The final leg for this trip

If you've been following along on our long and sometimes torturous route to our winter abode you'll be happy to note this is the last leg of our journey. After all the excitement and rushing about wouldn't a nice peaceful rest be in order.

Not!. We booked a few days in Vegas in an RV resort behind the Circus Circus casino. As everyone knows, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas but we are able to bring you some of the highlites. We didn't do anything we couldn't blog about, how boring.

Over the years we've been to Vegas a few times and a walk down the strip would surely bring back some memories. It's still beautiful outside the Mirage.

Once Grammy saw the sign for a Beatles themed Cirque Du Soleil we had to go check it out. George was her favorite don't you know.

Farther along the strip, the Bellagio was having it's always spectacular dancing waters show.

We stayed at the Venetian a few years back for a Lennox meeting and loved the hotel so a return visit was in order. It's still amazing.

The strip is so interesting that visitors from all over come here. I think these folks were from Alpha Centauri or some such place. I don't know how they found a parking place; that's hard here!

Nevada is not just about Vegas, how about the Hoover Dam. It was built during the depression and is really big (I got that from the brochure). Notice the highway bridge in the background? After 9-11, the fear of someone blowing up the dam prompted the government to build this bypass bridge and close the road over the dam. Cars can still go over the dam after an inspection but just to a parking lot. No thru traffic anymore.

Behind Grammy is Lake Mead. For many years, the water level was much higher. In fact it bleached the rocks so you can see how low the level is based on the white rock level. A multi year drought has caused this lowering. Imagine how much water is not there now.

During WWII the dam was of such importance that pill boxes like this one was built to protect the dam from someone sneaking in and blowing it up. Soldiers were posted here all during the war. Now they built a billion dollar bridge to protect it; I guess pill boxes don't work against suicide bombers.

After seeing that amazing bridge spanning the gorge at dizzying heights I couldn't wait to drive over it, no matter how terrifying it might be. What do you think? Terrified? Why did they ruin the experience by putting sides on the bridge.

We got blisters spending 6 hours walking the strip so on our way back from the dam we decided to drive down the strip and save our feet.

Now isn't this an iconic view of the strip? I did have a great picture of lightly dressed show girls but you know, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

We did go out for an evening meal at the best rated steak house in Vegas. By mentioning that our anniversary could have been today we got a bottle of wine and a celebratory chocolate cheesecake. We gambled and won. What a town! Oh, by the way, I played the slots and won $25. That almost paid for our appetizer.

All good things must come to an end and we're off again, our next stop will be our last for the winter. If only we can get around this big rock.

You knew I was too good to let a rock slow us down. After a day of setting up and settling in, we're here at Hemet California and won't be moving for a few months if all goes to plan. We've enjoyed having you along for the trip and if you've enjoyed the ride please comment so I know Someone out there cares.  Ahh, palm trees and sunshine. See you.

Capital Reef, last but not least.

Its a bit of a drive from Bryce to Capitol Reef along Scenic Route 12. Huge canyon but dull, they must save all the colours for the parks.

This road was built by hand during the depression but because the rock was so hard it's called the million dollar road due to the time it took and amount of dynamite needed. Again, note lack of colour.

Some of the views along the way showed why it's called a scenic route. Lots of high hills and lovely valleys along the drive.

By the time we got to the park it was getting late so we spent a relaxing night at a nearby Inn. Good timing, they are closing for the season in a couple of days.

We're in the park and off on our first hike. This park is lower than Bryce and much warmer.

In the heart of the park is the old Mormon town of Fruita. It was named that because the climate was so moderate that they planted all kinds of fruit trees like pears, peaches and apples. The park keeps the orchards up and fruit can be eaten in season, of course we're not in season. Oh well, The cottonwoods are still lovely this time of year.

The specialty of this park are the driving routes which take you through some amazing canyons. A quick oil check is in order.

What a great place to take a jeep. Bumping over dry washes and dodging rock piles is right up its alley. And such scenery.

At the end of this canyon is a great wash that, over time, has eroded rocks along the river bed like this one. Notice the arches in the rock. No names are indicated so we're calling them the Lemire Arches. After all, we found them.

This canyon overhangs the trail which made the jeep kinda nervous.

This trail had high cliffs which we just squeezed through. If it started raining we'd be outta here right quick. This shows that all of the parks we've visited have very unique features. None of the other parks had such great trails to drive.

Huge straight cliffs with incredible colours. What a fun drive.

This huge feature is called the Egyptian palace. It looks like the columns placed so close together that hold up some of the most recognized egyptian palaces.

This is another feature that I thought looked a lot like the huge statues at Abu Simbel in Egypt. They should have called this the Egypt park.

