Trip Out West 2010 (Week 6)

We had a very busy week 6 starting with an awesome scenic drive from Capitol Reef NP to Kodachrome SP. Part of that drive was over Boulder Mountain and part was through Great Staircase Escalante NM. We spent that first evening off-roading some of the trails in Kodachrome SP and seeing some amazing rock formations and a lovely sunset. The next day was spent hiking in Bryce Canyon NP and, again, the views were unbelievable. One of the trails we hiked was a .6 mile steep hike down among the "Hoodoos" and the hike back was a challenge - but so worth it! The next day we drove through Red Canyon and the two arches tunnels that are considered the gateway to Bryce Canyon. From there we took scenic route 143 West where we stopped and had lunch by the side of a sparkling mountain lake. We were going to stop at Cedar Breaks NP but it was closed due to snow covered roads. Carl waded through a snow drift to one scenic overlook and got a pretty good picture though. We returned by way of scenic route 14 and enjoyed all of the great sights along there as well. The next day we left Kodachrome SP and took the scenic route to Kanab, UT. We passed lovely lakes at the mouth of red rock caves, stark canyons, and yes, some hills Carl just had to do some 4 wheelin' on - after we unhooked the trailer of course! The fifth day we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which had only been opened for the season for 1 week. The scenic route was closed due to downed trees from winter storms but we were able to walk to Bright Angel Point and to the East Rim viewing point. We also visited the old lodge there and enjoyed that. The North Rim was much more laid back and less commercialized than the South Rim but the views of that part of the Grand Canyon formed by the Colorado just could not compare. We spent the last two days of week 6 camping, shuttling and hiking in Zion NP and it is hard to describe how beautiful it was. We hiked nearly 11 miles in 2 days and almost made it to Angel's landing. The trail was 2.5 miles UP hill and we made it about 2.2 miles rising about 1300 feet. When it got to where you were walking over a hard rocky surface and had to hold on to chains to keep you from going over the edge, we decided to have lunch with a bunch of chipmunks, head back down and call it a day. The views of the Virgin River and the rock formations from that point were fantastic enough.

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Pictures of Week 6 are at this link

http://community.webshots.com/user/rvburroughs5

Trip Out West 2010 (Week 5)

Wow, it is hard to believe we have been gone over 5 weeks and have driven over 7000 miles! We began our 5th week by driving in a sand storm (that actually closed portions of I-40) to Monument Valley, UT. We camped there 3 nights surrounded by red rock mountains. The next day we went to Goosneck SP and saw some unbelievable views of the San Juan river and then drove a little west to the Valley of the Gods which was a rough road through a valley of beautiful rock formations. In the afternoon we visited Natural Bridges NM and then ended our day by driving the treacherous (but fun) Moki Dugway! We ended that day with a second visit to Gooseneck SP so we could see the sunset there. The following day we visited Monument Valley Park. There were some awesome rock formations but the roads were in such terrible shape it took some of the fun out of the visit. On Friday we took off for Moab and on the way saw Wilson Arch and Church Rock which are awesome rock formations that are just along the roadside. Moab was FULL of hikers, bikers, Jeeps, ATVs, Jeeps, motorcycles, Jeeps, Hummers, dirt bikes, kayaks and more Jeeps. They say they are the outdoorsman's favorite place to be. We spent the next two days touring/hiking through Canyonlands NP, Arches NP and Dead Horse Point SP and really enjoyed all of the scenery. We ended our week by camping at Capitol Reef NP and doing some hiking there. See the map below to see where we are headed next and see pictures of week 5 at this link:


See the map below to follow our adventures.
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Pictures of Week 5 are at this link

http://community.webshots.com/user/rvburroughs5

Trip Out West 2010 (Week 4)

