The fall of 2017 was a challenging time.  After Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Coast on August 25, 2017, my life was turned upside down.  When the high water from the storm receded, I loaded up my airstream with supplies and went to try to help my sister Molly determine whether her home would ever be habitable after having three feet of water in it for ten days — it was not.  I found Molly’s health in a precarious and precipitous decline, and the storm had caused the cancellation of a very important scheduled appointment at M. D. Anderson in Houston.  I eventually went to Orange to care for Molly and to take her back and forth to M. D. Anderson and other assorted doctors appointments and diagnostic testing appointments.  The first order of business was finding a place to stay.  We ended up at the La Quinta in Bridge City, Texas.  I am so grateful for that place, and the young ladies who worked there.  They provided us shelter, encouragement, and love.  I ended up staying with and caring for Molly until a few days before her death on November 16, 2017.  By that time she was in hospice in Beaumont.  I went home for a couple of days then returned to Orange to speak at her funeral on November 20th.  I then headed back to the lake in a state of exhaustion.  I was exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally.  At some point in the future, I will post a blog about my efforts to care for my dear sister as she valiantly fought an aggressive cancer.  Suffice it to say, the experience left me in a bad way.  After I got home and slept for a couple of days, I knew what I needed to do.  I needed to head to the back-country, which I knew would soothe my soul.  I threw this trip together in just a couple of days.  It is probably the poorest planned trip I have ever taken.  My friend Billy Ward would be proud, since I pretty much just threw together a few things and hit the road.

After our mid-summer trip in 2017, Billy and I discussed taking a trip in the fall.  We planned to visit areas south of Phoenix and visit his Aunt Martha to recreate a photo we took with her back in the early 1980s, then head north toward Flagstaff.  We eventually took that trip two years later (Click here for my blog post dated April 12, 2019 entitled “Training For a Trip to Nowhere“).  But I used that preliminary research to throw together this trip.  I drove to Billy’s ranch on Sunday evening, November 26, 2017, and spent the night there.  I set out early the next morning, bound for Tuscon, Arizona.  I made a side trip to Tombstone, Arizona, mainly to break up the drive, but also to look for a couple of small petroglyph sites in the area.  I didn’t have much luck with the petroglyphs, but I enjoyed seeing Tombstone.

Originally, I had planned to spend Monday night, November 27, 2019, camping at Catalina State Park north of Tuscon, Arizona.  But I decided to stay in a motel a little closer to the next day’s objectives, and, honestly, I was still physically not at 100%.  I got up early on Tuesday morning and was in Saguaro National Park at sunrise.  I hiked the King’s Canyon trail, enjoying the giant Saguaro Cacti and the rock art in that canyon.  (To see the full gallery of King’s Canyon petroglyph photos, click here.)  I then headed over to Signal Hill, where I was impressed by the quantity and quality of the petroglyphs on the hill.  The signature spiral at the top of the hill was stunning!  Next I headed over to The Redemptorist Renewal Center just outside the national park to visit the Picture Rocks Petroglyph site.  The folks at the Renewal Center are kind enough to let visitors on their property to enjoy the rock art.  After spending time at the rock art site down in the wash, I walked up to the Center to thank them and make a donation.  I met some very nice folks, and visited their chapel for a little prayer and meditation.  I also took the time to do “The Labyrinth Holy Walk”.  I am glad I visited this special place.  To see my full gallery of photos from Picture Rocks, click here.  By the way, the signature panel at Picture Rocks is known as a summer solstice solar marker.  To see a description of this yearly event at Picture Rocks, look here. 

After concluding my Picacho Mountain adventure, I drove to Gila Bend, Arizona and checked into a motel.  I was still not up to par physically, but felt I was getting stronger each day.  I got up early on Wednesday, November 29, 2017, and drove from Gila Bend to the Sears Point Petroglyph Site.  I spent most of the day there, and did my best to thoroughly explore this iconic site.  The petroglyphs were plentiful, and some of the panels were amazing in size and complexity.  I wouldn’t mind going back to this wonderful place someday!  To see my full Sears Point gallery, click here. 

