Also of note is that the area was used in the final scene of the film Thelma&Louise! Don’t worry we have no desire to drive off one of those cliffs!
landscape
All posts tagged landscape
We left Glenwood Springs headed to Moab Utah via the Colorado National Monument.
The monument area was extraordinary. We followed the Colorado River along the highway into Moab.
When we got closer to Moab we had Arches National Park on our right. Some of the rock formations along the River rise 1500 to 2000 feet. It’s crazy! I guess I was so amazed by them that I didn’t take one photo.
We arrived at our townhouse about 5 miles outside of Moab. Beautiful accommodations as our travel agent (Lynn) always gets us the best. Above is a view from our patio.
We walked across a bridge to the restaurant district and this is a view of the pools at night. Quiet a first day. Wish I had room to show all the photos but….
Tomorrow it’s off to Moab Utah and Arches National Park. We have four nights there. Last time we were there we really only had one day to explore. That didn’t even get us started.
Dan and I visited Death Valley National Park last January. We only had a few hours there and it definitely deserves more time to explore this eerie Martian like landscape.
Sunset at Saguaro National Park in Arizona
Lynn and I continued on our waterfall journey yesterday. We have a copy of the book, Waterfalls of Tennessee by Gregory Plums. It lists all the waterfalls in Tennessee along with his ratings and directions to the falls. We are on a quest to visit as many as possible. The falls above are called Jackson Falls. Due to low rainfall in Tennessee, the waterfalls we visited were just trickles but still beautiful. Jackson Falls are located around mile marker 408 along the Natchez Trace Parkway. The walk is steep but paved.
West Mead Falls are right in the middle of Nashville in a beautiful subdivision right off Jocelyn Hollow Road. There is no walk and you can park on the dead end road.
Bell Falls above are actually a tunnel built through a 300 ft. wide ridge separating a bend in the Harpeth River. They are in the Narrows of the Harpeth State Park. You can see one side of the tunnel after a short walk, but the other side (above) is a longer more strenuous walk along the river. Branching off from that trail is a 1/3 mile climb to the top of a rocky mound. It’s really fun on the knees but well worth the view from the top.
This is our third outing in search of waterfalls. So far we have not been disappointed. Brad and Brigid, our traveling mascots seem to enjoy the trips too. They get just as hungry and we do so we always pack a lunch to enjoy on the way. They do enjoy their champagne and it’s a part of our tradition that we started way back in 2004 on our first Thelma & Louise adventure.
As for the waterfalls, it’s amazing what you can find to explore so close to your own home.
Calypso made her third voyage on October 14. Dan and I want to camp in every state park in Tennessee, unfortunately some parks don’t have campgrounds. The second voyage was to Bledsoe Creek, near Gallatin, Tennessee. I’ll add that one in later.
Number three took us to Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park near Camden, Tennessee. It is named for the Confederate General during the Civil War. It’s a beautiful park that sits on the Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake. There are over 2000 acres of forest to wander. It’s a small campground and the only lakefront sites are for primitive camping only. That’s not for me, Calypso offers me all the comforts of home in a more rustic setting!
If you love hiking there are miles of trails. There’s even a 20 mile loop for the experienced hiker. The camp host told me that lots of people hike that trail in preparation for future hikes like the Appalachian Trail. There is a short trail right at our site that joins that trail about quarter of a mile in. That’s more to my liking. I can go for a one mile hike or a ten mile hike and come right back to my campsite when ready. Photo below is the view from our patio!
Photo below is the beginning of my first branch weaving. It took awhile to find the perfect stick, had to walk at least a mile! Maybe I will make some progress later this afternoon.
First camping trip of 2019 for Layula! We named her after my fifth great grandmother who was a Native American from the Lumbee Nation. We are on the creek at Montgomery Bell State Park. Our goal is to stay in all the Tennessee parks. I call this glamping!
We originally planned to ride up to Mt. Charleston Lodge for lunch today, but Mother Nature decided they needed more snow! Rain was expected in Las Vegas and the sky looked a little threatening but we decided to beat the rain and visit the Neon Museum. If you ever get to Vegas it is a must see. When signs are no longer needed they are donated to the museum. We learned that most of the neons are leased by the hotels usually for ten years. When the lease expires if the hotel doesn’t want it, it goes back to the sign company.
So many signs lay in this historic boneyard and I’ve only shared a few!
Red Rock Canyon is about 20 miles from downtown. The clouds continued to roll in and the wind got quite gusty, but we drove out anyway. Lucky for me the low hanging clouds made the already dramatic landscape ever more ominous. There is a 13 mile scenic loop, well worth the drive. Do not miss this if you are in Vegas. Sadly tomorrow we leave for Nashville, but I can say for sure that it won’t be 30 years before I’m back again!
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Death Valley is about a two hour drive west from Las Vegas. We got a late start and we were meeting Dan’s cousin who lives in Pahrump, so we had a very short amount of time. The park covers 5262 square miles! You would need several days there to really appreciate its beauty. The power of Mother Earth is beyond imagination. These are just a few photos made on my phone!
The lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet.
That white stuff is salt, not snow!
We met Dan’s cousin Dickie Hooper who lives in Pahrump. He insisted we eat lunch at the famous Sheri’s Ranch Brothel. He knows the bartender and apparently everyone else there! That was not on my bucket list but I can say it was a unique experience. They greeted us at the door of the bar and asked if any of us had an appointment! We said no we just want lunch! 
Didn’t have time to see Red Rock Canyon so back to MGM. Later we had appetizers at Greek Sneek complete with Greek wine and Mythos beer. Ah, memories of Greece!
Today we drove to Valley of Fire State Park. I wish we had planned to stay there longer, but alas we only had a few hours. The park is about an hour northeast of Vegas. It sits at the end of a 13 mile road through the desert and is definitely worth the drive. The landscape changes quickly to bright red sandstone formations with names like the Beehives, and Elephant Rock. There are also hundreds of petroglyphs made by the Anasazi who occupied the area between 300 BC-1150 AD. They are easily seen from the walking trail. The energy of this valley is electric and so peaceful I could’ve stayed for days.
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