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Eileen Joll
Eileen Joll

Eileen Joll

traveled in 9 countries Read more
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  • Valladolid

    Goodbye, Valladolid!

    January 25, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We originally planned to do a few days at the beach in the middle of the month but decided to move it to the end of the trip. We loved the city and where we stayed -- would definitely recommend a visit.

    Our last night in Valladolid, we had dinner at the place we did the first night 3rd, time there), Carolina was the waitress there each time. She is a 21 year old with a degree in tourism, with a goal of getting a job in Mérida and eventually Canada.

    We caught the 9:52 ADO bus (which was only about 10 minutes late leaving) to Mérida. The bus was very comfortable with lots of legroom. Tickets for the two of us were less than $34 USD. Not bad for a 2+ hour ride. Right before entering Mérida, there was a checkpoint where the national police entered the bus and checked everyone's ID. We were glad we had our passports on our person.

    Once in Mérida, we caught a DiDi (Cheaper alternative go Uber) for Telchac Puerto.    Read more

  • Valladolid

    Museums

    January 21, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    This week we visited two different museums which both turned out to have been established and run by people from the United States.

    The first was the museum of clothing. We were out for a walk and stopped in a park in the San Juan neighborhood. A gentleman told us about the museum and talked us into going in. The first person we met greeting people by the door was a man from the eastern part of Pennsylvania, Dennis. He moved here roughly 20 years ago and long story short, he donated the property for the museum. The director of the museum, Tay, is from Pittsburgh and used to work at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She retired here for 8 years and then started the museum. It was fun just talking to the two of them and learning about their journeys that brought them here. The museum has traditional clothing from the various areas of Mexico and one room of embroidered panels depicting the life and beliefs of the Yucatan people. In the courtyard you could buy desserts and coffee. The young man serving had a desire to open a bakery and Dennis and Tay are letting him get practice here at the museum. This is an example of the kinds of fun things you just happen to stumble upon when exploring.

    The second museum was on our list of things to do though we weren't expecting it to be that exciting. Boy, were we wrong. The Casa de los Venados is very near to the central park. It is a house of mostly original Mexican art of all kinds. The couple who own the house are from the United States and also live and entertain there. The house was in disrepair when they bought it and they took 8 years to fix it up. It has something like 23 rooms, bathrooms equipped with mini frig and coffee makers, and a swimming pool. It encouraged over 18,000 square feet and includes some beautiful open air space. There is art everywhere you look (over 3000 pieces). They are major collectors addng 50 pieces to their collection last year. The owner described his collecting as a lifelong "addiction" . Unfortunately the wife died last July. The house is open for 5 tours a day for a donation. All of the money collected is given to charities.

    http://www.casadelosvenados.com/history-t.php    Read more

  • Valladolid
    A Zebu1

    Local fair

    January 19, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Friday was the opening day of the fair, which runs for a couple weekends and coincides with the celebration of Our Lady of Candelería. We decided to get there shortly after opening at 7:00 pm. While there were a couple pickup points where free transportation was being offered, we decided to take a taxi.

    Upon arrival we could see that while the gates were open, the opening ceremony had not taken place yet. The dancers and others were still lined up outside the gate. It had rained a short time before and there was mud and puddles everywhere. The dancers dressed in their white garments were trying to stay clean. We stayed outside for a while waiting to see the start
    Evidently we were too close to the front and a lady politely asked where we were from and then led us back into the crowd. After waiting a bit longer, we decided to just head in.

    This was the first time for the fair to be held as this location and it was a muddy mess with puddles everywhere. And then it decided to rain more! We took shelter under a big tent with 3 stages. There were 3 bands taking turns playing but there were interrupted by opening ceremony speeches and the introduction of the Princess of the fair. Not sure if this was intended to be outside and was moved under the tent because of rain.

    The fair was evidently run by a company called Big Rhino. They were a fair amount of rides although they didn't get the roller coaster set up until Sunday. We thought there was to be livestock but the only animal was a single Zebu, a strange looking animal from the cattle family. Lots of food vendors and some games. There was a free concert at the main stage featuring a popular band. Other nights, the concerts on this stage required buying tickets. And some days there is bull fighting.

    We decided to head out shortly after 10:00, which was obviously early because people were still streaming in and traffic seemed to be backed up for close to a mile waiting to get in. The fair evidently ran to at least 2:00am, because that was the last run for the buses.

