Day 10

Early start for laundry detail at our KOA in Filmore Utah. A very unfriendly KOA manager does not want to give us change for the washers and dryers and tells Ben he is not an ATM machine. I will be sure to put that on our campground evaluation. With a stick of dynamite, I blow Bennie out of bed and he showers and eats breakfast. He misses home and tells me he is ready to return. We have been away from home a lot longer than this before, but Bennie misses his routine and his friends.

After we are organized and on the road toward Parawon, I call Roseann and Randy and tell them when to expect us. I have not seen Roseann since my grandmother’s death last August, so it will be great to see her. When we finally enter her little town, Randy drives out to meet us and lead us to their home because it is not on the GPS system. Roseann looks good and I can see Utah completely agrees with her. She and Randy had just returned from two days of rock hounding near Filmore where we stayed for the night, and she takes the boys and me out to her beautiful rock garden. I would expect this since Roseann loves nature very much, and always loved collecting rocks when he lived in Andrea, PA when my dad was still alive. The two tell us we have to see the Petroglyphs, ancient native rock and cave drawings in the Parawon Gap, so after a short visit in their lovely home, we follow them between the mountains and into the desert. We head toward two giant structures that are split by a road and pull into a makeshift parking area. As we get closer to the rocks, we see the ancient carvings. Some look like suns, others look like scaled snakes, and Roseann takes us to the pregnant belly drawing that is discussed in books. We enjoy talking and investigating the rocks and as I look down the road between the mountains we are learning about, tumbleweeds blow across the highway. The boys are delighted by this and the three of us look for some tumbleweeds on the side of the road. I pick one up and quickly drop it as it pricks my finger and the thorn gets stuck in my skin. Ethan and Bennie don’t seem to mind being pricked, and they walk around carrying tumbleweeds and then releasing them into the wind. After some great discussion of the meanings of the petroglyphs, we head back to Randy and Roseann’s for some dinner. They serve us ziti, salad, pork, and garlic bread. The boys are mannerly and well-behaved, and we talk of what we have seen so far. Randy and Roseann are Utah experts, and they tell us after we eat, they are going to take us to Cedar Breaks National Park and Brian Head. Randy tells Ben that there is NO WAY we can bring our trailer the way they would like to take us. The grade is 13%, the turns are hairpin and steep, and it would be so absolutely difficult to haul the thing up there. We all decide that is best since we have to come back their way to get on Interstate 15 to head to Lake Meade, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas!

As promised, the climb to Cedar Breaks National Park is intense but spectacular. Bennie begins to complain about his ears, and I can hardly hear as mine deal with the pressure around me. The earth around us is growing redder and ruddier by the mile, and I wonder what we have in store for us. I know Roseann has probably walked all of these nature trails and knows every inch of them. Eventually we enter a ski resort area, which is fairly abandoned right now since there is no real snow, except some patches around us. Still, though, we climb. Cedar Breaks is part of the Dixie National Forrest which surrounds us on both sides, but pale pink rock is being to be exposed to us at every turn. “Wow.” That’s all we say anymore. “Wow,” and “Oh My God!” At this point in the trip, words are useless. We arrive to a lookout point, and as we exit the truck we are immediately hit with the cold wind and jackets are an absolute necessity. We have ascended thousands of feet and the temperature has dropped 20 degrees. As we look over Cedar Breaks, we are met with a beautiful pink canyon that has eroded over millions of years. All that the eye can see was at one time underwater, and the magnificence caused by the water is really unbelievable. Roseann gives us information on the view and then we all turn to look at the peak behind us: Brian Head. Roseann tells us that if we are enamored by this view, just wait until we see Bryce Canyon. I cannot wait and I believe her.

We say goodbye for now and head to Bryce. Roseann explained that we would come to Red Canyon first. As we quietly drive, I look in the backseat and both boys are completely asleep, heads back, mouths open, quiet, repetitive snoring. We have really expected a lot out of them, haven’t we? Most of the ride is comprised of dark green, rough terrain with mountain ranges as far as I can see to my left, my right, and in front of me. How is it possible that there would be red canyons here? In fact, it looks a lot like South Dakota. Houses spring up here and there, and an occasional inn and small resort. Ben is forever snapping pics of the rustic cabins out here, and there is no short supply of them. He dreams of having a log cabin in the West. Someday, Ben, someday. I, like the boys, am lulled to sleep by the tranquil setting and our GPS system’s British accent. When I wake, I see a light red mountain ahead of us and a realize we have neared Red Canyon. The closer we get, the redder the rocks become. The deep, orangish red color demands my attention, and the small hoodoos sit on the rocks as if they are launch pads and the stalagmite structures might blast off. Red Canyon is curvy, so each bend reveals a new site of color explosion and design. Oh how I want to wake the boys because now we have to drive through rock arches of Red Canyon which have been blown out to make way for the road. Ben reassures me that we will come back this way, so I let sleeping dogs lie. Red Canyon is little but impressive, and now my curiosity is piqued for Bryce.

