Tuesday, 5 October: Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Today we went to the Acoma (say ack-umma) Pueblo, about an hour's drive from our hotel in Albuquerque. The Acoma people are an ancient race of American Indians. The pueblo, or village, was built on the top of a 112 metre (367 foot) sandstone mesa. It is also called 'Sky City'. It is thought that the pueblo was built in the 12th century, but before that the people lived on another mesa, probably dating back to around the 7th century. No one knows why they moved, or why they built their village on top of a high, almost unreachable mesa. Possibly it was for defence.  However, in 1598, the Spanish invaded New Mexico, and raided many pueblos, including Acoma, taking anything of value. There were about 2000 people living in the pueblo when the Spanish conquered it, and only about 250 after the battle was lost.

The Spanish built a church on the mesa and the Indians were forced to become Catholics and to learn to speak and read Spanish. They found quiet ways of seeming to obey, while continuingtheir own ways in secret defiance.

Rainwater collects in rock depressions

Today there are still Acoma people living in the pueblo, though most now live in the surrounding plateau, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited pueblos. Everything had to be carted up to the mesa, dragged on sleds pulled by mules. The Acoma people hunted the mostly small animals around, such as rabbits and snakes, and the occasional elk. They collected berries and nuts, and also planted small crops of corn and squash where they could. There are depressions in the rocks where rain water collects in large pools, which supplied the Acoma people with water. They collected what they needed in large pottery bowls and urns. Today the pools are used only for washing, and the residents cart drinking water up to the mesa. They have no electricity up there, and large gas cylinders supply gas for cooking. There are porta loos tucked away in unobtrusive locations, and a few four wheel drive cars are parked outside some houses. Clay dome-shaped wood ovens are dotted about for communal use, and bread is still baked daily. Most of the residents are artists, making traditional pottery, jewellery and ornaments for sale to visitors.

The Acoma people have built a visitor centre and small buses shuttle visitors up to the pueblo, where an Acoma guide takes them through the village. A licence to take photos must be obtained, and there are places where photographs cannot be taken.

Saturday, 16 October:Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua trees are a kind of yucca (say you-cuh) plant. They are desert plants, but occur at high altitudes. They were named by Mormon pioneers who were travelling northwards looking for a place where they could establish settlements and follow their religion in peace. When they saw the strange shapes of these trees they were reminded of a bible story about Joshua who raised his arms to the heavens to pray.

In this national park there are two kinds of desert. In the lower parts there is Colorado type desert: low tussocks of grass and low shrubs. As it gets higher, this kind of desert merges with yucca desert which takes over: small plants, yuccas and joshua trees. We started with Colorado type desert, and the rocks looked like piles of rubble. These gave way to huge boulders piled up.

At a place called Keys Point there was an overview of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains, and we could see the San Andreas fault, even though there was quite heavy haze in the distance.  The San Andreas Fault is a line of weakness in the earth's crust that runs through much of California.

As we descended to leave the park, the Joshua trees stopped abruptly and the Colorado type desert reappeared, this time with a cactus called cholla (say choy-ya), attractive but not to be touched. The silvery bristles that look fluffy are each tipped with a minute prickle. If you touch the plant or even brush against it as you walk past, the spines spear your clothing, shoes or skin. They hang on tight and a whole section of the plant comes off and stays with you. When it finally drops to the ground, it easily grows into new plants, which gives the cholla its nickname 'jumping cholla'.

We drove onto San Diego, our last destination.

Friday, 15 October: Salton Sea, California

Salton Sea is a huge inland rift lake about an hour's drive from Palm Springs. It is located on the San Andreas Fault, and is fed by three rivers. Its surface lies 69 metres below sea level, and its maximum depth is 16 metres. However, it has no water flowing out, only in. This has resulted in the lake becoming very salty. In fact, with 44 grams of salt to each litre of water, it is saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Since the 60s the salt level has risen sharply. In addition, fertiliser run off from nearby farms has led to blooms of algae.

There are ruins of holiday houses and caravans abandoned by people who decided not to keep holidaying on the lake. Many fish species have died out, unable to survive the rising salinity of the water. However, many bird species inhabit or use the lake as they migrate: about 400 different kinds of birds have been seen at Salton Sea.

