Before leaving civilization, we stopped at the Maverick in Huntington to use the restroom. My FIL and I did not feel a need to eat at 11:00 a.m. The hubster felt the need to buy three packages of Reeses Pieces because "they were on sale." My MIL, her sister, and Grandpa all felt the need for ice cream cones! Meanwhile, I took this photo of the neighboring roof--so colorful!
We took the Fam to the San Rafael Swell. It's a lot of dirt and gravel roads. Grandpa thought we were clear at the bottom of the state, but we assured him, no, we're not in Arizona! In fact, we were about in the exact center of the state. We had lunch under some cottonwood trees which, in the desert, always grow by the river because they really need water. You can always tell where the water is...just look for the cottonwoods. We loved the shade!
After lunch, we took everyone on "The San Rafael Swell Treasure Hunt." We started at the Buckhorn Wash Petroglyph/Pictograph Panel and from there stopped at a few other places with short hikes and get-out-of-the-car peeks, looks, and overviews. Here are some petroglyphs: snakes? flutes? Gods? tiny deer/sheep/antelope? Who knows???
Okay, so let's just say that rocks rock! One of my favorite things about the desert is the desert varnish, the streaks of color that run down the sides of the walls, caused by...I forget, rain, mineral water, calcification, oxidation...yeah, something like that.
So, my MIL is a nurse turned big-time consultant in medical techonologies with a true geologist's/archealogist's heart. K and I had a tough time re-locating it, but when we showed her the dinosaur track, we allowed her a brief moment for her to enter a transcendent hypnotic state as she lovingly gazed upon it. We couldn't stay long though because climbing around on the rocks up there was hotter than blazes!
Thought I would include a snapshot of the trusty dusty van. The other scene is looking off toward Cedar Mountain from The Wedge.
After our little treasure hunt, we drove to The Wedge, a spectacular area known as "Little Grand Canyon." The breeze up on top was delicious. We drove through Huntington and Fairview Canyons on our route back, stopping at Goodwood Barbeque for dinner. I had a chicken salad, but the ribs and chicken the other girls ordered looked mighty fine! K had a smoked turkey sandwich, FIL had a salad as well, and Grandpa had chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. I know, these details aren't all that important, but why not throw them in?
I had to chuckle when I saw this last pic because they are all wearing blue. Do yo see how they match and blend together so well? I'm not posting it, but when I traded places with K, I was the one in the bright pink shirt. I couldn't help but ask, "Which one of these is not like the others?" Thankfully, they've adopted me. Grandpa hugged me goodnight and said, "I love you. You're a good member of the family." Lucky me!
So far, I feel great about how I'm spending my summer vacation. I haven't wasted a minute sitting on the couch or watching television. Sadly, I've been too busy to hike up to the cave. Must get there soon!
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