OLA: Getting Back to Desert Heat (Southern Utah)

the glow of the setting sun on this hill in Canyonlands National Park

bidding goodbye to Colorado Spring Snow!

It was another snowy stay at Suzanne’s home in Denver, Colorado!   With the extra time, both Devin and Cassie, with a half day off from school one day, decided to create their own blogs. Cassie settled on one that inspires, informs, and entertains her audience with the fresh goofiness of an almost twelve-year old Funny Girl! For her first post, please go to http://askmyparents.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-first-awesome-post-creative-name.html. Devin’s PicturesandStuff11.blogspot.com highlights unusual photos, music, and other stuff, and what else, for a fourteen-year old teenager! For his posts, please go to http://picturesandstuff11.blogspot.com/

the view from our camp in Hurricane, Utah

We wanted to head back to the warmth of the desert. The RV may be in Hurricane, Utah but we decided to stop at Moab to take a peek at the Canyonlands National Park. In 2009 we camped in the city on the way to Suzanne’s and visited its companion park, Arches National Park. We were very intrigued by Canyonlands because this was where the unusual story of an adventurous hiker became famous. 

another view near the camp

Canyonlands has four districts, the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and Horseshoe Canyon. The last two are not easily accessible. It was south of Horseshoe Canyon where Aron Ralston, on a day hike, slipped into a slit rock where he was pinned for 127 hours (the title of the movie of his ordeal, the book is "Between a rock and a Hard Place") until he amazingly courageously cut off his arm just below the elbow to free himself and save his life. The Maze is Canyonlands at its wildest, a 30-square mile of sandstone puzzle.

the Needles behind us at Canyonlands

Big Spring Overlook at Canyonlands

The Needles are rock pinnacles banded in red and white where earth movements fractured the rocks and water’s freezing and thawing eroded it further into a jumbled pile. Though they dominate the scenic drive to and from the Visitor Center, other land forms of spires, arches, canyons, grabens, mushrooms, and potholes are all around. At the Big Spring Canyon Overlook there is a trail (which Bill braved) that ends at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Green River which carved the canyons.

Bill at the Green River Overlook of Island in the Sky in Canyonlands

Beyond is the last district, the Island in the Sky.  But, as we were leaving Needles, a an almost chimney rock, glowing in pink, stood out amongst the others. We stayed overnight at Moab and in the morning we drove to the two best overlooks of the Island in the Sky: Green River and Grand View Point. Both had Mars-type landscapes in the expansive canyons but the sun shone on Green River more. Grand View,  in the glow of the afternoon sun, probably offers an expansive stunning vista around the two mighty rivers.

Reef View,preview of Capitol Reef National Park

Interstate 70 through western Colorado and southern Utah is a scenic route. Book cliffs, Reef View (a preview of Capitol Reefs National Park), Wedge Overlook, Dragon Mountain, Big Rock Candy Mountain, highway intrusions into the red hills, and all other sorts of formations in varying hues from white to red to black studded the desert landscape. Even snow-capped mountains from afar and green fields amid arid landscapes interplayed with all of them.

Big Rock Candy Mountain

at the Court of the Patriarchs in Zion

Zion (meaning sanctuary) National Park is a spectacle of soaring cliffs in varying hues: the huge red Watchman near the Visitor’s Center, the majestic Tower of the Virgins composed of the West Temple, the Sundial, and the Altar of Sacrifice behind the Museum of Natural History, the spectacular Court of Patriarchs with Abraham’s, Jacob’s, and Isaac’s Peaks, and the spectacular trio of the Organ, the Great White Throne, and the Angel’s Landing from Big Bend, and the Temple of Sinawua that leads to the unusual world of the Narrows all carved by the Virgin River, the first-ever Federally protected  river.

Temple of the Virgins in Zion

Kolob Canyons, part of Zion

The next day we also made it a point to complete the Kolob Canyons, a separated part of the Zion National Park that was on the way to Bryce Canyon National Park. The soaring heights of Ranch Mountain, Beatty Point, Nagunt Mesa, Timber Top Mountain, and Shuntavi Butte made a spectacular large vista.

Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon

the Arch in Bryce Canyon

But Bryce Canyon is truly something else. The hoodoos, intricate formations from erosion still being crafted after millions of years, created such a unique land form of seeming cities for extraterrestrial beings. Rainbow Point at over 9,000 ft in elevation, to Agua Canyon, Bryce Point, Pariah View,  Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Fairy Land along the 37-mile roundtrip drive through the Park from the Visitor Center, at 7,000 ft. elevation, are all breathtaking stops.