In 1998 the Sonny Bono Salton Sea Restoration Project was launched, and is investigating ways to save the lake by reducing salt levels and bringing the lake and surrounds back to life. There are now some small settlements of new houses in places near the shore.

Wednesday, 14 October: Palm Springs, California aerial tramway

A cable car going up the mountain past one coming down

It is unseasonably hot in Palm Springs at the moment: around 36 - 38º C (96-102ºF).  We went on the aerial tramway, which is a cable car that goes up to Mt Jacinto State Park, 2596 metres (8516 feet) above sea level. The cars take about 80 people at once on the trip up, about 10-15 minutes. The cabin is round, and the floor slowly revolves so you look out of different windows as the trip progresses. Once at the top, there are restaurants and walking trails. The view is spectacular, looking out over Palm Springs, Las Palmas and the Coachella Valley. The state park is, apart from the tramway buildings, untouched wilderness, a habitat for many birds, such as the Golden eagle and yellow-headed woodpecker, and animals such as squirrels, coyotes, mountain lions and black-tailed deer. There are streams flowing down the mountainside, and you can track them by the green plants between the rocks. You can stay at the top for as long as you like, and catch a cable car down when it is convenient, as they run every 15 minutes. The trip down is better because there are just a few on board, and the view is therefore easier to see.

In the afternoon we took a jeep tour around the town, and learned a lot about its origins.  The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation adjoins and overlaps what is now the town of Palm Springs, and for hundreds of years the Cahuilla Indians used the hot springs that are in the location, regarding them as magical because soaking in the water cured so many aches. Gradually other people came to the springs, paying the Cahuilla for the experience. In time, a hotel was built, and movie stars and directors in the early days of Hollywood, the 1930s and 40s, began to build holiday homes there. Their contracts with the movie studios said they must not go further from Los Angeles than 100 miles... and Palm Springs is 99 miles away, another thing in its favour! The town grew from those origins. Today Agua Caliente is one of the richest of all the Native American tribes, and the town flourishes. The charming town retains its village atmosphere, with a strict building code limiting the height of buildings in the area.

A vast forest of wind turbines outside the town supplies all its energy needs.

Tuesday,12 October: The Grand Canyon Skywalk

Erosion by the Colorado River helped create the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is situated entirely in Arizona. It is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Find out about it on http://kidcyber.com.au/topics/wonderlists.htm

The Skywalk opened in March 2007. It is a glass walkway that juts out over the edge of the Canyon on its western rim. It is 4000 feet or about 1400 m above the floor of the Canyon!

Skywalk juts out over the Canyon rim

Skywalk is owned by the Hualapai tribe of American Indians. Their Reservation of about 1 million square feet takes in the western rim, and they own about one third of the Grand Canyon. Engineers checked the western rim and chose the location. Huge steel beams were sunk about 46 metres into the rock. The large, massively thick glass plates that make up the floor were made in Belgium. When all the sections were complete and had been delivered up the mountain to the top of the Canyon, it took just a few days to complete the structure. The buildings around Skywalk are still being finished, and much more is planned, such as restaurants and hotels. Visitors buy a ticket, and are taken by shuttle bus, a ride of just 5 minutes or so, to Eagle Point. Only 120 people at a time are allowed onto Skywalk, and each is given cloth slippers to put over their shoes just before they walk out there to protect the glass from being scratched. There are glass walls around the walk, high enough to protect people from high winds.  To protect the glass floor, people are not allowed to take cameras or cell phones onto Skywalk. To get to the admission point, people can go by small plane or helicopter from Las Vegas or Kingman, or can drive from Kingman. However, the last 32 km (20 miles) before you enter Hualapai land is unmade road-and it is the only road in!

It is quite scary walking on the glass floor, even though you know that it is designed to withstand an earthquake of up to 9 on the Richter scale, and could support the weight of 11 or so fully fuelled and loaded jumbo jets! To step onto a floor through which you can see rocks 4000 feet below is strange, and there were some people who became quite anxious, especially when others jumped up and down!

