Travel with Sue and Ted

Tag: 2016

  • Central Coast California

    As we near the end of our grand tour through the Western United States, it was a delight to spend four days on the central coast of California in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. This area is one of our favorites.

    dsc03378Included in our time here was the great opportunity to visit with Sue’s college roommate, Lynn, and her husband Ken, who live in Los Osos, as well as Lyle and Nancy, friends from Shafter, who now live in Morro Bay.  We also had fun riding bicycles on the Bob Jones trail, a six-mile round trip between SLO and Avila Beach.

    dsc03375While here, we visited a different winery every day, and enjoyed the opportunity to soak in the views and sip wine at:  Baileyana, Tolosa, and Chamisal Wineries (pictured below from their estate patio).

    dsc03380Tomorrow we drive to our home sweet home and this chapter of Sue and Ted’s retirement travel adventures reaches its conclusion.  What a trip it’s been!  Nearly nine weeks, almost 8,500 miles, 14 states, 19 National and State Parks and Monuments (9 were new to us), 22 different campgrounds, and the opportunity to explore and be with cherished family and friends. One more blog post after this one… Our usual best of everything list across our entire list! 

    Thanks for vicariously coming along on our journey, and for your love, prayers and encouragement!

  • California – A Long Drive

    We made it back to California!  On Friday, after a long 12-hour drive from Monument Valley, to Bakersfield, we stayed at the Orange Grove RV Park on Friday.  On Saturday we drove the lovely road (166) through Maricopa to the coast. 

    We are now in the last three days of our long adventure near San Luis Obispo to see some friends, and enjoy the Central Coast before driving up 101 and finally getting home.

  • Monument Valley, Utah

    mv-9388_nAfter twenty years, we returned to Monument Valley (MV) for a visit. What made our time extra special was the opportunity to share it with our oldest son Chris who is embarking on his own adventures throughout the southwest. Glorious!

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    Chris just started his own vacation of almost four weeks, to explore the southwest and take photographs of the red rock canyons. We are nearly finished with our trip, and it worked out that we could meet at MV.

    We had all day together on Thursday from breakfast through dinner and we enjoyed taking a couple of drives in the canyons.  In the morning, Ted drove through the main part of Monument Valley, as Chris and Sue took some pictures.  Here’s a pic that Chris took of all three of us on the famous John Ford Point where Mr. Ford directed some John Wayne movies filmed in Monument Valley.

    all3 at Ford Point

    In the afternoon, Chris drove with Sue to the Valley of the Gods, about 30 minutes away.  During that time, Ted walked to a mesa rim trail, sat in the wind, and played his guitar for an hour.  These times were special for both Sue and Ted in their unique ways.  Here’s Sue’s panoramic pic of Monument Valley.

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  • Arizona Canyons

    On Sunday we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  If you have only seen the South Rim, then add the North Rim to your bucket list of things to do if you love visiting National Parks.  The North Rim is 8,000′ elevation, is in a forest rather than a high desert, and attracts only one-tenth the number of people due to its remoteness.

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    While the south rim opens up to the canyon’s vastness, the north rim certainly invites one closer into it’s depth and majesty.  We stayed in the National Park campground and hiked the rim trail to Bright Angel Point (seen above) near the lodge which closed earlier in the month.  Along the way, however, are other lookouts of the smaller side canyons (seen below).

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    Ted-LowerAntelopeCanyonOn Monday we drove north-east to Page, AZ.  After a night of wonderfully loud and rainy thunderstorms, we were among the very first to enter the rain-fresh-clean Lower Antelope slot canon first thing in the morning with a Navajo photographer-guide.

    We were the only two in his group, and enjoyed most of our two-hour time in the lower canyon in peace and serenity!  (If you ever come here, use “Ken’s Tours” to walk into the lower canyon which is right in their backyard.)

    Antelope is a slot canyon, is full of small chambers, and the path between them usually fits only one person at a time.  Click here to see our pictures page for Antelope Canyon!

    Antelope Canyon (lower)We walked right down into the lower canyon from the top of the desert, and took a few ladders down into deeper levels of it, and two hours later, we retraced our steps.

    At sunset, we traveled to the famous Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River, only a few miles away.  It was beautiful!

    Horseshoe Bend at Sunset

  • Utah Rocks!

    We migrated from Zion National Park up to Bryce Canyon National Park on Saturday, and enjoyed taking the National Park shuttle to the great viewpoints at Bryce.  If Zion is a national park where you have to look up at huge cliffs, Bryce is a place where you stand on top and look down on water-and-wind-carved hoodoo amphitheaters.

    bryce-7We took the our sons to Bryce Canyon National Park twenty years ago, and Sue had some fun replicating our original picture in a park that has upgraded their railings, trails, and awesome bicycle paths.bryce-2226It was awesome to see the sheer cliffs at Inspiration Point.  Here’s a photo of Sue holding on tight to the sign only three feet from the drop-off.

    bryce-2732We are staying at Ruby’s RV Park, right at the entrance to the national park.  For the first time on our trip, we have great cable TV reception  and have enjoyed watching a baseball playoff game – game 6 of the Cubs and Dodgers battle.  Given the fact that Ted was born in Chicago, he certainly has a well-earned liking for Chicago.  ; )