Canyon de Chelly

On Thursday of the post-wedding week, Mike, Karen, Jason, and I drove to Canyon de Chelly, AZ - a national monument because of its geological and historical significance.  (Chelly, which is pronounced Shay, is a Spanish/French rendering of the Navajo word for canyon.)  (Susie was a bit under the weather - post-wedding syndrome? - but the prospect of bouncing around for three hours in a jeep, peering over 800 ft. cliffs, and hiking to such opportunities wouldn't excite her in any case.)

The Canyon is in NE AZ, on the Navajo Reservation. En route we stopped at Window Rock, AZ, headquarters of the Navajo Nation, named for the window in the rock you see here:

The park adjacent to the Window Rock has this statue recognizing the Navajo Code Talkers, the Navajo soldiers who communicated battle orders and other secret information during WWII in their native tongue.  Check out the dramatic narration at the above website.  There are not many Code Talkers left.  Later, at a restaurant in Chinle, I saw an elderly Navajo gentleman wearing a cap labeled Code Talker - awesome.

We had booked a canyon jeep tour for four o'clock, so, arriving about one, we had time to check into our motel (the historic Thunderbird Lodge) and drive to the canyon overlooks on the north side of the canyon (a v-shaped pair of canyons forms Canyon de Chelly; if you have Google Earth you can get a good view of the terrain).  Some sample shots:

It's a photographer's paradise.  Here's one at work now:

Our tour-jeep driver took us a ways up both canyons, pointing out cliff-dwelling ruins and petroglyphs and other rock art along the way.  (Except for one location - the White House ruin - you cannot enter the Canyon without a Navajo-certified guide.)  Also, a substantial number of Navajo families summer in the Canyon, raising some crops and tending sheep.  Here are a few pictures from our tour:

Do you see a face in profile on this cliff face?

The next morning we drove out to the White House Ruin overlook on the south rim from where you can hike to the ruin - about 45 mins. going down.  Some views on the way down:

And some views from the canyon floor:

There are signs saying do not take pictures of the residents, so I didn't, but under that little cluster of trees in the center of this picture is a small corral with some sheep in it.  A Navajo lady was tending them as we walked by.  In the trees at the left there is a hogan, her summer residence, I presume.

A small herd of horses had the run of the canyon.

 
And, here is the White House Ruin:

The lower ruins were once a multi-story structure connecting to the cliff houses above.

Incidentally, at most of the overlooks and at the White House Ruin there are vendors selling jewelry, rock art, and pottery.

Back on top, we checked out the other overlooks.  This first picture is significant for this reason:  Years ago, when Mike was home from college, he and I took an Indian Country driving tour: Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, and Acoma Pueblo (as I recall).  So, this trip was sort of a stroll down memory lane for us. At this overlook back then there was an Indian rock band out on this point being photographed for an album cover.

Probably the most known feature of the Canyon is this pair of spires called Spider Rock.  The taller spire(800 ft. tall) is regarded as the home of Spider Woman, a figure in the Navajo creation story and who is also said to be the one who taught the Navajo to weave.  We didn't have a good sun angle for pictures, but you can easily google up some great pictures.

And here Karen demonstrates how we controlled the child in our group:

Actually, at about this time I was wandering around in the background of this picture and Jason came after me.

We left Chinle in early afternoon and headed for home.  Stopped at El Morro - next posting.

June Things

Greetings, Friends and Family.  June has been, and continues to be, busy.  The big event was the marriage of Heidi Hinkle to Joey Vargas on June 11.  Susie and I escorted Heidi down the aisle and I proclaimed that "Her mother and I" supported her in this union.  (You don't give the bride away these days.) 

For wedding pictures see the Facebook page of Heidi Hinkle Vargas.

For those who don't know about this storybook romance, Joey and Heidi were friends, but not an item, from fifth grade through high school, then went separate ways and were reunited some 17 years later via facebook.  We're thrilled.  Everyone who knows them is so happy for them and has said so on Facebook.  Their story and more wedding pictures here.

Son-in-law Paul and granddaughter Kaci sang a duet at the wedding - the musical highlight for us.

The wedding was held at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, on the bank of the Rio Grande just north of Albuquerque.  We stayed a couple of nights there and one morning I went walking along said bank.  Some pix:

There was a little of that Arizona-fire smoke in the air, but not bad at all.

Just before I took that sunrise picture, what I thought was a large log went drifting by.  Seconds later, I heard a loud Whack, and turned around.  It was a beaver, I think, or else the Rio Grande Monster, slapping its tail as it dived under the surface.  Repeated the performance a few more times.

