Oh brother, another crystal clear sunny day in Kayenta...sunrise creeping across the cragged face of Red Mountain, the hummingbird perched in the Ocotillo, a grouse hen with her chicks scurrying along the garden wall (looking a lot like the side of the Partridge Family bus), what a way to start Saturday.
We had a leisurely breakfast with Sue and Fletcher, girded ourselves for the Utah sun, and headed out for a long walk through Kayenta. Much of this large swath of land is still undeveloped so it quickly feels like we're walking through a nature preserve.
Jack rabbits scamper across the road in front of us, the little lizards darting under the sagebrush catch our eye, and neighbors driving by in their pickup stop to say hello. The yucca have bloomed...
A view across the valley into the hills we have hiked on previous trips...and beyond them lies Arizona...
In the center of Kayenta is Coyote Gulch Village, a small enclave of galleries, artisan work shops, art and craft boutiques and a restaurant, and across the road are the pool and tennis courts. We took a stroll through the village to browse the shops and galleries.
As we strolled through Coyote Gulch, a crew was busily arranging tables and tents for a special event called Equality Evolution put on by Equality Utah. We will be attending the event later this evening, so we'll file a full report on the event later. You know us, we hate to miss a good fundraising event...even on vacation!
Earlier in the month, Kayenta hosted an art event in which local artists created works of art on the sidewalks and streets through Coyote Gulch. Luckily there has been no rain since then and we were able to see some of the artwork that still remained...apparently, Angry Birds is now part of pop culture!
Our friends also took us through the Kayenta Sales Office...we went in expecting to get our commission for selling Sue and Fletcher on this beautiful place...our friends were hoping the money would flow the other direction and we would buy a homesite!
As we walked along the road, we were passed by a group from Red Mountain Spa on bikes...it's the spa's Coffee Cruise...they ride bikes from the spa, stop for coffee in Coyote Gulch, browse the shops, then ride back to the spa...
You know that stinky black stuff on ferry dock pilings and telephone poles? It's creosote...and this is a creosote bush....such a pretty bush with such a smelly byproduct!
Here's a view of Red Mountain. We have hiked it a few times when we have stayed at Red Mountain Spa. The hike is called the Red Mountain Traverse, and you start by climbing straight up the "nose" 3/4 mile, then 13 miles across the mountain...a great hike!
Fletcher and Sue have built a very energy efficient house and decided to do the same with their car. They have a Chevy Volt all-electric car, and they were generous enough to let Michael drive it. Now, you should understand that the Volt is not really a car, it is an on-the-road video game...first of all, when you push the power button to start the car it sounds like you are powering up a starship cruiser, then the instrument panels light up with all sorts of visuals representing the car's systems.
As you drive along, the car rates your driving style for efficiency, and does so with a percentage grade...flashback to school and getting grades. It was this one little gauge that became Michael's obsession...he had to achieve 100%, the highest possible score...and he did it! It was pointed out by Patty that this was a dramatic departure from Michael's typical driving style.
It took a while (since Michael was driving and was spending most of the trip coasting to try to achieve 100% efficiency), but we eventually arrived in downtown St. George for a few errands.
We picked up provisions for the next leg of our road trip to the Grand Canyon, and drove back (very efficiently) to Kayenta. Tonight is the Equality Evolution event...should be fun, it will be a beautiful warm evening for it!
We had a leisurely breakfast with Sue and Fletcher, girded ourselves for the Utah sun, and headed out for a long walk through Kayenta. Much of this large swath of land is still undeveloped so it quickly feels like we're walking through a nature preserve.
Jack rabbits scamper across the road in front of us, the little lizards darting under the sagebrush catch our eye, and neighbors driving by in their pickup stop to say hello. The yucca have bloomed...
A view across the valley into the hills we have hiked on previous trips...and beyond them lies Arizona...
In the center of Kayenta is Coyote Gulch Village, a small enclave of galleries, artisan work shops, art and craft boutiques and a restaurant, and across the road are the pool and tennis courts. We took a stroll through the village to browse the shops and galleries.
As we strolled through Coyote Gulch, a crew was busily arranging tables and tents for a special event called Equality Evolution put on by Equality Utah. We will be attending the event later this evening, so we'll file a full report on the event later. You know us, we hate to miss a good fundraising event...even on vacation!
Earlier in the month, Kayenta hosted an art event in which local artists created works of art on the sidewalks and streets through Coyote Gulch. Luckily there has been no rain since then and we were able to see some of the artwork that still remained...apparently, Angry Birds is now part of pop culture!
Our friends also took us through the Kayenta Sales Office...we went in expecting to get our commission for selling Sue and Fletcher on this beautiful place...our friends were hoping the money would flow the other direction and we would buy a homesite!
As we walked along the road, we were passed by a group from Red Mountain Spa on bikes...it's the spa's Coffee Cruise...they ride bikes from the spa, stop for coffee in Coyote Gulch, browse the shops, then ride back to the spa...
You know that stinky black stuff on ferry dock pilings and telephone poles? It's creosote...and this is a creosote bush....such a pretty bush with such a smelly byproduct!
Here's a view of Red Mountain. We have hiked it a few times when we have stayed at Red Mountain Spa. The hike is called the Red Mountain Traverse, and you start by climbing straight up the "nose" 3/4 mile, then 13 miles across the mountain...a great hike!
Fletcher and Sue have built a very energy efficient house and decided to do the same with their car. They have a Chevy Volt all-electric car, and they were generous enough to let Michael drive it. Now, you should understand that the Volt is not really a car, it is an on-the-road video game...first of all, when you push the power button to start the car it sounds like you are powering up a starship cruiser, then the instrument panels light up with all sorts of visuals representing the car's systems.
As you drive along, the car rates your driving style for efficiency, and does so with a percentage grade...flashback to school and getting grades. It was this one little gauge that became Michael's obsession...he had to achieve 100%, the highest possible score...and he did it! It was pointed out by Patty that this was a dramatic departure from Michael's typical driving style.
It took a while (since Michael was driving and was spending most of the trip coasting to try to achieve 100% efficiency), but we eventually arrived in downtown St. George for a few errands.
Right downtown there is a park with a great water feature for kids to play in...it was 89 degrees and we paused briefly to figure out how to run through it ourselves without worrying about being wet while sitting in an electric car...
We picked up provisions for the next leg of our road trip to the Grand Canyon, and drove back (very efficiently) to Kayenta. Tonight is the Equality Evolution event...should be fun, it will be a beautiful warm evening for it!
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