Exploring with Dave and Elaine Violette

Image error corrected

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Phoenix, AZ - I have corrected an error in stories between 8/21/09 and 8/29/09 where images that were in portrait layout were rendered incorrectly when clicked on to enlarge. If you retry this and the image is still in the wrong proportions just click the refresh button in your browser and the image will correct. Sorry about this!

Sticks and stones, and eggs and bones

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

The entrance to Stewart's Petrified Wood Store only HINTS at the variety you will find inside!

Holbrook AZ -

Window Rock is Navajo central

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Window Rock, in a park at the Navajo Nation Administrative Center, became the name of the city as well

Window Rock AZ - Elaine and I had visited Window Rock briefly in 2000 while on a field trip to look at an engineering project further west. So I had some idea of what to expect on this visit - at least that is what I thought! I remembered only the Navajo Nation headquarters area set around Window Rock, the formation. But Window Rock is much more and much larger. And there is much newer than I remembered from that earlier visit.

The Window Rock formation is awesome in itself. A large sandstone promontory has a large fairly circular hole worn through it over time. The Navajo Nation headquarters and other government offices were built in close proximity to this mystical rock formation. But since we were there they have added a Veterans Memorial and a statue of a Navajo Code Talker. These new features are well placed here, since they add to the feeling of peace and serenity I feel when at the Window Rock park.

Rocks and stories

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

This formation in northwestern New Mexico is called Rock with Wings by the native people, but the first non-natives called it Shiprock because it looks like a large sailing ship

Shiprock NM - Many centuries ago the people were coming from off in the northwest and fleeing ahead of another tribe that was attacking them. As they continued to the southeast (over the Bering Strait?) tribal shamans prayed to the great spirit for help. Suddenly a rock rose from the ground beneath them and lifted them high away from their pursuers. This rock grew wings and carried them far to the south to a land where they would be free from the attackers and be able to make a home of their own away from others. This Rock with Wings remains today as a reminder to all how these native peoples came to be in what is now the southwestern US. When the white man first came to the area this massive formation reminded them of a huge ship with sails, so they named it Shiprock. Amazing how the same formation has similar meanings in two disparate cultures - a large vessel that can carry you far away to other places!

Those people who were carried on the Rock with Wings were the Ancestral Puebloans that I wrote about in the Mesa Verde story - sometimes known as the Anasazi. Some settled in the Mesa Verde area to the north, some further south.

Mesa Verde National Park

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Cliff Palace dwellings are one of the best examples of what we know Mesa Verde best for.

Mesa Verde National Park, CO - Elaine and I spent much of today touring the Mesa Verde National Park, but I have to tell you I wish we could spend several days here. I had always pictured a few locations where cliff dwellings were found and thought that was what Mesa Verde offered. But what we found was several layers of culture that spanned about 700 years, and the cliff dwellings were only developed and in use for the last hundred years or so. And we also found that during that span of 700 years there were at least four different types of culture living in the area. To date, about 4,500 archeological sites have been found but only about 600 are cliff dwellings.

We only covered a portion of the Mesa Verde site - the Mesa Top Loop plus some sites along the Chapin Mesa route leading there. The places we visited were easily accessible for people with limited ability to get around and did not involve extensive walking or climbing. Except for the buildings, Kerby was with us all the time. This portion we visited has a great concentration of sites of various kinds and periods in time.

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is housed in the old railroad depot

Durango CO - If you are a fan of early railroads, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Durango is a great place to visit. Displays run from old steam locomotives, to station furniture, to small equipment used in running the railroad. Plus, since the Durango & Silverton played a large role in several movies there are also movie memorabilia.

The Durango & Silverton was built as part of the Denver & Rio Grande line used to haul silver and gold ore out of the San Juan Mountain mining district. Later, when silver prices dropped, uranium was mined and hauled in turn. By the 1940s those payloads had diminished but Hollywood found the line and used it in several feature films.

Today the line thrives year-round serving the scenic tourist industry.

In operation continuously for 128 years, the Durango & Silverton has survived by adapting to changing conditions, but its constant has been the scenic route over which its stock rolls.

Durango is alive

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

We had an unusual welcome to Durango - a deer grazing by the Welcome to Durango sign, totally ignoring all the traffic on US 160 right next to it!

Durango CO - Durango was founded by the Denver and Rio Grande Railway in 1880, and the rails arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881. Durango became the location for a roundhouse and many other railroad functions.The rail system was built to bring silver from the Silverton mining district into Denver, and the spur line from Durango up to Silverton was completed by July 1882. Though the line was built primarily to haul silver and gold from the San Juan Mountains, the scenic route brought passengers as well and the two purposes continued side by side.

Mining is a thing of the past, but Durango thrives today with attractions for all seasons. Durango has become a major drawing point for many activities and is a huge tourist draw in most seasons.

Four Corners, Four Corners, where are you?

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Kerby tries the old "one paw in each state" trick at the Four Corners monument ( he almost made it).

Four Corners National Monument -

The Four Corners Monument has always had a fascination for people, who know it to be the only place in the US where four states meet. The location was created in 1912 when Arizona became a state. What I did not know is that the monument also marks the boundary between two nations - the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation.

Recent stories have claimed that the monument is in the wrong place - one says it should be 2.5 miles west, another says it should be about 1,800 ft east. However, regardless of the geodetic issues the monument where it sets is the official place where those four states meet, because "once a monument has been established and accepted by the parties involved (in the case of the Four Corners monument, the parties were the four territories and the U.S. Congress), the location of the physical monument is the ultimate authority in delineating a boundary."

