This blog entry will be rather long and detail our trip through some of America's National Parks of the west. It will give day by day details as well as some of the history and pictures of the places we visited. If you want to see the pictures only, you can visit my photography site at shutterbug2.shutterfly.com. Here goes...
John and I took this trip through Vantage Travel. This was our second trip with Vantage and our 2nd motor coach tour, our first motor coach tour being through New England in Fall 2008.
Day 1 - We left home at 6:30 AM to head out to the Atlanta airport for out 8:30 AM flight to Bozeman, Montana with a 1 1/2 hour layover in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I forgot to print our boarding passes at home so we planned to use the kiosk at the airport. However, when we tried that, the computer did not recognize us by name, reservation number nor ticket number. So, into the ticket agent line we went. We waited nervously for about 30 minutes before we got to the agent who, luckily, was able to pull us up without any problem. The agent said the computers had not quite caught up with the Delta/Northwest merger and our connecting flight was originally run by Northwest. So, with boarding pass in hand, we headed toward security. Another long line! Though it moved quite fast we were really pushed for time. Luckily, we were departing from concourse B and arrived at the gate at 8:15 for our 8:30 departure! The flights were uneventful. The scenery flying over the Rocky Mountains was spectacular! The wind in the valley of Bozeman sent the plane rocking from from side to side but luckily we touched down safe and right on time. We met our Vantage tour director, George, and got to the hotel where we were able to rest and relax the remainder of the afternoon. We expected cold weather and possibly some snow when we arrived in Montana. Big surprise --- it was 91 degrees! We hoped the weather would be this cooperative over the next 2 weeks.
Scenery from the plane as we were landing in Bozeman, Montana.
Day 2 - Luggage out by 7:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 8:30. This would become our daily routine. One nice thing about this is that our luggage us handled for us to and from the motor coach. The down side is that we have to be up, dressed, luggage packed and outside our door by 7:00 AM! No rest for the weary on this vacation!
Our almost daily routine of luggage outside our room for pick-up.
Off to Yellowstone National Park this morning. We drove on Route 89 South into the north entrance of Yellowstone in Gardiner, Montana. This is the original entrance into Yellowstone National Park. The arch at the entrance was built in 1904 and dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt in commemoration of his visit to the park. Our first stop was in Mammoth Hot Springs. We were dropped off at the head of the walking trail and made a 30 minute walk down to the bottom. We saw Bison and Elk and many hot springs on our walk down. The springs range from 140 degrees up to 400 degrees. The number one first aide treatment in this area is for burns! Seems people just cant resist sticking their finger in the water! We saw waterfalls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and bubbling geysers before making our way down to Old Faithful and the Snow Lodge for a 2 night saty. Again today, the weather is warm, low 80's, with clear blue skies. Our room in the Snow Lodge has no A/C, only a fan and a window that opens. It was nice to sleep with fresh air coming into the room. We don't have TV, Radio, Internet, newspaper, or cell phone service! How are we going to find out who won Dancing with the Stars and Amerian Idol???!!!
The arch at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Old Faithful Geyser
Day 3 - Wheels rolling at 8:30. This morning we had planned a 4 hour driving tour through the western half of Yellowstone. Since we were at the park so early in the season some of the roads had not been plowed and were still closed. Also, there had been a lot of bear activity so many of the trails were also closed. On our tour this morning, we did see one grizzly bear digging underneath a fallen tree for some type of small rodent (we assumed).
Grizzly bear
We saw lots of Bison. Many times they would be walking down the middle of the road or coming down the road straight toward us in our lane. Needless to say, they had the right of way!
Bison walking along the road.
Bison at the geysers (notice the baby nursing).
We also saw quite a few Elk. After we got back tot he lodge we had the rest of the afternoon free. John and I took 3 1/2 hours to do a 3 mile hike on the geyser trails around our hotel. We saw some amazing geysers - some much more impressive than Old Faithful! Today we were glad we brought our ear muffs and gloves. We would not have made it on the hike without them! It was very cold and windy all day long. Once we got back to the hotel we grabbed a quick bite to eat and I headed to the room for a hot bubble bath!
One of the geyser pools.
Day 4 - Luggage out by 7:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 8:15 AM. I woke up with a very sore throat. I hoped I was not getting a cold! Today we started driving toward Jackson Hole, Wyoming, crossing the Continental Divide.
Snow along the side of the road at the Continental Divide.
