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June - August 2017
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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day11

    Pare Cousins....Utah Bound

     July 5, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We left Cheyenne this morning and made a pit stop in Lafayette,Colorado to have brunch with Robert's cousins Rick and Tammy Pare who were in Colorado visiting Rick's sister Dawn Pare. Robert hadn't seen Dawn in a very long time so it was another time of reconnecting with family. After breakfast we journeyed to Moab, Utah. Travelling through western Colorado and eastern Utah gave us more spectacular scenery. A highlight was the road through the Glenmont Canyons. It was very cool. When we crossed into Utah, the plateaus were different from anything we have every experienced. We're looking forward to spending the next couple of days visiting some of the national parks here.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day12

    Arches National Park

     July 6, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    What a day! We explored Arches National Park today and were in awe yet again. Upon the recommendation of our campsite neighbor from New York, we arrived at the entrance gate before the park opened at 7 a.m. and headed to the trail-head for the Delicate Arch which is is the famous arch that the park is most known for. It was a 3 1/4 mile hike to get there in 90 degree heat but worth every step. I was pretty proud of myself for conquering some steep and rocky terrain and even going out to the arch on the open slickrock. We were very glad we did this hike early. We also did several small walk/hikes to see the Sand Dune Arch and the Double Arch. Both were very cool. In between our hikes we were glad to have the RV's air conditioning and refrigerator so we could regroup. After our day at the park, we traveled to Bryce Canyon Natural Park which turned out to be a 5 1/2 hour trip through a very remote but beautiful part of the state. We found a campground in a small little town called Tropic which is 8 miles from the entrance to Bryce National Park, tomorrow's adventure.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day13

    Bryce Canyon National Park

     July 7, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We decided to take a bus tour of Bryce Canyon National Park since RV parking isn't allowed at many of the view points so that the shuttle buses can get into the parking lots. The tour had a good bus driver guide and we were able to see many of the "hoodoos"....the spiral rock towers. We decided not to do the park ranger's recommended hike down the canyon until tomorrow because the bus tour ended at noon. It gave us an opportunity to do laundry, get some groceries and have dinner at the campground restaurant. It worked out well because a thunder storm came during the afternoon which would not have been good if we were in the canyon. The highlight of the day for us was coming back into the park for sunset. It was spectacular and made us excited for our hike tomorrow.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day14

    More Exploring Bryce Canyon

     July 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we did a 3 mile hike that brought us down into the Bryce Canyon. Though it was hot, there was a breeze much of the time and plenty of places to get into the shade. It was great being able to be so close to the rock formations as we walked through the tunnels and saw the hoodoos up close. We got several pictures of the famous "Thor's Hammer" hoodoo.
    After lunch and a rest, we left for Zion National Park which was only a 2 hour drive. We entered through the east entrance and drove through to exit the south entrance to get to our campground. The road was windy and narrow (I had to close my eyes a couple of times) but the rock cliffs were beautiful. We also had to drive through two tunnels that literally went through the rock mountains. For one of them, the park rangers have to stop traffic and turn the tunnel into one lane for RVs. The last vehicle through passes off a wooden baton to the park ranger as a sign that it's okay to let the next line of traffic go. We found a nice RV campground just outside of the south entrance that also has a shuttle stop to the park. We'll be exploring the park tomorrow.    Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day15

    Zion National Park

     July 9, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    People have told us that Zion National Park is like no other place in the world. Though our worldly travels are somewhat limited, it certainly doesn't compare to any of the places we have visited. We are amazed at how unique each of the National Parks have been and Zion is no exception. At Bryce Canyon, we were constantly looking down at the beautiful views while here were are looking up. The biggest difference here is that there is water and therefore green vegetation. Because cars are not allowed to drive through the park except to get from the east entrance to the south entrance, everyone takes shuttle buses. We decided to take the shuttle to it's last stop where we did the Riverside Walk which brought us to the beginning to the Narrows trail. This trail is literally a hike up in the river up through the narrow mountain passes. We didn't actually do this hike as it's long and very intense. Our next stop on the shuttle was the Weeping Rock Trail. Because the moisture travels down the rocks, at this spot the rocks have a steady stream of water drizzling down which felt good in the heat. We took the shuttle back to our campground at this point to make lunch, do laundry and to use the pool. The scenery at the pool and our campsite makes us feel like we are in the middle of Zion and not outside of it. Tomorrow we're planning on another hike to the Emerald Falls and then packing up for the trip to the Grand Canyon.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day16

