new bypass bridge

that will hopefully allow the commuters to bypass the tourist trap in the future.

bypass from the dam

I’m not saying that the dam isn’t impressive – it is –

backside of the dam

but if you’ve seen it once, there’s really no need to see it again. The huge slab of concrete really doesn’t change. So, several hours after leaving Las Vegas, we finally found a little town with a little food and I ravenously devoured a sammich. And not much further down the road, we pulled over so that hubby could get a nap and I could finally get some postcards in the mail. We finally rolled into Phoenix around 19:00 and are preparing for the intrusion of the real world.

le tour eiffel

hubby hanging at the leg of the eiffel tower

last time we were here. Strange that I didn’t take any indoor pix of these this time. This time we got to go into several that we didn’t see last time. While I had a great appreciation for the Venetian’s gondoliers,

gondola ride at venetian

lovely

inside the venetian - the gondola stops and the gondolier belts out a tune then turns and goes back out

I didn’t feel that the theme was carried through as completely as Paris. While walking through the Venetian, we ran up on these gorgeous umbrella displays

waterfall flanked by vines and umbrellas

umbrellas hit the glass ceiling

another display, with glass statues

but I soon figured out that they were actually a part of the Palazzo which we had unknowingly crossed into.  

bath time!

All in all, I think Caesar’s Palace has a more Italian vibe throughout than the Venetian. 

inside caesar

caesar's ceiling

But my favorite place to hang out a while is still Bellagio… more specfically, the Bellagio conservatory.

glass ceiling garden

look into my crystal ball

giant ants and shrooms

giant ladybug, ant, and jumping water

giant rose snail

giant froggy

I want to live in there. All of the beauty and fragrance of a spectacular flower garden without the terror of bees!

i heart fringed tulips!

red fringed tulip

rogue

self portrait amongst the flowers

I absolutely love that place!!! After several hours of walking around, we finally made our way back to bed for a lovely afternoon nap. It was good to be able to elevate my feet to get my throbbing toes to quiet down a bit. I am very proud of the fact that I managed to do all that walking today without stubbing/banging my toe or having someone step on it. I am concerned though about the outrageous size of them and the fact that my right big toe is now completely numb. Oh well, it will pass. After resting up, we went for dinner and then walked over to the Luxor which I’ve never been in.

inside the luxor

The pyramid is actually pretty cool and I’m glad we saved it for night so that I could see it and the sphynx fully lit.

bright enough to be seen from space

red rock canyon just outside bryce

part of red canyon just outside of bryce

and headed back south toward Zion Canyon. As we turned off the main road and started heading into Zion, we started seeing these great big melting rocks.

melty white rock

melty pink and white rock

It was like a scene out of a Dali painting the way that the monoliths appeared to be folding down on themselves.

sadly, the photos just don't show just how cool and melty these were

so pretty though

Unfortunately, there were no pullovers to really appreciate these very cool rocks and we figured there would be a visitor center any minute now so that we could get the full low-down of what to do and see if there were better places for seeing such rocks. Ten miles later, we finally made it to the park gate and the melty rocks were well behind us. I guess they really weren’t a part of Zion after all. Oh well. We got our little map and started down into the canyon which was a long, steep, switchbacked road. When we finally arrived to the bottom and the visitor center, I begrudgingly put my boots back on and we grabbed a pack and left. To save the roads and air, they make you leave your car at the visitor center and take the shuttle buses around the park. We went in and got advice about the best short/easy hikes and hopped on a shuttle. Our first hike was the Emerald Pools with a stop at all three, none of which were emerald and barely pools this time of year.

crossing the virgin river

looking the other way

plenty of ravenous squirrels around

Lower Emerald Pools was a nice rock overhang with a little waterfall coming off it.

nice overhang

Middle Emerald Pools was nothing at all, really a joke if that was your intended hike destination. Upper Emerald Pools had a nice high waterfall which probably been very pretty with more abundant water.

upper emerald pool falls

us at upper falls

The hike was a good stretch for the legs after our day of rest yesterday and my downhill muscles were doing much better but my toes were immediately angry about being back in the boots. I think this might be my last hiking trip in these boots.

hubby on the trail

me - yes they are the same background but they are good pix of us and this is my blog

Our next shuttle stop was at Big Bend where there was literally nothing to do but get a picture of Angel’s Landing and the Great White Throne

angel's landing is the real hike here but we just weren't up for that after the grand canyon

the great white throne

so we hopped back on the next bus to the Temple of Sinawava where we did the Riverside Walk back to the Narrows. At the end of the trail, hubby got in the water… and kept going.

off he goes

swimming, hiking - what's the difference?

