Bryce Canyon and More

Boy, a lot has happened since I've blogged last.

We ended up staying in Torrey just as I said we would. We were anxious to see the road that was so highly touted by the folks we talked to on the road the previous day. You know what? Beauty is very subjective. They thought it was the ultimate road for scenery, but almost any highway in Washington State would blow it out of the water. Clearly, the road we were so in awe of the day before was the most beautiful road to us. No question. While the scenery was okay, it wasn't anything amazing. It was really nice as far as the trees went. There was some variety of white tree that I don't know that was everywhere on the mountain we went over. They stood naked and stark against the cold, blue sky and game me several really cool pictures like this:


Another thing that was cool was when 4 wild turkeys ambled across the road in front of us. A little ways farther up the road we saw a group of about 20 more, just hanging out next to the road, enjoying the morning air.


As usual for our day, we still occasionally stopped for a picture here and there as we went, but for the most part we drove pretty steady until we hit Bryce Canyon.

Words or pictures can't begin to describe Bryce Canyon. Like the Grand Canyon, you have to experience it in person. We were fortunate to get there on a beautiful sunny day after a light snowfall the previous night. It was spectacular! We still don't have our pictures uploaded to our pictures site, but here are a few samples so you can see what I'm talking about. Click them for a larger version:



From there it was pretty much non-stop to Las Vegas. We got there just after sundown, and at Suzie's urging, took a detour to the Vegas strip. I don't think there is ever a time when that city isn't under construction. We got lucky and made the right turns so we didn't have too much trouble. We didn't have any luck with a motel though. Based on what I paid for one when I was there with Sarah last year, we weren't in any hurry to find one really--We would have been happy to have driven farther up the highway. After a brief look, that's exactly what we did--We drove to the next exit after Vegas. The exit is called Jean, and it was apparently named for the only thing there--A casino/hotel. Okay, there's also a gas station and something else, but the casino dominates the WHOLE exit. It's called Jean Nevada. We stayed there for $35! We couldn't believe it--Every place we had stayed on this vacation got cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. Anyway, we had a good time there. We hung out and had some drinks in a bar in the casino and made fun of the live act that was singing. The place was huge, gaudy, and flashy. Apparently, it was also a haven for truckers, as there were lots of them parked around the place. Although the place is much bigger than this picture shows, it will give you an idea of how much it looks like an adult theme park:


When we got up the next morning we hit the road bound for Los Angeles. Instead of going to Suzie's sister's house right off the bat, we went directly to her deceased uncle's house where her sister was helping her mom with cleanup. After a great reunion, we followed her sister back up to their house where we stayed the night. They have a cool cabin up in the San Bernardino mountains.

Since that time I've slept on the living room couch here at her uncle's house. I haven't seen this much stuff in one house in any time that I can recall. There are piles, boxes, and all kinds of things heaped everywhere, both inside and out. We have had fantastic weather here (after all, it's SoCal) so I can't complain. I'm actually having a good time doing all this stuff. I think it's the exploration part of it, the "Hey, I wonder what's in here?" sort of thing.

Last night Suzie and I drove up to my son Mark's house in Thousand Oaks. We had a great visit and dinner with them. I got to meet my new grandson, Ethan. He is such a cutie! Both of us were in awe of how much Emma was yakking. She is about 3 ½ years old and talking up a storm, with manners included. I really had a great time with them. We left at Em's bedtime as to not create too much of a deviation from her bedtime schedule. I know how kids are. Besides, Mark had to get up early this morning for a flight to Utah.

So here it is, another beautiful, sunny day in Lakewood, California. Another day of garage sale action, box exploration, compiling Craigslist ads, and all sorts of other related stuff.

It's been a very interesting vacation!