Day #6: June 17th - Canyon de Chelly

We woke up at 5:30 and had a breakfast of muffins and grapes.  I loved having that full kitchen!








We left Moab by 7:40 and had lunch at A & W Root Beer in Chinle, Arizona.  Mom said that was the first time she'd had root beer.  Good grief!

We met Francine, our local Navajo guide at the Canyon de Chelly Visitor Center for our canyon tour at 1:00 PM.


The flags were at half staff in memory of two Navajo code talkers who had passed away.

We learned that the Anasazi were the first native Americans to live in the canyons.

Their drawings and homes are still in the canyons.

The Hopi came next and planted the cottonwood trees.  The Navajos arrived around 1700s.

Because of all the soil erosion, the Navajos asked the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) for help.  They planted Russian Olive trees and Tamarisk (Salt Cedar) which turned out to be more of a problem because it deposits salt in the area harming other vegetation.

I also enjoyed seeing the Deadly Nightshade and Sacred Datura plants again.  Francine said the Datura is sometimes called the ER plant because it is hallucinogenic and is often abused and can be deadly.  And the Deadly Nightshade?  Well, it can be deadly.

Black streaks on the walls are manganese and iron oxide.  Manganese contains mercury which may have poisoned early settlers in the canyon.

Francine said the real name for Canyon de Chelly is Tseyi (pronounced say-ee) which means rock canyon, but the Spanish couldn't pronounce it and it ended up being called de Chelly.

Navajo is also Spanish for spear or something sharp.

Francine showed us where Kit Carson massacred the Navajo people in the canyon.

The last time we were in Canyon de Chelly with our kids, it was freezing cold and there was a lot of water in the river.  We'd visited the canyon in early spring, but it was a completely different experience this time.  It was hot and the river was dried out. It made for a very, very bumpy and dusty ride.

We met Cara who was selling her beautiful beaded necklaces.  We did, of course buy one for our little KC.

I was surprised to learn that the Navajo language had not been written down until the 1970's.  Francine despaired that the language is now being lost since young people are not learning how to speak it.  Another reason for the decline of the language is because of the use of Navajo code talkers during WW II.  The U.S. government prohibited the use of the Navajo language in public because the code was classified information for a long time.  Navajo children were also taken away from the reservation to be educated on the outside.  Parents were only allowed to visit them once a year.  Because of all this, the language and traditions of the Navajos are being lost.

We had a Navajo type dinner at the Best Western's Junction Restaurant since Francine recommended it highly.

It was truly an interesting and informative day.

Day #5: June 16th - Arches National Park

At 5:00 we had a quick breakfast in our room and drove to Sunrise Point.

Art noticed then that mom was struggling to catch her breath.

The altitude combined with exhaustion was a bit too much for mom.  Art insisted on staying with her and made me go on ahead more quickly to get some photos of the sunrise.

I was worried about mom, but she was able to walk slowly to the rim and watch the sunrise.  It was a warning for us that we needed to take things more slowly because mom was pushing herself and not telling us quickly enough that she was tired.

At Sunrise Point, a fellow came up and offered to take our photos.  What a surprise to learn they were from Fukuoka, Japan.  In fact we'd just visited Fukuoka last year when we were in Japan.  Mom had a great time talking to them in Japanese.

Now that we were in the mountains, cell phone coverage had been extremely spotty to non existent, but right there on Sunrise Point an e-mail suddenly appeared from Dhaka, Bangladesh!  Our son, Jon had written to wish Art a Happy Father's Day along with a photo of himself holding a Father's Day card.  We couldn't believe the timing of it! It still amazes me to remember that moment.

At 7:00 AM we left our lodge at Bryce and headed out toward Arches National Park.  We saw lots of signs along the way warning drivers of drowsiness.

On the way to Arches, Jon called and we were briefly able to talk to him before we lost connection.  It was an incredible Father's Day for Art.

After arriving at the Arches National Park Visitor's Center, we watched an orientation film and determined where we should go.

The giant stone sculptures carved by nature were almost too magnificent to believe.  Mom could hardly believe what she was seeing.  "God sculpted this," she said.

Here we are at a site called Park Avenue.