    It was fun seeing the local people enjoying themselves with so many of them dressed in the traditional Yucatan garb For us, it might have been better if it were drier... And we weren't really impressed with most of the music.    Read more

  • Valladolid
    The observatoryReconstructionArcheological teamVendor hauling in waresColectivo pickup point in Valladolid

    Chichen Itza

    January 19, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    No trip to the area is complete without a visit to the ruins off Chichen Itza, one of the 7 wonders of the new world.

    We decided to take the first collectivo of the day, scheduled to leave around 7:00. I was amazed that we were pulling out with a full load in the van by 6:55. Eileen and I were in different rows in the van. I ended up sitting with a young couple from Amsterdam.

    We arrived before the gates opened at 8:00 and were close to the front of the ticket line. The process was the same as at Ek Balaam -- you had to buy two tickets, one from the state government and one from the federal. And there were two tickets takers, a rep from each. I guess there is no trust between the levels of govt.

    As the initial pictures show, it was rather foggy when we got there but the fog quickly burnt off. I think one of the things that amazed us as much as the building was all the vendors and the amount of set up they had to do. It appeared that every morning they had to set up their displays, including tables, tents, racks, etc from scratch. They were able to leave that stuff in the woods and just had to carry it up and assemble but they also had to bring in their merchandise and supplies. So many merchants, so much of the same stuff, not sure how they made any money. Lots of chants of "only a dollar".

    We spent about 3 hours wondering the grounds following a self guided tour we had found online. No guide like we had at Ek Balaam. One of the most interesting things was seeing one of the ruined structures being rebuilt. They take what looks a lot like a pile of stones and turn it into what the building is supposed to have looked like originally.

    Our take: we enjoyed Ek Balaam more than Chichen Itza. Ek Balaam was way less crowded, less commercialized, and you could climb on some of the structures.    Read more

  • Valladolid
    MarquesitasA snowy owl from the Harry Potter themed bar, SkolAt Skol, the Harry Potter themed bar1

    Enjoying the warm and not the snow!

    Jan 14–17, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    We have taken to a slower pace the last couple of days with lots of walks and plenty of chill time. We went on a bee tour. Mexico is the largest exporter of honey. They have 46 types of bees with 40 of them being stingless. The tour was in a dry cenote in a forest setting, perfect for the bees. Our guide explained the different kinds of bees, the different kinds of honey they make, and how the bees are moved to boxes and their honey collected. We got to sample various honeys and honey products at the end. Honey collecting has a lot of Mayan culture associated with it. On our tour was a brother and sister from Denmark. He was an exchange student in Mexico when he was in high school and they were back to visit with his host family. He visits once or twice s year.

    We have already taken a lot of neighborhood walks usually in the morning before it gets too hot. We either pick a direction or a place on google maps and start walking. We have seen a variety of neighborhoods this way. There are sidewalks most places, although many are uneven or in need of repair. We need to watch where we are walking. We have felt completely safe everywhere we have gone, day or night. When we get back, we jump in the pool at our building to cool off. Later we grab a coffee and head to the park for dancing entertainment, people watching and occasionally desserts from the vendors.

    We have also tried a few new restaurants and bars. When we eat somewhere, Jeff will ask the person waiting on us where they would eat or drink when they go out. We have gotten a lot of great suggestions this way. We have been to a rooftop bar overlooking the center park, a Harry Potter themed bar, another local cantina, and have eaten very well!    Read more

  • Valladolid
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    Hanging out

    January 10, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    The last couple days have just been hanging out around town, walking, and reading. We did stop at a local history museum (all displays in Spanish) and another location that had murals depicting history.

    Brunch was at Loncheria Olich, a place recommended by multiple people. It had a nice outdoor space and the food was good and fairly inexpensive.

    Last evening, we had a delicious dinner at Restaurante de los Santo, a small, family run operation. It is one of the few places we have been without any outdoor seating. We followed that up with a trip to Idilio Folklore Cervecero, an at gallery/brewery. They had about 8 beers on tap. Would rate as "ok" for beer, but a beautiful setting. We finished off the evening with the light show / history presentation displayed on the monestary, first watching the Spanish presentation, then the English.

    We continue to ask our servers where they like to go to eat and drink.

    On both Tuesday and Wednesday, we picked a direction and walked to the edge of town. Tuesday, we went east and Wednesday we went south. We had been west several days ago. Generally speaking, the neighborhoods aren't "pretty" but there are some houses that look pretty nice. Most of them have walls and gates.