It was pretty cold again this morning but not quite as windy. The skies were clear and blue. We drove through the southwestern part of Yellowstone National Park. George, our tour director, said he had not seen this much snow in the park this late in May in his 18 years of doing this tour. Part of Yellowstone Lake is still frozen over. This southwest part of the park was severely damaged by the 1988 fire and 21 years later, a few trees are starting to come back. We stopped for lunch at a really nice restaurant that had a beautiful view of the Grand Tetons through an entire wall of picture windows.
The Grand Teton mountains from the picture window of the restaurant.
Shortly after lunch I started feeling really, really sick. I'll just say that I became very good friends with the very, very tiny bathroom in the back of the motor coach for the next 1 1/2 hours! I was so sick that the rest of the group was dropped off at the next stop and I was taken to the hotel where a taxi was waiting to take me the the hospital! I was so sick that I didn't even argue with them. The hospital was only a mile away from the hotel. They diagnosed me with viral gastroenteritis which I think was a fancy name for food poisoning. I honestly can say that I had never felt that bad in my life! At the hospital they drew some blood and gave me IV fluids because I was dehydrated. They also gave me meds for nausea and diarrhea. A few hours later, I was back at the hotel and slept, with only a few interruptions, for the rest of the night.
Day 5 - Luggage out by 6:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 7:30 AM. I didn't know and didn't even care what the weather was today. All I wanted was the back of the motor coach so I could stretch out on the whole seat and sleep! What a morning to have an early departure! I felt like I had been run over by the motor coach! John was a real trooper through the entire ordeal, watching over me and making sure I had anything I needed. He searched out the entire hotel and finally found a vending machine that had gatorade and he was able to get me some saltine crackers from the hotel restaurant. I selpt the entire day as we drove from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah. We skipped the tour of Temple Square since we had seen it before.
Day 6 - Wheels rolling at 8:45 AM. Today it was cloudy and thunderstorms were expected. I felt so much better this morning - not yet at 100% but at least 80%. I was now into a full blown cold as well (remember the sore throat I had earlier???). I'm not complaining - I will take blowing my nose over the other any day! This morning we went to the Family Search Center run by the Mormons in Salt Lake City. I was hoping to get some help to get past a place in which I am stuck in my genealogy research. We only had an hour there and only about 6 volunteer helpers for the 41 of us in the group, so, needless to say, I didn't get much help. I did, however, get a lot of resources that may be helpful when we get home. We also went to Park City, Utah today. We were given a tour of the Olympic Park where the 2002 bobsled, luge, skeleton, and downhill skiing events were held. Our tour was done by Carl Roepke, a USA luge participant in the 2002 Olympics. He will be announcing the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
The top of the ski jump at Park City.
Kay in the bobsled.
After returning back to our hotel in Salt Lake City, we rested the rest of the afternoon.
Day 7 - Luggage out by 8:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 8:45 AM. Although I still didn't feel 100%, I did feel well enough to continue on the trip. I had to make a decision at this point because we were headed onto Indian reservations and into very rural areas where quality medical help may not be readily available. Right now I am only eating oatmeal, saltine crackers, Lorna Doone cookies and gatorade. YUM-O! This morning we started with a concert from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, the choir was joined by the Air Force Reserve Band and Pipe Band. What a treat! They sang and played several patriotic songs and the band ended with "76 Trombones".
The Morman Tabernacle Choir and the Air Force Reserve Band.
We then started our all day drive to Moab, Utah, stopping in Price, Utah for lunch. We continued on to eastern Utah to the Green River area and the John Wesley Powell Museum. We heard about his journey into the great unknown waters of the Colorado River. We then continued our travel to Moab. In a desert city that gets an average of 5 inches of rain per year, it rained on us most of the way. This evening we had a ride down the Colorado River for a sound and light show. This was NOT a highlight of the trip. This ended up being a long, rather boring show. I was expecting something like the laser show at Stone Mountain Park! What we got was some white spotlight shining on the canyon walls while we listened to some recorded Indian legends, the beginning of earth as told in Genesis, and various other stories. Not quite what we were expecting!
Day 8 - Luggage out by 7:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 8:30 AM. Today we toured Arches National Park. It was very cloudy and there were even some flash floods on the Green and Colorado rivers, right where we were yesterday! By the time mid morning rolled around the clouds had burned off which really helped the red rock come to life.
John in front of Double Arches at Arches National Park.
After the tour of Arches, we went back to Moab for lunch. John and I walked up to a jewelry store we had been in yesterday and he bought me a beautiful ring made of cracked oyster shell, turquoise, and gaspeite. Happy early birthday to me! The remainder of the afternoon we were on the motor coach through Utah and into Kayenta, Arizona which is on an Indian reservation. After dinner, John found a starving, thristy dog to feed and water! He is such an animal lover!
