Winter’s Not Quite Gone

 

SIT made it to Alpine Wyoming which is a small town of less than 300 but what a view.  We landed at a small private RV park and met Mike who is in the area looking for work possibly.  The scene out of our door is one to brag about so I took a picture!

Our view - ahhhhhh

 
Izzy could be pretty free here so she had a blast running, sniffing, swimming and playing with Mike’s dog Ringo.  She did manage to ware herself out that day and slept great!

 

Taking a break but keeping an eye on us

We toured the area but the weather pretty much didn’t allow us to venture outside much as it rained about the entire time we were there.  So we ventured into Jackson Hole and enjoyed looking at the wonderful art in the many galleries they have there. We were also able to take in a movie.

Our last day in Alpine the weather did get a bit nicer so we ended up on the Snake river just below Palisades Dam.  We saw a few fish swimming around but apparently our bait wasn’t on their lunch menu. Oh well it was just nice to be outside again and I think Izzy enjoyed the chance to swim too.

We packed up Wednesday May 22^nd to head to Yellowstone National Park for a week. Oh boy!

SIT Meets an Allosaurus

 

We left southern Utah on May 12^th to head to Vernal Utah.  The drive there was spectacular. Some of my friends have been lucky enough to have worked on a few of the forests you go through on this drive. Lucky them!

We stopped at Ft. Duchesne for one night and then landed in Vernal for two nights. We had a chance to explore the State’s Dinosaur Museum.  This museum is great and gives you a full view of what has been discovered in the area as well as the culture.  This guy hangs out outside in case you want to say hi!

 

 

We took Izzy on a drive and ended up at the fish hatchery. She couldn’t enjoy the hike I took but had a chance to hang out with Steve and do a bit of swimming. While I was hiking Steve was drooling over all the large fish in the river. Darn he didn’t bring his pole and tackle.

 
 
The road takes you quite high in elevation and has interesting rock formations. If you are scared of heights you wouldn’t want to stop at the vista.

 

Interesting Shape

Surrounds Vernal

Where Dinosaurs Once Roamed 

 

From Vernal we are headed towards Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. The next post will give you those details.

SIT Cruising Lake Powell

 

If you recall from an earlier post, Steve decided he was going through fishing withdrawals and wanted to head to Lake Powell.  Izzy and I don’t mind the water or boating, swimming, and fishing so we said sure.  On Monday, May 6^th we took possession of a 46 foot houseboat and headed off with the vision of catching more fish than the boat could ever hold!

We found a great spot the first night which was secluded and allowed Izzy freedom to run, swim, hike, swim, swim, swim and sleep.  We were successful in catching a few fish and in-between casting I was able to do some exploring. Izzy showed me the way most of the time but also was interested in trying to catch critters.

Captain Steve

Can I quit hiking and go swim some more?

The view from above - the boat is down there

 

The second night was close to the first location which is called Kane Wash. Again, we could explore, catch fish, and Izzy could swim, run, sniff, swim, eat, swim, etc. You get the picture!  We were lucky though in landing at this spot as just as I was trying to set one of the anchors a big wind came up and started to move the boat. Captain Steve had to do some covert maneuvering to get the boat to settle down so I could set the anchor. By the way each anchor is 30 pounds and you are instructed to dig a hole in the beach and set it in place. I think I should have been rewarded for this work don’t you?

Fishing anyone?

I'm so pretty

Izzy giving Steve fishing tips

Izzy doing one of her favorite things

Tory's fish is the bigger one, really!

 

We spent a total of four nights on the lake and saw some great rock formations. We also were pretty successful in catching fish. We did get a few catfish, but mostly striper bass.  We had fish several times for dinner and lunch and brought back a few for later this month. All in all it was a great trip and even though we had wind, rain, thunderstorms, it was simply wonderful.

Some of the catch - yum!

A little color at the lake

 

Amazing rock formations

Don't worry I can swim

The First Mate at rest

 

Cruising along the lake

 

 

 

The last task of bringing the boat back was to refuel it at the fueling dock. Steve found one more thing to do there.  Being consummate fisherman he decided to feed the fish rather than catch the fish. Apparently, a pretty good population of carp hang out in the marina and folks feed them wonderful fish food. Well, people food but it turns into fish food. 

Izzy wondering why she doesn't get any

On the drive out of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area we stopped to get a birds-eye view of Lake Powell and to wish it a fond fair well.

