July 10, Part II: Hwy 279

July 10 -- Moab, Utah. We arrived early enough in the day to check in and take a short break.



I went in search of fresh coffee.

Moab is like many tourist towns with shops dedicated to t-shirt sales and cheap trinkets to bring home to less fortunate relatives. There are also shops dedicated to some of the area's excellent artists as well as countless restaurants and, within two blocks of the hotel, three coffee shops.

Refreshed and caffeinated, we headed for a drive along Hwy 279 which promised views of the Green River, petroglyphs and Jug Handle Arch. We took in the scenes at a leisurely pace and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.













Along the way, we found a couple of panels filled with petroglyphs. The panel you see here is typical. The petroglyphs sit about 14 to 20 feet above the road and were probably at shoulder height when they were created. This is an area that provides a constant reminder that the rock cycle is ever constant and continuous.













Jug Handle Arch is just as described and doesn't even require a vivid imagination to understand how it was named.

My favorite image from the drive isn't actually listed in any of the guides because it's not an arch,


not petroglyphs, not the river -- just one of the countless elements of the scenery. Isolated, it's remarkable. But, as one element among so many it gets lost and remains unseen. It's like so many things that vie for our attention and lose out because it's not deemed remarkable or nameable. We live in a world that doesn't value humanity so much as it values individuals. We have programs dedicated to these remarkable individuals; their names become household words. People act silly when they encounter these named individuals and the moment becomes a story to tell and pass down or a cherished photo op. The everyday individuals who surround us and make our lives palatable are not treated with the same awe and reverence.

Sometimes I think we have the world turned upside down.

On the Road to Moab

July 10 -- Farmington to Moab via Shiprock.

The last time we traveled by Shiprock, the air was so hazy that none of my photographs came out. A wildfire in Mexico was the cause. So, when we had the opportunity to pass by again (okay, we took a half-hour detour) I couldn't resist. I'm not sure what it is about Shiprock that attracts me, but you can see it for miles and miles across the desert landscape.

On the way we stopped in Cortez, Colorado, and ate at Blondies. Blondies seems to be some kind of biker bar at night and a family restaurant during the day. If you have a chance, stop in. The rice with steamed vegetables made an excellent lunch.

Church Rock sits across from the entrance to the Needles District of Canyon- lands. It's called Church Rock because a religious sect actually started the process of turning it into a church. To give you some perspective, the opening you see is a 16 foot high doorway. The plan, as I understand it, was to hollow it out and create a sanctuary inside. I'm not sure much more than the doorway was ever completed. I do know the project was abandoned.

Anyway, I like the idea and it would have been an interesting and unique church. A little further down the rode is an American Roadside Attraction called "Hole in the Rock." Currently it's a tourist destination with gift shops etc. But, before that, the "owner" carved a home out of the rock with bedrooms, a kitchen and so on. Sort of a 20th century cave with electricity and running water.

Just beyond "Hole in the Rock" is an excellent rest area which features Wilson Arch. The area is full of arches and, of course, "Arches National Park" is nearby. This one's a freebie to wet your interest.

Both Shiprock and Church Rock are associated with the idea of the sacred -- a place where humanity and divinity interact. In Heart of Christianity, another of the ideas submitted by Marcus Borg is that the Bible should be seen sacrementally. Many Christians understand the Bible to be sacred and refer to it as the "word of God." What Borg suggests is that the Bible doesn't tell how God sees God, but how people in the Hebrew and Christian traditions see God. As such, he sees the Bible as inspired by God and the experience of God instead of as written by God, and recommends approaching it sacrementally -- that is, as a place where humanity and divinity intersect.

It makes a difference.

Durango to Silverton: Steam Power

July 9 --
The full trip was Farmington to Durango to Silverton to Durango to Farmington.



Just to get this out of the way, the scenery was gorgeous and the train follows the course of the Animas River. Sometimes we rode high above it but for the most part we travelled beside it.

