...Hoodoos...

...pronounced: hu-du....a pinnacle or odd shaped rock left standing that started 200 million years ago...the freezing and thawing of water forms these sculptures...they were unbelievable....just when I thought the Grand Canyon was the most breath taking sight, I'm learning in this country, it just goes on and on....Bryce Canyon National Park contains not only the Hoodoos but other structures with windows, arches, natural bridges,balancing rocks and wildlife like no other.....I tried but the pictures do not capture the beauty of this wonderful place....



...balancing rocks...

...we were having a picnic and a herd of pronghorns came down in the valley near us....

...windows and arches...


...a hike to the lower level...






...driving thru tunnels...

...talking to the ravens...



...watching the trail ride to the bottom...my next adventure...maybe, next year...

....our next day adventure...the Zion National Park....can it get any better.....

...President Millard Fillmore...

yep, we are in Millard County in the town of Fillmore, Utah...the county and town are both named after the 13th president...it was horrible driving thru Salt Lake City and all the burbs on the southern end...finally, we found out there would be a Flying J truckstop at milemarker 261...anticipating we would be able to get lunch, gas and a much needed break, we arrived at a closed gas station...it was at least a stop and a chance to take a little break...

in 1851, the governor of Utah named Fillmore the capitol of Utah...this is the oldest government building in Utah...

...a gentleman from Fillmore who in earlier years was the clock repairman had a hobby and side business of collecting lava rock and wood from the desert....using just his imagination, he made wood sculptures from the pieces of wood he found...his house is covered with lava rock and there are huge flowers designed on the walls...it was amazing....

we had no idea was this structure was, but after questioning the campground owners, we found out it was an antique hay lifter....how it worked we don't know, but it was very interesting....leaving tomorrow for Bryce Canyon....

...Chief Pocatello...

..just goes to show ya...no matter where you go there is always something to see...driving to Pocatello, Idaho, we stopped at a rest area and WOW...lava formations...unbelievable trail around the lava rocks...after arriving in Pocatello and setting up camp, we ventured out... and we find out there was a Chief Pocatello...ya gotta love this country...next, we are working our way to Salt Lake City area....

...Yellowstone National Park...

...our drive into the park was a little hectic to say the least...we drove thru three states in a 20 min time space and it was very crowded and then, realizing about 30 miles in the park we had less than 1/4 tank of gas...yes, Bill was beside himself...no stopping, no looking until the first gas station which was, luckily, at Old Faithful....and that was timed perfectly...only 5 minutes until it was suppose to blow...and yes, right on time....beautiful sight...afterwards we walked over to the welcome center and before we knew what was happening, Karen fainted...had to get the medics and they took her to the clinic...everything turned out okay, looks like it was a combination of altitude and not eating breakfast....I bet not everyone gets to see the inside of the Yellowstone National Park Clinic...he he...about 2 1/2 hours later, she was released and we got some food into her and she was good to go...

continuing on our adventure...we toured the Old Faithful Inn which was built in the early 1900s and is still in operation today...it withstood the fires in 1988 which destroyed over a 1/3 of the 3 million acres of yellowstone...from there we walked the boardwalk around the paint pots in the West Thumb area of the Yellowstone lake...which is the largest lake at that altitude in North American...HUGE....

...along our drive to the next attraction we came to a complete stop in the road and looking out to see what the hold up was, we saw a buffalo that had decided he wanted to cross the road...he he...buffalos are in charge at Yellowstone...

...next stop was the mud volcano...hot mud bubbling and popping out of the ground...a few yards up the walk was the "Dragon's Mouth"...should have been named "Dragon's Breath"...he he...the sulfur smell was awful, but the formation, sound and explosions of the steam was amazing....

...driving the southern loop the first day was a wise choice...the last stop on this loop was the canyon and falls...little did we know what an awesome sight we were about to see...we had to stop and walk less than 1/4 mile to see the lower falls...OMG...it was beautiful...as we drove back we were in a road construction one lane hold up for over an hour...if we were to go on the upper loop the next day we would encounter the construction coming and going...we opted out....one day of 10 hours would have to be enough...it was a beautiful trip....

...Carl G. Washburne State Park...

...the most beautiful state park in Oregon...I think...at least the prettiest one we stayed in...we separated from our traveling companions for a couple of days because there were not enough spaces and our rig was the smallest so we lucked out...just passed our campsite was a trail to the beach...an awesome 1/2 mile thru the rainforest to the beach...driving into the city of Florence we came across the sand dunes...I've never experienced sand blowing that hard...I did manage to make a sand angel, but ended up with sand everywhere...he he...I just fell in love with the Oregon coast...we had beautiful weather the entire time...we WILL be back....

...the Oregon Coast...

...I could not wait for the first morning on the coast...I was up and walking aound 7 am...the weather was a cool 58 degrees and not very windy...I decided not to take the camera because I planned on picking up driftwood and rocks...there were only two or three other people...I headed toward some huge rock formations about a mile down the beach...as I got close to them, I saw they were all covered with starfish...OMG..such beautiful colors and no camera...sooooo, I quickly turned and walked back and got my camera and Bill...awesome sight....

...gateway to the redwoods....

...we arrived in Willits, the gateway to the redwoods around 1 pm...quickly set up camp, unhooked the car and took off on Hwy 20 to Ft.Bragg and Mendocino...as soon as we began our winding 20 mph trip down the mountain we were into the beginning of the redwoods...not so big around but TALL...we were so glad we did not bring the motorhome...our little 33 miles took over an hour...the scenery was beautiful...we had not had contact with our friends since they left Travis AFB two days ago...we did not know the campground or even which town they were staying in...no cell phone service...we wanted to see the coast and Mendocino,anyway, so we thought we'd ride around and then head back to Willits and hope to hear from them later...driving into Mendocino was like driving into a movie scene of little cottage houses with huge gardens of flowers along the coastline...so pretty...lots of shops...and who do we see walking the streets...our friends!!!!....we hooked up again and made plans to head north to the Redwoods State Park tomorrow...unfortunate for them, they have to drive the motorhomes back over Hwy 20 to Willits...