Year Two - Days Ninety thru Ninety-Six

We spent the next few days in Vegas, Baby!  J  No gambling for us, but we enjoyed walking around the strip and checking out all the sights in a lot of the different casinos.  A lot of the big ones have themes and free shows, so we saw a few of those.  There was a cool volcano eruption at the Mirage, and it was especially cool at night.  The light show at the Bellagio was a must, and it was better at night, as well.

The Silverton had a free aquarium to check out, and Mandalay Bay had a very cool aquarium called the Shark Reef.  It was all decorated for Halloween.

We checked out the live flamingos at the The Flamingo, and saw the BIG gold nugget at The Golden Nugget.  At Treasure Island, there was a pretty cool pirate show with a sinking pirate ship and dancers.  Cool indoor gardens at the Bellagio, too.

Although we visited Fremont Street and saw the light show overhead, which was cool as always, the crowd there was REALLY seedy and made me nervous enough to keep one hand on Sam and the other on my back pocket the whole time!

We visited with some friends who live in the area, and it was good to catch up with them over dinner and visit their new house, complete with an array of solar panels – very nice!

One day we drove over to tour the Hoover Dam - it is so massive and awesome!  We toured the inside, and then also drove around to take some pics outside.  They have changed the roads around it a little, making more parking area, and increasing security a lot since 9/11.

While there, we also took a day trip on the bus to visit the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  It was pricey, and a long ride for a quick walk, but it was something that you don’t get the opportunity to do every day!  Awesome views!

Year Two - Days Eighty-One thru Eighty-Nine

The next day, we left Albuquerque and headed to Moab, UT.  The landscape was so different and beautiful – not like anything I had ever seen.  Moab was a small town, basically centered around the tourism industry that had developed from the location so close to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, with lots of beautiful and wild terrain to explore in between.

Sam and I drove to Arches National Park the next day while Jim was working on paperwork.  We hiked around within the park at several points, climbing rocks and checking out some huge natural arches that made us feel really small!  We didn’t make it all the way through the park, so we decided to come back another day with Jim to see the rest.

Another day, we went on a trip to rock crawl on an Unimog tour – our guide had a custom built vehicle that would hold about a dozen people to go extreme four-wheeling.  What a trip!  We climbed up and over rocks that looked impossible to climb before I took this tour!  Going up some of the climbs, there was nothing visible but sky because we were climbing straight up! It was an amazing ride, and our tour guide was the bomb!  We spent about three hours touring, and we were worn out when it was done – true tourists!  LOL

The next day, we went on a boat tour of the Colorado River, checking out some of the gorgeous landscape from a different point of view.  On the bus ride to the boat, we stopped to check out some interesting petroglyphs on the canyon walls right along the river.  These are some well-known petroglyphs, and we have seen several references to them on different television shows.

Along the river, the tour guide pointed out several locations where movie scenes had been shot, including the famous cliff scene in “Thelma and Louise.”  He took us to a spot where we disembarked for a walk to a beautiful grotto.  Once a year, he said there is a local concert given there for charity, and they transport a baby grand piano, among other things, into the location.  All by boat, and then hand carried in – wow!

We also stopped for another walk to check out some petrified wood that had been found in one area.  I also caught a sagebrush lizard checking us out.

The next day, we rented our own Jeep to go four wheeling and tour a different part of the area.  We opted for a drive that would take us to high overlooks with views of the river, and then we drove down into the canyons and followed an old cowboy trail up to the top, which ended up in Canyonlands National Park.  Along the way, we stopped at an overlook where they filmed the last scene in “Thelma and Louise.”  Our boat guide tour had pointed it out, saying that he and lots of folks in the area were watching the filming, and watched a few cars being driven off the cliff and landing facedown on the rocks below. 

We stopped at one area and walked around to check out the terrain, coming across a natural bridge with come great views!

We ended up in Canyonlands National Park, so we stopped for a cool view.

We spent a day doing a day hike to a canyon called Negro Bill Canyon, which ran along a stream and ended up at some cool rock formations and natural bridges.  Since this was not on National Park property, Buster got to go with us, and he had a blast!  It was a seven mile hike round trip, but Buster was a trooper!  I will have to say, though, he spent the whole day on the bed the next day – LOL!

Year Two - Days Seventy-Nine and Eighty

We went a little out of our way for a couple days to catch the end of the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, NM.  We drove down to check it out the evening we arrived, and saw some lighting up at sunset.  The next day was the last day, so we planned on arriving before sunrise and spending the day.

When we got there early the next morning, it was dark and cold – we wrapped up in blankets and staked out a picnic table.  It was awesome watching all the balloon teams arrive and set up.  There was a big sunrise lighting, which was beautiful!  We were right on the front lines, and everyone was allowed to walk among the balloons, and even help them with liftoff!  It was awesome!  Later was the mass ascension, and it was amazing – we took more pics than I could even count!

Year Two - Days Seventy-Five thru Seventy-Eight

When I got back to CO, Sam wanted me to go to Mesa Verde with him, so we spent a day there.  We toured The Balcony House, and the tour guide told us all about the Indians that had built the cliff dwellings and how they lived.  As a mother, I could only imagine the trepidation one must have felt having a toddler running and playing on the cliffside with no railings!  And the primitive steps cut into the rocks where they climbed in and out of the dwellings were steep and treacherous – amazing!

