Coxen Travel Ink ... California/Arizona etal

Coxen Travels Ink .... On the Road Again

March 18 - 26 - On the way to Las Vegas

Thursday, March 18 - We are on our way south to see what the snowbirds find attractive in the southwestern United States.   We didn't get too far on our first day - we ended up in Canmore with the Goertzens.  We saw 6 tundra swans on the lake near Canmore.  They must be on their way north.  Friday, March 19 - We spent the morning walking beside the river, and saw lots of evidence of beavers hard at work.  We didn't see the beaver, though.  There is no snow in the lower township except down by the river.  

Along the Bow river

We headed to our next stop in the afternoon - Fairmont, BC.  The resident herd of mountain goats were sitting on the rocks just north of Radium.  Pat's brother, Darcy, and his wife, Brenda, have just built a house beside the river.  It is beautiful.  Lots of windows to enjoy the views on all sides of the house.

What a beautiful house and a fabulous location!

 Saturday, March 20 -The Elder's have a pet woodpecker that likes to wake everyone up by working on his new hole on the chimney.  Now, you would think that he would be attracted to the wood trim around the chimney, or be afraid of the owl that is supposed to keep the birds away from the house.  But, he loves the owl, and likes to dig in the stucco just below the owl.  The hole has already got a 2 inch diameter.

The culprit!

We headed in to Invermere to see the sights.  There are some really interesting boutiques and galleries downtown.  We also went down to the lake to see if the world's longest skating track was still open.  Unfortunately, it, too, has melted away. Sunday, Match 21 - Today is a beautiful, sunny day in the valley.  Woody did his job again.  We wandered just past the golf course to see where the local eagle family moved to after their tree blew over several winters ago.  We found the nest - we could see one white head in the nest, while its mate was standing guard in a tree nearby.

Eagle and nest.

They have a beautiful spot - right near a bend in the river.  We walked up to the hoodoos.  From the top of them, you get a marvellous view of the valley, and can see where the Columbia River starts, at the end of Columbia Lake.

Fairmont Hoodoo's

Monday, March 22 -  Today was a driving day. We headed south through Eureka, Montana, and continued south through Kalispell and then on the Butte where we spent the night.  There is still evidence of winter with piles of snow in the forests.  The deer are plentiful.  We also saw two eagles in the trees.  Tuesday, March 23 - We spent the day on the interstate, enjoying the peaks on either side of the valley.

Rainy, beautiful I15.

We travelled through the south of Montana, the hook of Idaho, and into the north of Utah, going past the poetically named towns of Divide and Wisdom in Montana, Snowline and Inkom in Idaho, and Price, Browse and Virgin in Utah.  It  rained for most of the day, but the rain stopped, and the temperature rose to a balmy 10C as we crossed the border into Utah.  Wednesday, March 24 - Another day on the interstate, but the good news is that we only have a four hour drive today because we are stopping to spend time in Zion National Park.

Zion Canyon view.

 Zion is famous for the red monoliths and layered rock that has been exposed over the centuries in a canyon.

Kerry has been dreaming about visiting this park for thirty years, ever since he read the books of Edward Abbey about the area.  We hiked the Canyon Valley Loop and saw a golden eagle and a small gecko.  Fortunately for the gecko, we didn't see them at the same time!

March 26 - 29 - Las Vegas

Thursday, March 26 - We wanted to see more of Zion National Park, so we headed out early (remember that early for us usually means about 9 am) for the park.  We got lucky and found a parking spot at the visitors' centre, despite all of the signs telling us otherwise.  We hopped on the shuttle and headed further into the canyon.  We did a hike that followed the Virgin River to two water falls,

Falls at Emerald Waterfalls and Pools.

and then continued on to the next shuttle stop.  The views are so spectacular.

Crevasse on 'The Grotto' trail.

Pat & Kerry on 'The Grotto' trail.

You don't know where to look next, so we found we had to stop to admire the view.  That way, Pat could then focus on the trail and not fall off the side. 

 After a quick lunch, we drove south to St George, UT and then over the border into Arizona.  When you get to this point on the I15, you enter the Virgin River Gorge, and are subjected to one of the most spectacular drives anywhere.  The hills and the cliffs are amazing.

I15 Virgin River Canyon.

You are in Arizona for only 30 miles before you enter Nevada and leave the Gorge.  The scenery is not as interesting, but we did see many Joshua Trees, and a small cactus with the most vibrant pink bloom.  I hope to see one where we can stop and take a picture.

