Moab and its parks.

                                We arrived in Moab ,Utah , just in time for the years first heat wave .

                                 I mentioned a few weeks ago that the  air-conditioning in our car wasn't 

                                 working , something that hasn't bothered us too much until now...

                                 In Moab it was over 20 degrees by 8 o'clock , and then got up to 

                                 the toasty temperature of 30 for the rest of the day .

                                 Moab is a bit of a outdoor adventure paradise ,lots of mountain 

                                 biking ,hiking, rafting and such . We have hauled our bikes along

                                 on this trip, and really not used them at all , but my idea of getting 

                                 out on some easy trails here   did not feel as appealing once we got

                                 a feel of the heat.

                                 We were actually quite lucky to get a spot for our trailer , it seems 

                                 like Moab is the destination for many on a sunny weekend.

                                 The first night we spent rating out the afternoon heat , and then 

                                 strolling the downtown strip ,well suited for a visitor with shopping in mind.

One of our first views at Arches National Park , early in the morning .
A photo further down will give a more 'real' look at it ,I just like the
oddness in this picture.

We were out of the trailer by 7am today , seemed early , but once we were heading
 home 5 hours later it was easy to feel sorry for the later hikers who didn't get to start
out with the morning freshness.
This is at Arches N P ,can you see the arch behind and above their heads?
These arches (there are about 600 in this park) are shaped because  different rock
layers erode at varying rates.In these cases the softer rock layer , originally
deposited below has eroded away leaving an arch creating this kind of opening ,
or sometimes 'jus't holes in the wall.

Impressive, no?
I'm also amazed at how humans always seem to be able to find out the 'how'
behind these kind of phenomenon.

Walking out this morning was not an easy one , but definitely worth it , the
landscape was just amazing !

Not an arch , but fun to look through !

This is a close-up at the first image .
It's called 'Balanced Rock', and there are many examples of these in the park too ,
but this one was very impressive.  It's a pedestal  made of sandstone , which
erodes away faster than the slick rock boulder on top .
Eventually the pedestal will crumble enough to make the boulder fall , and as it's at
a height of 39 meters  won't that be quite a sight?


We thought of staying another day in  Moab , but the heat really got to us .
And the wind , and the sand , the trailer need a good sweeping the morning we left ,
not to mention sleeping on sandy sheets...
And as we drove we sure got out of the heat and into the rain ,
 and are just now hitting snow ,yikes!!!

kokopelli

Who was Kokopelli? Well, there are many different legends of him, some say he was a fertility god, others claim he was a trickster or a mischief maker, although one of the most noticed features is that he is a hunchback, some people claim it was a sack and that he sold corn, or a quiver for arrows, but a physical deformity is th most agreed upon by archeologists since in that time of prehistoric  Mesoamerica ( central mexico south to present day nicaragua), supernatural powers were usually ascribed to hunchbacks.
The most logical reason for being a hunchback is pott's decease (or tuberculosis of the spine) which causes the vertebrae to collapse, deforming the spine into a curve that might in some cases resemble a hump.

Even if Kokopelli originated from Mesoamerica he still managed to get painted on petroglyphs all the way from Alberta, to central america.

In the picture above and below you can't see any deformity since it's a stuffy which also makes him able to play MTG

Above you can see how Kokopelli terminated Taavi in MTG, in which Taavi attempted to beat the all star champ Kokopelli in one-on-one!

In this picture in Arches national park you see Kokopelli playing his flute in his house , here we found a huge wall filled with little rooms and such but i only included this photo.

Kokopelli's flute is sometimes replaced by a bow or staff, you might even see him skiing or riding a bike, althoung with pott's decease that would not be possible since people with pott's decease usually shuffle their feet when walking in order to not hurt the spine, so if they can't walk properly than i've got a sliiiiiiiight feeling they can't do skill stuuuuuff on skis, or bikes.
written and done and made by LOKI  PLUUUSSS  KOKOPELLI.

Mesa Verde, an architectural marvel!

                                Mesa Verde , as well as a few other destinations we've been to
                               during these weeks, has so  lived up to our expectations ,
                               or surpassed them.
            
                                
                            

This is the Yucca plant , one of the most important plants for the people
native to this region.Some uses they   would have had for it would be as food  ,
or they  would fashion shoes or rope from it's stalks.

The cliff dwellings!
A very convenient place to live , it might seem , but to get there , up and down
the mountain side, would be something to get used to ...
Apparently they built cliff dwelling like this one (there were over 600 like
this one scattered around the mountain sides),but stayed in them for about 100
years before they moved elsewhere in the 1300s.

Luckily for us tourists there are now ladders and steps carved into
the mountain side , and narrow crevices at one spot, for us to get up and down
and through the mountain.

The circular shapes are 'kivas' , used for  ceremonial purposes, as well as weaving
and other domestic activities.

We had very early morning in Mesa Verde , but after a rest we had out first
encounter with mini golf this trip . In Sweden more or less every campground
 seems to have one , but it's not so common around here!
If you look super closely you can see that on Sylvain's club sits Kokopelli .
Loki said he could bring you luck if you asked him *politely* for help,
but I don't think it works , especially as I did ask him for help , and still lost...