But the park was named after this giant rock. It looks like the Capitol building, thus Capitol Reef. I think it looks a bit like Jabba the Hut.

As we're leaving the park we drive through Fruita again. What a lovely oasis amongst all the rugged canyons and high cliffs.

Along the route back to Cedar City we saw some rugged terrain but little colour. I named this the mennonite range. Substantial but not allowed to be flashy. Even the trees aren't allowed to show off. We've planned this expedition for months to see the 5 famous parks in Utah and they haven't disappointed. I guess what surprised me the most was how different each park was. We have a bit of travel still and hopefully something worth blogging about before we get to our winter home. Stay turned, just in case.

Bryce National Park, finally

Our plan was to go see Bryce NP on Tuesday Nov 3rd. We got our stuff loaded into the Jeep when we noticed we'd been broken into. Day lost with cops, insurance etc. OK it's the next day and a storm came up over night. A half hour into the mountains and I chickened out. An 8% downgrade with glare ice can do that to you.

So, another day lost but finally we're on our way to Bryce. A clear day, sunny and bright.

And here we are; a winter wonderland. A little advice from the park rangers, stay off the hiking trails unless you have crampons. Steep trails with hundred foot drops, makes sense to me. 

That's fine, we can see some amazing sights without too much danger.

Like this. This is called the amphitheater. What an amazing sight!

I told Grammy it was slippery but she wanted a dramatic photo. Oh, did I mention it was bitter cold with a strong icy wind?

Yeah, I feel better too with her behind the fence.

There's one of those slippy trails. I'll just stay up here thank you.

Aren't these columns amazing. There are thousands of them with most well over 100 feet high. They kind of remind me of the temples at Angkor Wat. If you don't believe me, google it.

These are the roads in the park. Just like being back home, except we went a long way to get away from snow. Drat!

There are a number of different overlooks but they all have the same astonishing columns. This is the fourth of the five national parks we came to see and each one is so different  from the others. None of the others have anything like these.

I found a ledge free of snow so I decided to stand at the head of my army. Boy can they stand at attention!

I noticed the deer were smart enough to stay away from the edges. Not a bad spot to stop for lunch either. A coffee hit the spot in this cold.

Grammy needed one more dangerous photo before we head out and say goodbye to Bryce. An awe inspiring park and well worth the 3 day wait. Well, except for the break in. Now, on to the last park on our agenda.

Cedar City, then Zion Park

Back on the road. Once we get out of the Moab valley we're back on nice flat plains.

This certainly isn't the prairies we've driven through this trip. Looks like a solid wall of rock.

The road couldn't go around so they cut right through. Because the rocks are sloping, in some spots the rock is overhanging the road. A little scary.

There are still deep canyons along the way. If I look a little puzzled it's because I can't figure out why Grammy keeps telling me to back up some more.

Well, we're all set up in Cedar City Utah, the closest city to the major National parks that we want to go to. We're here for a few days and after a day of leisure it's time to do some more exploring.

Zion National Park is one of the busiest National parks and even this time of year there were way more people than we've seen in any other park we've visited. Bad picture to talk about crowds.

This ones not much better; trust me it's busy. Just not along this walk.

Something we haven't seen in other parks is wildlife. Lots of deer and wild turkeys.

After our strenuous hike at Arches, we weren't sure about a long hike but just like well oiled machines, a chance to cool down and get refueled and we're ready to go. A hike up this canyon to see the Emerald pools just got us ready for more.

 

The hiking trails took us through some lovely sights.

Our next hike took us along the Virgin river which cuts through immense high and steep cliffs.

At some points the cliffs are more overhang and need support to get through. Fortunately Grammys hand has healed enough to handle the strain.

All that walking and stone lifting made a lunch stop imperative. What a great day, sitting in the sun, listening to a babbling river and surrounded by majestic scenery.

Doesn't this look like something out of Jurassic Park? Zion Park is characterized by tall straight cliffs with a lovely river running through it. 

It's much more peaceful here than in the other parks we've been to. They were awesome but more desert like. Here there are animals, waterfalls and lovely pools.

The area of the park is relatively small and with the huge crowds, free shuttle busses are used to transport you to the various viewpoints and hikes. It sure relieves the congestion.

Look back at some of the pictures of Canyonlands or Arches and you won't see this kind of greenery.

At the other end of Zion Park is a small drive through Kolob Canyon. It doesn't have the water and greenery like the main park but the landscape is awesome. The cliffs are the highest we've seen yet.

Pictures just don't do these immense cliffs and canyons justice. After a long day of hiking and sightseeing we've seen most of what Zion has to offer. What's next?