Safe & Sound

Just to let you know we made it back to North Carolina safely and that our trip was awesome. Thanks to all of you that followed us on our blog in our journey.

Last But Not Least

We started today off with going to see Old Faithful. We arrived 5 minutes before she erupted so we were able to walk up, sit on the side, and witness the amazing site! Afterward we walked around the other geysers and then hiked up to an observation point to see Old Faithful erupt again. The hike was pretty level until the last 0.1 of a mile where it was straight up. Needless to say we needed a minute to catch our breath and we are blaming it on the altitude! After the hike we had lunch and were lucky enough to see Old Faithful for a 3rd time as we were leaving. We spent some time driving around parts of the park we did not see yesterday before we heading back to the hotel for a quick wardrobe change.

Since we have not seen any bears we decided to go to a bear and wolf sanctuary to see them up close. The first 2 bears (twin brother and sister) we saw weighed in at 800 lbs and 920 lbs! It was funny to watch the male swim in the pond looking for food while the female dug a hole and laid on her back! We then headed into town to eat and shop! Lori's favorite t-shirt said, "Do not feed the bears" with a bear wearing moose antlers and holding a sign stating "I am not a bear!"

After grabbing Dairy Queen Blizzards, we headed back to the hotel to start packing. Tomorrow we head back to Salt Lake City so we can fly out on Wednesday. Although we had one of the most amazing trips we have ever taken, we are both ready to come home and see Konahead!

Yellowstone - Day 1

We left Teton Village this morning after sleeping in and headed to Yellowstone National Park. On the way we were lucky enough to encounter a moose by the side of the road. As we looked at the moose in the car, it decided to move and came right by Lori's window. It looked in the back window and sniffed. I guess it smelled our snacks. That was quite a unique experience.

We arrived at Yellowstone about one hour later and started our adventure. We first stopped off at West Thumb where we walked trails and viewed geysers. None of them erupted but a few were boiling and boy it stunk. Our next stop was the mud volcano area where several geysers were blowing off steam. One of our favorites was Dragon's Mouth Spring where geysers were erupting in a cave and the steam was flowing out. It sounded just like a dragon's roar. Another stop was at the Natural Bridge where we hiked about a mile round trip in bear country to a natural bridge formed by water and air erosion. Lori's pina colada chapstick did not attract any bears. Our last stop was at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone where we hiked to several different views of a waterfall. The last view was from the top of the falls where we were able to experience the sound, smell and power of the falls. Throughout the day we saw the following wildlife: moose, coyote/wolf, elk, deer, bison and chipmunks.

Tomorrow we are headed to see Old Faithful and we can't wait!!!

Over the Mountains and Through the Woods

We woke this morning with breakfast on our minds. Bo has been craving Starbucks next door ever since he saw it yesterday. We ventured over to get coffee and food and headed on our way to Teton Village through Jackson, WY.

We started our day by mapping our trip to Jackson by both the fastest time and shortest distance using Paul's GPS (a life saver). It seemed to not make much of a difference, both were going to take over 5 hours. We decided on the shortest distance in order to see more of the countryside and rural towns. As we were riding and viewing the leaves changing along the way, we unfortunately came across a man fly fishing in a stream with his fish cap, fly jacket, water boots and his speedo - yes the man was wearing a speedo - no pants - we still have not stopped laughing.

As we continued on, the trip carried us over the Idaho and Wyoming line ten plus times on our way up to the Grand Teton National Park. (As noted in the last post, because of the time it took to travel to Jackson, we scratched going to Thermopolis and Cody.)

Once we finally reached Jackson, we rode through town on our way to the Grand Teton NP. The Teton mountains were beautiful with their snow covered tops. We were told that it snowed on top this morning and that snow was in the forecast for the area next week. It was not really that cold (upper 60's) but windy. There were several overlooks and turnouts through the park in which we were fortunate to view sheep, deer, elks, buffalo and one lone wolf (still have not spotted a grizzly, moose or big horn sheep). It was a great day of hunting for a view of animals in the car. As the day got older, our bodies started to feel it. We decided to head to the hotel in Teton Village. After traveling 9 miles from the park through the mountains and a dirt road, we finally reached our destination. We went downstairs to eat a well needed dinner and are off to bed.