It wasn't long before we could see the skyline of Vegas,, and hit the traffic that seems to be a constant.  We finally arrived at our destination - The Jockey Club.  The Club's two small towers nestled in beside the Cosmopolitan on the 50 yard line of The Strip.  We had dinner at the Harley Davidson Cafe before going to bed very early.  Friday, March 27 - We wandered the strip

Vegas at night.

and went to the

What a GREAT show!

Cirque de Soleil The Beatles Love.  Wow!!  We loved it.  Saturday, March 28 - There is a big quilt store in Henderson, so we ventured out in the car to find it, plus fuelling the car before we head out tommorrow.

March 29 - April 8 - Visiting in Palm Desert, CA, and Goodyear, AZ

Sunday, March 29 - The drive south from Vegas to Palm Desert was interesting.  The Mojave was yellow from the flowers that were in bloom on the shrubs, with periodic dots of fuschia from the cactus we had seen on the way into Vegas.

 We were finally able to stop because we were not on the interstate highway.

Palm Desert is one of several cities in the Cochella Valley.  It was great to see Lynne, Doug and Brian.  We enjoyed sharing stories on their patio, with the sound of the lakes and the mister.  There is a pool across the street from the house, so we spent a couple of days and enjoyed the heat, sun, and water.  Tuesday, April 1 - The three musketeers, Brian, Kerry and Pat, went up the Palm Springs Tram to the top of the mountain.  

Kerry & Pat in the San Jacinto Peak Park

The temperature is twenty degrees cooler at the top, with several different pine tree species.
We arrived at Reid and Janne's in early afternoon, and enjoyed sitting on their patio, watching the doves and quail on the fence.  Their yard backs onto a wash, so they have an area where the desert flora and fauna can be viewed.  Their neighbour puts a feeder in the wash, so we enjoyed watching some baby bunnies and quails eating.  We are hoping to see roadrunners and a bobcat.  Friday, April 3 - What a great day.  The four of us went to the last baseball game of this year's Cactus League.  

There were many birds singing on the tops of the trees.  The view from the top of the valley is amazing.  You can see how the wind farms and the cities have carved out a space in the Mojave.  Thursday, April 2 - We are on the road again.  We drove east to Goodyear, via I10.  As soon as we crossed the Arizona border, we saw giant Sequoia cactus dotting the landscape.  They love a view, so they were abundant on the hills, and absent in the valleys.  Kerry's favourite teddy bear cactus was also abundant.  Those teddy bears are not cuddly.  The little balls leap out at you, and must have some venom of sorts in the spikes, because they sure hurt when they attach to your skin.  

At the ball game!

The Milwaukee Brewers played the Cleveland Indians.  

The action all happened in the 2nd & 3rd innings.

The Brewers are happy tonight, while the Indians are sad.  The Easter egg Extravaganza was fun to watch.  Thousands of kids running for 5000 eggs.

Our friends Reid and Joanne also have a pet woodpecker, named Woody.  He likes to peck on the neighbour's chimney, right into the tin.  Apparently he is looking for a girlfriend.  Not much luck so far as the banging continues.  Saturday, April 4 - We started the day with a walk down a bit of the wash, around the local lake, and then back to Perkins' house.  What a beautiful area.  

The desert is full of colour right now!

The desert is so interesting when you are really in it.  

The vegetation here is beautiful but vicious!

We saw a small khaki-coloured gecko out sunning, and lots of birds at the lake.  Water brings everyone together.  That gave us ideas, so we all jumped into the Perkins' pool to keep cool before we headed to Glendale to see the Arizona Coyotes play the San Jose Sharks.  

The boys just finished having a chat!

It seemed a bit strange to go to a hockey game in shorts and sandals, but that is what they do down here.  If you were willing to wait in a long line, you could even get a Tim Horton's cup of coffee and timbits!!  Tuesday, April 7 - For our last full day n the Phoenix area, we decided to go to Old Town Scottsdale.  The area is actually historic.  There is a Mission Church, a bank, and other buildings that have been maintained.  

The bank is now a bar where the vault now protects the beer.  The other old buidngs are now jewellery stores, souvenir shops, and galleries.  We picked up a really nice Navajo throw.  When you get tired, you can take a ride on the free trolley that will take you to all the local hot spots.  Statues are everywhere, ad follow either the old west theme

or the modern art theme.

We finished the day at a Mexican restaurant.  

