Meteor Crater and Hopi Lands

We set out from our "off the grid" campsite and headed back toward civilization temporarily to find an rv dumpsite and to stock up on water since we were heading deep into Indian country and weren't sure what to expect. We planned on stopping to check out Meteor Crater on the way. A quick 6 mile detour and we arrived at the freshly paved parking lot and what looked to be a brand new reception building/ticket booth. We wandered around the museum for a bit while we waited for the "movie" to start on the half hour. The movie was a dud. Felt like a commercial for some b16somethingrather .org that repeatedly reassured us that they are going to save the earth from the next meteor strike. We were surprised when there were no solicititations for donations afterward. We took the brief guided tour out to the rim and learned several cool facts about the crater. The crater itself is simply awesome. To stand there on the edge looking down into the crater really invokes a state of wonder. It was a wothwhile detour, but the whole privately owned and run by corporation factor was a little offputting.


Now on to the Hopi reservation. It was about an hour of driving on the straightest road I've ever driven on flanked by dozens of magical buttes rising from the desert floor. As we approached, we could clearly make out the 3 distinct mesas that make up the central Hopi community. We pulled in to the Hopi Cultural Center parking lot and were greeted by several stray dogs laying in the middle of the road.
We had read online and called about parking our RV (trailer) there and staying the night but details were skerchy so we inquired inside just to be sure. We were directed next door to the cultural center where there is a dirt area surrounded by juniper trees for camping. There are a couple of run down picnic tables and bbqs... nothing fancy but a free place to camp for the night and pretty well secluded from the road and parking lot.

The next morning we met up with our guide Gary Tso of Left Handed Hunter tours. Gary treated us to a wonderful half day tour of the 3 mesas, where we got to meet some of the locals and see their handicrafts. The day was topped of with a visit to a remote ancient petroglyph site. Pretty amazing stuff.

Sunset Crater

I woke up this morning and I was thinking of the hike we took yesterday. I think it was amazing. The ground was black. There was a sea of big lava bombs surrounding us. I like to stare
at the mighty lump which spouted it. Its amazing that people, civilisation, was there when Sunset Crater went BOOM. This morning, I thought all about it. Awestruck, I write this.

BoonDockin' ... take 1

This is only like our third trip or so with the trailer, and thusfar we've only stayed in established campgrounds. We heard about this thing called "boondocking", where you basically just find a place to park your rig and sleep for the night. Last night we were just outside Flagstaff visiting Sunset Crater and had read about some US Forest Service land just across the road that allows "disbursed camping". So we wandered down the dusty gravel Forest Service road for a bit and found a place to pull off for the night. I have this ocd thing about having the trailer be perfectly level, but kinda had to let that go this time, as the turnout was a bit uneven and bumpy. After a good 1/2 hour of trying, it was close enough. We whipped up a quick dinner in the "galley", played a couple of games of NP Uno, then it was off to bed. Had a great restful night's sleep out here in BFE! So quiet and DARK!
Overall a success with our first attempt at boondocking/disbursed camping. Oh and the FREE part is nice too!

Flagstaff, AZ

We stayed in the desert this morning, ran errands in Phoenix, drove past some cool Saguaros, and drove up to Flagstaff. There, we explored the Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument. It was a gorgeous day, the surroundings were unusual and pretty. We hiked up a cinder cone and were the only people on the trail. Tonite, we are doing dispersed camping in the national forest, free! This land is your land, this land is my land....

On the way to Santa Fe

With the new green stripe freshly painted, we've made it through our first night of camper travel. We're heading up to Flagstaff today to hike a cinder cone volcano.