Happy 4th of July. We left Zion yesterday morning very early and headed east, yet again. We stopped in Bryce for about an hour. We would have liked to have camped but it was only about an hour drive away from Zion so we decided to go farther...much farther. We drove about 11 hours yesterday, through Capitol Reef and Blanding Utah. We ended up in Cortez Colorado at around 7pm, just in time to shower and find a fireworks show. The drive didn't see as long as it was because the scenery was so beautiful. There were new kinds of rock [View Full Entry]

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Starting out at 7:00 am we made tracks for Utah. The Bridger Teton National Forrest gave way to rolling hills and beautiful countryside as we made our way to Salt Lake. This seemingly endless drive through ranch land sporting llama and deer farms was interesting, yet timeless. These small-town communities sprouting out of the plains are a testament to the hardiness of Americans. Arriving in Salt Lake City was a shock to the body. It was 44 degrees in Jackson Hole when we left and 104 degrees in Salt Lake when we arrived around 1:30 pm. The helpful KOA staff assisted [View Full Entry]

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Both of us agree that Zion is by far the most beautiful place we have seen so far... although the list is still short. We enjoyed our stay here, even with the heat. We completed the Angel's Landing hike in about 4 hours and then continued on to do the water hike in the Narrows after resting for about an hour. What a challenging and rewarding day. Angel's landing is one of the peaks in Zion canyon that has an elevation gain of around 1500 feet. For about .5 miles of the climb, you have to hold onto a chain because [View Full Entry]

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Our first ever time to this area and what a fantastic place to be. We are camping in an RV site in the beautiful town of Springdale. Springdale is a great place lots of foodie places and bars with a shuttle bus that takes you to the park and up and down the town for free! Excellent. The campsite is on the edge of Zion national park so we are surrounded by mountains - a super way to wake up in the morning. The park itself is great for hiking - we attempted 2 walks/hikes - the Narrows, a river hike [View Full Entry]

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the most beautiful Nationalpark... [View Full Entry]

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on my Birthday we went to the amazing Arches Nationalpark... [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Vernal heading north the rock formations were beautiful and many had signs saying which period they dated back to. Utah continues to be the "unexpected" state to us; around every turn there is a new surprise. The first was Steinaker Reservoir just north of Vernal. Then the Ashley Valley came into sight with gorgeous colors. The drive up the north side of the valley was steep and full of switchbacks. Ashley NF with stands of Aspen and carpets of wildflowers was a treat. We saw a mule deer grazing and managed to get a picture. The first sight of [View Full Entry]

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Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They're what make the instrument stretch-what make you go beyond the norm. I realized that I haven’t written about my experience at all since I’ve been here in Salt Lake, so here is a somewhat long blog entry catching you up… To start off I just want to make sure everybody is on the same page and knows what my 4th project is. We are working at a summer camp, Camp Kostopulos or Camp K for short. Camp K is a week long summer camp for people with disabilities. [View Full Entry]

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Day 3 Stayed at a beautiful motel last night and had an awesome hot breakfast there before we headed South. We are un Utah mostly for the day thru Bingham City with lunch at Duchesnbe, Utah. 73 Degrees and sunny. Stayed off the freeway most of the day in the high desert country of Utah and Colorado. Saw this awesome "Devils Slide". Lonny you would love it it is long and would be fast to go down with a zip sled in the snow. One of the dams was so full that it was overflowing from the TOP of the spill [View Full Entry]

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I have spent the last two or so weeks studying and meditating on water. Because Zion is, of all the places on earth, one of the most striking examples of the power, beauty, and magic of water. I suppose I should have known going into my riverwalk down the Virgin River narrows that my soul would turn to being absorbed with water in all its forms and functions. I needed it, but I didn’t realize how much. I grew up spending my winters in Oregon and my summers in Indiana; in essence, my entire life for several years revolved entirely around [View Full Entry]

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