Road trip report #22 New Orleans

Road Trip Report #22
New Orleans, La. August 28, 29, 2010

We spent a one-nighter in Lafayette, La. so we could take advantage of certain attractions before we hit The Big Easy. Vermillionville is a collection of old-time buildings furnished as they would have been in days gone by. I am a sucker for these villages. Vermillionville happens to be an excellent example.
This is the interior of one historic home. The buildings are all open, air conditioned, and you can walk around inside. The area was practically deserted so the staff was very chatty.
Here they used corn cobs as spools. That's an example of what I like about pioneers. They are resourceful and waste nothing, very much unlike our contemporaries.
This building looks innocent enough . . . from the outside.
The next time you're invited to a three-way, before you get excited make sure you understand exactly what you are getting into.

Vermillionville was a great visit but we had to keep moving.

Nest stop was the Tabasco factory on Avery Island, nearby. Admission to the Tabasco factory is free but you have to pay a $1 toll to get onto the island.
The tollbooth is conveniently set up so the passenger has to get out of the car to hand over a dollar. The entire island is off-limits except for the factory immediately past the bridge.
The factory was closed, but in summation: Avery Island Tabasco comes from peppers grown in Mexico or South America. Since the peppers are processed the same day they are picked, that means that they are not processed on Avery Island. So, my Avery Island Tabasco comes from South America and my Dublin Dr. Pepper is from Waco. What is this world coming to? They do have a few acres of peppers on Avery Island but I had the impression that most of the plants reside elsewhere and the local peppers are used for seeds to be distributed to the other locations. Since the factory was closed (Saturday), and after visiting Dr. Pepper, (no relation to Tabasco Pepper but I'm beginning to see a trend) this visit was anti-climactic so we could have done just as well visiting the Tabasco store in New Orleans to buy our trinkets and watching a commercial on TV. The "gift" was a mini Tabasco bottle. Woohoo! They were out of their newest flavor. That's worth driving an extra three hours for, Huh? We did sample their Jalapeno ice cream. Not bad. In San Antonio, the Vegetarian restaurant was serving jalapeno lemonade. I could not resist and it was pretty good. How was it invented? "Oh sh_t, I dropped the jalapenos into the lemonade, the boss will kill me!" "Don't worry, watch me sell it to that big carnivore out there."

Next stop: New Orleans. We arrived at the Windsor Court (Where the President stays when he is in town) on Saturday evening. A bride was climbing into her Rolls Royce, white limos lined the drive, everyone was decked out in their formal wear, and up roll the Millers with bikes on the roof, Dr. Pepper and Tabasco sauce dripping from the doors, ten suitcases and assorted brown bags from the Tabasco gift shop for our two night stay. Had I been playing the theme song from The Beverly Hillbillies it would have been perfect.

New Orleans is not the city for Vegetarians. The beans and rice are cooked with sausage. Laurie found a vegetarian friendly restaurant which was another unique dining experience. I could devote an entire email to that meal but I'll simply state that dinner was good for both of us vegetarian and non.

We walked to Bourbon Street. If it is this busy on an off season night, i can't imagine what it is like during Mardi Gras. Alcohol is widely available. You can buy a "huge ass beer" which speaks for itself. We passed by again on Sunday night and were astonished by the contrast.
Saturday night

Sunday night Bourbon Street. Same location. In all fairness, this was the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and there were other events going on but I'm not sure those events draw the same Bouurbon Street crowd.

We took a city tour on Sunday and learned that there is some bitterness over the government's Katrina response. If you work for FEMA or an insurance company, I wouldn't go around bragging about it. Some areas were pretty hard hit but Brad Pitt and Harry Connnick, Jr. are doing very good things in spite of the government.

There are some complaints about the style of the homes Brad Pitt built, but they are free to the owners. It rained during our entire tour and I had to battle with the driver over opening my window for photos. I thought I was back in Russia.


