Journal: Tomorrow, I am getting vaccinated.

Tonight, I am in the small town of Kayenta, Arizona. Kayenta, a community of 5,500, is located within the Navajo Nation and straddles the border of Utah. The town is a gateway to Monument Valley and a vaccination location for coronavirus. Since the beginning of the outbreak, the Navajo Nation has been one of the most impacted communities across the country. With limited resources and many villages without even the basic necessities like running water, Covid-19 ripped through the reservation at an alarming pace. For a long while, it was a worldwide hotspot for the pandemic but has slowly turned the corner since the release of vaccines. 

I am here because I was offered a vaccine tomorrow morning. As I was passing through Tuba City, a town about an hour and a half southeast today, my friend Arlyssa reached out. Arlyssa, a reporter for the Navajo Times newspaper saw I was passing through the area and called a local clinic to see if non-Navajos were eligible to receive vaccinations. She was told I would be able to receive the first shot tomorrow if I came in, but with one stipulation. I MUST return a month later, to the same clinic, to receive my second. 

(Photo: Covid-19 art on abandoned Black Mesa gas station - Navajo Nation)

Being on the road during the pandemic has been hard. An introvert by nature, the isolation was compounded the last 6 months. With unlimited access to nature, I kept finding myself shying away from human interaction, instead opting to disappear into the mountains and photograph landscapes. Part of that is due to my shyness, but another major factor in this has been fear. I wouldn't know what I would do, or how to handle catching coronavirus while on the road. Either way, tomorrow I get my first dose and my mind will be a bit at ease. That does mean, however, that I will not be traveling north to Oregon next week as planned. Instead, I will focus my project on Utah for the next month as I wait to return. I will be heading back to Death Valley next week to print and package up photo prints to be mailed out. Why Death Valley? Easy. It's my favorite national park, not too far away, and WARM. I miss the warmth.

(Photo: Apollo sheltered under a gas station canopy during a snow storm)

Yesterday, I woke up at a rest stop somewhere between Phoenix and Flagstaff. Originally having a hotel in Phoenix for 2 nights to handle some computer work, I opted out of staying the second evening. I had booked the room for internet access to backup work, but the connection was so spotty I was better giving up. Instead of sleeping the second night, I hit the road to make my way towards Little Painted Desert County Park, about an hour east of Flagstaff. A couple of hours into the drive I began to get drowsy and decided to pull over and sleep it off. Waking up around 3 AM, a light flurry of snow had begun falling from the sky. As I made my way up in elevation, the flurries turned to a full-on snowstorm. Following the treads of a semi, I trekked my way about 50 miles to a gas station to shelter until sunlight. 

I eventually made my way to Little Painted Desert, an unsuspecting park located about 15 miles down a lonely country road from Winslow, Arizona. The night before a follower (Jon) had emailed me and gave me the tip on this spot, so I was excited to check it out. Pulling in, the snow was still dusty, covering the landscape as far as the eye could see. It was overcast with just a hint of sky peeking in between the clouds. After a stressful past few hours, I decided to reign it in for a nap. Pulled over on the side of the cliffs, I woke up a couple of hours later to nearly all the snow melted. Disappointed I hadn't timelapse the event. 

(Photo: BEFORE - Snow blanketing the landscape of Little Painted Desert County Park rim)

(Photo: AFTER - Little Painted Desert County Park during sunset)

Freedom and I then hopped in Apollo and began making our way to Petrified Forest National Park. The park, located near the border of New Mexico, was the last destination I had planned in the North-East portion of the state. Excited due to many good reviews from others, I eventually found the park pretty underwhelming. Why? I had just experienced an amazing landscape with Little Painted Desert. Although Petrified Forest was beautiful, it simply didn't live up to the hype. Not to mention, the big spectacle of the park is the petrified wood. Cool to see, until you leave the park and see nearly a dozen small shops just outside the park borders selling the same wood like a pawn shop. After a bit of backroad exploring, I decided to head back to Little Painted Desert for the night to camp and photograph the sunset. 

If you're in the area, skip paying entry into Petrified Forest and spend the day at Little Painted Desert for free. I bet you can find a path to the hills below and have a great time. 

(Photo: A storm begins to creep over Petrified Forest National Park)

Still trying to figure out the bearings of how to run this Patreon. From what I have gathered, every time I update this account, you receive an email. As someone who is trying to disconnect from the internet more myself, the last thing I want to do is bombard your email daily with notifications. I wanted to share a few photos from the last couple days and put a couple of words down in writing today. I still have many photographs to share from the past couple of weeks, but will probably do a larger upload of those images with descriptions later this weekend.  

If you have a moment, please comment below on what you would like to see more on this page and how I can make this platform better as I make my way across the country. 

Hope everyone is doing well!

Love ya,

RV