Devil's Bridge Hike

We really loved being in Sedona!

 We went for a hike to a place called Devil's Bridge. First we walked about 1.5 miles, mostly downhill to reach this sign. We kept thinking...we will have to hike the path uphill to get back to the truck!

Then it was all up-hill for almost a mile. This part wasn't bad, but towards the top it was very steep.

We were almost to the top.....

 and we made sure we didn't go too close to the edge!

 The views were amazing.

We reached our goal....Devil's Bridge....the largest natural sandstone arch near Sedona.

When it was time to head back down the steepest section, a nice young couple offered to take me. I didn't want to go with them...but dad told me to go...

I finally went with them, and he stayed close behind, talking to me.

 It was fun meeting one of my long lost cousins on the trail! Dogs and humans were all covered in red dust!

Momma will always remember how she spent her birthday in Sedona. Dad will always remember the long, hard hike! He said he gets to pick the next hike!!!

Wonderful Sedona!

Dad drove down 3,000 feet of elevation on winding, mountain roads, and we eventually reached the red rocks of Sedona, AZ.

We were almost to the bottom of Oak Creek Canyon when this picture was taken.

We spent momma's birthday weekend in Sedona, and I received two presents!!! Sedona Real, our pet-friendly hotel, gave me a leash and a collapsible water dish.

 Look...It's Snoopy!

Over 100 Western movies were made in Sedona because of all the beautiful scenery.

Dad and momma went on a Pink Jeep tour, off-road, and had a great time. This is a view of their jeep on the way down one of the trails....

This is what it looked like after they reached the bottom!

Momma said it was better than any amusement ride she had ever been on. She just loved it!

 You can see the town of Sedona in the valley in the distance

 See the white line across the rock....it is a layer of rock on about a 75 degree angle. Bikers ride along this line! You can see them on You Tube. Just search for Sedona white line bikers. They have to be absolutely crazy.

Trees grow out of the rock just like in Tobermory.

This hotel had something I hadn't seen in weeks....GREEN GRASS! Right outside our room was a family/pet area with walking paths, a fire pit, bbq's, and plenty of room for chasing frisbees. Life is good.....

Petrified Forest...Painted Desert

We drove west all day, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Flagstaff, Arizona. The landscape all looked the same....desert! Then as we crossed into Arizona, we came to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park. Wow....the sights were amazing!

 We saw more ruins from earlier people...and the park had this picture showing a youngster and his dog taking care of the turkeys. I think I would have liked to have lived back then.

The rocks looked painted!

 And the trees turned to stone with pretty minerals inside.

Momma finally realized why I won't look at the camera.....it's because the sun is so bright and it hurts my eyes. Doesn't she know that it's not good to stare at the bright sun????

Santa Fe

Our day in Santa Fe was the only day all month that never had temperatures above freezing. I didn't mind though since right after breakfast, I heard my favourite two words....Dog Park! 

This was such a great place, acres and acres of trails with lots of small trees and bushes. I played with over 10 dogs!!! It wasn't fenced in, but that's not a problem for me since I am good at coming when I am called.

 We spent the rest of the day downtown. Most of the buildings reminded me of the Pueblo dwellings....except for the churches.

This BIG church was built in the 1880's.

Momma called this a Baptismal font. The water was bubbling up in the basin and then flowed into the pool. The symbols in the pool represent the four evangelists. I'm not sure what that means...but I bet you do! I would have loved to have a drink from such a fancy bowl!

 You may have seen this church, Loretto Chapel, built in 1873, on Unsolved Mysteries on TV.

 It has a mysterious staircase with no known signs of support. 

Since it was a cold day, momma and dad ordered hot chocolate at Panera Bread. Boy, were they surprised! The marshmallows were chocolate with chocolate chips inside...they called it their dessert.

Pueblos and Atom Bombs

Today was more fun for my owners that it was for me. Momma had to help write this blog....because I was in the truck most of the day!

We drove north of Albuquerque to Santa Fe and then continued another 50 miles to Bandelier National Monument where we saw the remains of Pueblo villages from the late 1400's. Ancestral Pueblo people first started coming into this region over 10,000 years ago. It is an amazing place.

They built circular rooms called kivas below ground and covered them. They were similar to what we would call community centres.

These are the remains of rooms built in a circle.

 This drawing shows what the rooms in a circle would have looked like, with three covered kivas in the middle. Can you spot the dog? I was very happy to hear that it was common for the Pueblos to have dogs as pets!

Some families lived in the limestone cliffs. Dad and momma climbed ladders to see the rooms inside.

 This is the view from inside.

The openings faced south which made them warmer, unlike the hills across from them that are snow-covered.

 Second floors were added by putting posts into holes they made in the rocks.

 

At the base of the cliff, there was a long house that stretched over 800 feet with adjoining, multi-storied homes with hand-carved caves making back rooms.

More petroglyphs...this one is supposed to be a parrot. The Pueblos traded with people from as far as central Mexico and Baja California.

Just south of Bandelier is a town called Los Alamos that was secretly created during World War. It was here that scientists built the first atomic bomb. Dad and momma visited the Bradbury Museum to learn the history of the town and how today scientists are working on using nuclear energy to improve our lives. Half of the radioactive isotopes used in medicine today come from Los Alamos.

The first atomic bomb was called The Gadget. It was tested successfully in the desert outside of Roswell, NM, and then used to end the war with Japan.

Whew....that's a lot of history....I don't understand it all, but I like the pictures!  

Albuquerque

After Roswell, we drove north to Albuquerque. What a great day I had! First we went to a nearby dog park, and I had so much fun! 

We are trying to have a dog park built back home in Tobermory so dad and momma are always noticing different things. Look at the size of this space....and for once, there is no dirt, stones, or mud. The entire surface is covered with wood chips!

 I found out these red things are chilli peppers. They look so pretty and are all over New Mexico. At first I thought they were some kind of jerky...my favourite...but when I smelled them I knew they were something that didn't interest me.

I wasn't left in the truck today. I was able to go hiking and see things called Petroglyphs. Native Americans drew them on volcanic rocks hundreds and hundreds of years ago. 

 This is the canyon we hiked, looking away from the city.

This was the view on our way back. The mountains run all along the eastern side of Albuquerque, which is down in the valley.

 The biggest problem with our camera's self-timer is ME. At least this time I was facing the right way.

 I thought I saw eyes glowing in this cave....Those hands can wave all they want....I wasn't going into that spooky space. Maybe the hands mean stop....

 Actually, these areas are considered very spiritual to generations of Natives.

 Did they have flamingoes in the desert????