    The town is reported as being very safe and we have felt that way, no matter where we have been. We haven't been out much later than 10:00pm. People seem fairly easy going.    Read more

  • Valladolid
    Fresh tortillasHammock loom

    Ek Balam

    January 8, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Today we went to Ek Balam, a Mayan ruin. The ruins were started around 300bc and peaked in population. around 1000ad. Eventually they were abandoned and over time deteriorated and were covered over. Excavations started around 1970. So far they have uncovered about 30 structures but you can see the piles of stone where there are more structures waiting to be uncovered. At Ek Balam you can climb on most of the structures. The biggest one was a palace for the noble and elite. Others were places of worship. This area was surrounded by walls to keep the commoners out. The entire area is surrounded by forest . We had an English speaking guide.

    Next we walked a mile to a nearby cenote. The cenote had cabanas where you could spend the night and hammocks to rest in. It also had a rope swing, a place to repel down and a Zipline to ride across the cenote. Much more touristy than the others we were at, but still very beautiful!

    Walking back, we stopped at a "food stand" for tacos. The lady made fresh tortillas and cooked them on a skillet over a fire. The beans were cooked with the pork and served in a bowl. The couple running the place only spoke Spanish. I am sure there were things said that we didn't understand, but we got the jist of things . The lady also had a homemade loom that she weaved hammocks on.

    We took a colectivo to the ruins and back. They are like a taxi but they wait until the car is full (ish) before they leave.

    When we got back, we realized we did not have the key to our apartment, but with a little help, we got back in.

    In the evening we went to a bar (Libran
    os del Mall, deliver us from evil) on our street for a beer, served in liter glasses!    Read more

  • Valladolid

    Steeler game at St. Patrick's

    January 6, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    The local Irish bar gave us a chance to watch the Steelers. We met ex-pats from Ireland, England, and the USA.

    Today is the end of the Christmas season here with lots of celebrations around the 3 Kings.Read more

  • Valladolid
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    Bike trip to cenotes

    Jan 6–15, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We took a bike tour to 2 cenotes and visited 3 villages/towns. There were two other people on the tour, Martin and Janet from the Netherlands. They are in their 30s (36,34).

    Our guide was Julian, a lifetime resident of Valladolid. Our trip was just about 20 miles. Julian liked to ask (very frequently) "how are you feeling, guys?"

    We were the only people at the first cenote, named xla'kaj, which was an open air cenote. It was a beautiful setting and the water was very comfortable.

    The second, k'om ha , was covered and you had to go on a small opening and proceed through a cave like entrance to get down.

    We stopped at the town of Chichimila for lunch after the first cenote. There were a number of outdoor stands, kind of like a food truck setup. We had tacos and empanadas. I think the tacos were from Julian 's uncle's stand.    Read more

  • Valladolid
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    Lazy Friday

    January 5, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Friday was a pretty laid back day. We walked to inquire about a bike tour, bought some produce at the market, and stopped in a bakery. This was followed by reading in a park, visiting La Joyita Cantina, napping, and watching the audio visual presentation displayed at the main church.Read more

  • Valladolid
    Calzada de Los FrailesThe water mill1Our lunch spot1Above the urinal in St. Patrick's

    Convento de San Bernardino de Siena

    January 4, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    We walked to Convento de San Bernardino de Siena, a monestary completed in 1560. The route there took us along the Calzada de Los Frailes, a colorful street with shops, restaurants, and homes. .There were beautiful flower displays outside the monestary with a Christmas theme. The monestary property housed a water mill that was built over a cenote. Starting in the 1970s, most artifacts were recovered from the cenote, accessed via the water mill, which was much like a well. It is the round structure in the pictures. The grounds were also home to many lizards, much bigger than we are used to seeing.

    We tried to go to the restaurant La Tía for lunch, a recommendation from a local, but it was closed during it's normal hours. We ending up getting cochinita pibil, a marinated barbeque pork sandwich from a street vendor, el tigrillo . Lunch for the two of us was under $4.