An evening campfire has so many advantages;it's warming , cozy , keeps
the bugs away ,and whatever you cook it does not create a pile of dishes !
We even had some , oh so sweet, marshmallows , to make us feel like
real vacationers, if we needed to be reminded....

Taos ,New Mexico,oh,so lovely!

                                 Taos ! After a few days in  Santa Fe  it was like coming to a more

                                 manageable sized town , but still full of charm.It has all the adobe 

                                 structures needed to make you feel like you'd be on a different 

                                 continent,but no with  as stringent rules as Santa Fe.

                                 We arrived late at night , and spent the first night camping out 

                                 at Walmart ,before moving to a more reputable camping for

                                 the 2nd night. 

                                 We timed our visit to get to see a festival at the Taos pueblo ,

                                 a town  which has been continually inhabited by the Taos natives

                                for at least 1300 years,possibly longer. And that makes it the

                                oldest town in the US! They were having a spring planting celebration 

                                while we were there , and unfortunately that meant  a 'no photos 'rule, 

                                so therefore no images for my blog , very sad indeed !

                               

But in Taos we could take photos , here's some beautiful Mexican pottery
on a rooftop .Notice the blue sky ! The weather has turned warm and sunny
again , no more rain or snow for us !

Apart from learning about the native history of this area , we also went to
 see this hacienda , representing the Spanish influence in New Mexico.
The no- window wall was there to protect them from possible native attacks .

Look Kokopelli !We searched high and low for this specimen , and he is
now our newest family member .He  also needs to be present in an awful
lot of photos according to Loki, who is his closest friend.

Sylvain and I got a night on our own , and went for the most amazing meal at
this restaurant;the Love Apple  !
Anyone of you who goes to Taos have to go here !
I haven't eaten anything like it for as long as I can remember!
The restaurant is in an old chapel , and serves a somewhat eclectic menu ,
New Mexico influenced .
Love Apple was apparently the old Spanish name for the tomato.

And this is how the town gets that romantic adobe look , while keeping to
sturdier materials.......

OK, this was what made this town just a bit more special !
A  'Magic-The Gathering"  store!
Not only did Taavi and Loki spend an awfully long time in there
choosing what to buy to create the most perfect deck,.but they
 also had a tournament which had them spend a full evening there.
And that was when Sylvain and I got to enjoy that memorable meal at
the ''Love Apple".

The next day we even  had to get on the road a bit later than planned so
that Loki could receive his prize for 5th place out of 12 ,which was a booster pack.

Finally though , after quite a few hours of driving we are now settled in
at the camping by Mesa Verde National Park , in Colorado .

After a late dinner , Chicken Masala with wine , we're now off to bed
to get an early start of hiking  in the park.
Good Night!

A cool day !

                                This was a day that didn't fully go as planned , but it somehow
                                worked out well anyway. First of all we woke up to the chilly
                                temperature of 4 degrees !That was never in my plans when I
                                came up with the idea for this trip! Our hope of the day getting warmer
                                didn't amount to much ,it stayed cold , and we are now thinking
                                of  emptying the trailer of water so it doesn't freeze during the night .
                                I checked the weather forecast though , and it seems like it will
                               be warm again by Tuesday , so YEAY!
                              

After sleeping in and then a delicious breakfast at a french bakery in Santa Fe,
we drove up the mountains to 'Bandelier National Monument' .
We'd just got within the park boundary when an odd sound made us pull over .
And as you can see for yourself on the photo , it was a flat tire .
By now it was only 2 degrees , and starting to snow .....
But if you try to think in positive terms we were lucky to not be pulling
 the trailer , nor was it raining ,and we weren't on a highway either .
Instead a concerned park ranger showed up , very willing to help us out .
So it all worked out , and soon we were on the road again!

These cliff sides were home to groups of Native Americans ,ca 1100-1500.
They enlarged natural cavities in soft volcanic rock to create cliff dwellings,
and also built free-standing pueblos on the valley below , as seen in
the forefront on this picture.
The darker small circles you see on the cliff sides are  openings they used.

Some of them you are allowed to enter , by climbing the ladders.

There are none left , but there used to be walls built out of bricks creating
an additional living space in front of some of  these caves.

Some were just one room caves , but could also be multi rooms like this one.
They weren't actually caves , as they were man made , but are called caveats
instead.

Some images from Santa Fe, showing the  adobe walls .

The city ( by which I mean downtown) is  really beautiful,and has strict regulations
on how to build . It all has to have the look like something centuries old.
Many buildings are nothing more than painted over cement or concrete ,
which can be a  far more easy building material , as  it doesn't react negatively to rain...

I'm assuming we are missing the lilac season at home this year ,
so I get to enjoy them here instead.

By evening the weather had started to turn somewhat depressing .
Slushy ,wet snow ,yuck!
We rented a movie at Walmart ( where we are NOT camping) ,
 and headed home to cozy up in the trailer .