Travel Tips & Adventures

When President Barack Obama chose to visit Arizona and, specifically, Phoenix, recently, there was a hubbub about some nutcases who were “expressing” their right to bear arms.

No, we are not all gun-toting nuts in Arizona! The people I know are all peaceful, friendly and, at least as far as I know, quite sane.

So, please come visit Arizona! There are a multitude of amazing sights to see – nature has been abundantly generous in making Arizona a vividly memorable land. From desert flowers blooming in spring to the Grand Canyon, volcanic cones to pine forests, Arizona has a wide array of climates and scenery.

Cereus Peruviana in bloom

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Well, I promised to update everyone on how my effort to remove the scammer’s charge from my credit card worked out!

Triumph!

My credit card company sent me a letter that they had concluded the investigation (it only took another month) and the amount was “suspended” and was removed from my account.  

Under absolutely no circumstance do I recommend that anyone use Tracfone Airtime.  They submitted a pile of documentation and tried to get paid for fraudulent charges.

May everyone learn from my sad experience!  Be VERY careful before you give any information to anyone!  Credit card companies already have your info.

In the last of my three-part journey north of Santa Fe, I am heading up to Taos, New Mexico. After spending the morning in Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos, I’m heading to a destination that is more known for its winter activities than summer.

Summer Skiing

Can you say SKIING? That’s what most people think of when they hear the words Taos, New Mexico. (more…)

Today, those who leave graffiti as a reminder of their existence might use paint.  

Centuries ago, scratching laboriously into stone surfaces with hand made tools, native people left designs we call petroglyphs.  Scratched into the surface, Native Americans left behind images that can be easily figured out and some that are mysterious. 

Human form

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Last week, I began a three part series on what to do when you’re not invited to the same seminar as your wife in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Hopping in the car with a bag of chips and an assortment of “beverages of my choice,” I headed north out of the city on US 285/84 until reaching NM 502 and then west to NM 4.

The first stop was the cliffside dwellings of Bandelier National Monument. This week, I am leaving Bandelier for a short drive to Los Alamos. As you pull out of the park entrance, a left will put you west on NM 4, then north on NM 501 will put you at the west end of the town of Los Alamos.

(PARANOIA ALERT!) (more…)

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

The Native Heritage Center, located outside of Anchorage, Alaska, introduces you to native traditions and customs of both the past and the present. We stopped there on our way from Whittier to Anchorage. (more…)

Rose Big Horse was asked to demonstrate her weaving skills at the Wupatki National Monument in Arizona recently. Her efforts and designs are part of a long tradition in her Navajo Tribal family.

Rose shows traditional family "storm" pattern

Although her weaving time is confined to evenings and her spare time, the intricacy and proficiency of her work is exceptional. She learned the skill from her mother, who is a published author on weaving. Her mother’s special pattern is called the “storm” pattern. If you think that these works are easy, you would be wrong: it can take a year to produce one rug. (more…)

Passing Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (see last week – August 17), travel through a landscape of scrub brush and lava rock and you reach Wupatki National Monument.

Wupatki Pueblo - part of the 100-room ancient community

Wupatki’s 100-room pueblo, built of intricate stone and clay mortar, housed a resourceful and hard-working Native American population who lived in Northern Arizona over 800 years ago. They farmed, created pottery, and lived in large communities. Water was a scarce commodity and they conserved it carefully. (more…)

When we visited Walnut Canyon National Monument this past weekend, we were alerted that there were 240 steps down – and up – from the visitor center to the Loop Trail where we could see the homes of ancient people carved out of steep hillsides.

240 steps – each way, up and down – was quite a strenuous trip to reach the top! When Sinagua people inhabited the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon 800 years ago, they must have been part mountain goat – and they didn’t have paved steps and paths! Although I consider myself fairly physically fit, the altitude, 7,000 feet, coupled with the demanding climb of 185 feet, I reached the visitor center panting with my heart pounding.

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By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

When you are traveling to all of these great places out west, if you want to be economical, you might bring your RV.  Here are some places to stay…

The KOA Campgrounds across the country are usually very nice and well run.  One of the nicest is the one in Las Cruces, NM.  There are trees and a cement pad at every site and most are pull-thru, making it easier to get your rig in and out.   The Las Cruces campground has a wonderful pool and picnic/barbeque area, and a grassy area for those with tents.  The general store and gift shop offers western and native wares for purchase, along with restocking your rig.

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