Sky Ute Casino And Resort Ignacio

... rises quickly) and little other life was visible, but like I said slowing down was not really in our interest. Rising back into the higher elevations on the other side of the valley, the air cooled and life was a little more enjoyable. It was great to experience the temperature changes but I couldn't imagine being one of those people out on their touring bicycles heading through the valley.

We soon arrived at Zion ...

... mountain town that has grown because of the railroad that stops here. We met some lovely people from New Mexico, Lisa and Brad, who camped next to us with their dog and 2 cats. Tomorrow we are headed North along a scenic route through the San Juan National Forest. RVing is the best.

Yay! Tonight we had our first show (1 of 2) in Durango, CO and it went phenomenal! Everyone kept talking about how "it' happened. For those of you that have been involved with theatre before, then you know that "it" is. During each of our songs tonight there was an ephemeral moment, a moment in which we all felt the goosebumps and had to blink back tears. We felt like the audience could really understand our message and music. We touched lives tonight ...

... t-shirt that I wore that day was almost black with sweat by the time I got to the top.

But what a view! I felt such a sense of accomplishment! Despite the fact that there was dirt in my socks, my pants were caked with mud, my calf muscles were cursing, and my arms refused to leave my side, the view of the Durango community atop of that mountain was a reward in itself. When I have a chance, I will post pictures.

Of course! One picture is with ...

... our eyes closed - and try desperately to balance without touching the seats on either side of us. It was so much fun :)

I am happy to introduce my newest host family! Betty is a retired school teacher and lives a few miles out of Durango. She has two Shih Tzu puppies named Lexy and Jazzy. She lives below a mountain and her home is surrounded by wildlife. We saw a deer lazily cross the road just in front of her home as we arrived ...

The final weekend of Wade's visit we drove down to Navajo Lake and camped with Grandma Connie, Josh, Rachel, Rayven and little Josh. Our campsite was on the North side of the lake just west of the Marina. After setting up camp, we had a fantastic meal of . . . subway sandwiches. We weren't the only ones who ate well; the mosquitoes are easily mistaken for bats and they infest the ...

... dinner, I headed out to Baja Tacos for a budget take-out meal. The bounty smelled so good that I headed straight back to my temporary home to devour the tamale, tacos, and chile relleno. Even at the 'holiest' of holes here, the food is hot, spicy, and fabulous. With such a limited selection of New Mexican cuisine in Toronto, I headed out in search of a good vegetarian New Mexican cookbook and a couple bottles of chile.

... Harrah's for the best buffet in Vegas. Unfortunately, we didn't get there in time for the regular breakfast. Instead we had to pay $16 apiece for the "champagne brunch." In order to get our money's worth we stayed for close to 2.5 hours and stole enough food for breakfast for the next two days. The brunch itself was good and Nadia is certain that she has discovered the greatest guacamole ever made. The centerpiece of Harrah's Garden Market Buffet is the Bananas Foster dessert ...

... pictures. I pretended not to notice the disdainful looks from some of the students observing my primitive gear. Wawona tunnel was bored and blasted through solid granite. Tunnel View, at the east end of the bore, opens to reveal a new perspective of the valley. Slightly farther upstream another granite formation, Half Dome soars to more than 8800 feet. This formation and the splendid upper and lower Yosemite Falls dominate the scenery here. I think the German ...

... General Sherman tree and lingered at lost grove before taking King's Canyon Highway west. Roads in Kings Canyon park were still closed due to snow. Maybe I'll see it another time. Within a few miles after leaving Sequoia I dropped almost 8,000 feet in altitude, passing through Dunlop and Squaw Valley. The ...