May 21, 2013 - Boulder, UT via Hwy 12

We've been hearing from numerous people that we must take the drive up Hwy 12 from Cannonville to Boulder Mountain. Today we did that and we weren't disappointed. Moab is one of our favorite places, but what we have found is that this area is the equal of and in some places even better. As is often the case, as good as the pictures are, they just can't convey the contrast and vivid colors of the area that we saw today. We enjoyed lunch at the Burr Trail Grill in Boulder. It came highly recommend and we weren't disappointed. The home made...

May 20, 2013 - Angel's Palace Trail

Within easy walking distance of our camp site is Angel's Palace Trail which rises 150 feet in elevation and spreads over a mile and a half. The view from on top provides a spectacular panoramic view looking down on the surrounding area. We did the hike twice, once in the morning light and then near sunset. Totally different look with the lighting ever changing the colors of the rocks. It is a small world. While hiking up high, I met followers of our blog. Just want to give a shout out to Richard & Leah. It was a pleasure meeting you both....

May 20, 2013 - Flaming Dinosaurs!!!

We have spent the last couple days exploring Dinosaur National Monument and Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Visiting here made me wonder about the differences between a National Park, Monument and Recreation Area. After extensive Internet research, here is what I discovered…….It is all about the budget (isn’t everything?)….. National Parks generally have an outstanding scenic feature of natural phenomena. They must be large enough to effect inspirational, educational and recreational value for broad use of all people and are...

May 19, 2013 - Grosvenor Arch

The colors and contrast of this area prompted the National Geographic Society in 1949, with consent from Kodak Film Corp., to name the park Kodachrome. There are nearly 70 monolithic spires, ranging from six to 170 feet in height throughout the park. So many colors, textures and shapes in every direction. The first part of our day took us 11 miles from the park to the Grosvenor Arch, which is a double arch and one of the states most impressive. After enjoying the short walk to the arch, we continued down Cottonwood Canyon road. Post to...

May 19, 2013 - Cottonwood Canyon Road

The second part of our day we spent enjoying the views on Cottonwood Canyon Road, which intersected with Rt 89, 40 miles east of Kanab. We enjoyed a quick lunch in Kanab taking Johnson Canyon Rd back to camp. Johnson Canyon wasn't as pretty as C.C.R. but it was a quicker way home. What a great day of exploring the back roads!

May 19, 2013 - Bryce Canyon

We spent the morning in Bryce Canyon. Really beautiful vistas. Ran into another couple from Polk County (Lakeland). After lunch we headed north to Otter Creek State Park in Utah and then headed south again to Bryce Canyon. In the morning, we'll head to Zion National Park and then on into Grand Canyon for several days.

May 19, 2013 - Natural Bridges NM

May 19, 2013 We got a late start this morning as we went out to breakfast with Jim and JoDee. Finally got away around 10:00 and then fueled up at $3.79 a gallon. Headed south out of Moab for Blanding, we are staying in a small RV park here as it is the closest place to Natural Bridges National Monument. There are three bridges in the park Sipapu, Kachina, Owachomo, these are all Hopi names. A natural bridge is formed through erosion by water flowing in the stream bed of the canyon. During periods of flash floods, particularly, the stream...

May 18, 2013 - more Utah

The day started out raining and ended clearer but cool. We headed to Antelope Island from Layton (north of Salt Lake). What a great place to run or bike or hike if the weather were better. But we did run into some bikers who braved the 49 degree weather and rain. For some reason I expected a flat island. I guess after yesterday and miles of flat salt land I was not prepared for Antelope Island. Lots of mountainous areas as well as flat lands and beaches. The visitors center offered a great deal of insight into the history. Shortly after...

May 18, 2013 - Canyonlands - The Needles

Canyonlands, the Needles. The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area. When visiting Islands in the Sky you are on the top of highest mesas, here you are on the valley floor. Made our first stop at Wilson Arch, the arch is a formation of Entrada Sandstone and has a span of 91 feet and height of 46 feet. Over time superficial cracks, joints, and folds of the sandstone layers were saturated with water. Ice formed in the fissures, melted...

May 17, 2013 - Canyonlands

Canyonlands has been formed over millions of years into a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. It was established in 1964.We are headed for the Islands in the Sky district today. Our first stop is the Visitor Center and then a stop at the Shafer Trail Overlook. When we were here in 2004 we had gotten stranded on the rim several thousand feet below this point and rode this trail out of the park. Today we looked at it from the top down....

May 17, 2013 - Arches & Canyonlands

May 17 Jim and JoDee are headed in for a Chemo treatment and Mike and I are headed out to the Arches National Park. Need to hit the Visitor Center and then explore for a while. Arches lies atop an underground salt bed that was deposited 300 million ago. Time and erosion caused by wind, water and upheavals have formed the arches, fins, and windows over the eons. There are over 2,000 stone arches in the park and more are forming all the time. In order to be considered an arch, an opening must measure at least three feet (in any direction....

May 17, 2013 - On The Road Again...

We have made a lot of changes for 2013. We are no longer “full-time” RVers. We began this journey with a 5 year goal of full-time RVing and 2013 marked the 5th year!!! We are in the process of converting everything to our California address. We still plan to RV several months out of the year but we will be using CA as our place of residence. This allows us to “technically” stay in CA for over 6 months of the year. Returning to CA does have its serious pitfalls…we had to register our motorhome, Jeep and Dodge truck and notify our insurance...