Bryce Canyon

Amazing, breathtaking and funky hoodoos are words that come to mind when describing Bryce Canyon. We arrived late afternoon and after setting up camp, we rode our bikes to the town square which consisted of some gift shops, a grocery store and a restaurant. Visitors from all over the world converged to this place and it seemed as if English was rarely heard or spoken. How fortunate we are to have this beauty in our own homeland! We rode our bikes a bit to get a feel for the area and stumbled upon a rodeo. It was a first for both of us and we enjoyed watching the cowboys lasso their calf in seconds flat. The next morning, we packed up from the RV site and headed into Bryce National Park where we were lucky enough to find a campsite. We quickly set up the RV then took the trolley to the Canyon. Our first view of the canyon left us both breathless....it was simply stunning.
The vast terrain and the many many Hoodoos with their strange appearance were mesmerising to us. We started with the "Rim Hike" which turned into the Navajo Trail which lead us to the Queens Garden and ended with Sunset Trail....total of 6.8 miles. Now, I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but when the temps are soaring near 100 and the terrain is steep, it takes a lot of effort to trudge ahead. Our hike took us to the canyon floor where we got an "up close and personal look" at these strange rock formations.
Exhausted and hungry after our hike, we ventured to the lodge where we dined on Bison....yummy! We quickly headed back to camp to check on the dogs and then back out to the ranger talk on Astronomy. With absolutely no light pollution, the night skies are amazing and the milky way is in full view. After the one hour talk, we were given the chance to view Saturn and its rings, Mars and an exploding star through very very expensive telescopes. It was quite the treat and gave us some insight into how vast space really is and how minute we really are.. Next stop....Salt Lake City!!

Salt Lake City Utah

We arrived in Salt Lake City Utah Friday evening, after deciding we had seen enough rocks for now and needed some city life. We stayed at a KOA campground right in town which provided a free shuttle run by the Mormons to Temple Square. We took advantage of the transportation and the free tour of the Mormon sights. Of course, at the conclusion of the tour we were asked to join their church....we politely refused. I have to say though, everyone was extremely nice! We then took the trolley through the city. The trolley is one of the benefits from hosting the 2002 Olympics. Salt Lake City is a small city and very clean and efficiently run. We spent the entire evening scoping things out.
The next morning, we drove our bikes downtown to see the big parade. July 24th is Pioneer Day, and is celebrated in remembrance of the settlers who fled religious persecution. The two hour parade was amazing with some of the most creative floats we had ever seen. We then rented a car and drove to Antelope Island to see The Great Salt Lake. I was a bit disappointed as it was not at all what I expected. The lake is basically "dead" the water extremely still and stinky. The brine shrimp were hatching so there were thousands, and I mean thousands of bugs along the shoreline. So, our desire to swim...or should I say float in the thick salt water was quickly thwarted. Since it cost $9.00 to enter the island, we decided to drive around and tour it by car. We did see some wild bison and stopped by the visitor center as well.

We then drove an hour to Park City which is where the 2002 Olympics occurred. We toured the Olympic Village, road the gondola up the mountain, hiked with the dogs on the ski slope where Picaboo Street won her gold medal and then sat on the village green to listen to an awesome Jazz band, all the festivities in honor of Pioneer day. We certainly picked the right day to visit. Two days were enough to get a feel for the city and surrounding sights and we decided to move north to Bear Lake on the border of Utah and Idaho for a day of water fun, jet skiing before heading to The Grand Tetons! We have certainly left the heat of the desert and there is a cool feel to the air....I even got out my fleece jacket :)

