Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Shopping at the Market

Once I get to AZ one of my first shopping trips is to the Market. I bought red bell peppers 4 for $1.00; yellow bell peppers 4 for $1.00; a good size head of cauliflower for $.50; 4 cucumbers for $1.00; 1.7 pounds of zucchini for $.43...you get the idea. The cost of veggies, including broccoli, onions, and potatoes, for more than a week was $10.00!

We arrived on Friday afternoon. We are not 'settled' yet, but getting closer. I got a haircut today so you all know how much better I feel. Pedicure is next.

The house gets washed tomorrow to get rid of the dirt and grim from the summer monsoons & 'haboobs' (dust storms). Then we will get the outdoor decor set up and working. That may warrant pictures.

The temp is high 80s during the day, 50s or so at night.

Happy to be at our winter home!

Sights From Las Vegas

Let me first say, if you are going to Las Vegas in the next couple of years and have an interest in the Titanic, you MUST SEE the Titanic artifact display at the Luxor Hotel & Casino. It is fabulous,  in my opinion. (Hubby thought it was OK.) The display will be at the Luxor for ten years because of the size of some of the displayed pieces recovered from the bottom of the ocean. I felt there was a good number of recovered items on display as well as an interesting way of displaying them and telling the story of the Titanic, its fate and that of the passengers.

As most of you know we are here in Vegas to see the PBR, Professional Bull Riders Final Championship. And if we are seeing a rodeo, you might be expecting more boots and butts. It is much easier to get unsuspecting photos of boots and butts outdoors in a casual atmosphere. There isn't anything casual about the PBR in Vegas. I also realized, if I am taking pictures, I am not watching the bulls & the riders. Therefore, I don't have a lot of photos from which to choose for this posting. I took photos the first night, but decided to watch the rodeo the second night.

So here are some photos from Vegas...

 The statue of Liberty greets visitors to New York New York

 This Jelly Belly statue is inside the front doors of the hotel & casino

 Some of the pyrotechnics at the opening ceremony

Some of the advertising prior to the rodeo

 A few of the cowboys waiting their turn to ride

 How many cowboys does it take to get a rider & bull ready for an 8 second performance?  Four in this instance.

 Some butt

 One of the 40 bull riders riding for the prize of a million dollars

And a requisite boot photo

The lack of boots & butts photos is NOT because there weren't any available. It is because I wasn't as inconspicuous as I would have liked.

Zion National Park

Some of my photos from Zion Canyon in the Zion National Park.

A Side Trip

I read about the Coral Pink Sands State Park and thought it might be worth seeing since we were 'in the area.' I also thought it would be interesting to compare it and the White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico, which we saw last year. (see April 2010 blog post)

The wind swept piles of pink sand were impressive.

 The almost seven miles of fine sand are a haven for OHV enthusiasts.

"The geology of the sand dunes is an intriguing subject. The sand comes from Navajo sandstone from the geologic period call Middle Jurassic. The same iron oxides and minerals that give us spectacular red rock country are responsible for this landscape of coral pink sand.
    Sand dunes are created by three factors: Sand, high winds, and a unique influence upon the wind. The notch between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains causes this unique influence. The wind is funneled through the notch, thereby increasing wind velocity to a point where it can carry sand grains from the eroding Navajo sandstone.
    This phenomenon is known as the Venturi Affect. Once the wind passes through the notch and into the open valley, the wind velocity decreases, causing the sand to be deposited. These dunes are estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 years old."

Located at an elevation of 6,000 feet, Coral Pink Sand Dunes receives relatively high amounts of precipitation. This moisture allows for a wide variety of plants.

 I was surprised to see an acorn in the sand on my little walk.

Notice the evidence of recent rain by the dimpled sand.

The Gambel oak tree was growing near the observation stand and visitors' center, near the edge of the sand dunes.

It felt and acted like sugar. Walking through the sand was a very good cardiac work-out.

 Comparing white sand from New Mexico...

and the white dunes from our trip in April 2010.

As the only major sand dune field on the Colorado Plateau, this park, established in 1963, is a unique geologic feature. 

Curt's Hike in Zion National Park

Curt has been looking forward to hiking in Zion. He researched and planned, and then chose Angels Landing based on a recommendation of a fellow Canyon Vistas Hiking Club hiker. Here are some photos from the 5.4 mile round trip, 1500' elevation.

This peak was so named in 1916 when a group passing through the canyon commented that only an angel could land on top of it.

 The trail starts as a paved path, for 2 miles.

The trail to the summit of Angels Landing was constructed in 1926. 

Trail along the cliff wall

The two sectioned white object in the center of the photo is a park shuttle bus.

 Chain hand-holds are in the more difficult areas.

Curt saw a guy on the summit in flip-flops.

He must not have read the first sign like I did.

The summit of Angels Landing.

The top of Angels Landing is called a fin, because of its fin-like shape.

He made it!

"The Angels Landing Trail is one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the national park system. Zion's pride and joy runs along a narrow rock fin with dizzying drop-offs on both sides. The trail culminates at a lofty perch, boasting magnificent views in every direction. Rarely is such an intimidating path so frequented by hikers. One would think that this narrow ridge with deep chasms on each of its flanks would allure only the most intrepid of hikers. Climbers scale its big wall; hikers pull themselves up by chains and sightseers stand in awe at its stunning nobility. The towering monolith is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Southwest." (from the Zion National Park website)

Most of our photos are from the floor looking up. 

This is a photo from the top looking out at the other canyon walls.

I stayed on the canyon floor. My photos from the day will appear at another time, or maybe in the Photo Every Now and Then Postings.

Views from Our Casa

This is our little casa near Zion National Park.

The rooms have been updated, are very clean and quite large. It will be very comfortable for 3 nights. There are twelve units of four rooms each.

But one of the cool things about our casa is the visitors. Around six o'clock these mule deer walked into the backyard to eat the green grass. We had a total of 5 visitors, three females & two young ones. They were still eating grass when we returned from dinner at 9:00! The car lights & slamming car doors didn't startle them.

This is the second cool thing about our little casa. This is the view out the front door. Maybe I will get tired of looking at it after three days. Maybe.

Capitol Reef National Park

Our first stop on Saturday's southward journey was the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. (UT has five national parks.) To get to the park from Green River we drove a scenic byway highway. That means lower speed limits, more traffic during hunting season & school holidays and beautiful scenery. It took us at least 8 hours to drive 227 miles! Here are some of the reasons for our long day...

hard to resist... a waterfall

this one was along the hwy leading to our morning destination

 Curt was looking for a hike

this is Hickman Arch

I foolishly thought I could make the 1.7 mile hike

NOT! high elevation & out of shape

I did about a mile

 I did see lava rocks

and the Capitol Dome, for which the park was named

 sights on a side road

 more unique formations & color

we saw lots of color from the deciduous trees

 look carefully on the road

this family of three crossed the road in front of us

Curt was riding shotgun, so it was his job to get photos

mule deer?

That was the morning part of our day and about half of our miles.