Last Half of the Canyon Tour and Misc. Tidbits . . .

We are currently back in our old stomping grounds. It was strange, as we drove towards California, a brown, hazy horizon lay before us. There was trash cluttering the side of the freeways, typical crazy LA traffic, and horrible road conditions; it made my heart sink. I felt guilty for not being excited to be back. Was love really blind? After all the beauty I have been surrounded by, Southern California had lost its luster. 

Once we settled into the RV Park, a different feeling took over. I was back in my nest. I felt a comfort I had forgotten; the freedom of knowing your surroundings. This is something most people take for granted. Brown haze, trash, graffiti, etc. – all that fell out of sight. I was back home and it was beautiful.

We had returned as I needed to see some specialists regarding my health issues, so this whole week has been filled with appointments, lab work, etc, every day from morning to end of business hours.

I will be very glad when this week is over!  Ha, I can hear my mother’s voice telling me, “Don’t wish your life away.” And she thought I never listened. If she only knew how often her words still guide me, even long after her passing. Wow, got a little off topic there. A little side tour of my brain…that can be scary! You lucked out with a warm mommy memory, could have been much worse. <wink> 

Tonight Cotye pointed out to Mark that there was a family of raccoon's sleeping on the air filter of the RV engine. We can see them, Cotye can smell them, but we can’t reach them. Hmm…what to do…just another day in the life of full-time RV-ers. I am thinking maybe NOW Mark will start using that rope light we bought for just this reason. We were told if you lay it on the ground under and around the RV, the nocturnal critters stay away from the light. Add some garlic and you can also keep the vampires away … or so I hear. We don't need to leave garlic out. All I have to do is slip some in Mark's dinner and we're good. It's like a garlic scented Glade plug-in. (Sorry Mark, but ... truth!)

Okay, are you ready for the remaining portion of the Canyon Tour? I apologize I was not able to do a “blog-as-you-go” version, but sometimes life just throws way too many balls at you all at once and even though you try to juggle them, a few inevitably get dropped. C’est la vie. You can only do your best, and then pat yourself on the back for what you DID accomplish. The rest will fall into place.

So sit back, get comfy, and enjoy the tour!

After Moab we stayed in Kodachrome National Park.The rock formations were within touch no matter which direction you faced. In September 1949 the National Geographic Society did a story on this area and because of its beauty, they named it for the new type of Kodak film they were using. 

We mostly spent our days in exploring Bryce Canyon so there are only a few pics of Kodachrome. This was our campsite:

Cotye and I did venture up some of the red rock in front of the RV. He sniffed out a hole and led me away, turned out there was a rattler inside. I love his sensitive nose!

It kind of looks like Cotye is dragging me up the hill, but not true. He was just enthusiastic. Besides, there were no witnesses to refute my version. 

The colors of this basin, like the other canyons, changed with the position of the sun. This is the place I mentioned in my last post, where the stars were so bright,. It was beautiful. I automatically reached my hand upward to touch them they felt so close. Here are a couple more pics of Kodachrome during the day.

Kodachrome is where we slept at night, but Bryce is where we played during the day. It is my favorite of all the Canyons. <happy face>

The large spirals are called Hoodoo's. To me they look like tall Native Americans, standing proudly, blankets wrapped around their bodies, headdress in place, watching over their homeland. There are hikes you can take down through the spirals. It will have to remain on my Bucket List for now, but the day I stayed back and did a small hike with Cotye;  Mark, Pat and Dawn hiked down the Queen's trail in Bryce, which takes you down to the bottom. Then they hiked back up "the Wall", which was straight up, so it was done in switchbacks. They were a tired, hungry bunch when they got back to camp!

In town there was a little place called Rubies. Small cowboy town. Good grub. Silly photos:

From Bryce we moved on to Zion. I don't believe I have ever seen so many different forms of landscape in one place like there is here.

The last one here looks to me like it is made of elephant hide! The tunnel (scroll up) was a bit freaky. It was really long...so long that they put openings, like windows, in the rock at intervals so that just when you started feeling the walls closing in, you could see outside. I am not claustrophobic, but that is about as close to it as I have ever been. Kudos to the person who thought to dynamite out some windows!

From Zion we went on to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It seems the older I get, the more heights bug me. 

Here I am waving from up top . . .

. . . down to my hubby who is much braver than I. 

Too vast for words . . .

I have no idea why a mule needs a desk, but somehow, it merits its own parking spot! Or maybe that is where it parks its desk? Hmm . . .

They finally got me out to the edge . . . how happy am I?

Dumb ass! Uhlk! He kills my nerves!

While touring the North Rim, we stayed at Kaibob National Forest. It was plush and smelled like dirt after a rain, pine and clean, crisp air. I stayed back at camp one day and the other three went for a drive, saw a tower and what do you do when you find a tower? Well, you climb it of course.

I prefer to think I am the common sense of this bunch, but I am pretty sure they think I am a chicken. Cluck cluck cluck.

Then they came across a historical ranger station and had to go inside. Not sure if it was legal or not, but it looks like it is set up for tours.

This is Jacob Lake. Can't see the lake, but the horses look happy. Do you see a lake?

From the North Rim to the South Rim we stayed in Williams, Arizona. I blogged on our last trip through this area, and I said we'd be back. I had no idea how soon it would be. I love Route 66 history. This town is full of it. It was the last town to be bypassed by I-40 in 1984.

Since it was an all day trip, and I had been there before, I stayed in town with Cotye while the three of them took the train to the South Rim. 

Once again, they left their common sense (me) behind...

Dumb ass! Oh my head . . .

It appears there was a train robbery attempt on the way home. Oh my! lol

From Williams to Sedona where a should have taken more photos! I have been there so many times and just got caught up in the shopping. This town claims to be in a Vortex that has healing powers. Who knows if it is true or not. However, I do know that while we were there was the best I have felt in a long time . . . but that could have been the shopping therapy too!

I did get a few fun pics. Such an artsy town!

 

Here are a few photos we took during the road trip, from inside the RV:

E.T. PHONE HOME? (Bryce)

So very strange to come across a lone cow in the middle of a National Forest!

Pat the Farkle King . . . He was a good sport, not so good at rolling the dice, but a good sport, definitely.

If you didn't have to wear gloves to handle this glass, the RV would be full of it!

TOGA! TOGA! Go Cotye! (chilly night)

Cotye and the deer regard each other . . .

Cotye and the alpaca regard each other . . . 

If you have to be told not to jump . . . I'm just saying . . .

The Colorado River, doesn't look like a fun place to jump in to me!

We ended up in Phoenix as the Paplow's were flying out from there, back to Minnesota where it is possible they went home to winter? It's Minnesota, you never know!

Pat had a cousin, Greg and his wife, Fern, drove up from Tucson to say hi, the trip ended at a steak house. It was a good trip from start to finish.

Ahh, we are all caught up! Woo Hoo! (doing my happy dance). And . . . tomorrow is Friday and I only have two doctor appointments. 

And now it is time for me to close my eyes and drift away; heading to the second star to the right, then straight on till morning . . .