After leaving Zion National Park, we decided to marathon it all the way as far as we can go and stop in Riverside, CA. We left Zion area pretty early, as we decided to trek via I-15 through Las Vegas, Barstow, Cajon Pass towards Riverside. As we're driving through the hot sweltering heat of the desert, we got stuck in traffic just south of Victorville, CA. Unbeknownst to us, a fire was starting to brew in Hesperia. We finally broke lose from this snail pace and headed towards Redlands where we camped for the night. As we hooked up Gertrude, I wanted to listen to the news... and to our surprise, we found out that we 'cheated death'.... we missed the fire jumping the freeway by 30 minutes!!!! Imagine that! Check out this these pics taken from the news cast. This is the 3rd time in our trip that we cheated death.... 1st time is when we escaped the tornadoes in Oklahoma, and the 2nd time is in Bryce Canyon when we crossed the street (using the crosswalk) and a woman driver did not see us and almost impaled both of us, especially Allan. It must have been my superwoman motion of extending my arm and hand out (talk to the hand!) which alerted the driver to stop and prevented Allan from becoming a hood ornament!!! HA..HA.... Yeah, sure! |
Not our time yet!! Thank you, Nick for looking out for us..... :-)
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It is time for us to start heading Southwest again. The geological landscape of Utah's National Parks are just too grand for words... All I know how to say is... WOW.... The 'WOW' factor is unbelievable... So, as not to bore you with my continous WOW... oh my... WOW.... look at that.... WOW.... ad nauseum... I'm going to select a few of our favorite pics & experiences from all the national monuments, national parks and national recreation areas we visited on our way back to San Diego, CA. This is our bi-annual trek to make sure that Allan's back is up to snuff. OK, here's our story:
Next.. we drove through the Glen Canyon Nat'l Recreation area, home of Lake Powell, |
Red Canyon & Zion | First we had to go through 2 tunnels which were part of the Red Canyons, and if that was not amazing enough, we had to be escorted in Zion since Gertrude is too chubby to go through the Zion tunnels by herself..... :-) |
| Petroglyphs and ancient graffiti at the Newspaper Rock Do you see the hangman? Strange.... These etched figures date back 2,000 yrs. From BC till 1300AD. |
7/6/2015
Canyonlands | The centerpiece of Canyonlands National park is the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. The Y-shaped river system dissects the park in three enchanting regions. In the north (where we are now) is the 'Island in the Sky'. In the west 'The Maze' is the least accessible area which we won't go into as you need to be a pretty experienced back country hiker. In the south is 'The Needles' which we'll visit on the way to Natural Bridges National Monument. |
Here we hiked (in the 100+ deg heat!) to see what we could see, and all I can say is 'WOW'. Mother nature has outdone herself, and it is truly a geological delight. Canyonlands is a showcase of sedimentary geology. The age of the exposed bedrock is from the Pennsylvanian era (330 million years ago) to the Jurassic era (144 million years ago).
Aren't you impressed? We are.
Aren't you impressed? We are.
It was real interesting to see how the smaller creatures such as the lizards, ants and other insects have their unique way of surviving. We came here right after a night's rain. It was hot and humid and all the critters were out, scurrying about. See for yourself! Can you find them? |
In this area we also found Dead Horse Point State Park. From this point, we noted the layers of geologic history. 8000 ft of geologic strata is visible at an elevation of 6000 ft above sea level. Legend has it that this canyon was once used to corral wild mustangs roaming the mesa. Cowboys herded these horses across the narrow neck of the land (only 30 yards wide) and fenced off the area with branches and brush. Once these cowboys chose the mustangs they wanted, they left the rest corralled where they died of hunger and thirst!!! Not a nice story! |
If you have never taken a geology class in high school or college, roaming in the south of Utah will force you to appreciate geology at its best. The forces of nature on our planet have provided us with the most grandiose views. The geological landscape in this part of the country is undeniably magnificent. Hiking in the midst of all this makes one feel very small and insignificant. The splendor of the columns, the spires, the canyons, the arches are almost too much to comprehend. We had to buy a geology book in order to learn what forces came into play in providing the upheavals of nature displaying these magnificent formations.
