September 29 - Cedar City, UT & Zion Nat'l Park

The Drive across Utah was awesome. We left Green River, Utah with Cedar City, Utah as our destination today as we drove West on I-70, then South on I-15..  At the end of May earlier this year, we were in Cedar City, but we arrived from the South from Arizona via RT 89 and through Cedar Breaks National Monument (See our May entries).  We've been visiting various places here in the Western US since 1967, but this was the first time we drove across Utah on I-70 from East to West.

This section of I-70 was cut through the San Rafael Reef and completed in the 1980's

Rest Area on I-70 - a nearby road sign said "No Services next 100 miles"

From Cedar City, There are three National Parks within 60 miles: Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park.  We've been to these before - as recent as this past May, but we can't pass by and not take advantage of these wonderful sites.

This pic is at Kolob Canyon, located in the Northwest corner of Zion Nat'l Park. The Kolob Canyon area can only be entered from a Hwy I-15 entrance, some 50 miles form the main Zion National Park entrance.

Kolob Canyon Drive.  The red road surface is a cinder coat from the local area.

Another Kolob Canyon view

We parked at the Zion Nat'l Park Visitor Center and boarded the free Shuttle Bus that takes the scenic drive that can only be visited by bus.

Zion

Zion - White Mountain

This is the area where a man drowned yesterday

On a sad note, the day before we arrived at Zion, a young man drowned in a flash flood. His body was recovered the day we were there and they were transporting his body on the canyon trail as we passed inches away from the gurney.  At the time, we were not sure, but the yellow body bag was difficult to conceal.

This park is in Cedar City. A typical historical museum with early Utah Farm equipment, log cabins, and history

An early 1900's snowmobile

The museum had dozens of these old farm implements...

We'll be in Las Vegas on Sept. 30 for 8 nights.....

September 25, 2014

We arrived at Rifle Gap State Park, CO on September 18.  This is one of our favorite places - great views, mountains, lake, close to Grand Junction, CO to the West and Glenwood Springs, CO to the East.  We stayed here 9 nights, with four of those spent with the Colorado Chapter of the Heartland Owners Club. Heartland is the manufacturer of our Big Horn 5th wheel trailer and State chapters host Campouts and Rallies throughout the year. Last year we attended five of these; this year Colorado was our first, but we have one scheduled to attend in Arizona mid October, and one in New Mexico at the end of October.  These are fun getting together with folks who share the same love of RV'ing and the lifestyle.

Our camp site at Rifle Gap State Park

Lunch one day at "Shooters" - the waitresses carry pistols and the Restaurant also hosts Handgun Training courses to qualify you for a concealed carry permit.  Their food was good too!  (Salt and Pepper shakers are shotgun shells)

After Rifle, we travelled West to Green River, Utah - The Watermelon Capital of the World. Actually, there are six other places in the USA who make the same claim, but the Green River folks believe it!  

When I posted our location on Facebook our son Daniel posted that  he knew someone who Lives in Green River, UT from several years ago when he travelled there. Amanda saw the post and said she was working that night at Rays Tavern, so we looked it up and it was less than a mile from our campground so we drove over for dinner and met her. Nice lady and we were glad we went. Rays is a family tavern and it was packed with people of all ages. We sat at the bar to avoid a long wait and had one of the best burgers we've ever had.



Today (Sept 25) we drove 48 miles to Arches National Park.  First time for this park and boy it's beautiful!  Look for yourself at these pics:

Indian Petroglyphs just outside the park

This is the wall where the Petroglyphs are located.  The cliff wall runs about a mile or so along the roadway. I didn't get a pic, but there were rock climbers on the way to the top.
 

This sign says no climbing at this spot  due to the rock art.

In a couple days, we'll be heading South to Cedar City, UT then Las Vegas where we'll win a bunch of moola..........

We're on the move again!

Our almost three months at Buffalo Bill State Park were wonderful! ... (June 15 thru Sept 8th)  We had the absolute best host location and Wyoming, specifically Cody, is the best place we have hosted to date.  We made some new friends and enjoyed Yellowstone National Park ad nauseam.  The scenery and weather here could not be beat.  The only reason we left; winter is coming.  In fact, two days after we left the Cody area had snow. below is a pic sent to us from Cody.

Cookout at Caudle's Host site.

Sam Martinsen, Park Ranger and new friend. Sam was a delight and a great person.  (I had to say that, he carries a gun)

Final Camp Host Dinner at Irma's Hotel, Cody - Terry/June - Vickie/Mike Caudle - Barb/Dallas Reid

Three of our new friends. Dale (in hat) a seasonal park employee, and Mike & Vickie Caudle, camp hosts at North Shore Campground.

 

Enjoying the Cody downtown park and one of the Thursday night concerts. We went to all of them.

The first snow on Trout Peak viewed from our campsite about the first of September.

 

One last look of Yellowstone National park - We visited the park about 14 days while we were here in Cody for the summer.

The Bison in Yellowstone are so familiar with visitors they mingle and stop traffic whenever they feel like it.

Sunset at Buffalo Bill State Park.

We wrapped up our Hosting at Buffalo Bill State Park Monday, September 8th and left early Tuesday for an 8:00 A.M. appointment in Cody to have the trailer wheel bearings re-greased and brakes checked.  All checked out just fine and we were on the road to Greybull, WY by 10:30 A.M.   Arriving in Greybull, we stopped at their Rest Area and visited a new museum that used to be the Hawkins & Powers Aviation. They were in business providing converted aircraft to fight forrest fires.  Apparently a tanker crashed and new regulations by the government finally forced Hawkins out of business.  The local Chamber of Commerce set up this museum at the rest area and was opened to the public just a few weeks ago.

Some of the tankers in action that were once used to fight fires in the West.  These are now on permanent display here in Greybull as reminders of the past.

Ain't she a beaut! ..... (both)

 

We woke up in Greybull, WY Wednesday A.M. to snow flurries, but by noon still under clouds, temps were about 60 degrees.  Thursday A.M. it was 38 and a rain/snow mix while I got things ready for departure 280 miles South to Rawlins, WY.  We were hoping to escape the colder temps coming down from Canada, but the trip to Rawlins, WY was wet and that snow/rain mix all day. High temps were 38 degrees, but by Friday A.M. we were at 27 degrees. 

We stayed in Rawlins only one night and left for Craig, Colorado under cool sunny skies.  Craig was just 120 miles South of Rawlins, but temps rose to about 70 by 4 P.M., and it'll get warmer over the next few days.

This pic was sent to us by friends in Cody, just two days after we left.  We got out just in time.

We drove over to Steamboat Springs, CO, 40 miles East of Craig and enjoyed the area and nice sunny day, temps about 70.  This is a big Ski town and I bet it's really busy when the snow covers the ski hills/mountains. 

Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs, CO
 

We'll be moving slowly South, Rifle, CO - Green River, UT, Las Vegas, NV, Elephant Butte, NM; we're scheduled to arrive at our winter location in Tucson, AZ by November 1st... Until then, we'll update with particulars.......

STILL LOVIN' TRAVEL AND SEEING ALL WE CAN WHILE WE CAN...........