Saturday

It was hard to leave Vegas today because it meant the end of our vacation and several suitcases full of laundry awaited me at home.  Plus there is not much to see between Vegas and Claremont.  This stop sign is about exciting as it gets on this four hour drive.

However, several times along the way we have noticed the sign on 15 that says Early Man Site.  So we got off the road and headed down a gravel road in hopes of finding a treasure along the way.  We found ourselves at the end of the road in Camp Leakey.  A professor from San Bernardino had found primitive tools in the area and had shown them to Dr. Leakey back in the early 60s.  She felt that the tools showed that there were people in the area back 12,000 years ago.  He helped them get money from National Geographic to set up a dig site.  When we arrived there were a dozen people eating lunch who had come to do a dig.  We took a tour of the very small visitor center.  The hike back to the dig site is 1/4 of a mile and I was not dressed for a hike so we headed on home.

Friday

There is much to choose from in Vegas. We started by finding a Tix4Tonight booth and checking out what shows we could visit without paying too much. We got reduced tickets for Bodies: The Exhibition and the Blue Man Group. We wanted to see Bodies when it was in So. Cal. but we never seemed to find the time. I learned so much about my body by visiting that exhibit. It is amazing how we walk around in these bodies and yet understand so little about them. The most stunning item for me was the brain after stroke. We came back to our room to get ready for the evening. When we left for dinner we discovered that our room didn't lock. We called down to the desk to ask for maintenance and then we waited and then we cancelled our dinner reservations and then we waited and then we ate popcorn and grapes and then we waited. Finally a maintenance man showed up. He worked for awhile and then said he needed to go downstairs. We began waiting again. Then security showed up looking like a secret service agent. He fixed our door in 30 seconds. We ran out the door hoping to make our show. I really had no idea what to expect with Blue Man Group. We were far enough back that Bryan didn't need to worry that he would be taken up on stage but I wished I would have been close enough to see facial expressions. I stayed afterwards and got my picture taken with my favorite Blue Man.

Thursday

It was hard to leave Zion today so we took the shuttle one last time. I was in search of a particular photo but the weather didn't cooperate. We reluctantly headed for Las Vegas and the last part of our vacation. We had made salads and were looking for a place to have a picnic. In the northwest corner of Arizona is a little picnic ground and we had a windswept lunch. 

I had seen images of the Valley of Fire north of Vegas and wanted to experience the place myself. We got off 15 and headed south. What an amazing place. I can't wait to get home and add my pictures. It was such a cool place that we actually turned around and backtracked just to make sure we didn't miss anything. Then we realized what time it was and got back on the road again.

I had Hotwired a room in Vegas. When they revealed the name of the hotel it was the Trump Towers. We are in a gorgeous suite facing the strip. We only had time to notice the view before we had to get ready to go to Beatles Love. I had found a good deal on tickets through Travelzoo. What an incredible show. We have no plans yet for tomorrow.

Wednesday

It was a cloudy day in Zion today. We loaded up the backpack and headed to the Riverwalk to the Narrows. It started to rain as we walked and the signs describing flash flooding made me search for escape routes to higher ground. When we finished the hike we decided we hadn't had enough of Zion.

 So we began the hike to the Upper Emerald Pool.

The map of Zion listed it as a moderate hike. I kept thinking I should turn back but I hated to give up. I made it!

On the way back down, as I imagined the helicopter that would have to come pick me up when I fell and broke my leg, I felt foolish.....but I made it back to the valley floor with only a sunburn and sore feet.

Tonight we went to the Whiptail Grill, a restaurant Brett and I ate at in 2010. The Sesame Encrusted Tofu was just as good as I remembered!

As I get ready for bed tonight I keep singing this song: "We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We're marching to Zion, the beautiful city of God."

Tuesday

I got up before the sunrise to take even more pictures of Monument Valley! After a quick breakfast we loaded the car and started "marching to Zion." We stopped outside of Page, Arizona to visit the Upper Antelope Canyon. It is the most photographed slot canyon and I wanted to see it. We paid the $6 a piece entrance fee, parked our car and then paid more money to hire the required guide. We were loaded on to the back of a truck and driven through a rough, sandy valley to the slot canyon. It was worth the money and the rough ride. I took some gorgeous pictures...if I do say so myself.

