We arrived at the home of old friends in Los Gatos, California Sunday evening, May 23rd. Our mileage total is now 4,239 miles since May 4th. All I can say is, Life is Good and take time to smell the roses.
We left Page, AZ, the site of the Glen Canyon Dam and of Antelope Canyon, last Friday morning and arrived a short time later at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I suggest that anyone over age 62 go to a national park and get the lifetime senior pass for $10.00. Mine was a gift from my daughter Kara, and so far has saved us $60.00 in entrance fees. The entrance fee to the Grand Canyon was $25.00, but free with our pass. Again, pictures are worth a thousand words so I will yield my words to the photos.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon, at 8000 feet, is over 1000 feet higher than the South Rim. It is also more remote which translates into less visitors, less commercial activity and more freedom to move around. The lodge is quite nice and has a good restaurant too. A park ranger gave a very interesting half hour program on the geology of the canyon and surrounding region. This included rock samples from the different layers and great maps of the changes over the millennia. Oh, yes, there are remnants of snow in the high alpine meadows.
We left the canyon rim and drove north about 50 miles to Jacobs Lake, AZ to the Jacobs Lake Lodge. This places has many different types of accommodations but since we tend to decide at the last minute which place we will stay we don't always get the best choice. Our cabin was rustic. No TV, phone, internet access and only one working electrical outlet; nevertheless, the bed was nice, the shower hot, and there were no evening noises except for nature's.
The next morning we left Jacobs Lake and drove north, just over the Utah border, then turned west on SR 9 to Zion National Park. The difference between Zion and the Grand Canyon is that the Grand Canyon is viewed from the top. It is huge and vast. Zion National Park is a deep canyon and you drive through it on a twisty road that snakes down and through and you are very close to the giant rock walls. It envelopes you, much like a thick forest that does the same with the closeness of the trees. Peg liked Zion more then she liked the Grand Canyon, I think because she was so close to everything.
Again, we saved the $25.00 entrance fee because of my senior pass. Even without it though, it would be worth the entrance fee. Leaving the canyon west through town was crowded with cars, tour buses and campers. The park's visitors center is on the west side and most visitors come from that side, probably because of Zion's close proximity to Las Vegas. There were a lot of cars and tour buses, commercial establishments and short tempers in the crowded parking lot. We were fortunate to be traveling against the traffic towards Henderson, NV to visit with my nephew, John.
We had a very nice and long overdue visit with my nephew in Henderson, NV. The lodging, a Marriott Town Suite was easily 180 degrees from our cozy mountain cabin. It was very nice. So, we left Henderson, and drove west into California's Mojave Desert. I am not sure, but I think it was close to Zzyzx, CA that we came upon this unique piece of architecture in the middle of no-where. Any guesses?
We continued on to Bakersfield, CA for a delightful lunch with my favorite niece, Lily. We have not seen Lily for several years and it was nice to see the beautiful and poised young lady she is. After a wonderful and delicious lunch at Marie Callender's Restaurant (www.mariecallenders.com) we did hugs and pictures, Lily back to LA, and us for five days with friends in Los Gatos.
