More smooth sailing might make for some boring writing, but I still have no huge catastrophes to share – just the list of places we have been in the last few days.

Sunset falling on the South Rim

Lunch with a view

We did indeed see the Grand Canyon last week. Too big for comprehension, its rocky walls assaulted our eyes. Even through the dusty haze kicked up by the wind, reds and yellows and oranges vividly decorated the canyon walls. We felt overwhelmed by the crowds, completely unaccustomed to being surrounded by so much commotion. To escape the bustle, we took a shuttle to Hermits Rest at the west end of the South Rim and watched the sun set slowly as we walked ten miles on the Rim Trail. We camped that night off a forest road just south of Tusayan, the town closest to the South Rim entrance. The next morning, we witnessed dozens of helicopters full of tourists flying just over the treetops above us on their way to and from the nearby airport, sometimes only separated by ten seconds. On our way out, we stopped at a few viewpoints on the east side of the South Rim and had lunch with huge views of the Colorado River winding its way through the canyon.

We entered the Navajo Reservation for the second time (first time was in New Mexico) after leaving the Grand Canyon. We have done some sightseeing on reservation land, but for the most part, we’ve driven through reservations without much stopping. This time, we stopped for groceries right off the highway in Tuba City. We were the only white people in a very crowded grocery store. Nic thinks he heard a mom pointing out the lone white people to her kids, but his hearing isn’t always so good. We definitely felt a little out of place. Even though the grocery store selection and prices were pretty bad, we could have gotten a good deal (and had quite a few choices) on cuts of mutton artfully displayed in their very own glass case.

Driving from northern Arizona into Utah was like watching live drama unfold before our eyes. We started in scrubby red hills interspersed with pink canyons. The rosy cliffs gradually took over, making a stunning contrast against the light yellow and green groundcover. As the cliffs fell away, we began to see dramatic rocky buttes and spires appear on the horizon in front of us without reason or warning. We stopped to take a few photos, iconic American road trip pics for sure with that dramatic scenery. Several miles down the road, we were shocked to see a number of people setting up tripods in the middle of the road, posing for selfies, and scampering off the highway just in time for us to lumber by.

Valley of the Gods – our front porch

Goosenecks State Park – San Juan River snaking through cliffs

We found ourselves a free campsite in the middle of the buttes, spires, and mesas of Valley of the Gods. We have 360-degree views of gorgeous red rock formations, warmed each day under a strong sun and technicolor blue sky. The ground is such a deep, rich tone of red that Luna looks a little green against it. I would have included a picture of her, but she didn’t think it would be very flattering