Incredible

Sorry about that. Looks like incredible was the word of the day in the last Blog.

Zion and Valley of Fire

The motel in Cedar City was so nice. I felt so pampered and the staff were great. The Abbey Inn in Cedar City Utah.

It is located off I15 just off exit 59. It has lots of food places surrounding. It is in the heart of the Canyonlands and everything is conveniently close So after breakfast the first day I headed for Cedar Breaks and Kolob canyon which I reported on yesterday. When I got back I went to the IHop right next door for dinner and was pleasantly surprised in that my dinner was paid for by complete strangers. WOW. The next morning after a lovely breakfast again I packed up and headed out. I decided to go through Zion proper and get new pictures. It was very crowded but I went through the 1.1 mile tunnel both ways and then carried on to Valley of Fire in Nevada. Here are some of the phenominal photos I took.

 

 

The sheer cliff faces in Zion are such a contrast to the sandstone of Cedarbreaks and Bryce. It is overpowering to view these magnificent edifaces and see the awe inspiring forces of nature. My favorite is the checkerboard mesa. It looks like someone took a square and a black marker and marked off the mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally left this incredible place and headed to another incredible place. Again the same only different. Bright red rock. That is why it is called The Valley of Fire and is Nevada's First State Park. Here the red rocks are pockmarked with holes. Holes everywhere. One can see many faces and shapes like a giant sculptor has tried to portray something and then thrown away his failures in a heap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was an overview of Rainbow Vista. Sorry there is so much road and I tried to cut it out but with my limited ability this is the result but it gives an idea of how vast this place is. I almost missed much of this place but turned around and went back to the visitors center. A must.. as questions are answered and another road is taken to this beautiful place. The reason this spot is different from the rest is that it used to be the bottom of a sea and as one takes one of the many trails through the soft red sand, one can visualize just that.

 

 

 

And after reaching the end of the park I headed to Las Vegas and my friends place. I drove right by their home. That cannot be it! It is a beautiful mansion with this incredible yard with a vanishing edge swimming pool, It's own mine. And eventually it will have model trains throughout the back yard. It is so beautiful. Pictures in the next episode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cedar Breaks and Kolob Canyon

The Sundowner Inn was a bit of a dump but effort was made to keep it clean and the continental breakfast was good but I made up for that. I headed for Cedar City Utah and am currently at the Abbey Inn. It is really a beautiful place and very beautiful considering there is a complimentary free breakfast and all kinds of food places right next door and down the street. The only complaint I have at present is the wind is very high and not fun at all out on the bike. However several beautiful spots are not far away and I went to see them. Cedar Breaks...The amphitheater is gorgeous with all its many brilliant colors and formations. It is similar to Bryce Canyon but has its own unique geology.

Cedar Breaks

 

 

 

I met a whole group of Germans again on Harley's rented from Eagle Rider in Las Vegas. It seems to be a very popular thing to do in Germany and no wonder with all the wondrous things there are to see. After viewing this awesome spectacle I headed back to Cedar City and fueled up and grabbed some water and a sandwich from Jimmy Johns and headed for Kolob Canyon part of Zion National Park but I had never heard of it before. Oh My What can I say. It is so wondrous it is beyond belief.

 

The sheer red rock cliffs are absolutely ethereal. I even did a 1.12 mile hike up to a point where one could see the plateau that is the start of the Grand Canyon.

I took all of these other pictures on the trail.

 

Rocks through a knarly ole juniper.

Through the branches of a bristlecone pine.

 

 

 

 

In one spot the trail tended to be wet so this is how they coped. They made little islands of logs and dirt and left spaces so the water could run between them leaving the path intact. Rather unique and rustic.

Joe, just for you..Who did I talk to? A couple from San Antonio Texas in a car,A couple from Saskatoon Sask Marie who teaches German and her husband. A couple Valerie and Rick from Tuscon Arizona on a Honda GoldWing and Paul from Pleasant Valley Utah on a Goldwing Trike. I would still be out there meeting all these wonderful people but I opted to come back to the Abbey Inn and finish my blog and have dinner and go for a swim because the wind was very strong. Oh!!!The Hard Life I Lead. I will leave you with a couple more pictures of this wonderful Canyon.

 

 

In this picture I was trying to show the vertical crack on the little tower in the middle. I am sure I have often viewed these mesas from the air and wondered where the were. I am positive I have solved this mystery and will be sure to look on the 24th as I fly from Palm Springs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip to Palm Springs

I left Calgary Friday morning and headed south to my friends Kevin and Annie Huddy's place. I had directions and it was a beautiful day. I  stopped at Cardston and visited with friends Hazel and Ed Murphy whom I had not seen for several years. Then across the border and through St. Mary's and down the beautiful road into Montana.

After stopping and taking these pictures I stopped at a little rest area and this tree was a reminder that fall is here and winter is on its way.

 

 

This rest area is just north of Choteau and just north of several miles of bad construction but I made it through. I stopped in Choteau for fuel and grabbed a bite at the service station and continued on arriving at my friends house  around 7 and enjoyed dinner with them. Kevin was leaving early on a trip to Idaho on his new FJR the next day and Annie had to go to a baby shower so stayed home and prepared the food. They have a beautiful home and we had a wonderful visit.

 

 

This was the lovely sunset from their property that evening.

What a gorgeous place and the view from their deck was gorgeous with sandhill cranes and hawks and deer,

It was their next door neighbors 70 birthday and he has a collection of steam tractors and had them out in full display so I went over and took a few pictures.

 

Saturday I helped Annie prepare some of the things for the baby shower she had to go to. The theme was Dr Seuss . So anyway she made green eggs and ham. Aren't these cute?

 

This morning I left around ten and headed north for the Western Montana BMW meeting at The Missouri River Inn in Hardy Montana. I visited with many BMW friends I have met over the years and what a beautiful area. I love this canyon.

 

 

 

This bird was in the restaurant as was very similar to the one in Ignace, Ont.

Now I am at the Sundowner Inn in Dillon Montana and will head further south tomorrow.