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We say goodbye to Mark and Mimi and head north... Our time in Tucson was really enjoyable, made even more pleasant by the great hospitality shown to us by Malcs old traveling pals...
To be honest we were getting deserted out and were craving some green, some water and maybe a mountain or two, so it was great to hit the foot hills of the rockies near to Flagstaff Arizona.
Arriving in the Grand Canyon national park in the early afternoon of the 3rd May, we took a hike along the south eastern rim... The Canyon itself is beyond belief - there is such a great expanse, that your mind cannot take in the magnitude of it... At the edge of the rim we were a minimum of 9 miles from the northern rim and the Canyon rushed down below us in complex layers ranging from 60 to 300 million years old... The scenery was spectacular, reds, greens, blues and shapes carved out of millions of years of water erosion..... Wow what an incredible place - I feel very honoured to have been able to spend time here.
That evening we decide to camp out in the national
forest close to the Canyon - The start of the camping is fun - we soon have a roaring fire going and cook up a feast... It was really relaxing chatting under the stars with not another sole to be seen.... It very very very cold in the night though and sleep is limited...
We go back to the Canyon and decide to hike into it.. The walk down is pretty easy going and the surroundings are unlike anything I have seen before - nothing short of breath taking. After 4.5 miles we stop for a while before the trek back up... The 4.5 miles uphill were hell - we got to the top shattered after the climb in the baking afternoon sun.. The sense of achievement was great though and I have absolutely no regrets...
After leaving the Canyon we head north into Utah. After an overnight stop in a small town called page we hit the Zion National Park. It is a lot smaller the the Canyon, but equally as impressive... It combines lush forest and steep cliff faces and is a real pleasure to hike around... In the evening we camp out again near the
Bryce National Park... Again the evening starts well and we enjoy some beer and food by the camp fire.. The cold comes in soon though.. I wake in the early hours and there is ice forming around my sleeping bag where my breathe had condensed, and when I went outside, I found that Ice had formed on the tent walls - It was freezing - not sure I have ever been so cold in my entire life... This was the last time we camped out!!!!
The Bryce Canyon was really impressive - different again to the previous parks. The Canyon was formed out of Red Sandstone and there were columns and arches carved into the rock... We even got the chance to see Wallance "There's no point prevaricating about the bush now Gromit!"
It was time to head east to Colorado... We stayed in Durango, passed through Aspen and the old silver mining town of Silverton, which was over 3000M above sea level and like something out of the wild west. We also stopped in Glenwood springs and took a dip in the natural hot springs - it was like swimming in a very hot bath - very
relaxing and revitalising.
From Colorado it was north into Wyoming, stopping in Jackson whole. On the way we almost ran into a elk that decided it was time to end it all and it would be good to jump in front of a couple of speeding Brits... Luckily the breaks worked well and we just missed the beast - would have been very messy! From Jackson we traveled up through the Grand Tetons, a mountain range containing jagged snow covered peaks and a multitude of wild life. It was the up into the Yellowstone National park...
Yellowstone is one big volcano and there are natural hot springs and geysers everywhere. Some parts look like something from a Sci Fi movie... We watch old faithful kick water over 130feet in the air and wander through fields of steaming pools and erupting geysers. The variety of colours and smells were incredible. The park was also home to Buffalo, elk, deer, Birds of Pray, Coyote and Bears.... Unfortunately we did not get to see any bears.
The 11th to the 21st May were spent in Montana, staying with Keith, Katherine, Sam and Aleta. Great people who we had a lot
of fun with. Keith and Catheryn have just opened an English style bar in a place called Kila. Malc and I become guest bar members and we spent most evenings serving up drinks and chatting to the locals such as Hank. The people of Montana are amoung the friendlies I have ever met and have really colourful interesting lives.
Unfortunately I was unable to ski in Montana as the snow had just melted, but I did manage to canoe on a local lake, do some hiking in the hills and take in the incredible sights. We also managed to get up into the Glacier National park, one of the most picturesque and tranquil places I have ever been to.
I felt very at home in Montana and it was really difficult to leave. This is definitely a place I would like to spend more time in.
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