We purchased seats in the observation car. These were benches that faced outward -- sold three to a bench. Now, if we were all small people weighing no more than say, 145 lbs, this might have worked. I ended up sitting next to this older couple. After about 10 minutes he stood up so she could have more room. She fussed at him because she was sure he wouldn't be able to stand the whole time. In exchange for her concern, he muttered, "Missed it" every time she raised her camera to take a photo. She would then make a show of removing the camera from around her neck. "You take pictures then." "No, you take them. I'm just saying you need to learn how to shoot from the hip. . ." Repeat for four hours.

At another point he asked her how she liked the trip. She said, "I won't remember anything but his shoulder." She had to look at me every time she wanted to see what was coming up. Still later, the old guy is on his cell phone. He's called up a friend who works for GMC because they rented a Chevy Malibu and he had some questions about the car. When his lovely wife picked up on the conversation she kept repeating, "Tell him it sucks. Tell him the bucket seats suck. Tell him I don't fit in them and I hate it." (Remember the small benches assigned three per?). Did I mention that the scenery was gorgeous?

When we boarded in Silverton for the return trip the woman mentioned that she wished they had known about the coach that ran between Silverton and Durango. The coach makes the return trip in 45 minutes instead of 4 hours. Karen -- bless her soul -- said they could ride it using their train tickets and they were off the train like a shot.

On the return trip, Karen and I had a bench to ourselves and so did my parents. Four hours passed like 45 minutes.

All of that is to say this: The exterior world we live in is a reflection of the interior world we have created. If you don't like what you're seeing, get a mirror.

to Farmington, New Mexico (part 2)

July 8, Aztec, New Mexico.

On the way to Farmington, we stopped in Aztec, New Mexico to have lunch and visit the Aztec Ruins.

The Aztec Ruins are in Aztec, but neither the town or the ruins are Aztec. Unfortunately, early Anglo settlers in the area didn't know any better and named the city Aztec because they thought the ruins were Aztec. We seem to do this sort of thing a lot. Anyway, these are ancestral Pueblo ruins and belong in the same cultural group as those at Chaco Canyon.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the interplay of the trees and the ruins themselves. At some point Anglo priests entered the picture and planted cottonwood trees. The trees are huge and some had a trunk diameter approaching 5 feet. I can't imagine how much water these trees require each day. I know that in some places where the priests planted the cottonwoods the water consumption became so great that there wasn't enough water left to support the people. Overall, the landscape is a beautiful mix of desert reds and tans and green where the Animas River runs.

The first photo shows a kiva which was a ceremonial and religious gathering place. Some kivas are small and used for family; others are larger and serve the community.

The ruins themselves are extensive and show remarkable craftsmanship and stonework. The section open to the public is about a third of the whole complex. Walking through them, I am reminded how large we as a generation of people are. Even when I ducked my head to fit through a doorway, my back hit the lintel. And, unlike modern apartments, everyone does not have a separate doorway. It's hard to imagine what lighting was like in the interior rooms or the kind of cooperation that would be necessary for individuals to pass through other dwellings to reach their own. I guess the whole idea of the ownership of space would be in question here. Makes you wonder if our society could even manage something like that without violence.

The chapter from The Heart of Christianity I read today is a critique of the type of Christianity I grew up with because it has a tendency to be anti-intellectual but rigidly and selectively moralistic. The Christianity I grew up with is literal and consequently doesn't accept anything, especially science, that contradicts biblical accounts. As a consequence, adherents to a literal understanding of things biblical leave many frustrated by ideas like the subordination of women, the negative attitude towards gays and lesbians, their preoccupation with conservative political views and the rejection of any other religion as inadequate or unacceptable. The concern is with personal salvation instead of compassion and social justice. The concern is with being right instead of good. This thought brings me back to my earlier observation -- to live in such close proximity without violence might not be possible in a community where the world view is personal and not global.

to Farmington, New Mexico

Some things are worth stopping by the roadside to admire
A Rainbow to celebrate our 10th Anniversary

July 8, Albuquerque to Farmington. Today's objective is a less than 200 miles along New Mexico Hwy 550. There's not a lot to stop and do along the way, but we take the time anyway to take it easy. We stopped in Cuba to take a break and grab a cup of coffee. I don't remember the restaurant, but they had this wonderful patio. We ordered four cups of coffee and it came with chips, salsa and a really impressive carved door.

