The Minigans are Adventuring Again! - Day 9

Day 9 was our last full day of adventuring and it did not disappoint.  The day started with another good breakfast the the hotel.  Then off we went.

Our goal for the day was to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, spend as much time as possible hiking and looking at the views and the drive back to Las Vegas.  The weather was perfect.  Blue skies.  White puffy clouds.  The ride included a  very long stretch in the valley the went on and on with mountain ranges off to the side.  You could see the winding road in front of you twisting and finally turning up into the mountains. 

Heading into the park, the scenery was nice but not Grand Canyon"ish" yet.  I had only been to the South Rim so I wasn't sure what to expect.  A little way into the park, Jim pulled into one of the view points and said, "OK, you can see a little peek of what to expect from here."   My first view of the North Rim was beyond what I had expected.  I was so anxious to see more!


The visitors center was our first stop.  Only for a moment though to look in and see what they had.  The next stop was the Grand Canyon Lodge.  We walked and went straight to the windows that overlook the Canyon.  Breathtaking!  It just kept getting better.

Our day was spent hiking around to different vantage points and looking at the magnificence of the canyon.  We had a nice lunch at the Lodge overlooking the Canyon. 










I will tell you though that my fear of heights has not lessened at this point. 


As I would hike down to the edge of a cliff I was dealing with a few things.  First, the fact that I am recovering from chemo and still am not at 100%.  Second, I have a tremendous fear of heights.  Finally, because I have a fear of heights my legs actually tremble and make me feel unstable.  Oh........... and the fact that we are at 9,000 ft and the air is thinner.   Jim continued to be patient though and let me go at my own speed.

Our day was amazing! 

oh............. we made it back to Vegas just fine so we could be close to the airport for our morning flight. 




IT WAS ONE HECK OF A VACATION! 

 

The Minigans are Adventuring Again - Day 8

Woke up this morning ready and rarin' for another day of adventuring!

Breakfast was quick and easy and then we hit the road.  Today was Bryce Canyon Day!

The ride was a little over an hour, so not bad at all. The scenery was amazing.  Wide open spaces, mountains, long sweeping roads.  It felt like we had been placed in a magazine ad for Utah.  As I would ooohh and ahhh over some bit of scenery, Jim continued to tell me it would just get better.  He was right.

Entering the park, we had to stop and do the obligatory photo with the National Park sign.  Always a must.  There was an older couple there getting ready to take their photo also.  The woman was already standing by the sign and the man was setting up his tripod and getting the camera positioned. A line had formed but they were so darn cute, no one cared.  Finally, the woman yelled over to him, "Pa, you are never going to make it over here in 8 seconds anyway!). "Pa" continued getting the shot ready, pushed the shutter and quickly walked over to his wife.  I think everyone was counting as he went over to her!  He made it in plenty of time and everyone laughed when the photo snapped.  It was really a cute way to start our journey into the park.

The first stop once we entered the park was the Visitor's Center.  VERY crowded.  But they had maps that would help us decide our path.  Jim had been to Bryce before so he easily chose our route through the park and the trails.  The journey begins......

The day was long and exhausting but also amazing and exhilarating!  Some of the highlights were:

- Hiking down from Bryce Point.  And I do mean DOWN!  Under the Rim trail zig zagged down the side of the mountain.  The trail was probably 8 ft wide and steep the entire way.  A couple other facts about this hike.  We started at an elevation of about 8500 ft.  So the air was thinner.  Also, guess who is afraid of heights...... ME.  But I am determined and Jim is willing to be patient with me.

The way down was both frightening and spectacular.  At one point I was so tense, my legs were shaking.  I had to stop a couple times to just breath a little and relax.  I stayed as close to the wall of the mountain as possible and only moved closer to the edge of the trail if someone was coming up the trail.  Jim's goal was to hike down to the hoodoos so we kept going.  We finally made it!  And, we turned a corner and saw a spectacular arch in the rocks that was a window into the next valley.

It was truly picture perfect.  The trail continued on but after taking a bunch of photos, we decided to climb back up.  We knew the further we went down, the higher we would have to climb up.  Up we go!

I am not quite as nervous on the way up.  Probably because I have no energy to be nervous.  It is such a steep climb and I have to stop frequently to catch my breath.  Jim made sure I drank water also.  The hike up took at least three times the amount of time it took to hike down.

BUT I DID IT!  I was quite proud of myself for this accomplishment and even though I was exhausted, I had done something I wouldn't have thought possible a few months ago.  Yippee!