We learned that they have some unusual burial practices here. The remains in this crypt are not cremated, but look how many close relations share this tight space for eternity.

That's it for now, we're out of time. I could go on and on there are so many stories to tell. Today, we're off to Gainesville after a one-nighter in Panama City FLORIDA! Looking forward to playing Pong at our favorite arcade and biking around the UF campus. Our last visit to Gainesville was about 10 years ago when we took Jamie and Nikki on a college tour. Needless to say, University of Florida did not make the cut for our progeny. Worked for us, though.

One night to go. You will soon have to find other ways to kill time.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie

PS: These emails are repeated on my blog: smillerdadtravels.blogspot.com
Scroll down on the right column to find Road trip report #1and work your way up from there. The photos are not in there yet for posts above 12 I think but I'll add the rest of the pictures when I get home. Stop reading if you get to the no-picture zone and come back later. Or not. I think the pictures make it more interesting.

Road Trip Report #21

Road Trip Report #21
San Antonio Texas, August 26, 27 (trying to catch up)

San Antonio was very nice. We had good weather. We took a walk along the Riverwalk after we checked in. Out west, they have a different idea of what a river is. What would be a creek in Pennsylvania is a river in Texas. Kind of like the Jordan River in Israel. Jordan River sounds a lot more dramatic than Jordan Creek but that's another story. The Creekwalk Riverwalk is very well done and much nicer than much of the rest of the city and is a draw for tourists. It is what drew us. Laurie had been in San Antonio for a tennis tournament years ago and vowed to return with me so here we are.

Remember, we had been to the Dr. Pepper Museum and the LBJ Library on our way to San Antonio so we'd had a full day and arrived late. This was the first hotel which couldn't park us with bikes on the roof so I pulled them down and "checked" them in anticipation of riding the next day. Unfortunately, the next day's ride was about 6 miles of city traffic away so I re-mounted the bikes and off we went. The Missions Trail along the river (really a small brook) sounds very nice and was recommended by the Concierge who does not ride a bike. I've seen bigger rivers when someone is cleaning their pool filter. As for bike trails, San Antonio is competing with St. Louis, not Aspen. It may be nice one day when they finish whatever they are constructing but the ride along the trailer parks on the way to the trail was nicer.

There were maintenance issues and I'll spare you further images. That's the "river" on the right. (The tall grass) This was the good part.

Not today.

We did find a nice path by the Mission which ran about a quarter mile.

Missions were set up by the Spaniards to civilize the natives who were doing quite well before the Spaniards brought their diseases to the new world. Only 70% of the natives succumbed to disease. Since there was no quality riding, we visited the Mission Visitor Center and watched a movie (without popcorn) then joined a Ranger for a quick long lecture. There is a lot of history but it's tough to comprehend when your eyes are glazed over. This mission was rebuilt by the WPA during the depression but it gives us an insight into life at the Mission. Only 6 Spaniards (3 Priests/missionaries and 3 soldiers) ran the mission, the Indians did all the work building the mission. Very impressive.

My pictures inside the walls really don't depict the scale of the Mission.

This was our view during the first half of the lecture. On the other side of the wall are dwellings for the indians. The Apaches were causing havoc to the local indians who were stuck between the Apaches and the Spaniard borne diseases. It really is an interesting story.

Fortunately, the Indians did not have to suffer the heat without refreshment. San Antonio is outside the 44 mile delivery radius of Dublin or they would have been drinking Dr. Pepper.

When it rains it pours and driving through flooded roads is probably not a good idea.

How much water are you willing to drive through? When we returned to the hotel, I parked in a surface lot so I could keep the bikes on the roof since we were departing the next morning.

We took a riverboat tour which passed by some unusual sights. There is also some unique architecture on the tour. The most interesting thing I learned was that there was a place to pick up the tours right next to our hotel and we walked the other way half way through the city to catch our tour.

