After overnight at Cable Mountain Lodge at the base of Zion National Park, I took the first shuttle to Temple of SinawavaRode shuttle back and got off at every stop for a short hike or just to gaze in wonder at the landscape. So many colors and variationsExtraordinary experience to see Zion on my bike. Rode to the end of the road and made my way back taking in the views at my leisure. This is the Weeping Pool trail head with one of many waterfalls in the park.Court of the Patriarchs said to have named after Abraham, Issac and Jacob My first trip to Zion and I am taking in the red rock, white snow and rock and the great green pine trees. Quite the combination in color ! Heading to Bryce Canyon and along the way am gifted with more spectacular vistasBryce Canyon with freezing temperatures. Very different with so much snow, pine trees and red rockHoodoos in front of the Rim Trail. The trail was completely covered in ice to make it difficultClose up look. I was grateful for kind people helping me down icy slopes! After an overnight stay in Kanab at Dark Sky Campground, I moved on to Page, Arizona for a tour of the Upper Antelope Canyon I am sharing a few more photos from this amazing Navajo tour.It turns out the lower canyon is more spectacular than the upper. The only downside was climbing down ladders to get thereThe natural sculpture and the different colors of the rock were wonderous.The guides find images of other things everywhere. See if you can pick out the sea horse.I left the Antelope Canyons and drove on to Monument Valley. I first took a guided tour of the park. We stopped to explore a “Hogan.” the structure is home to the Native American tribeWithout the guide, I would never have seen these petroglyphs on the rock wallBut the best way to really experience the majesty is to take a hike Easy 4 mile hike around the ” West Mitten” Drove on to Flagstaff and spent the night in the mountains. Fun 4 mile hike in the morning before driving to Sedona. My first hike here is around Bell Rock“Vortex” hike around Cathedral Rock. Oak Creek was flowing more like a riverPinyon pines were everywhere on this hikeThe next two days I hiked by myself. First on Margs Draw trail and then got up early to get a parking spot for Boynton canyon ( another “Vortex” hikeManzanita bushes were everywhere at the lower elevations. The trail was paved with fine red sand. The end of the trail was all rocks. The trail was paved with pine needles here and I was grateful for the enormous Ponderosa Pine that helped me navigate the climb down. I was serenaded by nine different bird species on the way up ( “Merlin” app ) I was lucky to start early and did not meet more than two or three people on the way up. The way down was quite different but scaling the rocks on my hands and knees and other body parts was challenging.I was sorry to leave Sedona but made my way to Williams, Arizona to catch the train to the south rim of the Grand CanyonI walked along the Rim Trail for my three hour stay. It was very windy with gusts up to 45 mph. This made walking near the edge unappealing to meAll along the trail were these beautiful rocks teaching us the different stones present in the canyonIt has been 40 or 50 years since I visited the Grand Canyon. I was glad to witness the scope of the canyon and the wonder of its creation. Now the fun begins! My grandson, Joshua, has been asking all about Route 66. To give him a personal account of the current route, I decided to drive a small portion of it to see it myself and save some photos for JoshuaThe town of Williams has the railroad to the Grand Canyon and memorabilia shops and restaurants to sell you everything “Route 66”Unfortunately, when Highway 40 was built, the little towns on Route 66 suffered. There were lots of abandoned buildings and very few residentsThere are giant tour buses driving up to a few of the little stores and coffee shops The town of Seligman has more people than most of the other towns. I really want to eat at this restaurant but it was way to early when I arrived.Kingman, Arizona was the end of my ride on Route 66. I stayed at the Cella Winery and enjoyed their hospitality and a wine tastingI could not resist the temptation to have breakfast at this diner on Route 66This was the perfect diner! The staff, the food, the decorations were so much fun!And just outside, this beautifully restored truck ! Arrived in Dana Point and the Pacific Ocean. There were lots of dolphins jumping through the waves offshore. I love to take this walk along the coast. My sister and I enjoyed another walk along the coastMeander is resting in Montecito. It has been a glorious four months of discovery. Quoting Brandon Sanderson from ” The Way of Kings”, ” Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination” I have embraced this motto on my travels. I am grateful for the time, the support of family and friends, the people I have met along the way and the wonderous beauty I have encountered. The sounds, smells and sights have enriched the experience. Retirement has set me free but I miss the connection with my patients and their families. I plan to be back on the road in a few weeks. Stay tuned!
