The tourist hordes are gone, and the weather has cooled. That means it's time to go to the desert.
For some of us, that mostly means day trips. Mesa Verde is a good prospect, or Aztec Ruins. More ambitious for day trips because of the travel time are Chaco Canyon, Valley of the Gods near Mexican Hat, Utah, or the south part of Canyonlands, the Needless District.
The time was right in mid-October for the long drive to Canyonlands. The goal is to spend at least as much time at the destination as it takes to get there (never mind the return trip); and to go and return in daylight, which now gets more difficult each week.
So the first thing was to get up somewhat (not a lot) before sunrise, have a first cup of coffee to achieve minimum mental function, get dressed, load a small cooler with mid-day snacks, and get on the road. I achieved that at 8:30 a.m.
Next is the obligatory stop at McDonald's in Durango for food that can be eaten while driving and a large coffee. Cortez has a McDonald's too, but I didn't want to wait that long. I headed west on Highway 160 munching on my hashbrown patty and breakfast burrito. None of it ended up in my lap. Life is good.
The KSUT La Plata County signal dies at the top of Mancos Hill, which means no news about the election for several hours. Life is good.
On through Zetroc and north on Highway 491, through Pleasant View, Cahone, and Dove Creek, and into Utah. In the distance is something new - wind towers. A couple miles away, right? No. They get bigger, and bigger, and bigger... Turns out they are just west of Monticello, and they are HUGE. The propellers rotated at a very leisurely speed despite lots of wind.
The drive north from Monticello goes through piñon-juniper forest and abruptly drops down to red rock desert. I felt a flush of excitement as that happened.
Finally, I turn west on the road through Indian Creek to the Needles District. This qualifies as my destination, even though it's still around 34 miles to the national park. Taking photos is always a major part of these trips for me, and I made several photo stops before getting to the park itself.
The summer tourist hordes were gone, but there were still plenty of people out for a desert fix. The cottonwood leaves were bright gold. The temperature in the park was upper 70s. The wind was blowing like a you-know-what. Forget wearing a hat without a chin strap, and even then I was holding on to mine. However, unlike spring trips, the scenery wasn't obscured by blowing dust.
The most memorable thing about the enjoyable day, that I didn't see mentioned in the park brochure and map that you get at the entrance station, was the panhandlers. Not the kind you see in downtown Durango. These are local residents. Ravens.
I sat down at a picnic table and got out the container with my lunch. I spotted the raven on top of a tree by my car. Then he was on the ground between my car and the picnic table. Then he was on the seat on the other side of the table. Then he was on the table, striding my way.
He stopped close enough for me to reach out and touch (not a good idea, I think) and made his expectations clear. Ravens are big, and they have very sharp beaks. But I kept my food container closed, even as he flapped in the air and landed again.
Another car came into the parking area and stopped. The people got out and began preparing for lunch. My raven and a companion turned their attention to the newcomers. I opened my container and ate.
There were more black panhandlers at another place with lots of parked cars. A raven perched on the top of an open car door, receiving handouts. Of course that just reinforces the behavior. But it was a good opportunity for photos.
There were a few more photo stops on the way out on Indian Creek Road, and I did actually get home before dark. But the total trip was about 10 ½ hours. It took care of the desert fix for at least a little while, and I have the up close and personal memory of those panhandling ravens.