This gives you a little view of the Riverwalk area behind the tourists. As I said, it really is nice. As we were having breakfast by the river, a boat with skimmers passed by cleaning up debris on the surface, and another boat came by with a landscaper hand watering all the lush vegetation along the way.

Next stop, Lafayette, La. for a quick overnight on our way to New Orleans.

We forgot to visit The Alamo which was near our hotel. We drove past it on our way out of town but could not park so we'll have to see it on our next visit.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie

Road Trip Report #20 Dr. Pepper Museum

Road Trip Report #20
San Antonio, Texas August 26- 27, 2010

The drive from Santa Fe to Stephenville (quick overnight) was supposed to take 9.5 hours which is a long day. Throw in (actually, throw out) a lost hour as we crossed into the Central Time zone. We had an interesting book to listen to, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and it helped make the time go by. The speed limits are really high, 70 on a twisting two lane road, 75 on an interstate. We made a few stops along the way to break it up but there is very little of interest along the way.

Wednesday, we visited the Dr. Pepper bottling plant and museum in Dublin, Texas. This stop is reserved for fanatics. They only bottle refillable bottles and you have to have your own fleet of bottles. They do not sell or ship these vintage bottles. if you want the real thing, you need to find your vintage Dr. pepper bottles at a flea market or online. They would never put Dublin Dr. Pepper in a non Dr. Pepper bottle (don't even think of asking) and you have to drop them off yourself and pick them up yourself. Of course, if you want to save a trip, you can trade your empties for a filled case some other fanatic dropped off. if you time it right you can come on the one day a month the bottling line is running and I guess they will wash and fill your bottles while you watch. They will sell you a case of non-refillable 8 ounce bottles (filled) but they are really bottled in Waco, which is really where Dr. Pepper was first concocted. Waco also fills the "Dublin" cans I have shipped to Florida.

Tyronne wonders how we are going to fit all these cans into that car.

The tour was very interesting. They knocked fifty cents off my tour ticket because I'm over fifty five. The most amazing thing was that our tour guide asked a number of questions and Laurie was the only person (of 3 on the tour) to get the first three questions right. She demanded a free Dr. Pepper as a reward and they complied. I got the fourth question right (What does 10, 2, 4 mean on a Dr. Pepper can or bottle?) but earned no reward. The company that makes the bottle washer (that had never washed a bottle of mine) is Miller-Hydro
This bottle washer is the newest piece of equipment in the plant. 1950's vintage. The bottles come out and are inspected to make sure they are clean and there is no schmutz left inside. If so, they go through again. The non-refillable bottles would explode if you put them in there.
Vintage bottles, some filled, some empties. They do bottle other flavors like Orange Yecch. The other flavors are NOT in Dr. Pepper bottles. They are not as particular about the cases and Coke seems to be missing some.
This is a bottle fresh off the line before it is mixed (Gently. There is a machine in the line to mix.). Syrup is on the bottom, carbonation on the top. The '70s logo has a bell bottom flare at the bottom.
Quality control is paramount. Fanatics do not want all syrup, not enough syrup, too full, etc. They want is just right after they've gone to all that trouble hauling in their bottles. Some football star has a big fleet of bottles.
The pins on the map do not represent our stops on this trip, but the hometowns of other fanatical visitors. I proudly stuck a pin in Mirasol. There were other pins in Jupiter and Ft.Lauderdale so I am not alone. That's a photo of me in Antarctica with a Dublin Dr. Pepper on the wall. Next time you're in Dublin stop by to see if I am still up there.

Photography was forbidden in the Museum. You could take all the photos you wanted in the bottling plant. They have almost all kinds of Dr. Pepper memorabilia in their collection. We learned how the logo changed over time. They had samples of look-alike fake Peppers. They have a priceless original "Pretty Peggy Pepper" poster, one of only two in the world. If there is a fire, the Dublin Firefighters are instructed to knock you over to get that poster out. What they don't have in their collection is a Dr. Pepper golf bag! Maybe I'll send them a picture of mine. Ha!