April 8 to April 17 - The Road Home

Wednesday, April 8 - We got a good start to the day, leaving Goodyear by 10 am.  We had a few stops on the way - Costco, Anthem Outlet Mall, and then we were on the road again north.  It was amazing how the saguaro cactus was in abundance on the sides of the hills until just north of Anthem.  We crested the hill and they were gone.  The prickly pear cactus took over.

We entered the Navajo Reserve, and the scenery became outstanding.  We spent the night in Kayenta, AZ., just a little  south and east of the four corners border of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming, and the gateway to Monument Valley, a place of mystical buttes and pinnacles of eroded sandstone.  Thursday, April 9 - The Monument Valley did not disappoint us.  We drove in to the visitor centre at the Navajo Park.  There is a 17 mile drive you can take that goes by many of the monuments, but we chose not to take it.  We were worried about bottoming out.  Instead, we admired several of the most famous  monuments from the visitor centre.

Monuments National Park

John Wayne acted in several movies here, and we stood at his favourite spot to admire the scenery, as well.  We saw a list of other movies that have had scenes filmed in this park.  Thelma and Louise, Back to the Future III, 2001 Space Odyssey, and many others.  Our last entertainment of the Monument Park was to watch a local herd of goats defy the road grates.  They stopped at the grates, and then walked a little further up the road and crossed over the road.  Smart goats!!  We also saw several small lizards.  Unlike their Phoenix cousins, these ones were rust coloured.  We then drove north into Utah, and stopped in Moab.  Just a few miles from Moab, we stopped at Wilson Arch.  We were pretty excited because this is a teaser of what we will see at Arches.  

Wilson Arch

This town is the gateway to Arches National Park and Canyon Lands National Park.   We drove out to Canyon Lands and admired the box canyons and basins from above.

Canyon Lands wow!

Don't take another step!

There are also Two monoliths, named after two civil war ships that blasted each other.  One ship was yankee, the other was Confederate.

Friday, April 10 -  We were up early and at the Arches Park gate by 9:30 am.  This park is amazing!!  You drive up and up through several switch back turns before coming up to a plateau.  There, you are blessed with rust-coloured walls of sandstone and pinnacles.  The best pinnacle has a large boulder balanced on top.  You guessed it - it is named Balanced Rock.

Balanced Rock does not look so balanced?

There are arches in many places.  Arches are spots in rock walls where wind and rain have done their thing to create a hole that keeps getting bigger.  You see baby arches and big ones.  The most famous arch is Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch

The biggest arch is Landscape Arch.

Landscape Arch

North and south windows are close together.

Windows Arches

Double Arch is two arches joined at a single vertex.

Double Arch

All in all, Kerry's dream was a wonderful day.  Saturday, April 11 - Today was a long day of driving east to Denver.  It was a pretty dull day until we got to the ski area of Vale.  There are a large number of ski hills in that valley.  We had dinner in the hotel, along with several sheriffs who were there for a meeting.  Sunday, April 12 - Another long day of driving.  This time, we were heading north towards Deadwood, North Dakota.  Because we were driving early on a low-traffic road, the deer and antelope were in abundance in the fields.  Kerry also saw an owl.  Monday, April 13 - We took a day off, and enjoyed the historic town of Deadwood, North Dakota, and the surrounding Area.  We walked up to the grave of Wild Bill Hickock,

Grave of Wild Bill Hockock

a gambler who was shot after he was accused of cheating at cards.  Calamity Jane is buried beside him.  She  was a colourful character, as well.  We drove to Rapid City to wander the Air Museum.

B52 at the Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB, SD

 Tuesday, April 14 - Another day of driving.  This time, we drove north and east to Carlyle, SK to see Kerry's aunts, uncle and cousins.  Thursday, April 16 - On to Regina today.  It is amazing the changes that have come about over the past 36 years along highway 33.  When we first started going there as a married couple, the area was strictly farming.  Today, there are lines of oil wells as far as the eye can see.  

Oil country, southern Saskatchewan

We arrived at my sister's house about noon.  We arrived with a dozen of the Carlyle Bakery famous cinnamon buns, so she allowed us to have lunch before she started cracking the whip.  We cleaned and set up for the big kitchen party on Saturday.  Sunday, April 19 - Despite the late bed time last night, we were up to facetime with the grandkids before heading down the road to Maidstone, and Pat's brother Jay and family.  Kerry got a cooking lesson from our oldest niece on how to make breakfast sandwiches.  Guess we will be purchasing a new appliance.  Monday, April 20 - We are home!!  A great month away.