Sunday from Valley of the Sun through Williams, Monday - South Rim Grand Canyon to Second Mesa

 Sunday morning the 13th we left the Valley of the Sun loading some food and water from a Costco Stop in Paradise Valley part of Phoenix.   Curious about the fallout from the orange haired clown, some call their President, with his Wally World Vision of reality with our Mexican friends and neighbors, and sure enough the National Monuments we tried to visit, were gated in a Welcome American Citizens. and we could see the beautiful surrounding area un encumbered by Federal officials.  God grant us the serenity.....:-)

 Montezuma Castle NM, welcoming gate, with headlights of likely a Park Ranger in the distance, lest some tax payer and citizen might "jump over the wall"  we backed off and went on our merry way.


View from the mountain road after passing through Jerome AZ, looking down at Verde Valley  - Stopped in Chino Valley to have a snack and beverage with Sandy Dufresne, Paul Coombs niece and then found an Airbnb in a trailer park that had a heater that gave no heat.  Grateful I have a down vest!

Up to drive to the rim and 6:30 from the Valle area Airbnd. 7 AM breakfast at El Tovar Hotel served up by James from Pennsylvania  --white table clothe, Chinese tourists at a another table from Shanghai  --Zaijian----
 
Icicles hanging from the soffets as the sun rises to add warmed to the Canyon beyond.

 Sunlight in the Canyon as we moved along the rim to see different views.
 
View from the end of the Hermit Road where another Mary Colter building Hermit's Rest was visited

 
Sign as we walked to the Desert View Watchtower, informing us of Mr Trumpster's latest wall gimmick and how it is affecting the people he might sometime learn to listen to, and care about. Hope springs eternal. Pray for man to have some empathy for the people.  Wicozani.  

warm Earth Tones of the Watchtower and the hoar frost of the morning as we drove east out of the National Park that is Grand Canyon.

Selfie at the Watch Tower. 

 Lunch at the Hopi Cultural Center at Second Mesa, some traditional lamb and hominy soup, and a Hopi Taco with mint tea. for my early afternoon lunch.  Soon stopped by to visit Joseph and Denise Day at their nearby shop TSAKURSHOVI a mile and a half east of the Center, where I met many traditional Hopi wood carvers and witnessed the their shop is a real Hopi Cultural Arts Crafts and traditional language place to stop. Great place to listen.  And I was directed to see the mesa top villages from the road as I drove east -----through Dine' Lands----to Gallup and then Zuni Pueblo.

View of Hopi Village sites from the Second Mesa Hiway as we drove east on Monday Jan 14 ----