Visit to Bill/Colleen, Part 1 — Arizona; September 4-11, 2014

Our trip into the Southwest has been filled with interesting sights and experiences.  As we left our Mesa Verde campsite on September 4, Barb grabbed a shot of two young fawns and their mother.  As we made our way toward the home of Bill & Colleen (Dolce Vita), we passed through increasingly dry and dramatic landscapes.  We anticipated stopping at the exact spot of Four Corners and spread-eagling onto four states at once.  Alas, the spot is not public property and we left disappointed.  Bill & Colleen were terrific hosts, and we had a great time — so much so that I have decided to break up my coverage into two parts, with this part being the bookends that enclose our hike into Grand Canyon, covered in the next part.

Early in the visit Bill took Barb & I to a nearby box canyon where Amerindians used to corner game for hunting, and where they left rather extensive petroglyphs.  After our multi-day visit to Grand Canyon we had a day of rest while Barb recovered from a cold and/or an attack of allergies, and we then went on a day trip that included a visit to beautiful Sedona, quirky Jerome, and the bustling city of Prescott, site of the recent tragic deaths of firefighters but more to the point, the location of the beautiful piece of land upon which Bill & Colleen will eventually build.  We also took advantage of Bill’s remarkable ability to help others; he accompanied us on a preliminary visit to a dealer of campers and he master-minded the repair of a zipper on the tent Barb & I have been using for our car-camping adventures.

Bill & Colleen’s home is super-nice and in a great setting.   In the evenings we sometimes heard coyotes yipping in the distance, and on our last night we heard bull elk bugling and cow elk mewing. Neat!