Wilderness of Rock - Part 1

The latter part of March and all of April found me in Prescott, Arizona. At 5,000 ft and with winter lingering, it was abnormally cold and windy. Notwithstanding, almost daily found me hiking and out in my Jeep with new-found friends, exploring and experiencing the area, including Crown King and Jerome, ledgendary mining towns.

Prescott is on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau - a vast region stretching from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado west into Utah, southwest into Arizona, and northern New Mexico. The region is often referred to as the 4-Corners area - the conflence of 4 states - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. While there is some green and trees at highest elevations, much of the topology is rocky and seemingly barren.

Many millions of years ago, variously lava, ancient seas, and material eroded from the then much, much higher Rocky Mountains accumulated in layers and solidified into primarily sedimentary rock - in places 15,000 feet thick. Then, a force within the earth caused the entire region to rise, creating what is called the Colorado Plateau.

While the land mass rose, the existing rivers flowing from the east (primarily the Colorado and San Juan Rivers) and north (predominately the Green River) carved into the surface faster than the land mass rose, causing today's Grand Canyon and many, many other canyons and geologic features. Add in rain, snow and wind and what we see today is the fantastic result. Here is the San Juan River on its way west to join the Colorado River and Lake Powell.

Thus, the title of this blog entry - "Wilderness of Rock."

After weeks in the Prescott area including a visit with oldest son, Steve, and his family when they vacationed in Tucson area, with new RV friends, Landon and Marcella Skinnell and their Beagle, BJ, moved north to Flagstaff Arizona.

Flagstaff is at 7,000 ft and near the volcanic San Francisco Peaks, including Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona at 12,643 ft.

About 1,060 A.D. and over about a 200-year period, the San Francisco Mountains (then much higher) started erupting/exploding, spewing lava and ash in an 800 square mile region, primarily to the east of the mountains. We Jeeped into this area named Sunset Crater.

Also, we visited a nearby, partially restored, multi-level "high-rise", 100-room pueblo, called Wupatki Pueblo. It was built and inhabited after the eruptions ceased. Inhabitants irrigated, farmed and traded -- before abandoning everything after about 100-years.

Caravanning with the Skinnell's, we moved further north through the western part of the Navaho Nation in northeastern Arizona to Monument Valley, which is partly in southeastern Utah. Words cannot describe and photos simply do not provide visual completeness or feeling to the stunning, raw topography one experiences. As the light changes, the scene changes. Sunrise and sunset are when the colors are most vivid and features are "etched."

On northward to Valley of the Gods in southeastern Utah which is a mini-Monument Valley and where, with the Skinnell's parked nearby, I drycamped (boondocked). Out the RV's front window are simply stunning views looking south to Monument Valley in the far distance! Right next to our coaches was this awe-inspiring sight!

Nearby, the San Juan River flows westward towards the Colorado River and Lake Powell. At Gooseneck Overlook, one sees the result of its relentless erosion of the Colorado Plateau as it carved down throuh the many layers of rock faster than the Plateau rose.

So - What's a RV Rally All About?

This week I am attending a RV rally in Casa Grande, just south of Phoenix AZ. Located in a huge county fairgrounds, about 300 RV's of all descriptions, sizes and condition and from all parts of North America are lined up side-by-side in multiple relatively neat rows. At this rally we have some power and water!!



One couple drove 3,600 miles from upstate NY to attend. Nick Russell, the producer of this Gypsy Journal Rally, introduced the couple to all 500 or more attendees saying to them, "it's OK to take the chains off your tires now."

As is typical in this lifestyle, everytime one relocates or someone moves in nearby, you have new neighbors and the opportunity to make new acquaintances and friends.

Such is the case here. I have been caravanning with San Diego-based RV friends, John and Mimi Porter for over a month as we have moved from spot to spot. Here you see our coaches parked side-by-side.


Recently, we have developed new friends, Charley and Sheila Scarborough who are relatively "newbie" full-timers. Retired from Raytheon and amateur radio "hams", they are fun folks with a lively dog, all three quickly adapting to life in a portable home and deliberately changing venues. Others are people whose RV/travel blogs I follow, as well as some notable RV lifestyle authors and vendors. It's neat to put their faces and body language together with my impressions and learning received from reading their blogs and hearing about them.

This rally is the best one yet for me. I like attending seminars about living on the road topics. Examples are - "Personal safety for RVers", "Driving tips and techniques", Caring for the RV's exterior", "Highway history and backroad mystery", "How to write travel and life stories", "Fire safety". For the ladies there's "Crafts workshop; quilting on the road; RVing from a woman's point-of-view".



There's coffee and doughnuts in the morning, happy-hour late afternoons, Mimi's delicious dinners, and available entertainment (dancing and jazz) in the evening. Very full days!!

John and I have squeezed in some RC model flying "experiences." We both have a long way to go in reliably making landings where we want to!! Both of us have looming major repairs/replacements -- but -- it's fun!!!!