Door and Chilies











You just don't see this kind of craftsmanship at the "all-made-of-ticky-tacky-and-they-all-look-the-same" stops along the interstate. Where we might have stopped for a few minutes -- long enough to fill coffee cups and pay -- we ended up taking a real break that allowed us to wander around and see what caught our eye and mind.


Chilies and Door

















Here are two shots of the same thing. I like that the camera can be used to focus selectively in order to emphasize the subject. In this respect, it's a lot like most of us.

What an individual sees doesn't depend on what's there, it depends on who you are. We make comments about beauty being skin deep or in the eyes of the beholder. We make depreciating gestures and acknowledge that there's no accounting for taste. We spend a lot of time judging people according to some standard we are unwilling to apply to ourselves instead of allowing individuals simply be themselves.

According to Thoreau, "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Something to think about.

Route 66

July 7 -- Route 66 etc.
One of the things my dad and I both enjoy is exploring the existing sections of Route 66. Some are still labeled Route 66; others have been re-designated. Our main activity, aside from annoying my mother with all the stopping, is locating historic buildings that were part of the original Mother Road. Along the way we find abandoned Stucky's, Old Whiting Bros. signs, and gems like the Redtop Diner. As near as I can tell, the Redtop Diner is just sitting on the corner and isn't ever open. If you look inside, the sign above the counter advertises "Route Beer -- 15 cents" along with other period priced choices.

When we left Alamogordo, we had the option of taking Interstate 25 to Interstate 40 and points west. And while this is a quicker route, it's like all interstates -- essentially uninteresting with all the predictable fast food/gas stations at each exit. We chose the much slower road where the speed limit is sometimes limited to 55 mph. Still, the time seemed to pass much more quickly because the sights engaged our minds and imagination in ways that wide lanes at 75 mph with few distractions cannot. Once we reached the outskirts of Albuquerque, Route 66 becomes Central Avenue. Central is dotted with original Route 66 era buildings along with more modern offerings. Along the way we passed a pullout, mini-park with some bicycle art.


Roadside Bicycle Art









According to my dad, the "Duke City" had a mayor who actively promoted bicycle transportation. The mayor's gone, but some of his efforts to promote bicycling remain.

Something happened while we were circling the Redtop Diner with our cameras. Someone is a black pickup stopped at the intersection, leaned out his window and brayed like a sheep. I wasn't sure if he was calling girlfriends or if this was some kind of commentary on the types of people who travel Route 66, take photos and enjoy some relics of America's past. I wondered if he weren't saying that somehow we were following the crowd like a bunch of unthinking sheep following their shepherd to wherever. It did make me wonder if this diversion wasn't some way of trying to recall the past and perhaps wish for the past. For some folks we've met along Route 66, it clearly is a mourning for some sort of golden age that's long gone. For me, though, I think it's an effort to enjoy the journey. If our goal was only to reach the next destination, there were certainly faster alternatives. So, instead of going from point A to point B is the fastest possible time, what did we accomplish on the blue highways? We stopped for ice cream and pie. We visited a gift shop in a "Genuine Navajo Hogan," we grabbed a wonderful green chili cheese burger with french fries cut from real potatoes, we spotted abandoned bridges where the road used to run and we enjoyed each other. One of the issues my dad first raised when we started these summer trips a few years ago is that neither he nor my mom could travel more than 200 or 250 miles a day without feeling bad. So, we plan the trip with this limit in mind. It means we can stop for the roadside attractions along the way, that we don't have to hurry, that we can be a little spontaneous when something comes up that we didn't even know was there until we spotted it.

Enjoy the journey and the destination will take care of itself.

Amtrak

July 6 -- Amtrak from San Antonio to El Paso. We arrived in San Antonio around 1:00 am. There is a 5 hour layover before the train moves on to El Paso. At first I was annoyed by this thought but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Sleeping on a moving train is harder than it sounds. First, we were in a "roomette" (with the emphasis placed on the "ette"). The narrow quarters meant that my arms didn't quite fit on the bed. Second, there's a sliding door that separates the interior from the hall way. All the different sounds -- the clacking, the train whistles at every road, voices of people talking as they walked passed -- helped me realize how much I've come to rely on the "comfortable" sounds of home. Having the train motionless for 5 hours made sleep possible. I woke for good shortly after we started moving again.

