Day 30 – Sunday, May 29

This morning we got up early.  The first thing we did was drive into the park and Mom and Dad took a one mile hike to an overlook for Balcony House.  That’s one of the cliff dwellings.  Dad took some photos in the early morning light.  Then, Dad took a tour of it.  Mom decided not to go.  She said that it looked interesting, but she didn’t want to climb the 32’ ladder at the beginning, the series of ladders next to a cliff at the end, and the thought of crawling through a 18” wide tunnel for 12 feet gave her the heebbie jeebbies.  I don’t know what that is, but I hope that I don’t get it.

After Dad’s tour of Balcony House, Mom and Dad went together to tour the Cliff Palace.  It’s another cliff dwelling, but it only has four short ladders and they aren’t near steep drop-offs.  Mom thought this gave her a sufficient view of live in the 1200’s in SW Colorado.

When they were done with this tour, they went to Spruce Tree House, which really isn’t a tree house at all.  It’s another cliff dwelling, but you can hike to it, with no ladders, steps or drop-offs.  At least you can hike to it, if you aren’t a fur kid. 

From Spruce Tree House, they took a 2.8 mile hike to see some petroglyphs.  They said the petroglyphs at Canyon de’ Chelly were better, but the hike was good exercise.

The rest of the day was spent with laundry and such.  Even on vacation, you have to do some of that.  I’ll try to post photos from Mesa Verde soon.

Day 29 – Saturday, May 28

From Monument Valley, we drove to Mesa Verde.  Here we have a nice campsite.  We went to the Visitor Center first, so Mom and Dad could get tickets to tour cliff dwellings tomorrow.  The tours were all full for today.  Then, we took a drive to see some of the other pueblo ruins that are open to tour on your own.  Of course, I had to sit in the Motor home, but that’s OK, because the ones that I could see from the parking area just looked like bunches of rocks.

After looking around, we went back to the campground and Dad made Lamb stew.

Monument Valley at Sunrise

Monument Valley at Sunrise

Day 28 – Friday, May 27

This morning, Mom and Dad took a three hour jeep tour into Canyon de’ Chelly.  They said that they saw lots of pretty multi-color cliffs, Anasazi ruins, and petroglyphs.  They went with a Navajo guide.  There isn’t a road into the canyon, so 4x4 vehicle is the only way to see it.

When we left Chinle, we drove to Monument Valley.  We stayed at the “campground” at Monument Valley.  If you camp and have a guide book that describes a campground with covered picnic tables and BBQ grills, put a big red “X” through it.  That campground is gone.  It was a replaced by a hotel.  The current “campground” is a red dirt parking lot, with no defined sites.  It has a nice view of the valley, but the only amenities are five porta potties and four trash cans.  It’s about a mile down a heavily rutted road.

Petroglyphs at Canyon de' Chelly

"The White House"
Cliff House Ruins at Canyon de' Chelly

Petroglyphs at Canyon de' Chelly

Sunset at Monument Valley

Me at Sunset at Monument Valley

Sunset at Monument Valley

Photos from the last few days

Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah

Arch in Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah

Mom and Dad outside Ruby's Inn near Bryce Canyon

Slot Canyon Hike at Capital Reef National Park

Views from Slot Canyon Hike at Capital Reef National Park

Mom and Dad hiking in Slot Canyon at Capital Reef National Park

First Waterfall on Slot Canyon Hike at Capital Reef.
Mom and Dad would have had to slide down the rocks on the right to get by.

Slot Canyon at Capital Reef National Park

Storm Clouds between Escalante and Torrey, Utah

Day 27 – Thursday, May 26

This morning we left Capitol Reef National Park and drove east on Hwy 24.  This was marked on the map as a scenic drive, but quickly turned to desolate high desert.  There was barely any vegetation.  After awhile, we turned SE on Hwy 95 and more desolation.  Then, after the intersection with Hwy 276, we entered a beautiful canyon with red rock walls and came out on a cliff overlooking Lake Powell.  One of the things that we’ve discovered about Utah is, if you don’t like the scenery, drive another 30 miles, and it will change dramatically. 

We drove on to Natural Bridges National Monument.  This is a relatively small area with three very large natural bridges (rock arches created over time by erosion from streams). 

Tonight we are in Chinle, AZ.  Between Natural Bridges and here, we have had some incredible wind.  A few times, it blew us into the oncoming lane of traffic.  Luckily, we are back in desolate country and there aren’t many cars on the road, so there wasn’t any one in the oncoming lane when we blew over there.  Dad thinks that we have found the geographical middle of “no where”.  I don’t understand.