Tomorrow we are headed up to Yellowstone National Park (about 1 hour drive).

We're Riding the Asphalt Rodeo

Today we headed to Salt Lake City, which is the half way point from Moab to Jackson, WY and it took about 3.5 hours. As we were getting close to the city, we spotted Cracker Barrel and immediately made a B line for the exit. We were craving some good ole country food and sweet tea. Bo asked how sweet the tea is and our waitress responded "It's the best in Utah". We agree!!

We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Salt Lake City which is about 6 LONG blocks from downtown. After checking in, we headed out for a walk to Temple Square. We toured the Temple Square and eventually asked about the Mormon belief principals and the difference between Mormon and Protestant beliefs. That was a mistake. The older ladies were nice, but had seemed to have a hard time explaining it to us. After about 15 minutes and 10 brochures, we finally began to understand. Although we were not allowed into the temple because we are not Mormon, they did show us pictures of what it looked like. The rooms were beautiful and we learned about the rooms where weddings took place (the name escapes us at the moment) since we were seeing so many brides. In this particular temple there are 13 of these rooms and today alone there were 24 weddings!

We finally headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at P.F. Chang's. Tomorrow we are headed up to Jackson Hole, WY through Thermopolis (Dinosaur Museum) and Cody (old western town named after Buffalo Bill).

Moab, UT

As we woke refreshed this morning at the Moab Valley Inn, we were relieved to know that after we visited Canyonlands and Arches National Park we wouldn't be back on the road for another destination. This was the first time in which we have stayed in the same hotel for more than one night and we loved it!!!

We started this morning enjoying the continental breakfast and then heading to Canyonlands National Park. It is one of the least visited national parks in this area (only 400,000 a year) due to the fact that it is so large and is mainly used by hikers, bikers and 4WD vehicles. There are 3 sections to the park and we chose to visit the closest one to Moab, the Island of Paradise. The trip up to the top was about 22 miles and contained a panoramic view of the area. Other than lookouts, there is not much to do in this national park unless you plan on doing strenuous hiking. Needless to say our visit was short and sweet!

After eating lunch in town, we headed to Arches National Park and spent a wonderful afternoon hiking and visiting all of the lookouts along the scenic route. The hikes to the different arches were easy and the sunset was fantastic! Another great national park!

For dinner we went to the Moab Brewery for drinks, a great meal, and to watch Carolina win! Bo was in heaven! Tomorrow we are headed to Salt Lake City and a day without hiking boots!

Capitol Reef National Park

We hit the road this morning after staying at the luxurious Circle D Motel for $61 a night. After being on the road for about one hour, we reached the Capitol Reef National Park. These were some of the biggest boulders and formations we have seen.

We started our trip into the park through the Historic Town of Fruita where we encountered wild deer grazing in the orchards and jumping fences. We headed to our first stop down a narrow dirt path to the Grand Wash. On the path, we stopped to view inside a old uranium mine in which one of the pioneers had discovered back in the day. It was quite scary with radiation signs posted saying it was still active inside. We went back to the car and continued to the end of the path for our hike through "The Narrows". We started our 1.3 mile one way (1.5 hours) hike into the Wash to view the Pioneer Register, a wall that was signed by travelers from the late 1880's to the early 1900's. The hike was easy and actually very beautiful. We were able to walk through the rock formations that reached hundreds of feet in the air and tried to visualize what it might have been like back in the day when the pioneers came through. After walking what we think was about 2 miles and never seeing the register, we headed back to the car. Somewhat confused and tired, we were curious why we had not come across it. (We later found out.)