We continued making our way through the canyon and stopping along the way to take photos from vantage points throughout the park.  Nearing the few miles of the road there was a sign that said the road was closed ahead due to fire.  It never closed.  We kept going.  We reached the end of the road at the vantage point from there was breathtaking.  The smoke from the fire could also be seen!  In talking with one of the Rangers we found out today was the first day the road had been open.  They had it closed to prepare the area just in case the fire did come toward the park road and park structures.  The smoke was hypnotizing.  We watched it for quite a while......  Waiting to see if we would see it pop up over the hill.  It didn't, but the smoke was very telling of where the fire was and when it got to an area that had added fuel (dead trees, etc).

After hiking around some more and exploring more of the park, we needed dinner. Dinner at the Bryce Lodge seemed appropriate.  Our meals were quite good and it was a great ending to the Bryce experience.

My experience in Bryce could be summarized as ........  Well, I honestly can't put into words how special my day was.  The gifts of nature that we are given should be appreciated and protected.  The photos we took do not show the true beauty and grandeur of this area.

The Minigans are Adventuring Again - Day 7

Woke up this morning so excited.  Today is Zion!  A few years ago I was looking through a magazine and saw a picture of somewhere I needed to be.  It was a photo of the Narrows in Zion.  I knew I had to be there at some point in my life.  Today was the day.

The morning started off with breakfast in the hotel lobby.  The hotel had yogurt and fruit as part of their breakfast so I was happy. And lots of coffee!   Great way to start the morning. 

After breakfast, there was the 30 minute trip to Zion.  Beautiful wide open spaces.  More traffic than I would have preferred but a beautiful drive.  As we got closer, the views continued to get better.    At the entrance to Zion National Park we pulled over to get a photo.  A must.  There are two young girls there that are also taking photos of themselves and the Zion sign.  They asked us to take photos of them and in return they took photos of us.   They are great!  Later in the day we look at the photos they have taken and are quite pleased.  Especially the photo they took of Jim pulling me up onto the rock  (they apparently had a sense of humor).   :-)

As our journey continued, I was amazed at the scenery.  The fun part was it just kept getting better.

Jim had told me we would drive to a spot where we would  catch a bus and ride further into the park where we would see even better sights.  During the drive to the bus stop ( the Visitors Center) I am  in complete awe and can't believe there could be anything better.  We drive through a tunnel the is completely dark.  However, they have built little portals in the side of the tunnel so once in a while you can see out.  The view from the portals is amazing.

Finally, the visitor's center.  We hop on the bus and head North.  We decided to go to the furthest spot for the bus and make our way back.  Our first stop is the Temple of Sinawava. From there we hike to the Narrows.  My dream hike!   The Narrows is not just a normal path though, it is through a river.  The Virgin River.  We hike to the entrance to The Narrows . We do not have river shoes but take our hiking boots off and decide to go as far as we can in our bare feet.  The water is sooo cold.   A little way in we realize the rocks and the current are too much for us to cross so we stop.  Jim's comment was,  " I have an ice cream headache in my feet!".   This was the phrase of the day.  We take photos and head back to the trail.  We have taken our shoes at the beginning of the trail.  I wish I had taken a photo of all the shoes left prior to people walking down to the river.  It was quite funny. There are shoes everywhere.  So many people have done the same thing we have done.

There were people everywhere sitting around letting their feet dry so they could put their shoes back on.  The water had been so cold but the sun was so very hot.  It did not take long for people's feet to dry.  With our feet dry and our shoes back on our feet we head back down the trail.  Walking back down, watching all the people walking up to the river was fun.  You could see the anticipation.

The next stop on our journey was Weeping Rock.  The hike up was ......... well, UP.  Definitely an uphill hike.  The hike was well worth it!

The water was falling over the cliffs and making a waterfall.  Absolutely stunning!   We were able to walk up and under where the water was falling and take some really cool photos.

Our next stop was Emerald Pool  We could only hike to the Lower Pool though.  The flash flooding that took place in July had wiped out the trail that led to the middle and upper pools.


The day ends with the bus ride back and then the car ride back to Kanab.  Such an amazing day!






A couple things I must say about the day.

First, I will say that none of our photos come close to how magnificent Zion is.  We tried to capture the beauty but it just can't be done.  I highly recommend you go there if you have not already been there.  You will not regret it.

