Zion National Park

From Bryce Canyon it wasn't a long drive to Kanab, 

where we checked into a Holiday Inn Express.

It was good to know our next day's visit to Zion National Park was close.

There was something beautiful about the color of the road leading to this canyon - 

a pristinely clean vintage look, maybe intensified by the colors of the cliffs.

We passed through several tunnels, one being a mile long, with no lights.

Every once in a while we'd see light coming in from a window,

as you can see in the photo in the center.

We parked at a view point outside to see where we'd just come from.

It was a breathtaking view - and was so from all around.

The tunnel went straight through this mountain from left to right.

You can see a few of the windows.

With limited parking, we ended up taking the shuttle from 

Springdale, situated on the other side of the park entrance. 

We got off to see a range of mountains called The Court of the Patriarchs,

named for the towering figures of the Old Testament - Abram, Isaak and Jacob

(with Mount Moroni and Sentinel in there as well)

These peaks rise close to 7,000 feet,

their grandeur intensified by being so close to them.

We were surprised and a bit overwhelmed as to the choices of trails to follow.

The shuttle dropped visitors off accordingly. 

We opted for an easy trail to see the Lower and Upper Emerald Pools.

Waterfall spray adds to the lush surroundings

with a labyrinth of trails leading and looping in many directions.

We followed steps up and down,

stopped for our packed picnic lunch,

admired the canyon beauty,

and the wildlife that had no concern about people watching them feed.

It was another very amazing day!

As we drove away 

I couldn't help but feel that this place could give a sense of security 

with its majestic natural walls.

A picture of a little heaven on earth.

 

Bryce Canyon

We left Salt Lake city and within hours came upon the most amazing rock formations, 

our destination close at hand.

Bryce Canyon seems to be a well kept secret, 

because I only heard of it once we told others of our travel plans. 

It is said that this is the largest concentration of hoodoos on the earth ...

I didn't know that is what these rock formations were called, 

but have to agree that the name suits. 

We found a nice lookout for our lunch

and marvelled at this place that truly surprised us ...

a grand ampitheatre of unimaginable design,

a delighful way of God saying, "And I also made THIS"

.

Having said that, there was something cartoonish about the landscape ...

where your imagination could run wild. 

At Sunrise Point we took the trail down into the canyon. 

At first I thought we'd be coming up the same way, but the trail kept

calling us on, something new around every corner. 

Visions of the Three Kings from the East

(in my imagination)

and  abandoned castles.

We kept going and eventually the trail led us back up

coming up at Sunset Point.

It was amazing from any and every vantage point.

So glad we could visit this canyon,

a part of the Grand Staircase of more to come. 

Salt Lake City

From Washington we crossed the Columbia River into Idaho.

 It was one of our longer driving days, crossing into Utah about eight hours later.

Road trips can be entertaining with the ever changing landscape, 

but these days even more so with wifi/bluetooth music and pod casts to log into.

We checked into a hotel in Salt Lake City 

and booked a bus tour for the next day. 

Something we have rarely done.

This really was the best way to spend our time there.

The bus driver was funny and quite entertaining - 

we hopped on and off as he told us stories.

Salt Lake City was founded in 1847 by a group of Mormon pilgrims,

facing the many hardships of pioneering as they began their life there.

Unbeknown to them at the time, 

was that they landed on what today is still the largest copper mine,

making the railroad line a most welcome part of the trasportation needed 

not only for personal benefits, but also for commercial mining.

The Union Pacific Depot was built in 1908 and, if this building looks familiar

it may be because you have seen its replica in CA's Disneyland.

At least, this is what we were told. =)

A prominent and stately building we noticed as we looked for our hotel was the State Capitol,

Of course the bus stopped here for some time.

We walked the grounds and saw some of the amazing architecture inside.

The view from the steps.

The interior of the dome was truly awe inspiring in every detail.

Murals such as we've seen in Europe

but depicting the history of the city. 

The tour bus was to drop us off for a live recital at the Mormon Tabernacle,

but due to a major seismic upgrade taking place we missed out on that. 

The main tabernacle was not even visible for an actual photo

as it was covered by a construction screen.

We passed by other churches, which there are plenty of.

We had to laugh when, at one point, we saw at least six different denominations

of churches all side by side.

We entered this large, ornate Cathedral where there was a wedding in progress. 

When the tour was done, we walked to the City Creek Center Mall.

We had lunch under a canopy of golden trees ...

and enjoyed some shopping time.

No surprise there.

Macy's Department Store was one we had passed on the tour,

being told that Macy's purchased the ZCMI Department store founded in 1886,

known as "America's First Department Store".

We got our car and drove around the city for a while,

just admiring the historic homes.

I'm always amazed at the beauty and the detail that went into buildings,

especially with more limited tools. 

The handiwork is worth admiring. 

It was a wonderful day in Salt Lake City, 

relaxing, informative and fun! 

Escape Across the Border

For some time we have had plans to celebrate retirement with a longer road trip, 

still ending up at our favorite place in the desert.

However, as the land crossing remained closed, we began looking at other options

and booked a flight out of our small local airport to take us across.

The whole preparation was a mixture of  apprehension and excitement - 

finding the carrier, the process of covid testing, dropping off our car to be taken across and

then getting into that small plane!

I couldn't help but think of an old movie that the kids still tease us about,

because we apparently watched it numerous times. 

It was called Night Crossing.

When everything worked out as planned, we were quite relieved! 

It was literally a 12 minute flight.

We landed in Bellingham, where the pilot took us through customs.

An hour after our flight took off at home, we were back in our own car across the border!

The freedom to get on the road and travel was quite surreal.

We spent our first night in Richland,

a beautiful spot on the Columbia River. 

That's where I'll leave it for now. 

Happy Thanksgiving

We celebrated an ealry Thanksgiving this year

because of plans to be away in October.

This is one dinner I wish to make a tradition of eating at one table -

even if it's two tables put together.

I cannot even express the joy and thankfulness ...

to be seated with most of the nearest and dearest to my heart!

And here we have it!

Thanksgiving - summed up by Evy

 

Pumpkin Shaped Bread

 

With Thanksgiving celebrations coming up,

I thought I'd share this version of 

French Bread that I made for our early Thanksgiving.

This is how easy it is!

Follow the recipe, using the full 5 cups of flour to be sure that it hold its shape.

After letting the dough rise, divide it in half and shape it into 2 balls.

Cut four 18 inch pieces of cooking twine for each loaf. (may not be exact - I didn't  measure)

Lay twine criss-crossed on parchment paper lined pan.

Place ball of dough in the center and tie up the twine, coming to the top.

Tie "just to fit" not tight. Insert a piece of cinnamon stick in the center.

Cover loosly with tea towel and plastic. 

Let rise about 30 minutes and you will see the indentations.

Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, until golden.

Cut twine and pull out. 

Cool on wire rack.

Pouring boiling water into a baking pan (not glass) on bottom rack right after placing bread in oven, and closing the door as quickly as possible, may help create steam and a longer lasting crispy crust.