Cliffhangers

Today Miss Dodie took her walk to take pictures of deer, including fawns with spots. That was pretty cool. Then we hit the road in a real hurry. We have ten hours of driving, and that's normal, not RV driving. RV driving takes a lot longer.

It took a while to leave Capitol Reef. It does go on and on. Then we stopped at Natural Bridges. There are three big rock bridges there, and Ranger Stephen said it would take about an hour to tour but not hike to them. We were thinking we should hike until the 6500 foot altitude gave us a reality check. So, we just looked. These are bridges, formed by water erosion, not exfoliation like an arch. The people hiking down to the bridges looked like ants. Some of the formations are 200 feet high. Whew!

After Natural Bridges, we took the side road toward Mexican Hat to see the Valley of the Gods. There are red rock formations there like battleship, seven sailors, and wierd stuff. Right before we got there, the world fell off a cliff. For three miles, we road switchbacks and hairpin turns down a one lane gravel road. The drop was 10% grade and it was so bizarre that a highway could turn into that challenge, just like that! I thought it was pretty scary, and Miss Dodie took a movie, but she forgot to press the button twice, so now I can't show you. Oh well, take my word.

After that, everybody said no stops! We barely stopped for gas, and we put in a gallon more than the tank held. I guess we were pushing it. We got all the way to Pagosa Springs, Colorado tonight, and finally, we have internet so I can catch up!

Tomorrow we are going to Ojo Caliente to soak in the mineral springs, and so Miss Dodie can rest up before we drop her at the airport at the crack of dawn Wednesday. I sure am going to miss her! who will get up and take me for my sunrise walks? And remember to take me into the ranger stations? What will I do?????