It’s been awhile since I posted about my travels. I’ve done a lot! I’ve been worried about Pugsly for a little while, so my motivation to post has been low.

Honestly, I’m not much in a storytelling mode. I miss my Pugsly and am sad and tired. When I left Tuweep (North Rim Grand Canyon) last week, I knew I needed to get back to Pugsly’s vet and friends. I headed back to Prescott, Arizona, which is where I am now. Tomorrow, I pick up my little dog’s ashes.

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When I left the Ranch in Skull Valley, Az a few weeks ago, I headed north and boondocked in Marble Canyon, Arizona. Turns out, I got to the rim of the canyon when a NPS Ranger who studies Condors was there. We saw two condors on the far end of the canyon from where we were!

Happy road dogs

Before I left on this trip, I made that sun shade for Pugsly. The sun comes in so strong through the front window that in the desert summer it’s hot, even with a/c on. The shade gave her an escape in her seat.

I originally popped up near the rim, but the wind came up early evening so strong, I moved to a spot a bit down the road, and away from the canyon. It was lovely.

The next day, I went up the House Rock Valley Road, which starts on the southern end at Highway 89A about 28 miles east of Marble Canyon, Arizona and goes to Highway 89. The road was deeply rutted and I’m glad the weather was good.

I explored some of the off-shoot roads, including the Great Western Trail.

It went UP with some great views. And I found some nice boondocking spots, but I continued on.

That night I stayed at Stateline Campground – a small, free campground right at the Arizona/Utah border.

Once House Rock Valley road hits Hwy 89, I turned south and about 8 miles later, found Cottonwood Canyon Road. This road starts off rather bleak, then follows electrical lines for too long. I tried to go up this road last year, but couldn’t stand following the electric poles. Too much civilization impeding this beautiful and interesting land. This time, I sucked it up and continued on. It is very much worth it. I found some beautiful boondocking spots and marked them down for next time. Weather forecast was calling for rain the next day and I didn’t want to be caught on that road if it got wet.

After the bleak miles, the road turns into a red beauty.

Somewhere on this road, one of my turn-buckles broke on the camper, but I didn’t find it until I reached Kodachrome Basin State Park many hours later. Yikes!

Kodachrome is amazing! Because of the impending storm, I wanted to camp on solid ground – not in mud. Kodachrome Basin State Park is small and worth staying at the campground and exploring the hiking.

I met a family at the campground and we ran into each other on the “Angels Palace Trail“. They invited me and Argos to join them on the hike, and we had a wonderful time chatting.

The second night after it had been raining off and on all evening, I heard a noise like I hadn’t heard before. A pounding on the camper roof like it would cave in! Even the dogs were nervous, and they aren’t scared of thunder, fireworks, or backfiring trucks. I peeked my head out and saw the intense hail storm! It died down quickly and I was able to get a few photos.

We left the following day, to an overcast sky and a beautiful desert.