As you can tell, we had a fun visit and stocked up on memorabilia they happened to be selling. The last stop was at the soda fountain for a Pepper-to-go. I was expecting a 7-11 type machine filling my cup. But no! They have an actual Soda Jerk pumping syrup into your cup then filling it with carbonation and a scoop of ice at the end. It just doesn't get any fresher than that. Of course, it is in a styrofoam cup and not a vintage bottle but if you close your eyes . . .

Next stop was the LBJ Library in Austin. He used to be the President so everybody hated him. He was responsible for tons of great legislation on Civil Rights, and other social programs, including the Food Stamps program which my sister Ellen Joyce administered before her bone-jarring transition to a Costume Manufacturer. Unfortunately for him, he inherited the Vietnam war which was somewhat unpopular. Wisely, Johnson declined to run for a second term so he could devote his full attention to presidential business instead of campaigning. There was a letter on exhibit from Barry Goldwater scolding Johnson for accepting the nomination for Vice President under a lesser candidate, John F. Kennedy. Be careful what you put in writing. As my mother advised me, (more or less) "Don't put it in writing unless you're OK with it on the front page of the newspaper." Goldwater's mother should have given him the same advice. There was also a 6 page hand written letter from Jackie Kennedy to Johnson days after her husband was assassinated. She was thanking him for all he did for her and her husband.
The technology was funny. Three TV's are on the wall just to my right.

Plenty more cool stuff on display including a Moon rock.

The library is free to all including parking because LBJ felt citizens should not have to pay to learn about their history. Staff was so efficient that they practically shooed us out with a broom at closing time. Even the gift shop had us out the door by 5:01. Shooo. Scat. Scram. Beat it. Thanks for coming.

Austin traffic was nasty so we stopped for dinner at a nearby PF Chang whlie the rush hour subsided.

Now in (and leaving) San Antonio.

To be continued . . .

We'll be home in 6 days!

Regards,

Steve & Laurie

Road Trip Report #19 More Santa Fe

Road Trip Report #19
August 23, 2010 Santa Fe, New Mexico

Can't complain about the opera. Saw the Magic Flute in a great venue near the hotel. It is somewhat outside. Folks in the cheap seats got rained on. Lightning was distracting, all around the stage. They nabbed Laurie walking in with her camera so we have no proof. We can control the subitiles at our seat but I couldn't find the fast forward button.

Our car is only a half mile away. We should have parked and ridden our bikes in. Ruth bader Ginsburg is in the audience so they locked all the exits.

We drove to Bandelier National Monument today and hiked to some cave dwellings. Climbed up ladders to look inside. No furniture. Saw some graffiti like kids drawing animals inside and it really pissed me off, this being a national monument and all so I climbed inside and scraped it off with my knife.

Looks much better now. It started to rain with lightning and thunder so we beat it out of there just in time before the downpour but a convenient vendor under cover at the visitor center sold us a bracelet we had overlooked at the Indian Market yesterday.
We went on to Los Alimos for a look around. They are pretty paranoid out there with a security checkpoint before you get into town. Any cars with bikes on the roof get in right away. Evidently spies don't carry bikes. They had cute street names like Oppenheimer Drive, Bikini Atoll, and Trinity. Probably more cute atomic names too.
I caught this bus zipping by. Is the driver reading the paper? Better watch out in Los Alimos.

Tomorrow we drive 9.5 hours to Stephenville Texas for a quick overnight before our visit Wednesday to the Dr. Pepper Museum and bottling plant in Dublin Texas.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie

Road Trip Report #18 Santa Fe, NM

Road Trip Report #18
Santa Fe New Mexico, August 20-22

By sheer luck (good or bad) we ended up in Santa Fe on the weekend of the Indian Market, the peak, peak tourist season for Santa Fe and New Mexico. We have been juggling our itinerary and first cancelled a night in Santa Fe so we could add one night in Taos then when we got to Santa Fe we added two nights here. Dallas was axed so we could have longer stays in fewer stops.

