Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, October 2, 2017

Our WEST TRIP 2017 in a Nutshell

Us  at MONUMENT VALLEY 9/9/17
Hello my Blog Friends!!!  Hope all of you are doing fine and had a great September... George and I spent 16 days traveling out west....  In a nutshell for those 16 days,  we saw 11 National Parks or Monuments,  3 State Parks,  5 Navajo Indian Areas,  and many SCENIC drives...   Total miles in our Prius:  5446 miles.   Total pictures taken:  Betsy 2651 and George 2731.     Our weather was GREAT except for one rainy day.  It was a little hot the first several days,  but then cooled off nicely for the 2nd part of the trip!!!!!   The ONLY complaint we had were the crowds and bus-loads of people in many of the popular parks.  I guess September is no longer a good month to travel since we enjoy going places without the crowds.

We were in this area in 2011 --but out of the 19 places we visited,  we had only seen 5 of them before.  This trip was MOSTLY in Utah --and a little of Arizona.   Basically, this was a new trip for us!!!!!  AND--there's much more to see in that area.. I already have a list made!!!! ha... Obviously,  we LOVE visiting there!!!

Favorite places we visited this year:
MONUMENT VALLEY Navajo Tribal Park  (took an awesome tour there)
ANTELOPE CANYON  in Page, Arizona   (took a fantastic slot canyon tour there)
BRYCE CANYON   (a favorite in 2011 and this year)
CANYONLANDS --Island in the Sky (fabulous overlooks/hikes)
There are MORE favorites --but I'll stop here.

Today,  I just picked out random pictures from some of the areas we visited....  Over the next several weeks/months,  I will key in on certain areas to feature in future posts...   Hope you enjoy today's pictures.


BRYCE CANYON  9/16/17



KOLOB CANYON 9/17/17



Crazy Woman eating (and lovin')  NAVAJO FRY BREAD  at Monument Valley  9/9/17



CANYONLANDS -Island in the Sky;  Candlestick Tower  9/11/17



THE ARCHES ---George at  Double Arch  9/12/17



CAPITOL REEF --  Egyptian Temple  9/13/17



Us  at MONUMENT VALLEY 9/9/17  (We had a tour guide who took all kinds of pictures of us while there.  What great memories!)



ZION  9/15/17



GRAND STAIRCASE- ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT  9/14/17  ---We took the Burr Trail Scenic Backway  and I captured this picture.   Made me sing:  "People!  People who need People..."  (Looked like people to me!!!! ha)



CANYONLANDS -Island in the Sky  9/11/17;   Mesa Arch --one of our hikes in that area!


BRYCE CANYON  9/16/17;  A close-up of some of the HOODOOS!!!!



NAVAJO BRIDGE INTERPRETATIVE CENTER, near Page, Arizona  9/18/17;   We walked across the foot bridge and got a picture of the Colorado River below, surrounded by the Marble Canyon.  In the background are the Vermillion Cliffs.



GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA,  Page, Arizona  9/18/17;  This is gorgeous Lake Powell  (with its blue blue water!)



CANYONLANDS -Island in the Sky  9/11/17;   This nutty woman is enjoying the view --and getting some good pictures below.... (Hope she doesn't fall off!!!!)



ANTELOPE SLOT CANYON,  Page, Arizona 9/18/17;  We had never been in a slot canyon before --but it was like walking in a CAVE with the light coming in from the open top... Our tour guide took this picture of us  in the canyon...   I cannot wait to show you more pictures from this tour... Unbelievable!!!!
IF you think I am still excited about this past trip,  I AM!!!!   We had a marvelous time --and I cannot wait to share more pictures with you...  We have visited many gorgeous places in our country,  but this is one we highly recommend...

Welcome to OCTOBER!!!!!  Please notice my new HEADER picture above..  That is what we saw while taking a SUNSET TOUR in MONUMENT VALLEY on 9/9/17...   Also---be sure and check out my Photo Blog Post (click HERE)...  There are two more pictures not featured today from another of our favorite places,   CEDAR BREAKS National Monument...

Have an awesome week and month ahead.

Hugs,

33 comments:

diane b said...

WOW! What amazing scenery. The colours and the structures are mind blowing. You are so lucky to have experienced these beautiful places. Your photography is great too.

Linda P said...

Wonderful photos of your trip! I'm looking forward to seeing more. I'm still sharing our time in Italy during July and August on my blog and enjoying looking back at my own photos, reliving happy memories as you will with photos of your own fantastic trip. Thank you for sharing.

Ann said...

What amazing views. I would love to see this in person

The Furry Gnome said...

What amazing places to go and see. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. With over 5000 pictures between you, you'll be able to blog for months!

Jim and Sandie said...

Gorgeous pictures. Utah and northern Arizona hold unbelievable beauty. But all the crowds ruin it for me. So this,way I get to enjoy all the pictures and sights without the people.

George said...

You did a great job of summarizing our trip. Your photos are fantastic!

Liene said...

