Mesa Verde National Park Colorado

There is no escaping it. . .the Postal Service will always be in my blood.

Quarter mile hike down into the canyon to see Spruce Tree House wasn't so bad. . .the quarter mile hike back up was brutal.

resting. . .on the way down. . .lots of resting on the way up.

My favorite overlook. . .Square Tower House. . .

More beautiful pics of Mesa Verde in our Picasa Web Albums

Sedona Arizona

Sedona Arizona was well worth the drive. . .we just took a quick day trip over there, because our tour guide for the Grand Canyon said it was a beautiful place. . .and the other couple on our tour had chosen it for their home base. . .

to be perfectly honest. . .I think Sedona could give the Grand Canyon a run for it's money. . .around every corner was a different and beautiful scene.

Someone's mansion in one of the residential areas.

A chapel designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright student . . .

I felt sad that Sedona made Palo Duro Canyon seem like a miniature . . .

more gorgeious photos of Sedona here on Picasa Web Albums

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

There are no words and no camera that can capture the awesome magnificence of God's handiwork in this place. . .The Grand Canyon. . .what more can you say?

It was our absolute privilege to share our day and our tour with Ralph and Dorothy from Orange County California. . .what a great time we had. . .

Marvelous Marvin picked us up at the RV Park in Williams, AZ in his MarvelousMarv van for a private, all day tour. . .highly recommended. . .Marv kept up a running commentary of info that you will never get taking the train or driving yourselves. . .

He took us from one end of the South Rim to the other. . .we enjoyed each and every lookout point. As Marv described what we were seeing, he would point out, and name each rock formation. . .at each stop, as Marv was sharing his marvelous info, other tourists would gather round to hear his stories. . .I'm pretty sure he made some up for their listening pleasure. . .

As I watched others struggle with their paper maps, I realized that is how we would have looked had we not had a private tour. . .although the Park Rangers also were giving limited talks, I am truly thankful that we invested in a living, breathing piece of history. . .

There was so much to see, and take in. . .you just needed to pause, and try to grasp the enormity of the entire place. . .I could have just stood or sat for hours and watched the play of light over the canyon. . .when you would walk from one point to the other, and then walk back, the scene would look completely different, in the angles of sunlight. . .it was amazing. . .

We were in awe of the spectacular beauty. . .

more pics and info in our Picasa Web Albums. . .

Sandia Peak Tramway Albuquerque, New Mexico

Breathtaking views. The Sandia Peak Tram went from 5000 ft to 10,000 feet in about 15 minutes. . .I am terrified of heights, so all I could think was, if this thing falls, it's gonna hurt. . .but well worth the agony once we got to the top.

Panoramic view of 11,000 square miles at the top. . .

on a very, very clear day, you would be able to see Santa Fe, and Taos, which are also high on my list of places to visit in New Mexico. . .

relaxing and enjoying the view. . .it was a cool 67* at the top. . .felt like air conditioned sunshine. . .we would highly recommend this stop for anyone visiting the Albuquerque area. . .

More pics posted on our Picasa Web Albums. . .

Palo Duro Canyon in Texas

Palo Duro Canyon is only about 30 minutes out of Amarillo TX. . .

called the Grand Canyon of Texas it was really beautiful. . .

this was our first view of the canyon itself. . .you are driving along on a State Highway, surrounded by farmland, and ranches, really nothing exciting, and then voila,

the canyon appears. . .amazingly gorgeous. . .

The "Spanish Skirts" in the background, were one of my favorite formations in the Canyon. . .

It just amazes me that water, wind, and erosion, could create something so beautiful.

Dave loved everything in the Canyon, and was much more adventurous than me. . .he would go hiking off down trails to get pics. . . he is quite the explorer. . .

I was quite content to sit in "The Beast" with the a/c. . .and enjoy the views.

The thermometer at the bottom of the Canyon registered 120*. . .I could not believe that was true until we got back in the truck. . .and the temperature read 116*. . .there might be something to that no humidity stuff, because while it did seem hot, it was not unbearable. . .

Dave remembered climbing these rocks as a boy. . .

Dave's Aunt Barbara lived in Amarillo, and brought them out to the Canyon for a picnic. . .

after eating at the picnic area across the road, he said he remembered he and his brothers climbing the rocks all the way to the top. . .I asked if they were concerned about rattlesnakes. . .his reply was. . .we were kids. . .we didn't care about no stinkin' snakes. . .sounds just like a boy, doesn't it?

I had to get out of the truck to take the pics of Dave climbing the rocks. . .and he had to get a shot of me taking his picture. . .

so it was mutual admiration going on. . .