Zion National Park, Utah

We arrived in Zion National Park in Utah late afternoon, just in time for the wonderful sunset that illuminates these magnificent rocks. Our campsite was right along a small river where people were peacefully tubing down the small rapids. Behind the river, a string of majestic mountains bolted towards the sky. We quickly set up camp and brought our lawn chairs to the rivers edge and watched the sunset play its fading light against the rocks. Little words were spoken between us as we were speechless taking in this beautiful scenery. It was a spectacular evening. We started our first day in Zion with a shuttle ride to the Narrows Hiking Trail. Our feet were adorned with booties and neoprene shoes as this hike is 90% in the Virgin River which flows through the park. We hiked about a mile upstream in ankle to waist deep 60 degree water. It was a strenuous and intense hike. The trail split and we continued left about another mile to the Wall Street Trail which is pictured here on the left. The walls reach 1000 feet up and in some places were only 3 feet in width. The scenery was breathtaking and we never really noticed how cold the water was. The 4.5 hour hike ended back at our starting point. We were tired and our feet hurt but we were richer for the experience. The next morning we awoke at 5:00am to get an early start for our next hike. This hike named Angels Landing climbs 1500 feet and if you don't finish the hike by 11:00 am you are in direct sun....and with temps soaring near 100 degrees, heat stroke is a real threat. The hike was intense and steep and included several switch back trails. We arrived at Scouts Landing and rested for awhile and took in the scenery. The remaining 0.5 miles was the most intense as it involved chains as your only stability. As you can see pictured to the right, the steep incline and the 800 foot drop behind me. We climbed along these chains and made slow progress as my mind started playing tricks on me and the fear finally overtook. I decided to descend back to Scout's Landing while Guy continued on. I was disappointed that I couldn't muster the courage to continue. Just last month a girl fell to her death, so knowing this only confirmed it wasn't worth the risk to me. We finished the hike by 11:30, so only the last few steps were in the direct path of the sun. Our final and 3rd day in the beautiful park was spent taking our bikes on the shuttle to the top of the mountain and riding the 8 miles down. We stopped more than we rode to enjoy every nook and cranny of this park. We did a couple of short hikes along the way as well. It was a wonderful overview of the North side of the park and we saw so much more this way. We concluded the day and agreed that the only way to beat the
scorching heat of Southern Utah was to take a lazy
ride down the river. The water was cool and refreshing and our bodies were worn out and tired.
We then packed up the RV and headed through the mile long tunnel back out of the park. Because the RV is too big for two way traffic thru the tunnel, they shut it down for the bigger rigs to go through.
We sadly said good-bye to Zion as this has been one of our favorite stops. We had a wonderful lunch about an hour outside of the park where we dined on Bison and fresh organic home grown veggies and salad. yummy! Next stop....Bryce Canyon!

Colorado River/Lake Powell

They say the vortex of the red rocks of Sedona brings a magical energy. I did not "feel" it while there. However, the cool clear clean waters of the Colorado river and Lake Powell mesmerized me. I can't explain it.....it's just a feeling I got whenever I was close to the water. We arrived in Page, Arizona and were quickly exhausted by the 106 degree temperature. It was like being in a sauna....you know, when you take a deep breath in and it burns your lungs....yup, that's what it felt like. So renting a boat for the day seemed like the perfect solution to beat the heat. We toured many of the gorges, caverns, crevasses and found a secluded beach or two. The soft white sand felt warm and soft on my feet. My two golden puppies Story and Cosette were thrilled with the opportunity to learn to swim. One doesn't really "teach" a golden to swim....it's instinctive. All they needed was a little encouragement. Anytime we would swim out, they would follow and then we would just hold them in the water. They were so content.....Cosette even rolled over like an Otter and just laid in my arms in the water. I have never seen anything like this before.....so cute and trusting. We spent the entire day on the lake except for about an hour under cover when a little rain, high winds and some lightening came our way. It was a nice break to seek shelter and have a little lunch. We found a couple of secluded gorges and followed them as far as the boat would allow. The scenery was breathtaking and the warmth radiating from the rocks was intense. A quick jump in the lake and all was good. We stumbled upon a rope leading up to some cliffs which of course we climbed and jumped off of....it was a thrill for sure! We ended our day with a bike ride and watched the sunset over the mountains. We had to take one last swim and did so before darkness fell.
The next morning we were back on our bikes for a short ride, then got the pups and went swimming with them again.......nothing better in the world than to watch golden pups frolic in the water. They were absolutely enjoying themselves immensely. It was hard to say good-bye to Lake Powell, this has been my favorite ...in fact, if I could describe Heaven, it would be this place.