Breakfast: The dining car opens for breakfast at 6:00 am. That's when I discovered that part of the experience is eating with strangers. We were seated with two older individuals from California who were part of a larger traveling group. Shortly after we started breakfast, one of these 70 plus guys walked in and started whistling like his team had just scored the winning touchdown on the last play of Superbowl ##. I'm already grumpy because of my marginal night of sleep and while some of the others in his traveling-old-people group started to encourage him, I gave him my "Shut up now or you're going to die" teacher look. He seemed a little surprised that not everyone shared his enthusiasm for 6:00 am. You'd think his parents would have taught him better. I guess when you reach a certain age, every morning is a victory. Being pre-coffee, I wasn't feeling him.

On a different note (post-coffee), the scenery was wonderful. This is an area of Texas I like camping in and the opportunity to see it from a different vantage point was one of the reasons I wanted to take the trip. The area was drenched by hurricane rains a few days before our trip and the desert was responding quickly. Consequently, there was a lot more color that I'm used to seeing. Also, the water in Armistad was up which meant that the Pecos was full when we crossed on the high bridge. I'm looking forward to the return trip because all the sage will be purple then which will give the scenery an entirely different look. I spent the day alternately looking out the window, reading and snapping occasional photographs.

The second book I brought on the trip is called Here and Now by Henri Nouwen. I've decided that my choice of reading and keeping a daily journal is going to add depth to our typical summer travels. Here and Now is a series of reflections, but it emphasized an idea that eternity isn't some future, endless time, but this moment, now in this place, here. It echoes an idea I first encountered through Paul Tillich's book, The Eternal Now. Too often we are stuck in the past, hung up on all those should haves, could haves we all have. Or we cannot enjoy this moment because we're waiting for that golden future moment when we get everything together, life is perfect and we live happily ever after. The problem is that the only time we really have is right now. The past can inform the now and the future can help us decide how we live the now, but, if we fail to embrace this moment, we aren't really living.

I guess I owe the old whistler an apology. Sorry dude.

Summer 2010 Road Trip

July 5, 2010: Houston to El Paso. We boarded Amtrak at 10 pm. My idea was that this would put most of what I wanted to see -- the stretch between Del Rio and El Paso -- in daylight.

Just a couple things to start: I usually pack a couple of novels to read during my summer trips, but this year I decided to include non-fiction instead. I've been reading, back and forth, a book called The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg. The kernel of this book is that the paradigm of main stream Christianity is shifting away from the idea that Christianity is about believing the right claims in order to gain some kind of blissful reward at some later time and failing that suffering for eternity. Instead of some kind of divine Jeopardy, Christianity is a way of living that includes ideas about social justice, tolerance and acceptance.

The second thing: We are taking the Amtrak Sunset Limited route from Houston to El Paso. We'll drive, with my parents, from El Paso to Alamogordo. Second day we'll drive parts of old Route 66 to and through Albuquerque. Day three we'll travel to Aztec to visit the ruins and then to Farmington, Day four takes us to Durango and back to Farmington. In Durango we'll take the narrow gauge railroad to Silverton and back. Day five we'll travel from Farmington to Moab. Day six starts with a scenic flight over Canyonlands followed by a driving tour of the Island in the Sky section of the park. Day seven takes is to Blanding and visits to Natural Bridges and Hovenweep. Day eight we travel to Canyon de Chelly and Window Rock. Day nine we rejoin Route 66 just east of Gallup and follow it to I -25. We'll exit at San Antonio (NM) and return to Alamogordo. We'll spend a few days in Alamogordo exploring nearby attractions until day 14 when we return to El Paso to take Amtrak back to Houston.

Initial impressions from the trip: It's hard to sleep on a moving train. We took a sleeper which has an upper and lower bunk. Karen wanted the upper bunk for the trip to El Paso, but she also likes to get up several times a night. So, in addition to the narrow quarters and unusual noises and movements, I found that I woke up every time she stepped on me getting down from the upper bunk. Hmmm. Note to self -- take the upper bunk on the return trip.