Mom and Dad had leftovers for dinner and I had kibble.  Dad worked on the refrigerator, which for some reason wasn’t working right.  The “check” light had come on.  Whatever he did, it seems to be working fine now, which is a big relief to Mom and Dad.  Since I eat dry kibble that doesn’t need refrigeration, I haven’t been worried.  I think I’m going to take a nap and then go to bed.

Day 26 – Wednesday, May 25

Yesterday when we got to Capitol Reef, Mom and Dad went to the Visitor Center to inquire about hikes.  The lady at the Visitor Center was describing a hike through slot canyons to another couple.  Mom was a little concerned about the slot canyon part, particularly since there has been rain the last few days.  Even though this is desert, she’d heard how streams and slot canyons can fill up VERY quickly with water when it rains and yesterday there were a lot of rain squalls in the area.  It was a one way hike, so really good to have a car to take you to the trail head and another to drive back to pick up the car.  If the water wasn’t too high, it sounded like a fun hike with good scenery, so Mom and Dad talked to the other couple about going together to give each other rides.  They decided to meet this morning and take the hike.  Before they set out, the man from the other group went in to the Visitor Center to check again about conditions.  This morning there was a different lady and she was a little less encouraging.  She said a man yesterday had to jump over the last falls into a pool to get out.  This made Mom really nervous, since she doesn’t know how to swim.  The four of them agreed that if it got too bad, they would turn back. 

I was really worried, but quickly fell asleep for my morning nap.  When they got back, they told me that they had to cross a stream several times.  One time, Mom slipped on a loose boulder.  She fell and got wet.  The hike was supposed to go around 3 falls in the slot canyon.  When they got to the first of the three falls, the two women stayed behind while Dad and the other man went to scout.  The water was really high and flowing very fast.  Dad came back after awhile and said that he thought they could make it past the first falls with no problem, but if it got worse, didn’t think they could get back, because there was a 4 ft drop that they would have to go down to get past the first falls.  The other guy went down as far as the 2^nd falls and he couldn’t see any way around it, other than to jump in.  At that point, there would be no return for any of them, and they weren’t sure how deep or rough the 3^rd falls would be.  They all agreed that it was best to turn back.  They were already 2 ½ miles into the canyon, so it ended up being a 5 mile round trip hike.  Mom and Dad said that it was a really nice hike, but disappointing that they didn’t get to really see the slot canyon.

In the afternoon, Mom and Dad took another hike up to a natural bridge.  That’s a place where it is a rock arch that has been eroded underneath with water.  I had to stay in the motor home, because we are in National Parks and I’m treated as a 2^nd class citizen.  Where is my congressman when I need him?

For dinner, Dad made medallions of beef with figs in a balsamic reduction and sautéed root vegetables with roasted tomatoes.  I had kibble.

Day 25 – Tuesday, May 24

From Escalante, we drove on Hwy 12, a Utah scenic byway.  There were beautiful views, but it was VERY windy with rain squalls all around us in the distance.  Fortunately, every time it looked like we were about to drive into one of the rain squalls, the road curved and we missed it.  It was quite a drive.  At one point, we went down a 10% grade.  There were several places with 8-9% grades.  At another time, the road was two lanes, no shoulders, and steep drop offs on BOTH sides.  In some of the shady areas at the 9000 + ft summit, there was snow.  This area is SO rugged that the road was FIRST paved in 1985.  That sounds like ancient history to me, but Mom says it really isn’t so long ago.  It was the year before she moved to Texas.

Tonight we are in the Campground at Capitol Reef National Park.  It’s an incredibly beautiful place.  Mom and Dad went to dinner at the Rim Rock Restaurant in Torrey.  Aunt Mary Alice and Uncle Don recommended it and Mom and Dad enjoyed it.  When we got back to the campground, I had kibble.

Day 24 – Monday, May 23

Today we got a late start.  We slept late, I uploaded the last blog postings, and Mom and Dad looked around the gift shops at Ruby’s Inn.  Ruby’s Inn is a tourist trap between Bryce Canyon National Park and the main highway.  We finally got on the road about noon and stopped a little way down the road at Kodachrome Basin State Park.  The park gets its name because it has several colorful rock formations.  Mom and Dad took a couple of short hikes.  It was too early to stop for the night, but Mom and Dad thought the campground at this state park looked excellent, if you are ever in the area.

