The first view of the canyon at 7:00am. We didn't realize Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings time, and were confused as to why the Visitor Center wasn't opened at 8:00! This is actually the view of where (unbeknownst to us) the Ooh Aah Point is that we hiked to just an hour later.
The trail to get to Ooh Aah Point. It was quite steep, especially for us FL folks.
Having to make room for the mules coming up. They have priority on the trails.
You can see our destination of Ooh Aah Point where all the people are just beyond the mules.
I really did make it all the way to Ooh Aah Point, and have the picture to prove it!
A view of the trail to where we started from. Yikes, and I have to hike all the way back up!
The next day, we hiked the Bright Angel Trail. Clif wanted to hike to the Indian Gardens which is the green area in the middle of the picture. I didn't want to hike 12 miles round trip as we had just hiked 10 miles total the day before, and I knew how exhausted I was from that. Anyway, he settled for a 6 mile roundtrip to the 3 mile overlook. As it was it took 6 hours with all the scenery and rest breaks along the way.
Now, I want you to pay special attention to the canyon area north of the Indian Gardens because when Clif and I got to the North Rim, we photographed the North Kaibab Trail that leads into the Bright Angel Trail from the opposite direction. Unfortunately, even though we could see the Indian Gardens from the North Rim, our camera did not pick it up. Hikers hike one way down the Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch on the Colorado River, then leave at 4am to hike up the Bright Angel Trail and catch the shuttle bus at 1:00pm to take them back to the North Rim. Clif would love to do that some day. He'll have to go by himself, or find someone to go with him. That seems like torture to me.
Then of course, the view from the 3 mile point that shows what we have to hike to get back out.
Hmmm, taking a closer look, this might be the 1.5 mile rest point. I don't remember that being where the comfort station was located. Either way, it's a long hike up to get out of the canyon.
The next 2 pictures are the opposite view from the North Rim I referred to earlier. The deepest revine is where the trail is.
I forgot when we hiked another trail, we were able to get a different view of the Indian Gardens. You just can't see the Kaibab Trail from here. It's the small green area located on towards the valley on the opposite side of the canyon.
One side note... make sure if you do both rims, to go out at night. Look from the South Rim, and you can see the lights on the North Rim, Phantom Ranch, and Indian Gardens. It looks really cool. Then on the North Rim, look from the Lodge, and you can not only see the South Rim lit up, but the airport, and the windmill lights all the way near Flagstaff!
Some of the hikes we took on the North Rim offered some neat scenery. This was Cliff Spring.
The trail was along the ridge most of the way. It eventually narrowed and got steep and slippery.
The trail was along the ridge most of the way. It eventually narrowed and got steep and slippery.
I refused to go any further. The trail was too narrow, and the dropoffs were steep! I plunked my butt down, and stayed put while Clif explored.
This was the view from where I was sitting. The mountain way off in the distance is the highest peak in Arizona. Flagstaff sits at its base.
Moving along to Zion National Park. I would have loved to have had time to explore, but unfortunately, unless you get there before 10am, you will not find parking anywhere. Anyway, the feature that fascinated me the most about this park is that the rocks look like soft swirled ice cream with orange dye cast into them. Around each corner brought a different perspective.
We had to drive through a 1.1 mile tunnel that has delays because buses and RVs have to drive down the center lane because of the curvature in the tunnel, creating one lane traffic. Therefore, it was like a construction zone with the flagman indicating when to go with their slow/stop signs. They even constructed windows in it to help with ventilation.
My second favorite park was Bryce Canyon. It was small, not too busy, and the Hoodoos were interesting. It was like looking at clouds. Each formation brought on a different scene. This picture I imagined being in Jerusalem. Being able to look out and see such a variety of landscape makes me in awe of God's creation. In this area, we were hiking the rim. We started at the point in the far distance just left of the highest trees. (That is the Bryce Point overlook). The Escalante Grand Staircase National Park is the mountain range in the distance.
I would have loved to have spent more time in Eastern Idaho. The Mesa Falls were gorgeous. The forests were lush and not yet damaged by fire or beetles. This is my favorite photo of Clif's.
Hopefully, it won't revert to a little red box as has done before publishing this!
This picture just captures the sheer beauty of the forest. This is viewing from the Lower Mesa Falls
overlook.
Hopefully, it won't revert to a little red box as has done before publishing this!
This picture just captures the sheer beauty of the forest. This is viewing from the Lower Mesa Falls
overlook.
As far as the most beautiful park we visited in my opinion is The Grand Teton National Park. Almost every picture we took I wanted to make into a piece of canvas art work. Some pictures don't even look like they can be real, but simply imagined by an artist. But now that I think about it, who is a better artist other than God, the Creator, himself?!
Look at how the sunrays just shine upon the pasture. To me, God is saying, "My favor is upon you."
The next two pictures I would make into a puzzles. They would be fun to put together.
The lakes are so crystal clear, you can see the bottom everywhere you look. The reflections are simply amazing.
You can take the ferry across Jenny Lake to hike the Tetons. We didn't have enough time to do this.
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I would have loved to have hiked the Cascade Trail. If you look closely, you can see the cascade falling along the mountain side.
Our first day in Yellowstone we caught glimpse of the elk at 6:30am.
I did enjoy seeing a variety of wildlife. I didn't realize Buffalo swim. I heard this big splash while waiting to see wolves (which I never saw), and then looked to find this buffalo.
On our Mt. Washburn hike, I did like this picture because if captured not only the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, but Yellowstone Lake, and "The Cauldron" from the volcano.
I also liked this picture because it shows the vastness of Yellowstone Lake.
I did enjoy the drive to Firehole Lake. It got its name from the numerous hot springs that feed this body of water. It then flows into the Firehole River. This is one lake you would not want to swim in!
Our drive heading East out of Yellowstone offered some beautiful scenery.
This is Yellowstone Lake emptying into the Yellowstone River which flows north. Word has it before either the Volcano, or an earthquake (I don't remember which), the lake used to empty to the south.
When navigating Clif, I just tend to look for the shortest distance to get to our desired location. The next portion of our drive took us through US14 right through the heart of The Big Horn Sheep Mountains in WY. It was a steep and curvy ride!
These are two of my favorite photos of my least favorite park...The Badlands.
I love them because it shows how barren everything is.
Would you really want to hike through this? I wouldn't.
We had a wonderful vacation. Clif and I will be talking about this for years to come. I asked Clif, "The next time we venture out west, can we PLEASE fly and not drive?" The drive through the deserts and grasslands are SO boring, I could really do without!
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