Mesquite/Las Vegas, NV

October 8-13, 2010

After we said our goodbyes to Dan, Gail, Bob and Sue, we were on our way to Mesquite, Nevada, 380 miles south. We stopped at Mom's Cafe in Salina, UT for a scrumptious breakfast. It turned out to be an award winning restaurant open since 1926 and famous for its scones. We arrived at Marnie and Chuck Bartolini's in Mesquite in the afternoon. As we pulled up, we were surprised to see how busy Marnie has been landscaping her yard since we were there last January.  After doing some laundry, catching up with Marnie, we enjoyed a delicious dinner.




On Saturday, we left for Las Vegas to attend our friends' from Alaska wedding (Sam and Annie O'Neill  Blakeley). After checking into Harrahs, we went down to Maggiano's, one of our favorite Italian restaurants for dinner. Walking the strip on a Saturday night was a nightmare...way too many people! We stopped at Bally's and listened to a good band until about 12MN and headed back to our room. On Sunday morning, we slept in and decided to avoid the crowds and opted for brunch at the pool. It was quiet and the food was delicious. We read and soaked up the sun before getting ready for the wedding. A limo took 27 of us to the Emerald at the Queensridge. I think that the limo driver got lost because we arrived just as Annie's Dad was asking, “who takes this bride”.



After a lovely wedding, the limo brought us to the Le Provencal at the Paris Hotel for a wonderful reception dinner. We enjoyed sharing Sam and Annie's special day and seeing them so happy.



 After walking back to the Harrahs, we changed and went to listen to some music at Toby Keith's Bar and Grill. Another fun time in Sin City.



On Monday before leaving Las Vegas, we went to Fry's Electronics store. Bob was the proverbial “little kid in a candy store”. After our mini shopping spree, we headed back to Mesquite. It is always so relaxing at Marnie's and of course she spoils us. We worked out and went for a swim at her Community Center, hiked, and enjoyed the sunsets over the mesa. On Wednesday while Bob was working on the 5th wheel, Marnie and I went to the Casablanca for a spa day. We started with a body scrub and right away Marnie got me giggling when she referred to our table as the “autopsy table”. From there we went to the steam bath followed by a mud wrap. It was like my own little warm cocoon. The finale was an hour massage and some time in the mineral pool. We certainly got our money's worth! It was then time to do some serious gambling...$20 is all they get out of me! I never expect to win so it was sweet to win $76 on Blazing 7's. I cashed out and we headed for the bar and played video poker on the same $5 for 3 run and cokes that were free if you were gambling.  That evening, Bob and I took Marnie to dinner at Los Cozadores for an excellent Mexican dinner,. Tomorrow we are going to to Bryce Canyon National Park for four days. We are looking forward to seeing my niece Julie and her family who are driving down from Coopertown, Utah, south of Salt Lake City.

Dead Horse State Park/Canyonlands National Park

October 5-7, 2010


By 11:00 am, we were on our way to Dead Horse State Park, less than 25 miles up the road. Located on a mesa towering 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, it offers breathtaking views of the La Sal Mountains and Canyonlands National Park.

Except for a narrow neck of land, the mesa seems like an island. We both wondered how Dead Horse got its name. According to the legend, at the turn of the century, cowboys used the Point as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa top. After they herded them across the narrow neck onto the point, they fenced off the neck, 30 yards wide, with branches and brush. With sheer cliffs on all sides, the horses had no where to go. The legend states that one time the horses were corralled and left without water where they died of thirst high above the Colorado River.



We found our site 14 and had our lounges out in no time to enjoy the sunny afternoon. It was a treat to have electric hook-ups after dry camping for several days. We took a short hike to Big Horn Overlook before calling it a day.







On Wednesday, we drove from Dead Horse State Park to Canyonlands National Park, established in 1964 and Utah's largest. We went to Island in the Sky, a broad mesa wedged between the Green and Colorado Rivers and one of the three regions of the park. After stopping at the Visitor Center, we went for a hike to Murphy Point with some spectacular views including the Shafer Canyon Trail and the White Rim Trail.






 After our hike, we drove to the Grand View Overlook. It was an amazing 100 mile canyon vista.




 We watched a thunder and lightening storm moving our way and as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees,we hightailed it to the truck.




 Just a few miles down the road, we heard loud noises as if someone was throwing rocks at Dan and Gail's truck. It did not take long to figure out that it was hail and we got one hell of storm with water cascading down the rocks onto the road. I cannot imaging getting caught in one of their flash floods and hope that I never experience one.



On Friday, after breakfast, we all went on a 5.5 mile hike that looped around the campground. It offered some panoramic views of the canyons and Colorado River.






Our last evening together, we had a salmon feast while watching a lovely sunset.






Tomorrow, we sadly all part ways: the Hicks heading to Bryce Canyon NP, Dan and Gail back to Colorado, and we will be going south to Mesquite, NV. It was a fun week and we enjoyed sharing it with family and friends. Thanks Dan and Gail for all of your planning and being our social directors.

Arches National Park Moab, Utah

October 2-4, 2010

We woke to another glorious day, full of anticipation and excitement. Once we were on the road, it did not take long to cross into Utah. Driving into Arches National Park was spectacular; a grand display of towering spirals, fins, pinnacles, and of course some of the more than 2000 natural stone arches that the park is famous for. We passed formations called Court House Towers, Three Gossips and Balanced Rock. Although Arches did not become a national park until 1971, its formation began over 300 million years ago from the forces of gravity, ice, and water creating this natural gallery of art.

Bob's brother Dan recommended that we reserve site 52 at the Devils Garden Campground and it was perfect, nestled in some unique red rock formations. Thanks Dan!



After getting settled and relaxing, we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner, a lovely sunset, and a rather boring ranger talk at the amphitheater.

