Thursday, April 17 – Sunday, April 20
Bluff is an apt name for this little village. Houses and businesses sit under several tons of rock bluff. Bridget, Spike, and I walk around town this morning.
That’s the Twin Rocks Cafe in the photo below, where later in the day I order a Navajo pizza supreme on fry bread. When I first heard about fry bread, I knew I would love it. Anything described by the words “fry” and “bread” has to be good!
Adjacent to the cafe is the Twin Rocks Trading Post selling exquisite jewelry, blankets and art, as well as tourist items.
The architecture of Bluff is interesting and reminds one of its rich history.
Here’s a more modern structure in western style.
The crew and I motor eastward out of Bluff on Highway 162.
The sky competes with the landscape for attention.
This is Ute Mountain Indian Reservation land. A few miles out of town I notice a dirt lane heading in the direction of the San Juan River.
Since Bridget and Spike walked around Bluff streets with me as I took photos, I know they’re not up to hiking to the river. I vent the windows, lock up the Perfect Tow Vehicle, and leave them to nap. (They always have access to a water dish in the PTV.)
I hike down the lane and come across magnificent boondocks overlooking the river valley. However, no camping is allowed on tribal lands.
Spike would love a soak here . . .
Not to mention the mud, but the walk is too far for him. Better that he soak in his dreams!
The San Juan isn’t a very pretty river.
It’s muddy and slow moving. Any river is a magnet to me. I hear the honks of Canada geese and catch a glimpse of them as they flap their way, splashing, up stream and around the bend.
Walking near the river I come to a worn clearing by an overhang of red-and-tan striped rock. Graffiti indicates this is a party place or maybe a lover’s lane.
On the way back to the PTV I pause to survey this vista.
How beautiful is this place and this day!
I take several photos on this short hike. I wish I could show them all to you.
I hurry back to my two buddies who greet me with sleepy eyes.
We return to Sand Island Campground. Later we go back into Bluff to Twin Rocks Cafe so I can pick up a Navajo pizza to go!
Sitting at a picnic table next to the cottonwood trees and red rock petroglyph panel is an ideal setting for enjoying Bluff’s native cuisine!
rvsue
NOTE: During our stay at Sand Island the crew and I go north to Blanding and retrace part of the road that goes to Natural Bridges National Monument. Easter Sunday we take a leisurely drive to Hovenweep National Monument. More about that next time.
I APPRECIATE YOU SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
Here’s a sample of recent purchases made by readers:
Tribest Sproutman Wheatgrass Grower
Fit System Deluxe Universal Clip-on Trailer Towing Mirror
Dog Heaven
Sirius Satellite Radio Home Kit
Amazon Gift Card – E-mail
Montana Wildlife Viewing Guide, rev. (Wildlife Viewing Guides Series)
Such varied and beautiful country! Happy Easter!
Thank you, Susan. I wish you the same!
Great pictures as usual. We are back from SC and the preparation continues. We hauled a load of prized possessions to my daughters house for safe keeping.
You’re making great progress, John! Keep going . . .
Just stopping by on my way to Amazon, lol. Happy Easter, Sue.
Cheers,
Ilse
Thanks, Ilse… for the Easter wish and for shopping from here. 🙂 Have a blessed day!
Beautiful surroundings, sad to see the graffiti but perhaps it will some day be seen as a type of petroglyph should the it survive a few hundred years… (?)
Absolutely bread + fry can’t go wrong!!
T~
Hi, Tawanda,
That’s a very positive way to judge graffiti. Well, there are worse things young people can get involved with, right?
I decided to look at it as art, an expression of our times,if you will. Otherwise it aggravated me.
Good idea, Ginger. . . whatever it takes to smooth out the rough spots . . .
Great photos. Happy Easter. Hope the bunny was nice and brought the puppies something special.
Thanks, lindale. Happy Easter to you, too.
Spike says, “All we got was this lousy bone. I’d rather eat the Easter bunny.”
Sue, have you made a decision about your data plan when your Verizon contract is over? I have been looking and plans until I am blue and cannot make a decision. Even though Millenicom has raised their rates, they are still the best deal for 20GB of data each month at $90. Just not sure I would use that much. My estimate here are home is 10GB without any streaming or music downloads. Any idea how much you are using each month?
No, I haven’t made a decision yet. I have several months left on my contract. I’m not sure what my usage has been lately as I haven’t opened my Verizon account page in quite some time. It’s an ordeal and usually unproductive.
