(I swiped some of these pics off the net,
I hope to get the ones we took uploaded soon)
On August 16th, Ron, Jay and I left PA for a vacation out West. Not much as far as
plans went - planned to go to Salt Lake City by way of a northern route, then back by
a southern route, and then to just play it by ear all along the way. We brought our
mountain bikes along too, for "just in case" we hit someplace for good riding.
This would be the first time I had ever been to South Dakota,
N.E. Wyoming, Southern Utah, or Las Vegas!
We left Monday night at 10:00 on our first "marathon" run and made it to Pipestone, MN
by Tuesday night. Wednesday went to Pipestone National Monument, saw the exibits and
mine pits at this holy site then straight across South Dakota and spent the night at
Bad Lands National Park. Thursday we visited Wall Drugs (a tourist trap) and Mt.
Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills. Not all they are cracked up
to be, but if you have never seen them and you are in the area, a visit to see them is
obligatory. Spent the night in the Bighorn National Forest near the Powder River pass.
pipestone quarry at Pipestone National Monument
Mt. Rushmore
Big Horn National Forest
our camp in Wyoming
Friday the 20th, we visited Thermopolis WY, the world's largest mineral hot spring.
Very beautiful, but the springs are all developed for soaking, indoors, and you have to
wear a swim suit. Then we drove through the Wind River Canyon, and rode all around
in the Salt River Range in the Teton National Forest, and camped out late by Lava Hot
Springs, Idaho. Spent most of the day Saturday at Lava. It's a pretty happenin place,
but again, it's all developed and no nudity.
Thermopolis Hot Springs
home sweet hamaca in Idaho
Saturday evening we made it to Ogden, Utah, visited the "natural" hot springs right
outside of town, and camped in the Wasatch Mountains. Sunday morning we hit the hot
springs again then visited friends in Salt Lake City. We saw the town, hit the bars,
and even pondered the idea of getting some "Jesus-jammies" and converting to Mormonism,
but fortunately good sense prevailed and we left Monday morning and headed Southeast.
Me and Jay easing into the hot spring at Ogden
getting cleaned up by the spring
waterfall by Ogden hot spring
Latter Day Saints Temple, Salt Lake
Great time Monday! Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, near Moab.
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
balancing rock
CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Left late and spent the night at Meadow, UT, at the hot spring there.
Meadow Hot Springs
A morning soak in the spring
looking down into the spring
Tuesday - soaked some more in the morning, the hot spring is beatiful. Went to Bryce
Canyon National Park and hiked up the river in Zion National Park. Fantastic!
ZION CANYON NATIONAL PARK
wading up the river in Zion
tall cliffs in Zion
Ron checks out how deep the water is
Ron and Jay exploring around the bend
Then to Las Vegas!
Spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Las Vegas. That really is something to see if
you have never been there. Even if you don't gamble (I don't) it's fun. Lots of
things to see and do for free, and the food is out of this world! I highly recommend
eating at the buffet at Harrah's Casino. I've never seen so much good food in my life!
Thursday we made another marathon run from Las Vegas all the way to Red Rock Canyon
State Park in Oklahoma, and Friday to visit friends in Memphis, Tennessee. Spent the
night at Shelby State Forest by the Mississippi River. Headed south into Mississippi
and we all spent Saturday and Sunday nights on Sardis Lake in northern MS.
Ashley asleep in the van
Ashley playing at Sardis Lake
Trees
I think that I shall never see
a poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
against the earth's sweet flowing breast
A tree who may in summer wear
a nest of robins in her hair
A tree that looks at God all day
and lifts her leafy arms to pray
Upon whose bosom snow has lain,
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
but only God can make a tree.
- Joyce Kilmer
Monday, we headed over to my neck of the woods - through Tennessee, Georgia, and spent
the night at my "home" by Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest on Lake Santeetlah in the
Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. This is the largest virgin forest with the
largest trees in the Eastern United States. Tuesday we rode all around in the mountains,
saw the Great Smokies, and went up the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped at Sam's Knob,
the spiritual home of the "Blueberry tribe" and ate blueberries and blackberries and
enjoyed the waterfalls there. The end of August, and the berries are just getting ripe
up at that elevation. My first Rainbow Family gathering was the Blueberry Harvest
Festival there in August of 1988.
Lake Santeetlah
our camp by Lake Santeetlah
Jay discovers Eric Rudolph's shitter
a beautiful clear day in the Smokies
hugging trees in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
A Mighty Giant
looking down the waterfalls at Sams Knob
Surrounded by blackberries and blueberries on Sams Knob at around 6,000 feet
Then Tuesday night, our final marathon, from Erwin, TN to Pittsburgh, arriving 4 o'clock
Wednesday morning. What a vacation!
