How are your neighbors?

We found this rock on our table when we returned from our hike Sunday.   A great message and what a day brightener!  Directions on the back of the rock to pass it on and post a picture. 

"All it takes is a second and your whole life can get turned upside down. " --Jodi Picoult (one of my favorite authors)

Salsify
Love this!

I fell asleep Sat. night on the couch while waiting to switch loads of laundry.  Pat stayed awake to finish the job.   At midnight I am abruptly awakened with a loud, frantic scream, "Ann, Ann, are you upside down?" 🙃

"Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road." -- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

1st course at Kerouac's in Baker, NV Thursday:  our choice of a "board."

Well, we weren't on hwy. 50 in Nevada (America's loneliest highway) but we were on hwy. 21, mostly in Utah and for a short while in Nevada, and it was pretty lonely.  Few vehicles, no towns, very few farm houses and a long, straight road, broken up only by occasional mountains.

  

You will get wet

In 1968 at age 10, with my Mom and brother Mark...

There is nothing so American as our National Parks." --President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936

Belly of the Dragon

In 2020 3.6 million people visited Zion, which became a National Park in 1919.  To say it's a congested spot is an understatement.  We usually stay away from congested areas on weekends, however, we did a trial run into the park on Sunday.

Yes, another National Park

Bryce Canyon Overlook

Debate over whether we are staying in Glendale or Orderville, Utah.  Either way, we are between Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP.  

Capital Reef National Park

Capital Reef became a National Monument  in 1937 and a National Park in 1971.  I'm not sure that either Pat nor I have been there before.  We only allowed 1 day  (2 nights) because it appeared that would be plenty. Well, we could have used another day at least.

Get along little doggies 🐮🐮

Free range cattle in this area.

We participated in a cattle drive Tuesday morning.  Well, OK, we didn't actually drive the cows.  And we didn't actually ride any horses.  In fact, we were sitting in the RV.  But we did have to stop in the middle of the road while they drove the cows around us. As close as we'll come to being a cowboy!

"Let's Roam"

A personal challenge on "Let's Roam."  

One last trip to Moab, on a day when temperatures are to hit 100°.  Down a couple of degrees from what was predicted a couple of days ago.  Honestly, after a certain temperature it's just hot no matter how much more the thermometer goes up! 

Not what I expected..

I wasn't expecting a lot at Canyonlands NP.  Boy, was I wrong!

We saw the heavy smoke Thursday afternoon as we arrived in Moab, UT.  It was just south of  town.  Caused by an unattended campfire, the Pack Creek Fire was 0% contained as of Friday morning.  It has covered almost 5,000 acres, caused 3 campgrounds to be evacuated, destroyed 3 structures, and closed a road in the U.S. Forest.  You can see and smell smoke throughout the area.

Our new mobile layout

What's your high for the day?  The ranger told me it wasn't too bad Wednesday--107° two days prior! 

"The Times They Are A-Changing," by ? (don't cheat and look it up on the internet🙂)

Well times, or at least things, are a changing for us at Parks and Paths--good things we hope! 

Beginning with our next blog post things may change.  If you look at our blog on a computer you won't see a change, it will look the same.  If you look at our next blog post on a mobile device it will look different AND it should be easier to read.

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument

The Great Kiva at the Lowry Pueblo site.  The stone features on the floor were interpreted as symbols for winter people and summer people.  Within these features are four platforms for pillars to support a roof.

Saturday we tackled a small part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.  It is a rather large area encompassing 170,000 acres of high desert in the southwest corner of Colorado.  It has the highest density of archeological sites in the U. S.  Thousands of archeological sites have been recorded at the Monument while thousands more are yet to be documented. 24 native tribes claim ties to the area.

When I grow up I wanna be ?

Remember as a kid the phases you went through?  Maybe you wanted to grow up to be a baseball player, a mommy, a firefighter, and the list could go on and on.  Sometimes I still think about what I want to do "when I grow up."  A little late, right?  

One of my top 10, Mesa Verde

The Long House at Mesa Verde National Park

Thursday we had 10:30 tour tickets for the "Long House," the second largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde.  It was built by Ancestral Puebloans in the 1200's.  Anyone know what "Mesa Verde" is Spanish for?

Scooby, Scooby-Doo, where are you?

Uh-oh, something strange going on in the park?

The Mystery RV was parked in Woods and River Campground where we are staying.  Didn't notice Scooby or any of the gang,  nor did there appear to be any mysteries that needed to be solved.