Palo Duro Canyon State Park Texas

Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. Texas' best kept secert, is what everyone says. It has spectacular geologic wonders and panoramic colors that can only be seen here. It is a very large park, 29,000 plus acres with 16 miles of paved roadway that take you through the park.

Linda and I hiked about 10 miles of trails and enjoyed the longhorns, turkeys, lizards and butterflys. We hiked the Lighthouse Trail (6miles), Rojo Grande Trail (2miles) and several overlooks, that you had to hike out to.

I would recommend this park to anyone who likes to hike, mountain bike, or horse ride.

THE GRAND CANYON

The Rim Trail extends from the village area to Hermits Rest. The trail offers excellent walking for a quiet view of the inner canyon and for those who desire an easy hike.

The Grand Canyon, is one of my favorite places. Over 5 million people visit here every year, so I guess I'm in good company. We hiked the south rim and come across a few Elk and even the California Condor. We had hiked the Bright Angel Trail in 97 and I hiked the South Kaibab Trail in 05, this time we just walked the rim and enjoyed the scenery.

RED CLIFFS RECREATION AREA

Red Cliffs Recreation Area is located just off of Interstate 15, 15 miles north of St. George, Utah. Red Cliffs offers several marked hiking trails that will lead you through beautiful red rock formations and narrow canyons filled with pools of water. There are 10 overnight camping sites, and a picnic area next to the creek

We stayed at the St. George RV Park, just across interstate 15, from the Red Cliffs Recreation Area. I talked to the man in charge of renovating the entire park. He allowed me to hike the area and even showed me where the good hiking trails were. I really liked this park, as I was the only one using the trails. I look forward to returning someday after all the work finished.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Zion National Park requires careful planning. Summer weather can be unpredictable, narrow canyons are subject to flooding, dangerous cliffs are abundant. The park is home to 67 species of mammals, 207 birds, 35 reptiles and amphibians and 9 fish.

Linda and I saw several different kinds of reptiles. We had hoped to see the condors but, you take what you get. We managed to view a deer back in one of the canyons. I think maybe because of the high temperatures, while we were there, the wildlife stayed pretty much secluded.

Lots of wildflowers and cactus were in bloom, while we were there. We had wanted to hike the narrows but could not, the high waters being the culprit. We hiked early in the morning and then hung around the swimming pool, in the campground, in the afternoons.

We enjoyed Zion and think about returning, but maybe in a different season.

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK - NEVADA

The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape.Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Basket Maker people and later the Anasazi Pueblo farmers. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited the length of their stay. Fine examples of rock art left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park.

Its amazing what you can learn by just taking a walk in the campground. We talked to some fellow campers and they told of not to miss the Valley of Fire State Park. They were right, it was beautiful, with the colorful rocks and the spectacular vista's. It was 100 degrees the day we decided to visit so we did most of our hiking in the morning. We managed to come across many lizards, a reluctant tortoise, and a chuckwalla, which by the way is another way of saying large lizard!

If your in the area I would recommend taking the time to investigate Valley of Fire. It has plenty of trails for hiking and and lots of rock formations that can be seen from an air condition automible.

YOSIMITE NATIONAL PARK

Once again we headed for Yosimite and got within 200 miles. We kept checking the website for Yosimite and the trails were all closed due to snow. We decided to try another time. I guess it will be a reason to visit California again.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Central California has to be one of the prettiest spots in the country. It offers Mountains, desert and oceans, all within a few miles. Linda and I spent 2 weeks in Gilroy. We stayed Betabel RV Park, its a very clean campground with all the usual amenities, including live entainment on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

We visited Monterey several times because of the beautiful views of the oceans. Fishermans wharf still seems to have a lot of seals in the harbor for the tourists to look at. Monterey also offers Cannery Row but it is more of an outside mall than a cannery. You can leave Monterey via Ocean View drive and take in some of the most awesome scenery. We also visited Carmel, with its quaint shops and stores. There is a beautiful old mission in Carmel that is worth seeing. Its a high dollar town, but when you had Clint Eastwood as your mayor, its gotta be high end!!!

We visited Mission San Jaun Bautista, which is part of the El Camino Real, which is the old path that connected all the missions. Its an interesting little mission with lots of flowers and a few old buildings from when it was a town.

Pinnacles National Monument was just a short drive and a beautiful country drive, at that. We hiked several of the trails. We took Balconies Cave trail, it offers a cave that you must take to complete the trail. This a talus cave created by huge boulders that formed a roof over a narrow canyon. These caves are narrow and twisty with low ceilings and uneven footing. You must have your own flashlights and gear and be prepared to scramble over rocks and wade through water. Linda and I only went in so far, as we didn't have our gear with us.

No trip to Central California would be complete without a trip down Highway 1 to Big Sur. The views of the Ocean are spectacular. We packed our lunch and made a day of it.