Springville, Utah

Ah...we are back in below 7000ft. altitude. This time the altitude really bothered us or else we realized why we were so tired all the time. We have had a wonderful time in AZ and UT but we are here to rest for about 5 days then on to Yellowstone.
It was great being with my family in Flagstaff for two weeks.Every morning my view was a mountain peak covered with snow.
Until I started writing the blog and putting in pictures I had no idea how busy we were in Flagstaff. But when you have an aunt, uncle, five cousins and all their children to see it takes a while. We had a cookout, a cook-in, a family dinner and breakfast. Plus Mary and I had a great time going through old pictures and family history.Then add in all the touristy things we wanted to do....It was so much fun, we cannot wait to go back.
We went to the Grand Canyon for a day;then we took off for Utah to see Zion Canyon and Bryce Canyon. I think we have about "red rock canyoned out"now. But they were all different. Two we were on the rim looking down and one were on the bottom looking up.
And has the weather been strange or what? We have gone from over 100 in Yuma to in the 20's this week. We have seen snow and been snowed on. Some of the view were just spectacular. Trust me, no camera can do the Grand Canyon justice...........nor Highway 14 in Utah.We have seen atelope, buffalo, deer, ravens and cute posing squirrels.
Fantastic...we have tickets to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in concert tomorrow!!!!!Excitement.So much for rest.........
More pictures and back-posts to come.

Hoo doo and Bryce Canyon

We got up yesterday morning to cold weather,wind and overcast skies.
But it was our last day here so we took off to Bryce Canyon, about 30 miles away.
We had read about hoodoos and were determined to see them. Up in the cliffs it was snowing, sleeting and sometimes hailing. But today was a good day for wild life. We saw pronghorn deer, mule deer and jack rabbits, but no Big horned sheep........We awoke this moroning to about an inch of snow in MAY! Can you believe it?
Enjoy the pictures. Once again the sights were too panoramic for my poor camera skills

Grand Canyon

Erwin and I made our second trip in three years to the Grand Canyon. During the first visit it rained and snowed. This time the temperature was perfect,in the 80’s.
On the trip up to the Canyon we went by Hwy 89 & 64. Our first stop was at the Colorado Gorge to see the Indian jewelry, pottery and arrows. The land was very arid and flat with no trees and gorges here and there. Most of it is Indian Reservation Land.
When we arrived at the canyon, we stopped at the Lodge and had lunch and boarded the free shuttle bus to take us up the Hermitage Rest Trail. This is a part of the canyon accessible only by bus. I think on that day we were the only American’s visiting the park. It was also rather strange to realize that the park’s restaurants and gift shops are managed by a Chinese company. We took a few short hikes
but time was short and we wanted to see as much as we could.
Watching the mules and hikers come up from the canyon floor was really something!

These trips are booked sometimes as much as a year in advance.

At one time mining was allowed in the canyon. Can you imagine the fuss we tree huggers would create today if it was allowed?


Our trip home was totally different than going. We came back to Flagstaff by Hwy 64, up and down mountains and through Aspen tree forests. It was gorgeous. One would never know that just over on the other side of the hill was the Grand Canyon.

Jerome and Sedona, Arizona

Today was time to visit Jerome and Sedona, Arizona. Aunt Mary drove us to Sedona




to meet my cousin, her daughter Jamara, for lunch, then drive on up to Jerome. This was the first time I had seen Jamara since she was a baby so there was lots of catching up to do. She is now a metal artist with her partner, Howard. And like the rest of us they are dog lovers, too. Must be nice to take your dogs to work with you.

After lunch we took off to Jerome. I had heard this was a quirky little town. It is an old mining town, built into the hills. Curves and ledges….


Legend has it that the town is sliding down the mountain, a fraction of an inch at a time.

But that didn't stop us from shopping. We did resist all temptation at the candy shop though.
Quirky is right!. The cutest shop in town used to be a brothel called The House of Joy


The view back to Sedona was magnificent.

