5 May 2012 - Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, Utah

I've been sending money to this animal sanctuary, and wanting to visit here, for years, since long before they became so well known, due to their work after Hurricane Katrina, National Geographic's popular "Dogtown" TV show, and their work with the "Michael Vick dogs". I'm glad I finally made it. I took one of the several 90-minute tours they offer daily. I took the Volunteer Orientation class, too, because I was hoping to volunteer, but that didn't work out, because I had my dog with me.

I have always been impressed with this organization, and, now I am even more impressed than I was before.

Their location - out in the country, in the spectacular Vermillion Cliffs, with beautiful Angel Canyon all to themselves - can't be beat! There is more than enough room for the horses and other large animals.

I was impressed with how new and nice the facilities looked. The tour included a visit to one of the "cat houses", as well as to Dogtown Heights. I was so impressed with the cat house. It was more like a home than an institution. I wouldn't mind living there myself!! :-) The only cat that was in a cage, was the cat who had just arrived the day before, and it sounded like he would be let out later that day because he was adjusting very well. Caregivers are assigned to a particular house, so that they get used to the cats in that house, and the cats get used to them. A caregiver who knows an animal well is more likely to notice if something is "off" in an animal's behavior, than one who isn't.

The "cat house" had built-in features that cats would love. I was especially impressed with the platforms built up near the ceiling, for "rafter cats" - those cats who only feel safe up high, when they first arrive. There are even litter boxes up in the rafters, so the rafter cats don't need to come down, until they are ready.

The tour guide was very good, providing lots of information, answering all our questions, and even entertaining us. :-) In fact, I was impressed with the helpfulness and friendliness of every person I dealt with during this visit. I learned that there are over 300,000 members of Best Friends now. I learned that National Geographic had originally planned to only have three episodes of "Dogtown", but it was so popular, that it ran for four seasons. I learned that they have rehabilitated, and found adoptive homes for, several of the Vicktory dogs. You might remember that the fighting pit bulls that Best Friends took from the Michael Vick rescue, were the ones the other rescue organizations said couldn't be rehabilitated. And they are still working with the others (although two have died). I was reminded that Best Friends gives workshops continually, for others around the country who want to learn how to run a successful sanctuary operation.

After I took the tour, I spent some time at "Angel's Rest", the animal cemetery. As expected, this cemetery is used for the animals from the sanctuary, and is also used for the employees' animals. But Best Friends has offered to their members, for years, the option of purchasing wind chimes for the cemetery, in memory of a beloved pet. And so the cemetery is full of the tinkling sound of wind chimes. I can only say that this cemetery experience was probably the most pleasant of my life. There is something about all those beautiful wind chimes, that makes it seem like such a serene, spiritual place. I left there thinking that all cemeteries should have wind chimes in them. Having worked Hurricane Katrina for FEMA, I was moved by the memorial to the Katrina animals. But, I was moved by the whole experience. We should all have such a lovely place for our final rest.

4 May 2012 - Route 66 to Grand Canyon West

I didn't realize part of the route I'd be driving to Grand Canyon West, was the old Route 66. I was delighted when I saw these signs along the side of the road:

IF DAISIES ARE
YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER
KEEP PUSHIN’ UP
THOSE MILES PER HOUR.

YOU CAN DRIVE
A MILE A MINUTE
BUT THERE IS NO
FUTURE IN IT.

TRAIN APPROACHING
WHISTLE SQUEALING
PAUSE, AVOID THAT
RUNDOWN FEELING.

THE BLACKENED FOREST
SMOULDERS YET
BECAUSE I FLIPPED
A CIGARETTE.

SLOW DOWN, PA
SAKES ALIVE
MA MISSED SIGNS
FOUR AND FIVE.

I didn't see this one on the road, but, for some reason, I remember it from my childhood:

DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT TOO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR.
BURMA SHAVE

Do you remember the days of Smoky the Bear, when the government was trying to convince smokers to quit throwing their cigarettes out their car windows, because they were starting forest fires? (And it seemed like everyone smoked.)

I've been wanting to walk on the Skywalk, the "glass bridge" over the Grand Canyon, ever since I heard they were building it, so I'm glad I did it. But I was disappointed. First, because the artist's rendering of the imagined bridge showed that it went out into the canyon much further than it actually does. Second, I imagined that you would be able to see down into the bottom of the canyon from the glass bridge; you can't. Third, it was expensive ($80, part for "admission to the Hualapai tribal lands" and the remainder for the skywalk itself). There is a distinct contrast between the South Rim and Grand Canyon West. Part of that is the cost. Part of that is the difficulty of reaching the west rim, including an eight-mile "primitive road" that I had to drive at about 8 mph in my rig because of the washboard and ruts. I imagine that Grand Canyon West is the way the South Rim was, a few years back. There are more fences and barricades at the South Rim. But the primary difference, aside from the the massive number of people who visit the South Rim, is the constant sound of helicopters taking off and flying in and over the canyon. It certainly detracted from the experience, for those of us not flying in the helicopters. The tour guides at Grand Canyon West also mentioned criticisms of the other location, which I felt was in bad form. Finally, the canyon is much wider, and much deeper, and more impressive, in the national park.

