Highs and Lows, Twists and Turns!

Today was a travel day, going from Bryce Canyon to Dillon, Colorado.  Beautiful scenic drive along Utah Hwy 12, a highly rated scenic drive.  We drove through more rock formations, deep into canyons and on a ridge road that literally was as wide as the road.  Upon reaching this section of road, we came up a hill and there was no vegetation on either side and it felt like we were going to over a cliff as all you could see looking forward and up was sky!  I stopped the car and we inched forward.  Uffda!

Then we drove to the top of the mountains, 9600 feet elevation, and saw lots of snow, aspen, and pine.  Beautiful!  Sorry, no photos today, too tired to review and select. 

We drove through Capitol Reef National Park, another wonderful way our nation is preserving this land of ours for generations to come.  I must say that I wish I was younger as I travel, because too many trails are too strenuous for me.  However, when I was younger I didn't have the time for all this traveling nor the money.  Catch-22.

Driving on Interstate 70 in Colorado is a road full of twists and turns, white knuckle driving at times.  Especially because half of Denver were returning home after skiing all weekend!  We hit another high of 10, 630 feet elevation at the Vail summit.   Now, we're safely in our hotel room right on the shores of Lake Dillon.  Snow covered mountains surround us, what a Rocky Mountain High that I feel.  But my blood sugar feels low, I had better eat soon.  

HooDoo You Love?

"HooDoo You Love?" is a phrase I saw at the Bryce Canyon National Park visitor center on their T-Shirts and mugs.  In case you're wondering HooDoo's are the geological formations caused by water getting into cracks, freezing and thawing and erosion of the sandstone into pinnacle shapes...sometimes referred to as a fairy or tent.  The photo below is good example of HooDoos.

As you can see Bryce Canyon got some snow last night.  In the place we stayed it was about 4 inches, but in higher elevations of the park 6+ inches.  When we woke up this morning, it was still very overcast and some snow flurries.  Weather apps on our phones forecasted some sun by 10 am, so after breakfast, we headed to the park.  We found very quickly that only about 10% of the park was open as there is only one main road through the park and it was closed after a certain point.  We went to the furthest point we could and took some photos and I could quickly see that they were dark.  

I felt it was not a photographer's best-case scenario, so we went back to hotel room for a while. That's a definite advantage to being over 62 years old, we both have lifetime passes to the national parks and monuments.  Therefore, we can go back and forth to the parks without having to pay $30 per/vehicle.  

The clouds did start lifting and sun started peaking out, so we took a drive north for a bit and saw three pronghorn antelope and then went east on Hwy 12 which goes through the park and got that top photo.  Turned around and went into the park.  

Wow!  HooDoo I love?   love HooDoos!  So many HooDoos and so many photos that I took.  Here's one that's approximately the same scene as above, yet the sun is out 

Once we got done with several observation points, we found the main road had opened.  We were excited as we wanted to see the Natural Bridge about nine miles down the road. However, when we got down to within a mile of the bridge observation point, the road was closed again. As it turned out we did see about half of the park.

Here's one that Paul liked... reminded him of the Easter Island figures.  The figures, known as the “Moai,” were carved by the Rapa Nui people on a remote Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. 

Bryce Canyon scenes are surreal!  So glad we got to see this natural wonder.  At some points today, all I could think of was the song, "How Great Thou Art."  A person could sing that song at both Zion and Bryce Canyons.  So glad and thankful that we saw both parks.  

Oh Lord, my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands have made....How great thou art!

Spring Surprises!

Springtime always holds a certain wonderment to it!  The buds, blossoms, new growth and of course, snow, rain and sun all in one day!  We went to bed last night with weather of very strong winds and snow predicted for southwestern Utah.  So I wasn't too surprised to wake up early this morning and my weather app said SNOW for Zion NP.  There was no snow where we were staying, but that was 30 minutes from Zion.  We got on the road by 8 a.m. as we were told that long lines and limited parking would await us if we got to Zion after 9.  

Of course, that's the scenario on a nice warm day!  Today, we had no line at entry station and we got a front row parking place to catch the shuttle.  Plus it was not snowing and no snow on the ground.  Very low hanging clouds and a heavy mist made peaks and canyons looks surreal.  

We took the shuttle bus to the end of scenic drive where the canyon narrows and only foot traffic is allowed.  

Here you see the remnants of the river that long ago created this canyon. Sorry that the photos are so dark, but it was rather dark down on the canyon floor.

There was snow on top of the canyon and it looked like a winter wonderland up there.

At the end of the shuttle drive and just as we were leaving the western section to drive through the 1.1 mile tunnel to get to the eastern section of the park, we saw some sunshine! 

After we got through the eastern entry, the snow began!  We drove another 60+ miles to Bryce Canyon City and alternately went through snow, rain, and sun.  It seemed to depend on the altitude.  

Close to Bryce, we saw the most blue sky of all day. 

And some HooDoos!  Literally, I took this photo about one minute after the previous one and the sky in that direction was cloudy!  