    More Zion

     July 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We began the day finishing our adventures at Zion National Park in Utah. Robert decided to hike the Angel's Landing Trail which was a very steep 5.4 mile hike, lots of switchbacks and parts which had chains for hikers to pull themselves up with. This wasn't my idea of fun so I hiked a 3 mile loop to the Emerald's pools. It was a little challenging at the top but the pools were worth it. After meeting back at the RV we left Utah for our next destination....The Grand Canyon. We arrived just at sunset and were able to see some fabulous views. We even got lucky and were able to stay at the RV campground in the park due to a cancellation. Robert was in heaven when were saw 3 huge bull elk on the side of the road.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day17

    A familiar face at the Grand Canyon

     July 11, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Unfortunately we had to leave the Grand Canyon Trailer Village campground because they were all booked for the night. We ventured to Tusayan which is a little town just outside the park. After deciding the helicopter rides were too expensive and the tours were not what we were looking for, we went back to the RV parking at the visitors center of the Grand Canyon so we could take the shuttle to the lookout point. Just as we got there it started raining and cancelled our exploring for the rest of the day. Since this was our first bad day of weather, we really couldn't complain. Our next job was to find a place to park for the night. The park rangers told us we could dry camp in the Kaibab National Forest just outside the park. To find exactly where, we pulled into the rangers base to ask for their recommendations. While Robert was inside with the rangers, a young park ranger walked past me in the RV, she started to wave and then did a double take....it was Erica Fortin, the daughter of good friends of ours. It truly is a very small world. She gave us directions to a campground run by her National Forest Unit and we spent the night there. It was great especially because once again there were more elk. This time they were right at the entrance to the campsites.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day18

    Exploring the Grand Canyon

     July 12, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We arrived at the Grand Canyon at 7 am for a 3 mile hike below the rim on the Bright Angel Trail. Equipped with lots of water, salty snacks and enthusiasm we began our descent. The views were spectacular and we hiked with some really nice people many who were going further down the canyon to camp at the Indian Garden campsite and then on to Phantom Ranch. We turned around at the 3 mile mark and made our way back up. I will say that the 3 miles back up felt more like 10 and the last mile felt like 20. But I made it....6 miles total!!! After we recouped in an air-conditioned RV we decided to take a shuttle tour of the western side of the canyon. There were several stops, each with a different vantage point of the canyon. We got many pictures and at about half way we decided to call it a day and to finish tomorrow. The campground Erica Fortin works at was full for tonight, but she gave us directions to a camping area in the Kaibob National Forest. There were many doing the same as us. It was peaceful and very quiet until I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of howling coyotes. I was very glad we were not in a tent.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day19

    More of the Grand Canyon

     July 13, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Today we spend the day seeing even more of the Grand Canyon. We finished with all of the lookouts on the shuttle tour that we had started yesterday. Then we did a mile walk along the rim on the east of the southern rim. More beautiful views but also more people on this rim walk probably because it was closest to the tour bus parking lot. We certainly enjoyed our days at the canyon and feel so happy that we could experience one of the world's seven wonders. Next stop is Phoenix, Arizona to see Mark and Sandra Fortin.Read more

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  • Our Cross Country Trip
    Day20

    Phoenix, Sedona and Good Friends

     July 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    We have had 2 great days with Mark and Sandra Fortin in Waddell (basically Phoenix) Arizona. Sandra brought us to Montezuma's Castle which we all learned wasn't a castle and Montezuma, King of the Aztecs was never there. Instead it was a cool cliff dwelling that the Europeans named after Montezuma because they felt it seemed like they were in Aztec territory. After that we explored Sedona Arizona for the afternoon. We did a short hike to Bell Rock and then we visited the Chapel in the Rock. The views were beautiful and the rocks were a deep red. Before pizza at Oregano's Pizza, we ended the day at a swimming hole located in a state park near Sedona. Mark and Robert had a great time pretending they were teenagers again, swimming in the Fortin Farm pond. Visiting friends you've had all your life is always a special event. Hopefully it won't be another 3 years before we are able to get together again.Read more

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