Antelope Canyon

I had heard so many wonderful things about Antelope Canyon that we had to make it a part of the trip. Since it was only 9 miles from our next destination, this worked out wonderfully. This canyon is located in Page, Arizona and is on Navajo Tribal land. We had to have a special permit to enter. There are two canyons, an upper and a lower which require some ladder climbing and scooting through smaller crevices. Because the temperature was 106 and our generator on the RV kept overheating, we did not feel comfortable leaving the dogs in the RV and it was too hot for them to wait for us at the entrance, even though it was shaded. So, our decision to visit the upper canyon, was based on the safety of the dogs. The upper canyon is 20 degrees cooler inside and is flat and easy to walk thru. Decision made! After a 10 minute off road bumpy, and I mean bumpy ride, we were facing the entrance. We were lucky enough to have a private tour as we were the last tour of the day. Our guide was a Navajo who took us back to the day when he used to run through the canyon as a kid. Antelope Canyon was "discovered" in the late 80's when a photograph taken there was made popular. Now hundreds of thousands of tourist flock to these canyons for some of the most intense photography. Several movies have been shot there as well.
I am certainly a novice photographer, but I was so pleased with the pictures that I took. The dogs had a blast running along the soft cool sand....such a contrast from what lies outside the cavern. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend a visit. A bit pricey though.....$26 a ticket!

The Grand Canyon

I finally made it to "a must see" place on my bucket list. I had such high expectations of this place, being one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. I have to say, much to my amazement, I was totally unimpressed with it all....am I just spoiled from all the beauty of Sedona's Red Rocks or was my expectations so high, that I was disappointed? We hiked the North Rim and out to some of the jetty's that protruded out above the canyon. Not for the weak of heart that's for sure. It's funny, on the East Coast, all these areas would be fenced off for the visitors safety. Not so here. Anyway, we hiked a bit, but it was difficult in the thin air of 8300 feet above sea level. The air temp was quite warm as well. After stopping for a lovely lunch at the lodge, we decided to take a mule ride along the rim. The North Rim is certainly not as "touristy" as the South and the availability to do things was abundant. The mule ride was breathtaking but quite dusty. These mules insist on walking along the outside of the path, one step away from falling off. I kept saying I hope I don't have a suicidal mule......hahaha.....By day's end, I had a totally different perspective of the Grand Old Canyon as the colors on the rocks with the approaching sunset gave a whole new dimension. The Canyon became alive and and I was in awe. We sat on the edge of the rim for what seemed like an eternity as we "took it all in". I can now check one more item off of my bucket list!

Sedona

We arrived late afternoon to this magical mystical place....and amazing it is! The red rock formations are simply breathtaking and the way the sunlight dances on the rocks makes the scenery ever changing. We are staying right in town in an "exclusive" RV park. $72.00 a night, it better be something special! We abut a stream, which is pretty nice to have in the desert. Story and Cosette are making that their home. We are walking distance to downtown and the many shops. We took a trolley sightseeing tour to get a feel for the town. The next day we rode our bikes into town and had a lovely lunch. The sidewalks have misting machines to keep you cool...reminds me of Disney. We ventured out for a leisurely bike ride after lunch, which turned out to be pretty strenuous. After 45 minutes my gut told me to turn around....and a good thing we did. By the time we returned to the RV my face was 3 shades of red.....close to heat stroke. It was really not to smart of me to think I could go bike riding in the desert at noon. Had to rest in the A/C for a couple of hours to re-cooperate. Feeling better now and heading back into town. We are hoping to go horseback riding or a JEEP tour ride to the back country. Definitely want to visit the vortex which is claimed to have healing powers. More to come!