Pike's Peak. . .

was a bust!  Here's the view I had from the top:

Oh, and that's not just fog or rain; it's grapple (basically sleet but not exactly).  I had prepared for the cold, but didn't think about snow!  I'm glad I took the cog rail to the top, but it could stay a little longer.  Even without having a view to look at, there wasn't enough time to do anything before the train left again - only 30 minutes for a 3 hour round trip.  It didn't seem worth it to me.  (I just remembered that the train did leave 10-15 minutes late so that would have helped.)

Back at the base the weather was slightly better so I went to Garden of the Gods.



I think I must be tired of unique landscapes because I didn't stay that long.  (Now I know how my sister felt in Europe looking at all the churches I drug her to.)

Albuquerque

After several long days, it was time to take it easy (sort of).  I took a tram ride to the top of Sandia Peak (over 10,000 feet in elevation), and then did some more hiking.  I thought I would be out of shape when I got back home, but I don't think so anymore especially with the altitude difference. 

 View of the Sandia mountains

View into Albuquerque

I tried to go to another Triple D restaurant, but I couldn't find it.  I went to another restaurant instead and had "New Mexican" food.  It was good too.

2 Unexpected Stops

On my way east from the Grand Canyon, I saw a sign for Meteor Crater.  It sounded interesting and was fairly close to the interstate so I decided to stop.  It's exactly what the name suggests.  A crater caused by a meteorite.  The first one to be confirmed that it was created that way.  (Before that everyone thought all craters were made by volcanoes.)  It's a mile in diameter and 550 feet deep.

The second stop was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest (one national park).  Again some odd landscapes and beautiful too.

Guess I'll see Albuquerque tomorrow!

The GRAND Canyon

When I first saw the Grand Canyon, it almost didn't look real.  I think it's too big for my brain to process what it was seeing.  Plus it seemed like I would fall off the edge.  There were people sitting on rocks jutting out into nothing, but I couldn't do it.  (I don't know that I'm afraid of heights; it's the falling part.  Besides, I trip enough when the ground is flat  One loose rock and. . .)

I hiked around about a quarter of it.  (The shuttles were too full, and you don't get to see all the views and wildlife.)  On the west end there are views of the Colorado river.  I didn't expect it to be brown.  

The highlight was staying around for sunset. It was beautiful!  (My pictures don't do it justice.)  The best part was the little French girl saying good-bye as it sunk below the horizon.

Hoover Dam

The answer to the only project to get done early and under budget.  (Ok, maybe not only, but it has to be close, right?)  It's hard to explain how big it is.  Mind boggling to think about all the effort that went into building it.  And only 5 years and $46 million (in 1935)!

The dam tour actually goes into the inspection tunnels and other areas in the dam.  They only allow 20 people per tour so the tickets go fast.  I got the last one!  (Traveling by yourself does have some perks!)  There are original public areas that are no longer used that have terrazzo and glazed block.  

Above is the inspection tunnel where the joints in the concrete are visible. .Below a view out an air intake about halfway down the dam.

The land of the hoodoos

Hoodoo sounds like something from Dr. Seuss, and they look like it too.

But they are all over Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.  I wasn't sure what to expect,  but it's very cool.  Basically the stone has eroded away leaving arches and different shapes. Some even look like historical figures, if you squint. (It's supposed to be Queen Victoria.

I had only planned on walking along the rim, but I had the whole day to explore so I hiked to the bottom.  Of course then I had to come back up.  At the end of the day, I was the same color as the hoodoos, but it was worth it.

Salt Lake City

After all the nature I've seen,  it was time to see some buildings.  I walked around Temple Square,  where the cathedral and tabernacle are.   The cathedral isn't open to the public, but the tabernacle (home to the choir) was and a guy was playing the organ.  The sound was everywhere:  it seemed like the air was vibrating.

For lunch I went to Maxwell's East Coast Eatery, featured on Triple D.  There was pizza,  salads,  and sandwiches on the menu so I choose the chicken wrap (just kidding).  I had the eggplant parmesan sandwich, which was good.

I traveled to Bryce Canyon in the afternoon (crossed Highway 50 and Interstate 70, in that order).  There was nothing for miles around.