    For dinner, we went to St. Patrick's, the local Irish bar. Not a lot Irish about it but it was a nice place and will probably go back Saturday with the hope of watching the Steelers game. The penguin game was on the TV as we entered. We sat outside and had wood fired pizza and a couple beers. I (Jeff) topped off with a couple shots of mezcal (mil diablos and 400 conejos joven).    Read more

  • Valladolid
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    Day 1 - getting a feel for the area

    January 3, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Today we got a feel for the area around our apartment. A fair amount of walking, along with trying the food and drinks at some local establishments. We are asking for recommendations from the locals we meet.

    We started off with breakfast at Carolin Cocoa Cafe. It's less than a block from where we are staying and had an excellent menu: healthy, well plated, and very tasty. We got there at a good time, there was soon a wait for tables.

    After that, we did the 10:00 free walking tour. Stops included the main church and the public market. We did get to taste a few local delicacies.

    We chilled out for a few hours in the afternoon and then headed to La Joyita Cantina for some beer and tapas. The tapas were complimentary and very tasty. This place was a recommendation of our tour guide from the morning walk when I asked him where he would go. Locals outnumbered the tourists. The place was a dive bar that I am sure we will be back to..... Multiple times.

    Later in the evening we ventured out for dinner at NenaNena. We both had enchiladas and they were great. We sat out back in the courtyard after a few minute wait for a table. While you waited for your food they brought out a little game trip play. The loser had to drink a shot (some cherry liquore, not very good).

    We capped off the evening with another walk, venturing to streets we hadn't been to yet. We came across a bakery where we bought a loaf of almond bread for breakfast, along with a ham and cheese bread.

    Once home, we weren't long out of bed.    Read more

  • Valladolid
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    Travel to Valladolid

    January 2, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    It was a long day of traveling. We left the house at 3:45am and didn't arrive at our destination until 6:00 PM (Central). We flew from Pittsburgh to Miami, then Miami to Mérida, México. After clearing customs and immigration, we had to decide on mode of travel, either ride share or bus. Since taking a bus required also taking 2 buses (first one into downtown Mérida to the bus station), we opted for ride share and decided to try DiDi, an alternative to Uber, which was also available. Didi was significantly less expensive. To catch a ride share vehicle, we had to walk out of the airport property to the main road. Our ride showed up about 15 minutes after ordering it, beginning our 2+ hour road trip. Our driver didn't speak English so it was a pretty quiet trip. We traveled through a number of small towns/ villages that appeared to be pretty poor areas. On arriving in Valladolid, we were surprised at the amount of traffic ... Truly a traffic jam.

    After getting into our 2 room apartment, we unpacked quickly and immediately headed out for dinner. We ended up at La Crujía, which turned out to be an excellent choice. We choose seating in the back courtyard which was full of trees and away from the noise of the traffic. Food was very good as was the service of Catalina. The price for dinner with 2 beers was the equivalent of $25.

    We then walked toward the main square / park, which is only a block from where we are staying. It was a hug of activity, with storefronts surrounding the square and numerous street vendors in the park. We ended up having a churro, complete with Hershey's syrup. We kept the walk short as we were both very tired and lights were out around 930.

    I was surprised at the number of tourists, including several tourist buses parked by the main square. Although, that location is likely the main tourist spot in town.    Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    New Orleans to home

    October 14, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    After one more round of beignets from Cafe de Monde, we headed to Memphis TN for our first night's stay. Along the way we saw many cotton fields and rolls of cotton! We checked in at the T.O.Fuller State
    Park campground and then went to Beale St for dinner and music. We ate at BBKings while being entertained by some great live music. Then we walked the streets checking out various musicians along the way. A short but fun visit. The second day was a shorter drive (4 hours) to St Louis. We were meeting up with Josh and Liz. Since they were still working when we got there, we went to Lumeire Sculpture Park. It is a very nice and spacious park with almost 70 sculptures. It was a great place to stretch our legs and spend a couple of hours. Next we met up with Josh and Liz, drove to what will soon be their new house and then walked to a brewery and a pizza place for dinner. It was another short, but wonderful visit!! We drove about 1.5 hours before spending the night in Effingham. The next morning we started the final leg home driving in and out of rain. It was a great trip!    Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    New Orleans

    October 10, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We traveled from Austin to New Orleans. Jeff had only been there for business and I had never been there. We spent three nights here. The first evening we are at Coop's Place for dinner good Southern Cajun/Creole cooking followed by beignets from Cafe du Mond - yum!!