Monday,11 October: Sedona, Arizona

We didn't realise that Sedona isn't heavily visited during the summer, but the autumn is peak season. We were unable to get accommodation here: everywhere has been booked out for months. So we contented ourselves with a delightful day trip. It is not a long drive from Flagstaff, and the narrow road cuts through mountain forests of Ponderosa pines and steep mountain passes. Suddenly the rocks become a deep red, and you are in Red Rock valley where Sedona is located. The scenery is just gorgeous wherever you look. The town itself is delightful, full of interesting art galleries, nice open air eating places and places offering fortune telling, psychic and tarot readings, or day spa treatments. It was a fascinating, fun day. This is definitely a place to return to, but next time perhaps not in its busiest time when it is crowded with tourists.

Sunday, 10 October: Meteor crater, near Flagstaff, Arizona

About 50,000 years ago a huge meteor smashed into the vast, flat plain near what is now the city of Flagstaff. It is estimated that it took 10 seconds for the fast-moving meteor to enter Earth's atmosphere and crash. Travelling at about 43,500 km per hour (27,000 miles per hour), or 18 kms (11 miles)  per second, it crashed with what would have been a huge flash. The meteor would have been about 56 metres or 150 feet wide, and would have struck with a blast greater than a bomb of more than 20 million tons of explosive. Shockwaves would have radiated out across the plain for several miles. The meteor would have broken into pieces, and small fragments would have melted and then hardened into tiny balls which are buried in the soil.

On right, there are people standing on a viewing platform

The result was a giant hole in the ground, 214 metres (700 feet) deep and more than 1220 metres (4000 feet) across. Over 170 million tons of rock were thrown out to form a blanket of rubble onto and around the rim.

NASA astronauts were trained for missions to the moon and Mars in the crater, and vehicles for use on the surfaces of the moon and Mars are tested there.

Saturday, 9 October: Holbrook, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, Arizona

Holbrook is a delightful little town with a very colourful past that dates back to the days before Arizona became a state. The Santa Fe Railroad Company had a depot there, and around the railroad station saloons, inns and other buildings were gradually built. There were wild people living there, and Holbrook was considered to be an unfit place for women to live. There were gunfights in the main street regularly before law and order was gradually introduced.

Years later, the historic highway, Route 66, went through Holbrook, and it became famous for that. Route 66 opened in 1926, one of the original US highways. It went from Chicago across the country to Los Angeles. Today Holbrook is quite unspoilt, buildings left abandoned rather than renovated for tourists. Some buildings date back to the wild west days, and the days when the pony express mail couriers rode through, each passing the mail bag to the next rider, rather like a relay race. Some buildings date back to the days when Route 66 was a much used and famous highway. Others are modern buildings, mostly accommodation for the many road travellers who break their journey across Arizona or on their way to the Grand Canyon.

A view of the Painted Desert

Just out of town lies the Painted Desert, a large area of flat ground with mesas and buttes rising steeply, in varying shades of pinks, purples and creams. It really does look as if it was painted.

The Painted Desert merges into an area called the Petrified Forest. This area was once a huge floodplain, forested with tall conifer trees, ferns, cycads and other plants that are now extinct. Small dinosaurs, giant amphibians and crocodile-like reptiles lived there. When trees fell, streams floated them onto the floodplains, where they were buried under layers of silt, mud and volcanic ash, which stopped the wood from decaying. Water carrying minerals and silica seeped into the wood. Eventually the silica crystallised into quartz and the logs were preserved as stone - petrified wood. Petrified wood comes in many colours, according to the minerals in the silica-laden water. It is surprisingly heavy, a cubic foot (a foot is about 1/3 metre) weighing about 91 kg (200 pounds).

Remains of a kiva

There were human settlements in the area, around 1100-1300 AD. There are remains of an Indian pueblo, probably homes for about 18 families. There are only foundations left, but the outlines of small rooms can be clearly seen. The rooms and walls enclosed a courtyard in which there was a kiva, or below ground room for religious ceremonies, probably involving only the men. There are several places where there are ancient rock paintings or petroglyphs.

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest are both protected National Parks.

