Category: Travel

Calico Ghost Town is located in Yermo, California. It is an old West mining town that was initially established by 40 individuals in 1881. In its heyday, Calico boasted a population of approximately  1200 after experiencing the most significant silver strike in California.  With its 500 mines, Calico produced about $86 million in silver and $45 million in borax over a 12-year span.  When silver lost its value in the mid-1890s, Calico lost its population, and its official “death” is listed as 1907.  It became a “ghost town.”

This was one of those places you are passing on the road and then decide to stop and check it out. What a delightful place! Pipe Spring was a natural spring situated between Hurricane, Utah and Fredonia, Arizona (a distance of 62 miles). It was the only source of water between these two places, used by Paiute Indians until Mormon ranchers built a fort here and established a place of refuge from hostile Indians in 1863.

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Here you can see the telegraph wires. This was the first telegraph office in the area. The house is one of the original sandstone houses.

We drove about 2.5 hours from our campsite to get to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. On the way, the scenery was beautiful. Because we were increasing in elevation, the fall colors were on the deciduous trees, and it was gorgeous! Apparently, there was a fire in the forest here last June and now the “fire aspen” trees have grown to start the reforestation process. They were brilliantly beautiful in yellows, oranges, and a few reds mingled in with the green of the evergreens. It was breathtaking!

Cows are open grazing here, so we are on the lookout for those as well, but so far, none have actually been on the road. We did see a herd of deer before we entered the park itself, and we passed a place that said “buffalo” for the next 5 miles, but we didn’t see any.

There are really no words to describe the grandeur of this canyon. It is a masterpiece of God’s design. We walked out to Bright Angel Point and had a great view from this overlook.

John and I had our lunch sitting on a big rock with a view of the canyon. It was a perfect place to eat and enjoy the scenery.

Of all the times we’ve been to the Grand Canyon, this was the first time I had visited the north rim. It is a bit quieter and much less commercial than the south rim. Definitely worth the visit if you like it a bit less congested, plus it’s cooler due to its elevation. A great day!

“The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.”- Psalm 72:3

Capitol Reef National Park has a lot to compete with in Zion and Bryce, but it does have its own impressive rock formations. There is primarily one road through the park from which there are a few hiking trails. We hiked down part of a trail toward a natural bridge, but it was so hot, as well as getting late in the day, that we decided to only go about halfway before turning around. The trail followed the Fremont River, and the walk was not very difficult (at least the part we were on), so we did enjoy the part we did hike.

As we continued to drive through the park, we stopped to view some petroglyphs. While we coudn’t go up to them, we could view them from a specified site, and they were easily visible.

“Petroglyphs”

As we drove the expanse of the park, we saw a few more large rock formations, but nothing quite as majestic as Zion or Bryce. At the end of the park road, we had to turn around and go back along then headed back down the same road to get home. We could have continued in the original direction, but it would have added quite a few more hours to get back to our campground in Hurricane, Utah. As it was, we would be driving for about 12 hours total this particular day.

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”- Proverbs 4:26

Scenic Hwy 12 is known as an “All-American” road, and it is the road that took us through Grand Staircase National Monument. I wasn’t expecting much here, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the road stretches from the south near Bryce Canyon northward to Capital Reef, its most spectacular beauty is in a small stretch of road between the town of Escalante and the town of Boulder. Between these two towns,, the scenery was quite impressive. Scenic Highway 12 meandered through this vast monument revealing breathtaking views of a land marked by a myriad of multi-colored landforms.

“He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.”- Job 28:10

Zion National Park is another one of the “Big 5” national parks in Utah. It is a huge canyon with numerous trails. The interesting thing about this park is that you cannot drive your car into the park. To visit, you must have a ticket for the shuttle that transports individuals to different spots in the park. Additionally, the park prefers a hard copy of the ticket, which isn’t always easy to get if you purchase your ticket a day or two prior to your visit. We did find that Springdale, the city just before entering Zion, has a library where you can print your ticket.There is also a free shuttle in Springdale that will take you to the entrance of Zion. At that point, you enter the park and board the National Park shuttle.

“Zion National Park”

There were 9 shuttle stops in the park. The first was at the Lodge, but we chose to ride the shuttle to the end and then work our way back to the entrance. At the far end of the shuttle route is a stop that leads to the “Narrows” trail. We hiked along that for a while, meandering from the main trail to another trail by the river and then back to the main one. There were lots of people here… many more than we expected, and it has been the same at Arches, Canyonlands, and Bryce. This makes for some crowding on the trails, but most were mindful of the six-foot distancing, and some were even wearing masks as they hiked.

  “Virgin River in Zion”

There were a lot of deer in Zion. In fact, when we first arrived, there were 3 deer nibbling on the shrubbery at the entrance. As we hiked, we saw several other deer feeding. They don’t seem the least bit bothered by people. They just lift their heads, see what’s happening, then resume feeding. I enjoyed that part of the hiking the best!

“Peek-a-boo Deer”

We also hiked the Grotto Trail. It was a short trail, but we ended up at a shuttle stop, so that was nice. While riding the shuttle, we saw rock climbers halfway up the face of the canyon wall! That was amazing! We could see him through the opening in the top of the shuttle!

“Hiking in Zion”

“Rock climber on canyon wall”

This part of our visit only took about 3 hours, so we decided to drive back to the campground via a more scenic route. We drove the car road in Zion through the southern part of the park through the tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, there were gorgeous rock formations… much more spectacular to me than what was on the shuttle route. We didn’t see any bighorn sheep though, but the drive was lovely.

