second time around

I have missed a few days, but trust me they were busy and wonderful. The drive down to Reno was good, some back roads and light traffic. Memorial day we drove the long flat road to Salt Lake City, got in and walked around Temple Square and had dinner. The next morning I checked at the LDS Genealogical library for some information, but no luck. Then we headed south on I-15 toward Zion National Park. You can make some good time going 80 (the legal limit). Just a little up the road prior to Zion we pulled off to look at Kolob Canyons. A short but beautiful five mile drive got us up to the lookout which was stunning. The deep red walls of the canyons and a view out over the plateaus all the way to the Kaibab Plateau of the Grand Canyon were well worth the hike at the end of the road to the viewpoint. I did not realize the plateaus of Utah are so high up. I have been hiking trails at 7-9,000 feet! Gasping and clutching at my chest but I can’t wait to see what is around the next bend. We stayed at the Cliffrose Lodge in Silverdale about one mile from the entrance to Zion National Park. Our room’s porch overlooked a river and a range of cliffs that were striking. We watched them for a couple of hours as the sunset shone on them and changed the colors, until it got dark, Just amazing.
Wednesday we got up early and beat the tourists to the park. They don’t allow driving up the canyon, everybody takes the shuttle and gets on and off at several stops. The sights are breathtaking. We had sun breaking through, lighting up the hills and almost no other people. Saw deer, a turkey, squirrels, Ravens, and even the “great white throne” (mountain not commode.)More hiking (gasping) and by the afternoon we felt we had seen enough of Zion’s canyon, so we set off up the road to Bryce Canyon. That was a totally different but equally impressive experience.

Since the captioning isn’t working so well, these pictures are: 1) a random lizard 2)The Great White Throne in Zion 3) Hoodoos at Bryce and believe me they are big, the green are trees not shrubs 4) view from the North Rim.

The nature of the stone at Bryce is different, so the erosion pattern creates these tall spires called Hoodoos. They are very large and delicately balanced, fields of them. Again dramatic vistas paired with up close amazing geology. Like they say, “you can’t cure stupid.” I had to look away while some tourist kid stepped out onto a tiny ledge for a photo-op. No joke, a slight slip and he would have been gone.
The next day was for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is a reason it is called “THE Grand Canyon.” It is hard to put into words, and pictures and video are so lame. This place has to be on your bucket list. Staggeringly beautiful, it just leaves you slack-jaw dumbstruck. Tonight we are in beautiful downtown Blanding Utah (pop. 3218).

Tomorrow Bill and I are headed out of Medford, Oregon and down through Reno toward the four corners. Oregon-Reno-Salt Lake City-Saint George is about 1250 miles. Hoping the memorial day traffic isn’t too bad.
I enjoyed the drive back to Olympia, except for being disappointed that the Pacific Northwest Bigfoot Society Museum was no longer open in Elma when I passed through. My brother Bill came up to Olympia and he,John, Sue and I had a nice visit for a couple of days, and then he and I came to his home in Central Point (Medford area) Oregon. Been kind of rainy and cold the past few days, but should be hot soon enough. We took a side trip to the Mt. St. Helens visitor museum. It was interesting, though the overcast weather meant we couldn’t see the mountain. Through Portland and down to the Rogue Valley in the off and on rain.

Another wonderful day, but then again aren’t they all. I checked email in the lobby and had breakfast before setting out on the trail. First I went on the recommended 1.6 mile Falls loop trail. It was so special ... [Continue reading this entry]

Awoke finally to the grey overcast and misting of the Northwest that I remember. I had the breakfast special here at the hotel, and it was great, a crab omelet. Out the window I noticed a Pine tree like ... [Continue reading this entry]

What a nice ferry ride, fast and smooth with clear skies and great views. The Cascades and Olympics were snow capped and beautiful. John and I had a nice visit and dinner with nephew Peter, Caroline and daughter Valerie. The ... [Continue reading this entry]

Well it is certainly a good thing that God looks out for fools. I misunderstood David to say "wait at least 15 minutes before buying bus tickets while on the ferry" He actually was warning me that they only sell ... [Continue reading this entry]

Yesterday was just a magical day! We awoke early and there was not a cloud in the sky. The deep blue Albertan sky brought out the edges of the mountains in a special way. We headed down the ... [Continue reading this entry]

[caption id="attachment_94" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="out my window"][/caption]We are staying in the historic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Our room is on the 8th (top) floor dead center of the building, so looking out ... [Continue reading this entry]

It was great seeing the cousins and sharing a wonderful meal at their home. some of the leftover canadian money I had from the last time I was in Canada raised a few eyebrows, as it was 20+ years old, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Well here it is, I am actually on the road. The past few days have been crazy hectic, with a last minute flail over the change to the RTW ticket. I ended up with multiple phone calls, and promises to ... [Continue reading this entry]