Our next destination was Bryce Canyon. We found a great RV park called Ruby’s Inn and RV park in Bryce Canyon City, UT. The best part was the grass patio. It was the first time GiGi got to potty  on grass for weeks.We took the shuttle into Bryce Canyon and hiked the Sunset Trail which takes you to the high points of the Grand Staircase. All of the National Parks are unique and  Bryce presented us to the “Hoodoo’s” which are the main attraction. They look like tentacles and have many different shapes.  We also took a  3.5 hour tour starting at the end of the scenic road and stops at all view points for pictures on the way down. The tour was excellent and we even caught a picture of a Stellar Jay and several Ravens. The tour guide was great and humorous. He explained about the history, animals, plants and rock formations. It was a great park and a great day.

We decided to step out of our safety bubble today and rented a jeep to go to Canyonlands National Park.  So much fun and I don’t think we could have seen all the beauty of this park without riding from the top of the canyons to the bottom.  The steep switchbacks on the Schafer Trail were outrageous but the view was more than that.  The biggest trick is when you meet an oncoming vehicle and have to find the widest point of the road (if you can) and wait.  Unbelievable the amount of vehicles which includes bicycles, dirt bikes, jeeps and razors that do this.  That reminds me that we waited on a Dune Buggy to pass near the bottom and the driver stopped to thank us and said “there are eight more behind me.”  We could have eaten lunch in the amount of time we waited.  Well, you can see in these pictures how beautiful it is and the best part is that I only threatened to hurt Cary one time and that was when I was doing a video on the way down and he grabbed the phone to video with one hand and steer with the other – of course that was when the steepest part was on MY side.  We also passed the place where they filmed the ending of the movie Thelma and Louise and stopped along the bottom to see the mighty Colorado River and the Indian petroglyphs on the rocks.  Nearby is Arches National Park with the popular balancing rock and double arch, but after Canyonlands it was not quite as much as we expected.  We had great weather and it was a great day !

We left Williams AZ on to Blanding, Utah. We tried to get reservations in Moab, UT which is next on the list, but due to an antique car show we couldn’t get a site until Monday 5/2. The drive was fantastic. These pictures were taken by Toni out of  window of the truck. We stopped for lunch in Monument Valley and just took in the view. Also passed Mexican Hat. You can see the road up ahead. WOW.

This was Toni’s big day, #1 on her bucket list “The Grand Canyon.”  Our tour guides picked us up at our RV site and took us to the South Rim.  They were very knowledgeable about all the history, the different areas and names, animals, plants and people.  We went to a film in the Visitor’s Center, walked to all the viewing stations and exhibits, the Hopi House, had a great lunch at the Maswik Lodge, toured the El Tovar Hotel (wow!) and took lots and lots of pictures.  We never would have seen or learned so much if not for our tour guides.  The Canyon was much more than Toni ever expected and we even saw some Elk and Mule Deer on the return trip.  We were really disappointed to have to leave but maybe we can return someday.

We drove to Sedona AZ. today from Flagstaff.  The ride over was awesome with many switchbacks.  Toni used her set of brakes on the passenger side especially when there were no guardrails.  We took the Sedona Trolley and the tour was excellent.  It went up to the Church of the Holy Cross and all the high spots for pictures.  The city is nestled between all these beautiful views no matter which way you turn.  On the return trip to Flagstaff, the temperature dropped and it started snowing which was a great ending to our day.

Arrived in Carlsbad New Mexico yesterday afternoon.  During the drive we spotted many oil rigs but surprisingly most of the ride was full of water restoration sites.  Many workers are here in Carlsbad working on a pipeline and it seems that water is the most precious and scarce commodity.  We went to Carlsbad Caverns today and the ride to the caverns was beautiful.  Of course the elevators were still not working  (2 months now) so we walked the caverns and it was tough – very steep grades (almost getting to a run) and then the walk back up which was torture.  It was gorgeous in the caverns especially the temp, a constant 56 degrees which required a jacket, but the long way up at 90% humidity was a perspiration nightmare.  It is not the season for the bat viewing so we missed that, but the formations were unbelievable.  Tell you what though, if we are ever fortunate enough to go back they better have an elevator or escalator or they would have to air lift us out.

The weather permitted us to go back into San Antonio today and we added to our WOW list,old churches to be exact. We visited San Fernando Cathedral, which holds the remains of Jim Bowie, David Crockett, and other heroes that fell at the Alamo.

We also took the cruise on the river along the river walk and took lots of pictures. Everything was decorated for Fiesta, a major celebration in San Antonio.

To end the day we went to Mission San Jose, which is the largest and called  “Queen of Missions”.  It was a massive community in its day.  The church was absolutely beautiful inside.

This made our visit to San Antonio complete. On to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico next.

Stayed at a beautiful Thousand Trails RV Park in Conroe Texas to see good friends we haven’t seen in years. John and Romola Laninga. They were very gracious hosts and we thoroughly  enjoyed visiting with them. They introduced us to a new cuisine, Vietnamese Soup called Pho which was delicious.  It was a great park with many amenities. Pictured is one of the cabanas complete with refrigerator and flat screen tv.

We are now headed to San Antonio, Texas. We will spend the week there watching storms and sight seeing. Until next time.

Walked the French Quarter of New Orleans which was our first stop on the trip.  Did everything we intended – great food at the Acme Oyster House (yummy Gumbo).  We sat on a bench overlooking the great Mississippi River enjoying Beignets and drinking Cafe Au Lait from the Cafe Du Monde and also toured the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square.  Very interesting city to say the least.