Day 2 Grand Tetons

I thought my eyes could see no more beauty......but it just keeps getting better! Today, another gorgeous bluebird sky day with temps in the high 70's.....perfect! We headed out to Colter Bay for some boating on Jackson Lake. The water was a bit chilly for me (64 degrees) but Guy found it quite refreshing and jumped from the boat several times to the clean cool mountain lake.
I navigated the waters with ease in our little Jon boat.
We spotted a golden bald eagle near the bird sanctuary which according to the park ranger, is a rarity to see. We felt very fortunate to have such a sighting. After a wonderful day on the lake, we headed back to the convertible for some more wildlife sightseeing. About 50 yards away, we spotted a mama brown bear tearing up logs looking for grubs. The power in her claws made it look like child's play as she lifted these huge stumps with ease. We felt very brave watching as the car was just steps away. Driving down the road, we were abruptly stopped for the crossing of the Bison. The force and size of these animals are very intimidating. We also came across a herd
of Elk with about 100 in the group. It was an amazing sight to behold! After 3 days in the Tetons, taking in all the beautiful sights, we were ready to head an hour north to Yellowstone National Park!!

The Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole Wyoming

Our drive here was breathtaking and eventful. I spotted a little fawn lying on the side of the road that had apparently been hit but not injured...just scared. So we picked it up and placed it in the shade near a stream hoping her mama would come to her aid. A prayer to St. Francis for her protection and we were on our way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.



Wow, wow, wow....this place is amazing! We arrived late afternoon. Just in time for a stroll around the quaint shops and a nice dinner outside on the deck overlooking the ski area. A couple games of pool after dinner and we were on our way to The Grand Tetons. Arriving after dark, we fumbled our way through the camp ground and luckily found some availability. In fact, this whole trip we have found sites without making reservations. Luck has certainly been on our side. Amazingly, we had landed on a beautiful site at a remote campground on the south end of the park. We were right next to a stream which the pups quickly adopted as their own private swimming area.
First thing in the morning, we headed to the nearby airport where we rented a convertible and quickly scouted out the area. It was nice to get out of the RV and manuever much more easily in the car. Loaded up with sunscreen, as one can easily burn in this high altitude, we were on our way for some wild life sightseeing. We were amazed at the abundance of wild life right along the road. We spotted Bison, Elk, Deer, Bear, Otter, moose and a Golden Bald Eagle. Being in the convertible made the visibility to spot things so much easier too. We then headed to the ferry which took us across Jenny Lake to a trail head for some hiking. Inspiration point, elevation 7300 feet showed us some wonderful panoramic views. Just below that was Hidden Falls which boasted a powerful waterfall with a drop of about 300 feet. We then headed to Jackson Lodge where we dined on fresh Bison and Elk....yummy! Bellies full, we headed back to the camp where it started to rain. Falling asleep with the rain hitting the RV was a very peaceful way to end this wonderful day.

Bear Lake Mountain, Idaho

Leaving the beauty of Salt Lake City we headed North West to the border of Utah and Idaho to Bear Mountain Lake. A beautiful clear clean and 64 degree mountain lake....brrrrrr. The water is aquamarine and one can see 20 feet deep easily. Our camp site was right on the water and the views were serene. We set up camp, had a lovely dinner on the grill and sat and watched the sunset over the mountains.

The next morning we played 9 holes of golf on a long and narrow mountain course. Only lost 2 balls, so all is good! After going back to the RV and check on the dogs and have a quick lunch, we were off to the lake on the Ski-doo. 60 mph on a glass lake....priceless! It was so much fun to jump and skip over the wakes of the other boaters! This was an unplanned and fun stop to break up the 5 hour drive from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole Wyoming.

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.