Max's Birthday, Logan's Blessing & An Easter Egg Hunt

KR and I headed north on Saturday morning for a full weekend of activities in Orem-Springville-landia. It was the first birthday of the Maximus and we went straight to a park for the party after checking into our hotel. KT had it all planned out, naturally. Several of their friends, the Dover's, and Monte & Eunice (before they headed home) were also there. We opened presents, had the obligatory cake moment, and all had fun on the swings. Happy First Birthday Max!



Ethan and Olivia came over to the hotel in the afternoon to play. They also had fun showing Grandma some new tricks on her iPhone.

I caught a few March Madness games. Mark and I are not doing too well in our bracket (again). We have the worst luck (maybe it is the teams we pick?).

On Saturday evening we dyed Easter eggs and otherwise prepared for the big hunt that was on tap for Easter Sunday. Grant thought the whole process was pretty cool. He couldn't stop dunking the eggs, some of which went under the dye a dozen times.

Sunday was Logan's blessing day. Mike did a great job. Check out the Dover-Anderton Clan family picture.

The Dover's

The Dover Kids

Ready for the Easter Egg Hunt



Merrill's Out, Milam's In

Monte and Eunice headed north on the 28th just in time for a visit from our Wenatchee neighbors for a few days. The Merrill's spent a few days at the Family History Center in SLC so they could stick around for the festivities of March 30-31 (see next post).

We had an enjoyable visit with Paul & Muriel. They spent a night and parts of two days. We tried out Benja's Thai & Sushi, which we have been meaning to do. We shouldn't have taken Paul to the Dixie slot canyon right after eating. I thought for sure he could get through, but it must have been that stomach full of good food.

KR & Muriel

Paul & Muriel

Fredonia, Arizona

As we went through Fredonia on the 25th, we saw this sign in front of the grocery store. At least we know those Fredonians have their priorities straight.

Canyon de Chelly II - Yes, We are Nuts!

For various reasons, we were determined to make it back to St. George in one day, yet go a different route and see some new things. For me this day would be a "backtracker" (been on these roads before), but I had found some highlights that I wanted to share with others. So we awoke early and left Chinle. The plan was: 1) Go south on Highway 191 through Ganado to Interstate 40, then along the Interstate to the Petrified Forest NP, 2) Go through the PRNP on the park road, 3) Along Highway 181 to Holbrook, then back on Interstate 40 to Flagstaff, 4) North on Highway 89 with a short detour through Sunset Crater and Wupatki NMT's to 89A, 5) East on 89A over the Navajo Bridge, along the Vermillion Cliffs, through Fredonia and race for home! And be very tired...again! Well, we did it, as you can see below.

Ganado has one stop worth checking out. Hubbell Trading Post NMT is located there. If you want to see a trading post as close to how they were in their glory days, this is the place. And it is still operating!

Monte Entering the Post

Outside View

Just east of Holbrook on Interstate 40 is the Petrified Forest NP. Actually, you get a 3-for-1, as there are some nice ruins inside the park plus the Painted Desert.

The Painted Desert

If you are a rock collector, make sure you stop at Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Company in Holbrook. They have acres of samples from small pieces to entire trees. The show room is HUGE, with everything from key chains to dining room tables made of rock (if you are in the market for a $20,000 table).

As We were Leaving Jim Gray's, KR was
Attacked by a Giant Dinosaur - We Had to
Distract Him with an Apple to Get Her Loose

North of Flagstaff, there is a nice loop road that leaves and returns to Highway 89. On the loop you can take in Sunset Crater NMT (cinder cones and nice views - similar to Mt. Lassen NP or Craters of the Moon NMT) and Wupatki NMT. The latter has a couple of nice sets of ancestral puebloan ruins (I am so politically correct). Definitely worth the detour.

By the time we left Wupatki, we pushed it, hitting the accelerator a little harder. We crossed the Rainbow Bridge and passed over the Kaibab in the fading light. But did we ever time it right! As we descending the west side of the Kaibab to Fredonia, we were treated to an incredible sunset. We stopped and took as many pictures as we could as it changed in color and intensity, then slowly faded. Even though I thought the pictures turned out fantastic, I am not sure justice was done to what we saw in person that night.

By the way, we stopped in Fredonia and had a wonderful steak dinner. Try it: Cowboy Butte Grill & Steakhouse. It is rated a 4.5\5.0 on TripAdvisor. Be mindful of the time (we just made it), as it closes at 8 p.m. Arizona time (mind the daylight savings time issue).

Canyon de Chelly I - Are We Nuts?

                                       

Since we planned on going to Canyon de Chelly with Monte & Eunice when we returned from Honduras, and, as they were heading home in a few days, we really had no choice but to go after only one day of rest from our jaunt through Central America. We slept in on Sunday, hit a late church, got a another good night's rest, loaded up the car, and pointed it east for another adventure. There was a road in Arizona I had not colored in yet, so out of Tuba City we traveled Highway 264 through the Hopi villages at First Mesa and Second Mesa to Burnside, then headed up Highway 191 to Chinle. The Hopi lands are entirely surrounded by the much larger Navajo Nation. The drive through the villages along 264 is essential, in my opinion. Not that there is any great scenic beauty, although there is some if you like that sort of thing. It is photogenic for sure, but what is so unique is that it seeps of tradition and age. A lot happened here over the centuries. Read about it then go see it. We stopped for a cold soda at Kearns Canyon and there was a small Hopi craft shop inside the store. Looking around, I commented to the clerk about the age of the homes up on First Mesa. I also mentioned the area at the end of the cliff that just sort of hangs in the air with dwellings that REALLY look old. You cannot drive there and must have a Hopi guide to enter the area. She said "I know all about it, I live there". The only thing I could say was "Oh, cool".

We finally arrived at Chinle around 3:30 in the afternoon after a VERY long day of driving. We debated what to do about seeing Canyon de Chelly. We decided that the light for taking photos would be best in the late afternoon, so headed up. It is just a short distance out of Chinle, and has a nice visitor's center. There are basically two ways to the see the CdC: 1) Hire a Navajo guide and tour the river bottom, or 2) Use the road system that skirts CdC on both sides and see it from above. The roads on each side dead end and you must backtrack to the park entrance. We chose #2 and the road along the south rim, mainly because it had more viewpoints and we thought the canyon light would be better. CdC is sacred to the Navajos, but also the location of some very sad events in their history. Things and events much too complex to fully describe in a blog posting.

We did get the right light and it is a spectacular place. Interestingly, the CdC deepens as you head upstream/east, so go as far as you can along the road. The views get better. The photos below are just a few of the hundreds we took that afternoon. There are some nice cliff ruins you can see in the distance from one of the viewpoints.

But Can He be Controlled?

We had dinner and found a room in Chinle. The indian fry bread was excellent! Chinle has several nice places to stay.