    Over the next two days we took a tour of the lower garden area seeing historic houses, some owned by famous people now. In the afternoon we took a food walking tour of the French Quarter sampling some iconic food of the area - gumbo, po-boy, muffelata, praline, red beans and rice, and banana foster bread pudding. Both tours included a lot of history of there area.

    We spent a rainy afternoon (almost 5 hours) at the WWII museum. It was very well done and we only saw half of the exhibits. We also saw the French Market, the St Louis Cathedral, and the Riverwalk along the Mississippi River.

     We spent our evenings on Bourbon St and Frenchman St enjoying a lot of different kinds of music and drinks. When we arrived, I (Eileen) wans't overly impressed, but by the time we left, I didn't want to leave. There is so much to do.    Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    Santa Fe to Austiin

    October 4, 2023 in the United States

    We drove from Santa Fe to Austin with an overnight stay on Lubbock, TX. We were going to visit Jacque and help her with some house projects. Through New Mexico and West Texas we passed a lot of open fields, cotton plants, oil rigs, and so many wind turbines. We stopped at Cadillac Ranch. - an art exhibit. A man paid some California artists to create an art exhibit on his ranch. They took 10 Cadillacs, one from each year, and buried them nose down so the Cadillac fins stuck up. After a while, people started defacing the Cadillacs with spray paint and eventually it was encouraged to do so. Today they sell paint right on the property. There is so much paint on the cars that you can't identify them as Cadillacs. At Jac's we built a fence, did yardwork, spent time with Bear, and enjoyed family time!Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks
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    Santa Fe day 2

    October 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    In 1957 the city of Santa Fe passed a law that all buildings- residential and commercial - had to be of the adobe style to preserve the heritage of the area. So everything is in earth tones and there are more trees here than we have seen in the past 2 weeks making this area a beautiful city. It is also an area of hot springs so today we went to the Ojo Spa and Resort. They have a day pass where you can soak in the multiple hot tubs and use the steam room. We spent about 4 hours soaking, steaming, and just relaxing. We met a man who is a Santa Fe firefighter and martial arts instructor. He comes here once a month to relax. (We need a place like this at home!) He suggested that we go to the Santa Fe Brewing Co headquarters which was nearby. Food was good, (taco truck), beer was good and Jeff says it is the best stout he has ever had. Lastly we went to the Railyard area of town. This is another area of shops, restaurants, and breweries, not quite as boutiqueish as the plaza. Unfortunately, except for the restaurants and breweries, everything is closed up in the evening. We had some ice cream and then went back to camp.Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    Santa Fe

    October 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    We traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico where we spent a couple of days. The first day we explored the plaza area and visited the oldest church and home in America. We also visited Loretta Church which has a circular staircase with no central or side supports. Supposedly the nuns needed a way to get to the choir loft but normal steps would take up too much room. They asked a carpenter to build steps in the small church to get to the choir loft. The next day the circular steps were built and the carpenter disappeared. The steps are considered unique. The plaza also has a lot of very nice art galleries. We went to eat at Santa Fe Mac, which is run by a guy from Pittsburgh. He even had a terrible towel hanging in the store. There are a lot of museums in Santa Fe as well. We debated about going to the Georgia O'Keefe or Meow Wolf. We chose Meow Wolf. There was one in Denver as well and it looked interesting. It was completely different, an interactive art, storytelling, problem solving, exhibit. The main part is a house with information about a family. You are supposed to figure out what happened to the family and they were into time machines and messages from outer space. From different places in the house you could get into a different world - the abstract kind of art. You got there through the refrigerator, closet, dryer, etc. So interesting. We solved the 4 questions and got a sticker!! We went to Second Hand Brewery for dinner and then to our very dark and lonely campfire in the national forest. There was no one camping near us!Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks
    Balcony cliff dwelling
    Not what it used to be but still standing (true for both photo subjects)1Cliff dwelling we toured1Our Navajo ranger internPithouseMulti- story stone houseDinty Moore!!