I chose to remain dry and waved to him when he got to the bend.

thought he was saying "goodbye" and was just going to keep going and never come back

He must not have gone much further than that before heading back toward me with wet shoes and legs.

better shot of the river and hills

I think he was a bit disappointed because he thought it was going to be a slot canyon trail and, as far as I could tell, there are none in this park. I think he got bad info somewhere. He was told that Zion was a must see and way nicer than the other area canyons. The melting rocks we saw outside the park were cool but I really didn’t see anything great down inside the park. Not that it wasn’t worth spending a day at, but I was just way more impressed with the scenery at Bryce than here.

the tiny dot is a rock climber

there he is

The only other stop we wanted to make was at the Weeping Rock which is a super short but very steep trail. Not a big deal going up to it to see the small waterfall coming out of the rock face

rockface weeping

behind the water

the pool below

but going back down had my poor big toes throbbing and screaming. And that was it.

cool looking tree in front of the great white throne

court of the patriarchs

We rode the shuttle all the way back to the visitor center where I immediately re-shod myself in flip-flops. Not a moment too soon either… my two big toes were swollen to more than twice their size and the nails seem to be lifting up off of them. I assume I’ll be losing those nails. The throbbing is terrible. Anyhow, we left the canyon and made our way west to Las Vegas where we will rest up for the next couple of days.

viva!

caution: snow ahead

For a Florida girl, getting snowed on two days in a row is cause for a happy dance. Our goal was to do an easy day of sight-seeing while giving our legs a chance to rest and recoup. Bryce was perfect for that because there was only one real trail open due to the weather and we were fine with skipping it. Otherwise, there was just a long road with a bunch of scenic overlooks – just my speed after the last three days! And the scenery… it was fabulous!

overall setting

self-portrait

colorful rocks are awesome

huge natural arch

they call this the catacombs

i love that man!

The big thing here is the “hoodoos” which are freestanding rock formations that were created when the rock eroded away around them.

hoodoo! such a fun word

They basically look like natural totem poles and are just all around cool looking. And there are thousands of them here.

the amphitheatre

catacombs and amphitheatre - this was really the highlight of the day

amphitheatre

we really do like our self-portraits

me at the amphitheatre

seriously cool looking

the snow adds a wonderful contrast

you can see the navajo trail in the lower left - it was open but we abstained

not in my castle on the cloud

lotsa hoodos

more catacombs

here begins the wildlife series - i know it's blurry but i loved the wingspread

howdy-do

in flight with landing gear down

i was looking for a prairie dog colony because they are so much fun

sadly this is the only pdog i found

Between being all giddy from the snow and amazed at the scenery, it was a fantastic day. I even got my downhill muscles working again today without pain. After we had explored all of the sights that the park had to offer (without excessive walking), we found a hotel just outside the park and grabbed dinner at the only restaurant open in town. I think I might even get to sleep in a little bit tomorrow.

daybreak over our tent

the start of the trail at the end of the campground

red cliff topped by white/gray rock

There was a lot more elevation climb today than there was yesterday and my legs were definitely feeling the last few days but I had a great time and kept moving.

trail and vista

oooh, pretty! (by peach)

you whistling at me?

hubby-panorama (notice the switchbacks behind him)

sylvis climbing - the steepness just doesn't show (by peach)

not bad as this was the only shot i had time to snap before he flew off

Mentally, the hike was nicely divided into thirds as it was approximately 1.5 miles to the 3 mile resthouse and then, of course, the same to the 1.5 mile resthouse. I found it comforting to know how far I’d been and how far I had left to go.  If I had one complaint about these trails, it’s that there is no signage and no mile markers.  I like to know where I am.   All in all, today’s hike was much nicer than yesterday’s.  Even though it was steeper, the temperature was so much cooler and there was a lot more shade on the trail.  The closer we got to the top, the more snow and ice we encountered on the trail.  It was a lovely day for a hike.

hubby and the hills

pack mules have different tail shapes than people mules

the photos just don't capture the beauty

first tunnel, about .75 mile from top (by peach)

The best part of the entire experience was when we got about a mile from the rim and there was an awesome view that showed a good bit of the trail and you could see Indian Gardens.

here you can see several pieces of the trail going all the way down. just left of center, almost hidden by a cliff, is a tiny dark green swath. that is indian garden where we started today. my legs carried me all that way in just a few hours! the trail that goes out past indian garden is plateau point.

