The Best of the West (Towns)

Here is my ranking of the smaller towns I have visited:

4.




Flagstaff, Arizona (pop. 60,611)

Pros:  Great college town atmosphere; history; BNSF; microbreweries (Beaver Street, Lumbaryard, Flagstaff Brewing); mountains; inexpensive
Cons:  Only good for a day
Thoughts:  Flagstaff is definitely a hipster, mountain, college town as the home to Northern Arizona University.  The railroad history and hiking also seem like a cool part of the town.
Description in a few words:  Mountains, trains, beer, college

3.




Sedona, Arizona (pop. 10,031)

Pros:  Red rock; hiking; green forests; Tlaquepaque center (Oak Creek Brewery); driving down Oak Creek Canyon
Cons:  Hard to navigate; expensive
Thoughts:  Definitely check out Sedona's beauty.  It's worth the money and the effort, but can be a lot cheaper if you find a nice secluded camping site in a small canyon.  Bring lots of water.
Description in a few words:  Red, rock, dry, hot, green, retirement community

2.




Santa Fe, New Mexico (pop. 67,947)

Pros:  Spanish heritage; old, old, old buildings, food, art scene, location (where desert meets mountain); camping in the Santa Fe National Forest
Cons:  Really expensive; many things closed on Sunday
Thoughts:  I was quite impressed with Santa Fe.  Yes, it is expensive, but you can also enjoy the free and cheap sides of the town, like the historical site and many restaurants with reasonably priced, delicious.  I had a hard time deciding between Santa Fe and Sedona.  The latter has, I think, more outstanding sights in nature with the red rock and is a bit less expensive.  However, as a town, which is what this lists looks at, Santa Fe is just more fun of a town and still has great views of nature.  I would definitely check out the art galleries and San Miguel Mission.  Also, there seemed to be some great food stands in the centro.  I had some amazing beer and BBQ, and great French crêpes and coffee.
Description in a few words:  Español, art, religious, food, mountains, desert, colorful, expensive



1.




Durango, Colorado (pop. 16,887)

Pros:  Rocky Mountains; deciduous trees and changing leaves; Old West town; locomotive trains; art scene; young, relaxed, athletic atmosphere; Christmas; beer (Irish Embassy, Barley Exchange. Carver Brewing); old hotels (Palmer, Strater and its Old West saloon); hiking up steep mountains
Cons:  None.
Thoughts:  Durango seems familiar and new, yet it doesn't.  You see the trees, the up and coming restaurants, stores, and bars, then you see the last steam locomotive train still in operation driving past Old West hotels and saloons.  Hikes take you above the edge of the high desert to the tree line, right below the Rocky Mountains.  Perfection.
Description in a few words:  Mountains; trees; leaves; steep; old; trains; beer

The Best of the West (Nature)

Now, here is my list of the amazing sights in nature out west:

14.




El Malpais (Grants, New Mexico)

Photo courtesy of Bridget Marrine

Pros:  Huge with lots to see; volcano craters; lots of trees; good views of high desert
Cons:  Huge with lots to see (that's not a typo); views a bit generic
Experience:  El Malpais is a nice place to see if you have some time to kill.  The highlight is seeing the old volcano craters that have created very fertile soil.  The picture above is of me standing in one of these craters.
Description in a few words:  lava, trees, caves, Batman

13.




El Morro (Grants, New Mexico)

Pros:  Easy to see in 2 hours; great views of desert plains; Native American, Spanish, and white inscriptions all over base of rock
Cons:  A bit too small
Experience:  It's easy to see the whole place even if you don't have too much time.  A great historical timeline on the rock.
Description in a few words:  inscription, rock, high

12.




Saint Michaels area (Arizona & New Mexico)

Pros:  Saint Michael Indian School; Cocina Dominguez; Diné Restaurant; Window Rock's big hole; Hubbell Trading Post; Pyramid Rock (view of valley, mountains, and sunset); Gallup (Sammi C's, Coal Street Pub, Jerry's Cafe, Gennaro's, Goodfellas, Route 66, El Rancho, seeing trains); Shiprock (the rock)
Cons:  Gallup (C_ass Act, City Lights, Fire Rock Casino, being stuck because of trains, the long drive to/from Saint Michaels); Pyramid Rock (view of Gallup); Shiprock (the town)
Thoughts:  Working at a school founded over 100 years ago by a saint who wanted to serve those in need is an honor.  Living within a stone's throw of 1,000 year old ruins is also amazing.  Talk to me in person to get a better idea on this one.
Description in a few words:  isolated, foreign


11.