We drove into Santa Fe (historic district) Friday night for dinner and even though the Indian Market and most stores were closed parking was impossible. We managed to have dinner at our preferred restaurant by sitting at a "community table" with other couples which resulted in some interesting conversation. Community tables are common out west we were told.

This Indian Market went on for block after block in all directions. There were few bargains. In fact, we were told that they raise prices for the market. There was a fair amount of repetition of merchandise: Jewelry, wood carving, clay pots, drums, photos, art, repeat. There were also typical and not so typical snacks. I'm not sure "Friito Pie" is really what it sounds like, at least I hope not.

Our hotel, which is out of town, provided shuttle service to the market in town (no parking hassles) and even has an in-town office so we could avoid the giant row of port-o-lets and pick up some bottled water.


We started the day with a yoga class. It looks like Lauire broke a toe (she felt no pain during the class but it hurt all day and looks pretty nasty now) and my back is killing me. I think we'll take tomorrow off.

Today we visited the "Flea Market" on our way back to the Indian Market.

I would include more photos but they have a No Dogs, No Cameras policy. I was training a dog to use my camera so now I have nothing to show. However, we discovered a great bargaining system: Run out of cash. The cost of your purchase magically drops to the amount of cash you can muster up. Of course, that becomes your last purchase and it is time to proceed to the cash machine. Curiously, there were few Indian vendors at the Flea Market but it is on Indian land and they say cameras are prohibited on Indian land. That was not the case at the Indian owned View Hotel in Monument Valley which would be out of business if they prohibited cameras. As an aside, there was an article in the paper discussing whether sovereign Indian casinos can declare bankruptcy. I guess business is off.

Later, we decided to have dinner in town since we found a parking spot near an acceptable restaurant (Cowgirls BBQ) and to my delight Frito Pie was on the menu. I had to order it but it feels like I had seen it and ordered it before. I don't think I'll need to order it again. It is a bag of Fritos split open covered with chili and other (yummy) poisons. The problem is, by the time you finish your photo session, the Fritos are totally sogged out so you still get the bad but without the good crunch. I think I could do it better at home if I ever feel too slim.
Our hotel "casita" has a real wood burning fireplace with dry wood, and fireplace lighting blocks. A nice touch.

Tomorrow we are taking a scenic drive followed by opera in the evening.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie

PS: By the way, if anybody is following us, we'd like to hear from you once in a while. We do hear from some of you and we always enjoy your emails.

Road Trip Report #17

Road Trip Report #17 August 15-19, 2010

Moab (or nearly Moab) Utah, Monument Valley (technically Arizona) and Taos, New Mexico.

Our hotel is not really in Moab, but 17 miles up the Colorado River (on a road). Sorrel River Ranch sounded more interesting than the hotels in town. We weren't expecting any issues with traffic though.

This shot was taken from the swing on our cabin porch facing the Colorado River. It's like having a cabin at the bottom of the Grand Canyon (except it's easier to get to). We took a hike but couldn't find the trail head which was on the property. We had a map but I swear it was inaccurate so we just had a stroll around the ranch. Later the front desk manager (who we met along our wayward hike and who confirmed our route) gave us a ranch tour which was interesting and very nice because he drove us around in a golf cart.

Our porch faces the Colorado River.

Laurie had been wishing for clouds to make our photos more interesting than that spectacular deep blue boring sky, so we got a full blown storm and the power went out during our couples massage. Instead of the typical massage CD, we were serenaded by chain saws clearing storm debris from the road. We made our way back to out cabin and fortunately still had running water despite the power outage. Our plan was to go into Moab to explore the town and have dinner since there was power in town. The drive along the river was breathtakingly scenic so it took us twice as long as it should have. Sunset photos eluded us as it is hard to know where the best viewing spot is and the clouds had vanished but it was still pretty. Power was still out when we returned to the ranch so they gave us a candle and glow sticks (I had flashlights). The resort ended up crediting everyone for one night which was a great deal since the inconvenience was relatively minor.

