US vacation Part 2 - Glacier, Arches, Zion, Grand Canyon

After 3 days of camping and no shower, I was happy to spend the night in a hotel at Glacier National Park, the next stop on my tour.  The campgrounds were closed for the season and as it turns out, so was the pass.  As a result, I only saw the west half the park.  I drove north toward Canada, mostly on dirt roads, which I had all to myself.  The yellow of the aspen leaves was so vivid; this is the landscape I was looking for, especially with a river or mountain thrown in for good measure.  The only animals I saw were chipmunks and quail.  I was happy enough though as they were quite willing to pose for me.

I decided to take the long way to my next destination; Utah.  I hadn’t had enough of the mountains, so I kept going west, through Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and back into Montana.  The only problem with this detour was that it rained the entire time. 

After Montana I went to Arches National park.  I found a nice little campground in Moab, Utah and I planned to stay for 3 days to see both Arches and Canyonlands.  The rain had finally stopped and the first day was beautiful; warm and sunny.  I drove around, took some pictures and called it an early day.  That night the rain started again, but just a drizzle.  Sadly, it kept up the next morning, with thunderstorms forecasted for the next day, so I once again packed up in bad weather and left early. I went through Canyonlands, but the fog was so heavy I couldn’t see anything. 

I headed down to Zion, but the rain and fog came with me.  I did see some pronghorn antelope and mountain goats, but the formations were shrouded in fog, so I headed south again, this time for the Grand Canyon and supposedly clear weather.  I made it to the north rim and there was near zero visibility.  You really couldn’t even tell there was anything past the road and certainly not a huge canyon.  I came to one point and the fog cleared a little and I caught a glimpse of the canyon.  I stood there a while and the fog continued to left.  Sure enough, I could see the amazing colors of the canyon walls.  I drove through the northern portion of the canyon, but the fog settled in again, so I kept going south.  I woke up the next morning to bright sunshine, finally!

The south rim was the busiest park I saw on the whole trip.  The parking lots were packed, so I decided to take advantage of the free shuttle bus.  The views were fantastic; I walked along the trails and the view was different at each point.  There were 3 bus lines and I chose the two western ones, intending to see the eastern portion on my way out.  When I got back to the visitor center to leave, there was a young elk wandering around the parking lot looking very bewildered.  It took people so by surprise most just stood and watched instead of taking pictures. 

My adventure was over, so I headed east.  I really wanted to see my best friend in New Mexico, but we couldn't get it set up.  I did manage to see some RV friends who were at the balloon festival in Albuquerque. I’m not sure how we managed it, but I found them.  The visit only lasted 10 min, but it was sure nice to see them.  I wanted to see another good friend in Arkansas, but time was just too short.

I stopped in NC to visit family. My mom was visiting my aunt, who I hadn’t seen in several years and it was so good to catch up.  I only stayed a day before heading to my brother’s in Florida, where I had a lot of sorting and packing to do.  All too soon it was time to fly to DC to catch my China fight the next day. I was able to meet up with some friends for dinner and it really made me realize just how blessed I am to have friends scattered all over the world. 

 

Link to photos for part 1 and 2 - https://photos.app.goo.gl/TX79E8tqKMPQMH9T8