The size of the massive rocks absolutely stunned us!

These huge rocks reminded me of giant temples we saw in Egypt.

We saw a lot of rocks that looked like they would fall with a push of a finger.  We walked just part way to the Windows.  I didn't want mom over tiring herself.  We also made sure she was hydrated at all times.

The Double Arches looked interesting and I knew Art was itching to check it out.

I sent Art out to enjoy the walk and I took mom back to the car.

Mom enjoyed seeing all the cactus flowers and other desert wildflowers on the trail.











At 4:00 we left the park and drove to Moab's Rustic Inn.  They had free wifi, a full sized fridge and kitchen.

I was so tired, I fell asleep writing in my journal that night.

Day #4: June 15th - Bryce Canyon National Park

We had our delightful breakfast at the Quality Inn and left the motel by 8:00.  The 2.5 hour drive was a little longer than planned because we stopped so often for photos.

Mom kept exclaiming at what a large country the U.S. was and how amazed she was by all the natural beauty around her.  We couldn't help laughing when she kept saying, "Japan has nothing like this!"

We arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park around 11:00.  Art really made use of his senior pass on this trip.  We bought lunch at the general store.

We then went to the Yovimpa and Rainbow Points at the end of the scenic route and stopped at all the sights along the way back.  The mountain above was quite striking, but I've forgotten the name of it.

Black Birch Canyon was impressive.

Ponderosa Canyon was colorful.

Agua Canyon had interesting shapes and colors.

Natural Bridge was not formed by a stream like true natural bridges.  More accurately an arch, it was carved by rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.










Farview Point offers views of plateaus and mountain.

Paria View looks over hoodoos in an amphitheater carved by Yellow Creek.


Hoodoos are pillars of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion.


Unfortunately we shouldn't have done this walk because it exhausted mom.

However, mom really enjoyed seeing all the wildflowers around us.

Bryce Point!  By the time we got here, mom was exhausted.  We told her she could wait in the car while we checked it out.  When we saw the view, we went back and told mom it really was something she should see but she could decide.  With both of us holding her arms, we supported her to the look-out.  We should have come here first!!!

I took photos with the iPad which captured colors well, but the wind kept blowing it and making it wobble.  It was also awkward to hold. The resolution of an iPad photo on a bigger screen was also not as good as photos taken by my larger Canon.

We ate dinner at the lodge and then Art and I went to get breakfast supplies for the following morning. Mom was able to rest and have some peace and solitude for a short while.

We saw a short horned lizard outside our lodge and mule deer in the darkening evening.

It was beautiful.

Day #3: June 14th - Zion National Park

We woke up at 7:00, at least Art and I did.  I think mom got up at 4:00.  We ate breakfast in our room that we'd bought the evening before.  Fruit, muffins and juice were just right for us.

We drove about two hours from St. George to Zion.  We liked learning that Zion meant "Place of Quiet Sanctuary".  Art said the name alone made him like it so much he even bought a t-shirt there.

The park was PACKED!  We didn't expect that.  We had to park a distance away because the closer parking lot was full.  We walked to the Zion Visitor's Center where we boarded a shuttle bus that took us to different locations in the park.

We ate a hot dog lunch at the Zion Lodge Red Rock Grill.

The Emerald Pool 1.23 mile Trail was a little more challenging for mom than we expected, but mom pushed herself to enjoy the scenery.

The Emerald Pool was not exactly emerald, but it was cooler there with the light mist falling from above.

The Temple of Sinawava walk was paved and easier, but the sun was awfully hot.

There were columbines on the trail and rock squirrels which mom enjoyed seeing.

It was nice to sit next to the cool stream toward the narrow canyons before we headed back.  Mom said this was the best part of the trip.

When we got to the far parking lot, it was also now completely full.

At 3:30 we headed toward the Quality Inn in Springdale, Utah.  It was a great place.

They had a clean laundry facility and free breakfast.  There was also a little restaurant next door called the Whiptail Grill which ended up being our favorite dinner place for the entire trip.

Mom had a Mexican Tofu Pizza.  I had Grilled Prawn Tacos and Art had a Green Chili Burger.  We loved it!

Things were looking up!