Horseshoe Bend (Page, Arizona)

Pros:  Being 1,000 above the Colorado River; not being able to explain how Mother Nature can form this; it's free and only takes a few minutes to see
Cons:  You see it, then you leave.
Thoughts:  The pros pretty much sum this up.
Description in a few words:  vertigo

10.




Pecos (Pecos, New Mexico)

Pros:  Combination of Native and Spanish influence; original adobe; Glorieta (the history)
Cons:  Glorieta (preservation)
Thoughts:  The Pecos are a hidden gem.  I would suggest going to (in this order) Canyon de Chelly, Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and the Pecos to have a chronological look at indigenous history in this region.  (I have yet to visit Taos, but would like to do so, despite limited time.)  The Pecos is excellently preserved and really shows how Native Americans and Spaniards lived together, fought together, and worshipped together in the post-Columbian area.  The Glorieta battlefield is a bit of a disappointment.  I have complete respect for the people who fought and died there, but the battlefield has basically grown into a forest.  This growth, in my mind, is an allusion to the forgotten nature of this key battle.  I could easily have switched this with number 9...


9.




Monument Valley (Mexican Hat, Utah)

Pros:  Being an American icon; the best green chili stew and frybread I've had to date; great Navajo pottery; fun 4 mile hike that gets you close to mittens; great photo opportunity
Cons:  Maybe not worth a whole day; a bit too commercial
Thoughts:  Monument Valley has been in so many movies, it's hard to ignore its importance.  Definitely worth a trip, but only as a part of a trip to Antelope Canyon or Arches.
Description in a few words:  Native, American, iconic, desolate, hot, dry

8.




Antelope Canyon (Page, Arizona)

Pros:  Look at the picture: so unique; excellent photo opportunities; friendly tour guides; driving on a rocky river bed to reach the canyon
Cons:  Tourist trap
Thoughts:  It's a tourist trap, and it only takes 1-2 hours to see, but Antelope Canyon is just way too unique to rank any lower than this.
Description in a few words:  Colorful, fiery, unique, optical illusion

7.




Bryce Canyon (Bryce Canyon, Utah)

Pros:  Easy hikes to bottom of "canyon;" pink hoodoos unique to America; easy to see in a hour or two
Cons:  Not worth a whole weekend, or even a whole day; town is a bit tacky
Thoughts:  Visit Bryce around the time you visit Zion.  It's only a two-hour drive between the two parks.  The Queen's Garden Trail is fun and easy to do in about 30 minutes, and you can get some great pictures of the mountains and forests in the area since Bryce is at an elevation of 8,000 ft.
Description in a few words:  Pink; hoodoos; formations


6.




Canyon de Chelly (Chinle, Arizona)

Pros:  Off the beaten path; great place to learn Navajo history; Navajo ruins; running down
Cons:  Hard to access bottom of canyon; running up
Thoughts:  I strongly recommend Canyon de Chelly.  An amazing historical landmark for all Americans.  You can also see the Painted Desert above the canyon.  Definitely try to run down and back up...try...
Description in a few words:  Solemn, horses, red, historical

5.




Chaco Canyon (Farmington, New Mexico)

Pros:  Off the beaten path for sure; AMAZING Chacoan Pueblo ruins with mysterious origins, especially Pueblo Bonito (inside the canyon and the largest dwelling) and New Alto (on top of the mesa and one of the smallest dwellings); great mesa-top hike with even more ruins and fun rock alcoves to explore; all ruins accessible once you've gotten into the park; high heat (if you have water)

Cons:  20-mile rocky gravel road might be a bit much for some cars; high heat (if you don't have water)

Thoughts:  Along with the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site while it is not a National Park like the other two destinations.  I suspect this is partially due to its isolation, but nonetheless, Chaco Canyon has quite an international reputation and is worth the trip.  You will also never see such enormous dwellings.  It seems that Chaco Canyon, especially Pueblo Bonito, was some sort of ceremonial center or "resort" for the rich and famous and is a must-see.  Cocoa residue in ceramic pots and parrot bones point to some sort of trade with central Mexican tribes like the Aztecs.  Chaco Canyon also predates Mesa Verde by up to 500 years in some cases.  Regardless of what it was specifically, it was definitely a center of power and the mystique speaks for itself.