One day, we drove over to Pagosa Springs to enjoy the hot springs – Jim and I had visited it before Sam was born, and Sam really loved it!  They have 23 hot tubs that are filled from the hot springs and are different temperatures from 98 degrees up to 114 degrees.  It also overlooks the San Juan River.  Ahhhhh…..what a great way to spend an afternoon!

Again, Jim took the pics at Pagosa Springs, which we don't have, so I just posted a brochure pic so you get an idea.

Year Two - Days Sixty-Six thru Seventy-Four

While I was in Florida taking care of business, Jim and Sam did a little sightseeing in the area.  They went to Wind Cave, which they said was pretty cool.  They also went to a small zoo where they got to see the animals up close and personal!

A few steps up the road from the campground was a cool little hot spring.

They also spent a day at Mesa Verde National Park, and toured The Balcony House and The Cliff Palace.  Sam and Jim also spent some time exploring around the campground which was on the river, and playing with the Traxxs.

Unfortunately, we had some computer issues and Jim’s pics were lost.  L

Year Two - Days Sixty-Three thru Sixty-Five

We drove to Colorado Springs to spend a few days.  Our first day, we went to the Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs.  They were very cool!  Amazing what the native people were able to accomplish and the knowledge they gathered about their surroundings and plants in order to survive.

The second day we drove to the top of Pike’s Peak.  What a gorgeous drive!!  When we got to the top, there was snow on the ground and it was windy and in the 20’s – brrrrr!  On the drive back down, it started to snow pretty hard for a few minutes and Sam was loving it!  J

Unfortunately, there were some problems with business back home, so I had to fly home on October first for a few days.  I flew out of Denver, and returned 8 days later to catch up Jim and Sam in Durango, CO.

Days Forty-Seven thru Fifty-Two - Year Two

This week has gone by in a blur and I can't remember which day we drove where!

One day we went to Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs.  There were lots of boardwalk trails through the geyser basins that we traversed at Norris, and we also walked the trail to see Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser when it is erupting.  The last time it erupted was in 2005, and we didn't see any action while we were there. The visitor center at Norris was really cool and informative, showing the last eruption of Steamboat as well as lots of history of Yellowstone.

We saw a few big horn sheep on the drive to Mammoth Hot Springs!

Mammoth Hot Springs was awesome, with a mountainous geyser basin, showing amazing formations and colors.  The landscape looked like a winter scene, with the white ground and dead trees.  Old Fort Yellowstone is located at Mammoth Hot Springs, and a big elk herd settles down each night right in front of the lodge there, much to the delight of the tourists!

On the leg of the drive from Madison Junction to West Yellowstone, there are two areas where the elk settle in for the night, and we have seen them on our drive home each night.  There are over 3000 bison in the park, and we have seen several herds wandering around, sometimes right in the road.  On the drive home, we saw a young wolf walking around a meadow hunting for small prey.  My pictures weren't very good because the sun was behind him, but he walked pretty close to the parking area - all the people were thrilled!

Another day we drove to Canyon Village in the park, and checked out the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - magnificent! We walked one trail that was basically a switchback straight down over 600 feet to the top of the falls - whew!  Later, we drove around to the other side of the canyon, and there was a trail about five times longer that boasted over 1000 stairs to the river - PASS!  The stair climbing is much harder in my book than walking a sloping trail.  :)  There were lots of beautiful overlooks, though!

On the drive home, we stopped at a pullover spot that was crowded with folks to see a couple of bears way off in the distance.  A park ranger was there, explaining there was a bison carcass out there, and the bears and wolves had been eating it for a couple of days.  There was a grizzly at it right then, and a black bear off to the side, waiting for its turn.

Another day we drove to Fishing Bridge area, driving along Yellowstone Lake.  What a humongous lake!  We did a small 2 1/2 mile hike through the woods and fields in the area, watching for bears.  We spotted a snowshoe hare, and it let us approach it pretty close before zipping away.  Yellow bellied marmots were supposed to be in the area, but we didn't see any.  Lots of squirrels and chipmunks, though!

We drove home through the Hayden Valley, where we had seen the bears the day before, and there was more bear activity again to see.  We also saw a herd of bison running in the distance, so we stopped to see it we could figure out the cause and found it - two wolves flanking the herd!  The bison all gathered up tight in a bunch, putting the calves in the middle, and a few bulls patrolled the outer perimeter.  The wolves wandered away.

Sam has been busy collecting the stamp cancellations in his National Park Passport Book, so we drove out to Tower-Roosevelt the next day to collect those stamps.  Unfortunately, this lodge was closed, and there was road construction, so it was a bust.  We cruised out to the northeast entrance gate to drive through the Lamar Valley, which is heralded as the wolf mecca, but we didn't see any wolves that trip.  We did see lots of pronghorns and bison, however.  That valley was HUGE!  It was also a nice drive through some mountains - what a beautiful area!

Every day on the drive home we see the elk at their usual hangout near the West Yellowstone exit.

One day we drove up to Big Sky, to check it out.  We were going to ride a tram to the top of the mountain there, but found out once we got there that it only ran once a day (already gone) and that it was not a tram the whole way up - part of the trip was on the ski lift.  Sam said "No go."  :)

We went from there to Virginia City, which is a cool old west town with most of the buildings still preserved from the 1800's.  While there, we took a train ride to Nevada City, and got a little history lesson on the gold found there over a century ago.  Pretty cool!

Another day we checked out the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center here in town, which is a nonprofit organization which has animals that cannot be returned to the wild for various reasons.  Some of the grizzly bears were enormous!  It is a really nice place, and they are expanding next year, adding an otter area.  Sam really enjoyed it!