Fairyland in Bryce Canyon

yes, there was still snow on Highway 14 going back to camp

On the way to Bryce we took I-15 North to Highway 20 East, then Highway 89 South and then Highway 12 East to the Park, passing by the Red Canyon National Monument. On the way back to the camp, we took the other more scenic route, through Highway 12 West, Highway 89 South, then Highway 14 West and back to I-15. Highway 14 took us to almost 10,000 feet in elevation and there was still snow all around. That was a pleasant surprise: the warmth of the desert below and the cool of the snow in spring above.

For more of the desert, and of a slightly different kind, Las Vegas…here we come! 

OLA: Riding Through the Cold in Cowboy Country!

Buffalo Bill's in his birthplace, Oakley, Kansas

@ Olive Garden in Joplin, Missouri with Rosemary and Jack!

April 15 is a much nicer day for us than for the millions of taxpayers in the Philippines or the US.  It is, after all, the birthday of Bill’s only sister, Rosemary.  And, if you knew her, you would want her in your life, too! So it was such a pleasure to take her and husband Jack to Olive Garden in Joplin, Missouri. All of us had not been to the popular Italian restaurant for a couple of years.  And the following night we even had (we got home too late on her day) celebrated it again with left over champagne from Becky's wedding!

a red cardinal and two yellow finches in the Docks' garden!

Alley on her throne @ the Docks!

So much of nature is viewable from the sunroom of their lovely home. A red bud tree was aflame nearby. Bill was able to take a priceless shot of a red cardinal and two yellow finches below their bird feeder. And a new cat, Alley, owner of the cozy throne/chair in the room, eyed me with suspicion as I took it from her during TV nights. A bright scene of alfalfa among the greens struck me on the road to Joplin. And, just in front of Olive Garden, there was a Bradford pear tree abuzz with white flowers!

at the western entrance to Dodge City, Kansas

Longhorn Steer in downtown Dodge City, Kansas

But a couple of days later, after the necessary repairs on ‘turn, we were on the road again back first to Denver at Suzanne’s home and then hopefully to Hurricane, Utah where the RV is stored. And the weather turned nasty. Thus we  skipped the Nebraska run altogether and chose a more southern, though longer route.

We stopped for the night at Dodge City. It was 41 degrees Fahrenheit with 28 mph winds, thus feeling like 29! But, we managed to take shots of the  Longhorn steer and Wyatt Earp statues in downtown Dodge City.  And the Cattle Feed Lot Overlook, at the city's western entrance, reminds all that the city is the Cowboy Capital of the World. Just before this sign are the Santa Fe Rail Tracks, where the wagon wheel ruts of the westward era remain protected for future generations.

Santa Fe Rail Tracks in Dodge City, Kansas

cattle feed lot

After the quick photo-ops, we snuggled under the warmth of our covers in our motel for the night. We woke up the next morning with the TV spectacle of the ongoing hunt of the remaining Boston Marathon bomber, the older one having been killed the previous night. So we proceeded to Denver where  Suzanne, Bill's daughter, lives. On the way, we saw many cattle feed lots, a definite sign  that we were in beef country.

the Big Well in Greensburg, Kansas

a mirroring of white splashes

We were fascinated with the Big Well in Greensburg, Kansas. It is the largest hand-dug well in the world,195 feet deep and 30 feet wide. The splashes of white cumulus clouds against the bright blue sky are mirrored as patches of spring snow against the brown fields. In Oakley, where  Buffalo Bill lived, we stopped briefly at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center. We found out that his grave is in Golden, Colorado where the Buffalo Bill Museum stands.

World's Wonder View Tower

We had driven across the road many times going to and from Suzanne’s and Rosemary’s homes but this time, about 50 miles into Colorado from the Kansas state line, we spotted the World’s Wonder View Tower. It is a tourist trap with 50,000 different bottles atop which one can see six states. After arriving in Denver but before going to Suzanne’s, we had to stop at Best Buy to get an external mouse because my laptop’s internal one died the night before. We also got to sample Arby’s new dollar menu.

Bill and Devin @ the Coca-Cola Freestyle kiosk in theAMC theatre

As soon as we got to Suzanne’s, we went to the tennis open where Devin was participating. Although he did not win the match, it was such a tight one that I held my breath during each battle of long rallies. The next day, the whole troop minus Suzanne went to see Jurassic Park 3D at the AMC Promenade. I was amazed at the Coca-Cola Freestyle kiosks where you can concoct 100+ drinks of your choice. Bill and I chose a mix of Barq’s original and vanilla plus Mr. Pibb’s classic and vanilla to complement a large bag of popcorn! These are exactly the same kiosks they had at the World of Coke in Atlanta, Georgia!

