Tuesday, 15 October 2019

Magnificent Canyons

11-12 Oct 2019 - We go on a tour of Secret Slot Canyon with Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon Tours in the Page AZ area.  A wondrous experience, we tour with only 12 people so get great photos.  Our guide helps the ambience by playing his flute in the canyon.  This magical canyon is one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen - so many shades of orange, yellow, red, with curves and waves carved into the sandstone over the years by water and wind.  We stop at Horseshoe Bend to see the green Colorado River carve its way through the sandstone - also very picturesque.















13 Oct 2019 - A visit to the Grand Canyon north rim just before it shuts down on Oct 15.  Great views at Cape Royal Trail and Angels Window.  Beautiful rock formations and canyon walls of so many colors - white rocks, red and pink striated rocks, deep gorges, with the green Colorado River snaking 4000 feet below.  Lots of cliffs and narrow winding roads up to 8800 feet.  While the daytime temperature is in the 60s, the night falls to freezing!







14 Oct 2019 - Into Utah, we visit Bryce Canyon.  What an incredible vista!  We like it better than Zion.  The best area is a natural bowl-shaped amphitheatre filled with numerous spires and hoodoos of all shapes, sizes, and incredible colors.  We hike the Navajo Loop trail and the Queens Garden Trail.  The Queens Garden was far superior, taking us down a steep trail into the canyon bottom. Great views also at Bryce Point and Inspiration Point.  Fantastic hiking warm and sunny weather makes for a fantastic day.










15 Oct 2019 - We turn for home with a stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats west of Salt Lake City where many land speed records have been set - up to 622 mph!  We boondock out in the desert overlooking the flats in the distance.  Tomorrow we head northwest for home.  Some long drives ahead so likely this is our last post for this trip. 





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Friday, 11 October 2019

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

5 Oct 2019 - The lava fields of El Malpais are huge!  We imagine Hawaii lava fields look very similar.  Lots of sandstone formations in this large national monument near Grants, New Mexico.  Beautiful views.




7-10 Oct 2019 - Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!  Fantastic event we thoroughly enjoyed.  Early mornings spent watching balloons get inflated and take off.  The balloon launch involved over 400 balloons going up - colorful, fancy shapes.  Spectators are allowed on the fields up close to watch everything.  At times it seemed we were being swallowed up by balloons all around us. Balloon referees in black and white outfits with whistles kept everything safe and moving.  It takes a looong time to launch 400+ balloons.  Awesome experience!











We also took some time to go into Albuquerque's old town.









A trip to Sky City - Acoma - showed us an old pueblo city on top of the mesa dating back to at least the 11th century.  People still live here in old adobe homes with no running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing.  Many people are artists selling intricately painted pottery.  We walk back down from the pueblo using the old steep trails with handholds carved into the sandstone. It gave us a great feel of how hard life was.










The large rocks were also used as rock walls for corralling livestock.







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