Author: Ed Armstrong

Zion National Park

/ Ed Armstrong

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We had a great time with cousin Kathryn and her family today. We went on an easy hike called The Riverside Walk near the Temple of Sinawava. It was a beautiful Spring day with plenty of sunshine and leaves forming on many trees.

We loved watching the Virgin River flow through the canyon.

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Once we got to the end of the trail, Charlene could not help herself; she had to go into the water. Kathryn joined her too.

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Kathryn’s daughters, Elle and Katie, and their friend Lisette enjoyed the water too!

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Here is our Drive to Zion

Red Hills Parkway

/ Ed Armstrong

We enjoyed a bright sunny day and went for a hike in the Red Hills Parkway in St George. There were kids and adults of all ages walking all over the rocks. We tried to find a trail, but discovered it was more of a mosaic of people walking everywhere and inventing ways to climb up and over the red rocks. We watched a Mom taking photos of a daughter jumping off a moderately-sized rock into the sand below. We also watched a rock-climbing class practicing on some of the hill sides. We’ll be hiking in Zion on Sunday and, hopefully, it won’t be in the 80’s. Tomorrow’s high (Saturday) is supposed to be unseasonably warm with a high near 85. Sunscreen, hats and cool long-sleeved shirts here we come!

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Charlene discovered a cave in the midst of the red rocks. It makes you wonder who lived in here in the past? Especially there was a fireplace at the far end with a chimney of sorts above.

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We went of a drive through Hurricane, Virgin, and Springdale. Interesting names for towns. We discovered we have quite spotty cell phone service and that we probably will not be able to make and receive telephone calls and texts at our next RV park. That will be a new experience for us!

St George, Utah

/ Ed Armstrong

We started off closing up camp from our boondocking site at Lake Mead. We loved the quietness, isolation, and views! We are sort of sad to move on. We especially loved having a camp fire each evening! Roasted marshmallows never tasted so good.

We loved the remoteness. A little different from a crowded RV park.

We loved the remoteness. A little different from a crowded RV park.

We drove from Lake Mead to St George, Utah today. We did not get too close to Las Vegas, but Charlene took a picture as we went by.

Las Vegas as we drove by

Las Vegas as we drove by

As we were driving, we were surprised that a large truck with THREE trailers passed us. It was huge! We would pass him going up hills and he would pass us on the level areas.

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It was beautiful driving through the winding Virgin River Gorge. Sorry, no photos of it, we were focused on keeping the coach in our lane. Charlene was driving and Ed enjoyed taking in the sites! Within 34 minutes, we left Nevada, drove through a brief corner in Arizona as we went through the Virgin River Gorge, and then entered Utah. In no time, we were cruising into St George.

St George is especially beautiful. We have never been here before. It seems to be a combination of Sedona and Kanab. We love the red rocks and the blue sky! We are having so much fun visiting all these new places!!

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This is a map of our Drive to St George Utah

Amazing Hoover Dam!

/ Ed Armstrong / Leave a comment

Today we had the chance to see Hoover Dam and walk across the adjacent bridge. Both were quite impressive. It is a weird experience to be down inside a dam with water flowing over you to the turbines to make electricity. The views were spectacular!

We started our day with a beautiful sunrise over Lake Mead. It is wonderful being in the Mohave Desert with its harsh yet beautiful setting.

Sunrise at Lake Mead

Sunrise at Lake Mead

Turbines within Hoover Dam making electricity

Turbines within Hoover Dam making electricity

Water intake within the dam

Water intake within the dam

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Charlene touches both Nevada and Arizona on the bridge over the mighty Colorado River.

Charlene touches both Nevada and Arizona on the bridge over the mighty Colorado River.

Boondocking at Lake Mead, Nevada

/ Ed Armstrong / Leave a comment

Since we have a built-in diesel generator and a 100 gallon tank of fresh water, we decided to forgo RV parks for a while and try our hand at boondocking without any hookups. We found a remote, beautiful spot with a view of Lake Mead and set up camp. We do not like to drive the motorhome on dirt roads, so we went very slowly and carefully to a nice wide spot. It is so picturesque and peaceful, except for when we run the generator :).

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This is our Drive Willcox to Lake Mead

Distillery Discovery

/ Ed Armstrong / Leave a comment

What a surprise to find a rum and vodka distillery in Kingman, Arizona. We took a tour of their facility, learned about the awards they have won, and sampled a flight of products. The vodka was much smoother than Russian vodkas we have tried. We also really liked their rums. We could not decide on our favorite, so we bought bottles of two different flavors.

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