Guitar Hero with Cute Cassie!

Back home at the Harper’s, after a miserable performance on Guitar Hero for me, Devin emerged an undisputable rock star, challenged only by Suzanne. On Sunday, Bill made French toast for everyone. Later, after rocking with Suzanne and Cassie (please see her cute blog on: http://askmyparents.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-first-awesome-post-creative-name.html) in Dance Central 3, we went to Yak and Yeti, an Indian/Tibetan buffet, and then to mass. But we stayed another day not only to wait for our package, courtesy of Deejay, of our mail and things we left behind in Seattle. Our car battery had also gone kapoot.  Good Sam, our road assistance program, sent a tow truck right away. And now for the wait...before we can go back to our RV in Utah! IN the meantime, it is snowing again...in the middle of spring!

@ Yak and Yeti with Devin and Cassie

PLEASE

OLA: Rushing to a Wedding in Pittsburg!

glistening trees, laden with frozen rain, amid the greens of early spring

Suzanne with her Dad amid spring snow!

This post was supposed to be entitled ‘Braving the Spring Snow” since we knew that snowy days were coming during the last two days of our stay with the Happy Harpers in Westminster, Colorado.  However, since we were not prepared for the wintry blasts,  Bill and I dropped  our plans of going northeast on I-80 to Scottsbluff, Nebraska  to see the famed Chimney Rock and to Kearney, Nebraska  to catch the migration of 80% of sand hill cranes in the world.  Instead we opted to proceed to the wedding in Pittsburg, Kansas on a more southern, warmer, more direct route, along I-70.

the Eisenhower boyhood home in Abilene, Kansas

deployment at Normandy Beach, including artificial harbors

The boyhood home of Dwight Eisenhower, one of 7 sons of Pennsylvania Dutch parents with strong work ethic and religious background, is in Abilene, Kansas. He was America’s beloved leader in war and in peace. The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, he orchestrated the defeat of the Nazis through the largest military deployment (156,000 soldiers, 4,000 planes, and 4,000 ships) on D-Day (June 6, 1944) at Normandy Beach in France. Almost a year later, the Nazis surrendered on May 8, 1945. This became known as V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.

Eisenhower towers over the grounds of his Library and Museum

He earned the respect of the leaders in the international arena and the love of the American people. He was ushered into a 2-term presidency that oversaw the peace time prosperity period of America, the brisk  reconstruction of Europe, and the deft handling of the Cold War after WWII.  The Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum stands in his home town.  Of course, Bill is very proud that he hails from Kansas! His is the 29th Presidential Library and museum we have been to!

On the way to Wichita, Kansas we passed through so many scrub oaks that glistened from the freezing rain that covered their leafless blackened branches. I could not stop taking photos which just could not seem to capture the sparkle of the trees.

Bill in front of the Original Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas

In Wichita we had planned on having a big dinner at the Original Pizza Hut. Brothers Frank and Dan Carney, students of the University of Wichita, opened the first Pizza Hut restaurant on June 15, 1958. Approached by the owner of a small building who wanted a nice neighborhood business to locate there and who had read a 1957 Saturday Evening Post article about the pizza craze, the brothers wanted "Pizza" in the name. But the sign could only accommodate 9 characters. Pizza Hut was born. 

Gene Bicknell, a graduate of the same university as Bill, Pittsburg State University (PSU), is most well-known as founder of NPC International Inc., the world's largest Pizza Hut franchisee. NPC has 794 restaurants and 18,000 employees in 27 states make up 12 percent of the domestic Pizza Hut system (more than five times the size of the next-largest franchisee).

the Wichita State University caterpillar

Because of this, the bypass that goes around Pittsburg has been named the Bicknell Highway.  The O. Gene Bicknell Center for Entrepreneurship at the PSU campus is also named in his honor. But we found out that the little building where Pizza Hut started stands there just as a monument, on the campus of Wichita State University along with many interesting sculptures on site. That night, for memory’s sake, we still had our dinner at an operating Pizza Hut store nearby.

Tommy and Becky, a story made in heaven

the locked-in wine ceremony toast

We arrived at the Docks’ (Rosemary, Bill’s sister, and Jack her husband) home in Pittsburg in the mid afternoon of a Friday. The following day, April 13, was the festive wedding reception for about 150 guests of Becky (Rosemary’s youngest child and only daughter) and Tommy.  Becky and Tommy are both members of the Pittsburg police force. They actually had been married on April 10 at Beaver Lake, a beautiful lakeside cottage near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. 

