Mesa Verde was a pleasant surprise. In our final planning phase, we found at that we were a bit early – still the tail end of winter at 7000 ft elevation… so the three “Cliff Dwelling” tours season only starts on May 6th. We were resigned that we might not see much. But much to… Continue reading Mesa Verde National Park
Tag: National Park
Canyonlands National Park
More Canyons… Canyonlands is really 3 parks in one due to the land masses being separated by two rivers that merge inside the park boundaries, the Green river and the Colorado River. We visited the “Island in the sky” section, which is the most developed part of the park. The Needles section consists mostly of… Continue reading Canyonlands National Park
Arches National Park
Unlike Capitol Reef, which is a small park, this one is a big and popular one. Not only is there an entrance gate as expected, but you also need a “timed entry vehicle pass” to even get as far as the visitor center. This was a miss in my planning, as this is National Park… Continue reading Arches National Park
Capital Reef National Park
The name seemed weird, because this is an inland National Park, but it makes the point that this was an ocean bed in prehistoric times. This is a park that’s easily done in one day. It has a nice scenic drive, and the scenery on this one is a bit like being in a one-sided… Continue reading Capital Reef National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Of all the parks we have visited, Claudette and I both agree that this one is the most amazing. We really looked forward to Grand Canyon, and were not disappointed. And Bryce is a Canyon too, but the color palette here is just amazing. Grand Canyon is stunning for its depth and width, but Bryce… Continue reading Bryce Canyon National Park
Zion National Park
We had a spectacular drive from the south entrance right up curvy roads and then back out at the east entrance of Zion National Park. The weather wasn’t nice enough for us to do any hikes, but most times it provided dramatic clouds to enhance our pictures. There is a part of the park that… Continue reading Zion National Park
Death Valley National Park
There is a lot to say about Death Valley, but the four highlights are Hair raising elevation changes and tight hairpin curves driving the RV towards the Park’s west entrance Death Valley holds three important records: Lowest point in Western Hemisphere at minus 282 feet Hottest location on earth (record high temperature at 137°F) Driest… Continue reading Death Valley National Park
A twofer: Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park
Our home base for these two parks is Visalia CA. During our preparation we had planned on doing one of these parks a day, due to winter road closures. we were stunned and elated when we were told at the entrance gate that the road between the two parks was now opened, and that the… Continue reading A twofer: Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park
Channel Island National Park
Today was a big day, as Channel Islands, as the name suggests, are islands, and the only way to get there is by boat. The specific island we chose to go to is Santa Rosa island, and that is a 3 hour ride, each way… So we had to be there by 7:15 AM for… Continue reading Channel Island National Park
Joshua Tree National Park – day 2
Yesterday, we covered the top part of the park, which is where the Joshua Trees are, and most of the trails. Today, we drove all the way to the South entrance of the park (Cottonwood visitor center), which interestingly gets into a distinct desert. The western half of the desert (yesterday) is in the Mojave… Continue reading Joshua Tree National Park – day 2