Just North of Flagstaff

We headed down to Central AZ on 11/4 and drove through Sunset Crater National Monument which included ruins of the Wupatki Pueblo.

The crater formed about 1000 years ago when a volcano erupted, lava fields are still easily identified.

And the highest peak in AZ, which we saw from the other side a week ago on our way to Grand Canyon, now has snow on it. Good thing we are heading farther south!

Southern Utah

We had planned to go to Bryce Canyon National Park after Zion but they had snow and temperatures below freezing so we changed plans and moved east instead of north on Sunday. I had emailed with the operators of Paria Canyon Guest Ranch previously while exploring the area on Google Maps. They have RV sites, bunkhouses, tent sites, horses to rent and said to drop in any time; their season was over but they live there year-round ("Somebody has to feed the horses"). The RV site was pretty rustic but had full hookups so it worked for us. The location was beautiful, surrounded by BLM land so those who rented horses or brought their own could actually ride to the north rim of the Grand Canyon (40 miles). It was high desert with amazing rock formations. There was a nearby dinosaur museum displaying finds from the local area, part of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (on it's way to becoming a national park). We had the place to ourselves and spent both evenings chatting with Gail and Dave who were wonderful hosts. We helped feed the horses, hiked, visited Glenn Canyon Dam and Lake Powell and just relaxed.

I forgot to add pictures of the horses!

Zion National Park

Like I said before, when it comes to RV parks, you get what you pay for. This is our best (and most expensive) one yet: Zion River Ressort, http://www.zionriverresort.com/ . We were trying to book something at Zion National Park 2 weeks ago. The park campgrounds were already full for the weekend. This one showed up and we are glad it did. Nice place, met nice people who want us to meet them here same time next year, pool and hot tub with 80s and sun, small dog run, beautiful scenery, close to Zion National Park...

Around the RV park:

Virgin River which runs through Zion National Park

Went to Zion National Park yesterday, Rollie was in awe again but said he likes the Grand Canyon better.

Las Vegas

We spent 2 nights in the Sam's Town RV Park which was just made a KOA park. From what I have seen so far, KOA has strict requirements for bathrooms as these had been recently remodeled, and every other KOA we have stayed in they were impeccable. As for the rest of the place, well, it felt more like a run-down trailer park. But we could walk to the casino with a huge bowling alley on the lower floor and many restaurants and had a good visit with a friend from Northfield.

http://www.samstownlv.com/stay/rv-park

All along the way I have been watching the flora change from prairie to desert.

Grand Canyon

Watched the sun rise over the Grand Canyon 10/28. Rollie was in awe, his first memory of the big ditch.

When we headed out in the dark on foot from the RV park, which is very near the south rim, with the dogs, we almost (iterally) ran into a small elk herd, 7 cows and one bull. We slowly backed away and made other plans to get to the canyon.

Joplin

Back in college in Joplin, MO, friends showed me a marker at the intersection of Mo, KS and OK. It has been updated (GPS technology?) and moved about 20 feet to the east. The old marker is still there; a stone pillar built by students in the 1930s. This new one is much nicer because you can stand on it in 3 states at once!

Revisiting Joplin 3 years after the devastating tornado I could still see the huge swath of destruction along 20th St in the heart of the city. Lots of rebuilding but still many empty lots. The Dillons grocery store we were looking for (our Garmin is 4 years old) doesn't exist. Same for the old St. Johns Hospital. There is a brand new hospital about to open at a new location. Still a lot of work to do but the city survived.

Technical Difficulties

There have been several times I have tried to get into Blogger to post but was unable. Not sure what is wrong with my brand new Chromebook but I will keep trying. Right now it is saying it is unable to save or publish...