Bryce Pioneer Village Tropic

... charm. There is only one road through the park and off of this road are the many vista points. The first one we stopped at was called Sunset Point, and it was spectacular. A brief history:<br><br>Sixty million years ago the entire Utah Basin was underwater, but some 15 million years ago the plateau began to rise because of two tectonic plates moving together. When this happened, much of the underlying soft sandstone was exposed to the elements of air ...

... to cast a spell on all who visit. Ten million years ago, forces within the earth created and moved the massive blocks called the Table Cliffs and Paunsaugunt plateaus. Erosion first by ancient rivers, then by rains, and freezing and thawing created the pinnacles and spires. Stopping at viewpoints such as Swamp Point, Natural Bridge, Agua Canyon, and Rainbow Point, we shot an incredible number of photos like all the other tourists. Wildflowers ...

... and I alone in the RV. When Mum left, Melanie and Hannah started marching up and down the RV while I was reading in the top bed above the driver's seat. When we got to our site Hannah and I ran to the back to a pile of snow and Hannah found an ice axe. That night, just before we went to bed, we saw snow falling and hoped in the morning the whole ground would be covered and we would be stuck in the RV.

... andere vogel die hem heeft laten vallen. Het ontbijt is heerlijk: omelet met champignons, aardappelen en gesmolten kaas en lekkere broodjes. We vertellen dat we de melkweg gezien hebben de vorige avond. De eigenares belooft dat haar man vanavond zijn telescoop zal opstellen nadat hij terug thuiskomt van zijn werk (rond 23u). Dat zou tof zijn. De man zegt er niet mee in te zitten dat na zijn werk nog te doen en dus spreken we af dat wij het licht ...

... maar het seizoen eindigt hier rond 15 oktober.) dus gaan we daar maar eten. Ik eet roast beef met gestoomde groenten en aardappel in de schil en met veel gravy (lekker!). Stef neemt ribbetjes met de BBQ saus van het huis (te zoet) Als we terug aan het huisje zijn, is het aardedonker. Hier is geen sprake van lichtvervuiling. De sterren zijn heel erg duidelijk te zien en ook de melkweg is vanaf hier prachtig te volgen ...

... a fire hydrant. Very classy! Devestating to say the least. San fran was it's usual glorious self and my final stay in the green tortoise hostel did not disappoint. I saw the seals went to city lights and lived in the city i love so much for 2 more days. My airport shuttle was at disgusting o'clock and i was up when the city was deserted, even the strip bars were closed.  Off i trundled to the airport with bit more crying and a sadness that can only come with saying goodbye to california!!

... se vogliamo rimanere a cena tutti insieme, ovviamente accetto. Scambiata qualche altra info finalmente ci sediamo, andiamo a vedere il buffet ma non ci convince cosi ordiniamo a la carte delle belle bisteccone! la cena passa tranquilla tra una chiacchera e l'altra su dove siamo stati e le prossime tappe, finita la cena visto che l'altra coppia (ora mi sfuggono i nomi come al solito) serviva sapere quanto ci voleva per arrivare a Moab, quindi vado in macchina ...

... eggs!). This time, we headed to the general store to get food to grill for a fuller, beginning camping experience - marshmallows and all! We cracked a beer at the campsite, and I took on my normal role of sous chef while Chad grilled up delicious fajitas. With some culinary modifications and only moderate fire difficulties, we enjoyed a great meal an hour or so later by the moonlight and a lantern. With a full moon the night before, there was still tons of light when we ...

... marvelling at more and more intricate shapes, pillars, ridges, crests and bridges as the sun sank and the temperature dropped. By the time we reached the bottom again it was 45 deg ! The hotel was another that had grown with the national park visitor numbers. 'Ruby's Inn' started in 1923 and now has a main lounge with a log fire, store, restaurant and several of the two storey motel style blocks similar to the ones we had seen in Death Valley. Distance driven 141 miles

... t used to exerting ourselves so much at such a high altitude so we were really sucking wind. Fortunately, the sun had really warmed all the slickrock we were traversing so it was our most pleasant experience of the day. Those of you who are averse to heights might not enjoy the last quarter mile of the hike as you begin to walk along narrow cliff-edges with precipitous drops. The height itself might make you queasy but at this time of year the narrow path is covered in ice &amp; snow ...