Illinois Family Trip 2020

 Today, we drove the length of Highway 12 to the Anasazi Museum. The history of this area back to 1200 AD is fascinating. The Ancient Pueblo Indigenous group had a sophisticated communal society, building homes that kept them cool in summer and warm in winter. They group crops and were artists.  We took a small hike at Mossy Canyon along the way.  We also stopped at a display of the mormon settlement of Escalante. The last two slides show moving conestoga wagons through "The hole in the wall" I am sure I would not have been on board! 

We went on a second hike on our way back to the 5th wheel. We weren't going to as it was already noon and warm. I asked the ranger is there was a short, moderate, hike we could take and he pointed us to the Pink Ledges hike. (one mile)  It was worth it and we were fine. NO ONE on this trail, the road less traveled.  The sky was so blue against the vivid green of this tree.  We thought this looked like a human face!

We had a great day (17,000 steps) in Bryce Canyon. We took the 3 mile Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop Trail that included many of the iconic vistas in the park. (First Picture)  We were on the trail by 9:00 in the morning. Good thing, because at almost 9000 elevation, the air is thin and your heart is working. The trail was pretty moderate, except for the ascent out of Wall Street Canyon. We stopped often, stayed hydrated and took (too many) pictures!  Indescribable is the only word that fits! I'm sharing pictures but just know that they only provide a glimpse into the beauty of Bryce Canyon. The trail was busier but still ok; many masked up as we passed each other; everyone was respectful of space. 

We had a lovely day today.We headed out at 10:00 with a plan to just gather information today; drive through the park, and make our plan for hiking over the next couple of days. We are just going to focus on Bryce Canyon and then take a drive to Escalante National Park. There is so much to do here and so many hikes, parks to explore, that you can easily get overwhelmed. We are just going to try to do Bryce Canyon well. I already know we want to come back. The weather is just great; in the high 70s with nice breezes. We went to the Visitor Center and of course, bought the requisite souvenirs: hats, a t-shirt, a new thing..masks! I, also of course, bought a couple of books:) Incredible, right?

 Sunset out of our West face door.  Out of our back window  To the sest  another view of the river  setting up camp We are super happy with our spot at Riverside Ranch RV Park in Hatch, Utah!!! Weather: PLEASANT! Views: we have a view from every window Space: perfect! Lots of space between sites and we are on the river!!! Staff: Accommodating, very nice. We didn't like where they placed us and they moved us right away. This is the perfect place for our base camp. We are all happy!

We had a FANTASTIC DAY with incredibly beautiful vistas. We arrived at our KOA, for which I never have that high of aspirations. This KOA is BEAUTIFUL. We are on the Colorado River, a view from our site. There are walking trails and we were able to take the dogs to play in the water. A spectacular day.  View from our site.  Glenwood Canyon between Vail and here  Where we had lunch, just off I-70

We spent our first night at Deer Creek Valley RV Park: Topeka, Kansas. I can highly recommend this park! Pristine with all cement pads and large grassy areas for each site and for the park at a whole Tonight we are at WaKenney KOA Park, still in Kansas. This is a nice KOA park. Grassy spots. We are fortunate to have a wide open space all around us looking out on to farm fields and the freeway. The freeway isn't bothering us as it is out there a way and leaves for wide open air, so we are actually outside in the shade with a nice breeze!