Day 9 - Luggage out by 7:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 8:00 AM. Today we went for a tour of Monument Valley in open air vehicles with a local Native American guide.
A Native American woman giving demonstrations inside of a hogan.
"Three Sisters" in Monument Valley
After the tour we had grilled steaks for lunch then it was off to the Grand Canyon. When we arrived at Grand Canyon National Park we saw an IMAX movie on the canyon before going into the park. We entered the park from Highway 64 at the east entrance to the South Rim. Our first stop and my first look at the Grand Canyon was from the Tower at Desert View. I have to say that I was not as scared of looking into the canyon as I thought I was going to be. But, I also have to say that I was not nearly as impressed as I thought I was going to be either. John has been to the Grand Canyon before and told me that I was looking at a very narrow part of the canyon - that it gets much bigger and deeper. It was also very hazy and cloudy so the sun wasn't making it's normal impact on the canyon. The entire area is also much greener that I thought it would be. One of the largest stands of Ponderosa Pines in the Unites States is right there in the Grand Canyon.
The watchtower at Desert View.
The canyon from Bright Angel Trailhead.
After we got settled into out room we walked back to the rim for the 7:40 PM sunset. Our view of the canyon from the Bright Angel Trailhead was much more impressive. However, the clouds never cleared and the sunset was a flop! We did see 2 Condors, however. They were sleeping on an outcrop of rock and never moved. We could see their number on their wings, as they are a protected species.
The condors.
Sunrise tomorrow is at 5:15 AM. In don't think we're going to try to catch that one. This cold is trying to get the best of me but I'm not going to let it get me down!
Day 10 - Today is a free day in the Grand Canyon. It couldn't have been a more beautiful morning! The high temperature today was only 75 degrees. We got to the Grand Canyon Airport at 9:30 and got registered for our 10:00 flight over the canyon. Our flight was bumpy in parts and my stomach was in my throat for a while but what a view! The canyon is a spectacular place. No wonder it is one of the 7 Wonders of the World! It was truly amazing to see this Canyon and imagine the millions of years it took the water and wind to carve it out.
The Grand Canyon Airlines plane.
The Colorado River from the plane.
When we got back to the Grand Canyon Village, we took advantage of the park's free shuttle bus to see the rest of the South Rim. The shuttle bus stopped at designated points of interest. You could get off and hike to the next stop or wait on the next shuttle to pick you up. We went the 7 miles to Hermit's Rest (by shuttle bus, of course). This gave us totally different views of the canyon and the Colorado River than what we had at Bright Angel Trailhead. On the way to dinner we saw 3 Condors in flight . After dinner, one of them was resting on the canyon wall. This was truly an amazing day!
These Native Americans did some tribal dances in Grand Canyon Village.
Day 11 - Luggage out at 6:30 AM. Wheels rolling at 7:30 AM. Today we headed to Bryce Canyon. We stopped at the Glen Canyon Dam on the way. Glen Canyon Dam is the second largest dam in the United States. It is not nearly as long as the Hoover Dam but is only 16 feet shorter. It dams the Colorado river and forms Lake Powell.
Glen Powell Dam and Lake Powell.
After lunch at the Lake Powell Resort we continued on into Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon was named after the Mormon pioneer, Ebenezer Bryce who aided in the settlement of southwest Utah and northern Arizona in the late 1800's. The closer we got to Bryce, the darker the skies got. Yep, another thunder storm rolling in! I may not get any sunrise or sunset pictures on this trip! The temperature was really cool and there was a 30% chance of rain. We did ride through some brief thunderstorms as we got closer to Bryce. By the time the sun set, the thunderstorms were gone but too much cloud cover remained for any decent pictures. After dinner we went to a "Ranger Talk" in the lodge. The speaker was a NASA scientist and he spoke on the night sky. He was very interesting. At 9:15 PM he took us all outside so we could see the International Space Station flying over Bryce Canyon. The space station orbits the earth every 90 minutes and the clouds had broken enough for us to have a perfect view. It looked like a very bright star moving very fast across the sky. He also told us that the e-mail that is currently circulating about Mars appearing as big as the moon during the month of August is a hoax. He said if Mars ever got close enough to the earch to appear as big as the moon that there would be such a strong gravitational effect that no one on earth would be able to survive it! I guess I'll e-mail all of my friends that I sent that e-mail to and let them know! The Bryce Canyon Lodge is a lot like camping except with all the comforts of home. We walked outside through the woods to breakfast and saw Prong Horn Deer feeding right outside our room.