I looked down there and it struck me – I have gone all that distance, all that depth, on my own two legs. Suddenly, I was just overwhelmed with perhaps the greatest sense of pride I’ve ever experienced. I ran my first half marathon last month and felt nothing.  But this… this was an accomplishment!  My legs carried me (plus 25 extra pounds) almost 17 miles and almost a mile in elevation down and back up.  GO LEGS!!!  That sense of pride gave me the energy that I needed to make it the rest of the way out and I believe all four of us were pretty darned happy to be at the rim.

hubby, sylvis, and me at the second tunnel which means that we are just around the corner from the rim! (by peach)

us four at the bright angel trailhead after three days of strenous hiking

We made one last stop at the park’s superstore so that I could get a t-shirt (finisher’s medal ;-D) and then we started heading out of the park and up to Utah.

First, we drove through a massive sandstorm and some of the biggest dust devils i’ve ever seen.

getting sanded

I’m guessing there was some sort of a race or car show down toward Phoenix because we kept passing little sports cars and I had to laugh at the convertibles with their tops down – I’ll bet they were thoroughly regretting it with the sandblasting they were getting.

painted hills of the painted desert

thar be paint in them thar hills

castle looking rock formation

curvey

As we approached the mountains, we were seeing less sand but there were clouds up ahead that I was certain were carrying snow. Sure enough, while we drove through the Kaibab National Forest, we started getting flakes.

snow!

And then we were getting higher in elevation and the flakes turned to fat clumps. Before long, the trees and grounds were white.

i miss white trees

look at all that white!

Me? I was beyond elated. Hubby? Not so much. He was very concerned about the ability of our little rental car to make it if we went much higher and the road was covered in snow. I didn’t care. What can I say? I’m a Florida girl; snow is a big deal! Fortunately, we soon reached the summit and started down the other side so hubby could breathe again. Of course, that was after a brief stop for me to get out and run around catching snow on my tongue.

peach and sylvis laughing at my ebullience

accumulation!

tasty snowflakes (by peach - apparently with too slow of a shutter to catch the flakes)

And also, after we drove over a lightly dusted stretch of road.

hubby going "uh oh"

Snow is so beautiful.

the other side

fields of white

snow cloud sitting on the plateau

Our destination for the night was Kanab so that hubby and I could head to Bryce Canyon in the morning and Sylvis and Peach could start their trip back to NV. When we arrived in town, we enjoyed a tasty dinner (long overdue since there was nowhere to stop on the way and we were still going on this morning’s oatmeal and trail mix) and then a nice soak in the hotel’s pool/hot tub before calling it a night.

what's the story, morning glory?

He got up and went wandering around the campground and I soon joined him.

view from our tent

sun rising over the colorado

hubby on the bridge to phantom ranch

shadow us!

A couple hours later, Sylvis and Peach woke and we started the breakfast (oatmeal) and camp break-down processes. Close to noon, we started our ascent of Bright Angel trail.

view from the river trail

hubby before silver bridge

sylvis crossing silver bridge

crossing the colorado

The bottom, river portion of the trail was wonderfully level.

looking back over the silver bridge

It didn’t take long, however, before we reached some very mild inclines which were, unfortunately, followed by declines. Ugh! My legs and toes are DONE with the downhill motion. There was way more of it in the lower portion of this trail than I would have liked.

peach holding up a pebble

"oooh, a cave! let's see what's hungry!"

It was also much hotter than I would have liked today. I actually ran out of water (2 liter bladder) about a mile before reaching Indian Garden. Not to worry - hubby (and Peach and Sylvis) had plenty if I had needed it, I must just be more hydration-needy than others. And I was sure that I was evaporating in that heat.

soak up the sun

flutterby!

The trail was nice though in that it mostly ran along a creek that provided scenery and pleasant sound

sylvis beside a small cascade in the creek

there were several fords along the trail

crevices of greenery

Despite the heat and lack of shade and steep climb, it was a great hike.

lazy hikers

a peek of the trail we've already trodden

 While my legs and toes were much happier to be going uphill, it was still very tiring. Especially in the heat.

the devil's corkscrew

zoom on devil's corkscrew (by peach)

view (by peach)

been out of water a little bit but surely a flowering tree must mean we're close to indian garden, right?

another sign of garden

lush cascade area

waterfall

there are so many different textures in the canyon

But seeing this sign was such a welcome sight.  Not only is it the ONLY sign we’ve seen in two days, but it means that we have arrived at our destination du jour! 

from whence we've come and to where we're going

obligatory self-portrait

It was wonderful to reach the campground and get out my boots again!

indian garden campground/rest area

ribbit!

colorful rock around indian gardens

After setting up camp and resting and snacking a bit, we considered going another three miles to see Plateau Point. We walked just a little bit of it, to the first turn where there was a view,

wide open spaces

me and my hubby

before deciding to head back to camp.

you lookin' at me?!

a beautiful tree

doe, a deer, a female deer...