We went on to Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, just outside of Escalante, Utah and got a site in their campground for the night.  The campground is on the edge of a reservoir/lake and we had a lovely view from our campsite.  We also rate it highly and it even has several sites for big rigs.  After we got parked, we took a hike on the trail to see the Petrified Wood.  I didn’t see what the big deal was with trees that have turned to rocks.  They just didn’t smell right, BUT I really like State Parks in Utah, because they allow fur kids like me on the trails.  I had to wear my leash and walk right next to Dad, but it was really nice to get out a little. 

I liked everything but the stickery stuff that Mom had to pull off my head and ears.  She said that they were similar to the burrs that we have in Washington, but they were sharper, so hurt her fingers.  She wasn’t so happy with me.

Dad made Beef Stroganoff and Mom made a salad for dinner.  I had kibble.

Day 23 – Sunday, May 22

Today we drove into Bryce Canyon park, so I could see it.  Mom and Dad went on another hike and I had a great view out the motor home window.  Today they hiked the Peek-a-boo trail, which is 5.5 miles with an elevation change of 1571 feet.  This is the most strenuous hike that they’ve done on this trip.  It went down to the canyon floor and then up in amongst the hoodoos and up and down again.  Here are some of the photos that Dad took.

After they came back from their hike, we drove out to Rainbow Point and stopped at some of the overlooks.  Then, we came back to the campground.  Mom and Dad had dinner and then went to the hot tub again.

Day 22 – Saturday, May 21

Today we took the road east out of Zion National Park.  This road goes through a tunnel.  If you drive a car, you probably don’t think much about tunnels, but if you drive a tall motor home, it’s more of a concern.  The tunnel that you go through from Zion is 13’ 1” tall at the middle and 11’ 7” tall at the sides.  We are more than 11’ 7”, so if we tried to drive through the normal way, we’d scrape the roof off on the passenger side.  

Fortunately, there is a solution for this.  If you want to go through in a motor home, you pay a fee.  Then, when you get to the tunnel, the ranger radios to the other side and the ranger on the other side stops traffic.  When it is clear, he tells you that you can go and drive down through the middle of the tunnel.  It was really cool going through the tunnel down the center stripe.  This wasn’t just a little simple tunnel, either.  It was 1.1 miles long and had several curves in it.  Dad led the way and we had several cars following us.  When we got through, they let people go again from the other side.  It’s cool to be special and lead a parade.

Mom and Dad on the rim at Bryce Canyon

View from the rim at Bryce Canyon

We got to Bryce Canyon National Park about 1:00.  Mom and Dad took the shuttle into the park.  I’ll save you the soap box speech, but you know what I’m thinking.  They went to the Visitor Center to get information and then to Bryce Point.  They walked the rim trail for 1.5 miles and then decided that they wanted to go into the canyon.  They decided to take the Queens Garden Trail into the canyon and then connect to the Navajo Trail and come out through Wall Street.  The rim trail was pretty level, but the loop they took had a 600 foot elevation change (down and back up) and was a total of 3 miles.  They said that it was really neat to get down into the canyon and see all the hoodoos.  They particularly liked Wall Street, which was a slot canyon.

Getting down to the level of the Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon

"Wall Street" at Bryce Canyon

Looking up at the Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon

They came back to me and had dinner and then went to use the hot tub at the campground.  They said that after all the hiking they have done the last few days, it felt really good.

Day 21 – Friday, May 20

There is a hike at Zion National Park to a place called Angel’s Landing.  Mom said that it is a crazy, scary hike and she has no interest in going.  Dad REALLY wants to do it.  This is a BAD situation, since today is Mom and Dad’s anniversary.  I hope they figure it out, so they have another anniversary.

Mom says that the first problem with this hike is that it is 5 miles round trip and it gains about 1400 feet.  Mom is a little crazy, too because she doesn't think that is all that bad.  The reason this is such a crazy, scary hike is that the last ½ mile starts along a cliff face.  There are a few places to put your feet and a chain to hang on to, but if you mess up, it’s straight down, several hundred feet.  Then, if that isn’t bad enough, after the cliff face, you get to a skinny ridge where it is a drop on both sides and nothing but a chain to hold on to.  Mom said that she would go on the first part of the hike, but she would not go on the last 1/2 mile.  She was hoping that Dad would realize how crazy he was and turn back with her.