WOW!!! Those pictures are truly stunning!!! And back just in time for the annual fall color show? We just returned from Graveyard Fields - it's already started!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

What an amazing trip you had, Betsy! Such a beautiful area. You make me want to take a tour of Monument Valley. We didn't do that, but it looks like we missed a great experience. Your photos are gorgeous.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Betsy, what an awesome trip! I have been to a few of these places and your photos bring back many great memories. I especially like the Antelope Slot Canyon and the Mesa Arch. Great collection of photos. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and week ahead.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

The areas you saw and share just remind me of how vast and different the landscapes on our earth are. And seeing you
with cameras around your necks is how I know you from blogger. What a pleasure to be able see you once again being out and about in the great expanses of your nation. I understand why you get excited about all the beauty.

David said...

Betsy, Looks and sounds like a great trip! We've been to Glen Canyon, Bryce, Monument Valley and Zion plus a couple of others. Beautiful country! Love Indian Fry Bread! Your tour sounds like one of our frenetic trips with 5446 miles and 5382 photos... We just got back from Scotland & Ireland with only about 1250 miles driven and about 2500 photos taken over 14 days. I'll be posting our trip for some time to come. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

linda m said...

Wow, you really got some fantastic photos. Sounds like a trip to remember.

Arkansas Patti said...

Yep, I saw people also. Every time you go West and show your beautiful shots, you give me the itch. Arkansas is so far the farthest West I have been. I really need to gas up and go. Thanks.

Ginny Hartzler said...

The trip of a lifetime!!! Each picture is so gorgeous!!! Hard to pick favorites. I thought the first one would be my favorite, but they keep getting better! Bryce Canyon is amazing and weird. Those are probably my favorites. Next to that would be the Grand Staircase.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Betsy,your excitement is most certainly coming through in this post. I love it. The scenes are stunning and so beautiful.This old worlds riddled with problems still has so much beauty for us to enjoy. Have a great week my friend.
Hugs,
Ruth

Chatty Crone said...

You two are still going strong - I love the first picture - seeing you two setting under that rock. You two are so sweet. We went there once a long time ago. Love the clear blue sky.

Shug said...

Every single photo is wonderful.....but I must say, my favorite is the first one of you and George sitting there...looking up. So creative. So glad you had such a wonderful trip. Looking forward to seeing more pics of your trip

Lady Fi said...

Wow - what a fantastic trip! I so enjoy seeing all your photos both here and on FB.

Happytrails said...

What an amazing trip!!! I looked forward each day to your photo post on Facebook!!! Incredible views and scenery!!! Mike and I had planned to take that trip this year but some things came up...but it's still on our list!!! So glad you all went and had a safe trip and made so many memories!!! What a blessing!!!

Janie said...

What a great overview of your trip, Betsy! I'm amazed that you were able to see so much in only a couple of weeks.

Busy Bee Suz said...

You certainly did see some of our most beautiful places on your trip. We saw Arches National Park a few years ago, but we were only there for a few hours.....but oh my goodness was it gorgeous!! Lovely photos; I'm so glad you both had a nice vacation.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Gorgeous scenery, Betsy! I love Utah and Arizona, too. It is almost like being in another world compared to our pastoral scenes here. I love them, too, but its fun to see different scenery. We had intended to go out west last month, but the closer we got to September the more we just wanted to stay closer to home and Branson is a favorite of ours to just relax and not have to drive so much so we went there for 10 days. In the meantime, I certainly love seeing your photos and those from Pat who lives in beautiful Colorado...another favorite state of ours. Take care and enjoy your week! Hugs, Cheryl

Linda said...

Sounds like a fantastic trip! What great pictures!

Small Kucing said...

amazing looking place. Feels like we are so tiny over here when looking at the vast landcscape

Janice K said...

Looks like an awesome trip. We were at some of those places in 2010 but not nearly as adventuresome as you two.

Small City Scenes said...

Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful.
What an amazing country we live in.
Keep taking those vacations and trips and supplying us with lovely images
MB

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Zion is my favorite of the National Parks I've visited. Your trip looks amazing and so do your pictures!

Linda G. said...

Bob and I talk about a vacation out West....one day it will happen, but not in the near future. These pictures are wonderful of gorgeous scenery.

Beatriz said...

What a great trip Betsy!
I wish I were there... so many beautiful place in the west side of your country! I have only saw these landscapes in old films here on TV!
Congratulations to you both for the wonderful pictures!!!

Hugs
Bia
www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com

Silver in AZ said...

new to your blog. Gorgeous photos! We can't wait to retire to AZ in about 18 months!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What a wonderful trip! I lived in NM...in the Four Corners for a few years and love those scenic views! Hugs, Diane

Lowcarb team member said...

What a trip!
Amazing photographs.

All the best Jan

Pat Tillett said...

Now that is a major road trip! You guys must have been in heaven. So much to see. I totally agree with you about the crowds. I've just about given up on Zion especially. One time they told us the they were maxed out on the number of private vehicles in the park, and we'd have to take the bus/tram tour. We didn't. I understand why so many people want to go to these amazing parks though. As usual, fantastic photos!