ARIZONA again!

23 October 2012: We continued south from Bryce Canyon to Arizona, where we visited the Glen Canyon Dam. The resulting Lake Powell is one of the reasons Arizona has more boats per capita than any other US State.

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell National Recreational Area.

 

The Navajo Bridge crosses the canyon

 

 

Thom is keeping an eye on the car's odometer - we're almost to 100,000 miles,

14,000 of which we have driven this trip.

 

The beginnings of the Grand Canyon.

 

Just north of Flagstaff, we stop at Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument:

 

 

This 800-year-old pueblo has over 100 rooms, and the village has a community room (pictured)

and another circular structure that was used for ball games.

 

Other pueblos were smaller. Some have been stabilized,

but otherwise they are as they were when discovered in the 1800s.

 

A black mountainside from the latest volcanic eruption in the 1200s.

 

The scarred landscape of the lava

 

We are heading south to Heber, Arizona, and we reach the 100,000 miles mark!

 

In Heber, our niece and our GREAT niece and nephews are heading to a Halloween party.

 

We need to make room for two passengers in San Diego! We unload the car and divide stuff up into what will fit in Thom's panniers for the cycle trip, what will fit into a little suitcase for Sheila, what will fit into a suitcase for Thom and Sheila to take to Britain, and the rest gets boxed up and left.

 

Then we can relax.

 

Well, maybe not Thom - he still has to train for the coast to coast bike ride that starts 3 November.  Their blog address is www.is.gd/KbVUzb and they are Two Welsh Dragons and a New Jersey.
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We have a cold spell in Snowflake when the sprinkler water freezes...

but daytime weaather is great and we make a trip to the pumpkin patch
where Jett gets a ride in the wagon too.
 

Time to carve the pumpkins. Here is Parker with his happy face, and his pumpkin's.

 

It's hard work...
 

a ghost, an owl, and Halloween faces...

 

and the results are worth it!

 

27 October 2012: We leave Heber and head south to the Phoenix area, but we go via Globe so that we can check out the bike route between Globe and Mesa. Hilly, windy, scenic, warm/hot, and there will be a big climb through Gonzalez Pass; it will be a long 70 miles!

 

 Salt River Canyon, north of Globe, Arizona

 

Gonzalez Pass, Rt 60 near Superior, Arizona

 

Superstition Mountain, Apache Junction, Arizona

We are staying in Mesa with former Florida neighbors, the Jensens.
Their daughter shows talent as a make-up artist with these
Halloween creations for herself and her brother!

We are delighted to spend an evening with Sheila's nephew's family in Gilbert.
We are becoming experienced pumpkin carvers!

First, you have to dig deep...

and get over what we are calling....

Halloween Hands!

Only then does the design and cutting process begin.

That's the way you get great pumpkins!

 

UTAH again!

We enter southern Utah through Monument Valley and pass through Mexican Hat, named after this rock formation there:

Mexican Hat, Utah

 

We snap a picture of Navajo Twin Rocks as we pass through Bluff

We stop to see the Monticello Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

resplendant in fall colors.

Thirty miles up the road is Church Rock.

 

We divert east to visit Needles Outlook, which is just outside Canyonlands National Park but looks over it. Later, we will drive north to Moab and then backtrack south to go into the Park.

 

 

 We had a special interest in seeing Canyonlands. Our son Lee, a former archaeologist, once called us to say something like, "I'm okay, it was only three days I was stranded there. Someone's going to get a pickup with a winch and see if we can get the car out..." If you look close you see there are mining roads throughout the canyon, which sometimes are hard to discern from the dry creek beds from up here. But I'm sure Lee could tell the difference down there....

Thom at Needles Overlook, Utah.

 

Our next stop was at Wilson Arch, back on Rt 163.

Wilson Arch, Utah

 

Thom under Wilson Arch, Utah

 

Then we head to Canyonlands National Park and continue to be amazed at the vastness and uniqueness of the landscape.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

 

Thom and Sheila at Canyonlands, Utah

 

Both the Colorado and Green Rivers cut through Canyonlands

 

Thought to look very much like the ironclad warships,

these rocks are named the Merrimack and the Monitor.

 

It was during our visit to Canyonlands that Thom said, "I'm so glad I retired early."

It truly offered some spectacular sights.

 

After Canyonlands we made a beeline for Salt Lake City to be there in time to attend Sunday morning General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the magnificent conference hall. It is unique in that it has no pillars in a room that seats 22,000.

Sheila with her sister Cathy in the Conference Center.

 

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang during the meeting.

Cathy's children David and Moriah with Cathy and Thom outside the Conference Center.

We are staying with Herb and Eileen Tabert,

who have a great view from their South SLC home.

 

It is wonderful to visit with our son, Lee, who is shown here sharing supplies with his Dad to help with the bike trip. Thanks, Lee, for the sleeping bag, weather gear, other items, and the BIG TREAT.

 

Lee helps Cathy's son Joseph carve his pumpkin

 

Lee's helping out again, this time at the Taberts; we're making a patio.

 

We moved earth and terraced the patio on the slope with a wall, then laid blocks across the "floor."

 Hard work, as Thom seems to be saying in this photo!

 

Herb hoses off the the first stage of what will be a series of patios in the back garden.

 

Thom puts weight in the panniers to get used to riding with them packed.

 

A week later and we are back in down town Salt Lake City to see Cathy's daughter Anna sing in the All State Choir at the historical Temple Square Tabernacle. While we are in line to go in, we are surrounded by beautiful buildings.

 

The Assembly Hall and Seagull Monument, Temple Square, SLC Utah

 

Salt Lake City Temple, SLC Utah

 

 Utah State Capitol

 

The domed Tabernacle that has perfect acoustics.

 

The All State High Schools Choir seated in front of the famous Tabernacle organ.

 

Anna in the alto section of the choir

 

Sheila, Anna and Cathy after the performance.

 

Congratulations Anna and friends - what a great performance!

 

22 October 2012: We left Salt Lake City just as the weather turned, on our final leg to San Diego for Thom's bike ride to Key West. We headed for Bryce Canyon. We arrived later in the afternoon, and the sun was spectacular on the hoodoos. It was windy and "rather cool."

We traveled south on the 89 and passed the magnificent Manti Temple

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

 

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

 

Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon National Park

 

Thom at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

 

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

 

Sheila at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

We camped the night at Bauer's RV Campground in Glendale, Utah. We were in an apple orchard with llamas and donkeys nearby.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Doug Bauer for donating our tenting fee to the Wounded Warrior Project.