Bryce National Park (6/24)

Bryce features columns, some stand alone, some like bas relief in a row. The columns are called Hoodoos. Hoodoos are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. People have seen all kinds of characters and figures in them; they reminded me more than anything of the rows of carved saints on cathedrals we have seen in Europe. Some of the more “life-like” ones reminded me of the figures carved in stone peering out of internal windows in St. Stephens cathedral in Vienna.

The last 3 seem to cry out for larger images.

On to Arches National Park tomorrow and then to Montrose, CO. where hopefully it’s cooler!

Zion National Park (6/24)

Zion has the most amazing geo strata showing. Most of the Rockies show stone masses that were pushed up at an angle and the resulting strata show as diagonal lines at that same angle; or, they were pushed straight up and resulting strata show as lines parallel to the ground.

(The example above is in the Grand Canyon).

Zion has strata that look like they were put on in swirls; Barb says like frosting swirled on a cake.

Grand Canyon (North Rim 6/20 – 6/21)

We’re at the North Rim; still out of touch with the world – no internet, no phone service. We’re also going to change the schedule. I have said before that the adventure doesn’t start till things start going wrong! We need front brake pads and new coach batteries. In both cases they’re original and it’s been 3 ¼ years of hard traveling. People who know batteries have said that if you get two years out of the originals you’re doing well, so I don’t feel badly about the expense – just the timing. It should happen at home, not on the road! We’re going to St. George, UT when we leave here; blowing the Zion, Bryce and Dead Horse reservations. We should be able to get both done in St. George, then hit Zion and get to Montrose, CO by Friday – then we’re back on schedule and only miss a couple or three parks.

These are Cliffrose and Mexican Locust. Cliffrose is an evergreen member of the rose family.

The North Rim is different from the South in a number of ways: the South is a string of many viewing points stretched along a 25 mile drive. The North is just a few viewing points and they’re from 6 to 21 miles apart. But I think the views in the North are more spectacular than the South

This is Angel’s Window – a hole in an abutment with views of the Colorado River through it

.

,And finally, another view of the CO River and a beautiful blooming cactus.

Now in St. George, Utah where it's 98 in the shade and there ain't no shade. Getting new coach batteries and front brake pads tomorrow.

Grand Canyon (South Rim 6/17 – 6/19)

We’ve tried to be here twice before and both times were snowed out. What an amazing vista. Words (or pictures) truly couldn’t prepare us for the first views. We’re in the Desert campground at the east end of the South Rim tonight and in Mather CG the next two nights. A small sample of the sights:



The mornings have been gloriously sunny and cool (50’s) and the afternoons 60’s and 70’s with some clouds. It’s showered for short periods every afternoon around 4-5:00, then clears up for sunset.

We ate yesterday in Tusayan at the Yipee Ei O Steak House. Avoid any restaurant with "Yipee Ei O” in the name. Today we had lunch at the Arizona Room in the Bright Angel Lodge. There was 10’ of grass and a sidewalk between our table and the edge of the canyon. Roasted Corn Chowder and Ancho Chili Marinara on Penne with Garbonzos, Pintos, Avocado, corn and sunflower seeds. Very tasty indeed!

Barb and I have been working on vacations since we’ve been married. At the start we were two stereotypical Type-A’s: she had left a job behind and I had left a job behind. The first week we were testy because we were out of touch and fought some. The middle of the second week we started to relax a bit; and then it was time to go home and back to work! In the RV since retirement I’ve worked to vary the days; not to have a routine. We eat when we’re hungry and nap when we’re tired. There are driving days interspersed with “down” days. We started in the RV driving like we did when we worked and both drove; now we shoot for 250 miles a day. If I do everything and drive 400 miles, I’m a mess. This way is much more relaxed and we have more time than money now! We’ve got a 400 mile day scheduled into this trip but that could change; we’ve changed the schedule a couple of times this trip already. It’s much more relaxed…

Tomorrow to the North Rim; and we’ll probably be out of touch for awhile again.

San Juan Skyway (6/16)

The Skyway is a must if you're in the SW corner of CO. This is what we thought Wolf Creek Pass was going to be! You can start anywhere on the loop, the four "legs" are:

Cortez – State Highway 145 North

At Placerville – East on SH 62

At Ridgway – South on US 550

At Durango – West on US160

That last one was either Barb having a problem with the camera or the wind was blowing way hard!

