Evening Day 1 When I left you last, I was headed out for an evening adventure. My goal was to stay up until 10pm, to help alleviate jet lag. I ended up sitting in the hotel terrace, which is on a major pedestrian way, having a glass of wine and watching the Madrileños walk by. Lovely! Day 2: Biking Madrid So, I have this thing for taking bike tours in a new city. It is an easy way to see all the sites, get an insider's view of the city, and figure out what to go back and explore more thoroughly. Today, I took a tour from Trixi. Our tour guide is from Hungary, and has lived all over the world. I only had one fellow tour-taker, a ~30 y/o man from Malta. The tour included ... read more

Spain Prep Making my list, and checking it twice to insure I can just do carry-on luggage for this trip. Usually I take twice the clothing I need, don't wear half of it, and end up wondering why the heck I brought half the stuff. I am working hard to make sure I do *not* do that this time. Hard habit to break, I keep wanting to throw more things in. I have to remember: it is Spain! They have cooler clothes. If I need something, I can buy it. I did end up buying a Rail Pass. I went back to the travel store, and we ran the numbers again. I ended up saving about $200 by buying the pass. I will still need to make reservations the day before I travel, but I'd need ... read more

Kolbob Canyon Dad and I were both tired today. Having spent nearly 6 hours in the car yesterday, and been on the go all week, we decided to find something close by. We settled on Kolbob Canyon in the NW corner of Zion NP, which is only 15 minutes from St George. Kolbob is not as popular as the other parks we've visited this week; we were quite pleased with the peace and quiet. My inner geologist was oooh'ing and aah'ing over the clear definition between the sediment layers, and the clear example of a canyon in the making. I think Dad is officially tired of my geology lectures.... read more

Multi-National Zion Dad and I went to Zion NP today. We were amazed by both the geology and plethora of languages! We spoke with people from Spain, Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, and France. Before traveling to Zion today, I'd been mixing up Zion and Bryce. No more!! Bryce = fantastic stone sculptures; Zion = amazing colors, and the juxtaposition of water and desert. The footbridge into the park was a very nice transition. There is something more I want to say here, but can't think of it at the moment. We went on several hikes; River Walk, Temple of Sinawava, along the highway from Angels Landing to The Grotto, and the Emerald Pools trail. Each was beautiful, but Temple of Sinawava was my favorite. The river with blooming cactus along the banks was amazing. I have ... read more

Lava and sandstone and petrified dunes, oh my! Dad and I drove up Snow Canyon and went for a hike this afternoon after the heat died down a bit. It was beautiful, and I was quite sad that I did not remember to bring my 'Roadside Geology of Utah'. It was a very curious combination of eroded pink-red rock, black pyroclastic looking lava, and white petrified dunes. Forgot the camera, but brought the phone (which takes some amazing photos, yay!). I will have to upload them when I get home. The views of the canyon from the top of the trail were stunning. We are headed to Bryce tomorrow. Dad was teasing that Snow Canyon is a warm-up for Bryce, really looking forward to it. unnecessary excesses Lots of grass around. We were eye rolling at ... read more