My plan was simple. I could stand on a foot bridge and shoot the sunset against this rock wall with the reflection in the water and the clouds glowing pink. Except the clouds didn't show up, the rock wall was shaded by a mountain behind me and the wind messed up the surface of the water. It was a nice way to spend some time though.

On our way out of Moab we drove through Arches National Park. I somehow thought we could zip through in three hours. It doesn't work that way when you stop at every turn out for pictures. The rock formations are incredible. We had to get going before we finished so we could make it to our next stop in Monument Valley. We had to skip one of the main attractions, delicate arch, because we would have had to drive through about 8 inches of water left over from the previous days rain. I didn't want to risk any car trouble just to see more rocks.

I thought it would be fun to flick "balanced Rock" off of its perch. We took tons of pictures but this email would be too big if I included more of them.

The View hotel in monument Valley is owned by the Navajo Nation. It was interesting. They brag on their website that due to their remote location the dark sky is good for star gazing and that all rooms face east to catch sunrise over the buttes. Star gazing would have been good if they shut off their parking lot lights. They have wifi in some rooms. The signal petered out at our room. Their toilet paper was better than that in the St.Regis Park City. Oddly they were showing a western movie (cowboys & Indians) on an outside wall but it was too far to enjoy from our balcony. We wondered if they changed it so the Indians were the good guys (which they really were.)

It is hard to pick one picture of a sunrise because there are so many different looks. Another shot which required an early rise.

We did not visit Mars but if we did I would expect it to look like this. This is one view from our balcony.

After waking before the sun to catch it rising (worthwhile) we got an early start to Taos. The scenery in Utah is more dramatic but we passed through lush green mountains in new Mexico which was unexpected. The terrain shifted abruptly to desert when we crossed a road at the plain.

Is this New Mexico or New England?

Taos is very nice. Today we went back to see the Rio Grande Gorge bridge. The bridge vibrates strongly when traffic passes by. It's not noticeable when driving across it but it sure is when walking over it.

I thought this angle would make a nice picture. Laurie was nervous when I climbed over the rail but I held on really tight with my left hand and my foot was kind of locked into the bars. I made sure no trucks were coming so I didn't have to worry about shaking.

If I slipped I would just aim for the water but the climb back up would be tedious.

Next stop was the Earthship Biostructure. This is a house made with used tires, empty aluminum cans and bottles. It is totally off the grid. Water is used 4 times before it ends up in the ground. 1. Drinking/bathing. 2. Plants clean it. 3. Fill toilets, 4. Outdoor plants drink it. This is a way of life, not just a house. It's kind of the opposite of Mirasol. The most interesting thing is that they have visitors pay $5 to hear their sales pitch. We liked the way they incorporated colored glass bottles in the walls.

If it was my house, I'd like to see the workers drinking more soda than beer.

It really is a good idea, very well thought out and the interiors (and exterior walls) don't have tires hanging out of the wall. That is more for demonstration purposes. There is a whole community of these homes here in Taos and in other parts of the world. You can buy one of these homes in Taos today (resale) for only $178,900. One bedroom, one bath 1160 square feet on 2.57 acres. You will fit in better if you are a hippie.

Predicted thunderstorms never materialized and we had a beautiful day here. We had heard that Michaels Bakery served the spiciest chili ever. Heat is relative to the taste buds of the diner. Their chocolate chip cookies were good but I long for Mirasol chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. Their sopapilla (fried bread) with honey butter was unbeatable.

We're off to Santa Fe tomorrow. We have passed the four week mark and will be home in less than two weeks.

5579 miles travelled so far, 5 days 15 hours car time. Oy.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie

PS: Editor's correction. The defecating Elk in Report #16 is really a Mule Deer Buck.

