Vegas and points north

Vegas to Salt Lake City

Las Vegas was great and we look forward to when we will get to return again. That may be years from now. We drove the short way from Vegas to Zion National Park in Utah. The weather was still a little cool for us but we needed to work our way toward Yellowstone National Park. We had hoped to stay several days at Zion but all campground sites were full and we could only find a campground with a couple nites open. We made the best of it by visiting the visitor center and then on the full day, we put our bikes on the tram and rode the tram to the end of the road. A small hike toward the Narrows took us through some awsome scenery. Cliffs reaches skyward and the entire place has a spiritual feel about it. It was a spiritual place for the Paiute Indians but the Mormons and Methodist gave the towering cliffs and monuments their names. Called Little Zion by the Mormons because of the cathedral-like formations which the Methodists later named Angels Landing, The three Patriarchs, and the Great White Throne. After our hike we mounted our bikes for the 6.5 mile, nearly all down-hill coast back to the visitor center. The sun reflecting off the canyon walls created some warmth despite the occassional snow flurry.

From Zion we headed further north to Bryce Canyon. The RV Park we stayed at was a few feet below 8000’ feet and there was still snow in places. Hookups were limited to only electricity because of the still frozen ground. We parked amongst the ponderosa pines a few miles from the park entrance and made several daily trips into the park. On one day we drove the scenic drive through the park, stopping to look at each scenic look-out. The natural landscapes and stone sculptures defy description. A before-sunrise trip to the overlook at the main ampetheater proved well worth the time. Hot coffee in our thermos provided some comfort in the below freezing temperatures but seeing the hoodoos illuminate with the early morning sun’s warm reflecting light also took some of the edge off the cold. Seeing a hiking trail meandering through the natural sculpture garden a mile below the canyon rim was too much of an attraction and I donned my hiking gear and followed the trail down into the canyon, around the goblin-like hoodoos, and back to the top. With the daytime temperatures getting into the 60s, hiking was pleasant despite the elevation change from top to bottom and back up again.

After Bryce we headed further north and stopped at the Mystic Hot Springs for a soaking in the natural springs near Monroe Utah. Travertine terraces, the results of calcium precipitating from the 100+ degree water nearly consume the large tubs nestled into the hill above the campground.

Although we had planned to fly East to visit our kids, grandkids and my parents, a family funeral mandated altering our plans to fly east several days early. Despite the somberness of the occasion, we were ably to continue our trip as originally planned. In Maryland we were able to take Marisa and Sam to the National Zoo to see the Pandas and on the next day, with Bill, our son and their Dad along we rode the DC subway into town and enjoyed our favorite Smithsonian Museum, The Museum of Natural History. The Hope Diamond and other gems, and the collection of mammal skeletons interested the youngsters some but the insect exhibits seemed to provide the most entertainment. The butterfly house with a kaleidoscope-like display of multi-colored butterflies was the highlight. Armed with a display card showing different butterflies, Marisa led the way to finding and identifying the brilliant colored specimens that were everywhere. We passed through an airlock to enter the room and then again through another when we left where were closely inspected to make sure that no “hitchhiking” butterflies were catching a ride on our backs. The visit was way too short but we made the most of the short time we had and are already looking forward to our next trip back to Maryland.

We headed up to Pennsylvania for a few days with my parents. We had a great visit and one day my Brother Ken and his wife Kathy were able to joins us for diner. Not often the entire family gets together. It was special.

We left Pa and flew down to Alabama for a short visit with our Daughter and her family. The big event was to go see a theater production of “Alice in Wonderland- the biggest tea party.” Alice is our granddaughter’s idol, so to watch and participate in the somewhat interactive production was a real treat. Braelyn, to celebrate her up-coming third birthday, even got to go on stage with Alice. Despite the presence of all the exciting characters including the Rabbit who was always late, the March Hare, the Doormouse, and the Queen of Hearts, Braelyn just hugged her idol.

In all our visits and activities the grandkids seemed to find things they enjoyed but Sandi and I really had the best time just watching them.