Logbook and Photos

After leaving Tioga late yesterday, we arrive at the US/Mexican border and pass through with a minor inspection and a big 'welcome home' from a US border guard.  Our R/V is sporting Arizona license plates so we are in disguise!  This border is apparently the most protected border in the world both day and night.

Slide Rock State Park, near Sedona, Arizona, is a welcoming retreat from the now intense and building summer heat. Oak Creek boasts a series of natural waterslides gently etched over time.  Though the water is extremely cool,  it does not bother Joel as he enjoys a swift cruise down from one bubbling pool to the next.   The entire area is set in red rock and it has a collection of buttes, spires and sheer rock walls that shimmer with shades of amazing color.  We found out that Sedona and area has recently been voted the most beautiful place in the USA.  Lucky us...keep it in mind for a winter getaway!!

The first of our major stops as we proceed north was none other than The Grand Canyon.  We arrive early to find we are only able to get a campsite for one night - all sites are reserved for the July 4th holiday weekend.  We have to move fast and cover the area in two days.   We don't feel much like hiking, mind you, as we have just gone from sea-level to over 8000' elevation and are feeling somewhat peaked.

The National Parks throughout the USA have a Junior Ranger program for kids.  It is a hands-on program where they have to complete various tasks within a nature booklet and attend Ranger-led programs where they might, for example, build a 'lean-to' or learn about the trees that grow in the area.  Once complete, but before they obtain their badges and certificates, they have to make an oath to always protect nature and the environment.  Joel is a proud 'coyote' and Gerrit a soaring  'raven' in the end.  A great program we looked for wherever possible.

The Colorado River that runs through the Grand Canyon is also a major source of freshwater and hydro-electricity for seven US states, including California.  The Glen Canyon Dam, built in 1963, is the first of nine dams on the river.  Just outside of Page, AZ, we catch the first tour of the day down into the depths of the dam.  It took 8 years to build, cost 18 lives, and currently provides 1.3 gigawatt-hours of power.  Second only to the Hoover Dam, it stands about 700 feet tall and about 1/4 mile across.   Not without controversy, water backing up against the Glen Canyon Dam inundated hundreds of square kilometers of the Colorado River Basin devastating the fragile ecosystems it flooded and completely changing the river environment downstream.  Further, by the time the river finally reaches Mexico's Sea of Cortez, it is all dried up. 

Established as a national monument in 1923, and as a national park in 1928, Bryce Canyon is famous for its unusual rock formations, apparently among the most spectacular and vividly colored of any in the world.  The pink, white, orange, and red sandstone walls of these canyons have been sculptured by erosion, and spires and pinnacles are common. We find Bryce Canyon virtually deserted compared to the Grand Canyon.

Bryce is much more accessible for our family in that hiking into the canyon doesn't represent such a time and effort commitment as trying to do so in the Grand Canyon.   There are numerous hikes of varying lengths and the temperatures are not nearly as extreme.  Here up the gully, the kids spot E.T., the extraterrestrial, looking down on us.

Continuing north to Salt Lake City, the principal attraction here is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Temple Square.  The church was founded in the early 19th-century by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have had a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, informing him that the true church was not on the face of the Earth.  The Temple itself is impressive as are all the displays and sculptures, such as this one depicting the Mormon pioneers carrying their every belonging in carts such as these across the county in search of peace.

The LDS church supports the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir which we hope to see perform.  We find out the next performance is not until Thursday night, so we settle for the daily half-hour organ practice enabling us the opportunity to hear the magnificent pipes. 

This photo of the Grand Tetons is taken from the edge of Jackson Lake, later in the day as the boys skip stones across the lake.  The entire area if full of hiking and great scenery very similar to home, the only difference being our own Rocky Mountains are much larger and more rugged.   At 8100' elevation it's getting cold at night and for the first time in a long time we contemplate the use of a furnace.

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872.  It is located primarily in northwestern Wyoming but also extends into Montana and Idaho.  The park is known for its spectacular geysers, hot springs, canyons, and fossil forests. Yellowstone is the world’s first national park.

After a day in the main camping area near Old Faithful, we head back on the road to explore this truly expansive and impressive park.  There are still a lot of burned-out areas from the major fires in 1988, where over 35% of the park was scorched.  A few more miles up the road, we stop in to see the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River, which is a magnificent sight set in neapolitan-colored canyons.

After our stop at the Upper Falls, is yet another fabulous picnic lunch and then a few more miles to the Indian Creek campground. On the final stretch of road, we see buffalo by the hundreds in herds on a high mountain plateau We think that Dances with Wolves with Kevin Costner must have been filmed here ( Trivia buffs??). The scenery and wildlife are truly breathtaking.

While retrieving emails in the nice college town of Bozeman, MT, Chris retrieves a message from good sailing friends Lisa, Eric, Max and Tally from s/v Catitude that they are in Dillion, Montana.  Chris does not say anything until he checks on a map and verifies that Dillion is only about two hours away.   We catch up with them at the Longhorn Saloon and Joel's buddy Max is sitting in the back of their truck waiting for us. What a fun evening!

Well, we made across the border into Canada.  Wow, it really feels strange to be back.  We still have a longer drive tomorrow before we get to Calgary, but tonight's a celebration.  And we've already been invited to our first BBQ!