    Mesa Verde National Park

    September 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We spent the night in the national campground. It is run by an outside contractor. The sites were rather close together but not the worst we have had. Mesa Verde is a historical national park. The grounds most recently belonged to the Ute reservation and were home to many indigenous people beginning around 700 AD and lasting until somewhere in the 1200's AD. Archeologists have uncovered many of their homes (pueblos) from pithouses built in the ground, to multilevel stone dwellings, to the cliff dwellings last used in the 1200's. The national park maintains about 35 of these dwellings most of which you can see from short hikes to the canyon edge. They offer tours of three of the pueblos so you can get up close to the sites and get some information from the rangers. We did a short hike on the Sofa Pop Trail where we could see the Balcony cliff dwelling. Next we toured the Cliff Pueblo, a cliff dwelling. To get to it, we had to ascend many stone stairs and a ladder. This particular dwelling had many kivas, a large round area place for social and ceremonial events. One of the rangers was an intern from the Navajo tribe. He talked about some of the rituals and customs of both those of the past and current. The current native Americans hold these pueblos as sacred space of their ancestors. To get out we had to climb up many stone steps and three ladders. We spent the day driving the scenic highway stopping to see many of the dwellings. Back at camp we built a fire and had..... Dinty Moore Stew!Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    Page - kayaking

    September 29, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We had reserved kayaks for morning. The first part of the paddle was on the lake, which has a fair amount of boat traffic meaning lots of wakes to deal with. Over we turned into Antelope Can yon the water calmed downed and the canyon walls began to close in. After kayaking about 2.5 miles, the water came to an end and we backed the kayaks and began to hike up the canyon. We overheard a guide for group saying earlier in the year the water went up another 200 years.

    The hike in the canyon was beautiful. We came to a small ladder to climb to the next level of the canyon. We stopped hiking after about 1.75 miles and began our way back, done we had a 4.5 hour drive ahead of us.

    Before leaving the lake area we went to the "beach", which wasn't much of a beach but we were able to hike down over the rocks and take a quick dip in the lake.

    Our drive to Mesa Verde NP was mostly over 2 lane roads with nothing around.... and most was through native American territory.

    We stopped in the town of Cortez about 10 miles from the park and had a sandwich and a beer at Wild Edge Brewing Collective.

    We arrived at the campground after dark and after the office was closed. The directions left for us were less than clear. While the paper had a site number on it, the person working had neglected to write "pick any available site". We went to the site printed on the paper and someone was in it. Eileen talked to him and he said it was any available site. Being that it was dark, we took the next available site, which was OK but probably not the site we would have picked in the daylight.    Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    Page, AZ - Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe

    September 28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We ate breakfast at the hotel before heading out to our tour in Antelope Canyon. As we were heading out, I suddenly realized that Arizona does not recognize daylight savings time and that it was an hour earlier than we thought. Our phones were still showing MDT and hadn't picked up the difference. Someone later said that the Navajos do recognize DST so if phones were picking up off towers from their land, it would explain. Assuming that to be true.

    We decided to drive to tour location just to be certain about time and we were 90 minutes early. We decided to drive back a short distance to the Glenn Canyon Lake Powell access. We checked out the public launch and then the private marina before heading back for tours.

    We toured Canyon X, one of the slot canyons in Antelope Canyon. Those canyons are very interesting: so narrow and such exotic shapes. There was another smaller slot canyon we got to visit, also. We chose this tour rather than the Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon tours because of price and were glad we did. From a photo opp perspective, unless you had a higher end camera (not cell phone), I don't think it would be worth it. These canyons are all on Navajo land and you have to pay for a tour to access them.

    Next stop was for a burger and beer at Slackers, followed by a milk shake at RD's Drive In. We are sticking to a healthy diet even though traveling !

    We headed over to Horseshoe Bend, a bend in the river in the shape of a horseshoe, which has lots of people walking to the observation point. Once there, were we able to continue walking to a less crowded area and scramble on the rocks for even better views. Only source of irritation were the people who ignored the signs to stay on the path and took the straight line because it saved them a hundred yards or so.

    Our camping spot for the eve was a tent spot in an RV park that didn't have much ( or any) shade..... one of the downfalls of camping in the desert. So, we decided to find a place to get a beer. We ended up at the State 48 tavern sitting next to 2 young pilots (ages 29, 32) who were private pilots for someone out of the Tampa, St Pete area. They typically do 2 or 3 trips per month. Sounded like a great gig. We talked with them for a couple hours before heading to the camp site.    Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks
    Waiting for a park bus

