Yesterday we locked up our home in Gold Canyon and pulled out with the Airstream just after 9 am.
About 180 miles north we pulled into a very different parking place. There isn't a stucco-covered building in sight, just a few rvs and lots of open space. We are staying at Homolovi Ruins State Park for 3 nights. This is the 4th time we have stayed here. What a spacious, quiet campground. We have water and electric, not sewer.
The park protects the remains of several early villages of the Anasazi people from the 1200s and 1300s. The villages were located along the Little Colorado River and may have been abandoned about 1400 because of frequent flooding. The people may have moved on to Hopi Mesa to the north.
On our walk today, we visited the ruins of Homolovi I. Here is evidence of a building on the hillside.
Potsherds, broken pieces of pottery, have been moved together to show some evidence of everyday life back then. Some of the pieces show texture that indicates pots made with coils of clay. A few pieces have been painted. Archaeologists can look at evidence like this and learn about local practices and trade with other communities.
We are really in the wide open spaces here. Look at the view from the road we walked between the campground and Homolovi I.
Look at our sunset here last night!
It feels good to relax and not have anything we have to accomplish right now. Preparing for travel and making arrangements for our trip to England have dominated life for weeks--maybe months. It is good to just be.
