More Rocks

I'm running out of adjectives to describe these incredible rock formations. This guy would let you sit on his horse and take pictures for $2. So we did.

I thought I saw Sitting Bull!!

Rick thought he was Forrest Gump... and turned around.

This is the view from our RV park in Monument Valley.

Monument Valley

You know you're getting close to Monument Valley when El Capitan comes into view. Each road has new surprises.

Rick made me risk my life again to get a picture of the coach in front of a scenic wonder.

Sedona

Our trip to Sedona was a lot of fun. We traveled another scenic byway....I think we've been on 3 of the 10 most beautiful byways in the US. The road had lots of switchbacks and dropped in elevation about 3000 feet.

The town itself has some great little shops with great jewelry and southwestern art. The setting is also beautiful. Lots of red dirt and rocks.

More Canyons

Most of the photos from the helicopter had a lot of reflection. The picture with the river in it is from the helicopter. I'm sure that my camera has not done the canyon justice. Each view is more spectacular than the last.

Grand Canyon

Our helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon was spectacular. We flew low until we got to the rim....then it was up and over. Really took your breath away. Had lunch at the El Tovar Hotel which is right on the South Rim. What a view. Our internet connection is really slow, so I'm limiting the blog to one picture. Will send more when I can.

Leaving Vegas

We had a wonderful 4 days in Vegas. Dave and Lois joined us, along with Pam and Al and we just did the Vegas experience.

We ate at some fantastic restaurants.....and there were lots to choose from. And I'm leaving with some money in my pocket. Saw a great show. Terry Fator is a ventriloquist and singer and is extremely entertaining. I'm attempting to upload a short video from the performance.

Off to the Grand Canyon.

Vegas

Another beautiful drive from Zion to Vegas. We dropped about 5000 feet in altitudewhich raised the temperature about 15 degrees. It was a toasty 104 here yesterday.

We went to the Wynn and Encore for some gambling and dinner with our friends Pam and Al. Both casinos are very new. The views from inside and out are really nice.

Our dinner at Encore was at a restaurant called Switch. Every half hour the walls slide down for a new decor. The ceiling and lighting also change. Quite spectacular.

Zion and Bryce Canyon

We took over 100 pictures yesterday, so it's hard to decide which ones to post. Maybe I'll post a few each day. Our next few days are in Vegas and I can't take pictures inside the casinos!!

In Zion, you're in the bottom of the canyon looking up. Bryce you're on top looking down. Both are truly gorgeous.

The trip between the two took us on a road with many switchbacks and a long tunnel. Truly an engineering marvel.

Park City to Zion

Beautiful drive from Park City to Zion. I've never seen lavender fields before.

Will have more from Zion and Bryce tomorrow.

July 4th

The skijumping exhibition at Olympic Park was excellent. Hope you can see the jumpers in the sky.

Our reunion dinner often starts with a bagpipe parade led by my cousin's son. McTavish is one of our family names.

Julie and I took a lift up to the mountain top where we played frisbee golf. They have holes set up like a regular golf course.

Park City

We're in Park City for 4 days for our family reunion and to celebrate July 4th. Since we couldn't get close to a real moose, we decided to take advantage of this picture opportunity.

Had a fireworks display at our resort on July 3. This was the crowd outside our window. We're headed for olympic park this afternoon for a ski jump exhibition.

We have some real cool cats in our family!!!!

Fishing

We took a fly fishing lesson this morning. A young man from Cleveland (the fly fishing capital of the world) was our teacher. We went to a pond nearby that has been previously stocked. Yours truly caught 3 Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. The last one was about 20 inches. That's big, I'm told. Unfortunately, Rick, the fisherman, only hooked one in the tail, so that doesn't count. Really entertaining and fun.

Yellowstone Again

Just when you think the scenery can't get any more beautiful, it does. Took a long scenic drive up to Yellowstone and Old Faithful yesterday, and what a drive. First we took in the Mesa Falls...lower and upper. The upper has a continuous rainbow over the falls.

Slow trip thru Yellowstone because of all the animal watching. First saw a bald eagle in it's nest then an elk. The best part was on the way home when we saw a newborn elk on wobbly legs nursing. Got some video.

Old Faithful was worth waiting for. Even with the huge crowds and new construction going on around it, it was spectacular. Ate lunch in the Old Faithful Lodge. Beautiful old structure.

Jackson Hole

It's more that a ski town. Quaint little downtown area with lots of art galleries. We had lunch in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where Clint Eastwood filmed "Every Which Way but Loose."

Bar stools are saddles. Town square has arches made of elk horns.

Yellowstone & Tetons

Rick's comment this morning was, "It was worth driving for 4 straight days just to do this drive today." It was absolutely spectacular. Thanks goodness for digital cameras and instant gratification. The photos may not be great, but remember that they're taken in the RV going 60mph. Will we fit???

We stopped by Custer Lake to take in the vistas. Breathtaking!!!

Stopped by Yellowstone Lake for another beautiful view.

I wish the photos could show half of the beauty. We had a rather harrowing drive thru the mountains from Jackson to Victor, Id, but we made it.

Greybull

We had an exciting ride from Rushmore over to Greybull this morning. It was a little drizzly and there were some quite steep grades. At one point Rick said, "I can't believe the speed limit is 65 and the runawy truck ramp is 5 miles away. You'd be going over 100 by the time you get there." I'm thinking, "Let's slow down so we don't find out."

Greybull is a small cowboy town about half way to Yellowstone. We'll be staying outside of Jackson for 4 days. It'll be nice to be in one place for awhile.

Crazy Horse

We took long drive around the Black Hills today. Started with the Crazy Horse Museum. The statue in the front is the model for the mountain in the background. It has been under constuction since the late '40s. Quite an undertaking.

We then took a drive on the Needles Highway...one of the 10 most beautiful byways in the country. Many spires and rock formations with tunnels thru the rocks.

Onto Custer State Park where we had lunch at the Game Lodge which was the Western White House for Calvin Coolidge.

Continued back to the park thru more tunnels with great views of Rushmore. Also, got to see the buffalo roam.