My contract is for 6Gs and I run over almost every month. I’ve stopped opening emails with lots of photos and I can’t go to readers’ blogs the way I used to. I’ve also cut back on reading online news.
I don’t know what browser you might be using but it helps a lot if you shut off/disable any video players that your computer might have on it. I was bumping up against my 5G limit every month until I did that. Now I read anything I want and usually only reach the 75% notice level a few days before my billing cycle. I do NOT download any movies – ever.
That’s interesting. I don’t ever look at videos. Are you saying I somehow should turn them off anyway?
Could Ed be referring to the new Flash ads that run videos automatically on little advertisements that are often all over a page and you might not even see them??
Connie & Mugsy described exactly what was happening. I disabled Shockwave Flash and suddenly had a LOT more Gs were available. You may have other Flash players, maybe even more than one; when you buy a computer anymore it comes with as many pre-installed headaches as you get from viruses.
Do you mean something like “click to flash”? Or something different? I have “click to flash” (or similar) installed and it makes it so that any “flash” items only load if I click on them. It’s very nice as of course I *never* click on flash ads, and if I click on a page with a flash video, that video will still not load unless or until I ask it to.
I have Millenicom and love it. Yes, it’s more expensive now (especially since I used to have the 3G USB plan), but boy is it nice to not have to worry about going over, and plus I now have the wireless router (the Pantech). It’s been great: The customer service, the device, and the connectivity. I “make up for it” by having a pay-as-you-go “stupid” phone instead of a more expensive smart phone (of course I could have neither and save more…)
Since it looks like Flash video is what’s being discussed, I’ll just add that the “click to flash” is a thing you add on to your browser (I have one on Safari and one on Firefox). Once you have it, any Flash videos will just show up on the page with a little Flash logo, but not start playing (or loading up). If it’s something you do want to see, you just click on it (right on the screen; no need to go anywhere else), and then it loads up and plays. I haven’t found a downside after having it for a couple of years.
I think Millenicom, even at the higher price, is still the best deal for fulltimers, or even just when traveling. 20 Gigs of wifi on the largest 4G network is probably worth $90/mo.
For the part timer, like me, something more complicated can serve. When not traveling, I cancel Millenicom and use a Republic Wireless Moto X smartphone. Their talk-only plan is just 10 bucks a month. It works over wifi if you’ve got it, but backs up to Sprint and then secondly to Verizon. That’s for voice only, but pretty cheap. They also have unlimited data plans that top out at $40 for 4G.
So, with $35 cable wifi at home, I can get a pretty complete service with the ten buck plan. When traveling 5 months of the year, the 10 dollar phone plan will work data off the Millenicom, and have cellular voice everywhere else.
So that’s 7 months of $45/mo (cable wifi + phone) and 5 months of $100/mo (Millenicom wifi + Republic Wireless phone). A little over $800 a year.
If you have a grandfathered plan with unlimited data, a program like PDanet will allow you to attach your phone to your laptop by USB. A wifi tethering program like Foxfi is more convenient, but usually can be detected by the phone company and blocked. Usb seems to fly under their radar. Of course most phone plans with “unlimited” data are throttled after 2 Gig.
Just some notes from my recent research.
Bob
Good info BobG. Just ordered my phone. Also just found out about their referral plan. 🙁 Would have liked for you to have gotten that credit.
John
Inquiring minds want to know (or rather, are too senile to remember!)….is the Navaho fry bread pizza the same as a regular pizza, except the fry bread is used for the crust? Or is it different in other ways, such as the sauce, toppings, etc??
Navajo pizza is the same as regular pizza except the crust is fry bread. Surprising how that makes such a difference.
OMG…I LOVE fry bread and I have the wide…. and thighs to prove it. I always have some when I go to Powwows! Can’t keep the stuff in the house I’d have it every day!
Wish you had a photo of that pizza. Love reading your stories. Hope you had a wonderful Easter.
The pizza was gone before I thought about a photo!
Sue, Sorry to hear that Spike only got to “soak” in his dreams. Maybe next time. Hang in their Spike!!!
Hey, Jeff. . . Don’t worry about the Spikester. He’ll get his soaks!
Beautiful photos. I like the one with the dramatic clouds best. I guess we went there in 2009, seems kind of familiar. Definitely Hovenweep. Looking forward to see you photos of the monument.
Hi, Bea,
Thanks re photos. My favorite is the last one, maybe because I was standing there and it was a peaceful spot.
