The Mountains Beckon Me

Posted on February 17, 2012 by fran

I don’t begin to know how to describe my feelings about the mountains. They do tug at me though, maybe even more so having spent the last 15 years living in Texas. My relationship with mountains is not intense, like that of an addicted climber, but it is deeply memorable. I remember vividly my first “encounter” and that was from a distance. My family was on the move from our home state of Nebraska to our new home in Washington when I was seven years old. Dad, Mom, me, three brothers, two dogs, a VW bug, and a wood-paneled station wagon pulling a pop-up trailer motored across the country to what would become our home. Mom and Dad traded off who was driving what and who was riding with whom. I was too young to know how that decision was made and why, but I do remember my Dad had all of us kids with him in the station wagon. As we drove down the highway through a forest of giant evergreens (fascinating enough to us “children of the plains”) he pointed out ahead of us and said, “Look kids! THAT is a mountain!” We looked out the windshield and in unison refused to believe him. “No way Dad! That’s a cloud!” It was in fact Mount Hood, just outside of Portland.

As children we had the good fortune to spend time every summer at the base of Mount St. Helens in a cabin on Spirit Lake. Of course we had no idea just HOW fortunate we were, and that one day the most memorable place of our childhood would no longer exist (not as we knew it), but we did not take it for granted either. We knew it was a special place. I believe it was the most serene and spiritual place I have ever seen, and I greatly regret never having been there as a photographer. This is the Mount St. Helens of my youth and some history on the mountain and eruption. To this day I still feel such a sense of sadness over the loss of our beloved playground that I’ve been back only once since the eruption, and that was to take my daughter to see what it has become.

I spent much of my youth skiing the mountains of the Cascade Range with my parents, brothers and friends, and my adulthood skiing all over the Tahoe area, as well as Taos, Aspen, Vail, Keystone, Telluride and Purgatory near Durango. These mountains fill me with a sense of awe. They are grand and majestic and at the same time serene and peaceful. They do indeed beckon me, and I am glad to have a reason to make them a part of my journey this winter.

A few days ago I winterized my RV and left it behind in Sedona to venture into Colorado with my dogs and my gear to work on another book, The Mountain Dogs of Colorado. Since I’ll be traveling throughout Colorado for a few weeks and have no way of predicting the road conditions that far out it seemed prudent leave The Beast behind rather than drag fifty two feet of metal through the mountain passes in the dead of winter.

I left Sedona early and drove in the dark for a few hours, all the while wondering what beautiful landscapes I was driving right past… and there was no doubt in my mind that I was. Just before sunrise I stopped for a quick bite and a much needed cup of coffee right along the highway in Tuba City Arizona. When I returned to my car I was shocked to find wild horses grazing along the highway right in front of me.

With the sun shining brightly the rest of the day I was treated to more amazing sights, and found it interesting to watch the landscape change with each passing mile, from desert mesas to woods and mountain peaks. Much of the drive was a slow blend of the two. One of the greatest joys of my travels so far is watching the amazing diversity of our beautiful country unfold before me as I drive down the road. This is not something you can experience from a plane.

Anyone who’s been reading my blog for long knows of my life long love affair with horses. I mentioned before that as a child I snuck my allowance off in an envelope to save the wild mustangs. I knew they were out there, but I never expected to see them. To my surprise I spotted several small herds of them running through the hills as I traveled down the highway. Even at a distance, if I stopped my car they would stop as well… all eyes on me and very alert. I was fortunate to spot this small group behind a hill right along the road. I pulled over, switched to a longer lens and hiked up the hill to see them. They ran, of course, the moment they spotted me. Not an up close and personal horse encounter, but amazing just the same.

It was right near here that I entered Colorado at Four Corners, a point where Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico meet. Of course I had to stop and pay the three dollars to stand on that very spot.

From here my drive took me to my first stop on this leg of my journey, the lovely history filled town of Durango.

And just a handful of the beautiful dogs I met there. Note to the wonderfully accommodating dog owners; I can’t begin to share all of the dogs I photographed on this blog, so please take no insult if yours is not here. I got some amazing images of all I met and hope to have a gallery live for you all to view soon!

This is just the beginning of my journey through the mountains of Colorado. Stay tuned for much, much more!

Sedona… Stunning, Surreal, and Spiritual

Posted on February 12, 2012 by fran

If a picture says a thousand words this is going to be a really long blog post.