Description in a few words:  Mysterious, hot, dry, sacred

4.




Mesa Verde (Cortez, Colorado)

Pros:  Big; beautiful green mesas; massive canyons; hundreds and hundreds of Pueblo ruins (literally); climbing into/out of the ruins; great camping; awesome tour guides; seeing thousands of stars at night
Cons:  Long lines at times; touristy
Thoughts:  Wow!  That was my first reaction to seeing so many stars when we camped.  I actually slept outside in my sleeping bag and fell asleep to that sight.  Tours were awesome.  Try Balcony House for a nice steep climb.  Visit Cliff Palace (above) for quintessental views of the park.  Long House and the old kivas are the things to see if you like really old and untouched things.
Description in a few words:  Green, dwellings, Pueblo, stars

3.




Grand Canyon (Grand Canyon, Arizona)

Pros:  The most beautiful sunset on the planet; unimaginable size; dozens of colors of rocks; seeing snow on the slopes of the canyon; the "tiny" Colorado River; standing on the extreme edge of a 5,000 ft. cliff with nothing but gravity between you and the canyon floor
Cons:  Like Mesa Verde, very touristy
Thoughts:  This really should be 1B, with my top choice being 1A.  The Grand Canyon should definitely be on anyone's "Top 10 Things to See Before You Die" list.  I feel like I have unfinished business and should hike down this at some point.   Until then, I put it a close 2nd, in what some might say is an upset.
Description in a few words:  Grand, canyon, sunset, massive, snaking river

2.




White Sands (Alamogordo, New Mexico)

Pros:  Being on the moon; being on a missile range; being in the middle of a dry, hot desert, hiking with not one soul in sight
Cons:  None.
Thoughts:  White Sands is truly an experience.  As if snow-white, sugar-light sand is not trippy enough, try standing in the middle of a missile range where they tested the first atomic bomb.  Of course, you can only do this after driving through Truth or Consequences, NM and passing by/through several border checkpoints due to your proximity to military testing and Mexico.  White Sands is definitely the strangest, most unique, most beautiful, and mind-blowing thing I have yet seen on this planet (despite not even feeling like this planet).
Description in a few words:  White, sand, missile, range, atomic, bomb, lonely

1.




Zion (Springdale, Utah)

Pros:  Sharp mountain peaks; tons of green; the beautiful Virgin River; Angels Landing, Observation Point, and the Narrows to name a few of the hikes; great solitude on a few of the trails; sheer drops and wading through water on hikes; sunrise/sunset; Springdale; camping; bus system that takes you to most places in the park and keeps traffic down; friendly people

Cons:  A bit crowded on a few of the hikes; difficulty finding certain information about backcountry hiking, though I assume this is to keep those places remote and unique

Thoughts:  Zion National Park is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.  Everything I mentioned in the Pros section is a superlative and I cannot say enough good things.  Climbing the narrow ridge of Angels Landing is such a unique and riveting experience, especially with the sheer drops of close to a quarter of a mile at points.  Observation Point is definitely an underrated hike and is worth the 8 mile round trip and  stuns with a gain of almost half a mile in elevation on the way up.  I only wish I had the materials and better weather to complete the entire Narrows hike.  I would also like to comment on the superb friendliness of the people of Utah.  In my experience, Utah is definitely the friendliest state.  Overall, Zion National Park is a must-see in the Southwest.

Description in a few words:  Gorgeous; steep; religious; spiritual; mountains; river; narrows; green; camping; moonlight; sunset/sunrise

The Best of the West (Cities)

I decided to create a ranking of the amazing places I've visited since August.  I will continue to update these posts until I leave in June.  Please note that I loved each of these experiences.  First, here is my list of cities.