Cortez Cultural Center

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

While the roof top is part of the building, the rest is all painting! What a wonderful job.

Cortez CO - Follow the signs on Main Street in Cortez to the Cortez Cultural Center at 25 N Market St. Even if you arrive after hours you can still see some of the best features of the Center - the awesome pueblo village mural on the outside north wall, the Navajo hogan, and the outside of the building itself with its pressed metal facade.

But don't miss the inside if you can help it. They have many exhibits showing history of the area with many featuring the original inhabitants and their culture. They also have scheduled shows: the show when we visited had photographs from the area by local photographers, and there were some outstanding pieces in that exhibit.

Stacie and Jeremiah are married

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Stacie Lynn Ogden and Jeremiah Lee Christensen - the bride and groom.

East Carbon UT - Stacie Ogden, 21, is our oldest granddaughter and she is now Stacie Christensen. She and Jeremiah Christensen were married and the wedding was celebrated in East Carbon UT where Jeremiah's family lives. The celebration took place in a nice park in East Carbon on a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and some breezes. Elaine and I traveled up from Phoenix to attend the wedding as did Stacie's dad, Shane. Stacie and Jeremiah live in Rock Springs WY, and Jeremiah's family members from Wyoming were also at the wedding.

Southern and Central Utah

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

The area in central Utah has mostly flat lands with ranges of mountains and hills.

Wellington UT - As I look back on this leg of our trip I realized that I did not stop for any photos along the way! That is strange for me. I guess I was just concerned about not getting into Wellington as late as we got into Monument Valley yesterday.

Actually, though, there is so much to see along the route that to even get a sample of the country would take many stops. Starting in the Monument Valley itself we traveled through Blanding, Moab, and Green River with a stop for lunch in Monticello. There were some other small towns along the way such as Mexican Hat and Bluff, and they all would have warranted a stop. Oh well, we will do again some time when we are not in a hurry!

Monument Valley

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Some of the rocks we see along the route going north into Utah.

Monument Valley UT - Our first stop was in Monument Valley UT, just over the Arizona line. The scenery around here is awesome, with some fascinating rock formations. Unfortunately our route does not go into the areas where the more dramatic spires are located; you have to take a tour to see those areas. But we do get a taste of what it might be like. I always enjoy the photos of Monument Valley we see once in a while in Arizona Highways. Our stay is only overnight, since we have to be on our way north. We stayed at Goulding's RV Park, where we stayed on our first night out on our first motorhome trip back in 2006.

We're on the road again

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Here we are with our motorhome, ready to take off. Notice we advertise our web site right up front so people can know where to follow our travels.

Phoenix, AZ - We are taking a little vacation time and traveling in our motorhome. We have not been out in it since last fall, and miss the traveling. So we took the occasion of our granddaughter Stacie getting married in East Carbon UT to expand it into a short trip. After we leave East Carbon we will visit the Mesa Verde, Four Corners, Gallup, and Window Rock areas on our way home.

Setting up our satellite TV dish

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Our satellite dish set up in our backyard for testing and updating the setup

Phoenix, AZ - Anyone who has followed our travels in previous years knows the frustrations I have had in setting up our DirecTV service when we move to a new campground or RV park. I have learned some valuable techniques over the many setups and have it down to a clean process - MOSTLY - now. But, I always seem to get some new piece of information each time I have to call DirecTV technical support. Why couldn't they have given me those pieces all along, when I have called in with the same problem?

Pink pills for pale people

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Vitamin B-12 tablets are truly "pink pills for pale people!"

For years my father has said when getting out his medications to take prior to a meal, "Well, it's time to get my pink pills for pale people." It is a fun comment and always worth a chuckle.

Recently my doctor said I should take 1000 mg of vitamin B-12 daily for anemia due to a health condition. When I first opened the bottle and shook out a tablet I could not help but laugh when I saw the color of the tablets - PINK!

Now I never fail to think of my Dad each day when I take my pink pill. It's a connection that will stay with me the rest of my life, and a great one that I cherish.

On turning 70

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Who is this guy? How did he get to age 70? Where will he go from here?

Phoenix, AZ - Today I turned 70 years old. Is this a "so what" moment? Is it a milestone and if so, of what significance? Or is it just another day along the way?

In the few months before this birthday I found myself kind of excited at the prospect of turning 70. As I thought about my feelings I guess I was feeling pleased to have made it "this far", as if it were a long journey. Since most of the people I am around most of the time are younger than I perhaps I felt like I sort of stood out by being older. But yet both of my parents are still living - ages 92 and 93 - so I am still a young man, of course!

Hottest July on record in Phoenix!

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

This chart from the Arizona Republic shows the daily high temps in July 2009 in Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ - When the temperature at 6:00 AM is 93° F you know it is going to be a hot day! The typical temperature range is about 25°, so you can expect the day's high temp to be well over 115°. We saw temps at 115 and above several days at our house, and the outside temps indicated on Elaine's vehicle read 119° at least once.

I'm back - at least part-time

David@Violette.com (David A. Violette) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Phoenix, AZ - After a fairly long period of no activity on this web site I have committed myself to start writing again. I have been working at an engineering job part time since last October and that plus my time spent in web site development and managing the Violette Family Association web site has kept me narrowly focused. And, left not much time to look around me and think about the world and what I see and experience. I am not happy with this.