Moab is a busy, busy town!

This town is very big into Jeeps, ATV's and bicycles. We have never seen so many people riding bikes all over and I mean up the steepest grades I have ever seen. These people are really fit!! Jeeps, Jeeps and Jeeps everywhere!They are really having a great time driving the trails in this area. This town is a must if you like your Jeep and like to ride your bicycle. We are staying at the OK RV Park and having a good time. This is a nice place and we would stay here again. They had a nice car show today with about 600 cars. We also ate at a burger place that was started in 1954. The burgers, fries, tater tots and milkshakes were great!!! But don't worry we walked there and it was about a 3 mile round trip. So we burnt off all those calories:)

my first 16oz Coke can



almost 1lb of chocolate cake





Visiting Canyonlands National Park

There are 2 entrances into Canyonlands, The Needles and Island in the Sky. We entered the north entrance, Islands in the Sky. After stopping at the visitor center we decided to do 3 hikes, one to Mesa Arch, Grand View Point and the Upheaval Dome. The Mesa Arch is a short hike just a little under one mile. This is a must hike as the Arch is really fabulous. I had my picture taken while standing on the rock between the arch and then I looked behind me and almost freaked out. It is a very, very long way down. Suzanne wouldn't have her picture taken standing on that rock:)) Our next hike was the Grand View Point a 2 mile hike at the top of the park. Lots of neat views. The next hike gave us both a FREE STRESS test. It was the Upheaval Dome overlook, there are 2 overlooks with a roundtrip hike of almost 2 miles. This so far was the most strenous hike we have done, therefor the FREE STRESS test. After you get to the first overlook they tell you it is only a half mile to the second. Well their half mile and our half mile don't agree. The second overlook is really a test of endurance, with several steep grades to go on and it is longer than a half mile:) Don't forget what goes down must go UP! Boy what a great hike!! Not to mention the views were fantastic. Again another day well spent.

The Kissing Rocks named by Suzanne

Very, Very steep

Our trip to Dead Horse Point State Park

We had a great time at Dead Horse State Park.   Suzanne and I talk about how blessed we are to see all the things we have so far on our trip. We can only hope that our friends can do a trip like this. Here are some pictures of a wonderful day.

Pictures from the Landscape and Double "O" Arches

This was a fun but difficult hike!

Landscape Arch

Double "O" Arch

You had to hike across this

Visiting Arches National Park on 4/27/2011

Everyday there is something spectacular to see. We went to one of my most favorite places, the Delicate Arch. It is a 3 mile hike with an elevation gain of 480 feet and can make you a little winded. We had lunch and then went to see the Landscape Arch and the Double "O" Arch. Speak of a hike, the Landscape and the Delicate Arch have nothing compared to the hike to see the Double "O" Arch. To see both arches you must hike over 2 miles one way and the hike is difficult, it has you walking on edges of rocks and if you have a fear of heights it can be a little nerve racking. Suzanne was trying to get down off one of the rocks and when I offered her some help all I heard was "dont' touch me." Suzanne and heights don't mix:) We hiked over 7 miles that day and had one of our most wonderful days. Arches National Park is a great place and for a wednesday there were a lot of people visiting this park.

That's ME !!

Leaving Dolores, Colorado and arriving in Moab, Utah 4/26/2011

It was time to leave Dolores after 2 weeks. We had a great time and met some very nice people. They had 3 great kids who finally caught some fish :)). They were so happy that they had caught some fish before we left. Maybe we will see them in Moab? We woke up to a strange beginning of coldness, then eating breakfast it starts to snow so we had a late start for Moab. The ride over to Moab had hail, sleet and gusty wind but it was still beautiful. We arrived at the OK RV Park and got hooked up and went in to Moab and over to the entrance of Arches National Park. We even saw a restaurant that we ate at 10 years ago sitting on top of the mountain. Tomorrow will take us to the Arches National Park and a visit to one of my favorite spots the Delicate Arch.