5.




Ciudad Juárez, Mexico (pop. 1,321,004)

Pros:  I'm alive.

Cons:  Where to begin...?  Murder rate?  Feminicide?  Beheadings?  Police corruption?  Drug wars?Things in Juárez are so bad that CBS named it the "murder capital of the world."  Even with 4,000 - 7,500 federal troops in town, around 3,000 people are murdered each year.  I kid you not when I say that this place is up there with Baghdad, Chechnya, Mogadishu, and Port-au-Prince.  Here's the news from the day I was there.

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2012/02/juarez-cops-under-attack-again.html

Experience:  This was truly a rush of an experience.  My 10 minute, 75 cent journey started at 8:30 pm on the American side of the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso.  Cars lined 4 lanes coming into the United States (the bridge is one-way).  Things actually looked pretty harmless, but my feeling changed as soon as I cross the brightly lit American side of the bridge into the dingy, dark, chain-linked fence of a bridge on the Mexican bridge.  After I passed through Mexican security (which consists only of pushing a button), I noticed Mexican police in all black everything, and a bunch of street vendors.  At the end of the street, a squad car had its lights on and had pulled someone over in the street (that naturally had no street lights).  After feeling I had seen all I needed to see, I walked back home, terrified my passport would not work.

Description in a few words:  anxiety, adrenaline, fear, relief, thrill

4.




El Paso, Texas (pop. 649,121)

Pros:  Being in the United States; proximity to Mexico; the old part of El Paso;  University of Texas - El Paso (restaurants, bars, overall neighborhod); safety.

Cons:  Downtown is pretty dead at night, even on a Saturday.

Experience:  El Paso is a great town to grab a Corona, Sol, or Modelo.  As usual, places like Krispy Kreme are welcome sights.  (I know it's lame, but I was glad to see after beeing in Juárez).  I also enjoyed seeing the giant Lone Star on the side of the mountain in El Paso, and the sign (above) you see (re-)entering the United States that makes no mention of the country...just Texas.

Description in a few words:  relief, windy, hip, safe

3.




Albuquerque, New Mexico (pop. 545,852)

Pros:  Balloon Fiesta; University of New Mexico (especially Frontier restaurant for burritos); Marble Brewery; Downtown (especially Maloney's); Taqueria Mexico (some of the best Mexican street food on Earth; tongue, pork, and shrimp tacos all great); cheapness; new shopping centers; user-friendly airport

Cons:  Nice landscape, but not the prettiest in the Southwest; poverty on outskirts of town; too sprawled; expensive airport with few direct flights east of Texas

Experience:  I keep saying it:  Albuquerque is actually a fun town.  It has a great local identity and a growing population of outsiders, making it a potentially great city in the future.  Do some homework on what you want to see/do/eat, and you won't be disappointed.  Balloon Fiesta is incredible in early October.  There are also some casinos nearby, especially the Route 66 and its enormous buffet.  I have not been there yet, but plan on it.

Description in a few words:  Sand, big mountain, balloons, isolated

2.




Las Vegas, Nevada (pop. 583,756)

Pros:  Hotels and casinos (especially Luxor, Bellagio, Ceasars Palace, Paris, and Venetian); free drinks; cheap hotels; no open container laws; absurdity; listening to Sinatra at Bellagio fountain; blackjack at Bellagio; helpful pedestrian bridges; European recreations at Ceasar's Palace, Paris, and Venetian; pirate show at Treasure Island; Gold & Silver Pawn Shop; Hoover Dam (cheap and quick to see); cheap vacation (if you don't gamble)

Cons:  Superficial people; drink prices; confusing sidewalks that lead to nowhere; very touristy

Experience:  What a town!  I definitely think you can see pretty much everthing in a weekend.  Definitely check out the old spots like Circus, Circus, the Flamingo, and the Riviera, as well as the boarded up Sahara.  A trip north on Las Vegas Boulevard takes you place the seedier places in town, like the wedding chapels, but you also get to see the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop from Pawn Stars.  Also the newer themed casinos are definitely nicer than places like the MGM or Mandalay Bay.  It's also amusing walking around the city with a large drink in hand, so go for it!  For night-time fun, visit the pirate show at Treasure Island, Nine Irishmen at New York-New York, and the Cathouse at Luxor.

