We left Ely Sunday morning after we were unable to find a church. A town of about 5000 people and there was no Catholic Church although they did have a rectory. If you live in Ely and want to go to a Catholic Church you have to drive to the next town about 20 miles away. We found this very strange as even in some very small towns we’ve been able to find a Catholic Church.
We drove through the rest of Nevada which is very much the same as the first part… desert plants and shrubs. It is beautiful in a rugged sort of way. One of the strange sites we saw were the signs telling people to put chains on their vehicle. It seemed strange with the temps in high 80’s and being in a desert but I guess some of the passes get freezing weather or snow in the winter.
Another phenomenon was we ran into a couple of rain storms in the desert. They came up fast, dumped a large amount of water, and disappeared just as quickly.
As we entered Utah, the landscape changed to lots of rock formations. We headed to Zion National Park where we spent the night. This is a beautiful park too with lots of red dirt/rock which is hard to fathom as this area was once part of a desert area that extends to California. The sand dunes in this area were over 3000’ deep at one time. There were no glaciers here so only the wind, rain, and rivers have reshaped this area.
There are also hanging gardens on some of the huge cliffs that are supported by moisture that seeps out of the rock. When it rains, the water seeps through the top layers of sandstone until it reaches shale and then travels horizontally until the face of a cliff is reached where it waters the plants. This water has been tested and dates back anywhere from 800 years to almost 4000 years. The whole area is beyond words so I will let the pictures speak for themselves and even they don’t do it justice.
Another thing we learned is that the area that includes Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon is like a giant stair step with the top of Zion equal to the bottom of Bryce with the same relationship between Bryce and the Grand Canyon.
Another thing that is amazing is how the colors of the rocks and surrounding countryside change as the sun moves. Rocks that appear gray become very red and later yet, yellow. It is astonishing to say the least!
Monday we left Zion and headed to Bryce Canyon. Nothing exciting to report or should I say, nothing out of the ordinary as it is all exciting and very beautiful. There is on very impressive tunnel that is 1.1 miles long and was completed in 1930... Imagine how this was built without the equipment we have today. We had to drive in the center of the tunnel so we didn’t hit the top with the 5th wheel. The drive was fantastic with lots of stops along the way to view the scenery. We took so many beautiful pictures
Monday night we decided to splurge and went to a dinner show at Ebenezer's Barn & Grill where we had a delicious salmon dinner. After dinner the Bar G band played some old western songs. Two of the band members were brothers and a third was married to one of the brothers. They were all very good musicians.
We arrived at Bryce Canyon City and decided to stay 2 nights so we could get the laundry done and do a little bit of shopping. Canyon City was founded by a couple back in 1916 as they bought a ranch in this area. After many of their friends decided to visit and word got around, they started a B&B and it just expanded to what it is today… a lot corporation with hotels, service stations, RV Parks, Grocery store, restaurants, etc. If the original couple could see it today, they would be astounded.
It has rained for the last 24 hours but we went sight-seeing anyway. A few stops along the way were so cloudy we couldn’t see anything. Another spot down the road was clear and one could see down into the canyon… absolutely gorgeous! The last stop on the route was Rainbow Point where the temp was 38 degrees with rain and hail… and they call this fun – HA!
Oh well, back at the trailer we are snug as a bug in a rug… and dry too! No internet due to the storms... bummer! Another great day!
Wednesday and we are on the road again. We had some horrendous thunderstorms during the night. The thunder and lightning was so close the ground shook with each bang after which we could hear it rolling through the canyons. In all my 29 years, I have never experienced something like this and can’t say I want to again.
The drive to Flagstaff was mostly in the rain today… it just seemed to follow us. In fact it is raining as I write this. Oh well, one of these days we will see sunshine again. Still a great life! Here is a couple of pictures we took of Glen Canyon on the way by… one of the dry spots we had today.
Just want to give you a heads up... We took so many beautiful pictures it was really hard to get them down to a reasonable number so there are a lot of both Zion and Bryce Canyon. There are only a few for Flagstaff.
Until next time, keep you loops open!
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