Secondly, I had no idea how emotional it would be for me.  Less than 4 months ago I could barely get out of bed.  I was receiving chemo treatments.  And radiation treatments.  Now, here I am hiking up the side of a mountain.  I was humbled and I was appreciative.  So damn appreciative! During the day, Jim made sure to let me go at my pace.  This allowed me to enjoy and appreciate all I was seeing.  Could we have done more?  Maybe.  But had I worn myself out right away it would have affected the remainder of the day.    Jim is pretty cool in my book.  :-)

Tomorrow, we do it again!

The Minigans are Adventuring Again - Day 6

Vacations are interesting when you are traveling with a partner.  It takes people that are like minded and also open minded.   It also takes a great friendship.  Jim and I are really great travel partners.  We have been spending 24/7 with each other and still manage to laugh at so many things throughout our days on the road.   We both have things that are important to us and we both respect the other person's priorities.  I love traveling with him and we are having a blast!

This morning we started off in Henderson, Nevada in 100 degree heat.  Since we were going to a cooler climate, I dressed in jeans.  We had breakfast in the hotel lobby and headed out.  Next stop..... Hoover Dam.  Neither of us had ever been to Hoover Dam so we didn't know what to expect.  Honestly, I wasn't that terribly excited about going there but this was one of those things that was important to Jim so of course I wanted to make sure it happened.  Boy am I glad we did! 

First of all, the highways getting to the dam are beautiful! One spectacular view after another.  We arrived at the parking lot.  Not quite amazing but the parking lot was built into the side of a rock mountain so I was somewhat impressed.  Still, no real feel for what we were going to experience.  The parking lot led us down to the entrance of the dam.  This is where the fun began. One exception.  It was not any cooler so my jeans were a little on the warm side.

The walkway across the dam is just a sidewalk next to the road that goes across the dam.  We forge ahead.  Every step we take is more and more spectacular.  We walk across the entire dam and are so impressed with the views, the engineering and the manpower it took to build this wonderful monument  As an engineer, Jim understands the process much more than I did but I was still completely awed by everything.  The river flowing between the enormous mountains of beautiful rock was a sight to behold!

After the walk across the dam there was a tour of the power plant.  Again, very impressive.  As we bought the tickets, they asked if anyone 1) had a pacemaker or, 2) was claustrophobic.  I am still not sure why they asked these things.   The tour consisted of elevator rides up an down.  They instructed us to "go to the back of the elevator and line up shoulder to shoulder".  We got to know our neighbors very well. :-)  Maybe this is why they asked about claustrophobia??

The power plant tour was quite educational and impressive.  And it was indoors where it wasn't quite so hot.  Since I had dressed in jeans (thinking it was going to be cooler) I was quite pleased with the cooler temperature. 

After the tour we decided to head out and drive across the dam.  Just so we could say we had done it.  Great views, very slow ride.  Then we drove across the new bridge that had been constructed to lighten the traffic flow.  The pictures we had taken of the bridge from the dam were absolutely stunning so we were anxious to get photos of the damn from the bridge.  We just knew the view from that high up would be stunning.  Weren't we disappointed! The bridge had been constructed with high sides so we could not see over them.  Oh well.......

From the dam we drove to Kanab, Utah (first settled in 1864) .  The drive took us from Nevada to Arizona to Utah.  Views that were amazing.  I couldn't stop taking photos.  There was a haze though.  The photos would have been a lot better without the haze but not much we could do about it. 

Along the way we stopped at Pipe Spring National Monument.  The Paiute Indians had originally settled there because of a spring that ran through the area.  Very interesting history. We took a brief tour and learned a lot about the history of this spring and the Paiute Indians.

Once in Kanab, we found out there was a bicycle event going through town and there were very few rooms left.  We tend to fly by the seat of our pants so this caused just a brief moment of anxiety.  We managed to find a vacancy at a Hampton Inn though so all stress was eliminated!  Whew!  The town is fairly small but impressive.  Rock mountains surround the town and make for beautiful scenery.  I look forward to seeing it again in the morning!

Dinner was at a great steakhouse.  The Iron Horse.   Cute little western-type restaurant with really good food.  And really good service.  However, we did find out that Utah law requires you have (or order) food prior to having any alcoholic beverage. We ordered our food quickly!

Now, time to rest and go to bed so we can keep adventuring tomorrow!

The Minigans are Adventuring Again - Days 4 & 5

Day 4 - Leaving Portland, Heading to the Vegas area.