The theme of the wedding was unique…‘camouflage’! The tablecloths and room décor used both traditional and pink camouflage designs; the wedding favors, and even the wedding gifts and cards all blended well. The bride and groom, wearing tennis shoes, was such a perfect match despite the more than a foot difference in height. 

a romantic first dance!

Dinner was absolutely delicious ricotta from the famous Pallucca grocer and deli in Frontenac and famous Pittsburg fried chicken and lots of sides.  As a matter of fact, even the appetizers were all my favorites: pork cracklings, cheese puffs, cashew nuts, colorful candy mints, and trail mixes. After the wine toast, the cake cutting, and the first dance, lots of us danced the night away. The festivities lasted until 11 pm when the couple was herded on to their pick-up.  Almost 100 of the pink and black balloons that had added to the festive atmosphere in the hall had been tied to the back of the pickup to give them a push towards their ‘honeymoon’. It was a fun, and nice, Kansas wedding!

at the back of their get-away pick-up truck with lots of balloons!

OLA: Driving from White Sands to Red Hills to White Mountains!

the red hills at Glenwood Springs, view from our motel

After April Fools’ Day we left the comfort and excitement of Palm Springs, California to begin our trek to Pittsburg, Kansas for the wedding of Bill’s niece, Becky Pallucca. The first part of the road trip would take us to a short visit with Suzanne, Bill’s daughter, in Westminster, Colorado. As it turned out, I-10, I-15 and I-70, the three highways that give the fastest route from California to Nevada,  through Arizona, and then to Colorado are also unbelievably scenic. Literally we drove from white sands to red hills to white mountains.

windfarms off I-10 in southeast California

cause of the road delay on I-10

On I-10 we were first reminded of the wind farms of southeast California but soon a long queue of vehicles blocked the highway. We later found out that a delivery truck was burning just off the road ahead of us. After a delay of at most half an hour we spotted Joshua trees. After an hour from the turn onto I-15, there was this wide white splash that became bigger and bigger. It was Devil’s Playground just before the Mojave National Preserve. It was white desert.

the Devil's Playground off I-10 in southeast California

Mojave National Preerve off I-10 in southeast California

Soon the playground of the desert, the Gambling Capital of the World called Las Vegas, loomed larger and larger on the horizon. We will be back in the city for a month, first at the Las Vegas Casino and Hotel for a treat then at Thousand Trails’ Las Vegas Resort. Actually just after the border of California and right before the border of Arizona are some of Nevada’s mega casinos, too!  Then we had a short rendezvous with Arizona, touching the northwestern tip of the Grand Canyon.

las vegas on the horizon

red hills off I-70 in Utah

By the late afternoon we were in the beautiful state of Utah. The city of St. George, like Sedona, has red rocks surrounding it. We camped at the St. George RV Resort (KOA) for the night in the small town just past St. George named Hurricane. Early the next morning we stored M’A at their storage facility and headed out to Westminster with just our little ‘turn.

From snow-capped Cedar Breaks and its Brian Head Summit to the Big Rock Candy Mountain of the Fishlake National Forest I could not put down our Nikon.  Devils’ and Eagles’ Canyons led us to picturesque Book Cliffs and then to the Roan Cliffs. Small patches of green among white, light and dark greys, yellow, pink, red and brown rocks jut out of the rocky landscape right up to the edge of Utah and Colorado.

red hills off I-70 in Utah

Idaho Springs frozen waterfall

We stopped for the night in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The view from our motel room was of a red hill swathed with some of last winter’s snow.  Bill had a very relaxing time at the motel’s hot tub with this perfect view (I couldn’t!). Then we went shopping for shoes because I had left my only pair of closed shoes in Seattle.  The next morning, as we drove to Westminster, I thought we had gone from a summer desert to a winter playground!’  We even spotted a frozen waterfall! The mountains turned increasingly white as we rose to almost 12,000 ft. in elevation. But, of course, we dropped down to just above 5,000 when we got closer to Westminster. 

 

ski runs in Vail, Colorado

Colorado white mountains in spring!

The visit to the Harpers was quite memorable especially when Devin, just turned 14, won the championship at the Lewis Tennis School Spring Fling 2013 B14. That day was really a celebration; Suzanne even bought me chocolate therapy! The night before was hilarious with the rented Redbox movie, “Here’s the Boom’!  More about the Happy Harpers when we come back through Westminster after attending the wedding in Pittsburg, Kansas and returning to Hurricane, Utah for a week in the national parks with M’A ‘turn!

Devin with the runner-ups!