My drive from Wickenburg to Sedona was relatively short and easy. No surprises on the road. No huge hills or super windy turns. The comfortable roadway made it easy to relax and take it all in. I was thinking about how much more I enjoyed the desert than I thought I would as I was nearing Sedona, and I knew I was in for a treat because everyone I know who’s been there told me so. I have to admit though, I wasn’t prepared for what I found. Many miles before my arrival, with Sedona’s red rock landscape towering in the distance, I was already saying wow. Seriously… WOW! This place is truly magical. From almost anywhere in Sedona you have a 360 degree stunning vista. I’ve enjoyed an amazing number of beautiful landscapes already on my journey, but usually (with a few exceptions) I’m looking in one direction. In Sedona the beauty not only encircles you, it is almost surreal. This is said to be a very spiritual place. It certainly feels very spiritual to me. After boon docking my RV on the property of my new friend, local Artist Ross Mazur, I headed into Sedona just to look around and gather a few supplies. After driving through Sedona and back… gawking all the way… I turned up a road to buy groceries. I can’t explain why, but as I was about to turn into the parking lot I changed my mind and kept going up the hill. I drove up and down a few streets, and was wondering to myself if the folks who live here know how lucky they are to have these beautiful rock formations right in their backyards, when I happened upon a trailhead sign. After spending much of the day driving and docking I thought a hike would do me good. No need to ask the girls how they’d feel about it, so we set out up the hill with no destination in mind. We hit a few forks in the trail with signs pointing this way and that, and I believe it was the word summit that guided me. Considering we were just out for a stroll, and I was wearing slip-ons instead of my hiking shoes, this was quite a climb, but well worth it when we reached the top!

Cathedral Rock

The following day we did a beautiful hike near Chapel of the Holy Cross, the girls off leash the whole way. We all loved it!

The next morning I rolled out in the wee hours to drive to Jerome before sunrise. I’d heard about this place from several friends. It was described as a historic little town built on a steep mountainside. They weren’t kidding! The main road (almost the only road) is a series of switchbacks. I’m sure it’s more lively in the summer months than I found it. In winter it’s nearly a ghost town, very quiet and inactive. I spent a couple hours driving up on down the mountainside, just looking… and stopping from time to time to grab a memory.

The sleepy little town of Jerome

This is Koda, one of the biggest dogs I have ever seen, and a breed I'd never heard of; Giant Alaskan Malamute

I'm thinking someone knew I was coming.

Mayberry RFD?

Leaded

Back to Sedona

Later that day we were surprised to find ourselves hiking through the snow along Oak Creek. Judging by their energy and antics I believe Jazzy and Sadie love the snow about as much as they loved the beach! They had me laughing all the way up the trail! It was posted that dogs must be on leash. That didn’t last long. There were few people on the trail to begin with, and none of the dogs we saw were on leash. In addition, you have to cross over the creek several times by way of slick rocks and downed trees. Not easy with a big camera in one hand and two excited dogs tugging on the other. This was a beautiful and refreshing hike.

A little cutie we met along the trail... Lucky!

Funny story… I’d been reading about Sedona’s Schnebly Hill Road and decided to check it out before meeting up with more new friends, artist June Hart and her husband Ron. The paved road ended very quickly with warnings about the terrain ahead. I scoffed at these warnings. Zippy had proven herself off-roading to the Borrego Badlands after all! I made it about a half mile up the extremely rocky road and waited for one of the jeep tour vehicles to pass in the opposite direction so I could move to his side of the road to avoid some very large bumps. I didn’t drive much further before stopping at a sizable drop… one that I knew Zippy could not handle without damage to her belly. What’s funny is that I looked back to find the jeep sitting a short distance behind me… driver and all passengers with eyes on me in my little Honda. Once turned around I came along side of them while the passengers gawked at the beauty. I rolled down my window, smiled at the driver and said, “Were you looking out for me back there?” He said, “Well yes… kind of. We were waiting to see if you would do it.” To that I could only say, “I may be daring but I’m not dumb.” Smiles all around. This is as far as I got out this well known scenic path.

And a bit further down 79…

Bell Rock

Courthouse Rock

I didn’t get enough of Sedona, and I’m glad I’ll be heading back there to reconnect with “The Beast”. I had to leave her behind, winterized just in case, while I travel the mountains of Colorado for a few weeks working on my next book. So… more to come on Sedona. Until then I’ll be traveling throughout Colorado capturing the beauty… and the dogs!

New Vistas and Old Friends in Wickenburg

Posted on February 7, 2012 by fran

I’ve had little opportunity to spend time in Arizona. Drove straight through during our move from California to Texas 15 years ago. With a trailer, a very “spirited” four year old, two dogs and a cat in tow there was little desire to take our time and see the sights on that trip. Beyond that my only exposure to Arizona was a brief trip to Phoenix and I never really got out of the city. All this to say I didn’t know what to expect other than what I’d read and seen in pictures. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m a northwest girl through and through. I LOVE the mountains, ocean, rivers and big tall green trees! As I headed east out of California I was kind of eased into the desert landscape before actually crossing the state line. It was a long haul from the San Diego area to Wickenburg, and I rolled into The Desert Cypress RV park fairly worn out and just in time to “make camp” before dark. (For you non RVers, there’s a night and day difference between setting up camp by night or by day. Much to do, and much easier to do when you can actually see.)