In Florida, I made fry bread for my inlaws, they looked at it and declared they were the same as elephant ears sold at their county fair LOL. However, I put a twist to their elephant ears and made Navajo tacos…they loved it. One of my best memories, picking clams and scallop at Charlotte Bay and, after, a clam bake with different sauces to dip them it….on Xmas eve. I’ve never had Navajo Pizza…I would have thought it’d be made with tortilla instead of fry bread…hmmmm. Never been to Bluff so enjoyed the pics and love the western stone house. I always wanted a house and/or hogan made with big blocks of sandstone with a wrap around porch…I’m dreaming. Happy Easter.
Fry bread is a lot different than elephant ears… I think so anyway.
Glad you enjoyed the little tour of Bluff. Happy Easter, Rita!
Beautiful country! You had a very lovely Easter!
Yes, we did. I hope you did, too!
The sky competing with landscape photo is so exciting to me, how perfect that you posted it on Easter,an atmosphere brimming with energy…wow!Then to have spent the day peacefully driving with the crew,I’m so pleased with and for you.Awesome day here
(central NY)too,warm sun,friends celebrating,happy little fur and feather group all tucking in now.Ain’t life grand?
Hi weather….
Your “happy little fur and feather group” … precious!
That photo does have a lot of energy and power… The house looks vulnerable underneath that sky. I hope you had a good day!
We’re getting really close to you. We’ll be in NM tomorrow by Carlsbad Caverns, we’ll check out that area. If we see you we’ll wave from afar. We won’t just “show up” if we see you. I think you’ll be way more off the main road that we travel. We’re excited about seeing NM, It looks beautiful. Keep up the great blogs, we’re learning from you.
If you’re waving from Carlsbad, NM then you truly are waving from afar – some 560 miles. My guess is RVSue can withstand that close proximity.
I don’t know, Ed. I don’t like people crowding me. 🙂
Ha!
Hi, Dee,
“Close” is a relative term, right? Have a wonderful time in New Mexico! The crew and I went through that area in 2011, soon after starting the vagabond life. We didn’t go to the caverns…. camped at Brantley State Park. The lake was so low that the shoreline was barely visible from the campground. That campground holds a special place in my heart… It’s the location where I first dumped waste tanks!
You know what they say: Just another sh**ty day in paradise.
We were describing our future lifestyle to the granddaughters. One of them asked about going to the bathroom. Once, I explained the black tank and it’s procedures, I got a collective “EEEEEEEWWWWWWW”. I don’t guess we’ll be having too many guests.
What a lovely area. Thanks so much for sharing the beauty.
You’re welcome, Contessa. Great seeing you here!
Such beautiful rock formations! I like the stone structure with the porches and numerous fireplaces!
The caves look neat but bats and I can’t occupy the same space! GRAnT is a knucklehead.
Spike loves mud! His boots at Delmoe Lake still makes me laugh! Glad you enjoyed your hike!
What a lovely spot under the cottonwood tree!
Don’t know about anyone else but WE are too much tonight. Happy Easter to all!
Hi, Cinandjules…
Um . . . “Grant is a knucklehead?” Is this some cultural reference I’m unaware of?
“We are too much tonight…” Tipped back a few too many glasses of wine with Easter dinner maybe? LOL!
GRAnT is the individual who spray painted the side of the rock.
Opps this ipad is auto correcting and I wasn’t paying attention.
Uhh…I don’t drink…..maybe that’s my problem! 😉
Ate…..as in we ate waaaaaayyy too much!
Ooooohhhhh!! I get it! Grant’s on the rock and you ate too much. Maybe we should try smoke signals or Navajo code talkers . . .
When my mother baked bread she always saved some of the dough to fry for me. Sugar and cinnamon on top. Yum. Always thought it was an Irish thing LOL.
Hi, Wickedlady,
It’s probably a bread that appears in many cultures. I remember eating a German pastry, basically dough dropped in hot oil and then dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Can’t remember the name. They sell them in Helen, Georgia, a fake German town. (The town, not the Germans.)
Wait a minute… maybe it was a fake Swiss town. . . whatever . . . men in short pants with suspenders and knee socks, hefty women in peasant blouses . . . cuckoo clocks for sale . . . polka music … You get the picture.
Love the 4 corners area, although you are just a bit north of that now. Perhaps my favorite place in the world, but than again I have lots of favorite places. As always thanks for letting us tag along.
And don’t worry Spike ol’ boy. It’s spring and I have a feeling there is lots of soaking in your future in the next few months.
Hi, Badger… You wrote your real name once or twice but I can’t recall it.