Some of the early switchbacks
on the way to Angel's Landing at Zion

Mom told me that they had a really nice hike for 2 miles.  It was a lot of up hill, including one section that was ¼ mile, 21 switchbacks, and gained 300 feet.  That section is called Walter's Wiggles and is near Scout's Lookout where Mom wanted to turn back.  

Walter's Wiggles at Zion

View down Zion Canyon from the hike

Overall, they went up over 1,000 ft in the 2 miles.  There were pretty vistas of Zion canyon and a section of about ¼ mile where they went through a beautiful slot canyon and the trail was mostly flat in the slot canyon.  They stopped for a snack and Mom said she opened her zip-loc bag of trail mix.  She don't know where he came from, but immediately, there was a chipmunk at her feet.  She said the chipmunks are faster to come for the sound of a zip-loc bag than I am.  I'm insulted.  I'm really fast! 

Indian Paintbrush blooming on the canyon wall.

When they got to the lookout before the part with the chains, Dad asked her if she would keep him, if he did the last part.  She finally agreed to join the spouses of the other crazy people and wait for them to come back or news that they’d fallen off.  Off Dad went.  Then, it started to rain.  It was a beautiful day.  The forecast was for it to be a beautiful day ALL day, so Mom and Dad didn’t take jackets or rain gear.  At nearly 8,000 feet, when it clouds up and rains, wet people get very cold, very fast.  A nice German lady loaned Mom her husband’s coat (he was one of the crazy people on the last part of the hike) and a nice American lady gave Mom a trash bag to help her keep dry.  Mom waited in her borrowed coat and donated trash bag. 

The people immediately in front of Dad on the way to Angel's Landing

She said that she was very glad when she saw Dad coming back down the chain toward her.  He didn’t make it all the way to the top, but got to a really nice view point where he could look down Zion Canyon from above.

Dad at the first summit with a view down Zion Canyon.
Angel's Landing is the rock in the background.
The trail is just visible behind Dad.

When Dad got back to Mom, they both had to hike another 2 miles back down to the canyon floor.  Mom returned the coat to the German lady at the top and wore her trash bag to the bottom.  Dad was really cold.  When they got to the bottom, they took a shuttle bus back to me and took hot showers.  Later, they went into town for a nice dinner at the Spotted Dog café.  They really liked the place the other night.  I had to stay in the motor home and have kibble, but I’m glad that they found a way to enjoy their anniversary together.  They've been married 22 years, which is centuries in dog years.  I'd hate for them to mess it up now.

Day 20 – Thursday, May 19

Waterfall at Zion

Zion Canyon

Another Waterfall at Zion

Today was a day to explore Zion.  Zion is different than Grand Canyon in that you come in at the canyon floor and any exploring that you do, you go up the cliffs.  Zion does not allow vehicle traffic, only their shuttle bus.  Shuttle buses don’t allow fur kids.  I really need my Congressman to know about this horrible discrimination.  I’m going to call the NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored Poodles. 

Well, Mom and Dad had a good day, even if I did have to sit in the Motor Home.  They took the shuttle into the park and hiked the Emerald Pool Trail to the Lower and Middle Pool.  They encountered a group of 66 school children on the narrow trail to the Upper Emerald Pools.  They decided that it was just a good idea to turn around.  They said that human children aren’t as fit as me.  They poop out and just stop in the middle of the trail.  That’s a problem when it’s narrow and you can’t safely get around them.  After the Emerald Pools, they took a shuttle to the end of the canyon and then walked to the Narrows.  This is supposed to be a lovely hike through the shallow water of the Virgin River.  However, there has been rain the last few days around Zion and the Virgin River is running very hard and is extra deep, so the Narrows are closed.  It’s OK, because the rains have returned to the canyon, too.  They were glad they had their Goretex rain coats for the last part of the hike.  They said it was OK though, since was the first rain that we've had on our trip.

They decided to go to the Zion Park Lodge for lunch and then came back to me.  I was glad to have them back.  We spent the last part of the afternoon together in the motor home.  They worked on downloading photos and reading about places we are going in the next week or so.  Later, they decided that they were hungry, so they took a shuttle into Springdale (the town next to the park) and had pizza for dinner.  I stayed behind and had kibble.

Hiking in the Rain
This is the trail at Dad's feet, as he is taking the photo.

Photos from the last few days

For the last several days, we haven't had power at our campsite, so we weren't able to recharge electronics.  When the computer battery died, Dad wasn't able to download any more photos.  Last night, we had power, so he's downloaded them from the last few days.  Here are a few.