Description in a few words:  Bright, wild, long, gambling, hotels, crowded, booze

1.




Los Angeles, California (pop. 3,792,621)

Pros:  Big lights in the big city; Sierra Nevadas; Pacific Ocean; Manhattan Beach (Wahoo's Tacos); high school football in East L.A.

     See:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/varsitytimesinsider/2011/11/football-post-game-brawl-erupts-between-private-schools.html

Culver City (Backstage bar); Olvera Street (Mexican food, especially shrimp cocktail); Santa Monica (any bar, Cha Cha Chicken and its Jamaican jerk enchiladas); Koreatown (Brass Monkey...that funky monkey...); In-N-Out (Animal Style)

Cons:  Most of Downtown; South Central near USC; smog; traffic

Experience:  There is nothing like leaving the Mojave and climbing the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, only to drop a couple thousand feet, all while seeing the bright lights of the  City of Angels 50-60 miles ahead of you while falling to sea level...all at night.  Within 24 hours, I was on top of a hill in Culver City looking at Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, rolling green meadows and hills to the south, Beverly Hills and the Hollywood sign to the north, and desert, snow-covered mountains, and downtown to the east.  What a view!  I can't say enough about L.A.  I loved it so much more than I thought possible.  Even the bad parts of my trip were enjoyable.  Seeing the street vendors downtown, eating at Panda at USC, and getting into a traffic jam all seem like necessary parts of an experience in Los Angeles, my favorite city in the West.

Description in a few words:  Amazing.

Local Gems & Miscellaneous

Here are some pictures of Durango from Christmas that I haven't posted until now.  Lots of rustic pics here.

Random Christmas tree along the river.

The Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, AZ  is the last remaining Native American Trading Post in the Southwest.  John Lorenzo Hubbell opened the post in 1878 and traded coffee, flour, sugar, tobacco, tools, and Native American rugs, jewelry, and clothing.  The Hubbell Trading Post still operates as it has for over 100 years.

Stables.

Inside the Hubbell Trading Post.

Outside.

Hubbell's hogan (a Navajo dwelling).

Hubbell's house.

"Scarecrow...scarecrow... Patients suffering delusional episodes often focus their paranoia on an external tormentor, usually one conforming to archetypes.  In this case a scarecrow."

Stables.

Old plow.

Inside the stables.

Church Rock in Churchrock, NM near Gallup.

Pyramid Rock rises about 7000 ft. above sea level.

Our hike to the top of Pyramid Rock.

Mount Taylor on the horizon, one of the Sacred Mountains of the Navajo that marks the original boundaries of the Navajo land, Dinetah.  The Sacred Mountains are:

To the Southeast:  Mount Taylor (11,305 ft.) in Grants, New Mexico
To the Southwest:  Mount Humphreys (12,633 ft.) in Flagstaff, Arizona (the highest point in Arizona)
To the Northeast:  Blanca Peak (14,345 ft.) east of Durango, Colorado
To the Northwest:  Hesperus Mountain (13,232 ft.) near Cortez, Colorado

The rest of the crew following me.

A New Mexico sunset.

El Rancho, Gallup's hotel for the stars of Hollywood.

The rooms of the stars.

Climbing Window Rock.

Haystacks and Black Rock.

Saint Michaels, AZ.

Through the Window!

Of course I had to climb it.

At the top of Window Rock!

Blue Canyon in Fort Defiance, AZ.  Just north of Window Rock, Fort Defiance was established in 1851 as a military outpost.  Fort Defiance is also home to Fort Defiance Indian Hospital.  This stretch of road is apparently haunted by ghostly entities that throw rocks at cars.

Old hospital.

Black Rock.

It does, in fact, snow in April in Arizona.

Church Rock, Gallup.

Pyramid Rock from Church Rock trail.

At the top.

1,000 year-old Pueblo dwellings...just a short walk from where I live...pretty freakin' sweet!