“Zion National Park”

We didn’t see any bighorn sheep, but we did see a herd of buffalo. We ended up going on a smaller road and drove by Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It had actual sand dunes that were coral-pink in color!

“Buffalo”

“Coral Pink Sand Dunes”

After we got home, John decided to head back to Zion for a bike ride. There were bicycles everywhere in Zion. He told me that the park had emptied out, and his ride was quite pleasant. He also saw a lot more deer on his ride, and one even approached him when he returned to the truck!

 “Oh ‘deer’!”

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”- Psalm 90:2

Before arriving at Bryce, we drove through Red Canyon, which was spectacular! Of course, we had to stop and take several pictures, including one where John drove the truck through a rock arch. I think the arch was man-made, but it was fun. I jumped out of the truck and headed up the road to take the picture as he came through the archway.

“Red Canyon”

“Driving through the arch at Red Canyon”

Once in Bryce Canyon, we drove another 36-mile loop drive (18 miles up and 18 miles back down). There were 13 places to stop and explore. The first one we stopped at was Sunrise Point. This was a huge area with an unbelievable overlook into the canyon. It was amazing!

“Sunrise Point”

While we were at the overlook, we noticed the Navajo Loop Trail. John hesitated for only a moment before deciding to hike it. It was a 1.3 miles loop, so he was confident he would do it. I chose to stay on top and film his journey whenever I could see him. As I waited, I scanned the trail, confident that staying up top was the best choice for me! The part I could see was a steep switchback just before returning to where I was waiting. Once I saw him coming up, I decided to hike a little bit down the “easy” part of the trail… it wasn’t easy! I had a bottle of water for him, so when he met up with me, he was ready for a cool drink! (Points for me for taking care of my man!)

“The Navajo Trail” (from below)

“John (center) on the Navajo Trail”

“Wall Street”

Here are a few of the others highlights for us in Bryce Canyon.

“Bryce Canyon Overlook”

“Agua Canyon”

  “Natural Bridge”

“Ponderosa Point”

“Rainbow Point”

“Black Birch Canyon”

Pictures do NOT do justice to the breathtaking beauty of God’s creation! If you are searching for amazing places to visit, put Bryce Canyon National Park on your list!

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”- Psalm 92:12

Cedar Breaks National Monument is in Utah, very near Bryce Canyon National Park. Due to its close proximity to Bryce, it is easily visited on the same day as a visit to the national park. Cedar Breaks is located at an elevation of 10,000 feet and is very reminiscent of a miniature Bryce Canyon. It has a multicolored canyon with rock spires and pinnacles, as well as bristlecone pine trees everywhere.

At this elevation, the fall colors were beautifully vibrant!

Our first view was breathtaking!

One of the trails upon which we hiked

Another amazing viewpoint

Cedar Breaks is definitely worth the extra time to visit if you’re going to Bryce Canyon!

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”- Romans 1:20

Natural Bridges National Monument lies in the southeast part of Utah, and has three natural bridges that have been formed by water erosion. It has a one-way loop road with overlooks to see the bridges and trails for the avid hiker who wants to see the bridges up close. (Guess who stayed in the overlooks and who hiked the trails!)

“Kachina Bridge”

“Sipapu Bridge”

Each bridge had its own personality. John really enjoyed his hike to Owachomo, the third bridge. From the overlook, the bridge seemed camouflaged with the surrounding area, but from John’s perspective down below, he could clearly see the bridge. He was able to walk right up under the bridge! He said the view from underneath the bridge was amazing, and his pictures didn’t really convey the enormity and beauty of the bridge.

“Owachomo Bridge”

The photo above was my view. Can you see John on the trail on the right side? He’s coming up from the bridge. His view from down below is the next photo.

“Owachomo Bridge”

Here’s a beautiful view of the Owachomo Bridge at night.

While the visit here was a short one, it was definitely worth the time we spent seeing these bridges. The drive was very relaxing, and the views were spectacular!

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”- Psalm 18:2

Monument Valley was not initially on our itinerary, but I am so glad we chose to go there! Known for being the background of many old western movies, including 5 films directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, this region is dotted with massive rock formations that make you feel like you’re part of the old wild west! The road leading into Monument Valley is known as “Forrest Gump Hill” because it is where the scene was shot that had Forrest Gump running and eventually turning around to head back home. Of course, we stopped at mile marker 13, the spot from where the scene was filmed.

  “Forrest Gump Hill”

After we set up our camp, we decided to rent a Jeep and go off-road to see some of the sites not visible from the main road. What a great decision! Our first stop was Mexican Hat. This rock structure can be seen from the road, but it’s much more interesting up close. Additionally, it gave us the “opportunity” to ride on a few more challenging trails, which John loved!

“Mexican Hat”

The next area we visited was called the “Valley of the Gods,” and it was an 18-mile road that meandered through an area with lots of different rock formations. When we exited this site, we headed up the Moki Dugway, a steep switchback road that led to Mufey Point. From here, we had a spectacular view of the valley below.

“Valley of the Gods”

“Moki Dugway”

On the way back to our campground, we took a side trip to Gooseneck State Park. Located high above the valley, we could see the San Juan river as it twisted and turned its way through the rocks below.

“San Juan River from Gooseneck State Park”

Monument Valley is a must see if you are in the area! The people are very friendly and eager to help steer you to toward an amazing day!

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”- Psalm 61:2