We then headed on the rest of the scenic 18 mile round trip where we ended up at the end of a dirt path called Capitol Gorge. We then discovered why we had not seen the register, we were on the wrong hiking path. As we looked at each other and said what the heck - lets do it again. The hike to "The Register" was quite nice and happened to be only a 30 minute round trip (0.6 miles). We were so relieved! After getting back to the car at 4pm, exhausted and hungry, we realized we had not had lunch yet. As we headed out of the park, 3 huge bucks passed in front of us. Bo has never seen horns so big and was wishing for his rifle! We took pictures as they ran up the mountain - amazing. While we watched them to see where they were going, the biggest buck we have ever seen come charging down the mountain in the direction of the other 3. (This buck was at least 10 points and about 30 inches across). We were hoping for a good fight but after some scratching in the dirt and staring at each other, they all laid down. After this excitement, we ventured to Subway (they are everywhere) for a long awaited lunch!

After filling our stomachs, we were off to Moab through the backcountry and mountains (65 MPH - still amazed) which took about 2.5 hours. We arrived at the Moab Valley Inn around 7:30pm. The MVI is an older hotel but seems to be very nice. Bo ventured out to pick up dinner while Lori sorted out the laundry. After eating, we are now typing our blog in the laundry room. We are settling in getting ready for our adventure tomorrow to the Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park.

Hoodoos? Who knew?

After eating breakfast in the car, we traveled back through Zion on our way to Bryce Canyon. The view leaving the park was just as spectacular as the view on the way in. It took us 2 hours to reach Bryce Canyon National Park and the scenery along the way was beautiful! As we were leaving, it started to rain again and was windy and cold; We were definitely not dressed for today's weather!

Upon arrival to Bryce we hit up the taco lunch buffet at the lodge and then started our 18 mile scenic drive to the top of the canyon, Rainbow Point. It was over 9100 feet in elevation and we were able to see Utah, Arizona and parts of New Mexico from the top. We stopped at other various points along the way, including illegally going into a site shut down for forest fires. Our most adventurous stop was Sunrise Point where we hiked down into the canyon to get a closer look at the hoodoos. Hoodoos are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and "broken" lands (yes we copied the definition from another site!)

After leaving Bryce, we took scenic highway 12 to Escalante, Ut. After passing the 3rd cow crossing sign and wondering what that was about, we found out! The cows graze on the side of the road and randomly dart out in front of cars. The car 2 back from us found this out first hand. Luckily, they missed the heffer! We are staying at the Circle D Motel and yes, the motel lives up to its name :) but is still WAY better than the Motel 6 in Page.

We are now sitting at a local pizza/outdoor shop having dinner and trying to figure out the alcohol laws in this state! Apparently you can only have 1 alcoholic beverage in front of you at a time and you have to eat while you drink. We are still not sure what happens if you own a bar!!!

Tomorrow we head to Capitol Reef National Park on our way to Moab, Ut.

Go Hike a Canyon!

We woke up real early this morning because the person upstairs was taking a shower and woke us up. We finally found the local McDonald's so Bo could get coffee. After stopping off at a few overlooks in Glen Canyon, we found the visitor's center to the Grand Staircase at Escalante. After our quick tutorial we realized we should have rented a 4-wheel drive because there are over 10 active fossil dig sites within a 10 mile radius of where we stood. They are discovering dinosaurs every day and currently have found over 150 unidentified species. We actually saw teeth from a dinosaur that dates millions of years older than the Grand Canyon. The park is only accessible by a 4-wheel drive vehicle. We definitely missed out.

After getting back on the road, we drove through painted landscapes and canyons toward Zion National Park. Upon arrival, we encountered a buffalo farm. It was funny seeing them scratch their back in the dirt like Kona. The east entrance of Zion is a scenic winding road through red and orange mountains and 2 tunnels through them. Bo is discovering Lori's true fear of falling from heights.