One of the few things I did in the way of planning was to look up the names of some Hopi Guides.  On my drive to the Rock Ark Ranch, I made some calls and was able to secure the guide services  of Donald Danahongnewa (928 313-3595) for the next day.  The Hopi Reservation requires that you be accompanied by a guide to visit cultural sites on the reservation.  The tribe is geographically and socially divided into Mesas.  Donald was a member of Second Mesa as I recall.  I also called and reserved a room at the Hopi Cultural Center.  The Center has a museum, a restaurant, and a motel.  So, after spending the afternoon at the Rock Art Ranch, I headed north into the Hopi Reservation.  I arrived at the Cultural Center just before dark, got checked in and enjoyed a nice authentic Hopi dinner.  I met Donald the next morning at the Center, and we headed out.  Our first stop was Prophesy Rock, which was interesting, but not really prehistoric.  Next, we headed to Dawa Park where we spent several hours exploring the rock art.  Donald was generous with his knowledge of the art, although there were some things he could not tell me.  He did say there are some beautiful, powerful places on the Reservation that he is not allowed to take me to.  As I recall, Dawa Park was west of Second Mesa.  On our return drive, as we were approaching Third Mesa, I spotted a small rock art panel from the road.  I pulled over, hopped out and began taking pictures.  Donald became upset, because he was not a member of that Mesa and was concerned that someone might see him allowing me to photograph the art.  I apologized for my actions, I honestly did not understand what I was doing would upset anyone.  Anyway, I enjoyed my time on the Hopi Reservation and the magnificent rock art of Dawa Park.  To see my full gallery of photos from my visit to the Hopi Reservation, look here. 

It was time to start thinking about heading home.  I knew my truck needed service, so I decided to head to Albuquerque so I could get that done early Saturday morning.  So after leaving Donald at the Cultural Center, I headed back south to  IH40 for the trip to Albuquerque.  I made a quick spin through Petrified Forest National Park, stopping at some of the roadside attractions in the park.  To see my gallery of photos from Petrified Forest National Park, look here.   I got into Albuquerque and spent the night at a motel near a Ford dealership where I had made an early appointment Saturday morning to have my oil changed.  After the oil change, I visited the Piedras Marcadas Canyon unit of Petroglyph National Monument and enjoyed a nice walk there among the rock art panels.  I then drove over to the Boca Negra unit and walked the Main Loop Trail, along with the Mesa Point Trail and the McCaw Trail.  To see my full gallery of photographs from Petroglyph National Monument, look here. 

After finishing up at Petroglyph National Monument, I headed south on IH-25 and made my way, via Highway 60, to the cute little town of Mountainair, where I spent the night in one of those cute little small town motels so reminiscent of Route 66.  Sunday morning, I got up and set out to explore the Salinas Pueblo Missions National  Monument sites.  I first went to Quarai, then down to Abo, where I was fortunate enough to talk a young ranger into abandoning his post and guiding me to a rock art site most visitors never hear about, much less see.  The rock art there was interesting, but nothing spectacular.  I am glad I got to see it.  For a full gallery of the photos I took at Abo, look here.   Last, I visited Gran Quivira, which, as I recall, was the largest and most impressive of the ruins.

After finishing up at Salinas, I headed to one of my favorite places on this earth, the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, located a few miles north of Tularosa, New Mexico.  I got there early enough to explore the area across the road from the campground — it is littered with pottery sherds.  I also drove to the end of Three Rivers Road, where there is a campground in the Lincoln National Forest.  Along the way, I stopped in at the beautiful little church to meditate and say some prayers.  I enjoyed a good night’s sleep in the back of Artifac.  I got up early and explored the petroglyph site, finding some panels I had never seen before.  It is that kind of site — you always find something new!  To see my full gallery of photos from Three Rivers, look here. 

I left Three Rivers and drove up to Cloudcroft, New Mexico, where I spent the night at the Dusty Boots Motel.  I did this to honor my long time dentist in Orange, Dr. Rice.  Dr. Rice came to Orange after finishing his service in the Air Force.  He was a golf nut, a great guy, and a very solid dentist.  Many times he told me about playing golf in Cloudcroft, while he was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base.  He loved that little town, and talked about its beauty often.  Well Dr. Rice, if you can hear me up in heaven, I agree with you!  Thinking of Dr. Rice makes me grateful for the many adults in my life who treated me with kindness and respect, when I was probably deserving of neither.  God Bless you Dr. Rice!  The next morning as I was driving down the mountain from Cloudcroft, it began to snow lightly, and I saw several herds of beautiful elk.  A fitting end for my trip!

When I left for this trip I was discouraged, emotionally drained, and feeling hopeless.  The solitude and beauty of the desert blessed me, healed me, and rejuvenated me.  During my time alone, amidst God’s magnificent creations, I slowly realized that what I had experienced trying to care for my sister was not a hardship, but was in fact a supreme Blessing.  The desert Southwest contains powerful medicine, and I am most grateful for the opportunity I had on this trip to partake.  I started out broken, but returned feeling whole again…thank you God for your many Blessings and Grace in my life!