Day 12 - Wheels rolling at 8:30 AM. Today we had a 1/2 day tour of the canyon. After breakfast, before we got on the motor coach, John and I took a quick walk to the rim to try to get some morning light pictures. Again, too many clouds were blocking the sun. The canyon area is 18 miles long with beautiful scenic pull offs throughout. We went to the highest point which is 9115 feet. Wow - what a view!
John at Rainbow Point - elevation 9115 feet!
Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.
More Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.
This area was really different from what we had seen before. Instead of huge rocks down in the canyon, there were columns of limestone that have been eroded by acidic rainwater. The freezing and thawing of the water did most of the sculpting. So, Bryce is not technically a canyon in that it was not carved by flowing water. It was as beautiful, though. When looking into the canyon at the columns, or hoodoos, they resemble chess pieces. It started raining after our tour was over and rained most of the afternoon. In the early afternoon, John and I walked up to Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. We could see the sunlight off in the distance but it was raining on us! The high temperature today was only 52 degrees.
Day 13 - Luggage out by 7:30. Wheels rolling at 8:30. Today we headed to Zion National Park. Zion is a Hebrew word meaning "a place of peace and relaxation". The morning started beautifully. We woke up to more deer grazing outside our porch. When we left Bryce Canyon it was 58 degrees and beautiful clear blue skies. By the early afternoon, thunderstorms greeted us once again! The shower was brief but it did leave us with cloudy skies. Zion National Park is quite a bit bigger than Bryce. It is 229 square miles and is much lower in elevation as well. When we got into Zion National Park we drove through part of the park including a tunnel that was blasted through part of the vertical sandstone cliffs. It was a little over a mile long and had huge holes carved out like picture windows to let the car exhaust fumes out but it also gave us beautiful views as we passed by them.
The canyon walls in the "place of peace and relaxation" - Zion National Park. This is the part of the canyon where the tunnel was. Notice the hole in the canyon wall in the lower third right side of the picture. This was one of the "picture windows" in the tunnel.
The Zion Lodge is almost identical to the Bryce Canyon Lodge (both are run by the same company for the State of Utah). The back porch of our 2nd floor room had a view of the cliffs of red rock above us.
"Angels Landing"
There were lots of squirrels and birds outside our room.
A big fat squirrel outside our room.
A beautiful western blue bird.
John and I saw a humming bird that kept going in and out of a tree so I got the binoculars and my 700 mm camera lens to see why. We were amazed to see her sitting on a nest. There must have been babies in it because at one point she sat on the edge of the next and had her beak inside of the nest like she was feeding babies!
A hummingbird on her nest.
Another amazing site! After dinner we took a tour of Zion into parts of the canyon the motor coach could not go. When we were walking back to our room, a wild turkey walked right along our path!
No explanation needed!
Day 14 - Luggage out at 8:00 AM. Wheels rolling at 9:30 AM. Today we headed to Las Vegas - good bye tranquillity! Reality hit us hard after 4 more days of no television, cell phone service, internet, or newspapers. It was nice and cool this morning - 58 degrees and the morning light in the canyon was beautiful. After a group picture, we loaded the motor coach.
Our group.
We stopped in St. George, Utah for a quick break and saw the winter home of Brigham Young as well as the oldest LDS Temple completed in the state of Utah. St. George was a nice small town.
Brigham Young's winter home in St. George, Utah.
The oldest completed LDS temple in Utah.
We had lunch in Mesquite, Nevada at a casino - it was pretty cheap food and of course, the casino was full of smoke. After lunch we arrived at the city that never sleeps. We were surprised at how un-crowded it was and the lights are turned off during the daytime now because of the economy. We were also amazed at the amount of construction that was going up when the current hotels are running at about 30% occupancy! Our motor coach made it down the strip in about 30 minutes. I that that is probably a record! We stayed at the Planet Hollywood Hotel. We had hors' d oeuvres at Lombardi's before we went to see "V the Variety Show". The hors' d oeuvers were excellent and the show was quite enjoyable and entertaining. After the show, we hit the sack - it had been a long day!.
Day 15 - We have travelled 2110 miles on this trip! Today we got to do everything at our leisure. It was so nice to have the opportunity to sleep in for the first time in the past 14 days! After we got up and had breakfast at the buffet we walked through the casinos and shops along the strip. The slots weren't paying off so we quit feeding them. We had our farewell dinner at Lombardi's tonight - another excellent meal.
We leave for the airport at 7:30 AM tomorrow morning. John and I have had a wonderful vacation - spending a lot of quality time together, seeing beautiful sights we had never seen before. We are so glad we are able to see and do so many wonderful things while we are young and healthy enough to enjoy them!
When we get home, it will be back to reality - work for John and diet and exercise for both of us!
I know this was a long blog and if you stuck with it, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed the journey!