Meanwhile…….
Erwin, my uncle, JimEd, and JimEd’s nephew flew from Flagstaff to Sedona for lunch.



It was quite a bumpy trip with lots of crosswinds, but a good pilot. The view was worth the bumps and shakes though.

Las Vegas to Flagstaff

We stayed one extra day in Las Vegas to finish up our sightseeing, lose a bit more money, and once again wait out the winds. We left by way of the Hoover Dam,wow what a sight. The last time we were in Vegas, we had toured the dam site so we did not stop. But we did drag our camper across the dam. The trip's scenery was a tad boring in a way because it was like the trip to Vegas. Then we hit trees and green grass, finally. Another exciting event was rain. We figured we had not seen rain since the middle of March when we left Livingston.

We arrived at my aunt's house with no problems. In Flagstaff that one day they had had rain, snow and hail. In one day!

We are parked on their property right across the driveway from their house, so we visit back and forth. Out our side windows is a horse pasture for Sally. Out our back window we can watch the goats and their kids play. We are hooked up to their electricity with a long cord and their water....we love this campground!

Since we have been here, we have been treated like royalty. For almost a week it has been family stuff with cousins, second cousins and more cousins!We have had big family dinners, gone out to eat,shopped, and just had a blast! Mother's Day about 17 of us went out to dinner...all ages from 6 to 69.

Monday, the day after Mother's Day, Erwin, my aunt and uncle and I went to Lake Powell to spend 2 nights on their boat, The Fella-Ship. Talk about strange weather....when we left here it was sunny and cool, just perfect weather. By that night we were freezing in the rain as we ran from the car to the boat. My uncle said we would have snow by morning and we just laughed at him. Sure enough Flagstaff had nine inches that night and the next day! We just had cold but sun. We cruised the lake for about 5 hours. So different from lakeshores in the East. This is all big rocks, sand, no trees and green water.

Today, Erwin is flying with Uncle Jim and his nephew to Sedona. Aunt Mary and I are supposed to go to Jerome and Sedona, but it looks as if that trip may be delayed. I am content to watch the horses and goats play, so that is all right.

Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas

We spent very little time in the casinos in Las Vegas except to walk through the shops and down the street gawking like tourists are supposed to.




One day we drove out to Red Rock Canyon.

I had read about this in Les's blog( see side bar) and thought we would try it. Believe me the pictures in no way show the sight. It is magnificent!
Some visitors even dye their hair for the occasion.

There is a large visitors center, information center and gift shop for the first stop. You meet the Rangers and tell them what kind of hike you would like to take. A 13 mi. scenic drive surrounds some spectacular scenery and the hiking trails branch off the drive.
There are many mountain climbers out here, some free climbers and some technical. It all looks technical to me!


Erwin and I have always wanted to see the desert in bloom and we got our wish....enjoy

Cha Ching

After a long drive through the desert with nothing to see but the straight road and cactus we are finally here in Vegas. We are staying in Sam's Town RV park not too far from the strip..Oh all right it is about 10 miles more or less. We have a very nice site with a tree and nice neighbors. Our first night here we had happy hour with them and had a wonderful time.



The next day we were gone all day. We started out at Ethel M's Chocolates.

As you can probably tell I am fascinated with cactus gardens.
Such prickly things to have such gorgeous flowers.


Next on our to-do list was to visit the MGM Casino and see the lions...not too exciting there. Lions mostly sleep during the day and these were definitely well fed and ready for naps.



Then a long long walk to see Imperial Casino where they have these amazing cars for sale. You know I hate my truck so why not?

How about this one? They only made two, I wonder why?



Or perhaps one of these? Wouldn't it be an eye catcher with my 5th wheel on the back!



Finally the Bellagio to see the dancing fountains.







I will try later to get the video on here, but so far no luck and that is a shame because it is beautiful!