I chose this park because I have friends here. Del and Marilyn Talley are the parents of one of my very closest friends in jr. high and high school, Darren Talley. (Chelan post early October) I haven’t had an opportunity to see them more than a handful of times since we graduated, but have fond memories of my time with them way back when. I was tickled to see Marilyn roll up on her bicycle with a big smile on her face as I was checking in. I was completely taken with how young and healthy she looked. Are summers in Washington and winters in the Arizona desert her secret I wonder?

Much of my time was spent getting caught up on tasks that I’ve been neglecting for far too long. Paperwork mostly, and bill paying, and the ongoing effort to make organizational sense of my makeshift office in my RV. This, I have to admit, has been a struggle for me. It was my habit to lay things out in an orderly way, lined up in order of priority. My bills to be paid in a file in my desk drawer. My folders of projects hanging next to me on the wall. My file cabinet (BIG) in the closet behind me. My stapler and tape and adding machine in front of me, and pens and highlighters and markers in the drawer. My printer on a shelf above my computer. Paper and notepads close at hand. Lack of that space is still taking some getting used to (not so much with the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen) but what makes officing most difficult is that I can’t leave things laying out while driving down the road. If I do, they are guaranteed to end up in a heap on the floor. I know this from experience. The biggest task of all was condensing notes made while traveling… (I’m a serious list maker and the queen of sticky notes) stacks and stacks of notepads and scraps of paper condensed into two lists… “priority” and “as soon as I can get to it.” So, despite the drudgery it felt good to get much accomplished while in Wickenburg.

The fun stuff though… Marilyn hopped in my car the first day and navigated me around to see the sights in the town itself. We had a scrumptious lunch at Nana’s Sandwich Saloon. We strolled through her favorite antique shop, Wickenburg Antiques and Artisans. That afternoon we set out for Vulture Peak, the most prominent rock formation in the area. I mentioned above that I’m a northwest girl at heart, but I think I may leave a little chunk of it here in Arizona. The landscape here is very different from what I’m used to, but beautiful in it’s own way. Intriguing really if you consider how this land was formed. And what a miracle that the plant life here has evolved in a way to sustain itself in this parched desert land. Amazing, and stunningly beautiful.

Vulture Peak in the background

Vulture Gold Mine has some amazing history… http://www.jpc-training.com/vulture.htm

Vulture Gold Mine

While there we also took some time one afternoon to hike up Calamity Wash. The hike begins through narrow canyon walls which brought to mind old western movies. I half expected to look up and see bandits standing on the bluffs above… guns loaded and aimed in our direction. The “trail” is a dry bed of rocks and sand. Lots of rocks in every size and type and color. I don’t know all that much about rocks but Marilyn did, and she filled me in as we went. Moving slowly up this trail gave me time to really take in the plant life as well. Amazing variety, and again Marilyn shared some interesting information about them. The coolest discovery on this hike were the Petroglyphs carved in the rocks by Indians of these lands many moons ago. We found ourselves wishing we could read them. Surely, considering the time it must have taken to “write” them, the messages must have been something significant.

Knowing there are all sorts of prickly things on the ground in the desert I did not take the dogs on our Vulture Peak expedition, but I did take them with me on this hike. The biggest fear would have been rattle snakes, but they are inactive this time of year. I let the girls walk off leash, which is how we all prefer it. They love nosing around and blazing the trail. It wasn’t until we were headed back down the trail that Sadie took one wrong step and got a horrible little sticker in her foot. She cried like a baby as I rolled her over and literally had to sit on her to pull it out. So… note to you dog owners heading into the desert of Arizona; best to either leave them behind somewhere cool or keep them on leash. During the warmer season I would not suggest bringing them along. In addition to rattlesnakes, there are coral snakes, Gila Monsters, and of course the Javelina which I understand can be quite ferocious when they feel threatened (and are out year round). More on these little critters… http://www.gatewaytosedona.com/article/id/379/page/1

In addition to showing me the interesting and beautiful sites around Wickenburg, the Talley’s graciously invited me over for dinner every night I was there. This was a very special time for me. We spent hours reminiscing about our home town and old friends. Del not only taught, but was head football coach at Mark Morris High School, where Darren and I went to school. He was highly respected for his talent, his care for his students and players, and his integrity. I have no doubt he made a difference to a tremendous number of teens during a very crucial time in their lives. Both Del and Marilyn genuinely cared (and still do) about the many friends of their four sons, and that care came out in our conversations. Salt of the earth these two. Refreshing to say the least. It is truly a blessing to know them, and to have spent some very special time with them while here in Wickenburg. Thank you Del and Marilyn, for your wonderful hospitality and just for being you.