Sketching Canyonlands 2023

May 5, 2023

Of sand, rain and wind – into Pueblo country
The southwest area of the US has captivated my imagination for so long. Partly because I’ve never lived in a desert climate. And partly because of the cultures who continue to inhabit the area, in particular the Hopi and Navajo. I must admit my bias toward the Hopi, who from their own account have been here forever, or at least since the 4th world was created. But wait, they were here at the end of the 3rd world as well and claim to have been helped to survive its destruction by living underground, aided by the ant people.
There is a long history of habitation throughout the area. And of course, the geology of the canyons evinces a much longer history that defies imagination, unless one is comfortable considering timescales in the hundreds of millions of years.

Zion National Park
While I have visited the southwest areas 5 or 6 times in the past, those trips were many years ago. It was good to revisit many places and refresh my memory of so many details.
At Zion National Park we took the hike to lower and upper Emerald Pools, but the walk up the Virgin River in The Narrows was closed due to high water. I’d left my Basquiat hat on the shuttle bus when we jumped off at one stop. We bushwhacked through an area along the river between stops, and I lost a shoe in the mud there, but it was worth it. On a later shuttle trip, I found my hat on the dashboard. We loved taking other hikes and basking in the sun at the lodge.

On to Bryce Canyon
These national parks are so much busier than they were years ago. So much that we stayed in a town further away than the neighboring Springdale, in Hurricane. Same with Bryce Canyon. We found certain trails at Bryce closed as well due to mud and snow. We may have timed this trip a little early, but the weather was fantastic – sunny if a bit chilly. The rimrock trails worked best for us.

The New Wave
From Bryce Canyon we traveled to Kanab, hoping to visit The Wave. We applied for their lottery but weren’t chosen, so we went on to Page, Arizona where we took the tour of Antelope Canyon. There are several parts to it and half a dozen tour companies. It was fantastic, unbelievable really, how erosion has created such elegantly curved walls, as delicate as if they were made of paper. 
While we didn’t get to see the wave, we did hike into an area called the new wave, just outside Page and near Glen Canyon Dam. A side trip to Horseshoe Bend offered spectacular views of the Colorado River snaking through the canyon.

To Monument Valley and Canyonlands
Took the dusty 17-mile loop drive through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, and then drove it again next morning to see it all in a different light. The stands along the highway of Navajo jewelry were interesting, but we weren't able to purchase anything because they only take cash. On our way to Moab, we drove into the south end of Canyonlands and walked the Slickrock trail.

Arches National Park
From Canyonlands we drove to Moab. Next morning, we visited Arches, having reserved a timeslot for entry from 8-9am. We walked part of the Devil’s Garden trail (having forgotten how steep part of it is) and took the Sand Dune Arch Trail and the short Double Arch and Windows Arch trail. Next morning, we hiked to Delicate Arch before visiting the northern part of Canyonlands.

Taos Pueblo and Earthship houses
Perfect weather seemed to follow us now that we were away from the windy areas. We visited Taos Pueblo once again, taking a walking tour and just enjoying the ambience of it all. We returned in late afternoon to take in views of the pueblos and their changing shadows.

During the afternoon we drove out to visit the Earthship houses, off grid structures build with trash – discarded tires, bottles. They were having a conference, so we couldn’t take their tour. I’ve always been amazed at these houses, built in a way that needs no heat or air conditioning, and can grow tropical fruits during the bitter 8000 ft. high New Mexico winters.
We also visited Martinez Hacienda, an amazing old fortress from the early 1800s with their rooms for cooking, leatherwork and blacksmith tools, weaving, food storage, a room for bartering goods, even a room with an actual wood floor for meeting important people like the governor.
In Santa Fe we visited the International Museum of Folk Art and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, which I loved.

Admittedly I am drawn to the beauty of these old structures we pass along the highways, in their states of decay and collapse. No longer of use, they are fascinating in their movement, chaos, processes of final decomposition, not unlike the twisted, sun-bleached barren trees we see along the canyon rims.

White Sands National Park
It was a long drive down to Alamogordo to visit White Sands National Park. But what a surreal, special place. Like Delicate Arch, it seems that nature sometimes is just showing off, offering these places of unbelievable beauty that make one think they have just been swept clean for your viewing pleasure.

Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon
On our return trip we were rewarded by all the fantastic landscape and formations we came upon on the drive through Petrified Forest National Park. And after walking the Walnut Canyon Island Trail, we spent our last night at the Grand Canyon south rim, taking in the fading sunshine and then the rimrock trail next morning.

There are of course other places we did not get to, so a future trip seems like a real possibility. And to be reminded of how easy it is for us to get to these truly inspiring places from where we live. We can be in the heart of it in less than a day of traveling. Once again, a memorable experience.
About the sketches: I added the watercolor washes to the sketches once I got back home. All sketches were created very quickly and then more slowly brought up to finish in my room in the evenings. It gives me time to pull out details and add contrast. As time goes by, I am less inclined to spend a lot of time drawing in public, especially with the number of people visiting all these places and the pace at which we travel. Additionally, it doesn't feel right when traveling with someone else to make my sketching time the priority.