Day 9 - Bryce Canyon

July 19, 2015

We left the Grand Canyon at 9:01am Arizona time (they're special in AZ) and headed to Hatch, Utah and on up to Bryce Canyon.  Bryce is truly something to behold in nature. The whole place looks like a multi-colored beach creation that someone made by dripping wet sand into stacks. It appears that at any point, a simple pail of water could take out any of the towering edifices you see below.  Many of the towers you see are probably 80-100 feet high or more.

We're not that close to the edge. No, really.

"One step closer. Oooone step closer...."

After starting out with a plan to only walk partway, we hiked all the way down to the bottom of the canyon because it kept getting neater and neater as we kept walking. By referencing the people in the picture below, you get a sense of just how big these towers of sandstone are.

We went to the "Queen's Garden", which refers to a stone formation the looks vaguely like a portrait of Queen Victoria. In the picture below on the left, you see Kim trying to imitate the pose of the formation far above her head and slightly to the right. The right hand picture is zoomed in closer on the queen, who is the white-ish portion standing on the table. One observer keenly noted that she looks more like Princess Peach from Mario, with which it's difficult to argue.

Bryce Canyon can be photographed from virtually any angle to provide a unique and beautiful view. If you ever get the chance, visit this place.

Here's a quick shot of the final leg of the switchback trail we hiked to get up and out of the canyon. My legs are tired all over again just looking at it!

On the drive out of Bryce Canyon, there is a neat place called Red Canyon, where we stopped for a brief hike and some neat photo opportunities.

Never tell a 10-year-old boy to "Go climb a tree!"

We ended the day with some ice cream and by crashing hard back in our hotel room in Hatch. Bryce Canyon is truly something we will never forget.

Day 8 - Grand Canyon: Roosevelt Point / Walhalla Overlook

July 18, 2015

We spent the greater part of this day driving around the Grand Canyon's north rim and taking various short hikes to several spectacular views. Thank God for some of our presidents of the late 19th and 20th centuries, who preserved these National Parks as part of "America's Best Idea."  We are blessed to have so much to see in our own country!

I'd like to describe how big these vertical plates were, which look similar to the back of a stegosaurus, but are probably 500 feet tall from the tops to where the trees start, but I simply don't have the words.

Thank you, President Teddy Roosevelt, for doing your part to preserve this place. "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it."  (As a consultant by profession, there is very little in the world where I see things that cannot and should not be improved. In this case, he had it 100% correct.)

A cool panorama of Cody standing in a grove near a jaw-dropping view of the canyon.

I don't have the words....

Kim and I both spent several minutes trying to capture the right image of this really neat tree standing near the edge of the canyon. How did we do?

After a long day of walking around, this was one of our last stops.

We ended the day back at our cabin, watching deer walk by and playing some games. The Grand Canyon is truly breathtaking.  No place has ever made me just gaze at nature's amazing power and wonder like this place.

Day 7 - Durango to Navajo Bridge to Grand Canyon!

July 17, 2015

We left the beauty and excitement of Durango to head to the Grand Canyon, which is a spectacle of nature that is both difficult to describe and almost impossible to capture in photos in a way that properly reflects the sheer size and grandeur of the site.

During the drive, we stopped at the Navajo Bridge over Glen Canyon, a beautiful walking bridge over a deep green river flowing out of Lake Powell.

We arrived at the Kaibab Lodge around 4pm local time, unpacked briefly and headed straight for the Grand Canyon Lodge to catch a sunset.  This decision ended up paying off because the next day there was a lot of rain, and the sunset was spoiled.  These were some of the best views we got of the Canyon.

The family looking amazing!

If you look closely, you'll see a very nervous Kim and Kalli looking up at Cody from the bottom of this rock.

This panoramic shows Kalli and Cody standing on one of the paved footbridges with steep drops on both sides, and almost no railing.

The sunset was one for the ages!

One of the more difficult things to do when photographing the Grand Canyon is to capture the sheer scale of the place. On the far left of this picture, you can see people out on the rock precipice, which gives you some idea of the scope of what you're seeing here!

 One of the more nerve-racking things about being here was a young man who was taking some serious chances climbing down the rock faces (no rope) and jumping around near the cliffs and over empty spaces.  There was a guardrail on both sides of one of the footpaths, below which was probably a thousand-foot drop on both sides, and he jumped back and forth across the handrails. One slip on either side, and it was a quick adios.  Luckily, he kept his footing, but Kim (and his own mom) barely survived the experience!

