Saguaros in Arizona

A pretty desert scene. I had always thought the desert was stark and barren, it's not. There are so many things to look at and notice. It sure does grow on you after awhile. I love the big skies and long vistas.

Here is a poor guy that fell down. It is said that their roots are shallow, but go out a long ways in all directions to slurp up as much water as possible.

These guys look like they are friends hanging out, with a couple of onlookers wishing they were part of the happy gang.

That is one thing I like about Saguaros almost all of the cactus seem to have personalities.

I loved looking out and seeing mountains and hills. Arizona has lots of mountains big and small, they seem to be everywhere. I also like the way the cactus go on forever into the distance

The Snow Part of Zion in the Rain and Snow

These are the pictures of Zion in the snow. I am just a little out of sequence. We are in Flagstaff now, Feb 25. We are headed to Sedona after exploring Flagstaff a bit more, I found a great coffee shop yesterday, got to stop again on the way out. It is a nice city but bitter cold there was a icy wind blowing yesterday and it is supposed to be stronger today. We stayed in a motel here. Not a very peaceful night. People coming and going and making noise. Shar Shar and Amy didn't relax much all night. Queenie was surrounded by cars out in the parking lot so I don't think she was too lonely without us.I will try to fill in the many days and places I have missed...........but who knows when.

Grand Canyon Early Tuesday Morning

Here we are at the Grand Canyon. Alas, I took no pictures of Queenie or the dogs. These were taken about 8 am on a clear sunny morning. It stayed clear all day and we walked or drove to every possible lookout point we could. The dogs were allowed on the rim trail so they walked most of it with me. It was awesome and grand. Once again not too many people except in the middle of the day by the lodges. We were able to drive out to Hermits Rest. All of the old buildings and lodges have fire places, when you walk in you can smell the wood burning and feel the welcome warmth. The sky was crystal clear all day. I was tempted to walk down into the canyon a bit, but it was so icy I was sure I would fall to an untimely death.

zion in rain and snow

I have a lot of catching up to do.........

We were in Zion Nat'l Park in Utah Feb. 19-22

We almost had the park to ourselves. They even had a trail the dogs could walk on! Two out of three mornings we walked the 3+ miles without seeing another soul. The weather was rainy and snowy with a touch of sun. The rain and clouds made the gigantic rock faces very mysterious. What a privilege to witness such grandeur. I even did some hiking on my own which was a nice change. We spent three days here and enjoyed every second of it. One day we had just gotten back from our walk and into the van when a tremendous thunderstorm hit. I didn't see any lightening but there were booms upon booms and then a torrent of rain that turned into ice then snow. I was in the midst of nature at her work. I would never tire of that walk through the valley nor the gigantic form of the Watchman standing sentinel over Queenie (the van has a name), Amy, Shara and I day and night.