September 2 Happy Birthday to My Dear Sister & Travel Partner Extraordinaire, Ginge Southwest & HOT Birthday Gift: The Arches! (who could ask for anything more?)

One word comes to mind when I think about having Ginge here with me as she turns completes yet another journey around the sun. . . that word is Gratitude - 

I had planned to take this trip alone which would have been different for sure however; having her stay on with me for the long haul has been a blessing. It's been challenging at times but for the most part she's been a great travel companion. We've gotten closer than ever and shared experiences that will forever be engraved in our hearts and souls. I love her so!

We have had such good weather. Great for me as I love the heat and temps have ranged between 68 and 107 degrees throughout this trip. NOT GOOD FOR GINGE as she HATES the heat. We've both needed to compromise. Me, I've needed to endure the air conditioning, and she's needed to not have it all of the time. 

Also good for me but not for others (and the land) that since we left on July 11 we've had only a couple of days of rain. Again, good for me and this trip but really bad for the critters and the land. The southwest is supposed to be dry but NOT like this. Rivers, lakes and ponds are hitting record levels of low waters.

Yesterday's drive brought us through a substantial corner of Navajo Nation. Gorgeous vistas that went on for so many miles that we drove far longer than I'd expected. We had already stopped at an RV park (no State Parks in the area) but it was AWFUL looking so me moved on.I was hungry and getting sleepy when the lights of a town appeared over a great hill.  I pulled into a Burger King for a veggie burger (1st fast food of journey) and noted that there were trucks and campers parked behind the building. Well, we had another boondocking experience! Parked in the rear with a pretty nice view of the mesas behind us. 

Ginge woke to a vanilla iced coffee and a birthday snack from Burger King! Happy Birthday sister.

Kayenta is a U.S. census-designated place which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,189 at the 2010 census. Kayenta is located 25 miles south of Monument Valley and contains a number of hotels and motels which serve visitors to Monument Valley.

 We continued Ginger's birthday drive east by heading toward Colorado weaving through Arizona and back into Utah. We actually spent a great deal of time in Utah during this trip. It's a beautiful State - but way too dry for my liking. 

We stopped in a thrift store in Blanding Utah and then a lovely little shop called Hunt's Trading Post where we met the owner, Wayne, who is a Navajo and sells items that are made by Navajos.  We became quick friends with Wayne and purchased several items. As we were readying to leave a woman arrived with hot food. Turns out that Wayne sells her Navajo bread to sell in his store. Wayne wrapped a nice amount of this warm bread made from Indian corn. We hugged and were on our way. Good people are found everywhere. We were blessed to find Wayne and others along our journey.

My final birthday gift to Ginger was a trip to the Arches National Park. Wow - another incredible experience. Arches National Park lies north of Moab in the state of Utah. Bordered by the Colorado River in the southeast, it’s known as the site of more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, such as the massive, red-hued Delicate Arch in the east. Long, thin Landscape Arch stands in Devils Garden to the north. Other geological formations include Balanced Rock, towering over the desert landscape in the middle of the park. Our photos are located in this Website's Photo Gallery.