Visiting the Sand Canyon South Trailhead

Today 4/23/2011 we took a 5 mile hike on the south trailhead of Sand Canyon. It was a wonderful hike with so many wonderful things to see. It is mind boggling that there are so many cliff dwellings still standing. It makes you wonder how people lived in those dwellings and also how did they even get to them. I hope after seeing these pictures that some of you may decide on a trip to this beautiful part of the USA. You will never regret it!!  

Visiting Sand Canyon Pueblo 4/22/2011

We decided on a short trip today after our last several days of driving and driving and driving. Although no standing walls are exposed, the remains of 420 rooms, 100 kivas and 14 towers were in the area. The site does show by drawings what the Sand Canyon Pueblo may have looked like in the mid-1200's. They have a 6 mile hike one way that Suzanne and I went on for about 30 minuters and then turned around. The trail leads you down into the canyon, which Suzanne really likes but I always remind her that we must go back up that steep trail:) On the trail I noticed this big animal foot print on the trail. It was very big and to our best guess it was a mountain Lion as they are known to be in the area. Overall a nice day and tonight is Pizza night!!!! Yea!

4/20 also visited 4 Corners USA

We were so close to 4 Corners USA that I had to go and see this place. It is in the book, 1000 Places to see before you die. This is the only place in the United States that 4 states touch in one spot. Suzanne and I both touched all 4 states at the same time, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. There are shops that surround the monument that have jewelry, paintings and other items native to each state. Suzanne had a great time shopping and came home with 3 pairs of earrings and a necklace. She had such a good time!!

Visiting the Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep National Monument

Today, Wednesday 4/20, also the birth of our first grandson Justin, we decided to visit the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.  We visited the Lowry Pueblo which had 40 rooms and one of the largest Kivas. Then on to Painted Hand Pueblo which was a nice hike down to see the tower perched on a boulder. The site gets its name from the hands painted on a boulder. The hands were not visible to Suzanne and I and we even took the hike down twice to find them. We never did find the hands:(  It was a nice hike and the views were great.
We also visited the Hovenweep National Monument, which had numerous round, square and D-shaped towers. They were grouped around the canyon rim and some of the structers were built around boulders. There was a trail of 2 miles which took you around the rim of the canyon with an 80 foot drop into the canyon and a trail back up at the end of your hike. A strenuous way to end the hike. This is a wonderful place to visit and see the beautiful pueblos. The brochure tells you to be aware where you put your feet and hands as rattlesnakes are in the area!! Your so busy looking at all the neat structures that I may have stepped on one:)

Driving the San Juan Skyway loop on 4/18/2011

We had to take my computer in for repair, so we decided to take a drive. The drive turned out to be over 200 miles and 8 hours long.  But it was worth every minute. You go from a 6,200 ft elevation to a 11,008 ft elevation at the Red Mountain Pass. The drive from Silverton to Ouray is one of the most scenic and spectacular mountain drives and is called the Million Dollar Highway section of the skyway.  All along the drive were fantastic views, with snow everywhere. Even the lakes and ponds were frozen and we even had some snow sprinkels. The ride took us over to Telluride which is a beautiful ski resort area with the largest waterfall in Colorado. But it just so happened that the waterfall was frozen:) Telluride is also the town where Butch Cassidy and the Wild  Bunch Gang did their first bank robbery in June of 1889. The trip also gave us our first sighting of several ram and a herd of elk. This is another motorcycle ride that I am putting on my must do list. For me, this would be a better ride than Tail of the Dragon. I guess I will be coming this way again:)

Pictures will be posted later when my computer is fixed. Please keep David in your prayers.

Largest Frozen waterfall!!

Back to Mesa Verde

Decided we had to go back for another day. We really wanted to take the Petroglyph Point Trail, a 2.4 mile hike. Suzanne said this has been her favorite hike so far. You have to register when you go on the trail and return, I guess some don't make it:) We also went on several other little hikes but nothing as strenuous as the Petroglyph one. By the way the Petroglyphs were really nice and they say it is the largest collection on one rock. We saw so many wonderful things along with some wild horses and a wolf. I will have to upload some pictures later as my computer has stopped working and is being repaired. I am using the netbook but can't get the pictures for the blog.