Grand Canyon National Park

Moonrise at Lee's Ferry

The area is a staging ground for rafting trips in the Colorado.  Some rapids are visible here.

Morning coffee before heading off for the Grand Canyon.

A beach, a cold morning, as we explore the edge of the Colorado River.

  The Colorado no longer reaches the Bay of California due to human use along the way.

The water of the Colorado is ice cold.

As we make our way south, giant boulders, seemingly set down by giants,  give the appearance of an alien landscape.

A bridge over the Colorado River.

We cross through the Navajo Nation to get to Grand Canyon National Park.  

Our first view of the Canyon.

Looking down.

There are many miles of the Rim with varying views as well as the option of hiking in to the Canyon.

We arrive during National Parks Week and it was very crowded.  People from around the world speaking many different languages surround us at a popular overlook. The Park has a shuttle system that drives up and down several miles of the South Rim.  Riders can get off and on freely once the entrance fee is paid.

A discussion about the Canyon.  Go ahead Neal, explain this.

Vertigo!  I'm glad there are strong railings everywhere we go though some intrepid tourists leave the safety to explore other outcroppings.

One last picture before we leave the South Rim and go to our campsite a half mile away in the Park.  It's nice to spend the night right in the Park.  Neal will come back to the morning for sunrise while the rest of us sleep.

Road to the Grand Canyon

We leave Zion National Park and take the road east/southeast - Alternate Route 89 - into northern Arizona.   Our first view of the Vermilion Cliffs in the distance.

 The road accentuating the distance and expanse we frequently experience here in the West.

A closer view of the Vermilion Cliffs

At Marble Canyon, we stop at an artist's shop filled with beautiful paintings and jewelry.  She's out, but we have fun peering in and wondering about her and her beautiful work.  We're told at the near-by gas station a campground is up the next road.

We turn left and find a national park campground, not appearing on our map or GPS, at Lees Ferry.  It's one of the few places with beach access to the Colorado River, seen here,  the sliver between cliffs and flowers.

The Colorado, green and white between rust and tan.  Later we will see it as a ribbon of green winding through the Grand Canyon.

Gwen explores the area with me, Colorado River in the distance.

We're lucky to be here in spring. The dessert is blooming.

The view of the Colorado, looking north.  Off to Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Zion National Park, Utah

After leaving Las Vegas, we travel through southern Utah.  Here are pictures from Zion National Park.  

Arriving at Zion.

Zion Canyon, 15 miles long and up to half a mile deep, cuts through the reddish and tan colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. 

Gwen and Phil slept on our way to Zion and awoke groggy.  We take the shuttle to view the Park and orient ourselves.

These formations represent 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation.

An early settler from historic times, is credited with naming the area "Zion", a reference to a place of peace mentioned in the Bible.

The Park's shuttles work well.  Once in the Park, they are free and the drivers are also guides providing information about Zion. You can get out at the various lookouts, trails, and the visitors center and restaurant.

Part of the Colorado Plateau, pushed up over time, it was once under a shallow sea.

Kids play by the Virgin River that provides life giving water to the green canyon. The water is cold though some people swim near us.

Neal has got it good, looking over the river at sunset.

This is the view looking up from our campsite.

I can't resist taking a lot of pictures. Ansel Adams, American photographer, took pictures of the Canyon too.

The Park campground was full but we find a very beautiful spot right outside the gates and still within the canyon.  It has the added benefit of hook-ups so we have electricity and water.

Near the Park's entrance.  This much photographed canyon was first inhabited by humans more than 2000 years ago.

Tunnel Ahead.  To drive east through the Park we must make a reservation to go through a long tunnel.  When we arrive, traffic is stopped from the other direction.  The last car through hands the ranger a baton and then we take our turn going down the middle of the low clearance tunnel.

Coming out the other side, it is dryer and the road less traveled despite the others vehicles you see here.

Phil takes the opportunity of a roadside stop to play in the dirt.

After the crowded canyon, it is very peaceful here.

Stuffed animals climb too.

Outside the Park, we stop to feed horses and view the buffalo.

These are the only buffalo we have seen on our trip.  Next, on to the Grand Canyon.

Death Valley to Las Vegas

In late afternoon, after our 90 degree day in the sun and swim in the pool, a storm comes in and the wind buffets the RV and blows sand.  Visibility diminishes outside our window.

The next day, we have a bright cool day with some remaining gusts of wind and sand.

Here we are at the gift shop and hotel at Stovepipe Lodge. The remaining blowing sands can be seen in the background.

We buy toy stuffed animals for the kids that they carry around and play with for days.

Starting out for Las Vegas.

Sand-dunes are found in the Park and can be slid down if you have cardboard or sleds.

Salt Flats.  We are traveling across lands that once laid under the pacific ocean.  The Park is famous for  its below sea-level altitude and its record hot temperatures.   

The valley is a "graben," a fallen crust of earth. The oldest rocks are at least 1.7 billion years old and extensively eroded by the environment.

Leaving the Park, Las Vegas is over those mountains.

Mt. Charleston, between Death Valley and Las Vegas

We stay at Circus  Circus in Las Vegas because of all the attractions for kids.

There is the usual casino fair plus a midway with carnival games and arcades.

Phillip looking around.

Many options.

There is a show every 45 minutes and they are free and usually really good.  Here is a trapeze artist from Russia.