Thursday, 7 October: Taos Pueblo

We drove through Santa Fe and about an hour further north, passing through reservations, or tribal lands, of a number of American Indian tribes. Near the small town of Taos we stopped at Ranchos de Taos, a small area of old adobe buildings around an old adobe church. It was the church of St Francis of Assisi, and was plain outside, tall, with bell towers and massive walls. Inside it was decorated in Mexican style, with wall paintings of a number of saints.There were autumn decorations in thanks for a good harvest.

Situated at the base of Taos Mountain, Taos pueblo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the US. It is a World Heritage site, which means it is quite unique and is to preserved and respected. The language is Tiwa, and is unwritten so that all their history is oral, passed on to each generation. Red Willow Creek runs through the village, dividing it into North Side and South Side. It flows down from the Sangre di Cristo Mountains, from the Blue Lake, which is considered by the Taos Indians to be sacred.

All the structures are adobe: earth and straw mixed with water and poured into brick forms which dry in the sun. The bricks are then stacked and covered with the same adobe mixture. The walls are several feet thick, and inside they are coated with white earth to keep the inside light. Roofs are supported by wooden beams and then compacted earth. The main structures are over 1000 years old. They are actually many separate homes built side by side in layers with no connecting doors. Once the only entrances were by ladder through a hole in the roof, which was also a source of light. If an enemy approached, the ladders were pulled up onto the roof. The pueblo is surrounded by the remains of a mud brick wall which was at one time about 3 metres high. The village area includes dome-shaped wood ovens and drying racks which offer shade as well as a place for drying meat and harvested crops such as corn, chillies and pumpkin.

Some of the houses are now artist studios and shops, but many are still homes. Today the people who live there keep firmly to the traditions of no electricity or running water within the sacred ancient village itself. Each year, a new layer of adobe is spread onto the buildings to maintain them.

Wednesday, 6 October: Albuquerque Balloons and Santa Fe

Fantasy balloons launched after the competition balloons

Very early this morning we drove to where Albuquerque's annual International Balloon Fiesta is held. Hundreds of balloons were being inflated with hot air, and they gradually launched. There were teams from many countries, and wonderfully coloured and patterned balloons were in all stages of preparation. There was a huge crowd of enthusiastic spectators, food stalls, bands and souvenir sellers. It was a very festive occasion, truly a fiesta. When most of the competing balloons were up, the novelty balloons started to inflate and launch. They were amazing, and included two kangaroos, three pigs, a can of soft drink, a stork carrying a baby...and Darth Vader. There was a huge cheer when he went up, and the balloon's support team also got a cheer because they were all in costume as Vader and storm troopers.

A house in Santa Fe

After a late breakfast we set off for a day in Santa Fe, about an hour's drive away.Santa Fe is the capital city of the state of New Mexico. It is the highest of all the state capitals in the USA. It is a beautiful city, with wonderful museums and galleries. The streets are narrow and winding in some parts because it is an old city. Most of the houses, shops and other buildings are in traditional Mexican style, built of adobe. Adobe is mud brick, and the houses have thick walls that are then coated thickly with smooth mud. The roofs are generally flat, and the ends ofthewooden beams stick out on the outside walls. The houses are cool during the day, and day's warmth is retained in the walls to keep the house warm during the cool night.

We spent time in museums of the American Indians of the Southwest, admiring many different styles of pottery, of beading, and other arts. Especially amazing was the fine woven rugs by the Navajo. The style of the local tribes is called the 'Two Hills' style, and they use all the natural colours of the fleeces, very rarely dying the wool. The fleece is spun to fine yarn using a spindle, then woven into intricate patterns on an upright loom, the weaver sitting on the ground in front.  Navajo legend says the Holy People, or gods, such as Spider Woman, Snake People, Corn People, lived in worlds below this one. The Navajo women believe the spirit of the Spider Woman inspires their weaving, passing her skill to them. The antique rugs generally have a fine line from one of the patterns to the edge, representing a pathway for her spirit.

Sunday, 3 October: Monument Valley, Arizona

We are on Navajo tribal land, part of the Navajo Nation. Monument Valley isn't actually a valley at all. Valleys are low-lying, usually flat, and slope upwards to higher ground at the borders. The fairly flat land of Monument Valley is studded with high rock formations, which a real valley does not have. There is no high ground around the borders of Monument Valley.