Check also our Wildlife & Flowers page. I've uploaded all Allan's critters and our Tree Artistry pics from this area.
Check also our Wildlife & Flowers page. I've uploaded all Allan's critters and our Tree Artistry pics from this area.
The Arches National Park
Day 1 - Off-roading in Archers National Park - hunting for Dinosaur tracks & the Tower Arch
Day 2 - Hiking up to Devils Garden
Day 3 - Hiking up to Delicate Arch -
check out our Travel in Pictures page to see this amazing formation
Woke up at the crack of dawn! Ready to go on this hike... piece of cake... Got my backpack full of water and granola bars....Yup, still going strong... even though it's uphill....... oooooh nooo!.... I missed the trail entirely... now I have to slide on my ..... to go back on the trail... OK, OK... standing upright again... back on track! Aiiiih.... now I have to hug the wall... too steep!!! This BETTER be worth it! It is... it is.... AMAZING!!!!
We drove to Canyonlands National Park via the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-128) and discovered another gem besides the awesome landscape. We spotted 'Sorrel River Ranch' - a horse ranch right on the Colorado river. Since it was lunch time, of course we had to stop and wet our whistles.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed all the scenery, the quiet and all the sights and sounds mother nature so gracefully provided us.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed all the scenery, the quiet and all the sights and sounds mother nature so gracefully provided us.
Did you know that:
- The beehive on the shield in Utah's State Flag is a symbol of hard work and industry?
- That in 1847 the Mormons came to Utah.
- That in 1896, Utah became the 45th State.
- That in July, 2015, Allan & Sri came to Utah on their covered wagon named Gertrude to tour the wonders of Utah's landscape?
- That they found real Dinosaur fossils of the Morrison era still embedded in the rock face? They did........
Up to now, we have only seen Dinosaur skeletons in Natural Science Museums... What an exciting surprise when, checking our map to find the most scenic route from Jackson, WY to Moab, UT (where Arches and Canyonland Nat'l Parks are located), we discovered this tiny spot on the map called DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT...
The geeks we are, we had to find out what this place is all about.... Come to find out, this National Park stretches over both Utah & Colorado and is a place where paleontologists have found the most concentrated fossilized bones of Dinosaurs from the Morrison Era. Paleontologists have collected fossils from 400 different dinosaurs and there still remains over 1,500 fossils from 100 individual dinosaurs right here on this spot. There was a logjam of fossils. There are so many skeletal remains, that they named this spot the Dinosaur Quarry.
The most fantastic part about this park is that some scientist (forgot his name) convinced the powers to be that the best way to teach the masses about these Dinosaurs is to leave some of the fossils embedded in the rock face of the quarry where many skeletal remains were washed ashore by ancient rivers. We also went on a Discovery Hike, and found real life (well, petrified) skeletal remains out in the rocks. And to top this, we also found some petroglyphs....... We were so excited.....
I know....NERDS! :-) But you gotta see these pics, there was also some bones that we can actually touch & feel! Cool huh.
The geeks we are, we had to find out what this place is all about.... Come to find out, this National Park stretches over both Utah & Colorado and is a place where paleontologists have found the most concentrated fossilized bones of Dinosaurs from the Morrison Era. Paleontologists have collected fossils from 400 different dinosaurs and there still remains over 1,500 fossils from 100 individual dinosaurs right here on this spot. There was a logjam of fossils. There are so many skeletal remains, that they named this spot the Dinosaur Quarry.
The most fantastic part about this park is that some scientist (forgot his name) convinced the powers to be that the best way to teach the masses about these Dinosaurs is to leave some of the fossils embedded in the rock face of the quarry where many skeletal remains were washed ashore by ancient rivers. We also went on a Discovery Hike, and found real life (well, petrified) skeletal remains out in the rocks. And to top this, we also found some petroglyphs....... We were so excited.....
