Southwest Journey

For our annual trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, we selected the southern route this year.  We took Route 81 south to Knoxville Tennessee, where we started west on Route 40.  We spent the first night on the road in Kodak, TN.  Our second night found us camping in Ozark, Arkansas and the third in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We averaged 10 hours of drive time each day and arrived in Mount Carmel, Utah on the fourth day.  That evening we entered Zion National Park for an exploratory drive through.
  

Early the next morning we move the motor home to the South Campground, which will be our base for a few days.  The first photos are of the magnificent scenery that one encounters upon first entering Zion...

The rock formations are awesome, to say the least.  The next photo is of a formation called "Checkerboard Mesa"...

Next is a view of the Virgin River as it flows through Zion Canyon...

On our second day in the park we went to an area called Kolob Mountain.  The lack of wildlife was compensated for by the solitude we experienced at the top...

Whether it was the time of day, or the time of the year, or another reason there was not another person at the top while we were there.  I have never breathed cleaner air in my life.  I strained my hearing for any indication of human activity.  It was a cleansing for all of ones senses.  A perfect spot and time for meditation and reflection.  

Next is a small stream that we encountered...

The jumble of rocks looked to be perfect pika habitat but we failed to see any...

As we left the mountain we passed a pond that held some ruddy ducks and coots...

Cheryl spotted some blooming cactus and flowers...

My next blog update will feature some of the desert bighorn sheep that we encountered in the park.  If you are in the area of Grand Teton or Yellowstone this summer and see this car...

Please come over and introduce yourself.  I would love to meet a blog follower at any time.

In the mean time, be well, thanks for visiting and come back soon.