 Skyline Arch looms over the amphitheater: it is amazing to think that it started out as a narrow strip of sandstone called a fin. As the water seeped into it, froze, and then expanded, it caused chunks of rock to fall off. Eventually, gravity and erosion formed the arch.





The plan for morning was to leave early for a long hike in Devils Garden. When we got to the trail head, my sister-in-law, Gail asked us if anything looked familiar. As we looked out, she reminded us that the graphics on the side of our Laredo is what we saw before us.



The temperature was just right for hiking but we knew that the sun would be beating down before long. If my memory is correct, I think that we saw 13 arches on the 9 mile hike, including the famous Landscape Arch. One of the longest natural sandstone arches in the world, measuring 306' long and at one point only 6' thick. It is not a place that you want to be underneath; in 1995 a huge chunk fell off and was captured on video.




When we got to Double O Arch, we took a primitive trail that looped back to the main trail. The description described it as “strenuous: expect narrow ledges with exposure to heights, with rocky surface hiking and scrambling on slickrock”. I have to say, it was accurate except for the part that they omitted, “expect a rapid heart rate at anytime” and that did not have anything to do with being strenuous, just plain scared! But it was worth every step.



We were thankful to have a shower to jump into when we returned but not before enjoying a nice cold beer. After a lovely dinner with wonderful traveling companions, we decided to forgo the ranger talk and enjoy the night sky. Arches is one of the Parks that avoids lights at night and as a result, the starry night is breathtaking.

The next morning as I was just getting out of bed, I saw Dan, Gail, Bob and Sue coming to our door ready for a hike. Oops, I thought that we were leaving at 8 am. I got ready in record time while Bob pulled the covers up and mumbled something about, “have a good one”. The trail head was right next to our site and took us to Sand Dune Arch, Broken Arch, and Tapestry Arch.



It was a nice easy trail with rabbitbrush, yucca, and desert sunflowers that looped back to our campground. Bob was outside and I could smell the aroma of bacon sizzling. I count my lucky stars everyday that he is such a good cook! There is not a restaurant that I know of that beats a delicious breakfast in the great outdoors, especially with this view of red rocks, pinyon pines, juniper trees, and our own blue pinyon jay. Our morning was spent reading and relaxing. This is the time that I take a few minutes contemplating and appreciating being retired, healthy enough to travel and really experience the magnificent beauty that our country has to offer. Either Bob or I usually end up repeating our mantra, “this is living”.

 In the afternoon, we joined Bob and Sue Hicks  for a hike to Delicate Arch beginning at Wolfe Ranch where disabled Civil War Veteran, John Wesley Wolfe and his son settled in the 1800's. Of course, before the settlers, the Puebloan, Fremont, and Ute Indians survived in this arid desert. The hike to the Arch was 3 miles RT but we climbed 480' on slickrock and just before getting to the Arch we had to traverse a rock ledge for about 200 yards. My first thought was that if we had to pass other people, I was clinging to the inside rock wall.







The view of the mesas, Colorado River canyon, La Sal Mountains, and the 45' high Arch was awesome. On the way down, I figured that I had lost count of the number of arches that we had seen but figured it to be over 20...only 1, 980 to go! After getting to our car, we headed into Moab to check out the town and to restock our groceries. Moab is a unique little town with wonderful scenery, including the Colorado River. After getting our groceries, I had planned to visits some of the local shops and galleries but the 85 degree heat and the two hikes changed my mind so we headed for ice cream instead. The shopping will have to wait until next time!

When we got back to the campsite, I jumped in the shower and Bob went outside and started some taco soup for dinner. As he was preparing it, a wind and rain storm came up. He tried to grab as much as he could before the downpour. When I went out later, I found a knife and spoon, onions etc, spread around the campsite. We never did find the cutting board. Needless to say, dinner was inside...a perfect night for soup. Tomorrow, we have to leave for Deadhorse State Park. We could have easily stayed here a week or more. Thanks again Dan and Gail for sharing one of your favorite places with us and for being our fearless leaders.



Please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions, or add your thoughts to the comment section.

Happy Trails,
Judy and Bob



Alaska to Colorado

September 28-October 1, 2010

Our trip from Alaska to Denver was uneventful and to our surprise Alaska Airlines arrived on time. We were happy to see Dan and Gail’s smiling faces at DIA. Thursday was a busy day unpacking, preparing the 5th wheel, and grocery shopping. We were pleased to see that Bob and Sue Hicks from Longmont were coming with us. When they came to Alaska a few years ago, we enjoyed spending time with them . At 9 am on Friday morning, we pulled out of Dan and Gail’s driveway excited to be on our way to our next adventure.

The drive, winding through Glenwood Canyon following the river, was stunning. We stopped in Eagle for a picnic lunch before continuing on to Grand Junction and the west Fruita entrance to the Colorado National Monument.

  We climbed to the plateau on Rim Rock Drive overlooking the grand valley of the the Colorado River.

 After getting settled in Saddleback campground (campsite 10 in Loop A), we relaxed before the six of us enjoyed “michigans” for dinner followed by a lovely sunset.

Colorado National Monument is getting ready to celebrate its Centennial in January thanks to John Otto’s tireless efforts to conserve these majestic red rock canyons, towering monoliths, so beautifully sculpted by water, wind and erosion over millions of years. On Friday, after breakfast and before it got too hot, we all went on a 6 mile hike on the Monument Canyon Trail. We passed the Cook Ovens, colorful sculpted domes,




 Kissing Couple and Independence Monument, the largest free-standing rock formation in the park. It gave me shivers imagining my brother-in-law Danny climbing this 450 foot monolith.

 There is not enough money to entice me to go up and down that rock. That evening, we had another wonderful potluck: pulled pork and coleslaw!