Day 6 - Durango Mountain Resort & Fishin'

July 16, 2015

We cruised up the gorgeous 28-mile drive from Durango to Durango Mountain Resort, formerly known as Purgatory, soon-to-be-renamed Purgatory. The kids had their choice of activities and Kim and I opted to join them on the Alpine Slide, which is part luge and part...Green Machine? No matter, it's 100% fun.

Kalli and Cody started with the ropes course. I love the determined looks on their faces!

We all went up on the Alpine Slide next. Kim and I went first, followed by Cody and Kalli.The lady working at the lift was right: it was hard to do it just once!

Next up, Kalli went for the Sky High, a sort of reverse bungee jump, and Cody went for the rock climbing.

After that, they went into the Water Balls, which appeared to be utterly exhausting, but was hilarious. It was like watching drunken hamsters trying to walk on water!

Once we wrapped up at Purgatory, we headed on up to Molas Pass for some pictures.

Last, we stopped at Andrews Lake for Cody to do some fishing.  He didn't catch anything, but the views were breathtaking, and his casting got better and better with practice.

One of the highlights was a mother duck with eight ducklings that someone said might have been barely a week old.

Day 5 - Zip Lining and Mountain Biking

July 15, 2015


Zip lining is amazing. We went to Full Blast Adventure Center in Durango, CO and had two outstanding guides, James and Cole. James is a 12-year Navy veteran (and can be seen photo bombing Cody, below), a former professional mountain biker, a veteran outdoor guide and a 55-year old kid. I want to be like him when I grow up.

On the first run, Kim told everyone, "I might scream". After everyone had a good laugh, she did scream as she left the platform, a short, cute burst that she just had to get out of her system.  After that, she was all good.

After six great runs with our small group, two folks from Tucson (the husband was NOT happy his wife dragged him along on this thing), two folks from San Angelo and us, the guides offered to let us do two more lines for free.

After the first of the two "extra" runs, James offered to let us do a 65-foot, backwards, no-look free fall off the last tower, stopped only by a mechanical device. I, of course, jumped right in (or off), and it was awesome!

Big smiles after high times in the Durango treetops!

I took these videos of the final run from the parking lot after doing my free fall.

After a two-hour break, I went for a guided mountain bike tour with John Robinette of Durango Mountain Bike Tours. If you love to mountain bike, and you're ever in Durango, you should definitely book a trip with John. He is absolutely outstanding!

Here are some photos John took of me during some of his (many) waits for me to catch up (click to zoom in). I didn't crop them so you can get sense of the amazing scenery I got to experience.

The ride was over 17 miles, more than 1,800 feet of elevation climb (not change, just climb), and over 3 hours. I learned that I was in good enough shape to push myself to do this, but not good enough shape to do this. After the ride, Kim met John and me at Durango Brewing Company for a beer. I whispered to her at one point, very honestly, "It hurts to breathe."

While I was out mountain biking, Kim, Kalli and Cody did a little bit of shopping and then headed out for a hike up near Fort Lewis College. Everyone had a great day!

Day 4 - White Water Rafting

July 14, 2015

We rose early, ate breakfast in the house and headed straight to Mountain Waters Rafting for a day of white water rafting on the Animus. This is a highly recommended day of fun on the river. The staff, Josh, Bama, Leo (we think), Travis the bus driver (from Austin!) and our amazing guide, Paddy, a student at Fort Lewis College, were all outstanding.

Do these people look ready or what?

The trip took us through various rapids, including some Class III with some good waves. There was even an opportunity during a break to swim out to a large rock and jump off into the river, which is probably in the 50-degree temperature range (BRRRR). Cody and I of course partook in this adventure and came out shivering, blue and super jazzed.

[Pictures of the rafting will be posted later once we get home and have a CD drive to read the disc provided by MWR.]

Lunch was back at the house, followed by some family game time and then a hike up the Animus View Trail just a few blocks from the house.  We were huffing and puffing on the way up...and being passed by joggers, almost all of whom had canine companions.

Part of a panoramic view of the hike

View of Durango from our hike

Prickly pear in bloom reminds me of home!

Our river guide Paddy plays in a bluegrass band, so we went to see him at Durango Brewing Company, coincidentally two blocks from our house.

 
Funniest story of the day: Kim was tracking a "by the numbers" for the trip: number of bike rides, number of ice cream stops, etc. She laughed out loud when she thought about "animals going to the bathroom":

• Dog pooping by BBQ sign
• Deer peeing by The Treehouse