Pipe Springs, Arizona

On my visit to St. George to visit my Mom and Craig, my brother Vic coincided his vacation and we saw some sites together.  One interesting day trip was to Pipe Spring, Arizona.

 The tiny town was  along the "honeymoon trail" where travelers occasionally stopped in pioneer  days on their journey between Mexico and St. George, Utah.

A fort was built by the Mormon settlers with the help of Paiute Native Americans.  A national monument includes a museum and tour of the fort and grounds where you can learn about the two cultures that lived here a hundred years ago

Where were the springs?  The fort was strategically built over them! At the time water came out at 55 gallons a minute, and was very important to desert life here.

Zions National Park

My brother Vic met me on my trip to St. George, Utah, where my Mom and Craig live. Vic does a lot of hiking.  He helped us select the most appropriate hikes in Zions.  You park at the entrance and then shuttle to different stops where trails begin.

 Here people were enjoying the "beach"--a sandy area near the stream.  This is where we ended, and serious hikers begin--walking in the stream as the canyon walls become narrow.

    Water was coming from the rocks all over!

Spectacular views everywhere!

 Due to rain the day before, there were some amazing waterfalls that are not usually there! The rainwater seeps into the porous sandstone.  Then when it reaches a layer of denser rock, the water is forced out.

 We were able to walk under this waterfall, and catch it from several sides.

These canyon walls are huge.  It's difficult to capture their true size, but you can see a person on a trail on the left of the water to provide size reference.

 We hiked about 5 miles of trails.  I was proud of us!

                                             I'm in at least one picture to prove I was there!  (I was enjoying my handmade Ute earrings that day.)  It was a gorgeous day to enjoy the beautiful red rock country with family.

90th Birthday

 Dave's mother turned 90.  We flew to Cincinnati to celebrate with his siblings and some of their families.

 We had a fun dinner at an Italian restaurant for 26 family members.  It was great to get together, and enjoy this milestone with her.