June 8 - Clearing for Take-Off


Up


way


early;


with


each


mile


we are closer,


windmills


and


buttes,


at


least


since Oklahoma City


I-40


paralleling / replacing old


U.S. 66.


New


Mexico,


Mountain


Daylight


Time,


the


Visitor


Center


opening


up


15 minutes early


seemingly simply kindly on our behalf.


Classic,


with


the


Eastern


New


Mexican


scenery


even


better


than


had


been


remembered,


spectacular


desert


mesas


and


mountains.


Beyond Tucumcari


colors


intensify,


cliffs


steepen --


mysterious


distant


highlands,


coming


into


closer


focus,


towards


a


supply


stop


in


Santa


Rosa


near


the


upper Pecos River.


The


land


rises into


pine


and


juniper


woodlands


with


the


far-


away


Sandia


Mountains


beckoning.


Onward,


into


the


ranges,


down


Tijeras


("Scisors")


Canyon,


Albuquerque,


Rio Grande,



Chihuahuan


Desert (arguably on the east side of the ranges, too)



to


Rio Puerco ("Pig" or "Dirty / Muddy River")


and


another


supply


stop


near


Negra Cerro.


Ever


Westward,


mindful


of


the


Cibola


myths,


 red


rocks


near


Los


Lunas


Junction,


Mesita,


Sunhouse


Pillars


in


the


Rio


San


Jose


Valley,


ancient


civilizations


of


stone


and


clay ---


Earth,


Wind,


Fire,


and


Sky --


The


Malpais,


Bluewater


Mesa,


this


storied


corridor


approaching


the


Continental


Divide,



down


to


another


Puerco


River,


Wingate


Sandstone,


The


Hogback


into


Gallup,


the


intensity


of


the


landforms


growing


all


the


more


impressive


towards


the


Arizona


border.


A


quick stop


at a


Native-American


trading post



and


off


we


go


again,


Beckettianly --



oh


yes,


having

gained


another


hour,


since


AZ


stays



on


Mountain


Standard


Time


all


year.


After


a


break


at


the


approriately-surreal



Meteor Crater Rest Area,


beeline


upslope


towards


stormy


conditions


in the central uplands to


how-could-we-forget


Winona

and



Flagstaff.


Kick


around



66


for


re-fueling,


then


cross-


piney-


plateau,


Williams,


downslope


to


Ash


Fork


Grade


and


Valley,


cedar


savanna


on


the


way


to


Seligman.


Markham (nice name) Canyon,


Seventy-Four Plain,


Jolly


Ridge (after "Hi Jolly" Hadji Ali, an Ottoman subject of Syrian and Greek parentage, who in 1856 became one of the first camel drivers ever hired by the US Army to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest),


Cross


Mountain,


the


aptly-sobriqueted


Fort Rock,



down


Cottonwood


and


Willow


Canyons


to


Silver


Springs


Valley,


the



Hualapai


Mountains,


and


at


last



the Mojave (Mohave?) Desert and



Kingman.


Hallelujah!


Checking


in,


within


sight


of


marvelous


canyons


and


palms


all


around,


over dinner.  Dream of a day and night -- 69th of summer back home, high plummeting down 13 to 71, .05 inch of rain for a total of 46.32 since July 1...

Amarillo, 90
Albuquerque, 93
Flagstaff, 79
Kingman, 95