Day #2: June 13th - Las Vegas to St. George, Utah

As soon as we got up, Art and I quietly discussed our plan of action.  We needed to focus forward and not dwell on our carry-on luggage loss because it would ruin the entire trip for mom.

We called the Las Vegas baggage claim who said they still hadn't located where our luggage was but had a lead on something.  What to do?  Wait?  Go shopping to replace what we needed?

We waited for a while in our room and then decided to be more pro-active.

We went to an Outlet Mall and bought underwear, socks and clothes for Art.  We also bought night wear for all of us.  Before making our purchases, we called the baggage claim again and learned that the lead they'd hoped for was a dud.

We went to Ross for another luggage.

The temperatures in Vegas were daunting!

We went to Fry's, Best Buy and Office Depot to locate chargers for our cell phones, Kindle, iPad and cameras. It was not easy!

Art and I have two different kinds of lithium batteries for our cameras and nobody carried replacements.  Finally, wonderful Phil at Office Depot showed us a universal charger that would work for both of our battery sizes.  Amazing!!!

We had a sandwich lunch at Fry's which was surprisingly good.

With the much later travel start to the Chalet Motel in St. George, Utah and having to get the new clothes washed before we could use them, we didn't get to bed until midnight.

We'd also stopped at the Walmart and bought a case of 35 bottles of water.  They cost 3 bottles for $2.00 in Las Vegas.  We bought the case of 35 bottles for $4.84 in St. George.  We thought we wouldn't be able to finish the case, but ended up having to buy another case later in the trip.

The temperatures in St. George were not any cooler than in Vegas.

It was an exhausting day!

Visiting the Canyons, Day #1

Yes, it's true.  We've been gone on another trip.  When we made plans to go to China in May, mom did not want to go with us.  It was a good thing because we realized later that it would have been too strenuous for her.

Therefore we decided to take her on a trip to the "Mainland" instead.  She'd never seen all the canyons in Utah and Arizona so we decided to take her there.

Day #1:  June 12, 2013 Wednesday

My cousin, Arnold drove us to the airport despite the early morning hour.  We went via Hawaiian Airlines.  However, just as we were boarding, the agent said there wasn't enough room in the overhead bins for our carry-on so we'd have to do a gate check-in.

Do you know Hawaiian Airlines still serves food?  It's great!  I brought that inflatable footrest for mom which she liked but she said her foot got cold.

People had warned us that the Las Vegas terminal is very large and required a lot of walking.  I'd called ahead to ask for a wheelchair since mom's knees often bother her if she has to walk too long a distance.  Once we arrived in Vegas, it took a long while for wheelchairs to be brought for the many people needing that assistance.

When we got to the baggage claim, they had two of our check-in suitcases, but was missing our all important carry-on luggage that had all of our cameras, cell phone, iPad, Kindle chargers, our one day's emergency clothing, sleep wear and ALL of Art's travel clothes.  It also had my new Northface jacket for the cold morning we were expecting at the Grand Canyon.  The Las Vegas Baggage Claim had no idea where it went.

There was nothing we could do, but the baggage claim agents said they would keep us informed.  I was sure the bag was stolen.

This was not a great welcome for our return trip to Las Vegas after exactly 40 years when we moved to the mainland in 1973. We stepped out of the airport to catch a shuttle to Dollar car rental.  The BLAST of hot 102 degree Las Vegas heat was a shock to the system.  It really was like walking into an oven!

It was incredible to drive through the strip and see all the amazing buildings.  An Egyptian pyramid and the Sphinx?  The Eiffel Tower?  The Statue of Liberty?  Roman statues?

We checked into the California hotel because we'd heard that this was where all the people from Hawaii stayed.

Our cell phone battery was running low which was a worry since that's how baggage claim was going to reach us.

Art had to use one of my blouses since his sleep wear was in the missing baggage.  I admit that was the one thing that made us laugh.

While mom rested in the hotel room, Art and I walked the short distance to Freemont Street and saw a bit of what Vegas is famous for.

We went to bed worried and trying very hard not to show our dismay to mom.  I knew that it would upset her even more if she knew how stressed we were.

It was a terrible start to a trip that was supposed to be especially happy and exciting for mom.