We're through New Mexico, done with Texas, and almost halfway through Oklahoma, about 45 miles west of OKC. Western Oklahoma is fairly green, likely due to the rain they've had the last few days. I wish the eastern Oklahoma roads were as smooth as western OK. Mostly today we've seen prairie, flat as far as the eye can see. It's pretty in its way, but forget taking pictures, all you'd get is sky and a line of green, brown or gold. So, that said, I thought I'd just post some pictures from earlier in the trip that I like, but didn't publish. After all, I've taken over 1,100 pictures and only posted about six a day. ... read more

We left Needles heading east on I-40, horrible bumpy roads, California's way of saying, "You're leaving now, we got your money, don't let the door hit you in the rear on your way out." We were happy to cross the Colorado River into Arizona with its smoother pavement and cheaper gas. At Flagstaff we headed north a little ways on Hwy 89 to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. At the visitor center we learned that the San Francisco volcanic field is made up of more than 600 hills and mountains created by volcanic forces. Sunset Crater Volcano is the youngest, last erupting between 1040 and 1100. The lava fields look fresh and the cinder cones are everywhere, mostly black in color, but some are rusty red. From there the 35 mile loop road goes to Wupatki ... read more

We headed east on 198 through Visalia, driving through groves of orange trees, smelling the most pleasing fragrance (and we knew it wasn't Moe's breath.) We realized we were smelling the orange blossoms, for though the trees still have fruit on them, they are again in bloom. The lemon trees in bloom were just as sweet smelling. We passed Kaweah Lake, very picturesque, and finally arrived at the Ash Mountain entrance to Sequoia National Park. We drove up Generals Highway, climbing and winding, watching the Kaweah River tumbling down, stopping often for pictures. We watched Moro Rock get closer and snow-covered Mt. Eisen come in and out of view. Spring has arrived in the park and the wildflowers and redbuds are in bloom. We visited the Giant Forest Museum and the General Sherman Tree, amazed at ... read more

Sorry I haven't posted since Saturday night. I've been down with food poisoning and have not been up to doing much. Here's what we've done since Saturday: I started feeling sick on the way back to our campground in Glendale from Bryce Canyon. I posted a blog that night and went to bed. We sent Bob and Gena on ahead Sunday morning and told them we'd meet up in Las Vegas. We didn't leave until almost noon, waiting to decide if I felt up to travelling. We finally headed out and I slept almost the whole way to Las Vegas, missing all but a few glimpses of the beautiful snow and green trees near Cedar Breaks, most of the trip down past nothern Zion National Park and St. George, all of the corner of Arizona we ... read more

We left Page heading for Zion National Park under sunny skies and cool temps. The drive from Page to Kanab along the Vermillion Cliffs and Escalante Staircase is beautiful. Utah never fails to impress us. The colors, shapes and contours are ever-changing. You can't get bored with the variety. At Kanab we decided to keep going and camp between Zion and Bryce Canyon. We found a nice little campground, Bauer Ranch, and decided to stay for 2 nights, doing Zion today and Bryce tomorrow. After setting up camp and putting dinner in the crock pot to cook while we were gone, we headed to Zion National Park. It is one of the most impressive places we've been. We finally had the time to take the shuttle from the visitor center into the canyon. What an awesome ... read more