After reaching the visitor's center, we had a quick picnic in the parking lot where people kept asking if we were leaving because they wanted our parking spot. We headed to the shuttles to start our tour. Our first stop was the Lower Emerald Pools trial (1.2 miles) where Bo played in the little waterfall. Lori did real well with getting up the mountain with her knee.

After traveling back down the mountain we headed to "the River Walk" where we experience a quarter inch of Zion's 11 inches of yearly rainfall. Once the rain started we headed back to the shuttle. On the trip back down the mountain we encountered a viewing of a fox in which the bus driver says was very rare to see. We wondered if the other parks we were visiting would live up the the Grand Canyon status. Boy did Zion ever!

After leaving the park, we headed to our hotel (The Best Western) to shower and get ready for dinner. We were lucky to have a sports bar attached to the hotel so Lori could watch her game and stumble home. HEE HEE.

Tomorrow we are heading to Bryce Canyon on our way to Escalante, UT.

God's Country

We spent Sunday at the Grand Canyon for a day of hiking, (yes I am forcing this on Bo and he hopes my knee gives out before he does!) picture taking, and elk hunting. All we can say is "Oh My Gosh!" because when you first walk up to the GC you are truly speechless. Words cannot begin to describe it and pictures cannot do it justice.

We spent the first few hours walking along the canyon rim taking pictures before jumping on the shuttle to check out the hotels and shops. We then made a picnic lunch and ate at a scenic overlook. On our way to Desert Point to watch the sunset, we stopped off at quite a few overlooks and Bo had a great time playing out on the edge of the rocks while I sat back & worried. Desert Point was the last stop on the way out of the park & we got there an hour before sunset to claim our spot. This overlook contained a watchtower built in 1933(ish) to honor the Pueblo tribe that once occupied the area. The sunset was nice but it did not illuminate the colors of the canyon like we thought it would. Bo summed up our day the best when he said, "Only God could make something this beautiful!"

After sunset, we headed north to Page, AZ where the roads were darker than back country, east of 95! Traveling 65mph dark roads through the mountains was exhilarating! We stayed in the Motel 6 along with the traveling circus people; no that is not a joke!! Let's just say we had no dresser, hairdryer, or Internet, the TV turned on using the volume button and the lights operated on a random pattern of switching them on and off. The highlight was the ice bucket that was once an ice cream bucket...again, not a joke!

We are having some trouble posting more than one picture. Hopefully we will have some time tonight to work on it.

A Long Day Across the Land of Enchantment

We started our day eating an average breakfast and then heading to the local Wal-Mart for supplies. After donating to the little league team and spending more money on food than anticipated, we hit the road. The scenery is unbelievable and wide open. It is nothing like we are use to!!! We spent 3 hours taking pictures on the road and eating the best Subway of our life (no kidding!!), before reaching the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. It took us a while to figure out what time it was since Arizona does not follow daylight savings time and on top of that we were already trying to adjust to the time change. We then started our 28 mile hike. Just kidding, it was a 28 mile scenic tour with hikes and overlooks along the way. The Painted Desert is one of the most gorgeous places we have ever seen. The colors and landscapes are beyond words.

We spent quite a while at Puerco Pueblo, the remains of a 100 room pueblo occupied from 1200-1400AD. We were lucky enough to have a ranger on site giving guided tours. She explained in detail the way people lived and Bo was the star of the class answering all of her questions correctly! The most interesting part was the petrogylphs left behind by the occupants of the pueblo. We were able to go out on the rocks to see up close views, this is usually not allowed but our ranger broke the rules for us! After leaving this trail, we drove through the petrified forest, making fun of the park ranger as he sat up high on rocks with binoculars making sure no one was stealing anything from the park. Bo and I pretended we were taking stuff and then looked up and waved at him! HEE HEE

