Arches NP

On Wed. May 20, we visited Arches NP in the evening. There are all kinds of rock formations in this park and the land goes on forever.

This is Balanced Rock. Amazing how a rock can sit on another rock for so long when nothing is holding it there.

This rock formation is called the "Three Gossips."

Hard to see, but there are 2 arches in this photo.

And this is Delicate Arch. You can hike up to it and get a closer view, but we were worried about it getting dark, so we elected not to make the hike which meant we didn't get the full experience, but we did get this fabulous sunset.

the desert of UT

We are definitely in the desert. It has its own kind of beauty, but I wouldn't want to be here in the middle of the summer. It would be too hot. I am glad that we are seeing it now when it is still mild weather.

Leaving Jordanelle

I LOVE these mountains and all the green and the blue water. We are heading south into the desert where the green is sparse, the water is muddy colored and it is much hotter.

WOW. Are these total opposites or what?

Our first stop is Green River, UT so that we can visit these--

We are in Goblin Valley SP. I knew immediately when I read about this SP that I had to see it. Isn't the name of the park perfect?? We had fun here taking photos--

It was really hot on this day and it felt like we were on another planet.

Utah Landscapes

The last of my photos that I can't resist sharing. Don't they inspire you to create something? Or maybe to travel and see some of these places for yourself. I truly get that we are blessed to be able to be on this trip...I am thankful each day for this experience.

Jordanelle SP Campground

We are staying at Jordanelle SP just outside of Heber City and this is our view from our RV. It is beautiful and I will be sorry to leave here tomorrow.

PS I am thrilled to be caught up with my posts and my photos...let's see if I can keep it up!

Bridal Veil Falls

Today, we visited Bridal Veil Falls not too far from our CG. The weather was absolutely perfect and there were tons of people out picnicking and enjoying this gorgeous day.

Apparently, the locals like to climb as high as they can to get close to the falls...we decided not to attempt it. It is quite a steep climb.

Salt Lake City

We head into the city and our first stop is Temple Square--home of the Church of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons as most of us know them). Here we get to visit any of the buildings we choose, except the Temple which is not open to non-mormons. There are plenty of tour guides (young mormon women on their mission) to show us around and answer any questions we have. The first photo is the inside of the Tabernacle where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings. The statue is Brigham Young. We went briefly into the Family History Center and I would have loved to spend days in there looking up genealogical information, but that was not meant to be on this trip.

Before heading back to the RV, we want to see the Great Salt Lake. It's not as close to downtown as you think, but worth the drive. We stop and walk out to the water so we can at least say we have been to the salt lake. Just as we are about to hit the water...it's getting muddier and before I know what has hit me, my feet fly up in the air and I am butt in the mud!

I was fine, but I am not too sure about my camera.

It took me a couple of hours to clean my camera and get the salty dirt out of it.

Dinosaur NP

We head for Dinosaur NP in Vernal UT. We are driving 191 South coming down mountains in Ashley National Forest and we see signs that there will be 10 switchbacks on this road (a switchback is rounding a curve that takes you back the way you came but headed in a different direction). That's a lot of action on one road! I have to go to the back of the RV because I can't handle looking out the window anymore at how far down the mountain it is (how far up we are). We find a pull-off and stop for lunch and to give our brakes a rest because we are smelling them burning. This is all making me a little nervous and I am glad that Randy is handling the driving. By the time we make it to Dinosaur NP we are all ready to get out and have a look around. Look at Jesse next to this giant dinosaur leg bone they found here at the park and think about how big the rest of that dinosaur was!

On our hike, we have to climb up this small hill to see the actual dinosaur bones still there in the rocks. Thank goodness, the park rangers marked them because they really are hard to make out from the surrounding rock.

But here is one (I am pointing to it) and Jesse took the other photo to show how far away we were because I ended up kind of stuck/frozen up there. Randy was kind enough to let me follow him down (and hold onto his shirt). I nearly had a heart-attack when Jesse's foot slipped and he almost tumbled down that hill.

Leaving Cody

Here's what we are passing when we leave Cody, WY and head south. We were having bad winds and colder weather and it was going to get worse up north...so we decided to head south for a while.

We stop in Rock Springs, WY to sleep for the night...nothing special here. The next morning we head for Dinosaur NP in Vernal, UT.

Cody, WY

While we were in Cody, WY we visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center

It's actually 5 museums in one and each one is awesome.

Our campsite at the Ponderosa CG

and our view.

I found this quilt shop in Cody called the Friends & Co Quilt Shop and I thought it was one of the most beautiful quilts shops I have seen. And you want to talk about tons of fabrics...WOW.

Yellowstone NP slideshow

Here's a look at our day in Yellowstone. We saw so many great things. This is a slideshow so be sure to see all the photos!

Thermopolis, WY

From Buffalo, we decided to head to Thermopolis--the largest hot springs. We have never been to a hot springs before and we wanted to be able to go into one. We stayed in Eagle RV park on Hwy 20 and after setting up camp and letting Randy take a nap--we headed out to Hot Springs State Park with bathing suits and towels in hand. Keep in mind it's sunny outside but only 60 degrees and we weren't sure how this was going to work. Inside the SP they have a state bath house with an indoor soaking area and an outdoor area and it's free for a 20 minute soak (20 min. is max time). The temp. of the water is 104 degrees so we boldly decided to soak outside. It was heaven once you get past the smell, that is. Jesse almost didn't (get past the smell) but I convinced him it was normal.

After our soak, we took a walk to see the actual springs and the weird fomations the deposits make and we came across this "swing bridge" where despite my fear of heights I went across that bridge and back...of course, Randy thought it was funny to stand at the end of the bridge while I was still coming back and bounce the bridge and shake it as much as possible. Needless to say, I called him some names.