Sunday, June 12, we had Mike and family; Jeff and family; Mandi and Paul; Matt, Suzy, Kaci, and Andrew; Kenny and Vonnie Hinkle; and Joyce and Jay Rush out for a day of visiting and chowing-down in Cedar Crest.  Kenny and Joyce are siblings of Susie's late husband, Manny.  Sorry, but I didn't get pictures all around, but here are a couple of young grandkids pictures:

The bedroom glow comes from the sun shining through maroon shades.

Jason recently re-started bicycling, having not ridden much since the training wheel stage of bicycling life, and is now really into it.  I looked into renting a bike for him to ride here - he will be with us for two weeks - but found a good used just-right mountain bike to buy for less money.  Just happens to be the same make and colors of my mountain bike.  Also is an incentive for Jason to come back and visit often.  More on bicycling adventures later.

 Tuesday, Mike, Karen, Jason, and I went rafting on the Rio Grande, a white water section between Taos and Espanola.  Here's a partial publicity shot from the rafting company.  Will post our pix later after we purchase them.

Coming next: Trip to Canyon de Chelly, AZ, and El Morro (Inscription Rock), NM.

Denver-April

Dear Friends and Family:

When we learned that Mike and family were going to fly to Denver to visit Jeff and family on the first weekend of Jason's spring break, we decided we'd like to be there, too.  Also decided that it would be convenient to drive Tuzigoot and park at Chatfield State Park, not too far from where Jeff lives. 

We left home on Th, 4/14, and drove as far as a KOA campground in Fountain, CO, just south of Colorado Springs.  Main feature of the journey was very strong winds, generally cross-winds from the west.  Some of you may recall that when we went to Florida in December 2008 we got buffeted by winds so strong that they threatened to rip a vent cover off the top of Tuzigoot.  I climbed up on the roof in the gale and managed to ducttape the cover down.  Well, now the tape was pretty well gone and the vent cover had never been fixed or replaced (procrastination?) so Susie said, You'd better stop or that cover is going to go.  Pulled over in Wagon Mound, climbed on top and ducttaped it down again.  Should be good for another two years or so.

It was a cold night in Fountain.  I had turned on the furnace as well as a couple of electric space-heaters when we went to bed, but it was really cold when I got up.  The furnaces wouldn't come on and apparently hadn't all night.  After imagining all sorts of problems, it finally occurred to me: Maybe I didn't turn the gas on.  That was the problem.  Duh!  The furnaces had run briefly the night before because there was some gas in the lines. Susie suspects that I don't run the furnace because I'd rather use the campground's electricity than our gas -- my cheap version of alternative energy sources.  She was ready with an ultimatum about Turn the Furnace ON, but I quickly explained it was not intentional, only my goof-up.    

Got to Chatfield in late morning, another windy drive, hooked up water and electricity but did not open the slide-outs because of the wind, and went to meet Mandi for lunch.  She and Susie had a shopping afternoon planned.  I went on to Paul and Mandi's place for the afternoon.  The four of us had dinner and then Susie and I went to the airport to pick up Mike, Karen, and Jason.  After dropping them off at Jeff's, we went back to Tuzi where we found that the electricity was not on and the batteries had nearly run down - I had left the furnaces set to run if it got cold enough and they apparently had, and that had been what drained the batteries.  Applying my lesson learned the previous night, I thought, Hmm, I wonder if I flipped the electricity breaker switch on when I hooked up.  Nope.  Problem solved and we soon had heat, lights, and TV.  Maybe we should camp in a tent.  'Twould be simpler.  Maybe I need more than a mental checklist.

 Next morning the three cousins: Jason, Malia, and Macy had a good chance to play -- this was the first time Mike's had seen Macy.  That's one of two large Easter bunnies we took to the girls.

Mid-morning, all of us except Susie, Valerie, and Macy headed for Dinosaur Ridge on the west side of Denver - near Red Rocks.  Lots of dinosaur footprints and various fossils along about a two-mile round trip walk.  Some shots:

Can you say Bye-bye, Susie?

 Apparently, some dinosaurs walked through a tar pit before leaving these footprints in what was then soil.  

(Actually, it was spring clean-up day at the park and park personnel were touching up the paint that helps visitors see the footprints.)


Rest stop.

 I have a nephew, Kevin, who lives in Castle Rock, just a few miles south of where Jeff lives in Highlands Ranch.  Kevin is the son of  Judy's sister, Jan.  He and his wife have three children.  We had talked to Jan and told her we were coming to Denver and she and her husband, Aubrey, drove from their home in Butler, MO, with their fifth-wheel RV, to meet us all.  Kevin's wife, Kelly, reserved a room at a Tomato Cafe and this grand mix of cousins, children, in-laws, step-siblings (Mandi and Paul came), parents, and step-parents got together for a couple of hours of catching up and getting acquainted - particularly the young-uns.  A fine time was had by all.