After changing clothes and leaving the park, we drove on a 2 lane highway with a 65 MPH speed limit. Bo was amazed!! By the way, all interstates are 75mph. After driving 1.5 hours, we ended up at Meteor Crater in the middle of no where. The crater was over 4000 feet wide, 550 ft deep (It use to be 700 ft but erosion happens), and 2.5 miles in circumference. The floor of the crater is big enough to hold 20 football games at once with 2 million spectators filled around the rim. It is the first identified and most well preserved crater out of the 150 identified on Earth. Seeing this site was beyond belief. I had a mild panic attack climbing to top as Bo was bouncing up the stairs and standing at the edge. Then he went down to the overlook and yes, it was over the edge of the crater! My hands are sweating just writing this! The sunset overlooking the Arizona desert was the one of the best we've ever seen.

Back on the road we drove 35 minutest to Flagstaff for dinner at the Beaver St. Brewery and we thank Paul for GPS! Lori had a BBQ chicken oven roasted pizza and Bo had the meatloaf sandwich both accompanied by the local brew. The final leg of our trip was tough, we were tired, and our stomachs were full! We almost hit a family of elk, boy they were huge, and saw quite a few others. The drive took about 1.5 hours but we made it safely to the Grand Canyon!

Made it to the Grand Canyon

We have finally made it to the Grand Canyon after leaving New Mexico over 14 hours ago. Being in Arizona, the time zone shifted back to non-daylight saving time. Our bodies are so screwed up. We will post our visit to the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest and Meteor Crater in the morning.

Rise and Shine

We are finally up. We have gone downstairs to enjoy the lovely LaQuinta breakfast. Waffles, toast and coffee oh my. There were actually a couple from the Coastal Carolina area and then a fan from WF eating downstairs also. We are in the mist of showering and getting ready to leave. Plans are to hit up Wal-Mart for traveling food/drink supplies for our trip. We will be leaving New Mexico and heading into Arizona to tour the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert & Meteor Crater. We will then travel to Flagstaff for dinner at a famous brewery and then up to the Grand Canyon for the night. Travel time for our trips are 2 hr 45 min to the Petrified Forest from Albuquerque; 1 hour 30 min to Flagstaff from the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert; 1 hr 45 min to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff.

I need football updates throughout the day so text me any scores.

Arrived in Albuquerque

After leaving RDU, we were in the air and all of a sudden we were on the ground. We had originally thought it was a 4 hour flight. After figuring out our connecting gate, we ate at Chili's Too. I had the chicken fajitas and Lori had the grilled chicken sandwich - yummy. We left the oh so glorious Dallas Airport (hate that place since our last visit was after that so called trip to San Antonio). Our flight to Albuquerque lasted about 1 hour and 45 minutes. What do you know, we received free snacks on this leg of the flight - who knew. We landed at the Albuquerque "Sunport" about 10pm (mountain time). We caught the rental car shuttle to Alamo. We rolled up in our oh so stylish Impala (silver). Very comfortable and plenty of leg room. We took I-25 to I-40 (15 minutes) from the "Sunport" to the hotel. The room at the LaQuinta are very nice and spacious. However the vending machine is a rip off with $1 waters for only 10 oz. We look forward to getting a good night sleep and for tomorrow's adventures. We have finally settled in and are very tired. Goodnight. (PS: We have switched the blog to reflect mountain time - the time zone we are in).

We hope all are doing well as Hurricane Hannah comes on shore. It is amazing to see that the news outside of NC doesn't say much at all about Hannah. It has been hard to get news - so write us with updates.

Hitting the friendly skies before Hanna hits home!

We leave tomorrow on our trip escaping Hurricane Hanna! Hopefully we will get out of here in time. We will text you to let you know we arrived safely. Bo will be sending you the flight info via email.

Getting Packed

Tonight we began to organize our to do list and begin packing. Of course we waited until the last minute because that is who we are. Kona has been at the beach all week while Bo and I have been working but we are missing him a great deal. It is weird coming home and not having him greet us! I have tried barking when Bo comes through the front door but he says it is not the same!