Watchtower at Sunrise
near Desert View Visitor Center
South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Angel's Window from North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Mom and Dad at the North Rim

Antelope Slot Canyon near Page, AZ #1

Antelope Slot Canyon near Page, AZ #2

Antelope Slot Canyon near Page, AZ #3

Day 19 – Wednesday, May 18

It rained most of the night last night, but stopped toward morning.  We got up about 7 and discovered that when the rain stopped, it was because it changed to snow.  It was 30 degrees.  Unlike yesterday, the snow kept coming down.  Then, it got heavier.  Dad decided to make sausage and eggs for them.  I don’t need to tell you what I had.  It kept snowing and the wind was blowing again.  By 9:30 when we were ready to leave, there was 4” of snow on the trash can where we left our trash. 

Fortunately, when we got out to the main road, it was slushy, so not too bad for Dad to drive.  We were on the road for about 15 min and passed another motor home in a pull-out.  As we passed, Dad noticed that the car that they had been towing was sitting funny and part of the tow bar was under the motor home.  He drove up a little way and turned around to go back to help.  There isn’t any cell phone coverage out here, so if you are broken down, about all you can do is hope that someone stops to help.  They were actually in pretty good shape.  The tow car had rear-ended the motor home a couple times before they could get stopped, but didn’t cause any damage to the radiator or fuel filter (it was a diesel pusher).  It had flattened the exhaust pipe, but Dad was able to bend that, so that they had proper air flow.  One of the rear pieces of the motor home had come loose on one side and had a lot of scars in it.  Dad had duct tape to hold it back on and they said that they had a friend back in Denver who could touch it up for them.  We also loaned them our window scraper to get the snow off the tow car’s windows.  When we left them, the motor home and the tow car were both driveable.  They will need a new hitch ball and some repairs to the tow bar, before they will be able to tow the car, but at least everyone was safe and could drive away from the scene.

After about an hour, we stopped at a place called Pipe Spring National Monument.  It’s a place in Arizona, on the border with Utah, where the Mormans established a ranch for cattle that were given to the church as tithes.  There is a natural spring called the Pipe Spring that gave the area it’s name.  The old buildings have been rebuilt and it was very interesting to hear about life in the late 1800’s in this area.  The National Monument is in an area that is now an Indian Reservation and we bought gas for $3.78.  From there, we drove to Zion National Park.  We plan to spend three nights here.

Day 18 – Tuesday, May 17

We woke up this morning about 6 am.  It was 27 degrees and there was about ½ “ of snow on the ground.  There weren’t any hook-ups at the campground.  We sure were glad that we had a full propane tank so that we could run the furnace.  Who would have thought, I’m in Arizona in May and my basic black fur is the appropriate thing to wear!!  We left the campsite about 7:30 and drove into the park.  Fortunately, the snow didn't collect on the road.  We drove to Cape Royal and Mom and Dad hiked to a place called Angel’s window.  They said that it was nice.  The national park wouldn’t let a fur kid like me on this trail. 

From Cape Royal, we drove toward the Grand Canyon Lodge.  If you haven’t been to the National Parks in the West, I need to tell you that the railroads built grand lodges for tourists in the 20’s and 30’s.  They are all spectacular rustic structures.  Near where I live, there are a couple of grand ones at Mount Rainier National Park.  We saw one last fall at Crater Lake in Oregon.  When we got close to the Grand Canyon Lodge, we passed the gas station.  Mom and Dad did a double take.  The price was $3.40/gallon.  Are we in a time warp??!!??  Who cares?  We still had ½ a tank, but who can pass up that price.  We pulled in.  Better yet, it was full service.  It was a Sinclair station and the man who put the gas in the tank was wearing a dark shirt, bow tie, and a cute cap.  He even washed our windshield.  It was amazing.  We got everything but dog cookies.  He explained to Dad when we ran the credit card for the 3^rd time ($50 max per transaction) that it was the gas left over from last season and the price would go up with the new delivery.

Mom and Dad had lunch at the Grand Canyon Lodge.  Mom says the dining room was beautiful with a two story vaulted ceiling, huge log beams, and big picture windows looking out at the canyon.  After lunch they walked around the lodge and visitor center and hiked to Bright Angel Point.  In the meantime, I wasn’t feeling so good.  I don’t know what I ate, but I was sick while they were gone.  The Motor Home has a vinyl floor and we have throw rugs.  Mom and Dad decided that they needed to go to the Laundromat at the campground to wash the rugs. 