Jan and Aubrey had also parked at Chatfield and on Sunday morning the four of us went to breakfast.  We always enjoy the chance to spend some time with them.  Here they are with their rig.

Most of the rest of the day was devoted to letting the three young cousins play, but some of us went out for a round of miniature golf in late afternoon.  Also, Valerie and Jeff kept us well-fed from their kitchen throughout a great weekend.

Next morning we started home, but rather than zip down I-25 (been there, done that, many times) we decided to go home via the Great Sand Dunes National Park, near Alamosa, CO (lots of pictures and geological info at the website).  We had planned to stay at a KOA in Alamosa, but we didn't know that it was open only from May-September.  The only alternative in town was a primitive RV park with six or eight sites. We had to take the last site and it had only a 20 amp outlet - we'd really be roughing it now.  Also, we couldn't get ABC TV over the air, so Susie didn't get to watch Dancing with the Stars.  Talk about primitive.  Thank goodness it was on the DVR at home waiting for us the next day.

Next morning I noticed that the other residents  were draining their campers' waste water tank(s) right out on the ground.  That's not the way KOA does it.  I hoped it was only gray water, not sewage, but I didn't go close enough to check. 

Adams State College is in Alamosa and that is where grandson Andrew Hinkle will be going to college this fall on a soccer scholarship.  One reason we took this route was to check out Alamosa RV parks if we decided to drive Tuzi up for a soccer weekend next fall.  Oh, well.  Lots of motels, though.  Andrew asked us to check out their new soccer field, so we took a drive through the campus.  Nice, larger than we thought it would be.  Found the soccer field: green with white lines, occupied by lacrosse players at the time.

Tuesday morning we drove out to the Dunes.  Still cold and windy, but the sun was shining.  It's interesting how the dunes preserve themselves.  The prevailing westerlies push sand up the dunes; the spring run-off washes sand down off the dunes and when things dry out, the wind sends the sand back up the dunes.  Over and over. Wind like we experienced brings in more sand from the San Luis Valley and maybe Arizona and Utah. 

Here are some pictures:

That's Crestone Peak in these pictures, elevation 14,294 ft.  One of our favorite CO towns, Westcliffe, home to the High Mountain Bluegrass Festival, is on the other side of that mountain range - the Sangre de Cristos. 

The sand is dark and firmly packed this time of year due to the winter's snows.

We had thought we would spend a couple of nights in Alamosa and see some of the other sights in and around the great San Luis Valley - there's an alligator farm out there, for one thing, and the oldest church in CO - but the campground situation and the windy weather made us decide to head on home Tuesday.  We  left Alamosa about noon and got home in early evening. 

One more picture of the Easterling cousins.  It's hard to catch Macy at the right time, what with the digital delay and her activeness.  She's doing well, is very loving and friendly.  And Malia is a good big sister.  Macy's repaired upper lip looks great.  When she's six or so, she will have surgery to build her an upper gum and implant teeth. 

Oh, one more thing: We drove Mike and family to the airport early Monday morning.  Later in the day we got a text message from them.  Their plane had made two attempts to land at San Diego (which is where they were going - that's the good news).  There was heavy fog and when the plane popped through the fog, it was not properly lined up with the runway, so they got waved off.  I would have thought instrumentation would assure a good line-up.  Anyhow, after those two attempts, they had to fly to Los Angeles for fuel and then made a successful return flight to San Diego.   

That's the news here for now.  We're going to spend a lot of June and July Tuzigootin' around CO and who knows where else.  We'll be in touch.

Susie and Rob

March Madness

Greetings, Family and Friends:

Been missing us?

Second week of March means it's time for us to go to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament.  So, Tuesday, 3/8, we loaded up Tuzigoot and headed for Sin City - with pure intentions.  First time out in Tuzi since our August Canada trip.  Only one problem to deal with - had to replace relief valve on water heater.  Because of weather concerns and our softened driveway (due to winter snows), we parked Tuzi at KOA in Albq and loaded up there for our departure.

Spent the night at RV park in Williams, AZ, got to LV early Wednesday afternoon.  The previous Sunday I'd invited friend Dick Reinert to fly out and join us, then followed up with e-mail en route.  He decided to fly out on Wed.  I picked him up that evening and we went to arena in time to catch the Lobo women's team's game late in the first half.  They beat/upset third-seed Wyoming to advance to Friday's semifinals.  Good start for a hoops weekend.