There is a 27 km (17 mile) dirt road that goes in a loop to lookout points to see major rock formations, and people drive themselves, although four wheel drives are best suited, and you can ride your bike or motor bike. However, to go off that road is not allowed unless you are with a guide. Today we went with a Navajo (say nah-vuh-hoe) guide into that restricted tribal area of Monument Valley. Most go by jeep, but some go on horseback. You cannot go to these special parts without a guide, to make sure that proper respect is shown for very spacial places. The valley is also just too big for people to wander about without getting very lost. The narrow road and tracks are dirt, very bumpy and twist about around and between the huge rocks. A big, flat-topped one is called a mesa (say may- suh) while one that sticks straight up is a butte (say beaut).

Sunrise from my balcony. East Mitten Butte and West Mitten Butte.

The land is pretty flat, covered with low scrubby bushes in amazing shades of green, some with bright yellow flowers, and stunted trees. You can see for many kilometres and these tall rock formations tower high above the ground. Because the land is fairly flat, with the mesas and buttes spaced widely, it is hard to realize that you are actually some 1,500 metres (5000 feet) above sea level, so the tops of the mesas and buttes are much much higher. Some of the formations have names such as Three Sisters, Big Chief, Eye of the Sun, Thunderbird Mesa or Rain God Mesa. Some have caves. We saw some ancient rock paintings, called petroglyphs, that were over a thousand years old. They were of animals, and one was of a new human baby. The scenery is dramatic, yet the place is quiet and very peaceful. It is truly a very special place.

Some of the petroglyphs we saw

Find out more about Monument Valley here: http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/monument_valley/

Saturday, 2 October: Bryce Canyon to Monument Valley, Arizona

Today's drive was the most incredible experience. The landscape changed constantly, literally at every turn a different scene lay on either side of the road. The road climbed to great heights and dipped. At times it went straight for miles, and at others it twisted and turned. The cliffs on either side were different shapes too, sometimes sharp and jagged and at others rounded.  We travelled through mountain forests of autumn colours which changed as we got higher to tall Ponderosa pine forests.

Most of the way however was through landscapes of rocky desert. The colours of the rocks changed constantly with each change of landscape. Sometimes the cliffs were black, at others red, pink, white, blue or purple. At one stage it looked like we were driving on the moon's surface! One part of the road was called 'Hell's Backbone': it climbed steadily to 2,745 metres (9000 feet), then ran along the very top of the ridge, with cliffs falling away steeply on either side. Then it went steeply downhill. Some parts were quite flat for miles, then climbed steeply again. It was impossible to be bored for a minute of the 6 hours it took to get from Bryce Canyon to Monument Valley.

One stretch of road was so steep and winding that signs instructed drivers to drive at 40 Km per hour (25miles per hour). The road on our GPS looked like knitting! The road descended sharply and took us to a very flat landscape many metres below the start of the gravel road.

When we approached Monument Valley, the landscape, although high, was quite flat with huge outcrops of rock sticking up, widely spaced. It has been an amazing day.

Friday,1 October: Bryce Canyon

Today we spent exploring the rim of Bryce Canyon. The limestone mountains have been sculpted into extraordinary shapes by thousands of years of erosion. Blasting winds, rain and snow have all played their part. In winter the ice forms in cracks and crevices, the ice expands the cracks and then thaws in spring, a process that further erodes the limestone.

A limestone formation like this is called a 'hoodoo'

Limestone is naturally white, but minerals washed into the rock colours it, so the cliffs are pink, red, cream, even blue and purple. In parts of the rim we were around 2,7500 metres (9000 feet) high, and it was difficult to breathe the thinner air at that height.

One point is called Powell Point, and is the last place on the north American continent to be explored and mapped, an extremely difficult task because of the steepness and slipperiness of the ground.

Near there, there have been discoveries of many dinosaur fossils. There is evidence that Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptors roamed the area. Later we drove to another state park called Kodachrome Basin,where the vivid red rocks form different shapes called candles. We saw some ruins of a sandstone granary or food storage place made by ancient Pueblo Indians.