The only problem was all the other people who were there to do the exact same thing I was doing!

We headed to Page and stopped to stare at beautiful Lake Powell. We had gone on a houseboat there with my family when I was pregnant with Brett...over 21 years ago. It was more beautiful than I remembered it.

Back on the road to Zion. We came in the back way, along Highway 9. It is a breathtaking experience.

We checked in to our hotel and eagerly jumped on a shuttle so we could hike in Zion. Since it was late in the day we walked a short trail to Weeping Rock.

Two deer stayed close as all us hikers snapped pictures.

Back on the tram we got back to our car around 7 pm. Dinner in our room. I have to get to bed. There is more of Zion to explore tomorrow.

Monday

We woke up before the sunrise this morning.  It was as beautiful as expected.

We ate a quick breakfast in our room and then immediately headed out to do the Wildcat Trail loop around the west mitten.

It was recommended that we take one liter of water per person. Luckily we took more. It was amazing to hike that close to the mitten.

We only ran into a few other hikers. It truly is a sacred valley. I had a difficult time completing the 3.5 mile loop in the hot sun and through sand dunes. I am grateful for a patient partner. When we made it back up from the valley floor I made him take my picture of triumph.

We had lunch in the restaurant here that looks out on the scenery we had just experienced up close. Then we decided we wanted to explore more of the area. We drove north to the Valley of the Gods.

I did not really know anything about it and I had forgotten our ice water in the room. It was an amazing 17 mile drive through another valley. Since we had no map we made up names for all the amazing rock structures we encountered.

Lucky for us the car didn't break down and we stopped for water in the town of Mexican Hat.

Back to Monument Valley in time for the sunset.

Tomorrow we head for Zion, with a few stops along the way.

Sunday

Bryan & I got up at 5 AM so that we could make it to the Petrified Forest early. It turns out that the late afternoon shadows are the best. It was still beautiful. 

We enjoyed the Blue Mesas, the Painted Desert

and the Newspaper Rock.

Back on the road again we headed up an unpopulated highway to visit Canyon de Chelly and eat a quick picnic lunch. The canyon is filled with cliff dwelling ruins. Good thing we just bought a new pair of binoculars.

We then hightailed it to our final destination....the View Hotel in Monument Valley. Every room has an excellent view of the mittens. We reserved a star view room, which means it is on the top floor. 

After checking in we took our low clearance vehicle and took the 17 mile loop tour through the valley. There were a couple of scary moments on the drive back but it was definitely worth it to be down on the valley floor. 

While down there we discovered that they are filming a new movie here. (The helicopter, dozens of trailers, lights and horses gave it away.). They are shooting the Lone Ranger.

We went to bed early with the curtains open so we could wake up before the sun rose, which is the most beautiful time in the valley -- in my humble opinion. But we actually got up at 3:30 AM just to look at the stars. We are so far away from a city that the amount of stars was incredibly. Seeing shooting stars didn't hurt.

Vacation = Following a whim!

Bryan and I usually take some vacation days together shortly after Easter. We left today and I have been so excited that I couldn't stop smiling all week. But the actual process of getting ready to go left me tired and tense. Today will be our longest traveling day and I just wanted to get to our motel as quickly as possible. Then when we were less than a hour from our destination we passed a sign for the meteor crater.

Bryan remembered talking his mother into stopping there when he was a young child. On a whim I pulled off the highway and drove south to the crater...and immediately I started to smile. I am on vacation and I can stop along the way wherever I want to! When I get home and can upload my pictures I will show you the meteor crater near Winslow, AZ.

After we checked into our motel and ate dinner we set out to explore Winslow. There is not much here but they are proud of being on Route 66 and being mentioned in an Eagles' song. We found a mural of a "girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford"

and a beautiful sunset.

Agenda for tomorrow: more adventures.