Nature and Spirituality Collide

The rest of our time over the next week or so will be spent in Arizona.  We made our way east and north to check out Aravaipa Canyon, Petrified Forest NP, Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley.  We didn’t incur snowfall, but we did incur cold temperatures.  Lows in the high teens, highs ranging from 40 to 60.  Every single place we went there was an abundance of sunshine.

We did our best to keep the van nice and toasty.  With a lithium battery and solar power, we can stay off the grid for a long time.  Biggest concern was pipes freezing so we kept the hot water pump running and climatized the cabin as well as we could to keep our heat box inside small.

The one thing we didn’t really think about was water.  Since it is so cold up north and east, the parks and fuel stations have their water spigots turned off for the season.  Our tank can only hold 20 gallons of water.  And that can get used up fast if you aren’t being conservative.  A navy shower, with the water literally turned off every chance you get, can easily consume 5 gallons.  Especially if you have long hair.  The further we get from the city, the less options we have to shower at fitness centers.  In fact, there are no options.  John had the genius idea to hit up some automatic car washes and see if they would let us fill up.  They were very willing to comply, so another lesson learned.

Someone asked me about food along our journey.  We have been eating only food we make in the van.  Pretty much from scratch.  Whole food plant based, and in my case, also gluten free.  Every morning we have a smoothie based on John’s signature blend – flax seeds, goji berries, macrobiotic green powder, walnuts, turmeric with black ground pepper, oats, chia seeds.  Add fresh bananas, spinach, and berries.  Voila.  Lunch is normally leftovers from the night before, or nuts, bars, and peanut butter sandwiches if we are on a hike.  For dinner I make one pot meals that have enough extra to make it through two meals.  So far, I have made chickpea rice soup, tomato lentil stew, chili, spaghetti with sauce, and scramble with veggies.  Other easy meals on tap are chana masala and burrito bowls.  

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John is a huge music lover as you know, and we listened to some beautiful artists along our routes….Michael Hedges, Natalie Merchant, 10,000 Maniacs, Indigo Girls, U2, Shamanic music and even some Pink Floyd.   Pass along any thoughts for great nature driving music and we will add it to our list.

Aravaipa Canyon is for the Serious Wilderness Hikers

We drove an incredibly long and windy beautiful road to get to Araviapa.  Two issues when we arrived.  One, you can’t hike the canyon without a permit, and there were no permits available.  Two, this was serious wilderness camping.  No trails really to speak of.  We were out of our league.  We met a nice ranger who showed us a free campsite if we wanted to stay for the night, and a wash out we could hike to get up to Brandenburg Mountain to look into the canyon.  Honestly, the drive was so beautiful.  I was so glad to have the vehicle we had, and that John was not fearful about driving so many switchbacks with no rails on 7 miles of dirt roads.

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The drive from there up to the Petrified Forest was like nothing I had ever seen.  AZ 60/77.  It’s called the Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive.  I looked it up on myscenicdrives.com, and it is well known.  Between Globe and Show Low.  4 out of 5 stars.  The Fort Apache Reservation canyon was beautiful greens against the hillside, with the river flowing below the winding highway.

We spent the night on some BLM land outside our next destination.  A huge farm field with cows and panoramic views of the sunset and sunrise, and lows in the high teens. A great find on the FreeRoam app.

Petrified Forest or Another Planet

Waking up to 18 degrees was a little too cold for me, but we wanted to make it to the park early.  Just wow.  It literally looked like another planet.  The petrified forest was formed by fallen trees hundreds of feet high over 225 years ago. You can find fossils of reptiles, petroglyphs of ancient cultures.  Pastel colored layered badlands.  It feels like the wild, isolated, silent, and desolate.  The rim of the Painted Desert was picturesque with vibrant shades of reds, oranges, and pale shades of white.  My favorite was a trail through the Blue Badlands.  The badlands are infused with bluish bentonite, with layers of blue, grey, and muted purples.  Some in the shapes of teepees.  It is off the beaten path, but well worth it.

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The Sacred Grounds of Navajo People

We spent the night at Cottonwood Canyon, a campground on the Navajo Indian reservation.  We were 1 of 2 people camping on the 20+ sites available.  Apparently not too many people choose to camp in the dead of winter.  Our neighbor was brave in their tiny tent enduring temps in the teens.  I did appreciate the quiet and dark. And only the second time we have paid to sleep on our journey.

Canyon de Chelly is one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America – over 5000 years.  Home to a living community of Navajo people, there is thriving agriculture and a spiritual connection.    The red clay cliff walls against the vibrant green landscape are spectacular.  It is quiet, preserved, natural, clean, and well cared for.  We drove the northern rim stopping at pull off spots to see the sun rising over the cliff walls.  We got to see the Canyon de Chelly, Canyon de Muerto, and Monument Canyon.  I am honored to be able to be on this pristine land the reservation opens to others freely.

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Monument Valley is Like No Other

I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I picked monument valley as a place to check out.  Found it on roadtrippers and myscenicdrives.com but didn’t read too much before our trip.  I don’t know what to stay except this was the most iconic drive I have ever been on in my life.  Inside the Navajo Tribal Park, the drive is profound, majestic, spiritual.  The structures are beyond massive, ranging in height from 100 feet to 1500 feet tall.   Monument Valley was created through erosion starting over 570 million years ago.  It brought both John and I to tears, and it felt like we didn’t belong here.  John called them “God’s trophys”, and I must agree.  The  richest, most vibrant reds against the brightest blue skies.  Snow piles here and there as the air was a crisp 45.  I just kept thinking…how can this be?  How did I not know about this? We finished up with Wildcat Trail to stretch our legs.

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Just when we don’t think it can get any more amazing, our next stop is Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.  That has been on my bucket list for a long time. 

The most profound thing so far is just natural beauty…everywhere we go.  All so different.  But all so similar.  Pristine, crisp, timeless, spiritual, creating a lump in your throat as you just take it all in.  We look at each other so may times and say, “we don’t belong here”.  But we are absolutely humbled with the ability to be here.