The last was sunset against the range just to the East of McPhee.

You’re almost always surrounded by mountains, going up one, or going down one, or running along the bottom of a large canyon beside the San Juan River. ~ 230 miles of mountain passes. We averaged 15.35 mpg in the RV for the day – I was impressed.

We started just north of Cortez where we’re camping, did ¾ of the loop and then ate an early supper in Durango before the last, easy 60 mile leg back to our campground. We ate at Jean-Pierre’s – very French and good baked goods (Jean-Pierre is a real person and a baker). One thing we’ve noticed is that trying to buy good cheese and summer sausage on the road in the south west is tough. I’ve stopped 3 or 4 times at stores with Deli on the window or above the door and it’s never a Deli. One had fried stuff under heat lamps and most just have pre packed Armour, Kraft, Hormel stuff. Next trip I’ll have sausages from Meisfeld’s in Sheboygan hanging in the shower! And can you freeze cheese?

Tomorrow to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon!

Mesa Verde National Park (6/15)

What a beautiful park! Home to the ancient cliff dwellers and a collection of their buildings. Some ceremonial but most domiciles. And long, beautiful vistas.

Once again I’m amazed at the great deal the Golden Age Pass is. Free entrance into all National Parks and half off camping in National Parks and National Forest campgrounds. It was $25 or something like that; I asked the Ranger if it was the same to renew it each year and he said “Nope. That’s for life!” They should have had that when my Dad was still alive.

We’re camping in the McPhee Recreational Complex near Mesa Verde. The site across the road from us has 5 full-dress Harley’s and an unknown number of tents. Barb was sitting out in the sun reading and I asked her later if she could tell if they were Hell’s Angels or accountants on holiday. She said she thought the latter. That’s good – I’m not packing anything ‘cept bear spray this trip!

Tomorrow we’re going to run the San Juan Skyway – a 236 mile loop that maximizes your mountain experience!

Pagosa Springs to Grand Canyon

The day going from Pagosa Springs to Mesa Verde was very hard. Tons of bad road and construction. However, we went to Four Corners and Barb had the four corner wheels of her chair in each of four states; that was cool!


Then to the Utah Hovenweep site on 40 mph roads where 40 was much too fast. Thought the cupboards were coming off the walls! Ended up in Cortez and the day got much better at Tequila's - very good Mexican food!

Over Wolf Creek Pass

We went South West from Denver & environs over every pass we could find. Barb said in half a day we went over Kenosha, Red Hill and Do-Not Passes. Here's a couple of pics from Kenosha Pass (very dramatic weather!) A view from North Pass: We went over Monarch Pass and down to South Fork where we camped on the Rio Grande River. The next day we went over Wolf Creek Pass. The last one here is Treasure Falls near the bottom of Wolf Creek. We're now camped on the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs taking a day off for domestic duties! I think the truck-load of chickens that lost it's brakes in the song destroyed the feed store when it stopped by crashing into it - 'cause there's not a feed store in sight!

Out to try the pizza at a Cowboy bar tonight (YeeHa) and then tomorrow to Four Corners and Hovenweep.

The Back Story to Colorado

I started going to Colorado in 1947; Dad was a flat-land Iowa farm boy that was sent to Switzerland for 3 Christmases in WWII. He fell in love with the mountains and CO is where we vacationed all the time I was growing up.

Barb and I married in 1972 and she hadn't been to the mountains, so I got to introduce her to Colorado. We've been here in cars, on motorcycles and on skis. Now it's an RV. It started feeling really friendly and familiar in the high plains of western Nebraska/eastern Colorado. We're in Denver now; got the wheelchair lift in the RV serviced and went out to dinner at Fleming's to celebrate Barb's birthday. Tomorrow we drop south and west and get into the mountains!

Hot, Cold, Wet start!

We got off just fine in a misty rain; then hit Iowa where it was hot and humid. Stormed that night and we went into Nebraska in the rain but the temp started dropping and went down all day. In North Platte tonight - 70 when we left Des Moines early and 53 now!