Next morning Dick and I went out to the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge.  We both have been following this project for several years.  I was there in December soon after the Bridge opened and posted a report and pictures on 1/9/11, which you can see by scrolling down to the posting previous to this one.

Thursday afternoon we (Susie, Dick, and I) saw the Lobo men beat Colorado State and thus advance to the semifinals where they would play BYU.  Good, close game.  When we left the arena we planned to buy semifinal tix, not being confident enough to buy them before the Lobos actually qualified.  Ticket window signs said SOLD OUT.  There were a few scalpers in the crowd milling around outside, but they were asking ridiculous prices.  We went back to Tuzigoot, got online, and bought some tickets that met our criteria for reasonableness.  Dick said, Well, we're here for (Lobo) basketball aren't we?

Friday was hoops-saturation for Dick and me.  Four games: men's and women's semifinals.  Susie and daughter Heidi went shopping and did wedding planning - for Heidi, in June. 

Lobo women got blown out by TCU, so that was disappointing.  Men's game was a classic thriller - especially the first half.  We beat BYU twice in the regular season.  They had lost only one other game all year.  You may have heard about this Friday game.  Jimmer Freddette, BYU's likely national player of the year, scored 33 points in the first half -- hitting shots from everywhere.  (Had text message from Jeff suggesting I throw something at Jimmer.  He also said Malia was watching hoping to see us in the crowd.  We were at an altitude where cameras don't roam, though.  Also out of range of Jimmer.)  But, Lobos kept answering, tailing off a little at the end for a halftime score of 47-42, BYU.  Dick and I were exhausted.

Right at start of second half, our senior, leader, and tenacious point guard (guarding Jimmer most of the time) went down with a knee injury and played no more.  We faded a bit, but put up a valiant effort.  Jimmer ended up with 52 points.  We ended up with no Lobo team in the Saturday finals.  Silver lining: Didn't have to buy a ticket for the finals.  We did stay for the other semifinal game, another thriller, as San Diego State U beat UNLV.  SDSU has lost only twice this year - to BYU both times.

Saturday Dick and I drove out to the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  I had been there two years ago -- report here -- but was ready to go back.  Fantastic structure and spectacular views.  Susie and Heidi shopped and planned some more.

Here's this year's picture of the Skywalk:

As you can see, the adjacent cliff-edge is unprotected.  Here, Dick takes a peek, 4000 ft. down.

Please rotate your head or your computer 90 degrees.  Easier than me trying to get blogger to get the right orientation.

Next picture: Oops!

Where'd he go?

Basketball was also part of this trip.  On the way down we listened to UTEP play Memphis for the championship of the Conference USA.  Dick's son Scott and family live in El Paso and are big UTEP fans and they were at the game, played in EP.  As the game wound down we started to lose reception so we pulled off and parked to listen to the last minutes.  Another heartbreaker - UTEP lost by one point on two late free throws. 

We speculated, maybe UTEP and UNM will both be in the NIT and play each other.  And, lo, it came to pass.  It was announced Sunday that they would play Tuesday night.  So, we moved our departure up a day in order to get home for this game.

Meanwhile, as we drove back to Vegas we listened as SDSU soundly beat BYU.  We figured UNM had pretty well exhausted BYU the day before so we, UNM, could take partial credit for sending BYU out of the conference with a defeat.

Dick flew home on Sunday.  While reading the Sunday paper I noticed that The Dodgers and Cubs were playing an exhibition baseball game in Las Vegas that afternoon.  I went, Susie and Heidi did wedding planning.  Dodgers lost in 10 innings, but it was a pleasant afternoon.  We had dinner at Heidi and Joey's, along with Joey's sister and her husband.  The news about the NIT pairing was out, so we packed up and headed home Monday morning.  Got to Gallup for the night, from where this Tuzigoot posting comes.

GO LOBOS!


Cheers,

Susie and Rob

Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge

For the last several years we've been monitoring the construction of the new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge over the Colorado River gorge, just below Hoover Dam.  The bridge was completed and opened in October, so I've been eager to see it and walk across it.  That chance came the week before Christmas.  The UNM Lobos were playing in a tournament in Vegas on the 22nd and 23rd and I flew out for that.  (Susie stayed home because daughter Heidi and her fiance, Joey, who live in Vegas, were driving to Albuquerque on the 23rd for Christmas weekend.)

I flew out on the 22nd.  Joey and I went to the tourney that night: Lobos beat Colorado.  Next morning H&J departed for Albuquerque (in a car they rented that could accommodate their two Boxers, Katie and Zoie); I drove Joey's car to Hoover Dam.

Here are a couple of shots of the completed bridge (taken by cell phone since I forgot to bring my camera).