Friends, nothing prepares you for Bryce Canyon. It is concealed by wooded forest and pristine, quiet forest floors. We park in the shade of the forest, but I catch a glimpse of the pink rock in front of us where the canyon drops off to its archaic ocean floor. The boys run ahead and I yell to them to return so I can read some rules to them about dangerous cliff drop-offs and staying on the path as instructed by the rangers. Many people are here today and RV’s are everywhere. I miss not having the camper with us today because I have grown quite used to having my home behind me for a snack or a bathroom break or a change of clothes or shoes. Despite the fact that I have a thirty-foot trailer, I am a hotel girl at heart, but I have loved seeing all of this by way of our RV. As we drive I dream of RV trips this summer with my family. As we come to the canyon edge, I am completely flabbergasted and my eyes are glued to Bryce. How to explain? Bryce is huge and we can see 200 miles of awe-inspiring view. The canyon floor is easily seen but it is filled with red, pink, and white hoodoos that form shapes such as heads, fingers and toes. The tie-dyed rock is creamy and rich in color, and the entire sight looks as if it has been airbrushed by God. The white blends into the pink as if marbleized, and the soft colors melt into each other. Several scenic points and overlooks call our names and we are off! I eavesdrop on a ranger who is discussing geology and he explains how erosion has given birth to this rocky creation. How lucky are my sons to take this in. Around us, I hear German, French, Swedish, and Indian. A German couple with three very small children really have their hands full. I don’t speak German and I don’t know how well she knows English, but I giggle at the antics of her kids and she and I give each other that knowing, understanding “mother” look. Bryce Canyon with a three year old, a two year old and a, perhaps, 11 month old? God Bless You, Frau! We take loads of pics and I have to laugh as Bennie and Ethan descend into their imaginary world of Star Wars. In no time at all, they have each found an old stick that resemble blasters from the movie, and with a pair of binoculars, they look for Sand People in Bryce Canyon. They find them, too, living in caves among the HooDoos. WhoKnew? Their imaginations are enviable; I mean here I am at one of the greatest sites on our planet where our very surroundings seem to defy imagination, and Ben and Ethan find a way to make it even more imaginative. Ben, Ethan, and Bennie take one of the paths down into the canyon, and I stay above to snap pictures of them. Bennie is beside himself that Ethan might fall down one of the steep cliffs, so Bryce loses some of its fun and adventure for the always responsible, big brother Ben. By now we are all tired, so as the boys ascend from the canyon, we decide we are going to take the scenic walk back to the truck and go back to Randy and Roseann's to pick up our trailer. We are running behind in our schedule, but I am very surprised when Ben tells me we are driving straight through to Las Vegas tonight! What? Is he sure? It is already 8:30 but he says there will be enough light and enough time to get there plus we will enter Pacific time this evening which will put us 3 hours behind most of you.

We say goodbye to Randy and Roseann, who think our breakneck pace is impossible, and head on down the road, fueled by Taco Bell and some snacks. We are going to Vegas baby! The sky grows darker and darker, and the trucks faster and faster. They suck us under them and Ben fights off what they do to our air. He tells me the car carriers are the worst, and I can tell he is very tired. Vegas lives somewhere in front of us in the darkness around 190 miles away. The boys watch movies, I write my blog, and Ben stares off into the darkness of the flat, hypnotic highway. The desert is very dark. We leave Utah into Arizona, but we don't stop for pics but it is too dangerous. We will get our Arizona welcome sign on our way back. After brief time in Arizona, we finally cross into Nevada, and just a mile after the state line, we are inundated by our first casino. Ben laughs.

As we descend into the dark desert, the temperature outside climbs and climbs and we feel the heat of Nevada. When we left Utah, it was 71 and now it is 88 degrees outside our truck. We roll out of the mountains and we are cautioned by strong cross wind signs. We do feel some of those and I keep wondering if we should pull over and rest or continue on. I have my heart set on the Oasis RV park in Vegas, which is luxurious and wonderful. Check it out here: http://www.oasislasvegasrvresort.com/
We have room service to our RV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If we can get a site. It seems their reservation phone line is not functioning for some reason, so I am a little stressed about arriving in Las Vegas at 11:30 pm without a stop.

After miles and miles of darkness and 18 wheelers, the sky above us and ahead of us has a faint lighted aura to it, and Ben says, can that be Vegas? We are still 86 miles away. I assure him it is. What else could it be? The 86 miles roll by fairly quicklly and as we turn a long bend, we are absolutely amazed by the brilliant lights of Vegas that lie ahead of us but are still 18 miles away. Ben is simply astounded by it. Ethan is sleeping, but Bennie is awake and interested. As we get closer, we can make out the strip, the needle, and the beacon that shines into outerspace from the Luxor Hotel. We hope the Oasis will take us, and Ben navigates his way through the detours and chaotic roadwork of Interstate 15 that runs busily parallel to Vegas and all the hotels and casinos. It is hard for Ben to drive as he wants to look at the sites, but he is tired, it is late, and its is stressful!!!!!! The GPS leads us to our RV resort, which is spectacular! They have room! We luck out!

Tomorrow we do Vegas. We see Joann Genits and her daughter Andie, and Ben sees his friend from college, Tonia. The boys are looking forward to a day of swimming and fun and so are we. Luck be a lady tonight!