    Zion National Park

    September 27, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Our night in Zion National Park campground was very interesting. The canyon got very windy. While our tent was secure, the noise of the flaps and the wind made sleeping interesting. We made coffee, had something to eat and then packed up. We considered doing a hike in the Virgin River where we definitely would get wet, but the temps were only in the 60's. Instead we hiked the Angels Landing trail to Scout Lookout. It was a very steep climb with a lot of switchbacks. The views were worth it though. Unfortunately, at this time of year you need a permit to go the additional .5 mile to Angels Landing. This distance is over rock with chains built in to assist hikers. It is also a one way trail so a group goes up and then comes back before the next group goes. We couldn't get permits so we just had to watch others make the climb. After a snack we headed back down. It is easier on the heart but harder on the knees going down. At the bottom we soaked our feet in the river. We walked to the Zion Lodge and had a well deserved beer. After that we rode the bus along the scenic road. Only buses are allowed on the road. Returning to the visitor center we found our car and headed to Page, AZ where we had secured a hotel. On our way out of the park we were stopped by a herd of mountain sheep coming over the hill and crossing the road!!Our takes on Zion NP - it is a very nice park with very majestic looking rock formations, but a very popular one. We were not impressed with their transit system though it got us where we needed to be. It is one of those parks where getting there early before the crowds is a great idea .Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks

    Bryce to Zion

    September 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    After a leftover pizza breakfast, we packed up and drove the scenic road through Bryce stopping at some of the overlooks. The views just continue to amaze! We parked and hiked the Rim Trail from Sunset Point to Inspiration Point to Bryce Point. While we were looking at the same area the whole time, with every bend it brought a different perspective. The views never got old or boring, just more beautiful. I think this has to be my favorite park by far. We rode the shuttle back to our parking spot and said goodbye, heading to our next destination - Zion National Park. As we drove, the landscape changed dramatically. We entered from the west side and drove through a couple of small rock tunnels and then one very long tunnel, where they only let one direction go at a time. We finally arrived at the campground. Our site is a walk in site so we have to use the tent we have been carrying with us this entire trip. Since we have to carry everything into our site and park elsewhere, and because it was very hot, we decided this was a good night to eat out. We went to the Zion Brewery in Springdale where there happened to be live music. It was 88° when we left the campsite and it is supposed to go down to about 55° tonight.Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks
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    Bryce Canyon National Park

    September 25, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We got into Bryce around 13:00 and went straight to our camp site which was very close to the park entrance. The campground has running water but no showers. Sites are pretty nice but fairly open.

    After some lunch, we started hiking to the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop trails via the Rim Trail. It had been 24 years since we had been here and I wasn't sure if the actual park would live up to the memories. The park did not disappoint. The hoodoos, with their fantastic shapes and colors are incredible. The hike ended up being 5 miles, a nice distance for an afternoon outing.

    Dinner ended up being pizza from a small shop right next to the park Lodge. Beer was served in a Starbucks cup. Might be my new morning drink.

    We were in bed early, as had been the norm, although Eileen tends to read longer than me.

    The night skies continue to be fantastic even though the moon is infringing on the star observation early in the night. The weather has been great, too, with lots of blue skies and good temperatures.    Read more

  • Rockies and Red Rocks
    Last Mormon home
    One room school houseArch - we hiked to above itPetroglyph2Cows are free range around here

    Capital Reef day 2

    September 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    We cooked bacon and eggs this morning before heading back to Capital Reef. Our camp host told us about cinnamon rolls made in the park on the Fruita area so that is where we went first. In what was the last house of the Mormons to live there, they have a store with a lot of country things and homemade cinnamon rolls and pies. We shared a delicious cinnamon roll and bought a strawberry-rubarb pie and a peach pie for later.

    We drove along the main road stopping at the Mormon one room school house and other historical places.

    We started the Grand Wash Hike. It was an easy 4.5 round trip hike through the wall area that had carved out these beautiful walls of rock. There is no water now but there are signs for flash flooding when it rains. When we came to the other end of the trail we saw a sign for the Cassidy Arch trail, mashed for Butch Cassidy who supposedly hid out here. It went up almost a 1000 feet. A hiker coming down said the views were worth it so we decided to do it. It was very steep at first but then a gradual climb. At the top, we were above the arch, and yes, the views were amazing. After a snack and sharing a few nuts with a chippie, we headed back down. Once we got to the bottom, we still had 2 miles back to our car. Our simple hike turned into a 8.5 mile hike. We were tired and ready to be done. A quick stop at the petroglyph path and then back to the campground. There were cattle at the campground entrance to greet us. This is open range area, no fenced to hold them back.

    We had a fire, ate dinner, are our delicious pies, and listened to Jimmy Buffett followed by the Steeler game    Read more

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