The bridge is 1900 ft. long and 900 ft. above the river. Its cost was budgeted at $240M  and was completed within budget.  The bridge has been named the “Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge” for Mike O’Callaghan, former Governor of Nevada, and Pat Tillman, who played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals, quit to join the Army, and who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

There is a pedestrian lane, seen here, on the dam side of the bridge (pardon my French) that you reach from the old road that crosses the dam. The lady in this picture had a real fear of heights.  If she met someone coming from the other direction, she would put her hand on top of the wall at her left and crouch down so nobody could get between her and the wall.

That wall is tall enough that when you drive across the bridge you can't look out or down - it's not a place you'd want to have a distracted driver.  Can't wait to drive Tuzigoot across, though, and see what view that vantage point provides.  Signs instruct drivers of high profile vehicles to keep to the center lanes, because of wind, I think.

A neighbor who drives to Vegas frequently, en route to Reno, tells me that the bypass bridge saves close to an hour in driving time and a significant amount of gas, too.  For the last several years, large vehicles have had to get to Vegas by way of Bullhead City and that requires a long descent and climb at the river crossing there.  We won't miss that.

Here are a couple of shots from the bridge:

 

Next time you're in the area, check it out.

Here's a parting shot of Lake Mead.

 I spend the rest of the 23rd with friends and former Albuquerqueans, Budd and Carolyn Bornhoft.  Budd and I went to the ballgame, UNM lost to Northern Iowa, and I flew home early Christmas Eve morning.  We enjoyed a very nice Christmas and Susie's birthday weekend with Mandi, Heidi, Joey, Katie, and Zoie.  Hoie, hoie, ho.

Happy New Year!



Susie and Rob

Here's a theme picture.

Christmas 2010

A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Susie and Rob Easterling

Other than the fact that Rob won a Noble Prize in statistics and Susie was named Most Congenial Co-Pilot in the Allegro Bus category, it’s been a pretty routine year in the Easterling/Hinkle clan.

We did a couple of extended Tuzigoot trips this year: spring trip to Kentucky, summer trip to Vancouver, with lots of interesting and scenic stops going and coming.  If you missed any of our exciting reports, or would just like to read them again, you can backtrack through our Tuzigoot blog.

Our biggest trip of the year was going to China in September with Jeff, Valerie, and Malia Easterling as they adopted another granddaughter for us, 1-yr. old Macy.  They seem rather busy now, successfully juggling jobs and child-raising and -nurturing.

Heidi Hinkle has a new job: national account manager for Pernod Ricard Spirits.  She’s handling the transition from supervising 500 employees as the Beverage Director at the Aria Resort to working out of her Las Vegas home-office quite well, thank you.  The big story is that she and sweetheart, Joseph Vargas, will be married in June here in NM.   

Jeff and Valerie Hinkle are now settled in their semi-rural home in Sioux City, IA, where Jeff manages the Shopko store and Valerie works as rehabilitation therapist. The highlight of Jeff’s year (other than Black Friday when he opens the store at 3am) was when he and Valerie and his siblings and other family members all came to Cedar Crest in September to celebrate his 50^th birthday. 

Mike, Karen, and Jason Easterling continue their active lives in Cary, NC, doing their biomathematics, statistical analysis, and fifth grade work.  We went to NC for some of Jason’s spring and fall soccer games, thank you Southwest Airlines.

Mandi Venable, our favorite Southwest Airlines employee, and her husband, Paul, are now both in Denver working for our favorite airline.  They’ve rented and furnished a charming apartment in the Lowry section of Denver.  Paul wrote a Christmas song last year and recently posted a great youtube video.

Matt and Suzy Hinkle live in nearby Rio Rancho, NM and continue their management jobs (Supply One packaging company and a first grade classroom) in Albuquerque.  Tony is now in Iraq; he’s an Army Cavalry Scout.  We’re all nervous and very proud of him.  Kaci will be completing her degree in music theatre at Baldwin-Wallace College this spring.  We attended her senior recital in early December. Wow!  Andrew, a senior in HS, has continued his soccer exploits and is now pursuing collegiate opportunities.  Can Matt and Suzy say Empty Nest?

All of our wonderful children and grandchildren surprised us with an early Christmas gift of a paving block outside the renovated UNM basketball arena, known as the Pit.  Here's a picture (Rob overshadowing Susie for the first time ever).

 On a serious note, Rob’s Mom, Bonnie, died in October after enduring a long decline with Alzheimer’s disease.  We’ve had some wonderful family reunions centered on her birthday the last couple of decades and hope to continue those reunions in her memory.

                       THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

SUSIE AND ROB