West & S.West

Scott Lake State Park - overlooking the park & lake from "Suicide Cliff"	Rock cliffs and yucca...are we really in Kansas anymore?
From a distance, these formations stick out on the Kansas prairie.	Monument Rocks; only minutes from Scott Lake. Magical!!

Sunset outside our door.	Rocky Mountains Ntl. Park   Wow! I hadn't realized how much I "missed" the thick, moist mountains until I arrived in the campground and stepped out the RV door.  It smelled delicious.  Our three day stay without hookups (that meant no heat) went pretty well for September...no snow anyway! The scenery and animals, and all the excellent hikes, kept us busy, as well as the Ranger programs. We learned a lot about the wapiti (elk).
This marmot looks plenty ready for winter!	From Bear Lake Trailhead toward Dream Lake
At alpine altitudes....	The PIKA is about the size of a hamster and lives at the subalpine and alpine altitudes.
A beautiful sunrise on our last morning...	September is rutting season and the male elk (wapiti) show off.
Central Colorado   We moved on to a campground at the United States Air Force Academy, by CO Srpings, where we took a day trip to Florissant Fossil beds. Although there were some great fossilized trees, I thought the homestead site (by a single woman - Adeline Hornbeck - with four kids), and this beautiful blue bird needed web-recognition.
	After Colorado Springs we headed down to Great Sand Dunes Ntl. Park, and stayed at a nearby campground; San Luis Lake State Park. The photos below are looking at the same scene - out our RV door across the lake toward the Great Dunes - just at different times of the day (left: Sunrise, right: Sunset).
Southern Colorado
Traveling into the "Four Corners Region" of the United States, we first stayed at McPhee Campground in the San Juan Ntl. Forest. Using that as our "base" (full hookups!), we then visited all the awesome ruins, and finally got a picture of the lightening fast Jackrabbit, and the cautious Stellar Jay.	Miles and Piles of Sand...Great Sand Dunes Ntl. Park, CO
Mesa Verde's Balcony House tour; you get to climb through and up everything!	The Spruce Tree House doesn't require a tour ticket...it's free and cool!

At Chaco Culture Ntl. Park (within Chaco Canyon) we visited many ruins and attended a Ranger tour at Pueblo Bonito, where the following pictures were shot.	This is the Great Kiva at Peublo Bonito. Kivas are places where spiritual gatherings and/or important community meetings would take place.
In 1964 (I think) a large chunck of rock (a small piece pictured front) fell from the surrounding cliff face and wiped out a portion of Pueblo Bonito.   Pictured right: The Four Doors of Pueblo Bonito. Even in the 1100's these builders had the skills. How many of our homes will still be around in a thousand years?
On our way to Shiprock, we passed by many beautiful Buttes and Spires. Magnificent! When you live everyday within the beauty, it becomes commonplace. It shouldn't be. Even the dry and dusty colors of the desert should be celebrated. But, we humans take for granted that with which we are familiar...	Shiprock is sacred to the Navajo; at least the elders. The place was riddled with beer bottles and trash. Respect needs to be taught...and learned. Although the spiritual energy here was awesome, there was another, angry and yet sad energy as well.

Grand Canyon:  Taking the rim hike...	That muddy water way down there is the Colorado River.
Petrified Forest Ntl. Park - A volcano whooshed an entire forest down, then mineral-laden water immediately soaked into the wood, leaving thousands of beautiful petrified trees to look at in awe.
The Blue Mesa loop in Petrified Forest Ntl. Park

Our last visit to Ancient Ruins brought us to Hovenweep, in the Four Corners region of Utah. We'd seen structures built under ledges (Mesa Verde), 4-5 story free-standing "cities" designed with huge Kivas (Chaco), and now these; the "tower-builder" structures of Hovenweep.	Interestingly, these tower-like "homes" were periodically-spaced on top (or near the top) of the canyon ridge, from it's mouth to the end.  There were only a few down inside the canyon, but none on the floor; rainy season would bring floods.
Here is almost the same view; pre-dawn on the left, and sunrise on the right.  Dead Horse State Park was our "base camp" for ventures to Canyonlands and Arches Ntl. Parks. Surprised to find a nice Junior Ranger booklet of activities for the kids, though, and a great park with hookups!
Mesa Arch; a nice hike and a beautiful view!	Canyonlands National Park
	Deep inside this hand-shaped canyon are these balancing rocks that make up the fringed edges.
I know about the spires and balancing rocks because I put the Explorer into 4WD and we trekked down into the canyon, veering along one of the most exciting winding paths I've ever made that faithful car take us!
	Although 4-Wheeling is allowed, it's imperative to stay on roads and trails.  Much of the desert is covered in ancient "crust" that takes over 250 years to mature.  It's called biological soil crust; the greyish-to-black bumpy covering on the sand.  It's made up of cyanobacteria, lichen, mosses, and microfungi. Wow! "Don't bust the crust!"
Arches National Park   With an "open-hike policy" (stay on rocks and washes, not the crust or arches), this was one of our all time faves!  There are so many arches, I can't remember them all.  Enjoy... we sure did!
Zion National Park We stayed at another wonderful Utah State Park, Sand Hollow, with full hookups and another Jr.Ranger program too! Even though Bryce Canyon was a little over an hour away, and Zion was about a 45 minute drive, it was worth it.  Down in the campground it was about 60 degrees, while it snowed at Bryce!	Sand Hollow sunset...
Bryce Canyon National Park
	Salt Lake City area   Hill Air Force Base made it on the website!  It was just because of the mountains in the background; from the previous days' snow (we were at Bryce in it!).  About 60 degrees in the campground while the snow-covered peaks shimmered.
Antelope Island State Park - Utah just keeps it up! Another fantastic state park with wildlife info and history of the Great Salt Lake, as well as homesteading and ranching on the island. Although Antelope were native, Bison were introduced relatively recently.	The kids stand on the site where the last spike was driven in for completion of the Transcontinental Railway in Promontory, UT.

The Great Basin   Most of Nevada, and some of Utah, are in a region known as "The Great Basin."  It's a place water enters, but never leaves to reach the sea. Therefore, as we learned at Great Basin Ntl. Park (and Antelope Island State Park by Salt Lake City), the water sits 'till it evaporates, leaving tons of mineral deposits like the Sea of Salt above. Notice the thickness of the crystal crust.     But, the water does come from somewhere, even in an region that doesn't get much rain fall.  At Great Basin Ntl. Park (right) clear streams run down the mountain side from springs, snow, and glacier-melt.
	Pyramid Lake, NV   The kids may have been shocked and amazed by Las Vegas, but I believe we all agree that our favorite place in Nevada was Pyramid Lake.  After getting "permission" from the Paiute Reservation's Museum host, we ventured to a very special place.  None of us really wanted to leave...