After we checked into hotel, we went down to the park while it was snowing.  We decided to take a check peak at one of the overlooks.  This photo was taken in a snowy burst, but at least it gives us something to look forward to seeing tomorrow!

Valley of Fire

We left Las Vegas this morning and went about 65 miles north to The Valley of Fire State Park.  I can't remember how I read about this place, but it sounded like it was worth a drive-through as the highway veered off I-15 and came back to it about 40 miles later.  I didn't expect to spend much time, but it ended up being about 2-3  hours there.

Below is a photo of me holding up an overhanging rock.  The red sandstone was comparable to Sedona, but here it was more like huge boulders on the ground.

White limestone in the Valley too!

As usual I was taking photos out the window as Paul drove the car.  I freaked out as I shot this photo, "There's a man in the rocks!"  I hope you all see him too or I'm going to know I'm going crazy! 

The strong winds predicted for this area started getting stronger as we left this park and blowing dust so that our views were obscured.  We drove to southern Utah and after checking into hotel, drove to Zion National Park.  The wind was kicking up some nasty storm clouds and actually when the sun was shining between the clouds, it made for some neat Zion mountain photos too.

Can't wait to explore some more tomorrow!

Viva Las Vegas!

The phrase "Viva Las Vegas" became popular after the Elvis movie of the same name.  Well, Elvis is alive and well in Vegas....saw plenty of him today on the streets offering photo ops with him.  

We started out the day with a trip on the High Roller, a 550 foot tall observation wheel/tower.  

It's looks like a ferris wheel, however no movement of the gondolas.  Great views from up there.

Then we went on a bus tour around the strip on the B Bus with great views from the open air top deck.  Here's some photos

Where we are staying, a small hotel right in the middle of everything!

Finally, we found a cool dude ready to cruise the streets of Las Vegas!

Tonight, we show the Cirque du Soleil show, Mystere, the original show.  There are around seven different shows just in Las Vegas, but this is the show that fit into our schedule here.  The seats were great, high enough to see the whole show including the acts that came out of the ceiling without craning our necks.  I can't even begin to remember how many times I said, "Oh! Wow! or Whoo!"  Hubby and I are both so thankful we saw this show.  

What Happens in Vegas....Stays in Vegas!

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!  Unless it's me!  Just got to Las Vegas tonight and first thing that happens is hubby and I are walking down the street and there are two hunky guys allowing women to have their photo taken with them. Of course a crisp $5 or $10 in their belts was expected.  What the heck!  What's $5?   It was fun and then I posted my photos on Facebook!  Oh-oh!  I broke the Vegas golden rule by letting the world see me in all my vivacious glory!  🤣

Surprisingly, the last time I walked the streets of Las Vegas was in 1984.  Back then, most of the action was downtown.  Now, it's..."is there a downtown?"  Here are some scenes we saw tonight.  Sorry, I don't have a photo of me winning the casino jackpot...as it didn't happen tonight.  Maybe, tomorrow.  But if I do win, I will keep it to myself.  Remember, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

Adios Arizona

Twelve weeks ago we arrived in Arizona. The stay started out with both of us very sick and visiting the local urgent care clinics.   About the third week, we were ready to have some fun and explore the area.  

But before I get to reminiscing about some of favorite spots, I want to thank our friends that live here full-time.  If it wasn't for them I don't think we would have enjoyed Arizona half as much!  Lynn & Kathy; Diana & Jerry; Doug & Grace; Mary Ann & Richard; Jim & Judy; and Kathy.  Also, Russell & Melissa who visited their snowbird parents, Bob & Jean, while here and cousins, Glen & Carolyn; and Larry & Sheary.  Oops!  Can't forget our Wisconsin visitors Jim, Robyn & Carter who came and did some exploring with us too!   With all these people in Arizona, did not meet and make too many new friends except for my writer's club and now fellow Mahjong friend, Lavonne.  THANK YOU!!

Hubby and I were truly reminiscing the other day about our favorite spots and activities while here in Arizona.  Antelope Canyon near northern border with Utah was a top contender in our minds.  I plan to take a few photos from there and have them enlarged for our Wisconsin place.  
We enjoyed driving through the desert and seeing all the different types of cacti.  We were pleasantly surprised to see wildflowers along the road sides.  Some of our favorite routes were to South Mountain Park right in the city of Phoenix, what a treasure this town has this this large area preserved for hiking and driving in the desert.  Also, Hwy 88 north east to Canyon Lake and the other lakes created by dams on the Salt River - Saguaro, Apache, and Roosevelt lakes.  The road from Tortilla Flats to Roosevelt was a hum-dinger.... many parts one lane without ANY guardrails.  

Sedona was beautiful with all the red rock formations and Tombstone was fun and funky place to re-live the Old West.  Museums and other historic places were special... Taliesin West; Tucson Presidio;  Biosphere; Heard Museum; Mystery Castle; and London Bridge.

Can't forget all the musical shows we saw... four in our resort and two others in Apache Junction at the Mining Camp and The Barleens theater.  

So tomorrow we take our time and head back to Wisconsin.  First stop, Las Vegas

VIVA LAS VEGAS!