Day 4 was mostly a travel day with a great evening adventure.  Waking up early seems to be the norm for us so an early breakfast before departing was easy.  We walked to our favorite little neighborhood restaurant, Zell's and had our final breakfast in Portland.  As much as I hate to leave I am also excited about our next chapter in our vacation.  Our waitress is getting to know us and we chat quite a bit.  She is from the Indianapolis area so another Midwesterner.  She moved out to Portland a few years ago not knowing a soul and is so happy.  She told us she love everything about the Portland area and can't imaging living anywhere else. She is such a sweet girl.  We have a great breakfast and say our goodbyes. The airport awaits....

Our flight is uneventful and we land in Vegas with our jackets still on...... until we walk outside.  98 degrees.  We end up in a Cadillac SUV.  Ha!  Aren't we fancy.  It has air conditioned seats which by the way, we learn to love.

The ride to the hotel is less than 30 minutes.  We stayed in Henderson because neither of us are really bit gambling people and we didn't want to stay on the strip.  We are still at a hotel/casino though.  Walking through the hotel and casino is still the same.  The sounds, the smells, the people...

We have made arrangements to meet Jim's cousin for dinner.  She is in the Henderson area and suggests the place to meet.  Pasta Shop Restaurant.    Fantastic dinner and great company,  Jim had met Jody once before but I had never met her.  What a pleasant experience!  Dinner was amazing and the conversations did not stop. We went to a custard place for desert and our talks continued.  Such a great way to end our evening!  Unfortunately, we had to say our goodbyes and head back to the hotel.

Great evening!

Day 5 - Nevada to California.

Jim's View

We wake up ready and rarin' to go!  We stop at the restaurant downstairs on our way out and have a quick breakfast.  The waitress is fantastic and she and Jim share jokes back and forth.  It's nice to talk to people and learn about them.  Jim's view is also quite cool. I have the hallway view and not quite so cool.  We finish our breakfast and figure out our route to Death Valley.

Amazingly, the route to Death Valley from Henderson, NV takes us right through Parump, NV.  Home of the infamous ..... wait for it.....
CHICKEN RANCH!

Now of course the Chicken Ranch in Parump does not have chickens.  It is a well known brothel.  But it is so much fun to visit and take photos.  And NO, we did not go in!  I'm sure this photo will end up in multiple places.  :-)

Off we go to Death Valley.  Although the temperature is above hot, it continues to rise the further we go.  Does that stop us?  Nope.  We continue on.

One of the things we are determined to do is go the the lowest elevation in North America.  This is located in the Badwater Basin.  It is 282 ft, below sea level.  And it is hot.  There are signs that say " It is dangerous and not recommended to walk after 10:00 am.  We did anyway.  Along with at least 100 other people.  It was really, really hot.  We saw two guys that we had met earlier in the day and talked to them for a bit.  We had originally met them at the entrance to Death Valley.  They had asked Jim to help them lower the convertible top on their car.  We had also helped each other take photos.  The were from England and we saw them quite  a few times throughout the day.

We continued driving through Death Valley.  Borax Mines,  ghost towns, Indian villages.  Spectacular views.  More spectacular views.

Furnace Creek was one of our stops.  Amazing heat.  Ridiculous heat.  And we were out walking around in it.  The National Park visitor center was there so we stopped for a bit.

The temperature reading outside was a bit of a tourist attraction. 110 degrees!  Well worth the experience though.

Our next stop was the ghost town of Rhyolite,  Originated in 1904.  Died in 1907.  Had a population of 6,000 people at it's peak. Made  us stop and think about the history of the area.

 

They had done some fun little things around the abandoned town for tourists the were kind of cut but the reality of the town was interesting enough.

\

By this point we were pretty done.  Between the heat and all of the driving, we decided to head back to Henderson.  We made it back with no problem.  Chose to eat dinner at a restaurant in the hotel/casino.  Our waitress was from a small town in Mexico...... Zihuatanejo.. Guerrrero.  Super, Super nice lady and she gave us great service. She and Jim talked about Mexico.   It was great talking with her. 

Now, time for bed.  Another busy day tomorrow!

The Minigans are Adventuring Again - Day 3

Our last full day in the Portland area did not disappoint. 

We woke early and headed out to our new favorite place for breakfast.  They immediately seated us and even recognized that we had been there yesterday.  The server was very friendly and the food was as yesterday, delicious.   As we were leaving the couple next to us asked if we would recommend anything.  They said they had just moved to Portland from Philadelphia and this was there first time at the restaurant.  Feeling like regulars, we told them what we would recommend!