Just a small portion of Lake Powell

Glen Canyon Dam

 

 

We headed back to our trailer Friday evening to get ready for our next place. We are shooting for Flaming Gorge so will reconnect with you in a few days once we land!

 

 



 

 

A Quick Look at Kanab

 

We had an extra day before we were heading to Lake Powell so we decided to check out Kanab.  The visitor center was open so we started there. The gentleman working there was a wealth of knowledge and identified the things one should see while in Kanab! 

We wandered across the street to check out the Historic Parry Lodge.  This lodge is known as the heart of Utah’s “Little Hollywood” and we could see why. Looking at all the pictures displayed in the lobby and the restaurant you have to ask yourself what movie hasn’t been made there. The first date is 1924 with Deadwood Coach and the last one in 2006, Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy.

Hanging out in Kanab

 

There were many television series made in the area as well.  A couple I am sure you have heard of or even watched are Lassie and The Lone Ranger.

From the Parry Lodge we went to the Movie Museum. It was pretty cool with some of the sets from the movies that were made in the area including The Outlaw Josie Wales.

From the Outlaw Josie Wales

A Movie Set at the Museum

He thinks he might get a part in a movie

Gunned down on main street or getting ready for Halloween

 

On the way back to the RV park we stopped at the Moqui Cave. It is filled with great artifacts and history of the area. 

Steve and Izzy Hanging out at Moqui Cave

The entrance to Moqui Cave

 

The last picture is of a new birth at the park. This little cutie was born early Saturday (May 11)morning and was up and running around by the early afternoon. Pretty amazing considering I couldn’t walk until age, well I still can’t!

 

From Fins to Pinnacles and Spires to Hoodoos – Who knew?

 

Thursday May 2^nd we set out for Bryce Canyon National Park.  This particular day we let Izzy stay at the RV rather than have to spend most of her day in the truck since there are not very many places for the doggies to wander.

Since Steve’s foot was still not willing to adventure on trails, we followed the map that provided for some great places he could see and of course take pictures.  For those of you that have ventured into Bryce before, we started at Rainbow Point which is at the southern end of the park and worked our way north from there.

We stopped at each point for shock and awe.  Guess what? We were in awe and shocked at the vastness of what we saw.  Such an amazing place!  The pictures below will hopefully give you a flavor of what is out there.  So many hoodoos and so little time!

The start of our journey

 

The view from Rainbow Point

 

Heading toward Black Birch Canyon

 

The view at Black Birch Canyon

 

A Hoodoo at Ponderosa Canyon

Ponderosa Canyon

 

Agua Canyon

 

 

The Natural Bridge that's really an Arch 

Another view from the Natural Bridge

 

 

Fairview Point

Piracy Point

 

I was able to get some hiking in without having to back track since Steve could meet me at each spot to see if I had the energy of the energizer bunny to keep going.  I chose to stick with the rim trail and was able to get some wonderful pictures. I took well over 100 pictures so you’ll just have to trust me that the ones I am posting are the best of the best.

My starting point was Bryce Point and I remember as a young child we visited the park and started there as well but went on the below rim trail for a bit of a hike.  Still amazing to look at from the top! 

From Bryce Point I hiked to Inspiration Point, then to Sunset Point, and ended at Sunrise Point.  Each location had its own uniqueness and of course wonderful view.

We hope you enjoy these pictures and get a sense of being there, even if you aren’t! 

Bryce Amphitheater

 

Across from Bryce Point

 

A view from the Rim Trail

Hoodoos with different color

Looking down from the rim

Just beginning

Vastness

Trees that grow anywhere

The Castle Wall

The Entry

The Transition to a Hoodoo

Changing the look

The valley bottom

                                                                        The View from Inspiration Point

                                                                   Across the way at Inspiration Point

 

Terraced Landscape 

 

Along the trail to Sunset Point

Leaving Sunset Point

Sunset Point

 

The View at Sunrise Point

The Valley Bottom at Sunrise Point

Where'd the color go?

 

Steve's excuse to not hike. Ouch!

Cowboy Joy - especially since Steve didn't ride with him!

 

 

We had a great time as you can see from the view.  On Friday we hung out and took care of chores as well as planned our next week.  You see Steve decided he needed to find a place to catch fish, so why not go to Lake Powell and hang out on a houseboat for a week?  Izzy and I didn't see anything wrong with that so we said sure!  Let's go.  The next post will be all about how we fished and Izzy swam, so stay tuned.