First, I was in flip-flops. Second, we were putting in enough miles without adding to it. Third, hubby has been to Plateau Point before and suggested that if we had just done a day-hike from the rim and were not going any further, it was absolutely a must but since we had already been to the river, it would be nothing new or spectacular. Sold! We returned to our campsite and ate dinner (Mountain House Teriyaki Chicken and Rice for hubby and I – I preferred last night’s lasagna but not because this was not good, I’m just more of an Italian girl than Asian) and dessert (Mountain House Chocolate Strawberry Crunch – same as last night: chocolate pudding with flavored chunks).

home sweet home, for the night

sylvis baking dessert

peach slaving over a hot stove

We plan on getting a much earlier start tomorrow so that we can get out of the canyon before it gets too hot.

first look into the canyon

hubby, peach, and sylvis a the rim

hubby and i ready to begin our trek

At last, we caught the shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead and started our descent into the canyon around 13:00.

south kaibab trailhead

view from the start of the trail

I was still a bit anxious when we started. I knew I could do it but I just didn’t know what lay ahead of me and I was a bit nervous.  I had heard that the trail could get scary. I have a history of freaking out on extremely narrow, two-sided-fall trails. I was led to believe that this trail could be like that in places. It was not. It was, however, a very downhill trail. By that I mean that there was steepness the ENTIRE way. There were not stretches of level ground with steps between – there were steps or steep declines and switchbacks all the way down.

looking down at the first of many switchbacks

looking back up at that same set of switchbacks, nearly invisible in the cliff-face

a little trail and a lot of view

Also , I have never done any packing. I started the trek this morning carrying 25 extra pounds of supplies and equipment. I was unsure how my legs, back, and shoulders would adjust to this extra stress.

out of sequence but here's me showing off my awesome pack

By the end of it, my two big toes (not to mention my broken fourth toe) were killing me. But the views… the views were incredible.

panoramic views

me, hubby, canyon

hubby in nature

our first view of the river!

twisty turny trail

hubby taking it in

desert blooms - this is one of many photos taken by peach with my little d10 after his very nice SLR died

vista

getting into the red earth

lean on me

crazy swedes passing hubby as they RUN the trail (by peach)

the river, in all its silty glory

monoliths (by peach)

hubby and me (by peach)

red rock (by peach)

And the hike was wonderful. It has been so long since we really did any hiking that I had almost forgotten how enjoyable it really is. I LOVE hiking. Even toward the bottom, when my toes had started throbbing, I had a huge smile on my face and was enjoying every minute of it. Although, I will admit to being overjoyed at the sight of the black bridge, which I knew to be the end-marker of our descent and the gateway to our end-point.

first view of black bridge - the end is in sight

more river views

zoom-in on the above shot showing the silver bridge and some mule corrals

getting closer to black bridge and the end of this crazy descent

panorama (by peach)

Once we crossed the bridge, it was fairly level ground and only a ten or fifteen minute walk to the Bright Angel campground.

hubby at the mouth of the bridge tunnel - smiling because there's no more downhill!

view of silver bridge taken from black bridge

enter black bridge (by peach)

sylvis and hubby and me coming out of the tunnel (by peach)

peach, sylvis, me, hubby at black bridge

fleur de cactus

We found a campsite and settled in. 

peach busting out the tools to set up camp

hubby building shelter

sylvis and me guarding home and hearth

My toes were thrilled to get out of my boots and into some comfy flip-flops – what can I say, they are beach feet! 

drying and airing out the socks and boots

Peach cooked dinner (Mountain House lasagna for hubby and I – a surprisingly tasty meal), which we took with us to the ranger program up at Phantom Ranch where we learned all about the CCC and the improvements that they made to the canyon. When we returned to our campsite, we shared a dark chocolate cheesecake dessert (basically just chocolate pudding with toffee crumbles, no cheesecake flavor) before calling it a night.