The goal for the day was to head to the coast.  The drive was only a couple hours and it was beautiful.  It rained a bit off and on but the views were spectacular.  The highway took us along the Columbia River about 80% of the way.  Turning corners we would see spectacular views of the mountains, the river, the mist coming up from the mountains and the clouds.  It was breathtaking. 

The first stop was Seaside, Oregon, where  I could see, hear, smell and touch the ocean.  Oceans are very important to me so this was a goal of mine.  Although it was a somewhat cool day, the water was not bad at all...... although I only put my hand in it! 

There were people flying huge kites that were in the shapes of dragons, turtles, salmon and a variety of other animals.  Very fun!  After the ocean, we walked around the town and found a great winery.  Amazingly, the man serving us was from St. Louis.  This happens to us frequently but is always shocking.  The wine was good and the conversation was even better.  He talked about caves in Missouri and caves in Oregon. 

He also gave us a great reference for another winery in town that had olive oil also.

Guess where our next stop was...... 

The next winery was great and once again we ended up in a great conversation.  The woman waiting on us asked where we were from.....  of course her mother was from Lee's Summit. Amazing. We bought some wine and also some really great olive oil and headed out. 

Next stop, Astoria, Oregon.  Yet another very quaint town.  Right before you enter Astoria, there is a bridge.  The bridge goes from the Oregon side of the Columbia River to the Washington side of the river.  It was enormous.  And high.  And long.  Although there was no need to go across the bridge,  we had to.  It was definitely an experience!

 Another historical site in Astoria that couldn't be missed was the Astoria Column.  This is a tower overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River.  It was build 92 years ago.  You climb 164 steps to get to the top and have a 360 view of Astoria and the surrounding area.  The hike up the stairs was well worth the view!

Finally, dinner time!
We had a nice dinner at a place called Fort George Brewery and Public House.  Our booth looked out over the water so we were happy. 

Then it was time to head home.  The trip back to the Airbnb was very peaceful an uneventful. 

Now it is time to relax and get to bed early so we can head to the airport tomorrow for the start of the next leg of our vacation!

The Minigans are Adventuring Again - Day 2

We wake up early (because it it two hours later CST) and wanted to get up and going.  Lots to do!
First stop was breakfast at Zell's!
















We walked to this amazing diner that opened as we arrived. What a great way to start a morning.  They are immediately packed.  It reminded us both of Crown Candy in St. Louis.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was very fun and "Portlandish".  We took our time eating and just really enjoyed the entire experience.

Next, we headed back to get the car.  We had decided that our first stop of the day would be Mount Saint Helens.  We took off and headed down the highway.  We quickly discovered how pretty the highways in Oregon are.  And Washington.  We didn't realize how far into Washington we would be but what the heck.   The highways are beautiful.  And people are quite polite about their driving. 

It was a couple hour drive but the time really went quickly.    As we got closer and closer, Mount Saint Helens got bigger and bigger.  We drove to the closest lookout to the actual site, Johnston Ridge Observatory.  We got out and were in awe.  The mountain was so big.  You could see exactly where the landslide and the volcanic eruption had occurred.  Nature is an amazing thing!

We went into the visitors center and watched a movie about the 1980 eruption and also the  2004 eruption.  It was so interesting.

We walked around for a while and headed back out.  On the way, we stopped at various overlooks that had amazing views.  Everything was so beautiful!

This bridge was one of the many new bridges that we crossed.  This one just happened to have the most fabulous photo op!

We had to wait a bit to get a shot with no cars but we finally did it!

This entire area is so beautiful!

Next we are off to see Multnomah Falls.  On the way we found a couple other spots to check out.

We drove across a damn on the Columbia River.  We went to an island - Thunder Island and explored a bit.  Then finally we headed to the Falls.  It's a brief hike up but I definitely felt it in my legs!

The falls were stunning.  So many people though.

After we hiked up to the falls. we headed down to the lodge at the bottom of the falls to have our anniversary dinner.  Spectacular!  We could see the falls and the food was amazing.  As was the service.  And the company. :-)   We both had salmon and it was truly delicious.

Our final stop for the evening was a place David (my son) told us about, Tasty and Alder in downtown, not far from where we are staying.  The place in packed.  Luckily, two people from the bar got up and we were able to sit quickly.  We had the smoked trout board and loved it.  Smoked trout, bread, cucumber salad and beets.  It was such a vibrant place and everyone was so friendly.

It has been a great anniversary and I cannot wait for many, many more anniversaries with Jim!