. This is truly a beautiful part of the world.

We arrived at the famous Goulding's Lodge - and continued onto the Campground further up the hill. The view was spectacular!

After setting up the tent in the red dirt, we were exhausted from the heat. I was looking forward to a red wine and enjoying the view watching the sun set. Not to be though as we did not come prepared and were expecting to buy alcohol. Bad luck for us as their is a full alcohol ban on the reservation - you can drink if you bring it with you, but their is nowhere to buy any. Bummer!

From Denver to Durango...

Life has become very busy of late, with a wonderful visit from my sister and believe it or not quite an active social life - so posting blogs has not been a priority. I have lots of wonderful images and stories to tell, but they will have to wait because we have started our massive 48 day road trip!

On the 4th of July, we skipped celebrations and began our journey, very keen to escape the heatwave that has been plaguing Denver. We really didn't expect the heat to be so full on - we have never been so glad to have air conditioning. Even so the children and I prefer to sleep in the guest bedroom in the basement because it is really the only cool place during the night.

Not only due to the heat, but also the many terrible fires that are not only burning in Colorado but many other states in the US we thought it best to change our route. So day one was a seven hour drive with rest stops through beautiful landscapes to arrive at Lightening Creek Camping Ground just outside Durango.

Max was very excited and is proving to be an excellent camper assisting his Dad in erecting our new tent.

After a lovely cool night we were ready for day 2 - a visit to the Mesa Verde. We purchased tickets for two different tours, The Balcony House and The Cliff Palace. We were warned that both hikes were physically demanding and also involved climbing a 32 foot ladder and climbing rock faces with the aid of chains. Because I have a fear of heights I was a little nervous, but I had time to collect myself during our picnic lunch. The photo of Garry was taken about twenty feet from the picnic table - what a view!

After dragging Max and Yas away from their lizard hunting we met the ranger and listened to all the rules of the tour. Again she reinforced how very high the ladders were and that it was okay to quit and return to the start if it all became to much - she was not making me feel any better about what was ahead. The first ladder which is apparently a 32 foot climb up to the top of the Balcony entrance looked much higher in real life than it does in the photo. Garry, Max and Yas flew up the ladder without a care in the world while I counted each step, took deep breaths and refused to look down.

We then entered a small chamber and climbed a small ladder to arrive on the Balcony.

What an amazing view. I still can't begin to imagine why the Pueblo Indians decided to build their homes on cliff faces and wondered about the safety of small children. The photo above is the only area that has a safety wall. As the wall is 700 years old, I preferred not lean against it - it has been reinforced with concrete but I wasn't taking any chances.

Up the small ladder and through  dark tunnel on hands and knees we arrived at the main living area with the Keva. Mesa Verde Balcony House, a “medium size” cliff dwelling, has 40 rooms. This particular archeological site illustrates how room and passageway construction evolved through time.

Yasemin and Max were not troubled by the heights and were having a great time.

I really enjoyed the tour, the ruins and views were breathtaking, Pueblo Indian life was also interesting but my legs were still shaking. To end the tour you needed to climb another series of ladders, and scale some rock face with the assistance of chains. I was keen to get back to safe ground asap.

Feeling fantastic at surviving, we had a quick ten minute break and we were ready to begin the Cliff Palace tour. It was great to have a view of the Palace from above at the start of the tour.

Even as it started to rain we were still keen to get down to the Palace.

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde National Park. It has 150 rooms, plus an additional 75 open areas.  Twenty-one of the rooms are kivas, and 25 to 30 rooms have residential features.  The number of Ancestral Puebloans living in Cliff Palace at any one time was 100 to 120.

We finished this tour totally in awe of the Pueblo Indians, but were left to wonder why did they suddenly leave their cliff dwellings so suddenly? A half hour drive back to the National Park entrance and a stop for the final photo of the day. It was now seven o'clock at night and we were all exhausted.
We had an amazing day - what adventures will tomorrow hold?