My friend Chuck (of Chuck and Geri who comment here) drove me to Mesa Verde last spring and we also visited the Four Corners (where the sign says $5) for about 3 minutes. Apparently there’s more to see! Haha!
Yes, you got the pizza!! I really do need to come back to Bluff. We did some amazing hiking using Bluff as our home base.
Pam… You do need to come back to Bluff. You’ve had Navajo pizza on your mind ever since I mentioned we were coming this way. Forget the hiking, EAT PIZZA!
Hey Pam, what amazing hikes did you do around Bluff? Can you list them? Thanks
R. . . . Click on Pam’s name, go to her blog, and search her archives for “Bluff.”
Thanks, Sue!
Sounds like you had the perfect Easter, out enjoying creation. My Easter was spent doing dishes, hauling glass and cardboard to the recycling place, and blowing out sprinklers. But at least the wine was good. 🙂
Hi, Walt . . . Sounds good to me! Lots of folks aren’t doing as well . . .
Happy Spring !
I was scrolling thru a blog I found — this guy has ideas of traveling communities of people among other things — cool guy — ANYWAY — he had a picture of a guy on a bike named Glen, in Yuma. Glen had a job and still got around on his bike. It’s about half way down the page on the link. I couldn’t remember the guy’s name that you met on a bike in the desert… and wondered if this was him. I couldn’t link to the pic separately, sorry.
http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/
Have a great trip.
Well, I tried a search of your blog and each search result came up with only one result… even when I searched for “camp.” Eeeks… not really useful is it. I kept trying to think of a word to search for that would distinguish the guy on the bike — and after a few tries I thought of “spoke.” It found the post I was looking for.
The guy you met on the bike that you gave the basket to was named Dale. So he isn’t the same guy I saw on the other blog.
http://rvsueandcrew.net/a-thanksgiving-gift-to-me-from-a-fellow-traveler/
Gee, sorry I wasn’t online to help you. My blog has the worst search box . . . practically useless.
I think of Dale often and wish he would contact me.
We passed your way a few days ago and enjoyed Bluff as well… in fact took some of the same pics. After asking around in Bland and Bluff, I heard the best Navajo Tacos are served at the Twin Rocks Cafe… Their fry bread is simply yummy… Enjoy!!
Hi, klbexplores . . . You tempt me to stay another day for the tacos!
Beautiful photos and such a pretty day. There is something about red rock country !!! So pretty and on a day with big white clouds. all the prettier.
Hi, Sue,
Thank you. . . One of the benefits I receive from my blog is the fun sharing photos with those who appreciate them.
I always loved southern Utah, but never saw Bluff. Now I am fired up to go! And Navajo pizza and tacos are definitely enticements! I had my first shared dinner with my neighbors here inthe park. It was pleasant, but I was 10 minutes late and the food was almost gone. Guess you can’t mess around here, these folks are serious about food. Then I took a long nap inthe afternoon heat. Now it is a beautiful cool evening and time to catch up with Sue and crew!
Hi, Ginger,
You are settling in very nicely! You already know to time your activities around the hottest part of the day, like a native Arizonian. 🙂
Many thanks for the lovely photos in Utah………….with a moody sky as you have captured all the better. So glad you are revisiting!
You’re welcome, Glenda. It was fun making the sky part of the composition.
Always a treat to see you here! Enjoy your day . . .
I ordered a bunch of the Wildlife viewing guides. I may be a little bit of an outlier since my wife is an animal behaviorist and has studied frogs and spider monkeys and rhesus monkeys and fish in Alaska and horseshoe crabs (whom she thinks are “cute” even when she feed them shrimp, which reminds me of the movie Alien more than anything) and it has sort of rubbed off on me as I have helped her tote her gear around sometimes. They are from the mid 90’s so I cannot be sure how up to date the information is. The project was coordinated by Defenders of Wildlife with input from BLM, USFS, and state agencies, among others. Each page lists one or sometimes two places on state land (including some state parks), BLM areas, USFS areas, Nature Conservancy land, scenic roads, etc. It lists times to see specific animals and lists of rare and usual species. The Montana one has 109 sites, including 11 in Yellowstone. Directions to each site seem very clear, and data includes size, nearest town and icons for camping, hiking, and other activities. I am happy to have them. Lots of nice pictures, but they have nothing on you.
Hi, rhodium (fellow outlier) . . .
Thanks for the review on the wildlife books! I gather you think they would enhance an RVer’s experience when touring the West. My thought was to feature them as I do the Benchmarks. Part of the fun of vagabonding is learning about the places one visits. The details you shared here are very helpful.