Dave loved this rock pile. . .he thought it looked like a lizard. . .

This cabin was built for the workers in the Civilian Conservation Corp. . .this is what happens to wood when there is no humidity. . .and temps beyond 100*. . .

trying to see the Lighthouse Formation. . .three miles away. . .

the most well known formation in the park. . .

and I would say the absolute centerpiece. . .awesome. . .

Dave used the zoom for this shot. . .

and I cropped this shot. . .these two formations are called. . .

The Castle Peak and The Lighthouse. . .

aptly named. . .wouldn't you say?

a shot of the Lighthouse from the back side. . .looking up from the Canyon floor.

There was a hiking trail out to this formation. . .

the signs posted recommended carrying a gallon of water per person. . .

when your water is half gone you are to start back. . .

We enjoyed every minute at Palo Duro Canyon State Park,

and will return in the future to see the drama,

"TEXAS"

Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch

Amarillo TX

The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo TX, was located right around the corner from our RV Park. . .and was on our way in to town. . .so we felt compelled to stop. . .seeing as how it is listed as art and sculpture. . .

So sorry to tell you, I was not impressed, and found the entire project rather disgusting. . .

The first time we passed it, I did not realize what it was. . .I just saw this whole group of people walking down this dirt road from a field. . .and thought it was a group of migrant farm workers returning to their vehicles, which were parked out on the frontage road. . .

However, I must also say, if you are in Amarillo, and find yourself near the Cadillac Ranch, you should go and see it for yourself. . .it is located on the west side, and is not marked in any way. . .

It seems to me, that if you are going to contribute to the graffitti, you could at least have the courtesy to take your empty paint cans with you. . .

Litter and trash were strown everywhere. . .I found it very sad. . .

Just one of the many lovely graffitti artists found on site. . .

Fort Worth Stockyards and Longhorn Cattle Drive

The Fort Worth Stockyards are a major tourist attraction, and it's free, so we wanted to go check it out. There is not much I can tell you about the Stockyards themselves, that you can't click on the links and read. . .but, I was very pleased to find that the history has been preserved, and the buildings have been maintained superbly. . .

This is the Live Stock Exchange Building. . .if you are interested in the history of the stockyards, I highly recommend a stop by the visitor center to rent an audio tour. We paid $12, and were furnished with a device that looked like a childs' handheld Nintendo game. It had video clips, and commentary, and was triggered by remote sensors at different areas that we visited. I think without it, we would have missed several out of the way areas, that we found fascinating.

For example, this is Chisholm, whom we discovered in the stables, where we were directed to go on our tour. . .this stable was filled with all different types of animals, which any child would find fascinating. . .so it would be a shame for them to miss it.

If we had missed the stables, we would only have seen Chisholm when they brought him out for his photo op. . .for $3 each you were allowed to climb into the saddle and have your picture taken by a friend or family member. . .kids were lined up. . .he was beautiful.

The next area we would have missed without the audio tour was the Cattlemen's Walk, and all of the holding pens. . .I was amazed to find that the holding pens were lined with bricks just like the streets in an effort to keep down the dust, and keep the cattle clean. . .

The turnstiles to the holding pens are still in place.

This was the place the broker's conducted business. The buyers made their decisions, and signed their paperwork from this overlook. . .

These brick lined pens would be filled with hundreds, even thousands of head of cattle.

The longhorns are held here in preparation for the Longhorn Trail Drive held daily at 11:30 and 4:00. . .

Billy Bob's Texas was the next stop on the tour, but we were running late for the Cattle Drive, so we bypassed the Wall of Fame, and gift shop. . .I am sure we would have enjoyed it. . .just no time.

These horns do look like a lethal weapon. ..don't you agree?

The following shots are all of the Longhorn Cattle Drive, we took individual shots because each animal seemed to have it's own personality. . .it was a intriguing to watch, and to try to imagine how they moved hundreds of these animals at a time up the Chisholm trail five hundred miles.

I must admit the "mailman" in me saw the mail truck, and thought, "so there is something to keep him from his appointed rounds". . .the concern only lasted for a second. . .

Another one of those easily missed spots, the creek where the drovers watered the herds.

If you are a shopper, across the street, where the train tracks enter the building, is the place for you. Originally, the hog and sheep barn, it is now filled with unique shops, museums, and restaurants for your browsing pleasure. . .I am sure anyone who is a shopper could spend hours in there looking at all the offerings. . .

I hope you have enjoyed our trip to the Fort Worth StockYards. . .if I can answer any questions, don't hesitate to email me at JaniceLEvans1015@gmail.com

Until next time. . .