I know....NERDS! :-) But you gotta see these pics, there was also some bones that we can actually touch & feel! Cool huh.
Why, do you ask were there sooo many skeletal remains found here?
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!
I know, a little sad looking flag... but, hey... we're trying!
Well, once again I've been remiss and have not kept up with our stories... Well... technology was not on our side. We've been in several dead zones, but no worries... all is good..we're back in 4G mode and I've got a hot spot...Yay!!! Today we're in sweltering Moab, UT giving poor Gertrude's AC a run for her money. It is 103 degrees here... YIKES..., sooo.. since there is no way we're going hiking in this heat, and I don't have any excuses left, I'm gonna continue with our stories.... OK... here goes!
Yellowstone, Grand Teton & the Flaming Gorge
I know, a little sad looking flag... but, hey... we're trying!
Well, once again I've been remiss and have not kept up with our stories... Well... technology was not on our side. We've been in several dead zones, but no worries... all is good..we're back in 4G mode and I've got a hot spot...Yay!!! Today we're in sweltering Moab, UT giving poor Gertrude's AC a run for her money. It is 103 degrees here... YIKES..., sooo.. since there is no way we're going hiking in this heat, and I don't have any excuses left, I'm gonna continue with our stories.... OK... here goes!
Yellowstone, Grand Teton & the Flaming Gorge
Yellowstone
I think the best way to show Yellowstone is to share with you the amazing geological landscapes, the wildlife, the wildflowers, bison traffic jams and even the fishermen (anglers) via the hundreds and hundreds of photos we took. No worries, I won't post them all and bore you, but I also don't want to bore you with me saying...'awesome' all the time. So, I've dedicated a special page to Yellowstone alone. Check it out, click on 'Yellowstone' at the top and you'll agree that Yellowstone is too awesome for words.
In the week we were there, we spotted bears at 4 different locations, 3 Black Bears with their cubs and 1 (YES) Grizzly Bear. Many, many bison - they are absolutely magnificent... close up and personal! Pronghorns, coyotes, elks, Canadian geese, different birds, marmots, chipmunks, lots of insects and beautiful wildflowers!
Old Faithful gave us a perfect performance and we exited Yellowstone to another magnificent place: the GRAND TETONS! That story is for another day.
In the week we were there, we spotted bears at 4 different locations, 3 Black Bears with their cubs and 1 (YES) Grizzly Bear. Many, many bison - they are absolutely magnificent... close up and personal! Pronghorns, coyotes, elks, Canadian geese, different birds, marmots, chipmunks, lots of insects and beautiful wildflowers!
Old Faithful gave us a perfect performance and we exited Yellowstone to another magnificent place: the GRAND TETONS! That story is for another day.
The Majestic....GRAND TETONS
It has been said that our lives, our legacies, are simply the sum total of all the choices we made. Theodore Roosevelt certainly understood this when in 1906 he fought conventional wisdom and set aside millions of acres of land to be preserved for future generations. As fate has it, Allan & I were privileged to have met the descendents of the Eagle family who were instrumental in building and developing the little town of West Yellowstone, our base-camp and we learned of their legacy in this majestic place. Who are the Eagles...? No not the rock group... Read on: |
Touring the majestic Grand Tetons and stopping at the Jenny Lake overlook we spotted a 1919 model T Ford. Of course, Allan had to scope it out. Rich & Joy Eagle, the owners of this beauty and their entire Eagle family, have build their legacy in Yellowstone. Their family made the choice to provide visitors of Yellowstone the experience of touring this majestic landscape as it was in the early 1900's. Thus, Rich and his family now operate the 'vintage' tour buses and other vintage cars (11 total) which we saw all around Yellowstone... how fun!
Talk Story
Allan & Sri,
just a couple of old folks roaming around the country side enjoying life sharing their travel stories...
Proost!
Where we are now:
Anacortes, WA
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