We began our 4th week of travel by touring Mesa Verde NP and Canyon De Shelley NM and marveled at the cliff dwellings built so well from 400 - 1500 years ago. On May 6 we visited the Petrified Forest NP which included the Painted Desert, Puerco Pueblo and a monument to Historic Route 66. Again, the scenery was awesome and we enjoyed some of the sights along Route 66. On our way west to Flagstaff, AZ we stopped in Winslow, AZ (Standin' on a corner in Winslow, AZ....) and we hiked in the Walnut Canyon NM. Later that evening we drove the scenic route down to Sedona and saw some unbelievable red rock canyons and rock formations. We strolled in Sedona, ate ice cream and listened to some Blue Grass music. The next day was spent with me sick and Carl needing to do some maintenance on the trailer. Then we spent all day Mother's Day at the Grand Canyon (South Rim). We started the day by hiking 1.5 miles down the Bright Angel trail (which was a drop of just over 1100 feet) and then had to drag ourselves back out of it. Having been sick the day before it was probably a dumb thing to do but God was with me and Carl was very patient so we made it back out. We then alternately walked and took the shuttle buses to several of the Western viewing points of the South Rim. We ended the day at one of the Eastern viewing points trying to catch a good Sunset but with wind gusts of 30 - 40 mph we were nearly blown away. It was an extraordinary day. On Monday we took it easy in the morning and took a short trip in the afternoon to Sunset Crater NM and Waupatki NM. See the map below to see where we are headed next and see pictures of week 4 at this link:

See the map below to follow our adventures.
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Pictures of Week 4 are at this link
http://community.webshots.com/user/rvburroughs5

Trip Out West 2010 (Week 3)

We have now been traveling for 3 weeks and nearly 4900 miles! After we left Albuquerque we stopped at the Pecos NHP and Ft. Union NM. Both were interesting historically. We camped at Sugarite Canyon in NM just south of the CO line. The temperatures were in the 20s at night and it was extremely windy. The next day we visited Capulin Volcano NM and walked the 1 mile trail around it's rim. It is amazing to see the far reaching effects this extinct volcano had on the surrounding landscape. We then spent that night in the San Luis Lake SP in CO and it was again in the low 20s and VERY windy. The Great Sand Dunes NP was on the agenda for the next day but we were a little disappointed that we could not get out on the dunes. The spring runoff had the creek bed in front of the dunes pretty full and, unlike several others, we did not feel like wading through the COLD water to walk on them. A fresh pure creek backed by huge sand dunes and snow capped mountains made for some fantastic scenery though. We slowly pulled our little trailer up over the San Juan mountains and stopped at Treasure Falls. There was new snow up in the mountains. We left CO and camped that evening near the Aztec Ruins National Monument in NM and toured the ruins (which are not AZTEC Indian ruins at all). The next day we visited the Chaco Culture NM and learned that these Pueblo Indian Ancestral ruins are related to those at the Aztec NM, Mesa Verde NP and Canyon De Shelly NM. On May 3 we drove to Durango, CO and rode the Durango Silverton Narrow Guage Train and saw some unbelievable canyon scenery along the Animas river. See the map below to follow us on our trip and see pictures of week 3.

Pictures of Week 3 are at this link
http://community.webshots.com/user/rvburroughs5

See the map below to follow our adventures.
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Trip Out West 2010 (Week 2)

It is now the 29th of April and we have been on the road for 17 days. The morning we left Big Bend NP we squeezed in one quick hike to the Hot Springs on the edge of the Rio Grande. We then loaded up and headed for the "ghost town" of Terlinqua on our way to Ft.Davis NHS. We camped at Davis Mountains SP and drove the Davis Mountains Skyline Drive. We also toured Ft. Davis NHS. The next morning we headed for Pecos, TX. The town, the Wal-Mart and the Flying J gas station were all a bust and we were glad to leave that town! We spent that night and the next two in Brantley Lake SP in NM. Man was it ever WINDY! The next day we toured Carlsbad Caverns NP. We did some self guided tours and one with a guide and they were all awesome. The second day there we drove back to TX and did some hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains NP. Along the Smith Springs trail there were 3 natural springs that were just beautiful and the mountains were awesome. From there we headed up over some magnificent mountains (complete with a little snow on the ground) to Holloman AFB where we spent two nights and caught up on some laundry. We drove through White Sands Nat'l Monument the night we arrived and then got up the next morning and hiked a couple of the trails. It would be hard to explain how "other world" like it was. That evening we took a sunset stroll on the dunes and it was very nice. The next morning (the 27th and Carol's birhtday!) we moved to Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. We drove to Olde Town Albuguergue and shopped and had a wonderful Mexican dinner and then strolled through the town. On the 28th we drove a scenic byway called the Turquoise Trail along with a couple of little side trips. One of those side trips to the top of Sandia Peak (where the views were inspiring in spite of the cold and wind) led us by a quirky little place called Tinkertown. I cannot begin to describe it so Google it and you will understand. We are now headed to the Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado with a few stops on the way and we will update this again soon.

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Pictures of Week 2 are at this link
http://community.webshots.com/user/rvburroughs5