Road Trip Report #16

Road Trip Report,#16

August 14-16, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park

First, last (previous last) night. I tried various settings with a tripod in a very dark spot near our cabin to achieve photographing stars. This was more dangerous than I imagined. I brought a flashlight (actually bicycle headlight in case we got stuck somewhere after dark. Riiigggight.) but employees heading to their accommodations on bicycles without any lights kept zipping by. And I was not the only one out there trying to get stellar photos, but evidently I was in the bike path. Here is the amazing part. I know that the earth rotates. All the time. When I used the telephoto (zoomed in) lens, even though my camera would not allow an exposure longer than 8 seconds, the stars photographed as streaks. If you want to know the settings and method I used, let me know and I'll tell you rather than bore the entire audience (if it isn't too late already). Shooting stars were showing off when my shutter was open but I was focused on such a small portion of the sky for eight seconds at a time and it was late so I have none to show but they were cool. More dark nights coming up, I'll keep trying.

No, I did not bump the tripod. My camera takes three timed shots and you can see the stars in different positions in each shot as they move across the sky.

Since we had to check out of our cabin we were forced to get going on our bike excursion early. We have determined that best way to tour Zion is by bike. There are no cars on the road and a shuttle rolls by about every 10-15 minutes. Cyclists are supposed to stop when a bus comes by because they will not pass you if you are moving. We started downhill from our cabin and after rolling past magnificent scenery. The last part of the ride is on a bike path. It's easy to load your bikes on the front of an up canyon shuttle which takes you to the top so you can roll down to your cabin. There were three small uphill sections and downhill was gentle following the Virgin river, unlike down the volcano in Maui.

Definitely competition for the Aspen bike path. Throw in shuttle rides up hill, less traffic, right outside your cabin door, no threat of rain plus spectacular views and it may have Aspen beat.

This does not answer the age old question which begins "Does a bear . . .?) but now we know about an Elk.


We went a little out of our way on the way out of town to stop by an orchard with pick your own organic apples. All of the "low hanging fruit" had been picked but there were plenty left for me. We figured they must be fresh and they were (are) delicious Gala's.

Leaving Zion on the way to Bryce we had to pass through a construction area which was still in the park. The views just kept getting better. Again we had to deal with those annoying drivers following us. Luckily traffic was stopped at various locations due to the construction so we could shoot-em-up there.

These shots can not begin to describe the beauty of the area.

And the cost to take in this magnificent scene is simply the price of admission to the park and a windshield.

Then on to Bryce Canyon which is really Ruby's Canyon because Ruby cut a deal with the government when they wanted their park to include some land and a lodge that Ruby had built. You can thank Ruby for everything you want to see, eat, drink, or sleep near Ruby's Bryce Canyon. Ruby was a rancher, not a vegetarian so we should have brought our own vittles.

Bryce has magnificent views and we took in a guided tour. We learned all about Spike the guide's son who just got back from his second tour in Iraq as a Blackhawk pilot and lives in Hawaii and his daughter who lives in Salt Lake City and Spike bought his house for $38,000 and it has three bedrooms and two and a half baths, two car garage and a carport and Spike delivered Pepsi for 30 years . . . And oh yes, this viewpoint is fairyland. Can you see Snoopy, and Foghorn Leghorn, and Marge Simpson?

Fairyland.

Snoopy (he is in the above Fairyland photo too). I suppose Waldo is out there too. I'd like to know what they were smokin' when they saw that stuff but there wasn't any on our bus.

Here is our favorite wildlife photo from Bryce. It was very nice of our little friend to pose for us.

There's good eatin' in Moab so let's go. We're trying to figure out how much of this scenery you can see before you stop "seeing" it. I have to admit there are some very scenic views on the Pennsylvania Turnpike too (Western Pennsylvania, certainly not between King of Prussia and Bristol). We got some good shots traveling at 80 but they have a few scenic view stops where you can take a picture without worrying that the camera will blow out of your hand.

Moab to follow.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie