More Than a Corner

All the years I lived in Lodi, CA, I never thought about opening a "Stuck in Lodi" tourist destination. Certainly the 1969 Credence Clearwater Revival song was every bit as popular as the one memorialized in the little town of Winslow, AZ. Dang, probably too late now.

Winslow has certainly capitalized on the Jackson Browne/Glenn Frey song, "Take It Easy", made famous by The Eagles, with the building of a small park - you guessed it - on the corner.  As part of the revitalization of the downtown area started in 1997, the park was funded by donations and opened in September 1999. It includes a bronze statue of Browne, a mural of the flatbed Ford, and the old hotel front.

Being Eagles' fans ourselves, and staying less than 30 miles up the road, we aren't going to miss it!

Jackson and Bill discussing music with mementos left in memory of Glenn Frey

What else would you park here?  And there's only one dealership in Winslow - yep, Ford.

Donor bricks partially funded the project

Detailed mural

Yes, I bought t-shirts (to help the local economy of course). The clerk says she sees up to 100 people a day across the street getting their pics taken.

That was fun!

Now we're off to yet another place we've never heard of - Homolovi State Park. Whenever we get to a new area we make a point of finding natural and historic points of interest. This little park sounds interesting, and is only 3 miles from Winslow.

In the 14th century the Hisat'sinom (Hopi ancestors) built pueblos in the high grasslands along the Little Colorado River. With the support of the Hopi people, the state park was established in 1986 in an effort to protect the sites that remained. The visitors center has the most incredible view.

The ranger says he never tires of this view - painted rock in the distance

Beautiful red rock wall at visitors center

Lighted mural of surrounding hills. In the women's restroom :-)

There are four areas of pueblo ruins, although two of them are currently closed. Homolovi I is near the small campground and has been re-buried by the park. After un-earthing the ruins along the river, they sustained substantial damage from the elements and it was determined that covering them again is best for preservation. We don't stop in that area, but the ranger explains that what you see of these ruins is the tops of the walls, rather than the foundations as you normally do. 

We spend our time here at Homolovi II. A very nice paved trail takes us into the ruins where we are encouraged to walk among the ruins, to pick up artifacts, to take photos, and then to leave everything where we found it. Fortunately it looks like the majority of visitors respect this. There are hundreds of pottery shards along the path, among the rocks and brush, and saved on flat stones for others to enjoy.

Early engineering included the use of small hillsides for building walls

More than 300 archaeological sites have been found within the park, including evidence of over 1200 rooms

The Hopi tell us that the broken pottery and stones are now part of the land, and are the trail Bahana will follow when he returns.  

Many patterned shards

Puzzle pieces in all sizes...

......most of them quite small.

The sad reality of history is still history. The holes were dug prior to the establishment of the park - and for me it means we've come a long way toward respecting sacred space.

Bill makes the blue ribbon find of the day - ancient fossil

I accept second place with the only critter we saw all day

Beautifully preserved kiva with stone seating. The spirit of this place draws you in.

The day before, the quiet added to the magic of what we were seeing. Today, the wind blowing through the tall grasses gives the place a feeling of authenticity. A few others pass through quickly, but mostly we are fortunate to have the place to ourselves. I could lose myself in the surrounding vistas.

The grass speaks in hushed tones

Tuutukwi, or Hopi Buttes are in the distance. Some Hopi clans still use them as eagle gathering areas today.

The Painted Desert is 300 miles from east to west. At the western boundary, Little Painted Desert is a county park. It is 13 miles north of Homolovi, and our next destination.

Park is a stretch. But there is a road of crumbling asphalt that takes us to the canyon rim. The light cloud cover blanches the colors, but it is still a spectacular sight. At the edge of the grasslands, we are once again in awe of Nature's majesty.

More blues

and reds

Looking like large ships all docked together

And this!

What a fun day, enjoying an iconic music destination, discovering another historical sacred site, and viewing more natural beauty. Life is most definitely good!