The best parts of the experience: The drive through the Joshua Tree forest was delightful. I did enjoy watching a couple of Hualapai dancers (though their dance is the simplest of all the native dances I've seen, mostly just rocking back and forth, and I didn't appreciate the unprofessional, insolent, attitude of the gourd rattler). And I enjoyed seeing the western part of the Grand Canyon, including especially Eagle Point [photo above], which looks like the head, shoulders, and outspread wings of an eagle (with a little imagination).

2 May 2012 - Grand Canyon

So where is Joey now? [See photo left] The Grand Canyon! It had been years since I was at the Grand Canyon, and something I'd been wanting to do for awhile, so it was a treat. We stopped in the thick ponderosa pine forest on the way there, and I inhaled the wonderful pine scent that I miss when I'm in the desert. It was Joey's first visit to the Grand Canyon! :-) She wasn't impressed with the scenery, as we stopped at each of the overlooks on the South Rim, all the way east to the eastern-most Desert View. But I was. When you are there, you can understand why, on every list of its kind, this is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I hadn't been to all the overlooks on the east end before, so especially enjoyed those, and the historic Watchtower. Some of the tourists were impressed with the size of the ravens that hang around the overlooks, as was I. We went back to Navajo Point, which was one of my favorites. Then we watched the sunset from another favorite, Lipan Point. It was a little windy, and it got too cold for me to be comfortable hanging out at the rim, so we went back to our snug, warm RV, at a campground in Tusayan.

1 May 2012 - On the Road Again! North Ranch

It's summer time, and time to get on the road again! [Flowers from a Palo Verde tree on left].

I left Mesa on Tuesday, May 1st. It feels good to be back on the road, but I've left a chunk of my heart back in Mesa. I pretty much got settled into my new home, but spent as much time as I could with the new man in my life, who is in Mesa. :-)

My first stop was at North Ranch, which is an Escapees park outside of Congress, AZ. Although it's only about 90 miles north of Phoenix, it's not in the Valley of the Sun, and so the temp there was 77, instead of the 91 in Mesa. I'd been hearing about North Ranch for years from other Escapees, and wanted to check it out. And I wanted to get my rig weighed. I've been going to do that for awhile. It's a service Escapees offers at North Ranch (and other places), for a fee. I got only good news. My rig is well balanced, and not carrying anywhere near too much weight on any wheel. The total is 10,500 pounds. About what I expected, but I'm glad to have it confirmed.

Joey and I enjoyed our walks around the grounds while we were there. If you stop, you must see Methuselah, the largest saguaro I've ever seen, for sure. They think he's over 400 years old, and he towers over the buildings there.

16 April 2012 - St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery

I drove out to Florence (only about an hour's drive southeast of Mesa) to visit my friend Sue, who has an RV on a lot she purchased out in the country there. It was great to see her and get a chance to get caught up on each other's lives. She has a large lot out in the country - very nice. She suggested we drive over to St. Anthony's nearby, which was a great idea. The monastery has been here about ten years, and they have done an impressive amount of building and landscaping in that time. All the women have to wear long sleeves, skirts, and head scarves, so they loan clothing to the tourists to use while they are walking on the grounds. Bit it's worth it! (I don't think I'd feel as good about it, in the middle of the summer, though.) [Don't we look like old ladies?!?!?]

The cathedrals, other buildings, and grounds are beautiful. I enjoyed the beautiful architecture, including onion-shaped domes, tiled roofs, curved arches. The ornate interiors included stone mosaics on the floors, lots of gold and silver decorations, beautiful tapestries, intricately-carved wooden fixtures, and parquet-like patterned wooden ceilings. The landscaping includes fountains, statuary, and intricate masonry on the grounds. I got the impression that it had all been done with such loving care. What a treat! It's definitely worth the drive out from Mesa.

21 March 2012 - Desert Botanical Garden

Before they headed out of town, back north for the summer, my friends Mike and Rhonda and I visited Desert Botanical Garden, where they were having a butterfly exhibit. [Buckeye moth at left]

I always enjoy my trips to Desert Botanical; I enjoyed sharing it with Mike and Rhonda, as it was their first time. This time there was the added attraction of the butterfly exhibit. [Zebra butterfly at right]

This was the first time I visited when the hummingbird garden was in full bloom, and we got several really good views of hummingbirds.