Thursday 30 September: Boulder City, Nevada to Tropic, Utah

The highway went through interesting countryside, rising in places to 700 - 1220 metres (2000 - 4000 feet). As we got closer to the mountains we could see how rugged and jagged they were. At one point the road went between steep reddish cliffs of rock : it looked like we were going to drive right inside a mountain. Then we started climbing higher and higher, and the low scrub was replaced by towering pines and tall aspens in autumn colours. Against the pinks and reds of the rocks, it was pretty spectacular. This was the Dixie National Forest, which covers a large area of the southern part of the state.

The road took us through Red Canyon, aptly named. The rocks were an amazing red, and were eroded into amazing shapes high above the road. At one stage the road went through two rock arches.

We came down a winding mountain road to the tiny town of Tropic, where we will stay for a couple of nights.

Tuesday, 28 September:Monterey to San Luis Obispo

This was mostly a driving day to get us started on our road trip. We have had a gentle day of getting the hang of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, and using controls that are placed differently in the car.

We followed the coast road south. The Pacific coast is pretty rugged, with jagged rocks and smashing surf. There weren't many beaches, and those we saw had warning signs about dangerous currents.

The indoor pool

At San Simeon we went to Hearst Castle, which was built in the 1940s by multi millionaire William Randolph Hearst, owner of a San Francisco newspaper. He hired architect Julia Morgan to design his dream house, perched on the top of a high hill. The job was expected to last two years, and took twenty, mostly because Mr Hearst kept changing his mind. There are several large guest houses but the main house has huge rooms filled with art works, sculptures and wall panels Mr Hearst brought back from European travels. There is a huge outdoor swimming pool, an indoor pool and tennis courts.  The indoor pool has a mosaic floor, including gold tiles, of the night sky. The ceiling has paintings of the sea floor.

Today the mansion and guest houses are open to the public. People are ferried up the hill by bus, and taken through by guides. It is a glimpse into the life of wealth and power of that time, and the many famous guests who visited.

We drove on to the pretty town of San Luis Obispo for the night.

Monday 27 September : Monterey, California

Today we explored the charming historical area of Monterey called Cannery Row. In the 1930s and 40s, Monterey was a 'sardine town' : huge schools of sardines swam in the Bay, and catching and canning them was the main occupation of the town. It was a boom time, particularly during the Second World War when the US Army bought huge quantities of canned sardines for the troops. By the late 1940s, Monterey Bay was fished out - there were no more fish and the canneries closed.

Today the canneries have been restored and contain shops and restaurants. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the biggest cannery conversion, and researches the Bay and teaches visitors about conservation of marine habitats. The exhibits are exciting. Some are very big, like the kelp forest, and some, like the different seahorses, are small. It is an inspiring place.

The Kelp Forest exhibit includes a small school of silvery sardines.

The Aquarium's research institute is fascinating. There is a deep ocean trench in Monterey Bay and they use robot submarine vessels to go deep into the ocean with cameras. Some of the creatures that are filmed have yet to be identified.

You can find out about their research work here: http://www.mbari.org/

Sunday,26 September: Melbourne to Los Angeles to Monterey

We took off at 11am on Sunday, and almost 14 hours later landed in Los Angeles at 8 am on Sunday! We had to find our way to another terminal, which took ages, then we had to sit around for a few hours before flying north, in quite a small plane, to Monterey, a charming place on the central coast of California. We picked up a hire car, and then came the challenge of getting used to driving on the other side of the road! The driver's seat is on the 'wrong' side of the car for us, and you move the drive controls with your right hand, not your left. The turn indicator is the lever we would have for windscreen wipers, so we kept turning them on when we were turning! We have driven about a bit and have located the historic part of the town we have come to see, called Cannery Row, so we know where to begin our day tomorrow, but first we need to catch up on much-needed sleep.

Shirley on the road in the USA

A friend and I fly out from Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne on Sunday 26 September, headed for Los Angeles and the start of our long-awaited road trip in the USA! We will travel a loop from Monterey, California across the state of Nevada into Utah, then we'll go south into the states of New Mexico and  Arizona and back into California again.  We are very excited that part of our journey will take us into areas of the Navajo Nation, which  overlaps into four states.
  Here is a map showing the location of the Navajo Nation

I'll be posting more details about what we see along the way, but first we have to get there! Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles and then Monterey in California, USA is a long trip.