Tuba City:

      I have looked around this morning for the cities namesake, nothing obvious yet and I don’t really want to ask. Perhaps it’s better as a mystery.

   
I did find this beautiful sky this morning as I was going to breakfast, notice the fine examples of modern American Architecture in the foreground.

      Sometimes things are put in front of you to slap sense into you. As I was leaving Tuba City I passed someone washing their van in a car wash, I hesitated just a moment and then pulled a uey and went back and washed all the red road grime off my truck, truck is happy now.

I drove to the Vermillion Cliffs and was somewhat disappointed that a large bank of clouds was keeping the sun from reaching the cliffs, severely limiting the Kodak-moments. I walked out onto the pedestrian bridge to look down into the canyon at the Colorado River. It’s amazing to know that this little river carved this canyon and the “Grand” little hole in the ground downstream from here.

 I waited for a little while to see if the clouds would move on, but they weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere, and I was. I pressed onward down the front of the cliffs towards a big patch of blue sky, I will just drive to sunshine, by golly.

It’s easy to see how they got their name, the patches of snow really contrast beautifully against the cliffs of vermillion.(or terra rosa for you Darnell)

Just north of Fredonia , as I turn onto hwy 9 at Mt Carmel, the clouds return and are spitting some snow/rain heading into the Park.

 Here it is though, a very welcome sign and pretty in any weather, Zion National Park.

I got a little giddy.

I met Leslie Courtright at the museum and she gave me a quick tour and introduced me to a half-dozen people that I will try to remember their names. I remember Earl and Ron, right now, I’ll have to study a bit on that.

 Leslie met me at the “Grotto”, my new home for the month and let me know I am the first Artist-in-Residence to get to stay here because they just finished with the renovations……..yesterday. Everyone loves a deadline.

I’ll show more of the Grotto later but to suffice it to say, everything is brand new inside, heater, fridge, sinks, stove, tub, tile, rugs. The windows are all restored and reglazed, and just look outside the window………..

Next to the red rock, a water spicket just twenty feet away but no hose......... luckily, I washed the truck this morning.