When we left the Laundromat and went back to our campsite, Dad threw my ball for me.  It was great!  I haven’t played fetch in over a week.  It’s been against the rules and the campgrounds have been full, so we have followed the rules.  Our campground tonight is nearly empty.  There are only 3 other occupied sites and there are a total of 38.  The campground host came by while we were playing fetch and Mom and Dad thought that we were going to get in trouble.  He actually offered us some firewood that had been left behind in another site and said that it was fine for us to keep on playing fetch, since it wasn’t busy.  He was a really nice man. 

Dad used the firewood to build a fire and baked potatoes in the coals for him and Mom and then grilled a steak.  I had, well you know, kibble.

Day 17 – Monday, May 16

We got up at 5 am this morning and drove the motor home to the canyon rim to watch sunrise.  Dad took photos and Mom and I took a walk.  When Dad was done taking photos, he made hot cereal for breakfast for them and I had, well you guessed it, kibble.  That’s all I ever get.

When we left the viewpoint and the park, we entered the Navajo Nation.  We drove through the Painted Desert.  It’s an area with sand dunes of various colors from grey/green, many shades of red and orange, all the way to black.  Some of the dunes had some plant life, but mostly just barren sand.  In the background were some beautiful rugged cliffs of red and orange. 

We stopped for gas in Gap, AZ.  There wasn’t much in Gap, AZ, except the gas station (it’s 85 miles north of Flagstaff), but gas was $3.71, so we thought it best to fill up.

Mom and Dad took a tour through the Antelope Slot Canyon outside of Page, AZ.  We stopped to get the propane tank refilled and got back on the road toward the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  A few days ago, at the South Rim, we learned that it was opening on May 15^th, so decided to go and see it.

Late this afternoon, we drove across the Colorado River on the Navajo bridge and then along the Vermillion Cliffs.  We stopped for the night at the DeMotte Campground which is run by the National Forest Service and is just outside of the entrance to the North Rim of Grand Canyon.

Day 16 – Sunday, May 15

Dad, Me, and Mom at Lipan Point
on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

This morning we left Grand Canyon Village and the shuttle system that discriminates against fur kids.  We stopped at a viewpoint and I got my very first look at the Grand Canyon.  It was AWESOME!  I couldn’t believe it.  Now I know why Mom and Dad wanted to come here.  A nice lady took a picture of the three of us.  We went on to a place called desert view, which is on the east end of Grand Canyon National Park.  We found a campsite at the campground and Mom and Dad unloaded the bikes to ride up to the Visitor Center. 

When Mom and Dad came back from the Visitor Center, we drove out to a couple more view points and also went to the Tusayan Ruin and Museum.  It’s a spot where people have uncovered the ruins of an ancient Indian Kiva.  I couldn’t actually get out to see it, but I took a nap and had pleasant dreams about the beautiful views of the Grand Canyon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon with Dad downloading and sorting through photos and Mom reading the guidebooks about the places we will be going next, and me taking a nap while I wait for Dad to give me a chance at the computer.  It’s nice to have Mom and Dad close to me.  I am getting really tired of being left behind in the Motor Home.  At least it’s been nice the last few days with high’s around 70 and a nice breeze.  Today is really windy.  It’s making the Motor Home rock some.

Tonight we went back to the visitor center and watched sunset.

Day 15 – Saturday, May 14

Mom and Dad took the shuttle bus to the west end of Grand Canyon Village and then hiked out to Mojave Point along the Rim Trail.  It was 3 miles.  Hermit’s Rest is the far western end of the developed part of Grand Canyon and they biked from there to Mojave Point a few days ago.  By hiking this section, they completed the whole thing.  They said that it was amazing how much the views changed at each viewpoint along the trail.  I didn’t get to go, since I’m not allowed on the shuttle bus L

This afternoon we went to the Laundromat.  I’m still wearing my basic black fur coat, but Mom and Dad have changed clothes lots of times and thought they needed to wash the ones they have been wearing.  

After a quick dinner, they went to Mather Point to take photos of the sunset and the changing colors in the Canyon after sunset.

Here are some of Dad's photos of the canyon.

Mules on the South Kaibab Trail from our hike on Friday

Views from the Rim Trail

Yellow glow from Sunrise

Sunrise from Yaki Point