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| Zion National Park - Emerald Pools Trail |
With crutches and knee scooter in tow, we did not let an injury stop us (Jim's broken ankle/leg) We left Salt Lake City as planned and arrived in Las Vegas, NV after an overnight in Cedar City, UT. An easy drive south on I-15.
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| Uncle Duane, Aunt Lou - Las Vegas |
Plans here in Las Vegas included visiting Jim's Uncle Duane and Aunt Lou who have lived in Las Vegas for many years. Nice to see them both and appreciated the short tour around their area that included a visit to the NHL Las Vegas Golden Knights practice facility.
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| Lake Mead near Boulder City, NV |
A couple days later, with the RV parked safely in an RV Park, we picked Jim's sister Karen and husband Anderson up at the Las Vegas airport and began our planned vacation (by car) with them that included Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks, Page, AZ, and of course, Las Vegas.
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| Grand Canyon South Rim |
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| Grand Canyon South Rim |
Starting off at the Grand Canyon, we stayed two nights at the Maswik Lodge inside the park. Caught a little off guard by the chilly weather, but made the best of it and explored the canyon from numerous vantage points.
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| Lower Antelope Canyon |
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| Lower Antelope Canyon |
From the Grand Canyon we traveled north to Page, AZ for a couple of days. Lots to see here, including Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend and a new favorite, Antelope Canyon.
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| Lower Antelope Canyon |
Our guide helped us get some great shots. Since there are a lot of stairs (some more like ladders), Jim could not maneuver the canyon. We will just have to make a return visit.
We toured the lower Antelope Canyon. The canyon is on Navajo property and there is no public access. You must purchase a guided tour through one of their tour companies to see either the Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon.
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| Lake Powell, Page, AZ |
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| Horseshoe Bend, Page, AZ |
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| Glen Canyon Dan - Lake Powell |
Horseshoe bend is a popular tourist spot; about a 1/2 mile hike to the canyon from the parking lot where you can see how the Colorado River carved a horseshoe shape through the rock. This spot is operated by the National Park Service and currently there is no entry fee.
The Glen Canyon Dam is just outside of Page, AZ and backs up the Colorado River to form Lake Powell, upstream from the Grand Canyon. There is a visitors center located on the west side of the dam along Hwy 89.
The Lake Powell National Recreation Area is run by the National Parks Service with a small admission fee. This is a popular boating vacation spot. We saw numerous house boats on the lake; looks like a
great way to vacation. There is a nice campground near the lake that will accommodate the RV; we will have to check it out for a stay sometime.
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| Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park |
From Page we headed a little father north and made a quick visit to Bryce Canyon National Park. It's amazing how much the landscape and vistas change from park to park. Bryce, is the beginning of the "Grand Staircase" - defined as a series of plateaus and rock layers that descend from Bryce Canyon through Zion Canyon and south toward the Grand Canyon.
Coming out of Bryce Canyon we passed through Red Canyon with vibrant red rocks. Located in the Dixie National Forest along Hwy 89.
Moving on to Zion National Park, approximately 75 mile drive from Bryce NP to Zion NP.
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| The Narrows, Zion National Park |
We saved a real gem for last, Zion National Park. If you ask Jim, he will tell you that this Park is his favorite.
Majestic mountain views, it's also know as an oasis in the desert with the Virgin River running through it providing enough water to support trees and other vegetation.
In Zion, we did a lot of walking (or scooting in Jim's case), enjoying the Lower Emerald Pool Trail as well as the Narrows Trail along the River.
The paved portion of the Narrows Trail ends one mile in, along the river. The rest of the "trail" through the narrow canyon is accessed by walking through the river and is very popular due to the spectacular views. Jim and I would like to so this section of the trail someday.
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| Desert Pearl Inn, Springdale, UT |
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| Virgin River, Zion National Park |
We splurged a little and stayed at the very nice Desert Pearl Inn located in the town Springdale, just outside the west entrance to the park. After a couple of days at Zion, it was a short drive back to Las Vegas.
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| Conservatory - Bellagio Hotel |
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| Conservatory-Bellagio |
We decided to head right to the Las Vegas strip and high on the list to see was the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio. Decorated for Fall, the display is titled "Falling Asleep" inspired by the mythology of the goddess of harvest.
The whole display is made of natural items, flowers, seeds, etc. Similar to the Rose Bowl Parade creations.
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| Hoover Dam |
We also visited New York New York Casino & Hotel and experimented a little on the slot machines. Jim even won a little, so we cashed out and called it a day on the gambling.
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| By-Pass Bridge-Hover Dam |
A quick trip south of Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam concluded the sightseeing with Karen and Anderson.
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| Lake Mead near Boulder City, AZ |
A nice visitor center depicts the history and building of the dam on the Colorado River, forming Lake Mead. An engineering marvel and one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. Downstream from the Grand Canyon, it's all about water management not only for Lake Mead, but as the river flows through southern California providing this valuable resource.
The day after Karen and Anderson flew back to MI, we headed out on our cross country trek. Over 2,200 miles to get to North Carolina from Las Vegas.
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| Winslow, AZ |
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| Winslow, AZ |
We decided to travel I-40 cross country this time since we have plans to fly to Michigan at the end of October. Could not resist a stop in Winslow, AZ (Standing on a Corner). Historic Route 66 runs close to I-40 here. A fun spot with a tribute to Glenn Frey and The Eagles. Eagles music being playing nonstop!
With our trip to Michigan, Jim will follow up with a doctor on his ankle and we will spend some time with granddaughters Anna and Megan while Dan and Christie are out of town on business. It will be nice to have this extra Michigan time before we head back to NC and FL in November.
Some other notes from the road:
While we had the RV parked in Las Vegas, we hired a service that works in the park we stayed at to have the RV washed and waxed. Looks great; happy to have that done.
While driving across New Mexico I made note of several places to put on the list to visit in the future: Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park and White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico.
Flying objects: On I-40 in New Mexico a car passed us that was loaded down for travel, including items strapped to the roof the the car. Just after they passed us, a large tote flew off the roof of the car into the roadway. Lucky for me it smashed into pieces and contents went flying. Looked like mostly clothes, so no damage done when I ran over several small items.
Police escort: We got off I-40 in Oklahoma to get gas, took a wrong turn to get back on the freeway and found ourselves on a narrow road with no place to turn around. Stopping for a minute to look at options, a County Sheriff came by and knew we were in need of some assistance. He offered to escort us the "back way" and led us back on I-40. We thanked him - he said it happens often at that spot.
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| Lower Antelope Canyon - in awe! |
Driving cross country was a little grueling, especially in the short amount of time we took to do it. However, the drive just inspired more ideas of where we would like to visit in the future and couldn't help being in awe of the vastness and diverse areas we traveled through. So much to see in this beautiful country.
I guess they call that wanderlust!