Thanks for purchasing the books through my blog!
Love your last line…. 🙂
MESSAGE TO READERS:
The crew and I are moving camp today. We may end up in an area with no internet signal. I’ll be back in touch as soon as I can.
It looks like you’re going to continue with a beautiful weather. Although strong desert winds suppose to arrive in mid-week. Find your spot, take your time and only then get back to us. Happy moving.
Thanks, R. I hope to post again soon. Enjoy your hikes!
Whatever once in a lifetime experience of a site you’re after is a story worth looking and waiting for,enjoy! 🙂
I hope to tell you our latest news soon!
Good morning, Sue….Thank you for the tour of Bluff – it is beautful! Sad to see the graffiti, just wish more folks would stick to the “leave no trace” rule. Thanks to you and some of your followers, I have had a craving for Navaho pizza and Navaho tacos!!!! Sounds like they are both tasty. Too bad that I won’t be able to satify that craving until I can travel back to the SW! My mouth is watering as I write this…..
I have been keeping a journal, noting areas that I would like to visit on my next SW trip. Thank you so much for sharing, Sue. I would have never known that some of those places exist. I enjoy finding the off the beaten track places. The less people, noise, commercialism and NO tour buses – makes a trip all the better.
Hope Spikes gets to soak his little bones soon – even if the soak comes with a “spa” mud treatment! Safe travels – wishing everyone a great day!
Hi, Denise. . . Spike has been getting into trouble lately. I’ll tell you about it soon . . .
You have a great day, too!
Beautiful pictures Sue. I love the rock formations & their colors. It’s a pity that people feel the need to mar them with graffiti. I agree with you on the fry bread. It is delicious! My ex mother-in-law, a Chippewea Indian, made it frequently. Look forward to reading more soon. Safe travels.
Hi, Gayle,
Glad you like the pics. It is difficult for me to understand people who feel the need to paint their name on a rock on property that is not theirs.
What do they do? Get up and think, gee, I’m going down to Home Depot and get myself a can of spray paint and then I’m gonna’ find me a big rock and paint my name on it so anyone going to that place will be convinced that I’m a complete idiot.
Reminds me of when I would drive by the Great Salt Lake and see where people had arranged the small stones into their names or messages along the shore. At least with those, the next person that comes along can recycle the stones!
I like that much better!
I think Sue just let go of our leash! 😉
Safe travels……see ya soon!
Cinandjules you’re right!I say we run straight for the muddy beaches! 🙂
I’d never heard of the rainbow bridge, googled it after you mentioned it, what a
comforting way to think about ones we love ” going on ahead of us” ,thanks.
Muddy beaches and then in a single bound (without using the step) right into bed!
Glad you found the Rainbow Bridge as comforting as we do. We have lots of fur friends waiting on us.
I really enjoyed your pictures of Bluff. What an interesting little town! Hope you find a great new camp.
Thanks, Marcia. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos.
Hi Sue,
I have been following your blog for awhile, so much enjoyment.I to am planning my travels, Utah is my favorite place. I ordered the 2 benchmark maps, my heart is so full of joy I can hardly stand.I to am going with a CASITA, I am reading your blog for inspirtration,as well as acknowledge. Please list more must haves when booning,I am buying thru your sight,what a great blessing God as given to us thru you.Oh, yes I forgot,I live in one of the most beautiful places Ar. Ozarks,but I know there is much more to see of creation.Please tell, Wether your friend she to blesses me with her blogs to you,what a friend!
Hi, Debra,
Congratulations on making your decision to travel with a Casita! It’s a great little trailer. I’m sure you will love yours.
Thanks for buying Benchmarks through my blog. I appreciate the business!
I haven’t forgotten my series “The Road to Vagabond Living.” I’ve put it on the shelf temporarily in order to report on travels. I’ll do an installment on “must haves.”
Weather is a dear. She probably will see your message to her.
Hi Debra,what a sweet moment you gave me with your message.I pray He’ll lead you to get exactly what you need on your journey.
Sue, as I’ve been catching up on past posts, I remember where you often teared up in your life prior to this. I’ve been in that stage for a while now, crying at the end of a long day…a release after holding my breath for 8 hours. I can imagine that some day I’ll be crying tears of joy just taking in such beauty! And rather than hold my breath…it will be taken away. Bless you for showing me a future.
Oh, Cindy. . . Those days are a dim memory for me now, covered over with many rich and happy experiences. I wish the same for you!
You are soo right. I find out about this on a regular basis.
Fantastic post.
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