We are on the home stretch of our adventure. We said good-bye to Colorado and to our "neighbors," the Bakers, and we headed toward Utah. We drove about a hundred miles through rolling green ranch land until the landscape began to change yet again, and we were surrounded 
by red-rock cliffs. We stopped at Arches National Park (http://www.nps.gov/arch), home to Utah's unofficial state symbol. Here are just a few photos of the beatiful formations. (And,yes, Natalie is wearing a "PETA" t-shirt in the first photo, but if you look closely, it says "People Eating Tasty Animals." The back goes even further to say, "All God's creatures look best next to the mashed potatoes and gravy." Gotta love that Colorado sense of humor!)
by red-rock cliffs. We stopped at Arches National Park (http://www.nps.gov/arch), home to Utah's unofficial state symbol. Here are just a few photos of the beatiful formations. (And,yes, Natalie is wearing a "PETA" t-shirt in the first photo, but if you look closely, it says "People Eating Tasty Animals." The back goes even further to say, "All God's creatures look best next to the mashed potatoes and gravy." Gotta love that Colorado sense of humor!)
Leland and Natalie both earned another Junior Ranger badge at this park. It's a really neat program--and the parents learn as much as the kids!
We got back on the road, and this time I took the wheel. I drove for a couple hundred miles--and it wasn't all straight freeway. The road had some gentle curves and quite a bit of fluctuation in elevation. It's a little daunting going down a 6% grade with 6 tons of trailer pushing you down the hill. I also exited the freeway, pulled in for gas and made several turns. One of these days, I'll even pull into a campsite. I don't think, however, that I'll ever be able to back the trailer in like George can!
In the early evening, just as the sun was setting, we drove through the Dixie National Forest. The light of the sunset on the already red cliffs was intense. Here are a few photos, but they really don't do justice to the beaty we experienced.
We arrived at our Bryce Valley campground, settled into our site and feasted on leftovers!
Day 14, Thursday, June 25th
We drove into Bryce Canyon (http://www.nps.gov/brca/), went to the visitor's center and museum, watched an orientation movie
and, of course, signed up for the Junior Ranger program. Then we were ready to experience Bryce Canyon (which really isn't a canyon at all) for ourselves.
We attended a ranger-led program on the geology of Bryce, during which we learned how the area was formed. Then we walked the rim to different vista points and enjoyed a picnic. Because of the almost total lack of light pollution, Bryce is famous for stargazing, so we stayed late in the hope of seeing a heavenly show.
and, of course, signed up for the Junior Ranger program. Then we were ready to experience Bryce Canyon (which really isn't a canyon at all) for ourselves.We attended a ranger-led program on the geology of Bryce, during which we learned how the area was formed. Then we walked the rim to different vista points and enjoyed a picnic. Because of the almost total lack of light pollution, Bryce is famous for stargazing, so we stayed late in the hope of seeing a heavenly show.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, and the skies were covered with clouds. Oh well, we have a good reason to come back someday!
Here are a few pictures (doesn't it look as if Natalie is standing in front of a painted backdrop?)
Instead of stargazing, we went back to the trailer and played Monopoly. This wasn't just any game of monopoly, however--
it 
was the "National Parks" version. We picked up the game in New Mexico and had a lot of fun customizing it. You get to choose which parks to put on the spaces. For example, our "Boardwalk" and "Park Place" are Yosemite and Grand Canyon. Rather than "Chance" and "Community Chest" cards, there are "Trees" and "Trails" cards. One of the "Trees" cards read: Win a Junior Ranger Essay Contest. Collect $50 from each player. Guess who drew that card. It was also the person who won the game (not that I'm bragging...).
it 
was the "National Parks" version. We picked up the game in New Mexico and had a lot of fun customizing it. You get to choose which parks to put on the spaces. For example, our "Boardwalk" and "Park Place" are Yosemite and Grand Canyon. Rather than "Chance" and "Community Chest" cards, there are "Trees" and "Trails" cards. One of the "Trees" cards read: Win a Junior Ranger Essay Contest. Collect $50 from each player. Guess who drew that card. It was also the person who won the game (not that I'm bragging...).Day 15, Friday, June 26th (337 miles)
We said goodbye to Bryce and headed to Zion National Monument. We knew that there was a tunnel we'd have to be "escorted" through. It was built in the 20s, and for large RVs they shut down two-way traffic and let you drive down the center of the tunnel. Unfortunately, the curves in the tunnel make it dangerous for vehicles over 50' in length. So we had to drive around Zion rather than through it.
We were naturally disappointed, but we were at that point in the trip where we were actually looking forward to going home. So we recalculated our route for Las Vegas and called my niece, Lena.
Then, Utah decided not to be outdone by New Mexico and Colorado in the thunderstorm department. The thunder and lightning weren't quite as impressive as in Colorado, but the rain came down in buckets--the windshield wipers couldn't keep up. And, in true "sour grapes" fashion, we decided that Zion would have been miserable in that weather, anyway.
To get our fix for a National Park, we found that Pipe Springs National Monument was on our revised route. A site held jointly by the Kaibab Paiute Tribe and the National Park Service, it is an important site for the tribe and for the Mormon pioneers. We learned a little about what life was like in the 1800s, and Leland earned a Junior Ranger badge after all.
In Nevada, skies were clear and the temperature was over 100. We lodged at the KOA at Circus Circus, and Lena picked us up. We had a great dinner with Lena, her husband Justin and their son Dylan. Nico was out of town, and we missed him. After dinner and a short cruise down the strip, we all came back to the trailer and talked (and watched Transformers) until almost midnight! It was great to catch up with them. Justin payed Natalie a high compliment: he said that she reminded him of Rory from Gilmore Girls (perhaps Natalie's watching all seven seasons on DVD over and over again has had some influence on her).
Tomorrow we head home!
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